Chapter 442: Is This What You Call Being Prepared?

I couldn’t tell what Seo Jae-hoon was thinking but one thing was certain—he was finished.

With this many witnesses and evidence there was no escape even for someone like him.

I stared straight at Seo Jae-hoon and spoke.

“Have you given up on everything?”

The corners of his mouth curled up at my question. He exhaled cigarette smoke before answering.

“Soon Il-seong Group will pass from my hands to yours. I’ll just be a wealthy shareholder nothing more. I’ll have enough to live on but you know as well as I do—no matter how much money I have it means nothing without Il-seong Group as my shield. And I’ve been wondering if you’d even let me live.”

“So? You’ve made peace with dying here?”

Seo Jae-hoon took a deep drag from his cigarette.

He dropped the cigarette burned down to the filter and crushed it under his foot.

“Why would I die? Do I look crazy to you?”

After causing such a mess what’s with this confidence?

Ignoring my incredulous look Seo Jae-hoon patted Lee Seok-min’s shoulder and continued.

“Can I ask one more thing? What did you promise Manager Lee Seok-min to make him switch sides? Mind telling me?”

Lee Seok-min visibly flinched when Seo Jae-hoon patted him.

Looks like he had a rough time downstairs. I let out a small sigh before answering.

“Is that what you’re curious about right now?”

“Of course. Manager Lee was excellent at his job. He’d do anything Father asked of him. I wanted to keep using him myself but he ended up siding with you.”

Seo Jae-hoon’s eyes turned cold as he looked at Lee Seok-min.

“Lee Seok-min was the only one who truly cared about Il-seong Group. That’s why I wanted to put him to proper use. I promised to let him keep the Il-sung name—it would’ve been a waste to let him live as just Seo Yong-geon’s shadow.”

“I see.”

Seo Jae-hoon nodded. From his reaction it didn’t seem like he was genuinely curious.

“Let me ask you something too. What kind of trick are you trying to pull by getting me to come here?”

“Well… you’ll find out soon enough.”

Just as Seo Jae-hoon finished speaking static crackled from the radio pinned to Manager Ma’s suit.

Manager Ma pulled out the radio and asked.

“What’s going on?”

―Police Special Forces have arrived.

The Black Secret staff guarding the mountain entrance reported.

Manager Ma frowned and asked again.

“Police Special Forces? Are you sure?”

―Yes. Confirmed they’re SWAT from Incheon Metropolitan Police. They’re attempting to enter in full tactical gear.

Manager Ma looked my way. After a brief consideration he gave his orders.

“Tell them to clear the way don’t create unnecessary problems.”

“Understood.”

Currently only a small number of personnel were guarding the entrance.

Resisting would only increase casualties on our side.

Manager Ma spoke into the radio.

“Don’t resist let them through.”

―Understood.

After confirming the radio connection was cut I smiled while looking at Seo Jae-hoon.

What a shallow trick.

“So this was it. This is why you lured me here? To catch me?”

Seo Jae-hoon didn’t deny it.

“Even you won’t have a way out if caught at the scene. The SWAT team leader coming from Incheon Police is our man. That’s why I had you come here directly.”

Seo Jae-hoon wasn’t planning to die—he intended to pin everything that happened here on me.

After killing me first of course.

“This is ridiculous.”

This is too pathetic to bear. I sighed and ran my hand over my face.

I wiped the smile from my face and said.

“Is this really your plan? Is this what you call being prepared?”

“You’ll die here resisting arrest. Even if you kill the police you’re finished. You’ve got no way out.”

“So the SWAT leader was an Il-sung scholarship recipient.”

“Il-sung scholarship recipients are everywhere and nowhere. He’s one of the ones unknown to the public.”

He was right. Even I hadn’t managed to identify all the scholarship recipients.

It was impossible to track down every scholarship recipient Il-seong Group had created over decades.

I’d mainly uncovered those in the prosecution service courts and politics and had them either cut ties with Il-seong Group or step down.

Yet there were still more out there. How persistent.

“Police Special Forces…”

If they burst in now everything would end as Seo Jae-hoon said.

But I had no intention of letting it end that way. I instructed Manager Ma.

“They’ve probably passed the entrance but don’t let anyone enter the villa. Don’t attack first but if they attack respond in kind.”

“Understood.”

Manager Ma gestured to the Black Secret team leaders.

Four men rushed over.

“Police Special Forces are attempting entry. Don’t let anyone into the villa and absolutely no preemptive attacks. However if they attack respond accordingly.”

“Just respond sir?”

When Team Leader 1 asked Manager Ma nodded and continued.

“Can you hold them off?”

“Yes we can.”

All four men answered simultaneously. Manager Ma nodded and gave additional orders.

“Team Leader Lee’s team stays here on standby everyone else deploy.”

“Understood.”

All but Team Leader Lee quickly disappeared and soon Black Secret staff were moving rapidly.

“Subdue Seo Jae-hoon and bring him to me.”

At my order Team Leader Lee signaled his team members.

They slowly moved toward Seo Jae-hoon with guns trained on him.

That’s when it happened. The man behind Seo Jae-hoon moved.

He pressed his gun to Lee Seok-min’s temple and shouted.

“Don’t move! One move and Lee Seok-min dies!”

The Black Secret agents stopped when I raised my hand.

When I glared at Seo Jae-hoon he shrugged. Then he gestured to the man.

“First time seeing him? This is Director Han Ji-ho. He follows my orders faithfully. If I command it Lee Seok-min dies. So let’s chat until the Special Forces arrive.”

It takes about ten minutes to get here from the mountain entrance.

So he plans to stall until then. I looked at Lee Seok-min who was being held hostage.

“Hmm…”

I considered whether to subdue them regardless of Lee Seok-min’s fate or wait.

When I glanced at Lee Seok-min his eyes wavered. Though his face appeared calm his hands trembled slightly.

Letting him die like this would make me look too heartless.

I sighed and gestured for the staff to back off.

“Is there anything else to discuss?”

“Plenty. Just who are you really? How could you rise so successfully without a single mistake? You’ve been growing your wealth and now you’re controlling Korea’s chaebols. No matter how I think about it it doesn’t make sense. Even a naturally gifted investor couldn’t climb this high without making a single mistake.”

“I got lucky.”

“Lucky? You’re summing it all up with just luck?”

I shrugged.

Even if I told him I was living a second life he wouldn’t believe me and I couldn’t tell him anyway.

How could I possibly explain this strange second chance?

“A lot happened. The secretarial office including Lee Seok-min predicted and reported the coming financial crisis. But Chairman Seo Yong-geon and you ignored it while I discussed countermeasures with Han Gyeong-yeong. That’s the only difference.”

Seo Jae-hoon snorted at my answer and replied.

“So you don’t want to talk about it.”

“You wouldn’t listen to me now just like you didn’t listen to your subordinates back then. Your stubbornness is why you fell behind me despite having a head start.”

As I spoke calmly Seo Jae-hoon’s face grew increasingly cold.

“When subordinates speak you should at least pretend to listen but didn’t you just push ahead with only your own ideas? That’s why you ended up like this. You know Lee Seok-min’s capabilities better than I do. Plus the Il-sung secretarial office was filled with Korea’s finest talent. Il-seong Group just failed to utilize them properly.”

Though I brushed it off as luck to Seo Jae-hoon there was some truth to it.

Without Korea’s financial crisis and the IT bubble I wouldn’t have made it this far.

Many people warned about the financial crisis but both the government and chaebols responsible for the economy ignored it.

When the financial crisis hit it weakened Korean chaebols and I started buying their shares with massive amounts of dollars.

Eventually the unprepared company chairmen had no choice but to borrow money from Grandfather.

Even though they knew it would become their shackle.

“Are you saying Il-seong Group ended up like this because we didn’t listen to our underlings?”

Seo Jae-hoon spat out the words. I kindly corrected the error in his statement.

“You would’ve eventually been devoured by me but you could have delayed it.”

My plan was always to enter the same businesses as Il-seong Group and cut off their lifeline.

Though the process would have been much longer and more tedious without the financial crisis the result would have been the same.

“Do you think it makes sense to do all this just for revenge? This is Il-seong Group. The Il-seong Group that has led Korea’s economy.”

“Just? Did you just say ‘just’?”

In my previous life I didn’t know. Why my parents died why I had to die.

“Watch your mouth. When I first learned the truth I wanted to find Chairman Seo Yong-geon and kill him right away. But I couldn’t touch him because of Il-seong Group’s shield. That’s why I tried to get Il-sung under my control. And you dare say ‘just revenge’?”

I glared at Seo Jae-hoon and snapped back.

“You don’t know how hard my life was after my parents died like that. If you knew you’d never dare say such things.”

Seo Jae-hoon still frowned as if he couldn’t understand.

“I just don’t get it.”

“I don’t expect someone like you to understand. So don’t even try! And never mention my parents again. It makes me want to kill you right now.”

Just then loud sirens began to echo in the distance.

Seo Jae-hoon put another cigarette in his mouth.

“Fine. Soon there won’t be any need to mention it. Once you disappear from this world who else will know about that incident?”

Seo Jae-hoon lit his cigarette with a Zippo lighter and smiled sinisterly.

The villa entrance started getting noisy.

I turned away from glaring at Seo Jae-hoon to look toward the villa entrance.

Fully armed Special Forces officers poured out of their bus.

They aimed their weapons at the Black Secret agents blocking the entrance creating a standoff.

A man got out of the SUV in front of the bus and walked toward the entrance.

“I’m An Hyun-soo Incheon Police SWAT team leader.”

“Kim Dae-seong Black Secret Team Leader 1. This is private property. Please leave.”

One of the Black Secret team leaders stepped forward.

An Hyun-soo seemed to recognize the Black Secret uniform his expression souring as he spoke.

“Ha… this is ridiculous. Gunshots were heard in the middle of Korea and you’re talking about private property? What does Black Secret have to do with this place anyway?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We were ordered to guard this place and that’s what we’re doing.”

The Black Secret staff hadn’t drawn their weapons yet.

“Fine. If there’s no problem we’ll just take a look inside and leave. Move aside.”

“Not possible. Do you have a warrant?”

When Team Leader Kim Dae-seong asked An Hyun-soo frowned and said.

“SWAT can subdue terrorists without a warrant.”

“Terrorists? We’re a state-approved mercenary company. We’re being paid to guard this place.”

Kim Dae-seong replied firmly. Thinking words weren’t getting through An Hyun-soo warned in a low voice.

“Move aside while I’m asking nicely. If you don’t I’ll arrest you first. If you resist you’ll end up like a honeycomb so think carefully.”

Kim Dae-seong looked at the Special Forces officers behind An Hyun-soo and said firmly.

“Then we’ll have no choice but to respond.”

When An Hyun-soo raised his hand the officers released their safety catches.

“This is my final warning. Move.”

Kim Dae-seong neither answered nor moved.

As An Hyun-soo’s lips parted to say something a loud noise interrupted.

An Hyun-soo turned toward the unexpected commotion.

The sound made me smile.

“Looks like they’ve finally arrived.”

Two men stepped out of a military vehicle that had driven past the bus to the villa entrance. One wore a military uniform while the other was in a suit.