Chapter 486: A Welcome Sound

I shook off the daze from the shocking news.

Then I asked Manager Ma again.

“Seo Jae-hoon tried to take his own life? That can’t be true. Please explain in detail.”

“He apparently hanged himself with a towel in his solitary confinement cell. Fortunately, the guard discovered him quickly, so his life isn’t in danger. He hasn’t woken up yet, though.”

“There are no other inmates who had contact with Seo Jae-hoon, right?”

“No. As you ordered, he’s been completely isolated.”

Loneliness is the most tormenting thing for a person.

Being locked away without meeting anyone or doing anything is an ideal environment for driving someone mad.

Especially someone like Seo Jae-hoon—I thought he’d have an even harder time enduring it.

After all, he lived his whole life as the crowned prince of the Il-seong Group, always revered.

Could he really fall apart so quickly like this?

“So what’s his current situation?”

“He’s admitted to Il-seong Hospital.”

Being in the hospital… I wouldn’t mind him walking the same path as Seo Yong-geon.

I might need to think this one through.

“Oh, by the way, how is the lawsuit that Seo Hee-kyung filed progressing? I’m a bit worried since I feel like we haven’t been monitoring that closely.”

“The voting rights regarding Chairman Seo Yong-geon’s shares have been restricted. Eva and Seo Hee-kyung are on it. Should I gather more details?”

If Eva’s involved, I don’t have to worry. I shook my head.

“Eva can handle it. More importantly, I want you to find out everything about Seo Jae-hoon’s condition and the circumstances at the scene. Was it a suicide, or just an act? If it’s neither, then we have to figure out if someone tried to kill him.”

“Do you think someone tampered with it, Boss?”

“Valtiche has been too quiet. It doesn’t make sense for them to stay silent after one of their own was killed by Seo Jae-hoon.”

Manager Ma lowered his head.

“I’ll look into it as well.”

“Valtiche might have bribed the guard.”

“I’ll dig deeper and report back, Boss.”

Seo Jae-hoon’s suicide attempt could be a cover-up. That guy would never voluntarily take his own life.

Our conversation with Manager Ma came to a natural pause as Cheon Ji-young re-entered.

I forced a smile onto my stiff face.

“Have you checked everything out?”

“Yeah! I really love it! It’s perfect!”

“That’s good to hear. Want to grab something to eat? I’m starving.”

I took Cheon Ji-young and left the pier.

Seo Jae-hoon’s situation could wait. Right now, time with Cheon Ji-young mattered more.

* * *

Seo Jae-hoon opened his eyes. Unlike usual, his eyelids felt heavy, making it hard to even keep them open.

‘Where am I?’

A strange ceiling spun above him, filled with the loud whir of machines.

Seo Jae-hoon frowned and glanced around.

Only then did he remember that he was in a hospital.

‘Ah…’

While he was sleeping, someone had suddenly grabbed his throat.

It was a terrifying experience—the suffocating pain and the fear that no one would come to help.

It was a feeling he had never experienced in his life.

Just then, he heard the door open and quickly shut his eyes again.

Two men entered the hospital room, engaged in conversation.

“When do you think he’ll wake up?”

“The prosecutor found no issues at all. He should regain consciousness soon.”

“Is it okay to transfer him back to the detention center as soon as he wakes up?”

The man, with irritation dripping from his voice, was met with a calm response from the other.

“It would be best to monitor him for a few days, and I recommend psychological counseling as well.”

“That’s a luxury for an inmate.”

“Still, he is the vice-chairman of the Il-seong Group. If he were to die by suicide, the detention authorities would be in a bind.”

“Hah, I’ll report this to the higher-ups first.”

Both voices were familiar to Seo Jae-hoon.

One was the director of Il-seong Hospital, and the other was the guard overseeing him.

“Let’s check his condition for now.”

The director approached to assess Seo Jae-hoon’s state.

Meanwhile, the guard stepped back to make a phone call.

As he tried to roll his eyes, Seo Jae-hoon moved his hand to grab the director’s collar.

The startled director froze in place.

With his eyes slightly open, Seo Jae-hoon shook his head weakly before closing them again.

After a moment of hesitation, the director began fidgeting with the medical equipment instead of checking on Seo Jae-hoon.

“How’s it going?”

The guard, finishing his call, stepped closer.

“He still hasn’t regained consciousness.”

After casting a glance at Seo Jae-hoon, the guard nodded.

“If he does wake up, you must inform the people outside immediately. No visitors are allowed, though. Only the director and one nurse can enter. Anything beyond that is unacceptable.”

“Understood.”

“Some people are just too spoiled, causing unnecessary trouble. I’ll step outside for a while. Keep up the good work.”

The guard clicked his tongue and left the hospital room, slamming the door behind him.

“······He’s gone. Vice-Chairman.”

Seo Jae-hoon opened his eyes.

Upon seeing him, the director asked, his voice trembling,

“Vice-Chairman, what on earth… why did you do this?”

“······How long have I been out?”

“A full day has passed. Please explain the situation to me. What is going on?”

Seo Jae-hoon hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he could trust this man.

Until recently, the director was tightly aligned with him.

After all, he held the lifeline of his father, Chairman Seo Yong-geon.

But now, he could trust no one.

“Director Yang.”

“Yes. Please go ahead, Vice-Chairman.”

“I have one favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

The director responded instead of asking for an explanation, bewildered by this sudden plea.

“Yes. Please contact Kim Mu-hyeok and ask him to come and see me.”

“May I ask what it’s regarding? I need to know to relay the message properly.”

Seo Jae-hoon frowned. He wasn’t pleased by this unexpected inquiry from someone who had never questioned his motives before.

It felt as though he was being disregarded because he’d ended up in detention.

“Director Yang, when did you start questioning my orders? Am I some sort of joke to you?”

The chilling tone of Seo Jae-hoon made the director flinch.

“I’m Seo Jae-hoon. Seo Jae-hoon. I’m not dead yet. I’m the rightful heir of the Il-seong Group. I have enough power to make sure you won’t see the light of day.”

The director quickly bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s enough. Contact Kim Mu-hyeok and relay my message. I have important matters to discuss with him.”

“Understood.”

Although I was skeptical about whether the director would communicate with Kim Mu-hyeok, I had faith that Kim would come looking for me after such an incident.

After formulating my thoughts, Seo Jae-hoon firmly instructed the director.

“This information must never leave this room. If anyone else finds out… your life will be at stake. However, if you manage this correctly, you will be handsomely rewarded. I count on you, Director Yang.”

“Yes, yes. Understood.”

“And… do everything you can to ensure that I can stay here in the hospital for as long as possible.”

The director replied in a shaky voice, lacking confidence.

“That’s not something I can secure by myself.”

“Find a way, no matter what.”

“…I’ll give it my best effort.”

“Don’t say I woke up yet. Let’s say I’ll wake up this evening. I need to gather my thoughts.”

“Understood.”

“I want to be alone now. Please leave without adding any unnecessary chatter.”

Seo Jae-hoon closed his eyes again.

The director bowed again and left the hospital room.

‘Who tried to kill me? For now, it can’t be Kim Mu-hyeok. That guy has no intention of killing me at all.’

With his eyes closed, Seo Jae-hoon sighed. The deeper his thoughts, the more the scar left on his neck throbbed.

* * *

The accusations from the U.S. and the UK didn’t fade even after a few days.

Zhou Yongkang made a trip to a hotel in Guangzhou.

I wasn’t even expecting him to come all this way without my call. It was unexpected.

Hiding my true feelings, I greeted him with a smile.

“Welcome.”

Zhou Yongkang took my hand and spoke.

“Boss Kim, I’ve come to speak with you about something.”

“Perfect timing. I’ve been curious how things are progressing. Let’s sit down first.”

We sat facing each other.

Without any preamble, Zhou Yongkang got right to the point.

“We’ve halted all pressures against Tencent. There will be no further pressures from us on Tencent.”

“That’s a welcome sound indeed.”

“Chairman Jiang Zemin expressed joy upon receiving your gift. And he has immediately reached a political agreement through negotiations with Chairman Hu Jintao to deal with Wang Jianlin.”

I was already aware of the meeting between Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin.

Naturally, I hadn’t received the details of what they exchanged.

But I knew Hu Jintao is a greedy person who would have surely extracted something of value.

He would never be the kind of person to just sit idly by while the Wanda Group fell into Jiang Zemin’s hands.

They must have reached a favorable agreement. It was akin to diminishing the power of the Princelings.

“So, does the Princeling faction have no stance on this?”

“Bo Xilai leads the public opinion of the Princeling faction. They likely won’t express any significant reactions.”

“Hmm… when do you plan to make the arrest? I’m still not pleased that Wang Jianlin is breathing the same air as us.”

“Before that, please stop the reports regarding the allegations in the foreign press.”

I raised an eyebrow, realizing that was the reason he sought me out.

“Once it halts, it’ll be hard to run another special coverage again.”

“The Central Party is quite uncomfortable with it. Chairman Jiang Zemin has instructed that this issue be resolved first; then at a quieter time, they will proceed to arrest Wang Jianlin.”

I couldn’t help but click my tongue. Well, if politics was involved, I had to understand.

“Understood. I’ll wait.”

I took out my phone and called Murdoch.

—– Charlie! It’s been a while.

“Hello, Mr. Murdoch. How have you been?”

Murdoch replied with a cheerful laugh.

—– Thanks to you, everything is going smoothly.

Murdoch was creating an even larger media empire with us backing him up with our considerable investment.

The massive amount we invested was supporting his kingdom.

“That’s great to hear. By the way, I hope to see the articles about Wang Jianlin stop.”

—– Is this enough? I have plenty more prepared.

“The Chinese government has decided to accept my requests, so I have to stop my end as well.”

—– That’s too bad. The article certainly stirred quite a controversy. The reactions in the U.S. political scene were positive too.

Murdoch’s voice carried a hint of disappointment.

“Haha, I promise to deliver even better articles next time.”

—– Sounds good. Since it’s Charlie’s request, I’ll stop here. When are you coming to America?

“I think it’ll be soon.”

—– Let’s grab a drink when you come by. I have some good liquor on hand.

“I’ll look forward to it. I’ll hang up now.”

Ending the call with Murdoch, I noticed Zhou Yongkang was gaping at me.

“You mean Rupert Murdoch?”

Nodding while slipping the phone into my pocket, I replied.

“Yes. He should be pulling down all the articles by today, even including those on the internet.”

“······Murdoch’s stubbornness is well known in China, yet he willingly accepted your request.”

“We have a significant amount of investment in News Corporation. He can’t ignore that.”

Murdoch was infamous for not backing down even against the president.

The only reason he would pay attention to me was one thing.

Money. In the end, Murdoch also kneeled before immense wealth.

“Zhou Yongkang, I will return to Korea tomorrow.”

I wanted to see the situation unfold with my own eyes, but I couldn’t stay in China any longer.

Cleaning up things related to Wang Jianlin and the Wanda Group would take at least six months.

“I hope it all gets wrapped up before the year ends.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll arrest Wang Jianlin within this month and apprehend everyone involved. Once the investigation is complete, I’ll be in touch with Li Ruifeng.”

It seemed he had an inkling of my thoughts. Zhou Yongkang’s answer made me smile in satisfaction.

“Good. I like that.”

“And…”

Zhou Yongkang hesitated, trailing off. It seemed he had something else to say.

“Please, speak your mind.”

“Liu Han has requested a meeting to apologize.”

“Liu Han? Forget it. What’s the point of meeting such a person? Just tell him to avoid any actions that would irritate me again. That’s all I need.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure to give him a stern warning.”

Zhou Yongkang lowered his head in agreement.

“The Minister of Public Security should also be careful to draw a line with him. Someday, Liu Han could become a weak point for you, Minister.”

“I’ll consider it carefully.”

The two of us had become practically an economic community.

But the more tightly bound they are, the more serious things become.

Zhou Yongkang, oblivious to this seriousness, only responded vaguely.

What could I do if he didn’t grasp the urgency even after I warned him?

I nodded in a nonchalant manner.

“Once everything is done, let’s have a meal together.”

The next day.

I arrived at Incheon Airport with Cheon Ji-young.

Finally wrapping up my longer-than-expected schedule in China.