Chapter 730: Because it’s the place that marks my beginning

After a long schedule in Japan I arrived in Busan instead of Seoul.

For a week I enjoyed a complete rest without receiving any contact from anyone.

I didn’t watch the news or read any newspapers.

I simply ate the meals Grandma made at home and rested without a single thought.

After a dream-like week passed I left Busan seeing off by my Grandmother.

On the way to Seoul I turned on my phone and asked Manager Ma in the passenger seat.

“Did I get a lot of calls?”

“Yes.”

A firm answer came back. I chuckled and nodded. Judging by that reaction it must have been a lot.

It’s a little unfair to Manager Ma but this was the first time I had cut off all contact and rested so I felt incredibly refreshed.

“Ah what about important calls? Did anyone from China contact me?”

“No, Boss.”

I had shaken Li Peng through Murdoch.

Although it was foreign news Murdoch’s status had risen even higher than before.

Murdoch’s abilities combined with my capital had solidified Murdoch’s media empire even further.

Li Peng didn’t make a single move even though he must have been quite irritated.

“Hmm.”

I unconsciously groaned and tapped the armrest.

“Is it still not enough?”

Well I did expose the weakest of the materials I obtained from Black Bear regarding Li Peng.

However it shouldn’t be that he wouldn’t be affected at all just because it was weak.

It wasn’t a fatal weakness that could bring Li Peng down but it was enough to tarnish his reputation.

I pondered for a moment then picked up my phone again and checked the received messages one by one.

There were messages from Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong and there was also a message from Oh Hyeon-woo.

But among them there was a message from an unexpected person.

It was a message from Cheon Ji-su.

[I’d like to meet you.]

Why would Cheon Ji-su contact me first?

I had finished all my revenge while tearing Il-sung Group apart.

As the massive empire of Il-sung Group crumbled so did my desire for revenge.

And during the process of dissolving the group Cheon Ji-su had also taken a share of the spoils I gave out.

After that I had completely erased Cheon Ji-su from my mind.

“Manager check to see if anything happened to Cheon Ji-su.”

“Understood I will contact Black Bear immediately.”

After giving instructions to Manager Ma I suddenly thought of someone.

“Come to think of it what has Ji-young been up to these days?”

“I believe she is preparing for a new album.”

Cheon Ji-young had become a star that no one in Korea didn’t know.

Every album she released was a smash hit and every movie she filmed was a success.

It wasn’t because Cheon Ji-young needed money that she worked without rest.

It was purely because she wanted to do the things she liked and that’s why she had reached that position.

“She’s doing well. I’m glad.”

Perhaps because I had brought up Cheon Ji-young Manager Ma played a sample of her new song.

A melodious voice echoed through the quiet car. I unconsciously smiled pulling up the corners of my lips.

While I was cutting off all contact and resting the Heaven Church was slowly being forgotten by people.

But just because it was forgotten by the public didn’t mean everything was over.

As soon as I arrived in Seoul I headed to my Myeong-dong office.

It was an old building with a shabby exterior.

Eva had once asked me this question.

‘Boss why do you keep staying in this shabby building?’

Since it was natural to move the office to a nicer building if you earned money it seemed like Eva didn’t understand my actions.

To her question I answered like this.

‘Because this is where it all began. If I leave this place I feel like my essence will disappear.’

Even with my answer it seemed like Eva didn’t understand.

But the Myeong-dong office was a place that kept me from losing my initial intentions so I had no intention of leaving this place.

Snapping out of my thoughts I opened the door to the Myeong-dong office that I had returned to after a long time.

It wasn’t like there were no people in the office just because I wasn’t there.

As soon as I stepped inside all the staff got up from their seats.

Most of them were people Manager Ma had picked personally.

“Boss you’re here?”

“It’s been a while. Was everything alright while I was gone?”

“Yes it was!”

“Good then carry on with your work.”

After a brief greeting with the people I entered my office.

It was time to get busy with work again.

* * *

Having been summoned by Li Peng Luo Gan cancelled all his schedules and arrived at his mansion.

Luo Gan greeted Li Peng respectfully.

“Prime Minister did you call for me?”

Li Peng was a retired elder but he was a person of deep significance to Luo Gan.

Because he was the one who had led him.

Although he was called a pro-Jiang Zemin faction now Luo Gan himself considered himself Li Peng’s successor.

“Luo Gan you’ve grown old as well.”

“Haha how could I escape the passage of time?”

“Yes that’s right. Time is the same for everyone. How is it? Is the Standing Committee position worth it?”

“Thanks to the Prime Minister’s efforts I managed to secure a position on the Standing Committee even if it’s at the bottom. I’m always grateful.”

Luo Gan bowed his head lightly but the words that came back were a sharp question.

“But lately there are rumors that you’re a cleaner who takes care of Jiang Zemin’s mess. Is that true?”

Li Peng sent a sharp gaze. At the direct accusation Luo Gan frowned and said.

“It’s true that I’m working with Chairman Jiang Zemin because our thoughts are aligned. But isn’t this all something the Prime Minister allowed?”

At Luo Gan’s words which were as if he was a bit uncomfortable Li Peng laughed heartily.

“Luo Gan I still can’t forget the time I was pushed out by Jiang Zemin.”

“That’s…”

Luo Gan knew better than anyone how Li Peng was pushed out of power.

It was because Li Peng had called him in after becoming the Prime Minister of the State Council.

From then on he had served Li Peng closely for ten years inheriting all of his political legacy.

“I don’t regret pushing through Tiananmen. I have never regretted that decision. But if there is one thing I regret it is distancing myself from Deng Xiaoping at that time. That’s why Jiang Zemin who no one had ever heard of suddenly entered the central political scene.”

Luo Gan listened silently to Li Peng’s regretful sigh.

“It’s true that I declared martial law and it’s also true that I ordered the suppression. But all of that was the will of the elders. I was just following their will. But everyone blames me. They praise Deng Xiaoping as a small giant and the eight elders as heroes of China while calling me a butcher.”

“No I know better than anyone that the Prime Minister is thinking of China.”

Of course Luo Gan didn’t think that Li Peng was completely without fault.

The conservative elders who didn’t like the reform and opening-up policies of the eight elders and Deng Xiaoping had given power to Li Peng.

The support of the elders. That had brought misfortune to Li Peng.

Deng Xiaoping also agreed with the forceful suppression but did not want any bloodshed.

But Li Peng in order to increase his own power had declared martial law first without agreeing with Deng Xiaoping.

In the end Li Peng pushed through Tiananmen with tanks and the Western media gave him the nickname “The Butcher of Tiananmen.”

It was Li Peng himself who made that choice and it was because of his own choice that he took the stigma.

As a result he grew distant from Deng Xiaoping and Deng Xiaoping fostered Jiang Zemin as Li Peng’s rival.

“Still I wasn’t afraid of Jiang Zemin. I thought I could control him as I pleased.”

Li Peng thought that he could control Jiang Zemin in the palm of his hand.

But Jiang Zemin wasn’t such an easy man.

In the end it wasn’t Jiang Zemin who was devoured but Li Peng.

After talking about his story for a while Li Peng got to the main point.

“Did you read the article that was published in The Sun in the UK today? It was an article that attacked me.”

“Yes I read it on my way here. Please don’t pay too much attention to it Prime Minister. The Sun isn’t a credible media outlet is it?”

“That’s right. I know it’s a yellow press but this is a warning to me. You know Kim Mu-hyeok right?”

At Li Peng’s question Luo Gan nodded with a puzzled expression.

“Yes I know him. I believe I met him once with you in Shanghai.”

“Has he ever contacted you?”

“What reason would I have to get involved with that man?”

From Luo Gan’s reaction Li Peng could tell.

That Kim Mu-hyeok hadn’t even approached Luo Gan.

‘He couldn’t find Luo Gan’s weakness. So he’s planning to move me to stop Luo Gan.’

After organizing his thoughts Li Peng opened his mouth again.

“You’re the one who’s leading the pressure on Korea right?”

“Yes that’s correct.”

“This matter has been agreed upon by both Jiang Zemin and the elders.”

“Yes. I understand that the Prime Minister agreed at the time as well.”

The elders including Li Peng had all gathered and agreed to apply political and physical pressure on Korea.

This was because Korea’s status had become too high unlike in the past.

The conciliatory diplomacy with North Korea the various businesses with Russia and even the protection of the U.S.

Korea’s rise wasn’t good for China.

The consensus of the Chinese Communist Party was that they needed to tame Korea while they still could.

Then a bloody incident involving Koreans in China happened in Korea.

China decided to use this opportunity to pressure Korea.

“He’s pressuring me to stop that isn’t he? Believing that I can stop you Luo Gan.”

Luo Gan frowned and asked back.

“How dare he threaten the Prime Minister?”

“It seems you don’t know Kim Mu-hyeok very well. That man is someone who says everything he wants even in front of Jiang Zemin while also looking after his own interests. That man is likely somewhat involved in what the Koreans did in Korea this time.”

Even at Li Peng’s words Luo Gan couldn’t understand.

He too knew Kim Mu-hyeok well.

He knew that he had a deep relationship with Wen Jiabao and that’s why he had met with both Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao.

He also already knew that he was deeply involved in the construction of the gas pipeline and oil pipeline between China and Russia.

But this incident was a political issue. There was no reason for that man to get involved.

“Kim Mu-hyeok is Murdoch’s biggest sponsor.”

“…Murdoch is known to be a stubborn person. There’s no way he would be led around by a mere Korean businessman.”

“You still need to sharpen your eyes more. How can you not have an eye for people?”

Li Peng clicked his tongue but Luo Gan continued firmly.

“Isn’t the Prime Minister overestimating that man too much?”

“Do you know how Wen Jiabao was reinstated?”

“I know that it was reinstated through an agreement between Chairman Hu Jintao and Chairman Jiang Zemin. That the two met separately and reached an amicable agreement.”

As if he expected to hear those words Li Peng nodded.

“That’s what’s known to the world. Then what is the reason why Hu Jintao saved Wen Jiabao while taking a political loss? Hu Jintao is not a person who would ever take a loss.”

“Chairman Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao are political partners. He couldn’t give him up…”

“Nonsense. It was Kim Mu-hyeok who moved Hu Jintao. I don’t know what he gave to Hu Jintao. But he created the conditions for Hu Jintao to move and it was also that man who led Jiang Zemin to the negotiating table.”

Shock rose on Luo Gan’s face. He couldn’t believe Li Peng’s words at all.

The fact that a Korean businessman named Kim Mu-hyeok was behind the agreement between Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin didn’t make sense.

Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao are people who are walking on the path that Deng Xiaoping had created.

To bring together an agreement between those two powerful people was difficult unless Deng Xiaoping came back to life.

Jiang Zemin is the leader of the Shanghai faction and has stepped down from all public office but he still wields the greatest power.

And Hu Jintao who is inheriting that power one by one and increasing his strength.

To move those two people meant moving China itself.

Moreover Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin were still fiercely fighting with each other in the background to take power so it was unlikely that an agreement was easily reached.

Luo Gan knew that fact better than anyone.

“Don’t doubt my words. That’s why I value that man so highly. Most powerful people know his abilities but no one in the world knows that man’s identity. Do you know how terrifying that is?”

Luo Gan still didn’t fully understand.

But Li Peng was being overly wary of Kim Mu-hyeok.

That was enough to change Luo Gan’s thoughts about Kim Mu-hyeok.

“Did you say that the article in The Sun was a warning to the Prime Minister?”

“Yes. It’s telling me to stop at this point. That is to move you.”

“······.”

“If I tell you to stop, will you?”

Luo Gan pondered Li Peng’s words for a long while before finally speaking.