Chapter 763: It Feels More Like a Power Struggle

Upon hearing the news of the JK Media raid, President Hu Jintao could not hide his fury.

“President, things are escalating too quickly. At this rate, even I might be in danger.”

“How are you handling things? How can you not notice the Shanghai Public Security Bureau’s movements?”

“I apologize. Xu Xin, that hunting dog, has moved. That man only follows the orders of the Shanghai faction…”

Hu Jintao cut off Hao Xun, asking irritably,

“Enough with the excuses. What about Han Jeong-eun? What exactly did she do?”

“She has been unreachable since saying she was sorry.”

“Tsk. This is why you shouldn’t trust people from the Shanghai faction. Didn’t I tell you not to associate with them?”

“I apologize.”

“What do you think? Does this seem like an attempt to weaken me?”

Hu Jintao had not strongly opposed Jang Zemin’s actions to keep Kim Mu-hyeok in check.

The more Jang Zemin and Kim Mu-hyeok fought and injured each other, the more advantageous it was for him.

However, as time passed, the situation took an odd turn.

Wen Jiabao was completely sidelined. But even this was acceptable.

Because he knew the relationship between Wen Jiabao and Kim Mu-hyeok better than anyone.

Then, one by one, people associated with him began to fall from grace.

It was nothing unusual for the Shanghai faction to take those positions, but when he regained his senses, even JK Media had been targeted.

“It’s hard to figure out what their goal is. If you were the target, they would have arrested me on the spot. Xu Xin is more than capable of that.”

“Stay low for now. Something feels off. It’s like they’re targeting me.”

“Understood. And Boss Kim Mu-hyeok wants to contact you.”

“Not now. If I make a rash move, everything I’ve built could collapse.”

“I will relay the message.”

After ending the call with Hao Xun, Hu Jintao tapped his armrest, lost in thought.

He had not yet fully inherited power.

He had quickly taken over the positions of Party Secretary and President, but Jang Zemin stubbornly refused to relinquish his position as Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

That meant he intended to rule as a regent using that position.

Hu Jintao knew this and still bowed his head, enduring it over and over again.

Last year, when the SARS outbreak swept through China, Jang Zemin’s aides argued for downplaying and concealing information about SARS, as well as making false reports to the WHO and foreign governments about the state of the epidemic.

‘Wen Jiabao and I had no choice but to follow their lead.’

However, the number of SARS infections continued to rise, and the truth about the SARS situation was revealed through a doctor’s exposé.

Hu Jintao thought that the SARS incident was an opportunity to reduce Jang Zemin’s power.

He publicly ordered that there be no cover-ups in the announcements regarding SARS.

And, holding them accountable, he dismissed both Jang Zemin’s aide, the Minister of Health, and his own aide, the Mayor of Beijing.

From then on, Hu Jintao took the lead in resolving the SARS issue and successfully brought it under control.

He then convened a plenary meeting and took over the position of Chairman of the Central Military Commission from Jang Zemin. It was a resounding victory for Hu Jintao.

‘Now, all that’s left is to be officially elected at the National People’s Congress next year!’

It was the first time in 10 years that Hu Jintao, who had been treading on thin ice during Jang Zemin’s reign, had bared his teeth to Jang Zemin.

‘But Jang Zemin didn’t seem like he was willing to step down like this.’

Backed by the old guard, Jang Zemin aimed to regain his position as the leader of East Asia by targeting Korea and Kim Mu-hyeok, while Hu Jintao was stepping back and watching it unfold.

On one hand, he encouraged Kim Mu-hyeok to fight Jang Zemin, and Kim Mu-hyeok indeed sharpened his blade against Jang Zemin as he intended.

Everything had been going according to plan until now.

But then, a variable emerged.

Jang Zemin set aside his fight with Kim Mu-hyeok and began to attack Hu Jintao’s close aides one by one.

‘This won’t do.’

If things continued like this, he would be pushed aside by Jang Zemin and become a mere puppet.

Hu Jintao’s goal was to establish his own regime in three years and choose his own successor.

Hu Jintao pressed the button next to him to call his secretary.

“Contact Wen Jiabao and tell our Politburo Standing Committee members to come here immediately.”

He needed to devise a plan. To prevent Jang Zemin’s knife from being aimed at him.

* * *

Several days had already passed since Chairman Yoo Sung-jin and Kim Hyun-jung were taken by the Public Security Bureau.

Many things had happened in the meantime.

After the North Korea-Japan summit, Jang Seong-taek requested aid from Russia, Korea, and Japan, using economic support as a weapon against China, which was constantly pressuring North Korea.

Since the discussions had already been completed behind the scenes, each government accepted North Korea’s demands.

However, China was strangely quiet.

“The Chinese government says it is still investigating the matter and cannot comment. They’re even refusing the embassy’s request for a meeting.”

Myeong-su looked haggard, as if he had been suffering for days.

Heavenly Group was a major corporation ranked within the top 40 in the business world.

The chairman of such a group had been arrested in China, and no one knew if he was dead or alive.

“The President is even considering sending a special envoy. I know it won’t work but we have to do it.”

Even if sending a special envoy wouldn’t resolve the situation with the poor relations between Korea and China, they still had to do something.

Politics, after all, was a show.

“Did you find out anything? What happened? Why did the Public Security Bureau arrest them? There must be a charge?”

I had no words for Myeong-su who was firing off questions in frustration, so I just shook my head.

“Information from Shanghai is completely blocked.”

Black Bear’s intelligence team was trying to get information from the Shanghai faction, but they couldn’t find anything.

“Is it that bad? It seems they are determined. It wouldn’t be Hu Jintao… it’s Jang Zemin, right?”

“Probably. Since Hu Jintao’s money went into JK Cinema, he wouldn’t have a reason to attack it.”

“That old man should just stay in the back room and enjoy his retirement. He’s still obsessed with power.”

Myeong-su clicked his tongue and cursed Jang Zemin for a while.

“So, what are you going to do? Are you going to save them? At least we have to find out if they’re alive or dead.”

“They can’t kill him. No matter how reckless they are, they can’t ignore international public opinion and kill him.”

While Myeong-su and I were discussing countermeasures, there was a knock on the door, followed by Manager Ma’s voice.

“Boss, Vice President Seo Hyung-jun has arrived.”

“Tell him to come in.”

Soon after, Seo Hyung-jun entered. He slightly bowed his head towards me and Myeong-su.

Myeong-su also rose from his seat, nodded slightly in greeting, and said,

“I’ll get going now. I’ll contact you if there’s any progress.”

“Thanks. Be safe.”

Myeong-su left, and Seo Hyung-jun sat down in the seat he had vacated. As soon as he sat down, I got straight to the point.

“It’s a relief that at least Vice President Seo Hyung-jun is safe. What on earth is happening?”

“…The headquarters have been shut down. The permit for the Shanghai branch, which was supposed to hold a grand opening soon, has also been suspended.”

They were in the final stages of opening the largest multiplex in Shanghai.

Not long ago, the Shanghai city government and the Chinese government had been providing their full support.

Yet suddenly everything was blocked.

“That can be restarted later. Saving Chairman Yoo and Chief Kim Hyun-jung is our priority.”

Seo Hyung-jun nodded. His face immediately darkened.

“I never expected them to strike so suddenly while I was away.”

“It’s a relief that at least the Vice President is safe. It would have been more complicated if everyone had been captured.”

It was fortunate that the Public Security Bureau had moved while Seo Hyung-jun was on a business trip to Taiwan.

“Yes. If things had gone according to schedule, I wouldn’t have been safe either.”

I nodded. If he had followed his original schedule, he would have been in Hong Kong instead of Taiwan.

He let out a deep sigh and spoke in a somber voice.

“…Boss Kim Mu-hyeok, no matter how I think about it, it seems like JK Media is just a smokescreen, and Chairman Yoo is the real target. If not, they would have known that I was in Taiwan, and they wouldn’t have moved so abruptly.”

Yoo Sung-jin was the head of the joint venture, but it was just a formality.

Seo Hyung-jun and Kim Hyun-jung were the ones managing the business of JK Media in China.

JK Media had three main business ventures.

One was the multiplex business. The second was producing and distributing movies. And the last was the management business.

If there was a part of that business they wanted to target, they would have arrested Seo Hyung-jun.

“I handle most of the business. Kim Hyun-jung provides a lot of support, but I am at the core of the operation.”

“Please, continue.”

“The Deputy Chairman was also present at the scene, but he was not arrested. If they were going after Hu Jintao by targeting JK Media, they should have arrested Hao Xun as well. But, the fact that they arrested Chairman Yoo seems like an attack on you, Boss.”

“The moment they arrest Hao Xun, Hu Jintao and Jang Zemin would have no choice but to go to war. Hao Xun is Hu Jintao’s hidden knife.”

Neither Hu Jintao nor Jang Zemin could afford an all-out war.

Seo Hyung-jun shook his head at my words and continued.

“I’m trying to use my guanxi to find out information, but most people are being cautious. I was finally able to contact the Deputy Mayor of Shanghai and he told me that it wasn’t the Central Party that was involved, but the Party Secretary of Shanghai who gave the orders himself. Even the Mayor of Shanghai wasn’t aware of it.”

The Party Secretary of Shanghai moved… Hearing those words, a certain person came to mind.

“Are you saying it was Tian Liangyu’s unilateral action?”

Tian Liangyu was the person Jang Zemin considered to be Hu Jintao’s successor.

Behind the scenes, Jang Zemin was undermining Hu Jintao’s power, and in public, Tian Liangyu was attacking Hu Jintao.

Could he have attacked JK Media, which was related to Hu Jintao, without Jang Zemin’s orders?

It was absurd. It felt like they were deliberately leaking information.

“Is the Deputy Mayor also from the Shanghai faction?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Did he advise you to come to China and try to resolve the matter?”

“Yes, he did. So, I refused immediately. Going there now would be suicide.”

“You did well. That Deputy Mayor is probably on the same side. There are too many suspicious things to say that Tian Liangyu acted alone.”

In China, the Party Secretary was stronger than the Mayor.

Shanghai was the base of the Shanghai faction, and most people were under Jang Zemin’s influence.

“Ha, how do we solve this? For now, stay in Korea and continue to investigate.”

“Understood.”

“You must be tired after rushing here. Go back and get some rest. Let’s have a meal together tomorrow.”

“Yes, Boss.”

After sending Seo Hyung-jun back, I began to ponder a solution.

‘What is going on? This feels more like a power struggle in China, rather than me being the target.’

Looking at how things were unfolding, it seemed like I had been caught up in the middle of a power struggle.

‘Or are they trying to get both me and Hu Jintao at once?’

The more I thought, the more complicated it became. But I couldn’t just wait around like this.

I called Manager Ma and requested a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador.

The Chinese Ambassador agreed to meet me as if he had been waiting for my request.

* * *

“Welcome, Boss Kim Mu-hyeok.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ambassador.”

I met the Chinese Ambassador at the Chinese Embassy. As soon as he saw me, the Chinese Ambassador began to lament loudly,

“The relationship between China and Korea is very poor.”

“How can it be good? When you send spies to the Blue House?”

“That’s a slander.”

“It’s not really slander when the facts are so clear.”

“Well, that’s something we don’t know about.”

“Well, that’s a problem for governments to solve. The reason I came today is…”

The Chinese Ambassador just listened to my story. After I finished, the Chinese Ambassador nodded.

“I see. Someone asked me to contact him if Boss Kim Mu-hyeok came looking. Would you like to speak with him?”

I should have known they would easily agree to meet me. It seems they were waiting for me.

“Who is it? Who asked you to contact them?”

“You’ll know when you speak with them directly.”

“Contact them. I’ll talk to them right now.”

She picked up the phone next to her and dialed a number.