Chapter 806: Behind the Scenes

Manager Ma also left the office to receive reports from his subordinates, leaving me alone to sort out my thoughts.

A little while later, Manager Ma returned.

“Would you like to see it for yourself, Boss?”

“Hmm, no, it’s fine. He’s nobody to me once the deal is closed. Did you find out everything there is to know?”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Then have Chairman Jo taken to the safe house and kept under lock and key. I plan to let Yoon Hyun-joo decide what to do with him.”

“Yes, I will give the order.”

Manager Ma bowed his head and left. He returned after issuing instructions to his subordinates and then spoke.

“Boss, I have a report for you.”

Manager Ma reported the information he had extracted from Chairman Jo in a calm voice.

After listening to the rather lengthy report, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Choi Woo-sik is playing hardball.”

He pressured Chairman Jo by threatening to reveal the truth about his hidden assets, but at the same time, he dangled a carrot by promising to let Chairman Jo take all the proceeds from the real estate sales.

Along with that, he even promised to help him return to Korea once things calmed down.

“It’s certainly a tempting proposition.”

But on the other hand, another thought occurred to me.

If he had no ulterior motives, he wouldn’t have wavered no matter who tried to tempt him.

A threat to expose the hidden assets that Chairman Jo was managing? It’s possible to raise suspicions, but proving them is a different matter.

In the end, all Choi Woo-sik did was fuel his greed.

If he truly cared about Yoon Hyun-joo, Chairman Jo wouldn’t have made such a choice.

“Money is indeed a frightening thing.”

“People’s greed knows no bounds.”

“In any case, we need to take down Choi Woo-sik for good. If we only half-heartedly deal with him, not only will Yoon Hyun-joo have problems, but even the real estate I bought might come under scrutiny.”

If Choi Woo-sik and Yoon Hyun-joo start a mudslinging fight, the real estate I purchased will eventually surface.

“Let’s fully support Yoon Hyun-joo. From today, raise surveillance on Choi Woo-sik to the highest level. Install listening devices in his office at headquarters, his company car, and even his mistress’s place.”

“Yes, Boss. I’ll pass the word.”

It was imperative to push Yoon Hyun-joo forward. While I was issuing other necessary instructions and making plans, a call came in.

—Mu-hyeok, we’ve closed the deal.

Yoon Jae-ha’s voice came through the receiver.

“Good job. No major problems?”

—Have you forgotten who we are? Even real estate transaction experts reviewed everything. The fact that Chairman Jo didn’t show up himself could be a problem later… but well, he even signed the proxy with his seal, so there shouldn’t be any major issues. Oh, by the way, Director Yoon Hyun-joo wants the down payment sent to her Swiss secret account.

“Really? Is she there with you?”

—Yeah. Should I put her on?

Upon agreeing, Yoon Hyun-joo immediately spoke.

—Hello, Boss Kim. I’m on the line.

“Director, sending the down payment to a Swiss account could be problematic.”

—…But, I can’t trust Chairman Jo anymore.

Even if the real owner was Yoon Hyun-joo, the title was still under Chairman Jo’s name.

At least to pay taxes, it had to go through Chairman Jo’s bankbook first.

“For now, we’ll deposit the money into Chairman Jo’s account, and once all the transactions are completed, we’ll launder it and transfer it to you.”

—You’d do that for me?

“Yes. The fee is 5% of the total amount. Is that okay with you? We’ll have the experts handle it.”

Without any hesitation, Yoon Hyun-joo replied.

—If there won’t be any traces, then I agree.

She seemed to trust me a great deal.

She doesn’t trust Chairman Jo, but she quickly switched her trust to me. I swallowed a hollow laugh and continued.

“Understood. Then, I’ll contact the U.S. to deposit it directly into Chairman Jo’s account. Also, Chairman Jo spilled all the beans. It’s a bit awkward to discuss over the phone, so after all the remaining payment is settled in a few days, I’ll tell you everything when we talk about the other properties. For now, I’ve ordered Chairman Jo to be kept in a place where no one will find him.”

There was a slight delay in her response after I brought up Chairman Jo. She still seemed to be in turmoil.

—Okay… Thank you. I will never forget this favor.

“Then could you pass the phone back to Attorney Yoon Jae-ha?”

After a brief rustling sound, Yoon Jae-ha called out to me.

—Yo, Mu-hyeok.

“The down payment will be deposited into Chairman Jo’s account first, and the remaining balance will be paid in a few days.”

—Good thinking. There will definitely be problems later, so it’s good to nip it in the bud.

“Good job. I’ll buy you a meal next time. Oh, and I might ask for your help again later. I might purchase the remaining real estate as well.”

—Well, I’m always happy to help if you call.

“Okay. Thanks for your hard work. And send Director Yoon Hyun-joo back safely…”

It was a long time since I talked with Yoon Jae-ha, so the conversation dragged on.

As if understanding my feelings, laughter could be heard from the other end.

—What are you saying? Now we have to talk about the divorce lawsuit. It seems like it will take until dawn to finish. I heard that Chairman Choi Woo-sik already left home? He’s definitely made up his mind, hasn’t he?

“Good luck. I’m counting on you.”

After ending the call with Yoon Jae-ha, I immediately called the U.S.

“Hey, Older Brother. Are you busy?”

—Huh? It’s about time the markets open, but I don’t think I’ll be too busy.

“Then I’ll give you a bank account number. Please send some money there.”

I told Han Gyeong-yeong Chairman Jo’s Taesan Bank account number and told him to deposit the down payment.

Han Gyeong-yeong didn’t ask any more questions and said he would call back when the deposit was complete.

About 30 minutes later, Han Gyeong-yeong called back.

—Deposit complete. I had it sent from the Korean corporation account first, and the rest of the payment will be sent from there to the Korean corporation account, and then deposited.

“Okay, thanks.”

—By the way, looking at the locations of the properties you are buying this time, it seems like you bought them at incredibly low prices? Isn’t that place hard to get even if you have the money?

“I got lucky. It was like a pumpkin rolling right into my lap. I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

I replied casually, and Han Gyeong-yeong teased.

—Wow! That’s Kim Mu-hyeok for you! Money just rolls in even when you’re doing nothing! I’m so jealous!

“Stop talking nonsense. Are there any problems?”

—Nope. There’s no unusual activity. Everyone’s focused on Beijing. It’s the calm before the storm, I guess. Everyone seems to be waiting for the results before they move.

“The results will likely turn out the way we want. Keep that in mind when you act.”

—Okay, Boss!

I ended the call with Han Gyeong-yeong and checked the text message that just arrived.

It was a message from Yoon Jae-ha, confirming that the down payment had been deposited.

I closed my phone and got up from my seat.

“Let’s head back for today. Director Yoon Hyun-joo will send the documents sometime tomorrow. Make sure to deliver them to me as soon as they arrive.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Several days passed after that.

The remaining payment for the real estate was deposited into Chairman Jo’s account, and the transfer of ownership was also perfectly completed.

The properties were transferred under the name of Dream High Korea, the Korean corporation of Dream High Investment.

—I just finished the transfer of ownership.

I was in my Myeong-dong office waiting for Yoon Hyun-joo while on the phone with Han Gyeong-yeong.

“Good job.”

—What work did I do? It was the employees there who worked hard. Still, everyone was just messing around, so they must have enjoyed doing some real work for the first time in a while?

I chuckled at Han Gyeong-yeong’s words. It’s true that people feel uneasy if they are just taking up space without doing any work.

Dream High Korea wasn’t actively doing any business yet.

They had only established the corporation and were maintaining a minimum number of staff.

“I think we might need to buy more real estate. The locations of the land that Yoon Hyun-joo told us to take were better than I expected. The prices won’t be too high now, but they’re in locations that could be developed. I’m amazed how they managed to acquire such good locations. I guess this is why people are so greedy for power.”

After receiving the list of Yoon Hyun-joo’s hidden properties, I couldn’t help but marvel.

She owned land and buildings all over the country under the names of various people, not just Chairman Jo.

Yoon Hyun-joo wanted to liquidate everything this time and exchange it for our shares in KS Group.

—Really? Is it that good that you’re saying that? Didn’t you make a pretty good profit by acquiring land in advance? Even the Taesan Financial Headquarters building was bought by you a long time ago.

Of course, I did similar things, but it was slightly different.

I bought land and buildings using my knowledge of the future, whereas Yoon Hyun-joo’s father, Minister Yoon, had purchased such properties over decades ago, relying solely on his gut feeling.

He owned an enormous amount of land, particularly in Daegu and Gyeongbuk.

Although not comparable to the real estate in Gangnam, their value was considerable.

“I bought it using the foreign exchange crisis and several other special circumstances. He has been buying that stuff for decades. Minister Yoon’s insight is really amazing.”

It was like a person who should have been doing business had instead done politics.

Or is it? Was it because Minister Yoon was involved in politics that he was able to get his hands on information faster than anyone else and secure those locations?

Well, that was a chicken-or-egg question. It was another way of saying it was a useless thought.

“Anyway, let the Korean branch know and get them ready.”

—No, why don’t you take the representative position? It’s a seat that no one even cares about.

The Korean branch was created, and Han Gyeong-yeong was still serving as the representative for both the headquarters and the branch.

But Han Gyeong-yeong had been telling me to take the position of the Korean branch representative since a while back.

He said I’d need a title for the future or something like that?

It might be necessary later as he said, but I didn’t have any intention of taking on any kind of title yet.

“I told you I don’t want to. Let’s think about it more and talk later.”

—We created the Korean branch because of you, isn’t it weird that I’m still in charge of it?

“We have a guest coming, so let’s hang up. Anyway, please prepare everything.”

—You’re changing the subject because you don’t want to talk about it. Okay, okay. I’ll tell them to get ready. Should I fill the Korean branch corporation’s account with money in advance?

No sooner had I finished the call with Han Gyeong-yeong than the phone rang again.

It was an unfamiliar number, but I answered the call after confirming that it was an international number.

“This is Kim Mu-hyeok.”

—Boss Kim, this is Wen Jiabao.

“Ah, Prime Minister.”

The call I had been eagerly waiting for had finally come.

Two days ago, the Chinese Communist Party’s plenary meeting had concluded, but no Chinese media outlet had released any results.

Even the state-run media, which represents the Communist Party, had made no mention of it.

While the eyes of the world were on Beijing, no news had leaked out.

—I wanted to contact you right after the plenary meeting, but I was delayed because I was dealing with the aftermath.

“It’s okay, you’re busy. I waited a little, that’s all. So, what were the results?”

—It was a landslide victory for Chairman Hu Jintao and Vice Chairman Zheng Qinghong. Only two members of the Standing Committee are now firmly in support of Jiang Zemin.

“Two? That’s one less than before.”

The Central Party Politburo Standing Committee, the core of Chinese power, consisted of nine members in total.

Starting with Chairman Hu Jintao, the members in order of rank were Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zheng Qinghong, Huang Ju, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun, and Luo Gan.

Among them, the only ones who could not be considered part of the Shanghai faction were Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao.

Wu Bangguo was neutral, and the rest all shared the same views as the Shanghai faction.

“First, the Vice Chairman broke away from the Shanghai faction, so who else left?”

—Vice Chairman Zheng Qinghong is the only one who definitely aligns with us. But Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun, and even Luo Gan have all declared neutrality, and this time they sided with us.

I couldn’t help but question the unexpected news.

“Even Luo Gan went neutral?”

—Yes. That is correct. Jiang Zemin was quite taken aback.

It was understandable. With just two Standing Committee members, he couldn’t do anything.

The only reason they could check the others was that Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao were ranked first and third, respectively.

But Jia Qinglin and Huang Ju were different.

Although Jia Qinglin, as the Chairman of the CPPCC, had significant influence, he could hardly be considered to have real power.

Huang Ju was also the First Vice Premier of the State Council, but his direct superior was Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

Jiang Zemin must be in quite a predicament. To go against Hu Jintao, the support of the Standing Committee was essential, but he had almost no one left to back him up.

“This is a bigger victory than I expected.”

—Haha. It’s all thanks to Boss Kim Mu-hyeok for helping us. The card you gave us worked quite well. Especially with Jia Qinglin, that human, keeping his mouth shut and not saying a word, it was so gratifying. It felt like a decade’s worth of indigestion was finally gone.

Sure enough, Wen Jiabao’s voice was quite excited, unlike his usual calm demeanor.

“That’s fantastic. So, what’s the conclusion?”

—The most important issue, Bo Xilai’s Shanghai Party Secretary position, has been agreed upon by the Princelings, the Shanghai faction, and even the Communist Youth League.

I received the news that Bo Xilai had been appointed as the next Shanghai Party Secretary.