Chapter 17: Negotiations and Scheming

“Oh dear! You’re giving me a huge assignment here, haha.”

The boisterous laughter of Assemblyman Park echoed in the room.

It was a laugh that clearly showed he was in high spirits.

“With the Chairman making such a generous decision, my shoulders feel much lighter. Very well, I’ll draft a proposal that’s reasonable.”

“I’m prepared for a certain degree of… let’s say, flexibility. But our dear Assemblyman must avoid the wrath of the Blue House. Please paint a picture that will satisfy His Excellency, heh heh.”

Another step back, another concession. What could Grandfather be scheming now?

“Oh, oh me. I’m afraid I’m a bit slow on the uptake… I finally understand, I do. Say no more, Chairman.”

Oh, I was slow on the uptake too. There must have been a reason for such a huge concession!

I couldn’t see his back but I bet Grandfather was smiling.

“Then, if I may be so bold… Last year, there was all that talk of democracy and now even the workers are taking to the streets. It’s like the saying, ‘When the squid dances, so does the flounder.’ All this just when we’re finally starting to make ends meet.”

“Ah, you mean that issue?”

“Yes. With all the general strikes and whatnot, hardly any factories are running properly. If the companies shut down, it’s those very workers who’ll be out on the streets… It’s really quite…”

Riding the wave of democratization, workers too had poured into the streets to reclaim their rights.

Chairman Jin’s request was clear: he wanted these movements suppressed.

“Hmm… That issue is also our top priority. Don’t worry too much. We’re refraining from hard crackdowns at the beginning of the term, but it will be resolved before the Olympics.”

“We can certainly hold out for a few months. Just make sure to steer us in the right direction.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Is there anything else?”

“The National Security Planning Agency must be incredibly busy these days, right?”

“Have those guys ever not been busy? Ah! There I go being clueless again… Haha.”

Assemblyman Park slapped his head and burst out laughing.

“The labor unions must be causing quite a headache.”

“I’ve received several reports that their movements are becoming increasingly suspicious.”

“I hear Soonyang’s intelligence network rivals that of the National Security Planning Agency. Can our guys really be any different?”

“Comparing a few quick-footed street vendors to a national intelligence agency? That’s preposterous.”

Mobilizing even the National Security Planning Agency? Just to track the movements of labor unions?

The power to use such a powerful national agency for personal gain was a direct result of all the money invested thus far.

Just how much had been handed over in election funds?

“I’ll put a few lines to work. You should get the results soon.”

“I deeply appreciate this great favor.”

With Grandfather’s final farewell, the secret meeting ended. Pleasantries were exchanged, then the sound of a door opening, followed by fading footsteps.

And then…

The sliding door rattled open, revealing Chairman Jin.

“Do-jun, have you been waiting long? Did you eat enough?”

He pulled out a chair and sat close beside me.

It had only been two months since I last saw him during winter break, yet Chairman Jin peppered me with questions about what had happened in those two months as if we were meeting after years.

Studying hard was the only correct answer I could give.

While I spoke, Chairman Jin examined the table.

“Do-jun.”

“Yes?”

“Tell me honestly. You heard everything Grandfather said in that room just now, didn’t you?”

The empty plates, the barely touched food, it was clear that I paid no attention to the food. He had instantly noticed.

Would he be pleased if I said I heard everything this time? That slightly ajar sliding door was obviously left that way so I could hear better.

But eavesdropping is never a good thing. Like a child caught red-handed, I lowered my eyes and hung my head.

“Hey, lift your head. A man shouldn’t bow his head so easily.”

I felt Chairman Jin’s hand stroking my bowed head. A hand devoid of warmth. This man is growing old.

“Did you, by any chance, understand everything this old man discussed?”

His gaze was filled with anticipation.

What if I nod my head right now? That anticipation would turn to joy, but I couldn’t do that. I shook my head.

I had already given him enough joy. It’s better to dole it out bit by bit, when needed, to double the impact. Besides, it was too political for an eleven-year-old to grasp.

But I wanted to offer him a small gift. I wasn’t so নিষ্ঠুর as to completely ignore that disappointed look in his eyes.

“But there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Curiosity is a good thing. What is it?”

“The person with Grandfather earlier, he’s the President’s subordinate, right?”

“Subordinate? You could say that.”

Chairman Jin showed great curiosity about what kind of question I would ask.

“Why does Grandfather meet with a subordinate? If you’re the Chairman of the biggest company in our nation, shouldn’t you be meeting with the President?”

I was genuinely curious. Even if he was the Crown Prince of the Sixth Republic, he wasn’t at a level where the Chairman of Soonyang Group should meet him directly.

I wanted to hear the reason.

“Do-jun.”

“Yes?”

“When you’re in school, you hear all kinds of rumors, right? Someone is really kind, someone is a snob, someone is a good fighter. Right?”

“Yes, I hear a lot.”

“Especially if the friend telling you the rumor is very close to you or someone reliable like the class president, you’ll think the rumor is accurate. That’s the trap.”

The trap of accurate rumors. Or rather, the trap of trusting the person delivering them.

“You shouldn’t believe what other people tell you. Even if it’s your friend. The more important the matter, the more true this is. You must always confirm it yourself.”

“So you were confirming it yourself?”

“Yes. I was confirming how grateful he is for the help I’ve given him. And… well, a few other things along the way.”

“Yes.”

Chairman Jin studied my nodding figure for a moment, then asked again.

“Do-jun, do you remember what this old man told you before? What I said was important?”

My mind raced. What did he want to confirm at this point?

“You said I don’t need to know everything you say, but I must never forget it. And I need to remember it whenever it’s needed. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Similarly, you must not forget what I just told you and remember it.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“And one more thing. You must become a person who listens, not one who explains.”

One more thing, a person who listens, chooses and decides. Today, Chairman Jin hadn’t surrendered to the current administration’s strongman.

His agreement to follow the government’s grand plan was in the same vein. He could listen to Assemblyman Park’s plan and decide later. If he didn’t like it, he could simply change it by citing practical difficulties.

Chairman Jin’s tone was polite, but he had essentially ordered Assemblyman Park to submit a plan, just as one would to a subordinate.

The one who makes the first proposal is the weaker party, the one who is beholden.

When I grasped Chairman Jin’s true intentions, a smile naturally spread across my face. I don’t know how he interpreted my smile, but Chairman Jin also looked satisfied.

“It’s a shame, but I’ll have to be content with just seeing your face today, Do-jun. This old man is a bit busy. But make sure to come to Grandfather’s house on Children’s Day. Let’s play together.”

“Yes!”

I had to answer with great enthusiasm. No child dislikes Children’s Day.

* * *

After sending his grandson home, Chairman Jin returned to the main room. A middle-aged man, who had appeared at some point, was sitting on the sofa. He stood up abruptly when Chairman Jin entered.

“Just stay seated. You’re too rigid, that’s your problem. Why do you care so much about formalities?”

“No, it’s just a habit, haha.”

“Did you take good care of Assemblyman Park?”

“Yes. I escorted him to a special suite downstairs. I attached a fresh female singer to him so he could relax and enjoy some feminine company.”

“Good. That man can’t think straight around women. How about the banquet hall?”

“I handed one to each of the attending first-time assemblymen. And…”

The middle-aged man added with a slight smirk.

“We also identified those who were making passes at the models placed in the banquet hall. I instructed to arrange separate meetings for them as soon as the banquet ends.”

It was a place to identify those who liked money, those who liked women, and those who liked both.

Of course, some would emerge who kept their distance from women and refused money.

This was the advantage of broadly distributing bribes. It quickly created a list of those to be weeded out and those to be closely managed.

How could they so readily accept money and drool over women just days after being elected?

Such careless individuals would only last one term as National Assembly members. There would be no second term.

Those who were to be closely managed had to be nurtured and made into obedient sheep. Weren’t these individuals the vanguard of Soonyang?

“Good work.”

With the day’s work seemingly wrapped up, Chairman Jin picked up his teacup with a much more relaxed demeanor.

“What do you think? What will Assemblyman Park bring to the table?”

“No matter what he brings, does it really matter? All we need is for Soonyang to secure the natural gas resources from the Soviet Union.”

“Are you confident?”

The middle-aged man didn’t avoid Chairman Jin’s gaze.

“LNG is coming in droves. Since Soonyang set the table, we should have a monopoly. I’m confident.”

Chairman Jin’s eyes, as he gazed at the smiling middle-aged man, were filled with boundless trust.