Chapter 271: A Risky Proposition

“Why? Does it feel like I’m doing something behind Mom’s back?”

Jin Young-gi smirked at Cheon Sang-pil’s stiff expression.

“This guy… doesn’t he know who I am? I’m the eldest son of the person you served. Soonyang’s eldest son. Do I look like some worthless bastard who’d steal from his own mother?”

“Ah, no, sir. It’s just… it’s all so sudden.”

“You know the situation. There’s a black sheep in the family who’s about to cause trouble. I’m just trying to clean things up before that happens. Of course, Mother knows. I even arranged the private jet.”

“But this concerns a gift. Before converting it to the Vice-chairman’s name, the other children should be informed. That’s how inheritance issues later on….”

“Now, now, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not saying we should transfer it to my name. It’s just a transfer from a nominee account you manage to one managed by the group. You don’t have to worry about gifting or inheritance issues.”

Cheon Sang-pil knew this family member was trying to take away his only power.

Even if Jin Do-jun hadn’t made the offer, he couldn’t afford to lose control in this situation. Stepping down was one thing, but being discarded was another.

“Understood. I’ll prepare the nominee change and come see you again.”

“Good. I appreciate your hard work.”

As Cheon Sang-pil turned to leave, Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi raised his hand, stopping him.

“Wait a moment.”

Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi pressed the intercom.

“Come in.”

As if they had been waiting, two young men entered and bowed their heads.

“Work with these guys. They’re sharp Secretarial staff. Take them with you, have them run errands, do the dirty work. When things are urgent, you need all the help you can get, right?”

It was too blatant.

Wasn’t this just a way to put him under 24/7 surveillance?

Finally, Cheon Sang-pil snapped.

“Vice-chairman, what exactly are you doing?”

“What?”

“Do you see me as some fool to be monitored while I clean up Madam Lee’s messes?”

“What are you talking about? Surveillance, you say!”

They had already read each other’s intentions. There was no point in playing dumb and talking in circles.

“I manage the nominee stocks. If your family’s troublemaker causes problems, you deal with it. Once everything is settled and Madam Lee returns, I’ll sort out the nominee accounts. Whether it’s you or anyone else, I’ll do as you wish then. But not before.”

At Cheon Sang-pil’s firm words, Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi stroked his chin.

“You’re talking big for someone holding onto some stock, aren’t you? Heh.”

Jin Young-gi picked up the receiver while Cheon Sang-pil stood there.

“Ah, Chief Prosecutor, it’s me. Let me ask you something.”

Cheon Sang-pil’s heart sank at the mention of the Chief Prosecutor. What Jin Do-jun had said, and the worst-case scenario he had imagined, were clearly unfolding.

“If a foundation employee secretly disposes of foundation assets… yeah, that’s right. Apparently, they swindled several hundred billion. A gutsy bastard. What? Life imprisonment? No need to go that far, about 15 years should do it, right?”

Was this how he was revealing his true intentions?

How could these bastards’ actions be so predictable?

Then again, that was Soonyang’s power.

They didn’t need to use unexpected methods. They used predictable ones, but there was no way to counter them.

Their overwhelming power crushed everything. If things continued like this, he would be branded a thief who sold expensive artwork.

Just as he thought of the guy who made the one unpredictable offer, Jin Young-gi ended the call and issued a warning.

“Listen up, Cheon Sang-pil. Listen carefully. Do as I’ve laid out in this scenario. Then you’ll be out in three years. After serving your time, lie low and live quietly. I’ll take care of your living expenses, so don’t worry about that.”

“Will that really go as you plan? Jin Do-jun has a secret contract signed by your mother. That’s the most solid proof there is.”

“Haven’t seen my scenario yet, have you? There are about a dozen extras in it. All foundation people. They’ll testify. They’ll say you sweet-talked a frail old woman in her eighties to sell paintings, that you were in charge of all the foundation’s affairs.”

It was even more ridiculous to claim that a grandmother with failing eyesight carefully read a contract written in English. Besides, he was her closest confidant, a trusted employee handing over the contract; it wasn’t far-fetched to argue that the matriarch of Soonyang wouldn’t have thoroughly checked it before signing.

Jin Young-gi’s confidence wasn’t a bluff. It was a plausible, no, a solid scenario.

“That’s not all. The stage is set perfectly. We’re digging through your past right now. If you’ve lived without a speck of dust, then you can relax. Ah… no, maybe I should create a past for you. You’ll probably see news articles before a prosecutor’s summons, you know? The usual scandals, affairs, that kind of thing. Should I give you an illegitimate child or two?”

Seeing Cheon Sang-pil turn pale, Jin Young-gi flashed a victorious smile.

“Go quickly with those guys and do as you’re told. I promise you! Three years.”

At Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi’s gesture, the two young men escorted the defeated Cheon Sang-pil out.

Jin Young-gi was almost grateful to Jin Do-jun. Thanks to him, he was about to secure the valuable shares his mother had stashed away.

His only problem was taking it all without sharing with his brother.

* * *

“Did you hear everything?”

“Yes. I don’t know if he’s doing it deliberately, but you’re now an enemy of our family.”

Vice-chairman Jin Dong-gi’s face was flushed, as if he’d already had a few drinks.

“When were we ever family? No, our family never really existed. It’s just a place where people are respected or treated like servants based on who holds how many shares, isn’t it?”

“Even so, did you have to do that to our elderly mother?”

His second uncle poured himself a drink into his glass on the table.

Even if there was no affection, his own mother was facing jail time, yet he was so calm. Did that mean he had already made arrangements?

“Has Grandma… boarded the plane?”

“She should be taking off about now.”

“I see. You’re quick.”

“No matter how hard you try, this is the end for you. You can’t touch your grandmother.”

“Thank you, Second Uncle.”

As I bowed my head slightly, my second uncle put down his glass.

“What do you mean?”

“I never thought Grandma would actually go to jail. Isn’t she the grand matriarch of Soonyang? My goal was just this. For Grandma to never set foot on Korean soil again. To live out her days doing nothing but breathing. You expedited that… she must be sniffling in the plane right now, feeling like she’s going into exile.”

Jin Dong-gi picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.

“You’re ruthless. And extremely realistic.”

“I know my place.”

“Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, stop doing things that will bring dark clouds over Soonyang Group.”

“It’s already too late. And if I stop, Grandma will return home immediately, won’t she?”

“What? Too late? What did you do?”

“The person I had dinner with just now is a sniper. They’ve received live ammunition, so they’ll shoot.”

“You vicious bastard….”

I spoke as he picked up his glass again.

“Take a moment to think back. Who was the most vicious to me and my family? Remember what Grandma did to my mother, what she did to me. If I’m vicious, then Grandma was wicked.”

“I was foolish to have even a sliver of hope that we could end this amicably. Fine. Let’s do it. This time, my brother and I will join forces to stop the things you’ve done. Just as you think of your mother, we need to think of ours, right? We’ll make sure your grandmother returns home before the year is out.”

I emptied the glass in front of me as well.

“Think carefully. She’s just a grandmother who throws tantrums because she dislikes my grandfather and our family. It’s not so bad for her to spend the rest of her life breathing quietly abroad.”

“Still, she’s our mother. We can’t do that.”

I bowed my head to him as he spoke with a smile.

“I’ll take my leave first. I think I’ll be busy now.”

“Let’s go together. I don’t have time to relax either.”

My second uncle patted my shoulder and led the way out.

* * *

It would take at least two days for the opposition party to release the information I gave them. They weren’t fools. They would at least try to verify the facts through their contacts at the Korean Consulate in New York.

In the meantime, my uncles would be making calls left and right, but it was like misaligned gears. The difference between cultural asset smuggling and art sales bought me some time.

What mattered was Cheon Sang-pil’s decision within those two days.

But judging by my uncle’s actions today, it seemed they had already contacted Cheon Sang-pil. They would have asked for a substitute for Grandma, but what they really wanted were the nominee stocks. They’d want to quickly transfer the shares before anything happened.

There were two ways to handle things quickly.

Letting things flow smoothly and naturally.

Mobilizing every means to ensure things flowed smoothly.

Usually, ‘every means’ implied something abnormal. I was waiting for Cheon Sang-pil to run to me, escaping my uncle’s undue pressure.

Because the conditions I offered weren’t just a refuge, but an El Dorado of dreams.

And I didn’t have to wait long.

– Director Jin. Can I trust the promise you made me?

He called in the middle of the night, wanting confirmation right away.

“Do you trust people’s words? First, I’ll move you to a safe place. The nominee stocks can be transferred to me after you receive the insurance money, of course.”

There was silence for a moment. He was trying to understand the true meaning of my words.

– I could just take the insurance money and not transfer the stocks. Let me put it another way. Do you trust me?

“You seem to have forgotten something. I’m also a member of the Soonyang family. Do you think I’d let someone who ran off with my money get away with it? Not unless they had two lives.”

More silence.

When he spoke again, his words were unexpected.

– It seems like my life is already on the line. Please get me out of this.

* * *

“You’re saying he’s being watched?”

“Yes. Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi has assigned two people. They started monitoring him when we met at the company. After leaving the company, Attorney Cheon Sang-pil went straight home, but they’re watching the entrance of his apartment.”

Executive Director Woo Byung-joon didn’t seem too concerned.

Only two people. This wasn’t imprisonment, just surveillance, so he probably thought it would be easy to extract him.

“Do we only need to bring Attorney Cheon?”

“No. It’s better to bring his whole family.”

“Then I’ll send them to a resort in Southeast Asia for now.”

“Please do. Ah, bring Attorney Cheon to my studio apartment in Yeouido. We still have unfinished business.”

“Understood. Then I’ll give him a heads-up so he won’t be alarmed. I’ll depart now.”

After Executive Director Woo Byung-joon left, I picked up the phone.

“Attorney Cheon Sang-pil.”

– Yes. How did it go?

“Our people have departed. Just bring your IDs and passports. Cut up your cards and destroy your cell phone. Just bring yourselves.”

– Yes? Uh, where are we going…?

“Your family will be taken to a resort in Southeast Asia. I repeat, don’t bother packing luggage or valuables. They’ll just disappear. Just come as you are.”

– B-But still… I should bring some money….”

“Attorney Cheon Sang-pil.”

– Yes.

I cut him off before he could stammer further.

“You’re about to possess a trillion won. I don’t know how much wealth you have, but do you really want to worry about bringing a few ten-thousand-won bills compared to a trillion won? I’ll prepare the necessary expenses, so just come as you are.”

– Ah, yes.”

I ended the call and headed to Yeouido in advance.