Chapter 275: Unavoidable Special Investigation

“…This is truly a deplorable situation. This art smuggling incident has confirmed evidence of organized activity, even involving staff from the Consulate General. It is a stark revelation of just how lax this administration’s public discipline has become.”

Our opposition party demands the immediate dismissal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and further requests a formal apology from the President, who holds the power of appointment.

Furthermore, to thoroughly investigate this incident, we will initiate a special investigation team…”

The opposition party spokesperson hadn’t mentioned Soonyang or the Old lady’s name yet, but they clenched their fist and conducted the press conference in a booming voice, as if to show their determination for a decisive battle.

The evening news also covered the art smuggling incident as the lead story, siding with the opposition party to attack the Blue House.

“Wouldn’t the older brothers be trembling right now?”

“Are you sure you’re alright? Wouldn’t it be better to go abroad with Mother for a while?”

“Did we commit a crime? Why should we run away?”

Father brushed it off with a laugh.

“But… aren’t you worried about Grandfather’s house?”

“The uncles probably think that house is some kind of symbol. They likely saw Grandfather more as the group’s chairman than as their parent. That’s why they see that house as some kind of Soonyang Group main building. But for me, it’s just a place. A place I shared with Grandfather. The important thing was Grandfather, not the place.”

“You didn’t calculate its monetary value? Hehe.”

“I might have actually considered it if they moved Grandfather’s grave to the Soonyang Art Museum and gave me the museum.”

Father suddenly cleared his throat.

Something even he hadn’t anticipated. A distant grave.

Since the Soonyang Museum is where Grandfather’s history began, he probably thought that location would be acceptable too.

“A grandson is better than a son. Makes me suddenly feel ashamed….”

“There’s no need for that. As I said, a place is purely subjective. Doesn’t the world also think Gunsan is the most suitable place?”

“If you think that way, I feel less ashamed. Anyway… what are your plans now? If the opposition is making that much noise and there’s even a confession from a Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee, it’ll be hard to avoid a special investigation.”

“How to stop it is the older brothers’ problem. As for me, it doesn’t matter if the Old lady is a key witness or a suspect. It just needs to be enough to keep her from even thinking about returning for a few years.”

“I’ll say it again, the Old lady….”

“Yes. That won’t happen. Don’t worry.”

I reassured my worried father.

Even without me, things would escalate further.

There’s an easy way to resolve this situation, but as always, they’ll use a shortcut, which will only make the commotion worse.

Isn’t it the habit of the wealthy to use a sledgehammer when a hoe would suffice to protect the Old lady?

* * *

“Form the special investigation team with the people on this list. And the name Soonyang Foundation must not come up.”

“Especially, we must absolutely prevent our Mother’s name from appearing.”

The floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties accepted the lists presented by the two sons of the Soonyang Group.

“In the meantime, the Soonyang Group has provided so much cooperation to both the ruling and opposition parties. This time, both parties should work together to help our group.”

The opposition party’s floor leader looked troubled by Vice-chairman Jin Dong-gi’s blatant attempt to take credit, while the ruling party’s floor leader’s face brightened.

“Let me state our position first.”

The ruling party’s floor leader opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Dismissal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, dismissal of the Consul General in New York, and the employee in question will be subject to judicial proceedings. A direct apology from the President is not possible. This means the opposition party should no longer attack the Blue House. And… a responsible apology statement from the Soonyang Art Foundation. That’s it.”

Anyone with a brain knows that the Soonyang Group is most afraid of this fallout. The ruling party calculated that they could conduct more favorable negotiations by leveraging Soonyang.

“Are you kidding me…! Resources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were mobilized for art smuggling. Is our country some backward African nation? Are we Colombian drug lords? You’re going to commit such a massive crime and just leave the Blue House out of it? That’s ridiculous!”

“Watch your mouth. The current Minister of Foreign Affairs is someone your side recommended. Wasn’t the minister appointed because of your threats to boycott the confirmation hearing if three of your nominees weren’t included in the cabinet?!”

“What’s the point of bringing up old stories now? Managing the minister is clearly the President’s job…!”

Even though they seemed to be growling and fighting, a scared dog only barks and doesn’t bite. It’s waiting for its owner to come out and stop it.

Jin Young-gi and Jin Dong-gi simply watched the two politicians bicker for a while. Broadly speaking, the ruling and opposition parties are two of a kind.

The two floor leaders surely knew that this fight would end with some minor scratches and a lot of spoils.

For them, Soonyang is a common prey.

“Enough is enough. Stop this transparent bickering and agree quickly. We don’t care about the President or the minister. And a responsible apology from the Soonyang Foundation? Don’t even dream about it. We’ll wrap it up by having a few thieving employees do some jail time. Understand?”

Jin Young-gi slammed the desk and shouted, silencing the two floor leaders.

“Since it’s already happened, we’re suggesting we end it here. If the opposition party intends to escalate this further, we won’t stand idly by either. We have plenty of things we can muddy the waters with, and many incidents that could flip the political landscape in an instant. You all know which side the media will be on, don’t you?”

Jin Dong-gi casually added.

Jin Yun-ki, the youngest of this family, holds an enormous amount of leverage to muddy the waters. If they just released a major celebrity scandal for a week, Yeouido would be off the news, and isn’t Soonyang the hand gripping the necks of lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties?

“And the Blue House shouldn’t just sit back and watch. Couldn’t this issue be blown out of proportion in the US? It’s fine if their media makes noise, as long as our media doesn’t pick it up. The domestic audience won’t know anything….”

Jin Dong-gi glared at the ruling party’s floor leader as he spoke. His gaze held the pressure to deliver the message accurately to the Blue House.

“It will be a significant political burden, but please use your influence in Washington to prevent this issue from being discussed further. If we focus on the individuals involved as criminals rather than a diplomatic issue, wouldn’t that solve it? Tell us if you need our help. We will actively assist.”

However, the two lawmakers avoided giving an immediate answer, only exchanging glances, which caused Jin Young-gi, who was holding back, to explode.

“Four years left, is that it?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that… ?”

“There are still four years left until the general election, so your seats are safe, is that what you’re saying?”

“Vice-chairman, you misunderstand. We are also trying to resolve this issue amicably….”

The opposition party’s floor leader tried to soothe him, but he couldn’t stop Jin Young-gi, who had lost his temper.

“Fine. Do as you please. Summon the Blue House, summon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Summon the Soonyang Foundation, and if you want, expose our mother’s name too. But you’ll have to be prepared to roll around in the mud together.”

Jin Young-gi abruptly stood up from his seat.

“Instead of four years from now, you should prioritize making a list of the people who will be stripped of their assemblyman positions and prepare for next year’s by-elections. This isn’t just talk, so keep it in mind.”

Even without prior coordination, their roles were clearly defined. Bad cop Jin Young-gi stormed out, while good cop Jin Dong-gi spoke calmly.

“I apologize. You know my brother’s quick temper. And he doesn’t hold grudges. He’ll get over it.”

However, his attitude wasn’t much different from his brother’s.

“After looking around, I found that many lawmakers committed illegal acts in this election. Especially the opposition lawmakers, there are quite a few…. The prosecution is just waiting for an opportunity. Let’s end this quietly without provoking the prosecution.”

This was a clear threat to mobilize prosecutors who had ties to Soonyang.

“In the second half of this year, we will double the number of new hires for the Soonyang Group. And we’ll build factories in your constituencies. Go down to your districts in advance and boast about it. The local residents will be happy with your achievement in attracting Soonyang Group’s investment.”

The two floor leaders exchanged glances. They threw out their final card.

“To block the firestorm heading towards the Soonyang Group, special measures are needed.”

“Special measures?”

“Yes. Dissolve the Soonyang Art Foundation.”

“What did you say?”

“We also received reports through the Board of Audit and Inspection. The disclosed assets of the foundation aren’t much. Isn’t it all just artwork and real estate anyway? Soonyang Group should buy the real estate at a low price, return the money to society, and donate the artwork to the National Museum of Art.”

“Hey!”

Jin Dong-gi shouted, but the ruling party’s floor leader didn’t even flinch.

“The commonly known secret in the industry is that you’ve already sold off all the genuine pieces…. That’s what I’m saying you should settle. If the Board of Audit and Inspection investigates each piece of art, you won’t be able to protect the foundation’s chairwoman, Lee Pil-ok. Do you understand what I mean?”

This was a gesture of goodwill to cover up the crimes they had already committed, not just this incident. The government also didn’t want this matter to escalate further.

Jin Dong-gi realized he had no choice.

If the government was willing to erase his mother’s crimes, he didn’t need to cling to a few hundred billion won worth of real estate.

“Alright. We will consider it positively at the group level. But you need to give us enough time to organize things.”

This meant he wanted time to siphon off any valuable assets that might be left.

The ruling party’s floor leader nodded.

“Of course. But please make sure to clean it up thoroughly so there are no more disturbances.”

“But we need to be clear. Soonyang’s name….”

“It will end with the announcement of the foundation’s dissolution. I promise you.”

Jin Dong-gi got up after receiving confirmation.

“We’ve put some small gifts in the trunks of your cars. Please consider it a special party membership fee and use it without any burden.”

He emphasized the word ‘party membership fee,’ implying they shouldn’t pocket it themselves. It also meant there was enough to share.

Smiles appeared on the faces of the two floor leaders.

However, Jin Dong-gi, who left first, felt miserable.

Isn’t this exactly what Jin Do-jun wants? That bastard erased all traces of his paternal grandmother from Korea.

* * *

The opposition party, which had been so loud, fell silent once the special investigation began.

The media also left a final comment about expecting a fair investigation and stopped using the words ‘artwork’ or ‘paintings’.

Instead, the issue of relocating the administrative capital became the biggest point of contention in political circles and the media, and the Soonyang Art Foundation smuggling incident seemed to be quietly covered up.

The announcement of the foundation’s dissolution and social contribution also briefly appeared in the media and then disappeared.

Of course, that’s only how it looks from the outside.

The inside of the group has been turned upside down for a while now.

“We were prepared for the credit rating to drop. But isn’t this too severe?”

The Big Three international credit rating agencies, Moody’s, Fitch, and S&P, all simultaneously downgraded the ratings of all Soonyang Group subsidiaries and announced it.

Soonyang Electronics, the only domestic company with an A+ rating, dropped to A, and the remaining subsidiaries were all rated BBB, not even A-.

Overseas insurance companies treated the entire Soonyang Group as BBB- or lower, significantly increasing all insurance rates.

“What on earth is the reason? Why are these guys suddenly so desperate to devour us?”

“Well….”

“Spit it out!”

“The fact that we paid 1.8 billion dollars due to that painting incident has spread throughout the industry. Because the amount is so large, about four global insurance companies have reportedly distributed the risk. They say they have no choice but to raise our Soonyang’s secondary insurance rates….”

Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi held his head in his hands.

Maritime insurance for exports is just a drop in the bucket. The bulk of the insurance premiums comes from the mandatory insurance for all overseas businesses.

There are countless large and small mandatory insurance policies depending on the circumstances of each country. Not only for himself but even more so for Jin Dong-gi.

When bidding for overseas construction projects, they had to lower their bids by even a dollar, but now that insurance premiums had skyrocketed, they lost that much competitiveness.

Jin Young-gi gritted his teeth.

He also postponed the legal procedures to reclaim his mother’s shares.

He hadn’t been able to get close to the current administration. Perhaps because of his image as a ‘president for the common people,’ he completely refrained from blatantly favoring them.

Everything that required the administration’s help was postponed until later, and he was waiting for the right time.

“Do-jun, that bastard….”

Jin Young-gi felt like he wouldn’t be satisfied even if he ground that guy to dust, considering the money he had lost because of him.