Chapter 323: The Tables Turn

“Early this morning, the court issued an arrest warrant for Assemblyman Lee Sang-il. He was brought in by the prosecution as a witness and, after eleven hours, was converted into a suspect. The prosecution’s unusually swift investigation has the political world on edge, and the outcome is drawing significant attention.”

“Is this your doing?” Father asked, pointing at the TV.

“Yes, Father. I believe this is my last chance. I’ll use the illegal activities during the merger to oust Young-joon and take control of Soonyang.”

“I wondered… I thought it was strange you weren’t more actively trying to stop the merger. This is what you were planning.”

“All the shares went to Young-joon, and he spearheaded the merger. The risks are high, but it’s worth taking. I plan to end this fight within the year.”

“Times of tribulation end like a sudden clap of thunder…”

Father murmured, deeply inhaling his cigarette smoke.

“The end comes swiftly, like thunder, but the preparation takes a very long time.”

“I know. That’s why the end will come like thunder. So, what can this old man do to help?”

“When things get noisy over there, I plan to reveal everything about myself to the world.”

“You want me to spread that image across the world?”

It was easy to talk to Father since he instantly grasped the essence of every word. If Father hadn’t strayed down a different path, my biggest rival would have been him.

“Yes. Other media outlets will cover it, but it’ll be just one news segment at best. Your channel is the only place that will give it the extensive coverage it needs.”

“Looks like I’ll have to adjust the programming schedule.”

I carefully spoke to Father, who made it sound like a trivial matter.

“My people will bring up some dirty stories about the main family. You need to let those leak out too.”

“A scandal, is it? Understood.”

Father stubbed out his cigarette and patted my shoulder.

“Make sure you win. For your grandfather, who’s watching with amusement from up there.”

* * *

“No, what are you talking about? Why is Assemblyman Lee trying to drag us down with him?”

Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi couldn’t believe Chief of Staff Baek Jun-hyuk’s report.

“Chief Secretary Baek, wasn’t Lee Sang-il taken in over the savings bank issue? Didn’t the borrowed-name accounts involve the savings bank too?” Jin Young-jun asked, his face scrunched up in displeasure. He didn’t like having to receive reports with his retired father about such trivial matters.

Couldn’t they just report to him, excluding his retired father? No, shouldn’t his subordinates handle this cleanly so such reports wouldn’t even be necessary?

“The prosecution is dropping the savings bank bribery charges and wrapping it up with the 700 million, but… they’re painting a picture where the source is Soonyang.”

“Is Lee Sang-il just taking it? What’s the Blue House doing?”

“The Prosecutor General is stepping up to block it, and the ruling party’s candidate camp is using Lee Sang-il as a scapegoat to distance themselves from the current administration. That’s why the prosecution and the court are free to beat him down.”

Listening to the report, Jin Young-jun snapped at Chief of Staff Baek Jun-hyuk.

“Hey, Chief Secretary Baek. What does this have to do with Soonyang?”

Chief of Staff Baek Jun-hyuk was dumbfounded. Did he still not grasp the bigger picture?

“Young-joon.” Jin Young-gi quietly silenced his son.

“You go back to the company. This is something your father will handle.”

Once his son left with a sulky expression, Jin Young-gi quickly asked, “Do-jun is behind this, isn’t he?”

“Almost certain, sir. During the merger process, wasn’t Assemblyman Lee the one who moved the National Pension Service? The prosecution is using the savings bank issue, which had many victims, as leverage to tie Assemblyman Lee in, hoping to ride the public sentiment.”

“Then the prosecution’s blade is pointed at…”

“Young-joon, Vice-chairman.”

Baek Jun-hyuk could see the thoughts in Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi’s eyes. This wasn’t the first time. It was a frequently used, old-fashioned method, but it always worked.

Baek Jun-hyuk spoke in a low but firm voice.

“I’ll look into a substitute just in case, but it won’t be me. I… have no intention of taking a wheelchair for Young-joon.”

“Y-you…! Why would I ever….”

“With this level of pressure, the prosecution won’t be satisfied with just a subsidiary president. You know that, don’t you?”

Having his intentions exposed, Jin Young-gi was speechless.

“Vice-chairman, Lee Hak-jae said something to me. That I would be buried alive with the dead. Then he offered me a position, on the condition that I leave your side.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t betray you. And, Vice-chairman,” Baek Jun-hyuk said, staring intently at Jin Young-gi.

“I’ll accept being buried alive with the dead, but I won’t go to jail.”

Baek Jun-hyuk bowed his head to the flustered Jin Young-gi.

“I’ll continue to monitor the prosecution’s movements and report back. This will likely be my last task. Goodbye.”

* * *

“Establishing discipline among public officials, eradicating corruption, distancing ourselves from chaebols for economic democratization. Isn’t that hitting three birds with one stone?”

“That friend Jin Do-jun, he’s young but extraordinary. They say he’s a genius investor, and he takes after his grandfather. He’s a good planner too.”

“Since the administration is changing, it’s not a bad idea to change Soonyang’s owner too. Since he’s treated like a hero by the public, it’ll look good for him to sit in the chairman’s seat at Soonyang Group.”

Lawyer Hwang Jae-an and Assemblyman Choi Seok-hwan chatted and laughed in the detention center’s reception room, acting as if Assemblyman Lee Sang-il wasn’t even there.

Lee Sang-il, who was watching them, sighed in disbelief. Lawyer Hwang Jae-an turned to him and said,

“Assemblyman, let’s cut it at two years. If we drag it out to the Supreme Court, it’ll be about a year, so you’ll only have to suffer for a year. You’re retiring anyway, right? Just think of it as your final sacrifice…”

“Who are you? Why are you here?” Lee Sang-il shouted. Assemblyman Choi Seok-hwan intervened.

“Oh, Hyung-nim. This is the person who will be the next administration’s Minister of Justice. So, you can trust what he says.”

“Mi-Minister of Justice? Everyone’s counting their chickens before they hatch.” Lee Sang-il said sarcastically, but the likely victory of the presidential election made him bitter.

“Assemblyman, your younger brother, the VIP, has agreed to it. If we don’t put on this show, we might lose the election. Isn’t it better for the ruling party to stay in power? If the opposition takes over, many people will get hurt.”

Lawyer Hwang maintained a polite demeanor, but it was more like an order. If he refused, the corruption he committed, trusting his younger brother, would be exposed.

“Hyung-nim, let’s go with this plan. We’ll only touch the Minister of Health and Welfare, the head of the National Pension Service, and the chief investment officer. Everyone has agreed, so please follow quietly. No matter how much you protest, nothing will change. Besides, you made a hefty sum during the Soonyang Corporation merger, didn’t you?”

“The minister too…?”

“Yes. Jin Do-jun said he’d give us a significant cut once this is over. You saw the news, right, Hyung-nim? He’s a guy who can wave around over 100 trillion in cash. The ‘cut’ he’s talking about is on a different scale than other chaebols.”

Even his younger brother, the President, had turned his back on him. This wasn’t politics; it was getting caught up in a fight over someone else’s assets. The problem was, that someone else controlled Korean politics.

Lee Sang-il closed his eyes and thought for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

“I don’t want to argue. Tell the prosecution to prepare the documents and bring them here. Let’s just sign and be done with it.”

As soon as Lee Sang-il declared his surrender, the faces of the two men lit up. Seeing their reaction, Lee Sang-il even wondered how much money those two guys had taken from Jin Do-jun.

* * *

“The arrest of Assemblyman Lee is reportedly related to the recent merger between Soonyang Corporation and Soonyang Ad Media. As it went all the way to court, there were many issues, and there are evaluations that the minority shareholders suffered losses of 7 trillion won due to the National Pension Service’s unreasonable decision. Simply put, it’s a story of using the people’s money to defend a chaebol family’s management rights. The prosecution is….”

Jin Young-jun turned off the TV and angrily threw the remote control.

The news was constantly talking about the Soonyang Corporation merger, and his name came up frequently.

His father, who said he’d handle it, was silent, and when he desperately called around, everyone avoided him.

As frustration boiled over, making it hard to sit still, his wife, Hong So-young, walked in.

His wife’s visit was completely unexpected, as she had already left home and was staying at the hotel operated by Hanseong Ilbo.

“Why are you here?”

“I didn’t want to come either, but I felt uneasy leaving it all to the lawyer.”

At the mention of a lawyer, he guessed why his wife had come to the company.

“What’s there to be uneasy about? For a divorce, the lawyers just need to handle the paperwork.”

Hong So-young tossed an envelope at her sullen husband.

“I’ll take the kids. Soonyang is gone, but I should get Hanseong Ilbo. It’s difficult for a divorced woman to become a newspaper president, so I’ll give the position to my son. You’ll be kicked out of Soonyang anyway.”

“What? This is going too far…”

“Don’t get worked up. Just check the envelope and sign without any complaints.”

The envelope didn’t just contain divorce papers. A dozen photos also spilled out.

His face contorted as he looked at the photos. Pictures of him with his arm around a woman’s waist entering a hotel, and pictures of him intimately kissing a young woman in the back seat of a car.

“So, now you’re digging into my past? So what? We’re separated anyway.”

“That’s just a fraction of it. There’s plenty of evidence of you playing around with celebrities for years. I realized something when I saw those photos. You’re no match for Do-jun.”

“Wh-who did this…? Could it be Do-jun?”

“My lawyer will send the documents tomorrow, so just sign them. You don’t even know who the guy working for you is loyal to… Tsk, tsk.”

Hong So-young clicked her tongue with a pathetic look and stood up.

Jin Young-jun checked the photos again, replaying her words in his mind. The car interior photos were clearly captures from the black box footage. He thought he knew who the guy working for him that his wife mentioned was.

“Shin Seok-ho… that son of a bitch….”

He pressed the intercom button and shouted.

“Tell Shin Seok-ho to come in here now.”

A few minutes later, Team Leader Shin Seok-ho rushed in.

“You called, Chairman?”

Jin Young-jun threw the photos in his face.

“Did you do this? Huh?”

Team Leader Shin Seok-ho collected the photos from the floor and placed them on the table, saying, “The guys on my team just submitted their resignations to HR. Thank you for everything, and frankly, I’m sick of this.”

“What? What did you just say?” Jin Young-jun’s hands began to tremble.

“I have ten years’ worth of data in my hands. Don’t even think about using your connections to harm my team members as a way to vent your anger. I might just make it impossible for you to show your face in Korea. Goodbye.”

Jin Young-jun could only blankly watch Shin Seok-ho smirk at him before turning and walking out. It didn’t feel real.

* * *

“What brings you here at this hour?” Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi was surprised by his younger brother’s late-night visit. Wasn’t he the youngest who had stayed out of this fight?

“I have something to tell you, Hyung-nim.”

“If it’s about Do-jun, just leave. I have nothing to say to you.”

“I won’t take long.” Jin Young-gi nodded at his brother, and the two sat on the sofa.

“Alright, what is it you want to say?”

“I hope you won’t interfere.”

“What?”

“Do-jun asked me for something. He wanted me to expose your private life, Hyung-nim’s wife’s, and Young-joon’s.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Your wife traveling overseas with younger men, you bringing young women to your house, and Young-joon… well, no need to even mention him.”

“These… these bastards….”

He was more angry than embarrassed. Did this mean they wouldn’t hesitate to stoop to the lowest level?

“I have a lot of evidence in my hands. But I can’t bring myself to broadcast it or even write a single news article about it.”

“So? You’re telling me to surrender to your son?”

“No. You should do your best to defend yourself. I have no intention of interfering with that.”

“Then what is it? What’s the motive behind threatening me with exposing all this filth?”

“The prosecution avoids arresting two family members at the same time. Husband and wife, siblings, father and son…”

Jin Young-gi understood his younger brother’s intention. He had come to prevent the last resort he could take.

“Don’t even think about going to the prosecution in Young-joon’s place. If you do, I’ll make sure your grandchildren can’t even attend school. Other than that, do whatever you want.”

Jin Young-gi was speechless. He didn’t have the courage to use his last resort.

* * *