Minhwa's Husband
So that was why Myeongsuk seemed determined that no one who came before me should be allowed to wear clothes. There was the intention of making those who sought an audience meet me with nothing held back — but perhaps it was also a kindness, a way of keeping me from being cowed by first impressions. Was I reading too much into it?
A short while later we left the house and went down to the underground garage. The moment we stepped out of the elevator, a massive black car was waiting with its rear door already open. Once we climbed in, the driver shut the door and pulled away. I was fairly certain this was the first luxury sedan I had ridden in since the day I was born. The ride was so smooth I could barely tell we were moving at all, and the driving itself was unhurried and refined. Minhwa leaned close to my ear and spoke in a low voice.
"If you ever need to go somewhere, just call this driver. I'll give you his number."
I looked at her in surprise. She seemed to understand exactly what that look meant. She dropped her voice even further.
"He's newly hired. He doesn't know anything about my husband."
Then she raised her voice a little again.
"I wanted to gift you a car for your exclusive use as Jisin, but Master Myeongsuk talked me out of it. So for the time being, let's share this one. I was going to keep a separate car for myself, but I don't know how to drive."
I only smiled and said nothing. My thoughts were the same as before. Minhwa still did not look entirely in her right mind. All I could think was that I should keep living gently and carefully until she opened her eyes on her own.
The car stopped in front of Simanjeong. There was no gathering that day, so the place was quiet. I opened the door and stepped out; Minhwa waved to me like a child. The car pulled away, and for a moment I stood looking at the river. It felt as if I had spent a night in heaven. Reality still had not quite settled in.
The life of people at the absolute top tier of this country — the first time I had ever seen it. It was far more astonishing than anything I had watched in a drama. Of course it was; the people who wrote those dramas were not themselves that kind of top tier, so how would they know how such people actually lived? And given how fiercely those people avoided exposure, their lives were even more shrouded in secrecy. On top of that, there was Minhwa, beautiful enough to put most celebrities to shame. And that woman had spent the whole night alone with me.
My head ached. As Minhwa's words came back one by one, the unease of reality wrapped around me more tightly than any luxurious fantasy. Her husband, her parents, her children… Had Minhwa truly lost her mind to a cult? Had I, without even realizing it, become the principal offender in that kind of social crime?
"If you're here, why don't you come inside? What are you doing out here?"
I turned toward the voice. Myeongsuk was standing there, smiling. Relieved, I spoke the moment I saw her.
"Minhwa's going to get a divorce. She's going to abandon her kids, too. I keep thinking it's all my fault."
Myeongsuk did not so much as twitch an eyebrow. Then she slowly reached out, took my hand, and said,
"I expected our kind Jisin would think exactly this. That's why I didn't tell you from the beginning. But now it's time for you to hear the story."
I frowned.
"What story? Minhwa is trying to pour her entire fortune into us. She's throwing away her family, too."
Myeongsuk smiled again.
"Minhwa's assets are all hers. And Minhwa is now Jisin's woman."
A flicker of irritation rose in me.
"That's… exactly what I'm saying."
Myeongsuk drew me by the hand toward Simanjeong as she spoke.
"Which is why you need to hear everything. People are waiting inside."
People? Our people? I let her lead me into the building. She guided me to the small conference room on the second floor. Inside, Yongjin and Jeongmi were already seated. Wondering what this particular combination meant, I sat down. Once everyone was settled, Myeongsuk began.
"I've mentioned Ryu Minhwa's husband briefly before. A man skilled in every kind of scheme — a true snake. He knows how to use every scrap of power he has, and he's extremely good at finding the means to do it. In the worst possible directions, of course."
At this sudden turn, I looked at Myeongsuk.
"I also mentioned Minhwa's parents, didn't I? They're believers of Cheonsiman-gyo now."
She delivered it with a little flourish, as if she expected a reaction — but I did remember hearing that Minhwa had brought her own mother and father into our gatherings.
"One day after a meeting, the two of them asked me for a private talk. They said they had been moved by the teachings of Cheonsiman-gyo, and that it had given them a chance to look honestly at their past. Of course I had known about them for a long time already, but I listened quietly. They reflected on how they had wasted their good years being pushed around by someone else, all to protect their own meager honor and power. And they regretted that the unhappiness had been passed not only to themselves but to their child as well."
It was about Minhwa and her son-in-law. Not only I but everyone in the room listened to Myeongsuk in silence.
"Then they said that after finding Cheonsiman-gyo, and watching their daughter reclaim the light she had lost, they made a decision. If it was something that made their daughter happy, they wanted to do anything for her. Even if their own shame was exposed, they would take it as divine punishment and endure it all. So I made them a proposal."
All three of us swallowed hard.
"I asked them how they would feel about arranging a divorce — for their daughter's happiness and for their own peace. They said that man would never agree. So I asked, if he did agree, would they go along with it? They said they would. If we could only make that happen, they wanted their daughter to live however she wished, and they themselves would reflect on their past within Cheonsiman-gyo and work hard to support the order."
I cut in.
"According to Minhwa, they've already decided to live separately for now."
All three of them turned to look at me. Strangely, their eyes all held the same light. As I was thinking, What is this?, Myeongsuk spoke.
"Yes. Minhwa's husband's name is Kang Hojung. He's a former prosecutor from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. In fact, that man was running two households — no, three. So living separately is no problem for him at all. He used his father-in-law's influence to get involved in countless power-related scandals. And it wasn't mere involvement. In many cases, he was the one who orchestrated the whole affair."
Yongjin cut in.
"To Lawyer Kang Hojung, his wife and her family were nothing more than tools for his own gain. Of course he had no affection for his wife, and no love for his home. That's why he kept mistresses and lived however he pleased."
I looked at Yongjin.
"How do you know all that?"
"I asked a lawyer I know. He's famous in that circle. Everyone points fingers and talks behind his back, but because of the power and money he holds, no one dares open their mouth to his face. That's the atmosphere of the place, apparently."
Myeongsuk continued in a calm voice.
"Recently there was a deal involving the introduction of a next-generation interceptor system from the United States. It was an enormous business, and the transaction amount was astronomical. A team of specialists in the field was assembled for the national procurement, and Kang Hojung joined it as a legal expert. Negotiations went on for over a year, and in the end the Korean government agreed to introduce the system and signed the contract."
I nodded.
"Yeah… I saw that on the news."
In truth, I had been reading almost every current-affairs and business magazine I could get my hands on, looking for material for my sermons. I had also been devouring literary and non-literary books without discrimination. Lately, with no time to visit bookstores, I had mostly been using e-books.
"There was a provision in our laws that would have blocked the introduction of that system. Kang Hojung bribed members of the National Assembly to introduce an amendment, and the bill passed. From the beginning, he had colluded with the American side over the drafting and passage of that amendment, and in return he was promised a staggering kickback."
That son of a bitch… There were always bastards like that. As if America would have paid him out of its own pocket. They would have folded the money into the sale price, and in the end that money came from our tax blood. I asked,
"So he made a fortune, and now he doesn't need his father-in-law's power anymore?"
Myeongsuk twisted her mouth into a cold sneer.
"Kang Hojung is not a man of such self-aware restraint."
"Then what?"
Myeongsuk glanced sideways at Jeongmi. Jeongmi was wearing a devilish smile.