Chapter 331
Chapter 331
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Tribute
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In the 1977 government personnel reshuffle, I was promoted to 2nd Grade Director.
With that, the cumbersome "acting" qualifier attached to my title finally vanished.
Director.
The weight of the title made my subordinates' backs bend all the more flexibly.
No, I knew that wasn't the real reason.
The Kim Dae-gyu line.
That carried even greater significance.
'Long-term, I need to break away from Kim Dae-gyu and stand on my own, but for now, basking in his halo isn't so bad.'
I began pondering a fundraising plan to build my own faction.
A few days later, I came up with a nefarious way to procure the funds.
"Operations like this affect stock prices too, don't they?"
All I had to do was speculate legally in stocks and multiply the money.
Simple arithmetic.
Using an operation as cover, I prepared a stock manipulation "ploy."
Section Chief Oh handled the execution.
I made sure no one else could get close to the core.
I exchanged a glance with Section Chief Oh.
"To bury the torture issue raised by the opposition, bursting a celebrity scandal is perfect."
I boldly laid out the stock manipulation ploy in front of the 1st Deputy Director.
Of course, I emphasized the celebrity scandal in my explanation.
Kim Dae-gyu nodded as he listened.
"Sounds plausible. People will swallow anything if it's about celebrities. Give it a shot."
"Yes, sir."
I prepared short-selling on the target, Chunhyangsa.
The investment fund came from scraping together 350,000 won from Section Chief Oh and me.
Roughly 475,000 dollars in U.S. currency—a tidy sum.
Of course, we executed it under assumed names.
"Let's begin."
I targeted Chunhyangsa's top star, Park Hee-ae, and unleashed the scandal.
"Park Hee-ae and heartthrob star Lee Ji-seok in sizzling romance."
The moment the news broke, all of Seoul buzzed about Park Hee-ae and Lee Ji-seok's love affair.
"Park Hee-ae's dating Lee Ji-seok?"
Public interest ignited, and every newspaper covered their romance.
Chunhyangsa's stock plunged straight to the floor like a lie.
"Director, it's a huge hit."
Section Chief Oh burst into laughter, saying our full leverage had tripled the profits.
We closed the short positions and switched to long.
We then fed material to the papers denying the romance rumors.
"Romance rumors confirmed false."
The public boiled over again at the news.
"See? I said I trusted Hee-ae noona."
Chunhyangsa's stock went on another wild ride.
We raked in another massive haul.
In just two weeks of stock swings, we'd pocketed three million dollars from Chunhyangsa.
It was blatant stock manipulation, but the Financial Supervisory Service couldn't lift a finger.
The reason was simple.
"This is an Agency operation. The Financial Supervisory Service is to stand down."
"Ah, understood."
We'd preemptively tied their hands and feet to prevent interference.
Even if the Financial Supervisory Service had some pull in finance, they wouldn't dare meddle in the Agency's national business.
After tallying the profits, we set aside one million won (about 1.5 million dollars) and offered it to Kim Dae-gyu.
Kim Dae-gyu looked flustered at the money I presented.
"Director Bae, what's this?"
"Profits from the operation, Deputy Director."
Kim Dae-gyu asked awkwardly.
"Why give it to me?"
"I figured it'd help you, sir. That's why I prepared it during the ploy."
Kim Dae-gyu glanced back and forth between the tribute and my face.
He didn't hide his conflicted expression.
After a long hesitation, he had someone place the bag I'd handed him off to the side.
Kim Dae-gyu, locked in a power struggle with Kwon Young-hoon at the Agency, desperately needed political funds.
In his position, he couldn't refuse money that fell into his lap.
Truth be told, that was the backdrop for planning this operation.
"I won't forget Director Bae's sincerity."
"Thank you, sir."
Through this tribute, I'd secured the final safeguard against the stock manipulation.
With the Agency's number two having my back, who would dare dig into this?
The Audit Office?
The invincible 1st Deputy Director Kim Dae-gyu would smash them the moment they touched it.
Section Chief Oh and I spent a good while chuckling over the remaining one million won in profits.
"Director, shall we run the same ploy next time?"
"We can't do that."
I never ran stock manipulation twice.
"Tails get stepped on if they're too long."
People get blinded by success.
Best to cash out and walk when you're ahead.
I planned the next operation to make money.
After stocks, it was real estate speculation.
Once again, under the banner of a "national operation."
"As expected of Director Bae. Brilliant idea."
Fresh off our bonded exchange, Kim Dae-gyu approved the operation the moment he heard it.
"If you pocket something this time too, keep it all, Director Bae. My conscience won't let me take twice from someone who's sweated for me."
"Understood."
That was the talk, but human nature being what it is.
I'd prepare half for Dae-gyu's share, leaving maybe half the profits.
Still, it was worth sharing with Dae-gyu.
His protection inside and out of the Agency wasn't cheap.
I launched the "operation" immediately.
"Gimhae Airport expansion for Dongnae! A new era for Southeast regional air traffic?"
I hurled the issue into the political arena.
The leak, attributed to a high-ranking government official named So-and-so, instantly drew media attention.
Truth be told, Gimhae Airport expansion was a long-cherished dream for millions in the southeast.
I'd targeted it perfectly, so the press flipped out.
Politicians jumped on it right away.
"Of course Gimhae Airport needs expanding!"
The opposition's military suspicious death probe was buried in an instant under this massive issue.
"What? It blew up like this?"
Opposition tears were ruling party joy.
The Agency couldn't hide its delight either.
"Director Bae's touch is downright ghostly. How do you nail issues like that?"
"You're too kind."
I received praise multiple times at the Agency director's regular meeting.
Truth be told, it wasn't praiseworthy.
Behind the scenes, I was making a killing.
The national operation lauded by the Agency director was just money-making for me.
"To expand Gimhae Airport, we have to level that mountain."
We'd bought a nearby undeveloped hill, then sold it for ten times the price.
Profits: two million won.
Three million dollars in U.S. currency.
This time, I brought 1.5 million dollars to Dae-gyu.
"Director Bae, I told you not to."
"Deputy Director, this is for my own sake. If you crumble midway, I'm done for too. So what's a little money spent protecting you?"
"You... people."
Kim Dae-gyu gave a hollow laugh.
"Deputy Director."
"Yes."
"If my sincerity bothers you, just push me hard instead. Problem solved."
This wasn't a joke.
It was dead serious.
"Alright. I'll repay the debt I owe Director Bae."
"Then we're good."
Was it the two gestures of sincerity?
The way Kim Dae-gyu looked at me now was like beholding a trusted retainer.
And a few days later, Kim Dae-gyu put his weight behind me.
"I'd like to expand the Media Operations Section, which delivered results this time."
At the Agency's regular meeting, Kim Dae-gyu backed enlarging our section.
Budget and personnel were a director's stature.
This was his way of boosting my prestige through such support.
Agency Director Kim Jung-nam didn't oppose Kim Dae-gyu's proposal.
"Let's do as Deputy Director Kim says."
Planning and Coordination Director Kwon Young-hoon scowled, but his faction wasn't strong enough to silence Kim Dae-gyu.
And so, the Media Operations Section was reorganized with three subunits and thirty-six personnel under me.
"Director Bae really knows how to ride the right line."
"The section expanded just months after he became 2nd Grade Director."
Inside the Agency, they even called me the crown prince of Kim Dae-gyu's new favored line.
Ah, crown prince.
Shove three million dollars at a guy desperate for funds, and emperor treatment is only natural.
The price of tribute was clear.
Now, I wasn't just some 2nd Grade Director—I was a heavyweight executive who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with 1st Grade Directors.
Proof: I could speak up at Agency regular meetings without harsh glares.
"Climb like this for ten years, and you'll be the next director, sir."
Ten years.
But I had no intention of playing the long game.
In ten years, my beloved daughter's youth would end, not to mention trampling Daehan's chance.
I needed to play my trump card before then.
"Section Chief. That's too long."
"But how do you plan to shorten it?"
Climbing the normal ladder, ten years was optimistic.
From 2nd Grade bureaucrat to deputy prime minister level usually took longer.
"Sabotage."
Section Chief Oh jumped at my one-word answer.
"That's way too risky a gamble."
"I know. But this country won't wait forever."
At my serious gaze, Section Chief Oh let out a heavy sigh.
"You've been boldly ambitious since the day I met you, Director."
"Regretting siding with me?"
Section Chief Oh gave a wry smile at that.
"Yes."
He should say no here.
But the meaning got through.
Section Chief Oh would help me this time too.
I lit Section Chief Oh's cigarette for him.