Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Royal Family 17-2
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The small ball lobbed by Shim Sang-cheol sent shockwaves through South Korea.
The direct hit landed on the National Assembly.
Eleven lawmakers from the Min-guk Party, eight from the Jeong-han Party, three from the Han-min Party.
And it was a massive corruption scandal involving National Assembly Speaker Shim Sang-seop.
But as always, after Shim Sang-cheol's press conference, all the lawmakers claimed their innocence and tried to wage a battle in the court of public opinion.
However, the fact that Shim Sang-cheol was the speaker's younger brother made the public take his words as gospel truth.
As a result, less than three hours after the press conference, the prosecutors sprang into action.
And naturally, their first target was Taesung Construction.
"This is the prosecution. Cease all operations immediately and step back from your positions."
But none of the employees panicked.
They had seen it coming.
So they calmly accepted the search and seizure.
At the same time, Ji-hyeok was facing Vice Chairman Lee Seo-hoon in the Future Strategy Office.
"The chairman is furious."
"I expected as much."
"Was there no other way?"
Vice Chairman Lee Seo-hoon was only looking at the situation as it unfolded.
Chairman Kang Wook couldn't tell him the true essence of the matter.
To do that, he'd have had to reveal Ji-hyeok's parents, the blue book—everything.
That's why, despite his rage, he hadn't summoned Ji-hyeok and had instead vented on poor Vice Chairman Lee Seo-hoon.
But this was the vice chairman of Taesung Group.
He couldn't possibly be unaware of the seven bodies that had turned up at the Taesung Residence.
No matter how discreetly the chairman's secretariat had handled it, they couldn't evade Vice Chairman Lee Seo-hoon's eyes.
Yet Vice Chairman Lee Seo-hoon chose not to pry.
He was similar to former Vice Chairman An Chi-hyeon in that way, yet different.
He clearly distinguished between what needed knowing and what didn't—what he had to take responsibility for.
He knew this wasn't something he should dig into, so he didn't even ask Ji-hyeok.
And Ji-hyeok couldn't speak of the inner workings either, so his responses had to be cautious.
"I'm sorry. I've caused you great trouble, Vice Chairman."
"That's not the point. I'm talking about Taesung."
"There may have been procedural issues, but I judged it the best approach. Taesung Construction has ceded its number-one spot in the industry to Mirae Construction. Not in overseas contracts, but domestic sales. Mirae will undoubtedly take the bigger hit from this."
"Hmm... Fair enough. Peace has lasted too long. Alright, then. You'll oversee the wrap-up as head of the task force."
"Yes. Thank you."
Ji-hyeok now clearly understood what kind of person should hold the position of Taesung's vice chairman.
An Chi-hyeon and Lee Seo-hoon were the exemplars.
This incident would be noisy, but in the end, the merits would outweigh the faults.
That's why Lee Seo-hoon was stepping back to let Ji-hyeok take the credit.
Had it been the other way around, the vice chairman would have stepped forward himself.
Ji-hyeok rose from the sofa, gave a respectful bow to Vice Chairman Lee Seo-hoon, and left the room.
-Kwaaang!
The phone Shim Sang-seop hurled smashed against the door and clattered to the floor with a thunderous crash.
"How... how..."
Shim Sang-seop couldn't believe what was happening to him.
No, he didn't want to believe it.
His brother had been his most cherished sibling.
The one he doted on so much that others joked he loved him more than his own child.
And yet...
That was when it happened.
His secretary, who would never have dared such a thing under normal circumstances, burst through the door in a panic.
"Speaker! It's the Blue House."
"What? The President? Why is it coming to your phone?"
"Your line wouldn't connect..."
"Damn it..."
Of course it wouldn't.
He'd just smashed the phone.
But at that moment...
-Bzzz... bzzz...
A vibration buzzed from the phone in Shim Sang-seop's inner pocket.
The secretary looked startled at the sound but hurriedly handed it over—no, wait.
Shim Sang-seop, lost in thought, pulled out the ringing phone from his pocket and abruptly hung up on the President's call.
The secretary gasped in shock.
"Speaker!"
"Out!"
"Pardon?"
"I said out!"
Startled again by the bellow, the secretary hesitated before leaving the room.
Shim Sang-seop let out a sigh and answered the still-vibrating phone.
"Yes. Teacher Harada. This is Shim Sang-seop. Yes. I'm sorry. Things have gone awry."
"I know. Well, this ends our connection then."
"Teacher, as always, it's just a passing wind."
"Indeed. But what if that wind blows my way?"
"That won't happen. You know me."
"No. I regret it now. I shouldn't have taken your call that day... Anyway, for old times' sake, I won't send you off disgracefully."
"Pardon? What do you—"
That was when it happened.
The secretary, who had just left, burst back in through the door.
And moments later,
-Kwaaang!
Shim Sang-seop plummeted from the window of the Speaker's office, discovered as a cold corpse by the reporters below.
The day at Taesung Residence proceeded as usual.
As if nothing had happened, Chairman Kang Wook, Ji-hyeok, Gong Sa-woo, and Eun-seok gathered for breakfast to start the day.
"Shim Sang-seop is dead."
"Yes. I heard."
"Leave that side alone now. One death is enough."
Chairman Kang Wook spoke impassively as he picked at his vegetables.
Ji-hyeok scooped a spoonful of soup and replied.
"It ended before I could even touch it."
"Whatever. Drop it. Pushing them too hard isn't right."
"Are you talking about Shim Sang-seop? Or the National Assembly?"
"Both."
Ji-hyeok let out a smirk at the chairman's answer.
"They say he jumped from his office. But you know, greedy people don't make that choice. Was there anyone greedier than Shim Sang-seop?"
"Hmph..."
Ji-hyeok didn't believe Shim Sang-seop had taken his own life willingly.
But with his death, all links to the blue book from the past were severed.
Of course, Sangcheon members still remained.
The investigation of Bae Hyun-mo's phone had revealed surviving Sangcheon contacts.
But whether worn out over time or having removed their own marks, they hadn't been in contact for a very long while.
They hadn't responded to Bae Hyun-mo.
What was clear was that the first wave of Sangcheon infiltrators were all dead.
And excluding those from the second wave whose lines had gone silent, no one was left.
That left only the one called Harada, who had spoken with Shim Sang-seop and given orders to Bae Hyun-mo.
Jang Woo was trying to track him down, but it wasn't easy.
As Ji-hyeok pondered Shim Sang-seop, Sangcheon, and Harada, Gong Sa-woo spoke heavily.
"My father has been hospitalized. They'll be keeping him for quite a while."
"I heard."
"Should I thank you for sparing him?"
Gong Sa-woo seemed to suspect Chairman Kang Wook.
He'd probably only heard about the hospitalization and hadn't spoken with his father.
The chairman seemed to grasp the situation from Gong Sa-woo's words but didn't pass the buck to Ji-hyeok.
"Grudges and favors are for the recipient to decide. Some forget even the greatest injustices and live on, while others repay kindness until death. It's your call."
"So whether to be grateful or resentful is up to me."
"Yes."
Gong Sa-woo's gaze turned to Ji-hyeok.
"What do you think?"
Eun-seok's eyes sparkled as he stared at Ji-hyeok's mouth.
Ji-hyeok met Gong Sa-woo's gaze coolly and spoke slowly.
"Why do you keep asking others' opinions? That said, I think your uncle will consider it fortunate that it ended there."
"Fortunate?"
"To put it bluntly, your uncle abetted murder. Taesung protected him, and Taesung exacted some punishment. As Grandfather says, it's up to the parties involved now—gratitude or resentment."
This time, Gong Sa-woo smirked.
He set down his spoon, glaring at Ji-hyeok.
"Just as I felt from the moment we met, getting close to you will be tough."
Ji-hyeok shrugged nonchalantly.
"Grandfather, Mother is stepping down from the company, leaving the position vacant. Please let me inherit it."
But it wasn't the chairman who answered—it was Ji-hyeok himself.
"No. It's a company with annual sales of 30 trillion won. The executive director position isn't light. Objectively, Brother Sa-woo's abilities aren't there yet. He could sit if forced, but he'd be branded as getting it just because he's family."
"I didn't ask you."
"I'm his direct superior."
"Wouldn't it be better for you if I vanished from sight? I'm saying I'll forsake all grudges and favors and step down. No reason to stop me."
"Brother Sa-woo, separate personal feelings from work. Not everyone quits because they dislike their boss. And they don't make demands upon leaving. Let me be clear: no executive director at Trading. Someone more capable than you will take it."
"I don't get it. Why keep holding me back?"
"Because you're suitable as head of the Management Diagnosis Team."
Gong Sa-woo glared at Ji-hyeok's cold words.
Moments later,
"Grandfather, I'll take my leave."
"Go."
Gong Sa-woo left the dining room.
Chairman Kang Wook turned to Ji-hyeok.
"Why not let him go?"
"Forget favors out of sight? Nonsense. Favors are settled in plain view. And to be clear, I wouldn't do this for an outsider. You're giving him a chance, Grandfather."
The chairman nodded at last.
Eun-seok, who had quietly eaten while understanding, also nodded slightly.
Thus ended the somewhat unusual breakfast.
For a while, Ji-hyeok threw himself into work.
There had been some noise, and he had his own investigations, so he'd taken a brief breather.
Thus, his days were a endless string of meetings.
"...Therefore, projected sales for Electronics this quarter are estimated at 78 trillion won, a 1.4% increase from the previous quarter..."
But then.
"Hm?"
Eun-seok, sitting at his usual corner desk, tilted his head quizzically, looking puzzled.
It was a small voice, but Ji-hyeok caught it.
"Park Eun-seok, what is it?"
"No, it's just..."
"Don't hem and haw. Spit it out."
"In the strategy team leader's report last time, I think it was 1.6% over the previous quarter for this quarter's Electronics projection."
His tone was hesitant and unsure, but Eun-seok's words rang clear.
Ji-hyeok smiled faintly.
It was the payoff for dragging him to every meeting and session over the past two months.
The strategy team leader sitting across, as if understanding the smile's meaning, grinned back.
But Ji-hyeok's voice was stern.
"Correct. And it's still correct. Find out why it was 1.6% then and 1.4% now."
"Pardon? Where?"
"No one outside this room can't answer that. Grab anyone and ask."
"Anyone? That's a bit..."
"What? Embarrassed that Taesung family doesn't know such basics? Or ashamed a 28-year-old doesn't?"
Eun-seok scratched the back of his head vigorously.
Ji-hyeok smirked and glanced at the strategy team leader.
"Take him when you go. Leave a chair at the strategy team."
"Yes, sir. Understood, Team Leader."
"Train him hard. I've set the bar high."
"Yes. I can't stand incompetence on my team either, so no worries."
Eun-seok, overhearing, looked shocked.
"What about driving for you, hyung?"
"You drive like crap. I'll do it now."
Eun-seok's eyes welled up.
But at that moment.
"No waterworks. Get up. Escort the team leader."
Eun-seok pursed his lips, eyes red.
Moments later, he followed the strategy team leader out of Ji-hyeok's office.
It had been two months since Kang Mi-young's request—his first time venturing out alone.
Though Ji-hyeok had let him go, it was time for continued watch.
Temptation strikes at every moment, after all.
Having sent Eun-seok off, Ji-hyeok picked up the intercom.
"Team Leader An Chang-hee, is the report ready?"
The first order Ji-hyeok had given upon arriving was to the HR Team.
He was digging from the bottom up into how Bae Hyun-mo's gang had infiltrated the Taesung Residence.