Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: No Mercy
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“Are you certain?”
A few days later, Senior Managing Director Im uncovered the background of the incident and thrust a file in front of me.
The name written on the document was, of all people, Moon Ji-hoon.
The CEO of S&U. Now I understood why my runaway rabbits had been killing time as unemployed loafers.
In short, it was simple.
He was afraid of the retaliation that would come from me if he hired them at his company, so he opted to just buy the technology for a reasonable price and cut his ties.
Later on, after some time had passed, he could claim they had also succeeded in developing the technology. There would be circumstantial evidence, but no hard proof, so we wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
But that was a useless move now.
Because I'd already filed for a patent to avoid that damn scenario.
“By the way, among the problems with the firearms S&U produces, was a defective barrel one of them?”
The thought suddenly occurred to me, and I asked Vice President Kim, who was beside me.
He, too, seemed flustered by the unexpected culprit, and answered with a dazed expression.
“There was such an issue, but I understand the more fundamental problems were errors in the design itself.”
“Hmm...”
I couldn't fathom the man's intentions.
If you wanted to solve the problem, you should have fixed the fundamental issues first. Why target the heat treatment technology of all things?
Then again, whatever the reason, that wasn't what was important right now.
What mattered was the fact that he'd thrown a wrench in my plans several times already.
“What are you planning to do?”
While I was lost in thought, Vice President Kim asked cautiously.
That, in fact, was the problem.
If I had my way, shaking up a company like S&U would be easy, but I was concerned about the others who would be harmed in the process.
The employees of S&U—heads of their households, sons to their parents.
To put it bluntly, their only crime was having a terrible boss.
“Moon Ji-hoon...”
I repeated his name, my mind in turmoil.
Perhaps sensing something from my expression, Senior Managing Director Im, who had been watching me, cautiously interjected.
“Um... I don't think you need to worry too much about Moon Ji-hoon.”
“...”
Puzzled, I looked at him.
He held out another report.
No, at a glance, it looked less like a report and more like a scrapbook clipping. The unusually large words, 'Defense Industry Corruption,' immediately caught my eye.
“What is this?”
“It's a clipping from an article in this morning's Daehan Ilbo. It says that S&U's CEO, Moon Ji-hoon, has been accused of bribery in the process of supplying substandard firearms to the military.”
At his words, I examined the report again.
It detailed a six-year-long, systematic bribery scheme related to the supply of defective firearms, for which he was now under investigation by the prosecution.
What was strange was how I hadn't heard about such a major story breaking.
I, of all people, lived and breathed the news.
“Did only the Daehan Ilbo cover this story?”
“That's right. It seems S&U spread some money around to the media beforehand.”
“If they're being that proactive, isn't there a chance the prosecution's investigation will just fizzle out?”
Senior Managing Director Im looked blank, as if he hadn't considered that possibility.
Then, belatedly realizing the likelihood, he scowled and muttered.
“Now that I think about it, that's highly possible.”
It was, in fact, a reasonable suspicion.
Military corruption was a problem whose roots were rarely ever fully exposed, even in the year 2025.
It would be even worse in this era. No matter how much the prosecution pushed, they wouldn't be able to withstand the external pressure.
“Hmm...”
At that point, I took a moment to think.
The stage was perfectly set to take Moon Ji-hoon down.
Should I let this pass? Or should I take advantage of this opportunity?
“What are you thinking about so seriously?”
“A big game has already started, even without my involvement. So, I'm just looking for a way to make sure it doesn't fold prematurely.”
“...”
“To put it simply, I plan to block all of Moon Ji-hoon's escape routes.”
“But how? It's obvious a company like S&U will use every means at their disposal.”
Of course, that was highly likely.
If it were me, I'd use every method I could to get out of it, too.
Mobilizing former-official attorneys and anyone with connections to the judiciary.
But even that has its limits in the face of solid evidence.
And I intended to find that evidence now.
“This case. There's a high probability there was an informant. Senior Managing Director Im, please look into that.”
“An informant?”
Senior Managing Director Im asked again, his eyes wide.
“Cases like this rarely just pop up out of nowhere. Especially with defense industry corruption, there are so many people providing cover that reporters almost never jump on it until the abscess bursts first. So, doesn't it stand to reason that this case was prompted by a tip? Oh, and while you're at it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and coax the reporter who wrote the article.”
“...”
**********
The next day, after finishing his meeting with the reporter, Senior Managing Director Im entered my office again.
Judging by his bright expression, it seemed he'd found a solid lead.
Sure enough, as he sat on the sofa, he laid out the results before I even had to press him.
“Just as you said, Chairman, the reporter wrote the article based on a tip.”
“Is that so? Then who was the informant?”
“It was Moon Ji-hoon's driver.”
That was an unexpected result.
I stared at him in surprise, but his expression showed that he, too, had found it unexpected.
“Why the driver?”
“Apparently, the driver used to work for the previous CEO. When the CEO changed recently, he started driving for Moon Ji-hoon, and for several months, the verbal and physical abuse was no joke. I believe that was the reason.”
“Even so, the prosecution wouldn't have moved without evidence, would they?”
“Of course not. It seems the driver stole a ledger that Moon Ji-hoon kept hidden in a secret safe in his car and submitted it to the prosecution. Fortunately, he'd managed to discreetly learn the password.”
If there was a ledger, it was an open-and-shut case.
But then I remembered that this morning's article had predicted the court would sentence him to probation.
It seemed Moon Ji-hoon's legal team had secured something to suppress the ledger's evidentiary power.
“Hmm...”
I sighed, my heart heavy with conflicting emotions.
Suddenly, Senior Managing Director Im's hands moved quickly, and he pulled something out to show me.
“What's that?”
“I went to see the driver just in case, and it turns out he'd secured audio recordings as well. They're conversations Moon Ji-hoon had while handing bribes to executives from the procurement office and various army generals in his car.”
“How did you...”
I asked, stunned.
Senior Managing Director Im gave a slight smirk before shaking his head and speaking.
“That driver is quite something. He made the recordings in preparation for a situation just like this, where he might be cornered himself. Then again, as someone who'd worked for that family for over a decade, it's not surprising he knew how things worked in that world.”
“That may be, but why did he give something so important to you, Senior Managing Director Im? It would have been more effective to go through the reporter.”
“He said he can't trust the newspaper company anymore.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Apparently, when he went to the newspaper yesterday, the reporter's attitude was very strange.”
“...”
I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
S&U. They must have gotten to the owner of the Daehan Ilbo.
In that situation, the reporter would have had no choice but to bow his head.
Unless he was some chivalrous reporter burning with a sense of justice.
“But he gave it to you, a complete stranger?”
“My apologies, but this is a copy I made for you to hear. The original has already been handed over to the prosecution.”
I looked at him, wondering what he meant now.
For a moment, Senior Managing Director Im looked as if he were hoping for praise as he continued.
“Actually, I took the driver and went straight to the prosecutor's office. As it happens, the chief prosecutor in charge of the case is a close acquaintance of mine.”
“...And?”
“I got his promise to take full responsibility for the case and handed the original recordings to him. By now, the prosecution has probably decided to detain Moon Ji-hoon and proceed with the investigation.”
If that was true, he'd handled it so thoroughly that I wouldn't even need to get involved.
It made me think that recruiting him might have been a stroke of genius.
Anyway, does this mean I won't have to put up with that pathetic fly buzzing around anymore?
I felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from my chest.
“You've done... excellent work.”
********
[S&U CEO Moon Ji-hoon Arrested for Bribery and Obstruction of Business.]
A few days later, just as Senior Managing Director Im had predicted, the decision was made to arrest and investigate Moon Ji-hoon.
The final verdict would have to wait until the trial was over, but according to sources in the legal community, the evidence was so solid that the consensus was he'd have a hard time getting probation.
But this wasn't enough.
What I wanted was to make him realize what a huge mistake it was to dare touch what was on my plate.
Of course, the current evidence would certainly lead to a prison sentence, but with a powerful team of lawyers behind him, it would likely be just a few years.
‘Wait!’
Just then, I suddenly recalled my first meeting with him.
The fact that he was one of the fish in Oh Hyun-ji's pond.
As I recalled, Oh Hyun-ji was the poster child for a promiscuous lifestyle. I could only imagine the private life of someone who swam in those waters.
“Secretary Kim.”
“Yes?”
“Please give an order to Representative Jung. Tell him to thoroughly investigate Moon Ji-hoon's relationships with women.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Secretary Kim's expression showed she understood my intentions without needing any further explanation.
And a few days later, Representative Jung came to see me, his face beaming.
“Judging by your expression, you must have found something.”
“Yes, he has such a messy private life that it wasn't a difficult task. Frankly, I'm surprised none of this has come to light until now.”
“He must have been paying to keep it quiet.”
Representative Jung gave a subtle smile at my words and held out a USB drive.
“He's committed quite a few sex crimes over the years. This is a list of the women who have suffered sexual assault at his hands."
“...”
"For your reference, we have already secured their promises to testify in court.”
“A bigger fish than I expected. Just in case, you must ensure the victims are protected. If the other side catches on, they might try to persuade the victims."
“Of course."
"If they need any compensation for their testimony, make sure they are paid sufficiently later.”
"Understood. But even if the other side tries to persuade them, it won't be easy.”
“Why not?”
“As you'll see from the data, there are over ten victims. And every one of them is in serious condition. So much so that one wonders if they can even lead normal lives. In particular, his secretary, who suffered the most, was apparently so traumatized that she attempted suicide twice.”
With that much damage, it seemed unlikely they would be swayed by any of his attempts at persuasion.
Besides, it was absurd to think that not just one or two, but over ten victims could all be bought off.
Under these circumstances, no matter how skilled he was at wriggling out of trouble, it wouldn't be easy for him to escape.
‘Especially since sexual assault is a major crime treated very seriously in this country.’
“Chairman.”
Just as I was deep in thought, Secretary Kim knocked and entered the room.
Her expression was strained, as if she had something to say that she'd rather not.
Sure enough, some unexpected news followed.
“A call came in from CEO Moon Ji-hoon of S&U. Should I not put it through?”
“No, put him through.”
It seemed he had finally realized I was involved.
It wasn't surprising.
After all, we'd been openly digging around for several days now.
In fact, from his perspective, he should have already come to see me in person several times, not just called.
“This is Jin Hyun-seung.”
-It's been a while, Chairman Jin.
His voice was utterly defeated.
When I remained silent, his urgent words came flying back.
-I made a mistake. If you would just back off this one time, I promise I will never cause any trouble for Jaewoo again.
“Don't you realize you've already caused plenty of damage?”
He probably knew what I meant.
The public disclosure of the technology due to the patent application.
He seemed to have nothing to say to that, as he remained silent.
“And a 'mistake' is defined as something that happens unintentionally. It doesn't apply to cases like yours, where you deliberately came after me.”
-Ah... I'm sorry. Whatever it is, it's my fault, so please forgive...
“I'm warning you, you'd be wise not to utter the word 'forgive.' I'm the type who shudders with rage when I see people who stab someone and then ask for forgiveness.”
He seemed taken aback by my declaration and fell silent again.
From the sound of his long sigh, he seemed to be trembling with despair.
I spoke again to drive the final nail in the coffin.
“If you called hoping to persuade me, you can forget it. And don't even think about running. If you try any tricks, this time I'll blow S&U off the map entirely.”
With that, I hung up the phone.
Just before the call disconnected, I faintly heard a cry of 'Please.'
I could clearly feel the desperation rising from deep within him.
“Fucking bastard. 'Please,' my ass.”
“...”
At my words, not only Secretary Kim but also Representative Jung stared at me with blank eyes.
I straightened my clothes for a moment and spoke to Secretary Kim.
“Sorry, but could you get me a coffee? Make it strong enough to snap my eyes wide open.”