An Unexpected Development
Lee Tak-hyeon, lost in thought for a moment, issued an order to Hwang Do-beom.
"Keep a close eye on that bastard. There's no telling what he might pull next."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
Even without the instruction, Hwang Do-beom had been thinking the same thing, and he answered at once.
Lee Tak-hyeon reasoned that no matter what was going on, if they kept watching long enough, the truth would eventually surface. He moved on to his next order.
"More importantly—how's the presidential race looking right now?"
With interest shifting away from Lee Mun-jong and back to the election, Hwang Do-beom reported everything the secretariat had gathered so far.
"The IMF's arrival on the Korean Peninsula has drastically reshaped the electoral landscape. On top of that, the moves you've made, Chairman, have had a decisive impact on how the race has shifted."
"That's exactly why I did it. Glad to hear it worked out as planned."
"Based on our current projections, Candidate Kim Dae-sang is holding a narrow lead over the ruling-party candidate."
"So the ruling-party man was ahead the whole way, and it's only now flipped?"
"Yes. With the election right around the corner, it appears Candidate Kim Dae-sang has pulled ahead."
"Good."
Lee Tak-hyeon was satisfied to see Kim Dae-sang's position turning favorable exactly as he had intended. And he meant to hand Kim not merely an advantage, but outright victory.
"Don't hold back on support until the election is over. If Kim Dae-sang's camp comes asking for anything, give them whatever they want."
"Chairman. If this goes too far and the ruling-party candidate ends up losing... wouldn't that leave us in a very difficult position?"
"That's precisely why I said not to spare any support. The candidate we want has to become president."
"Understood. But, Chairman..."
Hwang Do-beom first acknowledged the order, then carefully posed a question.
"If the ruling-party candidate comes to us himself and asks for help, what do you intend to do?"
"The ruling-party candidate in person?"
"Yes. If he comes to you directly... will you still support the opposition candidate, Kim Dae-sang?"
From the founding chairman—Lee Tak-hyeon's own father—down through the generations, the Ilhyeon Group had maintained close ties with the ruling party. There had even been whispers in the past that the group's rise as a chaebol had only been possible under government protection. And those suspicions had not been entirely baseless.
That was why Hwang Do-beom found Lee Tak-hyeon's decision to abandon the ruling party so puzzling.
"It isn't as if we've only kept close ties with the ruling party for a year or two. Even the current president—after direct elections began, you've always backed the ruling-party candidate, Chairman. Walking away from them like this... I have to say I find it strange."
"If the ruling-party candidate comes to me himself... then yes, I'd be willing to support him. More, larger, and more decisive support than anything I've given Kim Dae-sang so far."
Lee Tak-hyeon answered without a second's hesitation, as if the question barely required thought.
Hwang Do-beom's face registered surprise; he had not expected the Chairman to speak so firmly.
But the next words out of Lee Tak-hyeon's mouth forced him to shut the mouth he had opened in astonishment.
"That is, if he comes looking for me. But will he? Will he actually come?"
Lee Tak-hyeon wore a smile full of scorn.
"If he were the kind of man who would come to me, he would have cleaned up the factional mess inside his own party long ago. That's why he won't do. Even if he runs for president again next time, that stiff-necked pride of his will keep him from ever becoming president."
In a single stroke Lee Tak-hyeon dismissed any chance of the ruling-party candidate winning the presidency, then issued his order to Hwang Do-beom.
"So don't hold back on support for Kim Dae-sang becoming president. And that Mun-jong bastard... dig into whatever schemes he might be cooking up as well."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
Even though he had been told to look into Lee Mun-jong, the matter inevitably took second place behind the presidential election. Right now, nothing mattered more than the race.
First came the all-out effort for the election; only when there was room to spare would they look into Lee Mun-jong.
And it was into that very gap that the typhoon slipped ashore.
While Lee Tak-hyeon and Hwang Do-beom were discussing the election, Lee Mun-jong was in a private location in Seoul, his face ashen, speaking with his secretary.
"What the hell happened? Why is she in Korea?"
"She returned to Korea three months ago, sir."
"You didn't know she'd come back? How could you miss something like that?"
The secretary wore an aggrieved look, thinking: I'm not Immigration. How was I supposed to know about a discreet entry? But he could not voice that grievance to a man on the verge of exploding.
"I'm sorry, Vice Chairman. I should have kept closer track... I thought the matter was finished and let it slip."
"Forget it."
Lee Mun-jong waved a hand as if further talk would only waste breath, then brought up the far more important issue.
"But how the hell did she give birth to a child? Huh? She had it aborted, didn't she? We made damn sure of that."
Even the secretary found the fact that she had given birth harder to believe than her entry into the country.
"I don't know either, sir. The abortion was performed at the hospital, and the doctor confirmed it."
"Did you find that doctor?"
"The doctor?"
"The one who did the procedure. Did you go and confirm with him that the operation was actually carried out?"
"That... not yet..."
"You idiot! That should have been the first thing you checked!"
Thud!
Lee Mun-jong snatched up the ashtray in front of him and hurled it at the secretary.
"Ugh."
Struck in the chest by the ashtray, the secretary let out a groan and staggered back two steps.
Lee Mun-jong paid no attention to his pain and roared,
"Go to the hospital first thing tomorrow morning and check. No—go right now and check."
The secretary rubbed the spot where the ashtray had hit him and glanced toward the window.
"Vice Chairman, the hospital is closed at this hour..."
"Even if he isn't at the hospital, he'll be at home, won't he?"
"His home?"
Lee Mun-jong looked at him as if he were a hopeless fool.
"Yes. Go to his house and ask him. And get it in writing—a confirmation. A statement that if anything went wrong, that doctor bastard won't be left alone either."
The secretary stared at Lee Mun-jong in confusion. Even in an emergency, barging into a doctor's home to extract a written confirmation that the operation had gone properly seemed like a questionable order.
But Lee Mun-jong no longer possessed that kind of judgment.
"What are you standing around for? Get going!"
At the Vice Chairman's urging the secretary left, and Lee Mun-jong muttered in a foul tone,
"That useless bastard can't handle a single job properly, and now that bitch is spouting nonsense."
Lee Mun-jong decided the entire fault for this mess lay with the secretary. Then he began murmuring to himself, denying reality.
"That kid isn't mine. She must have been screwing around somewhere, came back to Korea, and is claiming it's mine. That has to be it. She had the operation, didn't she? How does a baby just appear after an abortion? She's playing games with me. Yeah. That's it."
No matter how he turned it over, that was the only explanation he could accept, and he forced himself to that conclusion.
Yet his heart refused to settle. Lee Mun-jong chewed his nails until they bled.
Seeing Lee Mun-jong unable to focus on the meeting, Lee Tak-hyeon exploded.
"What the hell is wrong with you, spacing out like that? Does the presidential result look like nothing to you?"
"Chairman, it's not that—"
"If it's not that, then pull yourself together."
Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon raised his voice to address Lee Mun-jong and the entire Ilhyeon Group leadership assembled in the chairman's office.
"It isn't enough that the president becomes the man we want. What comes after is more important. Director Kim."
Lee Tak-hyeon called for Kim Seong-ho.
Seated at the far end of the sofa, Kim Seong-ho answered in a voice every bit as firm as the Chairman's.
"Yes, Chairman."
"What do you think Kim Dae-sang will do first once he becomes president?"
Everyone present followed Lee Tak-hyeon's question and turned their eyes on Kim Seong-ho, looking as if they doubted he could possibly know such a thing.
"Once Candidate Kim Dae-sang becomes president, the first thing he will do is summon the heads of the five largest conglomerates."
"Summon the group chairmen?"
"Yes."
Kim Seong-ho glanced around at the gazes fixed on him and continued.
"Right now, the economy is the single most important issue, no matter what anyone says. And Kim Dae-sang knows that. Before he formally takes office, he will want to show that he is different from the current president. He will gather the conglomerate heads, listen to them, and under his own leadership try to restructure the business world."
"Restructure? What does that mean?"
The president of Ilhyeon Life, failing to grasp the implication, asked the question.
Kim Seong-ho looked at him and answered in a courteous tone.
"Government-led restructuring. That is what he will attempt."
"The government leading corporate restructuring? That doesn't make any—"
The president of Ilhyeon Life was about to say how absurd the idea was, but he stopped when he saw Lee Tak-hyeon listening to Kim Seong-ho with complete seriousness. If the Chairman found Kim Seong-ho's words plausible, then regardless of anyone else's opinion the possibility became real.
And Lee Tak-hyeon nodded.
"Yes. There's a real chance of that."
He looked around at the key presidents of the Ilhyeon Group.
"You all know the restructuring situations at the other groups are not good. Aside from us, no one has met the standards the IMF is demanding. The IMF is pressing for harsh corporate restructuring before releasing the next tranche of loans, and since the others can't meet those demands, the government may well step in and drive the process itself."
After adding his own remarks to Kim Seong-ho's analysis, Lee Tak-hyeon pointed a finger at him.
"This is exactly the kind of thinking I want from you. I called you here so that, whatever happens after Kim Dae-sang becomes president, you can anticipate the situation and decide how we should respond. So why is Director Kim the only one saying anything worthwhile?"
Lee Tak-hyeon swept a contemptuous gaze over the assembled presidents. Then he looked at Lee Mun-jong, seated nearest to him, let out a sigh, and said,
"When the Vice Chairman himself is out of his mind, how can anyone else be expected to function? All of you—get out of my sight."
At the Chairman's dismissal the key presidents rose from their seats. As they bowed toward Lee Tak-hyeon and prepared to leave the office, the Chairman called out to Kim Seong-ho.
"Hey. Director Kim."
"Yes, Chairman."
"When Kim Dae-sang summons the group chairmen, I want you to prepare what I should say and what you would say. Anticipate it and bring it to me."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
"All right. Go."
The presidents paused for a moment and looked at Kim Seong-ho. Lee Tak-hyeon had just ordered him to draw up the group's response to the very government-led restructuring he himself had anticipated. The instruction was a clear vote of confidence—an indirect declaration that from now on the direction of the group's management would be discussed with Kim Seong-ho.
The presidents cast sidelong glances at Lee Mun-jong, who stood beside Kim Seong-ho. The Chairman's decision felt as if it might scrape against Lee Mun-jong's pride. Even Lee Tak-hyeon himself seemed curious about his son's reaction.
But Lee Mun-jong, as if he had no thoughts at all, simply bowed his head, turned, and walked out of the chairman's office.
The presidents looked momentarily flustered by that reaction, then followed after him, bowing once more to Lee Tak-hyeon before leaving. Last of all, Kim Seong-ho cast a meaningful look at Lee Mun-jong's retreating back and left the office as well.
Alone with Hwang Do-beom, Lee Tak-hyeon held out his hand and asked,
"Still no idea why that bastard is acting like this?"
"We've confirmed that one of Mun-jong's secretaries has been running around in a frenzy. But the rest of the Vice Chairman's office staff are quiet, so we haven't yet been able to determine whether the secretary's activity is related to Mun-jong's problem."
Hwang Do-beom placed a cigarette in Lee Tak-hyeon's hand, took a lighter from his pocket, and lit it once the Chairman had raised it to his lips. Then he asked,
"With the election only a couple of days away, the secretariat has thrown everything into election work, so information on Mun-jong isn't coming in real time. Shall I peel off some staff and assign them to him?"
"Hoo..."
Lee Tak-hyeon exhaled a long stream of smoke and shook his head.
"The election will be over in two days anyway. Let's just watch until then."
He took a few more drags, tapped ash into the tray Hwang Do-beom held out, and said,
"If he's still like that after the election, dig deeper. I can't stand not knowing what the hell is wrong with him."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
Hwang Do-beom acknowledged the order and glanced toward the door of the chairman's office—the same door both men were watching. Beyond it, Lee Mun-jong and his secretary were discussing the very matter that had them so curious.
"Vice Chairman."
Lee Mun-jong jumped at the secretary's appearance, grabbed him by the clothes, checked the surroundings, and dragged him down the corridor to one side.
"Well? What happened?"
The secretary, looking thoroughly flustered, only hesitated and could not answer.
"Well..."
Lee Mun-jong's face twisted with impatience as he pressed him.
"What is it? Spit it out! Did the doctor say he didn't do the operation? Did he?"
Realizing he had spoken too loudly, Lee Mun-jong clamped his mouth shut and scanned the hallway for listeners. But the people who had left the chairman's office with him were walking toward their own offices without so much as a glance in his direction.
Reassured, he urged the secretary again.
"Why can't you talk? What is it? What did the doctor say?"
"Well..."
"Stop saying 'well' and give me a proper answer. What? What did he say?"
"Vice Chairman."
Lee Mun-jong stared at the man who kept calling his title without managing a single coherent sentence, frustration plain on his face. Under that gaze the secretary finally managed to open his mouth in a tiny voice.
"Vice Chairman... the doctor... is dead."
"Dead? What do you mean, dead?"
"He died last year in a traffic accident."
"If he's dead, how do we check the surgical records?"
Caught completely off guard by the turn of events, Lee Mun-jong demanded answers from the secretary.
Still looking shaken, the secretary replied,
"After the doctor died the hospital was closed down, and all the charts disappeared. So... there's no way to know whether the operation was performed properly."
Lee Mun-jong's face went blank with disbelief.
"So you're telling me no one knows whether the abortion actually happened or not?"
"Yes. It was done at night with the hospital locked and no nurse present, so there are no witnesses either."
"This is..."
Overwhelmed by the sudden complexity of the situation, Lee Mun-jong covered his eyes with one hand without realizing it.
And from a distance, Kim Seong-ho watched the entire scene in silence, a faint smile on his lips.