It's Not Just My Fault!
The articles related to the Dubo Steel crisis did not remain confined to the business pages. Once Dubo Steel went bankrupt and the decision was made to dismantle the Dubo Group, stories about the scandal poured far more heavily across the political pages than the economic ones.
It had come to light that the current president’s second son had exercised influence while the Dubo Group secured more than five trillion won in loans. Corruption involving the family of a sitting president—his own son, no less—was unprecedented in the history of the Republic of Korea, and the public lashed out at the president with savage criticism. They insisted that mobilizing tax money to prop up the Dubo Group was something that should never be allowed.
The chairman of the Dubo Group and the second son’s close aides were already under arrest, and rumors that the president’s son himself would soon be detained spread like wildfire. In the end, the president stepped before the nation. He delivered a ten-minute address, bowed his head, and apologized. He pledged that under the principle that all are equal before the law, there would be no special treatment for the son of a president, and he promised a swift, impartial investigation by the prosecutors to minimize the chaos.
Seeing that the president made no attempt to shield his own son, the public breathed a little easier—and then turned their eyes toward the Ilhyeon Group. Everyone was curious what choice the conglomerate that had poured three hundred billion won into Dubo Steel for an equity stake would make in order to protect that three hundred billion. Lee Tak-hyeon gave them their answer.
“Sang-jong, you will step down from the company for a while.”
At Lee Tak-hyeon’s words, Lee Sang-jong shot up from his seat and shouted.
“Step down from the company? What is that supposed to mean?!”
“What do you mean, what does it mean! It means take responsibility for this mess and resign as President of Ilhyeon Construction. Is that so hard to understand?”
“Father!”
Lee Sang-jong turned his glare on Kim Seong-ho and Lee Mun-jong, then faced Lee Tak-hyeon again with a look of pure grievance.
“What exactly did I do wrong that I should have to leave the company?”
“What did you do wrong, you ask?”
Lee Tak-hyeon’s gaze settled on his aggrieved second son. Feeling the weight of that contemptuous stare, Lee Sang-jong finally dropped his head.
“I can see you already know, so I won’t waste more words. Leave the position you hold now and reflect on yourself.”
Under the chairman’s order, Lee Sang-jong could say nothing. Of course he felt a certain measure of responsibility for losing three hundred billion won in this affair. But he did not believe the entire fault was his alone. The bowed head slowly lifted again.
“I understand. I’ll step down. But you can’t say all the responsibility rests on me alone, so…”
Lee Sang-jong looked straight at Lee Mun-jong.
“Hyung-nim increased the amount from one hundred billion to three hundred billion. I believe he should step down from his position as well.”
“What did you just say?”
Lee Mun-jong, who had been listening in silence, leapt to his feet.
“W-what kind of nonsense is that! Why should I resign?!”
“I clearly said one hundred billion. So I’ll take responsibility for that one hundred billion. But the one who raised the investment from one hundred to three hundred was you, Hyung-nim. You should answer for the remaining two hundred billion.”
“That actually makes sense.”
Lee Jeong-eun, who had been sitting quietly, chimed in agreement.
“If Eldest Oppa had just stayed out of it, we would have lost only one hundred billion and been done. But we lost another two hundred billion, so Eldest Oppa has to take responsibility too.”
“You…”
When Lee Mun-jong glared at her, Lee Jeong-eun only beamed back at him, clearly enjoying herself. His face flushed crimson at that smile.
“I agree with Noona as well.”
Lee Chang-jong, silent until then, sided with her.
“Even Eldest Hyung-nim can’t escape responsibility.”
With Lee Chang-jong joining the chorus, Kim Seong-ho watched the scene with open amusement and already foresaw what would come next.
All right—now it’s my turn to get dragged in, isn’t it?
He shifted his gaze to Lee Sang-jong. Sure enough, Lee Sang-jong was already turning toward him. Their eyes met; Lee Sang-jong twisted his lips into a crooked smile, pointed a finger, and spoke.
“And Brother-in-law Kim should take responsibility as well.”
Every gaze in the room swung toward Kim Seong-ho.
“What did Brother-in-law Kim say? He told us all we had to do was sit still, didn’t he? Well, we sat still—and what happened? We lost every last won. Not a single ten-won coin left to recover.”
“That makes sense too.”
Lee Jeong-eun smiled brightly and nodded along. The more people forced to resign, the better for her; she was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Encouraged, Lee Sang-jong raised his voice even higher.
“So I believe that, along with Hyung-nim, Brother-in-law Kim must also take responsibility.”
“Oppa! What are you talking about?”
Lee Gyeong-eun flared up at once.
“Why are you dragging Seong-ho into something that’s already finished? And Seong-ho doesn’t even hold any official post in the Ilhyeon Group—what exactly is he supposed to take responsibility for?”
“If he has nothing, then he should hand back everything he’s received so far.”
“Everything he’s received?”
“That’s right. The things Father gave Brother-in-law Kim. The money, the land, and… that seat you’re sitting in at Ilhyeon Hotel. Hand those over and we’ll call it even.”
A faint smile touched the corners of Kim Seong-ho’s mouth. Exactly as expected—Lee Sang-jong was sinking his teeth into him as well. Kim Seong-ho turned his eyes to Lee Mun-jong. Still red-faced, Lee Mun-jong caught the look and gave a small nod of understanding. Then he stepped in on Kim Seong-ho’s behalf.
“Who are you to decide what Father gave Brother-in-law Kim should be returned or not?”
Everyone present was more than a little startled by Lee Mun-jong’s words.
“Hyung-nim…?”
Even Lee Sang-jong, who had been trying to drag both Lee Mun-jong and Kim Seong-ho down with him, was shocked. He had never imagined Lee Mun-jong would speak up for Kim Seong-ho.
“Brother-in-law Kim received Ilhyeon Hotel because he saved a hotel that was collapsing. And if you really want to be precise, the one who received it wasn’t even him—it was our Gyeong-eun. It has nothing to do with Brother-in-law Kim.”
When Lee Mun-jong used the word “our” for Lee Gyeong-eun, both she and even Lee Tak-hyeon wore expressions of pure bewilderment. But the man who had started talking was not finished.
“And those things have absolutely nothing to do with this affair. Yet you’re demanding he return what he received earlier as penance for this? Do you honestly think that makes any sense?”
Lee Sang-jong stared blankly at Lee Mun-jong, unable to understand why his elder brother was suddenly taking Kim Seong-ho’s side. Then he shook his head hard and shouted.
“So I’m supposed to take the entire unfair blame by myself, is that it?”
“Unfair?”
Lee Tak-hyeon, who had been listening in silence until then, let out a snort of contempt, as if he could no longer stand to hear another word.
“You’re acting like someone who left goods on deposit.”
Lee Sang-jong flinched. The moment Lee Tak-hyeon raised a hand, he threw his own arms up to shield his face—an automatic defense born of the fear that something might come flying. Lee Tak-hyeon held his hand aloft a moment longer, studied his second son, and snorted again.
“Useless fool.”
He lowered his hand and reached instead for the water glass in front of him. Tense, Lee Sang-jong peered through the gaps between his fingers. Lee Tak-hyeon drained the glass in several long gulps, set it back on the table, then rose from his seat and roared at his son.
“Do you think I brought this up because I wanted to discuss it with you? This is an order! Finish your affairs by the end of this month and get out!”
He turned on his heel and left the room, muttering under his breath as he went.
“A man who can’t even make money properly loses a fortune and then has the nerve to raise his head and shout. Worthless piece of trash.”
The low, scathing words reached every ear in the room. Lee Mun-jong’s flushed face cooled at the contempt in his father’s voice; Lee Sang-jong, by contrast, swayed as if he might collapse.
The moment Lee Tak-hyeon was gone, Lee Jeong-eun was the first to stand. She looked at the shattered figure of Lee Sang-jong, snorted, then turned her gaze on Lee Mun-jong.
“So when did Eldest Oppa get so cozy with our brother-in-law? Not long ago you looked ready to tear him apart.”
She glanced back and forth between Lee Mun-jong and Kim Seong-ho with open curiosity, then grinned slyly.
“Maybe I should ask Father to transfer me to Ilhyeon Construction.”
She said it loud enough for Lee Sang-jong to hear, shot him a final scornful look, waved her hand, and turned away.
“I’m busy, so I’ll head out first. Ah, I don’t know why I’m in such a good mood today. Hohoho.”
Cha Yeong-su offered a quick farewell to the remaining family members and hurried after her. Lee Chang-jong watched Lee Jeong-eun go, shaking his head.
“Noona never changes…”
He rose as well.
“Hyung-nim, I’ll take my leave too. And Second Hyung-nim…”
He started to say goodbye to Lee Sang-jong, but seeing his brother still half-dazed, he simply gave up and left the room. Lee Mun-jong regarded the vacant-eyed Lee Sang-jong for a moment, then walked over to Kim Seong-ho, clapped him on the shoulder, and said,
“I told you I’d help you, didn’t I? So just trust me and follow my lead.”
“Thank you, Hyung-nim.”
Satisfied by Kim Seong-ho’s respectful bow, Lee Mun-jong glanced back at Lee Sang-jong. A mocking smile was already curling his lips.
“Stupid bastard. All that thrashing around… well, this works out nicely.”
With Lee Sang-jong stripped of the presidency of Ilhyeon Construction, Lee Mun-jong believed the gap between them had widened dramatically. Kim Seong-ho, however, knew better: even if Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon had not handed down an official punishment, a deep scar had still been cut into Lee Mun-jong as well.
“Is it all right to just leave Second Oppa like that?”
Lee Gyeong-eun looked with worried eyes at Lee Sang-jong, who had collapsed into a chair.
“Leave him. That fool needs time alone to figure out what he did wrong. Let’s go.”
Lee Mun-jong draped an arm over Kim Seong-ho’s shoulders and started walking. Once the two men had turned away, Lee Gyeong-eun hesitated, then offered a soft farewell to her brother.
“Oppa. We’ll go first.”
Lee Sang-jong did not answer. He simply stared into the distance. After watching him a moment longer, Lee Gyeong-eun followed Lee Mun-jong and Kim Seong-ho out.
When everyone else had left the conference room, Lee Sang-jong’s lips finally parted.
“So I’m the only one who did anything wrong…?”
He truly believed Lee Mun-jong and Kim Seong-ho shared the blame. The fact that he alone had been forced to resign as President of Ilhyeon Construction could only mean they regarded him as the most worthless of them all.
“Just wait… I’ll put every last one of you under my feet…!”
He swore he would grind every person who had slighted him beneath his heel—and that list included Lee Tak-hyeon himself. Slowly he rose from his chair. A burning mix of grievance and humiliation filled his chest; he needed to go home rather than remain at the company, if only to quiet that fire a little.
“Today feels like a seven-iron day.”
Muttering to himself, Lee Sang-jong walked out of the conference room.