Chapter 54
Chapter 54
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: The Ledger Revelation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 54
But.
"Haha. Well, now."
Kim Jin-taek was laughing.
It was true that his feelings were hurt.
However, he was someone who had rolled around in the political world for years.
He knew how to deal with people like Lee Dae-hyuk, who had powerful backers.
"I've met Chairman Lee Myeong-guk a few times at the Blue House."
Even though Kim Jin-taek brought up Lee Myeong-guk's name, Lee Dae-hyuk remained unfazed.
Being exposed was something he had anticipated anyway.
Rather than being surprised, he needed to use it to his advantage.
"My father has no involvement in the business I'm doing."
Lee Dae-hyuk immediately referred to Lee Myeong-guk as "father."
It was a way of implying that since Lee Myeong-guk was behind him, they should know their place.
But Kim Jin-taek didn't back down easily.
"I see. Chairman Lee Myeong-guk isn't the type to get involved in something this small. A major corporate chairman wouldn't stoop to petty land hoarding and money games. But does your father know that his son is engaging in such shabby antics?"
Lee Dae-hyuk furrowed his brow at Kim Jin-taek's counterattack.
"Shabby antics? That doesn't seem like something you should say, considering how diligently you've been taking bribes."
Kim Jin-taek's face flushed red at Lee Dae-hyuk's retort.
On one hand, anger surged up, but more than that, there was something he couldn't comprehend.
'Did he investigate my background? How does he know?'
Because of the doubt, he actually calmed down.
Composing his anger, Kim Jin-taek shot back.
"Are you a writer by hobby? You're spinning quite the entertaining tale."
"Shall I write a bit more of the novel, then?"
"By all means."
Kim Jin-taek gestured with his eyes as if to say, go ahead.
Then, Lee Dae-hyuk continued in a calm tone.
"There's a character in the novel called 'Assemblyman Kim.' This assemblyman, not content with secretly keeping ledgers on those who took bribes,"
"......"
"even personally bought ballpoint pen cameras and glasses cameras to secretly film them. What do you think? If I portrayed such a person in a novel, would the public recognize him as a proper villain?"
"!!"
Min Seung-su and Park Jung-gi, who had been glaring at Lee Dae-hyuk, simultaneously turned their gazes to Kim Jin-taek.
'Ledgers? Hidden cameras? What nonsense is this?'
Both men were thinking the same thing.
Of course, Min Seung-su and Park Jung-gi also kept ledgers.
From their perspective, they had to record who they gave how much to.
But for Kim Jin-taek, the middleman, to have not only ledgers but also hidden camera footage?
It was behavior that inevitably raised suspicions about his intentions.
"Why are you staring like that? Do you think I'd make ledgers or hidden cameras? What reason would I have to do that?"
Feeling their suspicious gazes, Kim Jin-taek waved his hand dismissively.
At first, he was shocked.
How did Lee Dae-hyuk know that he had filmed hidden videos and made ledgers?
But if he showed any agitation, Park Jung-gi or Min Seung-su might stab him in the back.
'I need to act calm.'
He had to regain his composure.
Kim Jin-taek held out his sake cup toward Park Jung-gi.
"......"
Park Jung-gi silently poured sake into Kim Jin-taek's extended cup.
Even as he did, doubts arose in his mind.
'How did he find out?'
And there was an even more pressing question.
'Why am I letting this kid's words shake me?'
The illegitimate son of Chairman Lee Myeong-guk.
How could he trust the words of someone riding on his father's coattails?
Yet Park Jung-gi had seen the tremor in Kim Jin-taek's eyes.
Just for a moment, but it was clearly a shaken look.
Min Seung-su, standing beside him, was the same.
If Kim Jin-taek had made hidden videos and ledgers, it meant he could pull some trick at any time.
To eliminate future troubles, he had to report it.
'I need to meet the chairman.'
Yoo Jae-man would make the decision.
Having sorted his thoughts, Min Seung-su spoke up.
"Young people naturally have much to learn. But seeing Mr. Lee Dae-hyuk today, it seems you need to learn manners first... I'm pondering how best to teach you."
Lee Dae-hyuk raised his sake cup in response to Min Seung-su.
"The ones who need to fill this empty cup with sake and manners aren't me—it's you all. What do you think will happen if you try to save 100 billion won and everything falls apart?"
Right now, Lee Dae-hyuk was threatening them.
From his position, it wasn't a losing deal anyway.
As time passed, land prices would rise eventually.
But if Haenam Civil Engineering and Seojin Construction missed this opportunity, they'd lose all the money they'd invested so far and the profits they could make ahead.
"......"
"......"
"......"
Kim Jin-taek, Park Jung-gi, and Min Seung-su exchanged brief glances.
Gazes filled with distrust and suspicion.
From the start, the three didn't trust each other.
If this deal fell through, they'd immediately become enemies ready to stab each other in the back.
But the three were professionals in their own right.
The agitation and hostility stopped there.
Their common enemy was Lee Dae-hyuk.
Min Seung-su, the one handling the practical side, spoke first.
"100 billion won is an excessive demand. What do you think will happen if the media finds out? A chaebol third-generation doing land hoarding... Oh dear, how much backlash would you face?"
"Right. It'd tarnish your father's reputation. I'll handle a reasonable compensation on my end, so have a drink and be on your way."
Kim Jin-taek mentioned Lee Myeong-guk again.
Both Min Seung-su and Kim Jin-taek intended to use the media to attack.
However, Lee Dae-hyuk remained composed.
If they used the media, they'd suffer more losses than he would.
"Wouldn't the ones who bribed to monopolize redevelopment get more flak than a chaebol third-gen land hoarding? Especially if a major corporation teamed up with politicians and local thugs... Wow, that'd be something else."
Lee Dae-hyuk shrugged and raised his voice.
"Whether we go to a media war or some other way, the longer you drag it out, the more you all lose."
"......"
The three fell silent.
Time was on Lee Dae-hyuk's side.
Anxiety overwhelmed them.
Lee Dae-hyuk, looking at the silent trio, set down his empty cup.
"You know my number, so contact me anytime once the money's ready."
Standing up, Lee Dae-hyuk glanced at the empty cup.
Not sake, but a cup to be filled with the three men's blood and tears.
"I'll wait patiently. Then, if you'll excuse me."
With a brief nod, Lee Dae-hyuk slid open the sliding door.
Slide-!!
Lee Dae-hyuk left the room, leaving the three behind.
Step, step-!!
As the sound of his confident footsteps faded, Kim Jin-taek, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"President Park, it's cold. Close the door."
Was it anger?
Kim Jin-taek's voice trembled faintly.
Park Jung-gi silently closed the door quickly, then alternated glances between Kim Jin-taek and Min Seung-su.
Min Seung-su was biting his lip.
A chaebol third-gen or not, they were on the verge of being humiliated by a brat and forced to cough up money.
And Kim Jin-taek was in the same boat.
Even if they paid 100 billion won, it wouldn't come out of his own pocket.
There were two problems.
First was the humiliation and sense of degradation.
Second was the hidden cameras and ledgers Lee Dae-hyuk mentioned.
'......'
Anxiety surged.
'...Damn it.'
Bang!!!
Kim Jin-taek, furious, slammed his clenched fist on the table.
There was only one way to vent this anger.
"President Park."
"Yes."
"This is something you need to handle, isn't it?"
"H-Ha, but... How can we touch the son of Daehan Group...?!!"
Park Jung-gi's voice trembled.
Suppose they somehow dealt with Lee Dae-hyuk.
Would Daehan Group just sit still afterward?
Bigger trouble would come crashing down.
But Kim Jin-taek's expression showed no hesitation.
"The cleanup will be handled by President Min and those above. Don't worry."
Those above.
It referred to Yoo Jae-man.
Twitch-!
Hearing Kim Jin-taek, Min Seung-su felt displeasure.
'This bastard doesn't know his place. You won't last long.'
There were guys like this sometimes.
Ones who took a few bribes and deluded themselves into thinking they were "above."
The type Yoo Jae-man hated most and crushed mercilessly in the end.
But for now, he needed to use this fool who didn't know his place.
"Yeah. President Park, put some real effort into it."
Min Seung-su joined Kim Jin-taek in pressuring Park Jung-gi.
"......"
Was it because of their gazes?
His throat felt parched.
Park Jung-gi brought his sake cup to his lips.
Gulp!!!
He drained the cup in one go, but the thirst didn't subside.
Instead, his mouth was filled with bitterness.
Still, he had to give a proper answer here.
"I'll... meet him one more time."
Park Jung-gi said in a crawling voice.
Satisfied with his response, perhaps?
Min Seung-su and Kim Jin-taek's lips curved into smiles simultaneously.
***
Walking along the beach, Lee Dae-hyuk felt a pang of regret.
He had sown division among the three, but he hadn't sealed the deal completely.
'I'm still not there yet.'
He'd probably need to stir up a few more storms in some way to extract the 100 billion won.
The only way to pressure Kim Jin-taek's group right now was one.
'I need to take down the bastards listed in the ledgers first.'
Having read the memories of the two, Lee Dae-hyuk pulled out a notebook and fountain pen from his inner suit pocket.
Even he, being human, couldn't remember every detail of everyone he used Psycho Metry on.
Even recalling only the important bits from fleeting memories was overwhelming at times.
That's why he carried a fountain pen and notebook to record key moments.
'Land Corporation president first, then Busan mayor, and...'
Looking at the numerous prey, Lee Dae-hyuk's lips unwittingly curved into a grin.
Using them ahead would be useful in pressuring Yoo Jae-man.
'Yeah. If I can't make them allies, I grab their weaknesses.'
He already had quite a few reliable people around him.
Yoon Tae-ho, Kim Mi-jin, Kim Jae-woon... and Kim Min-gyu and Kim Il-jung, maybe?
He had verified them multiple times through Psycho Metry, so they were trustworthy.
Same with Kim Il-jung.
At least not full comrades, but as long as their goals aligned, he'd help.
The rest of humanity?
'I can't trust them.'
He had been betrayed because he trusted.
And met a gruesome death.
'I can't make the same mistake twice.'
There's a reason they call it the "learning effect."
Lee Dae-hyuk, who had been jotting down the names from Kim Jin-taek and Min Seung-su's ledgers, stopped.
An unexpected figure had appeared before him.
"I was getting worried you might slip away."
The burly Park Jung-gi was glaring at Lee Dae-hyuk from the darkness.
"Have you already prepared the 100 billion won?"
Park Jung-gi gritted his teeth at Lee Dae-hyuk's joke.
It was blatant provocation.
But he was the one in a bind.
For now, he had to suppress his anger.
"If you keep this up, you might be in danger."
"So?"
Lee Dae-hyuk snorted at Park Jung-gi's words.
Despite the gruff voice and menacing glare, the fact that he sought him out in the middle of the night said it all.
'In a crisis, huh?'
It was obvious without seeing.
To Kim Jin-taek or Min Seung-su, Park Jung-gi was expendable.
Incompetent expendables get replaced.
Looking at Park Jung-gi's face, Lee Dae-hyuk smiled inwardly.
'I can use him from now on.'
The crack had already formed.
Given time, it would widen further.
So now, he needed to buy time.
"You know who I am, right? You think Daehan Group will just sit by if I'm in danger?"
At Lee Dae-hyuk's counter, Park Jung-gi trailed off.
"No, what I mean is..."
In this situation, Lee Dae-hyuk was the one in charge.
He had to watch his words carefully.
"Don't misunderstand. I apologize."
"Ah, and there's something you're mistaken about."
"......?!"
"You heard about your little brother, right? The one you sent after me."
Park Jung-gi's face paled once more.
Lee Dae-hyuk didn't miss the change and struck back.
"You can't touch me."
"......"
"But if I set my mind to it, I could crush you all."
Boss, Become a Chaebol