Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Puppet on Strings
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Back in the office, Jeong Hee-joo settled into the president's chair, and Kim Hak-soo, who had followed her in, hurriedly asked a question.
"President. What's going on?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Jeong Hee-joo pretended not to know, trying to change the subject.
Kim Hak-soo then got straight to the point.
"I'm talking about that favor for Lee Dae-hyuk. It's dangerous."
"You taught me that dangerous jobs are the ones that pay big."
"......"
When Jeong Hee-joo threw his own past words back at him, Kim Hak-soo was momentarily speechless.
Still, he had to say what needed saying.
"Of course, it's true that Lee Dae-hyuk promised substantial compensation. But it's too risky."
The conditions Lee Dae-hyuk had offered were enticing.
He had promised 1 billion won upfront, and his side would handle capturing Wolfgang directly.
All they had to do was locate Wolfgang's hideout in northern Gangbuk, as Lee Dae-hyuk had described.
Helping to deal with Park Jung-ki was also one of Lee Dae-hyuk's demands.
"Once we take out Park Jung-ki, Busan will be up for grabs. That's when we swoop in and claim Haengmyeon Construction's spot. What do you think?"
"......?!"
Kim Hak-soo's eyes widened at Jeong Hee-joo's scheme.
He was astonished by her foresight, seeing several moves ahead.
Meanwhile, Jeong Hee-joo's logical explanation continued.
"Plus, personally, this is our chance to settle the debt with Lee Dae-hyuk. You can tell just by looking at him—he's the type who'll come asking for even riskier favors down the line. Better to wrap it up here."
Having finished her explanation, Jeong Hee-joo stared straight at Kim Hak-soo.
She was waiting for his response.
After a few seconds of silence.
Finally convinced by Jeong Hee-joo, Kim Hak-soo nodded.
"Understood. Still, please be as careful as possible, President."
"Of course."
Was it because Kim Hak-soo had agreed?
Jeong Hee-joo's expression brightened noticeably as she rose from her seat.
"Then let's start with a meeting with the staff."
***
A few days had passed since Lee Dae-hyuk met with Jeong Hee-joo.
In the meantime.
Lee Dae-hyuk's 'enemies' were also busily on the move.
Min Seung-woo was lobbying the media to publish rebuttal articles.
Park Jung-ki was meeting with redevelopment-related officials, pleading his innocence.
Kim Jin-taek wasn't meeting as many people as them, but he was investigating Lee Dae-hyuk.
Through his personal secretary and staff, that is.
"Ha! This guy..."
The results of that investigation.
"Can't tell if he's pitiful or crazy. No, more pitiful, I suppose? Abuse, of all things..."
Kim Jin-taek clicked his tongue.
The rumor that Lee Dae-hyuk was Lee Myung-guk's illegitimate son and had been abused by his brothers.
He didn't know if it was true.
Even if it wasn't, someone like his brother Lee Dae-hwan would surely have significant influence over a younger sibling.
'I need to wrap this up quickly.'
Kim Jin-taek still believed in the power he wielded.
He had already contacted Lee Dae-hwan, the heir to Daehan Group and Lee Dae-hyuk's brother, using that power.
Thud-!
Setting down the documents he had been reading, Kim Jin-taek glanced at his phone.
He had personally given out his number.
'And still no call?'
"Manager Oh."
Frowning, Kim Jin-taek called out to the man standing behind him, Oh Se-geun.
"Didn't you tell Director Lee Dae-hwan to contact me?"
"I did."
"And you mentioned my name...?"
"Yes."
Kim Jin-taek's eyes narrowed.
And yet, no call?
His power was still very much alive.
A word from him could pressure Daehan Group without issue.
A former presidential secretary who had risen to Chief of Staff, with connections still embedded throughout the Blue House.
'And they dare look down on me? Have those brothers both lost their minds?'
Kim Jin-taek trembled with humiliation.
But first, he needed to think rationally.
'Should I call first?'
He was the one in a hurry right now.
A rebuttal article on the Jaesong-dong redevelopment had made it into [Hanseong Ilbo].
It framed the claims as baseless, evidence-free slanderous rumors.
But a couple of articles wouldn't bury the issue.
Just recently, a call had come from the president's current No. 1 secretary—and his successor.
An investigation would start soon, he was told.
Meaning: clean it up yourself beforehand.
Without controlling Lee Dae-hyuk, a proper cleanup was impossible.
So for now, all he could do was wait for Lee Dae-hwan's call.
How much time passed?
Just as his humiliation turned to anger, and anger to the brink of explosion.
Vrrr-!!
A vibration buzzed from Manager Oh's pocket.
He pulled out his phone and glanced at Kim Jin-taek.
"It's from Director Lee Dae-hwan's side."
"Answer it."
With a nod from Kim Jin-taek, Oh Se-geun took the call.
And then.
"...Understood."
After hanging up, Oh Se-geun gauged Kim Jin-taek's mood.
"...Just say it. It's fine."
Urged by Kim Jin-taek, Oh Se-geun reluctantly spoke.
"He says if you want to talk, come in person..."
"He wants me to... come personally?"
Kim Jin-taek was at a loss for words.
Going there himself wasn't utter humiliation.
In business, one side has to move.
But this was different.
He had requested the meeting first and even specified the location.
And now, come yourself?
This wasn't just a power play—it was an outright insult.
"Hoo. Fine. Right now, I'm the lesser party."
Kim Jin-taek quickly assessed the situation.
He needed results over emotions.
He could settle this humiliation later.
"Where? I'll go."
***
Daehan Electronics, Director Lee Dae-hwan's office.
"We've received word that he's asking to set a location."
Hearing Cha Beom-seok's report, a sneer curled on Lee Dae-hwan's lips.
"A puppet with cut strings always deludes itself into thinking it still holds the reins."
Kim Jin-taek was nothing more than a masterless marionette.
And yet, oblivious to his place, sending someone to summon him like this.
It was less anger-inducing and more absurd.
'Still, I suppose I have to meet him. What trick did Father's pet pull to torment a man like Kim Jin-taek?'
Normally, he wouldn't bother with trash like Kim Jin-taek.
Time was too precious, and as the future head of Daehan Group, associating with scum like that served no purpose.
But curiosity had piqued.
What had Lee Dae-hyuk done to make a self-important fool like Kim Jin-taek seek a meeting with him?
Meeting Kim Jin-taek would unravel the mystery.
"Seven tonight. Tell him 'Cheonmi.'"
Cheonmi (Heaven's Taste).
A lavish name meaning 'Heaven's Flavor,' it was Gangnam's premier Japanese restaurant.
Cheonmi's allure lay not in its cuisine, but its security.
No 'conversations' between its regulars—top politicians, businessmen, athletes, celebrities—had ever leaked outside.
Lee Dae-hwan was one such regular.
"Yes. Message sent."
Cha Beom-seok sent it, and seconds later.
Vrrr-!
A reply came immediately.
"He says the time works."
"Good. It better."
Lee Dae-hwan smiled in satisfaction at Cha Beom-seok's words.
But one thing still nagged at him.
'Hmm...'
Truthfully, the Jaesong-dong redevelopment lobbying was just the tip of the iceberg.
Everyone in the chaebol circles knew Kim Jin-taek's gang aimed to monopolize Busan's redevelopment market, starting with Jaesong-dong, via Seojin Construction and Haengmyeon Construction.
They had simply ignored it as beneath their notice—a petty money game.
But Lee Dae-hyuk's name surfacing changed that.
'It means the little pet's gotten involved in the money game.'
When a pet stops obeying, the owner has two options.
Break it until it submits, or put it down painlessly.
'Yes. Which would be more entertaining?'
No need to decide right now, though.
Something more important than the pet had come up.
'Right. Kim Jin-taek must have ties to that man too.'
That man.
The giant steering Korea's economy.
Yoo Jae-man.
He assumed there was a connection.
If so, using this meeting to 'attempt' his own goal wouldn't be bad.
'Looking forward to it?'
What promised to be an irritating evening might turn enjoyable.
A smile now played on Lee Dae-hwan's lips.
***
That evening.
Cheonmi Japanese restaurant, VIP room.
Kim Jin-taek and Lee Dae-hwan sat facing each other.
The table overflowed with delicacies from land and sea, but neither touched their chopsticks.
Problems demanding immediate resolution overshadowed any food.
"My little brother's caused quite the stir."
"Stir... you say?"
Kim Jin-taek's eyes twitched at Lee Dae-hwan's words.
But Lee Dae-hwan paid no heed to his reaction.
What was there to fear from a glaring marionette with severed strings?
And the one who should be afraid now wasn't him—it was Kim Jin-taek.
"Seojin Construction—no, Seojin Group—shouldn't stoop to such unseemly tactics. What's the endgame?"
"Endgame?"
"I'm curious where you'll funnel the profits from monopolizing Busan's redevelopment. Ah, no need to answer if it's inconvenient."
Lee Dae-hwan feigned playfulness.
He had no personal acquaintance with Yoo Jae-man, but he knew the man's profile.
A titan among titans.
The giant manipulating Korea's politics and business.
Such a figure employing Kim Jin-taek meant some ulterior objective.
He was curious, but Lee Dae-hwan held back his questions.
No point prying here; alliances with Yoo Jae-man could come later.
For now, he just wondered at the damned pet's schemes.
Moreover.
"Even if you persuade Dae-hyuk, that won't end it."
"There's... more trouble?"
"Next, I'd be the problem. Me, Lee Dae-hwan."
Kim Jin-taek's pupils shook at his words.
"Is that a threat? Do you know who I am?"
"I do. Someone who can help me."
"......?"
"Everyone in this circle knows what your side's up to."
Devouring Busan.
Impossible to keep quiet.
They only held their tongues because Yoo Jae-man backed them.
But Lee Dae-hyuk, that idiot, had tugged the sleeping lion's whiskers.
'Dragging it into the public eye... that's picking a fight with Yoo Jae-man.'
Still, it was an opportunity for him too.
Did Korea's top two conglomerates have to compete?
'Grabbing hands wouldn't hurt, would it?'
No blood feud between families, after all.
"I'll clean up this mess for you. In return, arrange a meeting with Chairman Yoo."
"......?"
Caught off guard by the proposal, Kim Jin-taek hesitated to respond.
What would Daehan Group's heir want with Seojin Group's chairman?
And this wasn't a formal request.
If he needed to meet Yoo Jae-man officially, he'd go through the groups.
Using him like this implied some hidden agenda.
'What to do?'
After brief deliberation, Kim Jin-taek decided.
"Solve my issue with your brother, and I'll set up a meeting anytime."
"Consider it done."
Snap-!
Lee Dae-hwan snatched up his chopsticks.
The elder had yet to eat, and here he was, starting first.
Twitch-!
Kim Jin-taek's eyes twitched.
Yet Lee Dae-hwan casually picked up a piece of sashimi, unperturbed.
The younger man beginning the meal before him was clear breach of etiquette.
Unlike usual, though, Kim Jin-taek said nothing.
As the clear inferior here, he had to watch his step.
But one question demanded asking.
"To arrange a meeting with the chairman, I'll need at least some reason to give."
Hearing that, Lee Dae-hwan pointed with his chopstick tip at the tuna sashimi in the table's center.
"If Daehan and Seojin join forces, we won't settle for one piece—we'll devour the entire tuna. Just pass that along."
Not 'Korea,' but 'Asia'—that tuna.