Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Neutrality Declaration (1)
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The roughly two-kilometer stretch from Cheonggyecheon Stream, where Ammunition Group's headquarters stood, to the Blue House, home of the President.
Despite the somewhat chilly early spring weather, I deliberately chose to walk there alone without taking a car. It was to roughly untangle the tangled threads of uncertainty swirling in my mind.
“The President... why at this exact timing?”
I muttered to myself as I passed by the King Sejong statue.
The timing was impeccable, almost ridiculously so. It was as if he were saying I'd waited long enough. Right after the Joo Gwae-yul matter was settled and everything was wrapped up, the President summoned me.
Of course, he probably knew about it already.
That's why I'd cleanly sorted out Ammunition Group's ties with Black Dragon Construction. He surely wouldn't make an issue of that.
But the potential problem was likely...
“Bitcoin... perhaps? No way?”
My shoes clicked steadily against the still-cold stone pavement, a chill seeping up from the ground.
It might look like I'd foolishly burned money on some worthless virtual currency... The faint possibility of a misunderstanding sent a cold shiver racing up my spine to the top of my head.
“I did act a bit boldly.”
It wasn't just the 10,000 Bitcoins Hoon had left behind that I'd taken.
I'd even had my cousin Han Seo-hee set up a separate corporation.
Instructions had already gone out to build large-scale mining rigs at a factory on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province and gradually buy up Bitcoin on the market.
“The President—that sly fox of a man—might have glimpsed my plans with his keen insight...”
Before I knew it, I'd passed Gwanghwamun Gate, keeping the stone wall of Gyeongbok Palace to my left as I pressed forward.
Rounding the corner, the Blue House came into view.
Well, no turning back now.
In the end, all I could do was keep moving ahead. Straight forward, just as I always had.
“Whew, but he's not the type to block a deal outright, so we can aim for mutual benefit. I'll face him head-on and see.”
With my resolve hardened, I straightened the necktie hanging around my neck.
I'd already entered the Blue House grounds. Guided toward the grassy area near Sangchunjae, I took in the sight of the President drawing closer.
A sly smile accompanied by crinkled eyes.
What meaning lay behind that eye smile... In that moment of heightened tension.
A peculiar high-pitched voice rang in my ear.
“Well done! Very well done, Chairman Han! Haha, as expected, no one reads my mind like you do!”
“Mr. President...?”
Out of nowhere, he grabbed both my shoulders firmly and started dancing with excitement, shaking them up and down.
And beside him, a Golden Retriever named Boksil, who had appeared at some point, was mimicking the dance.
S-stop that. You're getting fur on my pants. Something wet—saliva too—is smearing on there.
-Huff! Huff huff!
Boksil seemed intent on soaking my pant legs entirely with drool.
The President, squatting on the grass, stroked Boksil's scruff and slowly opened his mouth.
“Dear me, this one knows full well that Chairman Han pulled off a big one. I'll cover the cleaning bill for those pants separately.”
“Mr. President, what do you mean...?”
“It's fine, it's fine. There are no opposition folks here at the Blue House. No one to point fingers at you, Chairman Han.”
Opposition folks?
I blinked repeatedly, utterly baffled by the cryptic remark.
The President seemed to misinterpret my awkward smile. With a beaming face full of laughter, he kept chattering excitedly.
About something unexpectedly good news-like that I hadn't even imagined.
“The Joo Gwae-yul faction and Black Dragon Construction. How did you know those bastards were funneling bribes to the opposition's top presidential contender?”
“...?”
What... what on earth was this?
I'd just dealt with an annoying mob boss, and unknowingly, I'd been right in the eye of a political storm?
* * * *
A misconception.
The uneasy misconception that the President might meddle in my Bitcoin plans.
And the absurd misconception that I'd actively cooperated with him to take down Joo Gwae-yul.
These two interlocking misconceptions absurdly gave rise to another unforeseen ripple effect.
“Joo Gwae-yul was under surveillance by NIS lines, but the guy left no evidence behind. He must've spread cash envelopes far and wide to investigative agencies.”
“Haha... Come to think of it, yeah, that seems right. He was such a big fish.”
No, I had no idea. Neither that the NIS had been watching Joo Gwae-yul, nor that he'd been handing out cash to high-ups in investigative agencies and the opposition.
And... the sight of the President dancing with glee over this unexpected political trump card I'd handed him—all of it.
So, I played along with his misconceptions just enough. Until he suddenly spouted something utterly off-base.
“But I never thought you'd film an action flick with a hot-blooded prosecutor. Oh dear, you two... are you in that kind of relationship? Maybe it's not action—romance genre?”
A misconception I couldn't let slide without correction.
The President wagged his pinky finger emphatically while laughing. I shot back a firm denial.
“No way. Absolutely not. If there were a suitable match, I'd marry her off in a heartbeat. Anyway.”
“Anyway?”
I glanced sideways, gauging his mood.
The President was still riding high. In this atmosphere... it should be safe to casually probe.
Petting Boksil, who was rubbing his face against my leg, I spoke up.
“By any chance... about the court auction. Will there be any issues with me bidding on assets from Joo Gwae-yul's criminal proceeds?”
“Ha, no problem at all. Quite the opposite—it's a good thing.”
I let out a silent sigh of relief.
Contrary to my worries, the President showed no suspicion whatsoever about Bitcoin.
If anything, a different misunderstanding had deepened.
“When I heard you'd taken responsibility for that garbage asset called Bitcoin, I was impressed, Chairman Han.”
“Pardon?”
“I thought, this young fellow sees things through to the end when he takes on a job.”
“...Thank you for seeing it that way.”
“That's why it would be embarrassing to undermine what you've done with mere words.”
The mood shifted slightly.
Was it the cold early spring breeze blowing in?
A seriousness began to settle on the President's face, which had been kindly smiling just moments ago.
“Hey, Chief Park.”
“Yes, Mr. President. Shall I have him come out here right away?”
“Asking a wheelchair-bound old man to come out in this weather? You think he'd go quietly? I'll go inside. Get things ready.”
“Yes, sir.”
Someone else... another attendee at this gathering.
The reason the President had called me.
And why, of all timings, right now.
All of it began to unveil itself, layer by layer, like shedding a white veil.
“You're lucky, Chairman Han. Your timing is impeccable.”
“Mr. President, what do you mean...?”
The President and I walked the long, long corridor.
His paranoid nature was on full display in this hallway, where a calendar for his term was carved into the stone walls.
Red ink filled the passed periods, leaving only the remaining time pristine.
He fiddled with the carving of 2011—the still-clean year ahead—and continued.
“The future ahead. The government must prepare too. IT tech development... it'll be the cornerstone industry sustaining the nation for the next 10, 20 years.”
I'd thought him obsessed only with political engineering, but as a politician at heart, he was considering century-long plans.
Releasing the stone carving, he looked at me.
“The company leading that charge will likely receive treatment as the nation's eldest son. Like construction firms in the prior industrialization era. Isn't that right, Chairman Im?”
“Hahaha, have you finished your talk with Chairman Han Seo-jun, Mr. President?”
Creaking with the dull sound of rubber wheelchair wheels came a familiar old man from somewhere.
Sturdy shoulders despite his small stature. Sharp glint from his round, spirited eyes.
There sat the man once called a star of Korea's economy, the one I'd shared breakfast with before.
“Chairman Im Gye-hyeon...?”
“Long time no see, Chairman Han Seo-jun.”
They must have coordinated in advance, as both smiled at my dumbfounded expression.
The President stepped forward toward me, still processing. He fiddled with the stone calendar wall and declared to me.
A declaration from the judge's seat, far too sudden.
“Between Ammunition Group and SA Group, I'll watch over the year to see which earns eldest son status by year's end. From a thoroughly neutral standpoint.”
* * * *
Rewind the clock a few hours earlier.
Inside the Blue House's Sangchunjae building, before the fireplace, SA Group Chairman Im Gye-hyeon sat in his wheelchair, gazing steadily at the President.
‘So, this old man has never forgotten the family motto of business serving the nation his whole life.’
Even the faint chill enveloping his body seemed hard to bear, his words trembling out.
Business serving the nation. Contributing to the country through enterprise.
For the past few months, Chairman Im had sent consistent messages to the President.
Explosively growing IT technology. He wanted SA Group at its center.
‘I understand the intent, but there are some difficulties.’
The President, finger to his temple, replied cautiously.
‘I don't welcome favoritism controversies either. It's a matter of fairness.’
‘Hmm...’
‘The SA Group succession issue mustn't become an external factor in the election. That's my position for now.’
Less than two years until the presidential election.
His faction had ridden good fortune so far, but he knew the sea of public opinion could capsize the paper boat of power.
A venture vital for the nation's century-long plan, yet one requiring caution.
‘However, a different approach might ease the burden.’
‘A different approach... you mean?’
Thus, the President extended the conversation, clasping his hands on his knee.
A choice that wouldn't harm the upcoming election nor hinder proceedings.
‘It would be best to frame it as competition. Korea's two IT giants putting on a public show. Right in front of the masses.’
‘Make it an open arena. And the opponent is the one I suspect?’
The answer he'd longed for... came from a hint in a recent NIS report.
The Ammunition Group Chairman who'd cleared a massive boulder—the opposition frontrunner—from the path via the Joo Gwae-yul case for the coming election.
That's why the President was certain.
Having proven his value several times before, he wouldn't stray from the intended path.
‘He should be arriving any moment. Let's discuss it together.’