Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: A Dog That Wants to Become a Tiger (5)
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The outskirts of Washington D.C., home to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Tucked away in a quiet village that took nearly an hour to reach even by car, there was an entrance to a path so hidden that you’d never notice it unless you were looking.
A narrow trail leading to a massive mansion, concealed by stone walls and thick bushes.
“Brother John, you’re here! I’ve been waiting!”
Dick Johnson rushed out into the garden in his bare feet to greet his cousin, John Johnson.
John Johnson, looking every bit the stern bureaucrat, straightened his signature mustache with his finger and lumbered out of the car, his heavy hips swaying.
“I don’t even know how to thank you, brother… For now, I’ve prepared a drinking party and some women inside the mansion.”
“Before that, let’s take a walk in the garden.”
Unlike his usual self, who was obsessed with booze and women, John Johnson seemed unusually serious today.
His cousin’s demeanor must have felt off. Dick Johnson immediately shot back with a puzzled look.
“Brother?”
“The moment you wrap up a job, you need to stay quiet. What’s the point of heading into that place swarming with unsavory types?”
“Ah… Got it. This way, then.”
The garden behind the mansion, thick with overgrown shrubs.
Only after shooing away even the gardener who’d been pruning the branches did John Johnson exhale a long plume of cigarette smoke and finally speak.
“That bundle of cash you mentioned—the SA Group is a Korean company, and the ones bankrolling them from behind are Chinese, right?”
“Shanghai Capital. They’re a pretty heavyweight player in the Chinese asset management scene.”
“They sure seem like it. The fact that they’re throwing their weight around openly, even with me.”
“Did those guys reach out to you separately too, brother? They really do cover all their bases.”
Was it Dick Johnson’s smirking face that rubbed him the wrong way?
John Johnson’s brow furrowed deeply as he tossed aside his spent cigarette butt without a care. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, he lowered his voice.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say, Dick.”
“Brother…?”
John Johnson gave a brief explanation.
He and a few other government officials had taken shady money from Shanghai Capital and other Chinese government sources. And this job might just be the first payment they’d have to make.
“Whew. This is the timing—the top brass isn’t paying much attention right now. Make it happen, no matter what. We can’t afford any screw-ups.”
John Johnson let out a sigh. He gripped his cousin’s shoulders tightly and stared into his face with bloodshot eyes.
“This seems more tangled up than I thought.”
“The VIP’s still tied up with Middle East stuff, so China’s not on his radar yet. Just keep the noise down—no noise at all.”
“Noise…”
The single word “noise” sent a chill racing down Dick Johnson’s spine.
Everything else was fine.
SA Group’s Vice President Im Jae-ho was just a gullible mark, and Ammunition Group had long been wiped from memory.
It was simply a matter of patent ownership. All they had to do was keep the clueless developers in the dark.
At least… until they collected full payment from Vice President Im Jae-ho.
“You don’t need to worry about a thing, brother. Everything’s perfectly in place. Especially…”
And for good measure, their ace in the hole.
If things blew up later and he had to flee the U.S. to some hideout, he’d need an anonymous secret account without fail.
Dick Johnson smiled slowly as he thought of that island nation in the corner of the Atlantic.
“Even the Bermuda secret account I prepared just in case.”
* * * *
In the car heading from the Yangpyeong fishing spot toward Seoul. Even as it hugged the speed limit on the highway, the backseat was filled with a worry that didn’t match the urgency.
“Chairman? You’re heading straight to HQ, right? No matter how important that guy is, there’s such a thing as priorities.”
The issue was the destination.
An unexpected approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce meant they should head to headquarters for business, of course… but another variable had cropped up.
“With everything on fire right now… the group needs you to step in and steady the ship, Chairman. That’s the only way the lower ranks will move properly.”
“…….”
“No need to agonize. No matter how big a shot Chairman Im Gye-hyeon is, our business comes first.”
Chairman Im Gye-hyeon.
Just minutes ago, SA Group’s chief secretary had contacted Yoo Se-na, his aide.
Judging by how her face had drained of color, it was no ordinary matter. And sad hunches never turned out wrong.
‘SA Group’s chief secretary called. Chairman Im Gye-hyeon… he’s nearing the end. He really hopes you can come.’
Yoo Se-na’s voice from moments ago still echoed in his mind.
It wasn’t some sentimental pull. Chairman Im Gye-hyeon was just someone he’d met a few times amid fierce corporate rivalry.
There was no reason for him to be at his deathbed, no need to stand vigil.
However.
“…….”
In the final moments of his life—no, right now, as one of Korea’s business titans drew his last breaths—he was calling for him. Setting aside family, friends, everyone.
There had to be something he could only say now, clinging to life’s edge.
That was his decision.
“Turn the car around. Right now.”
“I knew it! Straight to HQ. As expected from our Chairman…”
“To SA Medical Center. No time—make it as fast as possible.”
“Chairman! Aaaagh…”
Kim Won-cheol let out a wail, his round eyes blinking in shock.
He wanted to explain right away… but not now. In a crisis, sometimes you had to act decisively alone.
“It won’t take long. I’ll go up alone—wait here. Oh, and…”
“Yes, Chairman.”
He held out his hand toward Yoo Se-na’s aide, and a yellowed envelope of documents landed in his palm.
The contract envelope from Chairman Im Gye-hyeon days ago, with only the final blank left.
“…We’ll be waiting, Chairman.”
They’d already arrived at SA Medical Center in Gangdong-gu.
Nodding at Yoo Se-na’s aide’s words, he stepped out. To witness the end of the man who’d sparked all this chaos.
* * * *
“Chairman Han Seo-jun, this way, quickly…!”
It must have been urgent.
SA Group’s chief secretary skipped greetings and ushered him straight into the room.
“…….”
In a corner of the ICU, cleared out entirely, lay Chairman Im Gye-hyeon, hooked up to even more tangled medical equipment than before.
The kind of setup where if the spark of life flickered out right then, no one would bat an eye.
“Enough. All of you, out. No more painkillers.”
“Chairman, but…”
“I won’t be able to say what I need to with a foggy head. Go.”
The painkiller drip stopped, no more drops falling from the IV bag. His face twisted in agony as Chairman Im Gye-hyeon spoke.
“No time left. You’re likely the last face I’ll see before I go. Won’t get to see my son’s.”
“Chairman, why me…? Shouldn’t you see Vice President Im Jae-ho?”
“This is… for Jae-ho too.”
Chairman Im Gye-hyeon trailed off. His gaze landed on the yellowed envelope in his hand.
“This is it. I didn’t give you much time to think, but now you owe me an answer.”
“You… trust me?”
“Trust you? You?”
Harsh breaths rasped out past the oxygen mask. The old man panted in pain, but a strange smile played on his face.
“In my life in business, I’ve never truly trusted anyone. Probably the same for you since that chairman title went on your shoulders, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“People aren’t trusted—they’re just credited. I don’t trust your free will, invisible as it is… I trust the situation around you, Chairman Han. Cough! Cough!”
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
As he moved closer to check on him, Chairman Im Gye-hyeon waved him off, silencing him.
He simply pressed on calmly with what he had to say, in the little time left.
“And that situation tells me this: I can credit that Han Seo-jun won’t bite my Jae-ho’s throat.”
“…….”
“That flimsy… scrap of paper. Just scribble a few lines on the last page with a pen. Cough! Cough!”
Each cough seemed to drag him closer to death.
What should he say to this old man on his deathbed?
Don’t worry?
I’ll never stab Vice President Im Jae-ho in the back?
No. That wouldn’t be it.
What he wanted to hear. What he had to say.
“Your judgment might be wrong.”
“Even if it is, it’s the best option. Jae-ho standing against you now would be the worst. And…”
Chairman Im Gye-hyeon smiled with his eyes, satisfied.
His right hand rose weakly, trembling.
His withered, twig-like grip clenched slowly, as if grasping a hand that wasn’t there.
“I know full well the vessel my son has can’t hold the waves of the future. I’ve watched him his whole life.”
That was why… his torment could only end here.
He nodded and spoke.
“I’ll keep the promise.”
“I knew you would.”
“The affiliate to fill in the blank—we’ll need it soon. Very soon. Watch over it until then…”
And in that moment, Chairman Im Gye-hyeon vomited a massive gush of blood, far more than before.
His limbs shook violently.
“Chairman!”
“Stay… still… come closer. Talking… takes strength.”
Life ebbed away.
With his last ounce of effort, Chairman Im Gye-hyeon whispered.
“I’m truly grateful to you. So… before I go, the old man has something to leave behind.”
“Chairman Im…?”
“The U.S. Department of Commerce issue. It’ll be tough to resolve.”
“How would you…”
“J-Coco’s a company I’ve kept an eye on. I know the whole situation. So… touch an insider. Their insider. That sloppy sandcastle will crumble in seconds. Cough! Cough!”
The old man’s grip loosened on the bunched-up blanket, strength fading.
Amid the blaring medical alarms, his voice barely reached his ear.
-Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
“Chairman Im…!”
“I’ve given… all I can. I pray my faith in you… wasn’t wrong…”
Chairman Im Gye-hyeon let out his final breath and slowly closed his eyes.
As if finishing life’s last assignment, he slipped into eternal sleep, utterly at peace.
Lulled by the voices of the rushing medical staff.
“January 28, 2011. Time: 21:50. The patient… has passed away.”