Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: The greatest show(1)
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Defense Minister's office.
"Oh, oh dear. Minister! Truly, thank you so much—thank you again and again!"
The bed manufacturer bowed so deeply it was as if his head might smash into the floor, offering excessive courtesy that went beyond a right angle.
His face, pointed toward the ground, bore a smile of utter bliss, one that couldn't possibly get any brighter.
A project worth a staggering 6 trillion won.
Even after doling out kickbacks up and down the chain and accounting for the risks, the manufacturer himself stood to pocket over 50 billion won in profit.
"Make sure no word leaks out. You're overseeing all the contractors. You know what I mean, right?"
"Of course! I'll handle everything smoothly, so don't you worry. Heh heh heh."
At this point, his waist was bent in what was practically a full prostration.
Defense Minister Ham Pung-deok gazed at the bed manufacturer and muttered something under his breath, too quiet to be heard.
"If I grab a big enough cut here... I'll have plenty of funds to kick off my political career. The issue is security."
The Defense Minister recalled the faces of those involved in this arms deal corruption.
A few generals, high-ranking division directors in the Ministry of National Defense, and even the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Since he'd assembled the project with the absolute minimum number of people from the start, he let out a sigh of relief and hypnotized himself.
"Yeah. We always discussed this topic strictly inside the official residence. No one outside the insiders has ever heard about it. Except for... that damn wench Chae-eun."
Thinking of his daughter made his temples throb again.
It had definitely been just like that time.
Late at night, dead drunk, Ham Chae-eun had stormed up to the second-floor reception room, brushing off the servants trying to stop her.
"Oh dear, miss. The Minister is with guests right now. You can't go up there."
"Ah, auntie! Let go already! I told you I have something to say to Dad!"
The scuffle echoing from outside the door.
Then, the door burst open.
Right in front of a whiteboard listing the budget amounts, project structure, accounting loopholes, and all the involved parties.
Her eyes went wide as saucers, and she blurted out those words.
Along with the contents of that night's dinner.
"Uweeeck! Dad, I think I drank too much."
"You crazy bitch! Auntie! Hurry and clean this up, then drag her to the bathroom and wash her out!"
"Keuk! Keuk! Ugh, I'm dying... What the hell is this? Beds...? Ha! Dad's gonna make a killing again?"
"You still haven't snapped out of it...? Auntie! What are you doing? Handle it now!"
A memory as sticky and foul as the mess she'd spewed on the carpet.
Defense Minister Ham Pung-deok shook his head roughly, trying desperately to erase it from his mind.
His drunken daughter's disgraceful antics in front of guests. It had to have been just a fluke. Probably.
"That immature little filly... Just wait till she drags her ass home."
"Pardon? Minister?"
"Nothing! If the report's done, get out. And one more time—keep your mouths shut. Tightly."
"Yes, sir!"
Once the dismissal order was given, he immediately lit up a cigarette.
As always, he burned away his lingering thoughts with the smoke, running his palm over the documents on the desk.
That thing he'd promised Seo Yun-ji, now just a week away.
The public bidding for the Ministry of National Defense's new weapons development project. A small smile spread across his lips like watercolor, amid the gray clouds of smoke.
"First things first... I need to handle this. It all fits together perfectly. Heaven is on my side."
* * * *
At the same time, Blue House underground bunker.
The inner steel door, sealed tight, swung open, accompanied by the booming salute of a military policeman.
Thud thud. A skinny man with a pigeon-toed gait entered lightly toward the interior.
National Security Office Director Yoon Hak-gil, his stride radiating unmistakable good cheer.
"Director, you're here?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm..."
Human Bidet subtly gauged his superior's mood. True to form for someone who'd climbed this high on bootlicking alone, he instantly read Yoon Hak-gil's emotions.
Clap! A handclap, followed by an explosion of flattery.
"As expected of you, Director! Kkh, I bow in admiration. Haah, how can I ever hope to follow in your footsteps?"
"Ha, you bastard. I haven't even said anything yet. What are you, a fortune-teller? A mind reader?"
"Heh heh heh. I know without you saying. Even the President let it slide, right? That new weapons development thing at the Ministry."
Human Bidet's cheeky praise. Yoon Hak-gil didn't seem to entirely hate it.
The National Security Office Director flashed a sharp smile through his long, narrow eyes.
"The President told me to handle it however I see fit, as long as no scandals break—and to make sure he stays out of it. Trim the tails clean and finish them off."
"Whoa... Honestly, aren't you basically the President's proxy? Or even the real power behind the throne? He greenlights pretty much everything like this."
Yoon Hak-gil visibly perked up at Human Bidet's talk of proxy president and power broker.
He shrugged his slightly stiff shoulders and thumped his chest with his fist.
"You bet... I'm Yoon Hak-gil! The Yoon Hak-gil who saved the President's daughter's life."
"That's right. Thinking back on that incident, no true man could top you."
Back when he was a legislative aide, to the current President—who was then a National Assembly member. Yoon Hak-gil had pushed his daughter out of the way on a crosswalk, taking a truck to the face instead.
Both ankles twisted sideways, his gait forever ruined—but who cared about that?
The President's boundless trust. And... the sweet power that came with it.
The honey dripping from the blade of power more than made up for his mangled ankles, with plenty to spare.
"Anyway, get ready for next week's event. It has to look fair on the surface, so we'll keep the public bidding format."
Maybe from standing too long, the strength drained from his ankles.
Yoon Hak-gil slumped into the chair like a sack.
He stretched out his hand and began rubbing the black ivory nameplate on the desk.
-Blue House National Security Office Director Yoon Hak-gil.
Feeling that power's sweetness through touch.
"This is the best. My life's peak."
* * * *
At the same time. Ammunition Group headquarters office.
New Year had dawned, winter passed, and spring's bright skies had arrived—yet this office remained as desolate as ever.
Rolling canned coffees, half-lidded eyes. After poring over every piece of intel from below, I finally collapsed onto the sofa and let out a groan.
"Whew, I had no idea there were this many bed manufacturers. And with all their factories in China, it was even tougher."
"No kidding. Excluding the big corps, they're all mid-tier outfits, so it was a slog."
The review only wrapped up late at night. Sifting pearls from the mudflats had been that grueling.
Of course... the reward was a dazzling, iridescent pearl in my palm.
The discovery of massive arms corruption—a pristine white pearl.
Kim Won-cheol, who'd dug it up with me, handed me his drink and said,
"It's all the power of love. Hot, intense love."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It's the fruit of love between our Chairman Han Seo-jun and Miss Ham Chae-eun... their elopement. Youth is truly the best time."
"Sigh, meet her in person and you won't say that."
Kim Won-cheol scratched at my nerves with his deadpan face.
Now I finally understood why Grandma kept the salt jar in the study.
But I was too drained for salt or anything; I couldn't even clench my fist.
Sprawled on the sofa like wet laundry, I croaked out,
"Ham Chae-eun talk is banned for the foreseeable future. She sucked a month's worth of energy out of me."
"Heh heh heh, she's a key player, so it'll come up in work."
"Whatever. Gimme those drinks. Both."
"Huh? What about mine?"
"Chairman’s orders."
I chugged both cans, finally recharging a bit with the sugar.
I'd pretend not to notice Kim Won-cheol's sour face for a while.
Tossing the empties in the trash, I hauled myself up and grabbed the scattered documents.
"Back to work."
"Kkh, gotta admire our Chairman's passion. Alright, we proceed as planned."
The plan Kim Won-cheol and I had hammered out over sleepless nights.
Two ongoing arms corruption cases.
Ministry of National Defense new weapons development project. And... barracks modernization project.
Exposing the former right away is tricky. With Blue House bigwig National Security Office Director Yoon Hak-gil tangled in it, we can't touch it rashly.
"For the new weapons project, we need to heat up public opinion first. Stoke the fire of arms corruption nice and hot before we move."
"So that barracks bed project is our kindling?"
I just smiled serenely, Buddha-like.
Click. The custom computer's cooling fans whirred to life.
After a short wait, one system booted up.
"President Michel did such a stellar job on this."
"Heh heh heh. Now I get it."
Ministry of National Defense new weapons development project.
A massive undertaking to digitize everything from weapon systems to supply chains using cutting-edge IT.
The system President Michel built excelled at accounting tracking—nailing arms corruption on the head.
A bed project scam like this? One click to expose it.
"Public bidding. We'll demo this system right there, with reporters watching. The target is..."
My fingers on the mechanical keyboard.
Click. Amid tangled equations, one Enter key, and the functions marched in perfect formation, like troops on parade.
The scroll halted at the bottom of the white screen, red numbers popping up.
"Barracks modernization project. No covering up major corruption anymore. Just like you're seeing now."
"Kyaa, President Michel's the real deal. Performance is top-notch."
A minus sign before those red numbers.
Click the mouse on one, and a diagram unfurled before my eyes.
It clearly showed where the budget leaked from—and where the leaked funds flowed.
Concise, precise data beyond rebuttal.
"Next week. At the public bidding, we'll put on an arms corruption takedown show. Live on broadcast, for the whole nation to see."
Hooking a confident smile, I thought to myself.
Yoon Hak-gil, Ham Pung-deok, Seo Yun-ji.
Come at me if you dare.
Let's see if the election-jittery President shields you amid blazing public outrage.
"Look forward to it. It'll be quite... the spectacle."