The Chairman's Shadow
These days, Yeongdo was the hottest district in all of Busan.
The long-cherished redevelopment of the industrial site had gone smoothly, sending Noh Hyeong-sim's political stock soaring. A smile bloomed on his face every single day.
Then that smile withered.
All it took was a single phone call before lunch.
“Put the Yongwanggung project—or whatever you’re calling it—on hold for now.”
The call came from the assemblyman representing the district, all the way up in Seoul.
The blunt, almost rude demand made Noh Hyeong-sim’s brow furrow.
“…What do you mean, put it on hold? I must have misheard. Could you repeat that?”
“Stop beating around the bush. I’m telling you to stop that project you’re pushing on the industrial site.”
“Are you aware of how far along the project is? The demolition is nearly complete. The contaminated water and waste disposal are almost finished too. We’re scheduled to begin construction on the promenade the day after tomorrow.”
“What exactly are you trying to say, District Head?”
“I’m saying the project has already progressed this far. We can’t stop it now.”
“Can’t you just do as you’re told? Damn it, you’re pissing me off.”
“……??”
The sudden profanity left Noh Hyeong-sim’s face frozen in shock.
The power dynamic between a district head and a National Assembly member was peculiar. On paper, the assemblyman held the higher status, but in reality, the district head controlled the staff and budget execution. That was why clashes were common when they belonged to different parties.
Fortunately, that had never been the case in Yeongdo District—until this very call.
“……My apologies. I spoke out of turn earlier. Some lunatic caused a scene this morning. Regardless, my position hasn’t changed. Halt the project.”
“Handing a project of this scale to a mere 3rd Division guild? Even giving it to a 1st Division guild would raise eyebrows.”
“And another thing—deciding this without even consulting me? This was rushed through, District Head! You say you informed me? I never heard a word.”
The longer the man spoke, the harder Noh Hyeong-sim’s expression became.
Most of what the assemblyman was saying was nonsense. Mir Guild wasn’t just any 3rd Division guild—it was the legendary team from Yeongdo that had been writing history since last year. At this point in the season, people were already saying their promotion to League 2 was all but confirmed.
More importantly, the claim that no meeting had taken place was a blatant lie. Noh had even booked a flight ticket for the assemblyman to come down to Busan, yet the man had never shown his face. And now he had the audacity to call it a rushed decision?
“Hah……”
A dry laugh escaped him.
Noh Hyeong-sim had been in politics for decades. He had seen countless politicians flip their positions for power and profit—and he had done the same himself. Even so, this level of reckless nonsense was rare.
At first he had been angry. Then disgusted. Now he was almost impressed.
Who on earth had wound this idiot up so tightly that he was barking like a rabid chihuahua?
Curious to see how far the man would go, Noh decided to play along.
“As I’ve already told you, this project is more than halfway complete. If you want to stop it, you’ll need a legitimate reason or justification.”
“Why are you making this difficult, District Head? You’ve been eating political rice long enough to know how this works. We can always manufacture a reason if we need one.”
“……Assemblyman, you’re crossing a line.”
“Damn it, just stop the project! Safety issues, traffic, view obstruction—pick anything! Once it’s halted, we can drag things out. What can they possibly do? You’ve got connections, don’t you? Just stir up some protests and I’ll handle the police side.”
It wasn’t an impossible request. The true power of authority lay in turning nothing into something. That was why corporations tried to avoid clashing with politicians whenever possible.
Which only made Noh more curious. Why was the assemblyman doing this?
The people involved in this project weren’t exactly small fry.
“You seem to have forgotten—Mir Guild has the Ido Group behind it. Not some ordinary local company. The Ido Group.”
“Heh heh heh heh.”
A chilling laugh came through the receiver.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say. You have no idea what kind of humiliation I suffered this morning because of those Ido bastards.”
“What do you mean……?”
“What do I mean? Hah…… Some brat young enough to be my daughter spoke down to me and…… Anyway, when you think about it, both you and I are caught in the middle here.”
“Assemblyman, if you could speak more clearly……”
“Enough. I can’t talk long. But one thing is certain—the Ido Group won’t lift a finger over this.”
“……!!”
Scattered pieces of information suddenly clicked into place in Noh’s mind. It felt like his old studio apartment from his youth—messy no matter how many times he cleaned it. Only after his wife arrived did it finally get sorted.
‘Get a grip. That’s what this is.’
Noh grabbed a handful of mint candies his wife had left in the drawer, tossed them into his mouth, closed his eyes, and began organizing his thoughts.
The key phrase was “won’t lift a finger.”
Centering on that single sentence, his decades of political instinct began connecting the dots at lightning speed.
Soon, he reached a conclusion.
‘Another member of the Ido family.’
A factional struggle. Or perhaps a succession battle.
‘So I’ve gotten caught up in something ridiculous.’
To be fair, it would have been a lie to say he had never considered this possibility while working with Lee Shin. He simply hadn’t expected children’s squabbles to drag in politicians this shamelessly.
‘Ah, wait. Maybe I did.’
A conversation from a few days ago flashed through his mind—Lee Shin and him sharing soju at a grilled meat restaurant.
‘District Head, I know far more about you than you might imagine. This isn’t a threat—it’s a request. From now on, I’m going to run. I’m going to climb as high as I can. I have no intention of getting tangled up in tiresome politics.’
‘I’ll make your dream come true, District Head. So let’s stick together for the long haul. Cheers!’
Tiresome politics.
At the time, he had thought it was just something said in the heat of the moment. (It really had been.) But now he realized there had been a deeper meaning behind it. (There hadn’t been.)
Still, the Lee Shin he knew looked similar to the rumors on the surface, but inside he was completely different. Like a dormant hero waiting for his moment—especially when it came to guild matters, he was in a league of his own.
Recalling that conversation cleared Noh’s head.
He had made his decision.
“District Head! Are you listening? Hey, District Head!”
“Don’t speak to me so casually.”
That little punk.
* * *
Yeouido Sauna.
A man stormed out, fuming.
“What? Don’t speak casually? That old bastard’s really pushing it!”
The gold badge on his chest gleamed.
Yes—this man was Assemblyman Jeong Uk, representing Jung-gu and Yeongdo-gu.
The moment he stepped outside, he looked for his aide.
Jeong Uk usually spent one to two hours steaming in the sauna, so his aide, who had been dozing in the car, was startled to see him emerge after only thirty minutes. He scrambled to his feet in a panic.
Of course, Jeong Uk wasn’t the type to let that slide.
“Aide. Aide.”
“Y-Yes, Assemblyman.”
“Have you lost your mind? I called you several times. Were you sleeping? Did you finish everything I asked? No, right? Are you looking down on me too?”
Whack!
The aide clutched his shin and hopped around, screaming.
“Hey! Stop exaggerating and stand up. You know Noh Hyeong-sim, right?”
“Ugh…… Noh Hyeong-sim, you mean……”
“The district head! The district heeead! That bastard Noh Hyeong-sim is dragging his feet!”
Whack!
“Aagh—!”
Still not satisfied, Jeong Uk kicked the aide’s other shin, then pointed at the kneeling man.
“Listen up. The district head defied me. I told him to stop the project, but he doesn’t seem inclined to listen.”
“Isn’t that a problem? You promised Lee So-yul you’d stop it.”
“That crazy bitch. She’s got nothing going for her except her parents. How dare she talk down to a National Assembly member elected by the people……”
Strictly speaking, “defiance” implied a vertical chain of command, so Jeong Uk’s use of the word was technically incorrect. But the man was too enraged to care about semantics.
“I already didn’t like how that old local big shot was subtly pressuring us. How dare he try to make a fool of me? Just you wait. I’ll stake everything I have and crush him.”
“Hey, get me Reporter Kim.”
A district head daring to act up against a National Assembly member?
He would make the man feel the weight of this gold badge.
Jeong Uk first called a reporter he had cultivated a good relationship with.
“Hmm, things have been noisy lately anyway. So there’s trouble with the ‘Yongwanggung’ project, is there?”
“Massage the story a bit and put it out. Just make sure my name isn’t mentioned.”
“Heh, of course. Shall I send the bill all at once?”
“Tsk, don’t ruin the mood by talking about money. What are you all doing? Reporter’s glass is empty!”
Politics and the media had always been mutually beneficial. It cost money, but depending on the price, the media’s pen could become sharper than anything else in the world.
But was that enough?
Political power had always depended on one’s position. Even the three highest ministers were closest to the king.
He needed to show the district head at the edge of the peninsula the true power of the central government.
The very next day, Jeong Uk washed away the smell of alcohol and headed to the office of a senior party official.
“Something like that happened?”
“I’m sorry. This kind of thing occurring in my district……”
“No, no. This is a matter of prestige. How dare a district head from some tiny corner of the country act this way toward a National Assembly member! Don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
“Thank you, Senior.”
“Good. Go on. Let’s grab a meal sometime.”
Bowing as he closed the door behind him, Jeong Uk’s lips curled upward.
Game, set, match.
At this point, even the mayor couldn’t stop it. He was leisurely waiting for the surrender when—
Ring ring—!
“Knew it.”
The phone rang less than thirty minutes later.
Jeong Uk rejected the call like he was venting his frustration. When it rang again, he rejected it once more.
Perhaps it was the satisfaction of putting the district head in his place, but the cigarette tasted especially good.
That pleasant mood came crashing down the moment someone burst into his office.
The door opened.
Ring ring ring ring—!
Ring ring ring ring—!
“No, our assemblyman would never……”
“We’ll investigate first……”
The aides’ phones were ringing off the hook. The senior aide spotted Jeong Uk and shouted as if screaming.
“Assemblyman!! Busan Ilbo is calling. They want to confirm if the rumors circulating are true……”
“The Yeongdo Small Business Association is demanding to speak with you immediately……”
“The Yeongdo Parents’ Association is collectively condemning you……”
Volunteer groups, the Yeongdo Ready-Mix Concrete Association, the Yeongdo Publishing Association, the Yeongdo Shipbuilding Association—even the local elementary school’s Boy Scouts. Every organization bearing the name “Yeongdo” was tearing into him.
“Hah. So the old man really wants a fight.”
Jeong Uk wasn’t a fool. He could guess whose handiwork this was. But knowing didn’t make it hurt any less. In fact, it hurt more.
Believe it—he was being hit with the very media he had planned to use.
And he was being hit by the very backers he had relied on.
“You bastard, why aren’t you answering your phone? Where the hell have you been wandering off to?! Do you have a problem with me? If you’re going to die, die alone! Why are you dragging me into Ido Group’s business?!”
Why was this happening? Time should have calmed things down, but the longer it went on, the stranger everything became. Something was very, very wrong.
Jeong Uk’s instincts shifted from “This is bad” to “We’re screwed.”
He tried to salvage the situation, but the only sound coming from the phone was—
“The number you have dialed is not available. Please leave a message after the tone……”
The fact Jeong Uk had overlooked was simple.
He himself had said that the Ido Group stood behind this matter.
Both he and the district head were caught between Lee So-yul and Lee Shin. And that meant something else entirely.
“……No one in this country is going to get involved.”
Noh Hyeong-sim smiled faintly.
This was a fight between members of the Ido family.
Would anyone dare bring in outside forces? Especially against the iron-blooded Lee Sang-byuk?
He had once caught a glimpse of the man through his father.
Lee Sang-byuk was a cold, calculating individual who wouldn’t bleed even if you stabbed him. The kind of man who would fly to Mars to sell groceries if the world ended tomorrow.
Would someone like that allow outside impurities to breach the fortress of wealth he had built?
Of course not. To put it mildly, even the president couldn’t touch Yeongdo right now.
The situation was over.
That little punk…… A cold smile spread across Noh Hyeong-sim’s face.
Just then, a voice called out from behind him.
“I should pour the district head a drink! Where’s our district head? District Heeead~!”
Noh Hyeong-sim wiped the cold expression from his face and rushed toward Lee Shin with a bright, beaming smile.
“Aigoo~ I’m coming right now, Guild Master.”