The Substance
***
On the rooftop of a rundown goshiwon in Bongcheon-dong, Moon Sang-oh was working to unravel the suspicious death tied to Eun-chae's mother.
He had finally tracked down Yu Jae-yong, the former chief prosecutor who had handled the case back then. The man, whose past social status now seemed a distant memory, was living a threadbare existence in shabby clothes amid a crumbling building.
No matter how much imagination Moon mustered, nothing quite prepared him for this.
Moon locked the rooftop door behind him and broke the ice.
"I never dreamed I'd find you living here, Chief Prosecutor."
"Nor did I expect a big shot like you to come calling."
"Please, speak freely."
"I'm no chief prosecutor anymore, so let's drop the formalities."
Moon's gaze fixed on the thick envelope in Yu's hand.
"Curious about what's inside?"
"Yes."
"Can't blame you... This holds everything on Yoon Gwi-young's death."
"May I take a look?"
"First... you need to make me a promise."
"If it's not too much, I'll do what I can. How much do you need?"
Yu let out a deep sigh, heavy with some untold story, before speaking.
"No more, no less—just get me to America."
Moon desperately wanted the information, and the other side was JK Group. In such situations, people usually demanded a fortune. But Yu asked for a one-way ticket to the States.
Stunned by the unexpected request, Moon pressed.
"You mean a ticket to America?"
"What, thought I'd hit you up for a king's ransom?"
"Given your circumstances, I figured money was what you'd mention."
"Money's worthless to me now. Leaving this country is my one wish. JK can make it happen, right?"
"It's well within our power. I promise."
Yu scanned the rooftop floor, picked up a cigarette butt, and lit it.
"This case uprooted everything I'd built..."
"What happened?"
"Let's roll back the clock to that time. Remember who the top presidential contender was?"
"President Kim Dong-il."
"Suppose, just suppose... Kim Dong-il vanishes. Who gets next in line?"
Moon pondered before replying.
"If we're talking back then, probably Assemblyman Choi Son-hwan."
"Exactly. He had pull in Yeouido, even served as party leader. He'd have gotten ambitious."
"I can't connect the dots."
"He thought his path was clear, but there was a massive roadblock: the boulder called Kim Dong-il."
"Don't tell me... he plotted to take him out?"
"Bingo. Make it look like an accident, and boom—he's the frontrunner."
"And Gu Eun-chae's mother, Yoon Gwi-young, was involved?"
Yu shook his head slowly.
"A restaurant owner? What power could she have? She probably overheard something from the next room. That sealed her fate."
"So Choi Son-hwan had her killed?"
"You think a guy like that gets his hands dirty? He sent someone. Evidence would come out eventually, and the circumstantial case was ironclad—no big deal, I thought."
"Someone shut it down?"
"Orders came from on high to bury it."
"Whose orders?"
No way to know.
"Hard to say... But Choi's brother-in-law was National Intelligence Service director, and his youngest son's in-law was from chaebol stock. Gotta point there."
"You pushed to keep investigating?"
"It was crystal clear. Once evidence surfaced, Yeouido would've exploded. So I stuck my neck out and defied the order."
He'd bucked an order from some unknown level. Even as chief prosecutor, he was no match for their money and power.
It was a stand for conscience and principle, but the price was devastating.
"That's when things got weird."
"Can you be specific?"
"My little sister running a snack bar in Chungju, my brother with the health tonic shop... even my friends. All hit with searches."
"Sounds like a social death sentence."
"Yeah. They were cutting off my limbs. To save my family, I sold the house quick, shoved the cash at them, and shipped them to America."
The cost of defiance was brutal. Recalling it twisted Yu's face in pain as he continued.
"I tried to wrap up and leave too. But then—bam—outbound travel ban. And get this: all my deposits vanished into thin air."
"Must've come from way up top. Did you ask friends for help?"
"Friends who'd been raided and probed because of me? They weren't exactly rolling out the welcome mat—their families were wrecked too."
"I have no words."
"That's why I'm living like this."
He handed the documents to Moon.
"No regrets, though. If it happened again, I'd choose the same. It's yours now."
Moon pulled out the papers. Every piece of evidence was there.
"With family in America, I can scrape by. Better than this dump, at least."
"I'll keep my promise. But since it's beyond my personal reach, it might take a few days."
"Waited years— what's a few days?"
Poor enough to smoke butts. Moon couldn't ignore it. He emptied his pockets of cash and offered it.
Yu reached out, then shook his head and refused.
"Taking pocket change feels like selling my soul... Just your good intentions are enough."
"Chief Prosecutor..."
"Just get me to America. That's all I need."
"Understood. I'll hurry it along."
Moon bowed and left the goshiwon, his face bitter.
***
JK Group Chairman's Office.
Back from his outing, Moon headed straight in to report. Kang, mid-work, glanced up and scanned his face.
Even the impassive Moon couldn't hide his turmoil this time.
"You come back looking like you carry the world's worries."
"I got info from Detective Park Do-seop, who handled it back then, and met former Chief Prosecutor Yu Jae-yong."
"Haven't heard that name in ages... Thought he got in hot water. How's he holding up?"
"In a Bongcheon-dong goshiwon."
"Rumors of his defiance were true, then... What's in the envelope?"
"Documents on Yoon Gwi-young's case."
Kang donned his glasses and pored over them meticulously. As expected, grim reading.
Bitter, he lit a cigar.
"This puts Eun-chae in a tougher spot... Sang-oh, your take?"
"Too late to ask now, and dredging it up won't change much."
"Still, a parent's death—she deserves the truth. Pass it to Min-ho later and let him decide. Might be kinder that way."
"Understood."
Eun-chae's case mattered, but Kang Beom-seong's Seoul mayoral appointment was huge too.
"Nothing new from Hyoja-dong?"
"Not yet. They're shuffling cards, but Young Master cuts them all."
"Elections are money games, but this involves the Blue House and public opinion—not simple."
"Do you think President Kang Beom-seong will get the nod for Seoul mayor?"
"Anyone else, I'd shrug. But if Min-ho says it, it will. Let's wait a bit more."
"Understood."
Right on cue, the door opened, and Min-ho entered. Kang beamed and stood.
"Aigoo, my grandson's here!"
He stroked Min-ho's hair with a wide smile, but he couldn't fool him.
"Grandpa, you look a bit off. Something wrong?"
Kang laughed brighter.
"Wrong? Nonsense. Good work coming over. Sit."
"Worried about Uncle? Then I've got good news first."
"Good news... About the Seoul mayor?"
"Yes, Grandpa."
He relayed his talk with Chief Cha crystal-clear.
Kang's face split in a massive grin at Beom-seong's confirmed appointment.
"Hyoja-dong holds the personnel power—not easy. How'd you lock it down so fast?"
"Cut every Seoul City Hall candidate they floated."
"Burned all their cards?"
"While planting Uncle's image. Seoul citizens want Kang Beom-seong as their new mayor, and Hyoja-dong had no moves left."
It was like stumbling on a chest brimming with gold.
Kang laughed heartily, caressing Min-ho's cheeks.
"My grandson pulls off what even Grandpa couldn't dream... Splendid, truly splendid. I'm so proud."
"Took a bit, but the result's satisfying."
"This is like scooping hundreds of treasure chests full of gold. Splendid. Proud of you."
Mid-laughter, Kang recalled Min-ho's last words. He paused.
"That last bit nags at Grandpa, though."
"The promise not to funnel interests to JK Group or Athena?"
"If so, propping up Beom-seong loses meaning. Got a workaround?"
Min-ho smiled faintly and pulled papers from his bag, dense with small firm names by sector.
"Big ones we handle direct—a couple. Rest funneled through these SMEs, then back to us."
"Using proxies without the name?"
"All Hyoja-dong wants is their appointee not stirring trouble."
"Blindfolding and catching clams—keeps faces saved."
In two years, local elections including Seoul mayor would shift from appointed to elected. Beom-seong's shelf life: max two years.
They had to suck him dry before then. Give a cat fish, and only bones remain soon enough.
As Min-ho moved to specifics, Kang handed over the document envelope.
"What's this, Grandpa? Another plan?"
Kang's face darkened as he spoke gravely.
"You know Grandpa chose Eun-chae as our grandson's bride?"
"A bit early for that."
"Take a look."
It was a case buried under years of dust.
Even Min-ho hadn't known. Politics-savvy, he scanned stoically—but rage boiled over.
"Details on Eun-chae's mother's case. Up to you whether to tell her."
"Yes, Grandpa. I'll think it through."
"Good. Whatever happens, it's positive. Let's go eat something tasty, eh?"
A week flew by.
New Seoul Mayor Kang Beom-seong, appointed, ascended the podium for his inauguration.