Bursting the Parasites
Finally, the last man to enter locked the door, and their real business began.
"What's this? Chung-geon, from the way you called us, I guess things didn't go well? He's refusing to pay?"
"Not only is he refusing to pay, he's threatening to fire us and file charges."
"File charges? Has this guy lost his mind? You think being a lawyer makes you special?"
Anyone can file charges, even without being a lawyer. Hiring an attorney simply gives you an advantage in negotiations and increases the likelihood of persuading prosecutors and judges to pursue indictment and conviction. When the facts are clear and there's little room for legal dispute, there's often no need to retain counsel. In criminal cases, the burden of proving the defendant's guilt rests with the prosecutor, not the victim. Even in settlement matters, once charges are filed and guilt appears evident, police or prosecutors frequently step in to mediate.
They must have assumed that if they all swarmed in like this, I'd be terrified and hand over a billion won without firing anyone or pressing charges. I'd already anticipated this scenario before coming here. If I had been afraid of the risk, I wouldn't have shown up in the first place. The reason I came despite the danger was precisely because I was waiting for this moment.
The charges listed in the complaint I'd written, now sitting on the table, were enough to hand Park Chung-geon and the men here over to the prosecution. But since they hadn't actually thrown Molotov cocktails or swung clubs, the applicable charge would be little more than obstruction of business. Given the relatively minor nature of the offense and the fact that it occurred during a strike, the chances of any of them receiving a prison sentence were low. If they walked away with only fines or suspended sentences, they might harbor grudges and turn hostile toward QS Delivery—or even the entire QS Group. There was no guarantee my safety would be assured after thoroughly sabotaging their carefully laid plans.
Look at that. One of them was already pulling a Swiss Army knife from his pocket.
Chaaang.
The man who had locked the door last flicked open the blade and began his threats.
"Listen here, young man. If you haven't filed that complaint yet, tear it up right now."
Click, click, click, click, click.
With the hand still in my pocket, I pressed the side button on my phone, then held up the paper in front of me.
"This complaint?"
"Yeah. Tear it up, and let's end this nicely while I'm still asking. Chung-geon here's the most decent one among us, so he tried to talk you down. But if you push us, we're ready to go all out. Lawyer, chairman's son—we don't care."
When I extended the complaint toward him, a grin spread across the knife-wielding man's face. Go ahead. Laugh while you still can. I finally understood why the verdict I'd seen for Park Chung-geon carried a real prison sentence with no suspended term.
"Tear it up yourself."
The man snatched the document and shredded it with his knife, then pointed the blade at me.
"Oh? At least you listen well. Let's finish this by giving Chung-geon the money he asked for so we never have to see each other again. No one else knows what happened here except you and us, so don't go running your mouth later and stab us in the back."
"Why would I give you money? I only handed over the complaint because you seemed eager to tear it up. It was no longer necessary to me. And as for stabbing you in the back—I'll say it to your faces. Park Chung-geon and the five of you here have just committed the crime of special intimidation. I'll have to write a new complaint."
Special intimidation applies when multiple people threaten one person or when a dangerous weapon like a knife is used. It is a serious offense punishable by up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to ten million won. In this case, both aggravating factors were present, so they were caught red-handed. I had no intention of reaching any settlement, and judging by their words and actions, these were people who lived outside the law and likely had substantial criminal records.
"This bastard! We told you we don't care what we do when we're pushed, didn't we?"
Thud, thud, bang bang bang bang!
Just as the man with the knife raised his hand and took a step toward me, a violent pounding sounded from outside. The door was locked, and someone was trying to force it open. The five men turned their heads sharply toward the sound.
"What the hell?"
"Did you call someone?"
"There's a customer inside—since when do employees knock like that?"
I nearly burst out laughing. These were the same people who had thrown eggs and lined up Molotov cocktails in front of the company where their bosses worked, and now they were complaining about employee manners.
The people outside were the police. Before coming here, I had already requested personal protection. Park Chung-geon's attitude and the verdict I'd seen in advance made it clear that violence was likely. As the son of the QS Group chairman, and with the egg-throwing incident already on the news that afternoon, a dedicated police protection officer had been assigned to me immediately. I had reprogrammed my phone's side button to call that officer directly. The clicking sound earlier had been me summoning him.
"This is the police. Open the door!"
At the voice from outside, the five men in the room—everyone except me—panicked. The one who had threatened me most aggressively hurriedly stuffed the knife into his pocket, while another glanced at the window, searching for an escape route. But we were on the sixth floor. Even if they could climb out, jumping would mean permanent expulsion from this world.
Eventually, the police obtained the master key from the Chinese restaurant owner, unlocked the door, and entered. They aimed their tasers at the criminals in front of me.
"Mr. Kwon Ho-gyun, are you all right?"
"Yes. That man over there threatened me with a knife, demanding money. Fortunately, you officers arrived in time, so it didn't escalate to actual assault."
The man who had held the knife, still not grasping the situation, shouted in protest.
"Hey! If you say it like that, it sounds like we were trying to rob him!"
"You pulled a knife and told me to hand over the money. How is that not robbery? What, you have to empty my wallet to qualify? Trying to take a billion won makes you an even bigger robber."
Kya. My logic was cleaner than a dentist's freshly scaled teeth. Only after the handcuffs clicked shut did the man finally understand what was happening. He was dragged away with a stunned expression, his silence serving as an admission of guilt.
Whew. The thrilling situation had come to an end. The police arrested Park Chung-geon and the other intruders on the spot as they were caught in the act, seized the shredded complaint and the knife as evidence, and left the scene.
* * *
That night, feeling guilty for causing trouble at the restaurant, I invited QS Delivery President Seong Yun-hwan there for a modest celebration. When he heard what had happened, he looked shocked and asked about my well-being.
"They even pulled a knife? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"No, I'm fine. More importantly, it looks like the QS Delivery strike has been completely uprooted."
Despite his concern, President Seong couldn't hide his delighted expression.
"That's such a relief. And thank you. If it weren't for you, Young-hyuk and that union chairman Park Chung-geon would have driven the company straight into bankruptcy."
"I am the second-largest shareholder, after all. And it's a subsidiary of our family group. I simply did what needed to be done."
"Oh, please, you don't have to be so modest. Plenty of people can't do what needs to be done. I was one of them before you arrived. Honestly, I should have resolved the strike myself. I'm truly ashamed."
"Just do well from now on. Can I expect a bigger dividend starting next quarter?"
"Of course. Without the money leaking to President Kwon Je-gyun's companies like QS Food and QS EnM, our operating profit will skyrocket immediately. Now that Director Lee Young-hyuk is gone too, I'll take firm control and run the company properly."
While President Seong and I were talking, the ordered jajangmyeon, jjamppong, and palbochae were served.
"It's on me, so eat as much as you like."
"Treating me to a meal as well—I'm really in your debt."
"Come on, it's just one meal. You'll be depositing plenty of dividends into my account, so it's fine."
"Then I'll eat well and work hard. Hahaha."
* * *
Afterward, I filed a new complaint against Park Chung-geon and his group, completed the victim interview, and wrapped up matters at QS Delivery before returning to Law Firm Seungbaek. It was time to seriously consider entering the QS Group succession race, so I took stock of my current position.
Looking at the subsidiaries, I had secured three. First, Law Firm Seungbaek—founded by me, with my name on the door as representative attorney—was my most solid foothold. Second, QS Delivery, where I had decisively resolved the strike, was firmly in my camp. Third, QS Resort, run by President Choi Sang-sik, whom I had helped clear of embezzlement charges, was also closest to me among the three brothers.
Hmm. Even after all that effort, I still had far less than Seong-gyun or Je-gyun. Seong-gyun controlled seventeen subsidiaries as president, and Je-gyun thirteen. The numerical gap was obvious. Even among the fifty-two subsidiaries where they weren't directly president, most leaned toward one of the two in the succession battle. In terms of numbers alone, I was hopelessly outmatched.
The qualitative gap was even larger. I had no influence over any of the three pillars of the QS Group: electronics, telecommunications, and food.
Electronics, telecommunications, food.
As I repeated the thought, a weak link seemed to appear. QS Electronics and QS Food were firmly under Seong-gyun and Je-gyun's control, respectively. But QS Telecom had roughly equal stakes between them, while the group-wide controlling entities—QS Non-Life Insurance, (Co.) QS, and Chairman Kwon Byung-do himself—held significant shares. If I were to insert myself into one of the three pillars, QS Telecom looked like the easiest target. By any metric, telecommunications was larger than food and could stand toe-to-toe with electronics.
But how to take control of telecommunications?
My drifting thoughts landed on one point. Without the still-formidable power of Chairman Kwon Byung-do, acquiring a major subsidiary like QS Telecom would be impossible. So what kind of report card did the chairman currently have on me?
I had risen from "the son who passed the bar exam at the top of his class" to "the cherished third son." Law Firm Seungbaek was sailing smoothly, so my basic management ability was acknowledged. Oh Il-mu, who could have been the most difficult subordinate, had completely aligned with me, so I likely passed personnel management as well. And by perfectly resolving the long-standing headache of the QS Delivery strike, my crisis-management skills had also cleared the bar.
Just then, a text message arrived. It was from Chairman Kwon Byung-do.