Consolidating My Forces (1)
With Chae Hee-geon, the PR Team Leader, now fully on board, my control over the Central Management Headquarters was effectively complete. A few departments still maintained a neutral stance, but their neutrality meant they posed no real threat to me. Moreover, because they were neutral, once the tide clearly turned in my favor, they would naturally fall in line without any extra effort on my part.
I had been running nonstop until now. From passing the bar exam, founding Law Firm Seungbaek, absorbing smaller companies like QS Resort and QS Express, seizing control of QS Telecom—one of the group’s three core subsidiaries—and finally, the crowning achievement of taking the Central Management Headquarters. At this point, I was confident I could stand against either Kwon Seong-gyun or Kwon Je-gyun without losing.
To borrow Lee Sedol 9-dan’s words, I had no fear of defeat. And that meant it was time to begin the full-scale purge of my elder brothers. The days of quietly building strength beneath the surface, free from interference, were over. Anyone who tried to check me now that I had surfaced would have their own head smashed first for failing to know their place.
Before fully emerging, however, there was one thing I had planned. The people currently aligned with me were each powerful in their own right, but without me as the central figure, they remained scattered like isolated cells. Former Legal Team Head Oh Il-mu, Chairman’s Secretariat Chief Han Seung-woo, QS Telecom President Shin Ho-jung, and, though smaller in scale, QS Express President Seong Yun-hwan and QS Resort President Choi Sang-seok. Their common trait was that they were comrades working toward my ascension to the chairman’s office, yet without me, none of them knew the others were on the same side.
Three weeks from the day I spoke with Chae Hee-geon—precisely December 18—they would gather in one place and see for themselves who stood beside them. Once that confirmation was made, they would receive their next objectives for my path to power, along with their individual assignments, and begin moving as a single, unified organization.
December 18. Though Christmas had not yet arrived, a considerable amount of snow was falling. Luxury cars rarely seen in these parts left tire tracks along the mountain roads of Gangwon-do as they drove carefully through the snow-covered paths. There were five vehicles in total. Their navigation systems all pointed to the same destination. Since none of the drivers had been here before and the roads were blanketed in snow, they proceeded with caution. Their destination was a villa at the foot of Jubong Mountain. It was the same place where the former troublemaker Kwon Ho-gyun had once held secret drug parties away from prying eyes. Now, however, preparations were underway to write a new chapter in QS Group’s history.
Tap, tap. Oh Il-mu brushed the snowflakes from his shoulders as he stepped out of the car and approached the villa entrance. The moment he entered, Chae Hee-geon, who had arrived earlier, sprang up from the sofa with an exaggerated gesture.
“Aigoo, Counselor Oh, you were invited too? Please, come in.”
For a brief moment, suspicion filled Oh Il-mu’s eyes. All he knew about this gathering was that Ho-gyun had invited executives from several companies who shared his vision. Yet Chae Hee-geon was clearly part of Seong-gyun’s faction.
Why is he here? More importantly, how?
Of course, Oh Il-mu possessed enough experience not to let his thoughts show. He greeted Chae Hee-geon with a handshake and took a seat on the large sofa in the living room.
“Haha, Counselor? It’s been ages since I left the company. Just call me Attorney Oh.”
“Understood, Attorney. Please, have a seat.”
“Team Leader Chae, I take it you were also invited by Young Master Ho-gyun?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Oh Il-mu’s understanding of the meeting’s nature had not been wrong. It seemed Ho-gyun had even recruited Chae Hee-geon, his former rival.
Well, if it’s Kwon Ho-gyun, that’s certainly possible.
Since Chae Hee-geon was reliable and could be useful, he must have been summoned. Just as Oh Il-mu’s thoughts settled, Chae Hee-geon spoke again in his characteristically friendly manner.
“I heard Attorney Oh is handling the legal side of the false accusation case against Park Da-hyun that occurred in our PR Team recently?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Even though Park Da-hyun is the group’s promotional model, she remains an external figure, so it was decided that having the Central Management Headquarters Legal Team handle it would look inappropriate. That’s why Law Firm Seungbaek took the case.”
“Haha, and among the excellent attorneys at Seungbaek, the most excellent one—Attorney Oh—stepped forward personally?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Attorney Oh, you’re still regarded as the Legal Team Head in everyone’s hearts at Central Management. That puts me at ease.”
To counter Chae Hee-geon’s excessive flattery, Oh Il-mu steered the conversation toward a heavier topic.
“By the way, Team Leader Chae, I’d like you to visit our law firm sometime soon.”
“Aigoo, if the attorney in charge of a case I’m involved in calls, of course I’ll come. Could you give me a small hint about what this is regarding?”
“Well, it might be somewhat unpleasant for you to hear.”
Chae Hee-geon maintained his smile despite the slight tension. “If it’s something unpleasant to hear, isn’t now the perfect time, when no one else is around? You arrived early, Attorney, so we still have time before the others come.”
“Very well, then I’ll tell you. One of the people falsely claiming that Park Da-hyun assaulted them during school is causing quite a bit of trouble. They’re threatening to report you to the prosecution.”
“Report? Me? On what charges?”
“It’s embarrassing to even say, and especially so with the person involved present, but… they’re alleging prostitution of a minor.”
“Puhahahaha!” Chae Hee-geon’s tension melted away as he burst into laughter. “If it’s that, I already told Young Master Ho-gyun everything. There’s no need to worry. I’m sure even you, Attorney Oh, won’t be able to hold back your laughter once you hear the details.”
Oh Il-mu nodded. It seemed Ho-gyun had grown close enough to Chae Hee-geon to discuss matters even the assigned attorney didn’t know. When Oh Il-mu had first decided to stand with Ho-gyun, it had been a half-forced choice due to lack of alternatives. But after experiencing several incidents together, his trust had gradually solidified into a firm conviction that he must hold tightly to this line.
Chae Hee-geon was someone Oh Il-mu had found difficult to handle. Yet Ho-gyun had turned such a person into a solid ally. Kwon Ho-gyun was truly no ordinary man.
Just as Oh Il-mu’s nodding ceased, another person entered the villa living room. Once again, the first to greet them was Chae Hee-geon.
“Aigoo, if it isn’t President Shin of QS Telecom! I’m Chae Hee-geon from the PR Team.”
“A pleasure. I’m Shin Ho-jung.”
Watching this, Oh Il-mu nodded once more. The case Ho-gyun had taken on right after assuming the concurrent role of Audit Team Head had been the internal hiring irregularities at QS Telecom. It seemed even President Shin Ho-jung had been recruited.
After the three men took their seats on the sofa and exchanged greetings, President Shin Ho-jung brought up a new topic.
“Team Leader Chae, you’re already here. Before I came, Young Master Ho-gyun mentioned something—he said you had a favor to ask of me?”
“Yes, that’s right. I was just wondering how to bring it up, but I’m grateful that Young Master mentioned it first.”
“He also asked me not to refuse your request, so please feel free to speak.”
Shin Ho-jung’s gaze then shifted slightly toward Oh Il-mu beside him. Sensing the cue, Oh Il-mu made a show of rising from his seat.
“If this is a conversation you need to have privately, I can step out for a moment.”
Chae Hee-geon waved both hands to stop him. “No, no. The fact that we’ve gathered here already means we’re all in the same boat. There’s no need for secrets. Besides, the favor is related to the case Attorney Oh has agreed to handle, so let’s discuss it together without any burden.”
“Understood. Then let’s proceed that way.”
“This request is for President Shin as well, and it also serves as my response to the report Attorney Oh mentioned earlier. I’d appreciate it if both of you would listen for a moment. The truth is, Da-hyun is…”
“The victim of false accusations and defamation, Park Da-hyun?”
“You mean Rainy Girls’ Da-hyun?”
At the successive questions from Oh Il-mu and President Shin, Chae Hee-geon nodded and continued.
“Yes. That child is actually my wife’s niece.”
Upon learning the truth behind the minor prostitution accusation Chae Hee-geon had been saddled with, Oh Il-mu burst into laughter just as Chae Hee-geon had predicted. President Shin’s expression also shifted to one of intrigue, as if he now understood why Da-hyun had been selected as QS Group’s promotional model.
Chae Hee-geon then requested that Da-hyun be used as the CF model for QS Telecom’s new IPTV service, and President Shin readily agreed. Meanwhile, the meeting time Ho-gyun had designated drew closer, and the remaining members arrived one by one. President Seong Yun-hwan of QS Express and President Choi Sang-seok of QS Resort arrived almost simultaneously, with Secretariat Chief Han Seung-woo appearing last.
With subsidiary presidents and headquarters executives gathered, the conversation naturally turned to company matters—particularly the succession structure.
“Everyone here supports Young Master Kwon Ho-gyun as the next chairman, correct?” Chae Hee-geon said.
“I truly hope Young Master Kwon Ho-gyun succeeds Chairman Kwon Byung-do, but our company is so far on the periphery of the group that I’ve been deeply troubled about what help I can offer,” President Choi Sang-seok of QS Resort added.
“Seeing everyone gathered here is reassuring, but we still have a long way to go. Since we’re going far, let’s go together,” Oh Il-mu remarked.
Yet as the conversation progressed, it felt as though one crucial link was missing. Even though the appointed time had passed, the central figure of all these discussions—the one who had gathered everyone here—Kwon Ho-gyun, had yet to appear.
Just as Chae Hee-geon was gazing at the villa’s main entrance, the door to the inner room on the opposite side opened, and a man and woman appeared. It was the long-awaited Kwon Ho-gyun, accompanied by his secretary, Cha Ye-na. Ho-gyun naturally took the central sofa that had been left empty and greeted the gathered members.
“Good afternoon. I am Kwon Ho-gyun. Every single person I invited has come. Thank you.”