Grabbing the Congressman by the Collar (2)
That said, it wouldn’t look good if I actively stepped forward to beat Jin Myeong-deok here. Unlike his son Jin Yong-hwa, he was a dangerous man to provoke carelessly, yet valuable enough to keep on a short leash. I didn’t like the fact that he was the prospective father-in-law of Jang Mi-ye from the JB Group, but if I flipped the perspective, it also meant I could extend my influence into the JB Group through him.
“I saw the news that Congressman Jin Myeong-deok has been confirmed for nomination in a difficult district, but I cannot be certain whether Prosecutor Jin Yong-hwa’s reckless indictment is connected to Congressman Jin Myeong-deok’s election. I do have some materials I personally secured. It would be best for you to ask Congressman Jin Myeong-deok or Prosecutor Jin Yong-hwa directly about them.”
The reporters grew even more aggressive with their microphones at the mention of “personally secured materials,” and one of them actually shoved right up to my nose before I could dodge. Aigoo, what a nuisance. Still, I ended the interview there. Since I had given them something to chew on, the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office where Jin Yong-hwa worked and Congressman Jin Myeong-deok’s office would be hounded by reporters for a while.
After finishing the defense, I returned to QS Tower and dropped another bomb on Congressman Jin Myeong-deok’s office, which was already on fire. It was a recording of the conversation I had with Jin Yong-hwa when I was summoned to the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office over the Daebong Bio case. Jin Yong-hwa probably never imagined that the pen tucked in my shirt pocket at the time had been a recorder.
Within two minutes of receiving the email with the recording attached, Congressman Jin Myeong-deok called me directly.
“Is this Attorney Kwon Ho-gyun?”
“Yes. What can I do for you?”
“This is Jin Myeong-deok. I saw the email you sent. It seems my son was quite rude to you. I’m truly sorry. Unlike his son, he at least knows when to back down.”
“Reporters have been contacting me nonstop, asking what happened between you, Prosecutor Jin Yong-hwa, and myself. The only information I can provide is that recording file, so I wanted to hear your opinion first.”
Speculative articles linking Prosecutor Jin Yong-hwa’s reckless indictment to Congressman Jin Myeong-deok’s election were already pouring out. If that recording—where Jin Yong-hwa attempted a judicial deal with me and even brought up his father’s influence—was released now, Jin Myeong-deok wouldn’t just fail to win a fourth term; he would face attempts to block his candidacy altogether, both inside and outside the party.
“Attorney, I beg you. This is a politically sensitive time. If there’s anything I can do to help you or the QS Group, I’ll do it. Could you please delete that file?”
“I won’t delete it, but I won’t release it to the media for the time being—provided you cooperate with me as you just offered.”
“Yes, yes. Please tell me what you need.”
“Those two cases mentioned in the file—the Daebong Bio stock manipulation case and the Criminal Organization Formation case involving Mr. Seok Dong-hoon that’s all over the news right now. I want the Daebong Bio case to be disposed of as ‘no charges’ as quickly as possible, and the Seok Dong-hoon case to be concluded with a withdrawal of the indictment. How does that sound?”
Jin Myeong-deok stammered at my direct demand.
“Th-that’s… While I agree it would be desirable, it’s not within my authority.”
“It’s within the authority of your son, Prosecutor Jin Yong-hwa. Does he not listen to you? If it’s difficult, I’m perfectly fine releasing the recording right now. After all, both cases would end in acquittal if they went all the way to trial. You know that as well, Congressman.”
“N-no. I’ll re-educate my son on the law if I have to and make sure it’s handled exactly as you said.”
“Understood. I won’t be taking calls from reporters for the time being.”
“Thank you. Thank you.”
* * *
A few days later, just as Jin Myeong-deok had promised, both cases were cleanly resolved so they were no longer problems. Seok Dong-hoon must have heard the news, because he called me first.
“Attorney, hello. I heard the indictment was withdrawn. Does that mean I’m innocent?”
“Yes. Since the prosecutor gave up on the trial, it’s essentially the same as an acquittal.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. I was well paid for my services. There’s one thing I’m curious about, though.”
Seok Dong-hoon asked in an excited voice.
“Yes. What is it? Ask me anything.”
“Because of this case, your face has become known to the public, and I publicly stated in court in front of reporters that you’re the one who passes along information from the underworld. Won’t that interfere with your work going forward?”
“Honestly, it will interfere quite a bit. But those things tend to blow over with time, and thanks to you, I’ve already received 1.7 billion won in advance, so it’s fine.”
“So you’re planning to continue that line of work?”
“Once a thief, always a thief. What else can I do?”
If Seok Dong-hoon kept operating in the underworld, the risk I had to shoulder would be considerable. It was already public knowledge that I was the one who defended him and got him acquitted. If he got caught later, what then? No matter how confident he was that he would never be caught, who could predict what might happen in the future?
Even if I didn’t have some grand ambition to reform a criminal, I needed to steer Seok Dong-hoon away from that world. This also aligned with my original plan when I took on his defense—to use him as an underworld informant.
“Mr. Seok Dong-hoon, what if you worked for me instead?”
“Pardon? What kind of work?”
“You already told me about the attempt to kidnap and confine me. I’d like you to keep doing that sort of thing. If there are matters in the business or political world that are being handled through the underworld, report them to me. As for compensation, I’m not familiar with the going rates in that world, so you can suggest a price yourself, or we can discuss it with Chief Han Seung-woo and pay you fairly.”
“I don’t come cheap, you know? Besides, I was told not to mess around with money when it comes to you.”
“I have plenty of money.”
“So you’re saying I won’t actually participate in the work itself? You catch on quick, as expected.”
“Yes, that’s correct. There’s also something I’d like you to look into right now.”
“What is it?”
Ever since I saw Seok Dong-hoon’s indictment, something had been bothering me.
“That JB Group executive kidnapping plan you discussed with Mr. Go Jung-gu. Do you remember it?”
With my takeover of the QS Group becoming a foregone conclusion, my sights were already set one step higher. I intended to seize and shake the entire Korean business world. QS alone wouldn’t be enough for that. My influence had to reach the JB Group as well. In that sense, the information that there had been a kidnapping attempt within the JB Group was something I couldn’t simply ignore.
The reason I wanted to keep Jin Myeong-deok on a leash rather than crush him outright was also because, though distant, he was connected to the JB Group through marriage.
“Ah, that. I believe that plan completely fell apart once Jung-gu was arrested and I started going in and out of the prosecutors’ office.”
“Even so, I want you to find out exactly who commissioned it and who the target was, then report back to me.”
“Well, just looking into it is something I can do easily. Earlier you said I could suggest the fee myself, right? Since you got me acquitted, let’s skip the retainer and call it five thousand once it’s done. How about that?”
With at least hundreds of billions—and at most hundreds of trillions—of won flowing through my hands, what was a mere fifty million won if it meant getting solid information?
“Yes. That works.”
“It’ll still take some time, though. Like you said, my reputation in that world is in the gutter right now, and the matter’s already been called off.”
“Understood. I’ll wait.”
* * *
After the Seok Dong-hoon case was wrapped up, I had been focusing once again on my duties as head of the Central Management Division. Since it was clear that Je-gyun would never recover, the appointments for the fourteen vacant affiliate CEO positions were proceeding smoothly.
While decisions for the other companies were nearly finalized, QS EnM—which primarily produced films and dramas—was proving to be a headache. As with most large corporations, there were plenty of management and accounting experts, but few who truly understood content. If I had to name candidates, there was Cha Hee-geon, the PR team leader who was well-versed in the adjacent media field, or Baek Seung-guk, president of QS Movies, who had led the theater business. But neither appealed to me for similar reasons.
Team Leader Cha Hee-geon was the type who would switch sides to Seong-gyun or anyone else the moment he judged I had no chance of taking over the QS Group. As for President Baek Seung-guk—well, what more was there to say? He was the number one bat, after all.
Bringing in an outsider wasn’t an option either, since my foundation wasn’t solid enough yet. Just as I had once recruited President Shin Ho-jung of QS Telecom from outside, it would be troublesome if Seong-gyun set his sights on whoever I brought in as the new president. If the company were smaller, the concern would be less, but QS EnM was the fourth-largest affiliate in the group after QS Foods. Its size was too big to entrust to a bat or an unknown outsider.
I was even considering leaving the CEO position at QS EnM vacant indefinitely and managing it directly from the Central Management Division when—
Knock, knock.
A knock came from the door of the division head’s office, and a woman entered.
Why on earth is she here?
It was Kim Majin, Je-gyun’s wife, whom I had met at the hospital not long ago.
“Hello, young master.”
She had dressed in a proper suit for the occasion, but her face was so gaunt that the former actress’s beauty had completely vanished. After all, with Je-gyun still in the hospital after causing such chaos, Kim Majin must have been under immense stress as well.
“Sister-in-law, please come in.”
After we sat across from each other at the table in the office, Kim Majin, looking thoroughly intimidated, began with an apology.
“I’m sorry for barging in when you must be busy.”
“It’s fine. Has Je-gyun improved at all?”
“Well…”
What Kim Majin told me about Je-gyun’s condition was shocking. He had regained consciousness but was no longer functioning as a proper human being. He had repeatedly smashed hospital equipment in fits of rage and struck doctors and nurses with his fists. Eventually, after a psychiatric consultation, he was diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder and was now hospitalized in a closed ward.
Listening to the story, I could understand why Kim Majin looked so haggard. It was ironic that Je-gyun’s own words—“I’ll make him incapable of functioning as a human being and lock him in a mental hospital”—had been applied to himself, even though I had gone easy on him.
“My brother is one thing, but you’ve had far too much to endure, sister-in-law.”
After finishing her difficult story, Kim Majin wiped away a tear and replied.
“To be honest, I’ve been struggling so much that I came to ask if I could receive a little help from you, young master.”