A Late-Night Favor
At nine in the evening.
“You worked hard, Company Commander.”
“You’ve got a week left until discharge, and you still won’t even salute?”
“Come on, cut me some slack. I’m on my last leave tomorrow, so today’s basically my last day.”
“Tsk. Spoiled rotten. Still, you’ve had it rough. Thanks for all your work.”
“Heh. Thank you.”
Then it happened.
Bwooooom- Wooooooom-
“Huh?”
The roar of an engine loud enough to be mistaken for a fighter jet taking off rang in Jeong Taeseong’s ears as he stepped out of Mapo Police Station at the end of his night shift.
“Wow... that’s a seriously slick car.”
The sentry’s eyes locked on a red sports car speeding toward the station.
Skreeeeeeech!
The booming engine quieted, and with a harsh scream of brakes, the car came to a stop in front of the police station’s main gate.
It was Shin Gilwoo’s Chevrolet Corvette C5.
“Pretty sure that was speeding, but there’s no proof.”
“Pardon?”
“If I went to traffic right now and told them to bring me a speeding ticket, would you get mad?”
“Well...”
While Jeong Taeseong and the exhausted rookie patrolman were having that pointless exchange, the Corvette’s door opened and a broad-shouldered man climbed out.
He had lean muscle that even a neat white shirt couldn’t hide, along with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Good evening, Mr. Taeseong.”
“Mr.? Do I know you?”
“You’re Chairman Do’s friend. That makes you my senior too.”
“Do Jaehyun?”
Jeong Taeseong’s mouth twitched.
“Yes. Though you do look a bit like him. Your personalities are nothing alike, though.”
“Me? Look like Do Jaehyun?”
“No, I meant the other guy. You know, that lunatic who’s got the temperament of the sun, or maybe the moon, or some damn thing.”
“Ha... I don’t like either of you much. Not Do Jaehyun, and not Jeong Taeyang.”
“Yeah, I can see why. Get in. I’ll take you there.”
“What?”
“Is this your first time in a car like this? Come on, what are you standing there for? Get in.”
With the passenger door held open, Shin Gilwoo, already seated behind the wheel, urged Jeong Taeseong inside.
“...Everything else is fine, but...”
“Hey, I’m not kidnapping you, so why are you being so picky? If anyone saw you, they’d think you were one of those Orange Tribe losers hunting college girls in Gangnam.”
“The top.”
“Pardon?”
“Close the top. It’s embarrassing.”
“Ah...?”
Shin Gilwoo got out with an awkward smile. Then, without a word, he opened the trunk.
“Hey there, Police Uncle. You look like you’re about to be discharged soon, am I right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes...”
“Give me a hand.”
“With what?”
“This top. It’s a hardtop, and it’s manual...”
“...”
Watching Shin Gilwoo’s bright expression as he lifted the top from the trunk, Jeong Taeseong was left speechless.
“...Help that bastard out a little. He’s still serving the people until today.”
“...”
A little later.
With the top on and both men seated in the car, Shin Gilwoo and Jeong Taeseong were ready to go.
“Tsk. For a company commander, too. No matter how bad the pay is, sending a guy off on his last leave with empty hands is a bit cold, don’t you think?”
“It, it’s fine.”
“Oh, take it. I was in a similar position not too long ago, so I know the feeling.”
“E-even so...”
“What, is the money too little?”
The rookie patrolman’s eyes wavered as five one-hundred-thousand-won checks appeared in front of him.
“Take it.”
“Really? Is that all right, Company Commander?”
“Buy some fried chicken for the guys and share it around.”
“Thank you!”
“All right then. Shall we go?”
Vwoooom!
Leaving behind the rookie patrolman’s crisp salute, the exhaust of Shin Gilwoo’s Corvette C5 roared.
“Gangnam...?”
“Yes.”
“You weren’t the one looking for me. It was Chairman Taeyang?”
“Mr. Taeseong.”
Shin Gilwoo’s eyes sharpened slightly.
“Do I look like the kind of guy who listens to anyone except Chairman Do?”
“Honestly...”
Shin Gilwoo had little in common with Do Jaehyun beyond those fierce eyes, but for some reason Jeong Taeseong found the two men overlapping in his mind.
“You do look alike in the sense that neither of you seems like he’d listen to a damn thing.”
“...We’re here. Get out.”
As though already used to the routine, Shin Gilwoo handed the keys to the parking attendant and opened the passenger door for Jeong Taeseong.
“WH Entertainment...? This should be Chairman Taeyang’s business, though.”
“Not anymore.”
Shin Gilwoo pushed Jeong Taeseong through the revolving door.
“Come on, let’s go. Ask Chairman Do about the details.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Yeouido’s securities district never slept. High-rise buildings stood packed together, their windows still burning with light. Among them, one tower rose especially high: Johwa Tower, the headquarters of Johwa Group. While other floors blazed under fluorescent lights, the chairman’s office on the top floor glowed only with the soft warmth of mood lamps.
It was where Han Gangho, the chairman of Johwa Group, one of the country’s great conglomerates and one of the engines of South Korea’s growth, held court.
“Chairman. Director Cheon Subeom is here.”
At the young secretary’s voice, the door to the chairman’s office opened.
“...”
Cheon Subeom bowed politely, but Han Gangho did not even glance at him.
“I’ll prepare some tea.”
As though used to this sort of thing, the secretary bowed to Cheon Subeom and withdrew, closing the door behind her.
Even after she returned with tea and opened the door again, Han Gangho remained seated at his desk without saying a word, flipping through papers and moving his pen.
“Sit.”
Only when the steaming tea had begun to cool did Han Gangho finally speak.
“I’m fine. I’ll stand, Chairman.”
“Why stand when you can sit comfortably and have some tea?”
“I’m comfortable like this, Chairman.”
Han Gangho continued working for a long while after that. Sweat gathered on Cheon Subeom’s forehead as he stood motionless, then ran down his cheek.
Clack.
The chairman set down his expensive fountain pen and rose from his seat.
“Sit down.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Only after Han Gangho took a seat on the sofa did Cheon Subeom cautiously settle down to his right.
“Today is my youngest granddaughter’s birthday.”
For the first time, emotion flickered across Han Gangho’s face as he thought of the little girl who had only just started daycare.
“I’d like a menu please......”
“Pardon?”
“That’s what my youngest granddaughter said to me this morning.”
“That English was awfully natural.”
“Wasn’t it? But I’m not the old man who runs the stationery shop, and I’m not some store clerk, so what on earth was she asking me for a menu...”
“She’ll get better and better. At that age, once they learn one thing, they’re desperate to use it.”
“Really? Is that how it is... I don’t remember being like that when I was young.”
“Pardon?”
“As for me...”
Han Gangho swallowed the now-cold green tea in one go, as if it were cold water.
“I pretended not to know even when I did. I asked again when I already knew the answer. Do you know why I did that?”
“I’m not sure...”
“Suspicion.”
Clink.
The teacup Han Gangho set down slid along its saucer.
“What if what I learned wasn’t really right? If I asked again, could this person give me the same answer? If the answer was always going to be the same, was there any point in wasting time learning it this way? And once I’d learned everything I needed to know, what use would the people who taught me still have for me?”
“...”
“Those were the thoughts I had. Ha. Seeing it that way, I suppose our Jiyoung doesn’t take after me after all.”
“Does that disappoint you?”
“Not at all. For a youngest granddaughter, that’s enough.”
Cheon Subeom thought the tea tasted more bitter than usual today.
“Hmm... I’ll have to bring something home for Jiyoung’s birthday when I leave today. What would be good?”
“Girls that age usually like dolls, or toys with pretty characters on them.”
“True. That’s what I thought too. But this is the first thing my granddaughter has ever asked her old grandpa for, so I want to give her something memorable.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
“Well... I asked the planning office staff too, but none of them said anything I liked. They just kept talking about stocks and land. As if Jiyoung would care about that? Those are things her mother and father like. Hah-hah-hah.”
“...”
Unlike Han Gangho, who laughed heartily, Cheon Subeom had cold sweat sliding down his back. Even he, the head of Johwa Group’s Strategic Planning Office, had thought the same as the planning staff.
“Yes, yes. That sounds good.”
“Did you come up with a good idea?”
“No matter how pretty a doll is, it’s still fake, isn’t it? If you’re going to give her something she can really play with, then it’s better to give her the real thing.”
“Then...”
“How about an MC from a children’s broadcast, or a female idol? Pick three or four decent, pretty girls like that and send them to Jiyoung’s house tomorrow morning. They’ll buy her dolls on their own and do whatever she likes.”
“That’s a fine idea, Chairman.”
“I’ve been worrying my head off since this morning, and now I finally feel clear again. Still, what brings Director Cheon here at this hour?”
Gulp.
It was finally time to say the real reason.
“Yesterday, the youngest son...”
“The youngest? What about Junyeong?”
“No, Chairman. I’m not talking about Vice Chairman Han Junyeong. I mean Han Suyeong, the executive at Johwa Credit Union who’s preparing the conversion into Johwa Savings Bank.”
“Suyeong?”
“Yes.”
“That bastard seemed to have come to his senses lately.”
Han Gangho’s face twisted.
“If you came all the way here yourself, he must have done something serious.”
“...”
“No need to worry about my reaction. I already warned Suyeong clearly enough. If he crossed me again, I said I wouldn’t even treat him like a legitimate son. You remember that too, don’t you?”
“Of course, Chairman.”
“And yet you came all this way just to read the old man’s mood? You should have just done as I told you.”
“I’m sorry, Chairman. However...”
Cheon Subeom straightened his posture and lowered his head slightly toward Han Gangho.
“Chairman, this is not what you think it is.”
“Then what is it?”
“Executive Han Suyeong has gone missing.”
“Missing? That bastard?”
“Yes.”
“Did he go off on some secret overseas trip again because he still hasn’t learned anything?”
“No.”
Cheon Subeom shook his head firmly. As Han Gangho said, he had also considered the possibility that Han Suyeong had simply failed to abandon his old hedonistic habits and had sneaked off abroad with some woman hanging off him. He had checked Han Suyeong’s immigration records and even confirmed his entire schedule through the secretary’s office.
The conclusion Cheon Subeom reached after careful consideration was disappearance.
“Up until a week ago, Executive Han Suyeong was spearheading Johwa Credit Union’s conversion into a savings bank, and he was even planning an entertainment business. Then, a few days ago...”
“Don’t drag it out. Say it plainly.”
“...”
Instead of answering, Cheon Subeom picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
“Listen here, Director Cheon.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Do I really need to know every bit of trouble those thug bastards make?”
“...”
Cheon Subeom stood and buttoned his jacket.
“The last person Executive Han Suyeong had contact with was Kim Baekho, the boss of the Baekho Faction, which is hostile to the Kim Hasa Faction. I came to report this in person because I needed your permission, Chairman.”
“Permission?”
“The planning office and the headquarters security team need to move together.”
“...”
Han Gangho put a cigarette to his lips and lit it.
“Call the security chief.”