The Source of Funds
"W-what! You, you, you, who the hell are you! How do you know that name!"
Liu Chen’s face flushed a deep crimson as he twisted his body, but thanks to the tight restraints Choi Pil-gyu had applied, he couldn't muster more strength than a wriggling caterpillar.
"Because of Zhang Chen’s betrayal, you lost your son and your youngest grandson to North Korean agents. And the reason? Because your son was working as a North Korean intelligence asset under Zhang Chen."
"How did you find that out!!"
"And if I told you?"
Liu Chen’s movements froze instantly.
"What...?"
"If I tell you, what can you do for me? Isn't the location of Zhang Chen what you want? I have what you want, but do you have what I want?"
Liu Chen’s mouth snapped shut. Even in his state of agitation, his brain began to spin furiously. However, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out what Choi Yoon-gi, the real owner of YK, could possibly want from him.
"Do you want money? If it's money, I will do my best to..."
Yoon-gi shook his head before he could even finish.
"There is absolutely no reason for me to accept Communist Party funds. And even if you gave me money, how much could you possibly give?"
"Ugh...!"
It was true. Even if he had funneled a large sum to Oh Jeong-su, by the standards of a *chaebol*, it wasn't exactly an "astronomical amount." Furthermore, the moment it was discovered that he had used Communist Party funds for personal use, he would certainly be executed, and YK, where that money flowed, would likely face all sorts of inconveniences. The fact that the Choi Yoon-gi standing before him had caught onto that meant he was sharp enough to consider such implications. Yet, Liu Chen was desperate enough to risk his life for revenge against Zhang Chen.
"Zhang Chen, who was in the North Korean intelligence department, used you and your family to settle down in North Korea and act as a double agent. He sold out the best guanxi to gain the trust of the North Korean leadership."
"Grrr-!"
China's guanxi is a concept somewhat similar to friendship in Korea. Of course, it isn't exactly the same.
"The best guanxi... it means that even if your guanxi commits murder, you should be able to hide it and defend them. In a sense, Zhang Chen has committed murder—do you still consider him your guanxi?"
"Don't talk nonsense!!"
Veins bulged in Liu Chen’s neck, and his eyes began to well up with moisture at the thought of his son and grandson.
'Knowing about guanxi is really helpful.'
Back in his days as a laborer, there were naturally foreign workers from China. Through his interactions with them, Yoon-gi had been able to grasp exactly what guanxi was, and through it, he was now cooking Liu Chen to perfection.
"What do you want!! Tell me! I will get it for you no matter what it takes!"
Driven by his desire for revenge against Zhang Chen, Liu Chen’s speech had become somewhat concise. It meant he no longer had the mental capacity for anything else. That was why Yoon-gi smiled and revealed his purpose.
"It’s not a very difficult task. I just need you to become a spy for my side."
A plan Yoon-gi had prepared to counter China decades later. It was to use a Chinese spy as a double agent. For Yoon-gi, who was on the outside, the method to plant a spy in China was effectively zero. If that was the case, there was no better option than to win over Liu Chen, who was already a spy. At least in the current situation.
Of course, he could get information from the CIA. However, Yoon-gi planned to attach Johnson to Liu Chen once Liu Chen reached a certain level of status. High-level information that even the CIA would find difficult to obtain would come in exactly as it was, without any information manipulation.
"What? Are you crazy! Do you think I would do such a thing? Knowing what Zhang Chen did?"
Zhang Chen had betrayed Liu Chen to act as a double agent. To propose being a double agent to the man who had been betrayed—it was, on the surface, absurd.
"It's possible. Because Zhang Chen isn't a double agent."
"What...?"
"The Director of the Chinese Department of Intelligence on the US, Zhang Chen."
"What...? Wh-what?"
As Liu Chen recoiled in shock, Yoon-gi smiled and held up a brown envelope.
"Zhang Chen offering your son and grandson as sacrifices to North Korea wasn't his own choice. It was just an order from the Communist Party. The fact that Zhang Chen was promoted to Director of the Department of Intelligence on the US in recognition of his service is the proof. Of course, that fact is being kept strictly secret."
"Lies! That's a lie! The higher-ups answered me that Zhang Chen had crossed the line and that his records had been erased! They said he was in North Korea now!!"
"How naive. You're in intelligence, and you believe such things?"
Yoon-gi showed him large, printed photographs from the brown envelope.
"Gasp!"
Liu Chen could see a photo of Zhang Chen meeting with a Party official. Zhang Chen’s unforgettable appearance, with thin whiskers growing around his mouth. And this photo was absolutely not an old photo that had been manipulated. Because the building in the photo was one that had been completed just a year ago.
"I-I can't believe it!"
It was a natural reaction. To believe a stranger in front of him based solely on a photo? This was not something Liu Chen, who belonged to the intelligence department, could do.
"That's why I'm going to let you go."
"What...?"
"We will give you the information, so go find out for yourself and come back to me. Once you see the reality, won't your attitude toward me change a little?"
"You trust me...?"
Liu Chen’s attitude softened slightly. However, Yoon-gi shook his head.
"I don't trust you; I trust rationality. The moment you run to where Zhang Chen is and kill him, what will happen to your family? At the very least, your entire extended family will be wiped out. But I will help you."
"You... will help... me...?"
"The possibility of someone inside China helping you is extremely low. To that person, you have no value. But I am different. To me, your utility is quite high. By my calculations, it will take about 20 years for me to grow enough for you to take safe revenge. You can see from your reaction just now which one you'd choose: safe revenge in 20 years or immediate self-destruction."
"Ugh..."
Because it was clearly a viable choice, Liu Chen dropped his head. It was because he felt a sense of shame for having shown his inner thoughts too much in front of someone else.
"The choice is yours. Let's meet here again in a month."
Yoon-gi placed a dagger on Liu Chen’s thigh to cut the ropes and left the room.
N handed Oh Jeong-su over to a soldier he trusted. Thanks to that, the soldier was able to secure a path for promotion, and the Oh Jeong-su incident seemed to have been wrapped up that way. Of course, Oh Jeong-su had testified about Liu Chen, but there was no way to catch him. In the first place, Oh Jeong-su only knew Liu Chen’s appearance, and for spies like Liu Chen, changing one's appearance was truly easy.
If a Chinese person with an appearance almost identical to a Korean were to use a disguise and go into hiding, there was practically no way to catch them. Especially in this era without CCTV and dashcams. Just as N was gradually increasing his influence with Yoon-gi’s support, a month had passed.
"I guess I don't need an answer."
Just as Yoon-gi had said, the expression on Liu Chen’s face as he sat next to him was nothing short of gloomy. It wasn't just gloom; it was shame, despair, and anger. It was 'sadness' itself, a complex combination of negative emotions.
"To think the Party deceived me... no, betrayed me..."
Liu Chen’s words were full of shame. Beyond simple shame, his eyes were trembling violently with anger.
"I couldn't even kill him..."
"Because there are more people you need to protect. The same goes for me."
At Yoon-gi’s words, Liu Chen lifted his head and looked at him.
"Can you really let me have legal revenge in 20 years?"
"Not legal revenge, but safe revenge."
Liu Chen, realizing what Yoon-gi meant, pondered for a moment before nodding.
"I will follow your words. Even if I die of old age, if I don't kill that bastard before I go, I won't have the face to see my son and youngest grandson in the afterlife."
As he spoke, Liu Chen’s voice became firm and resolute. A man’s determination for revenge. Because he could feel that intent, Yoon-gi nodded.
"From now on, you must become a close aide to a Party official by any means necessary."
"Become a close aide to a Party official...?"
"As you know, I am under the protection of the United States. I am in a position where I have no choice but to stand at the opposite pole from China. So, the Chinese intelligence you provide will be a great weapon for me. Not right now, but after a few years pass, I will demand information from inside the Party from you. Can you do it?"
"However, that will require a significant amount of operating funds. That request means I have to become a double agent."
"That won't be difficult."
Yoon-gi handed a money bag to Liu Chen. However, before accepting it, Liu Chen confirmed one last doubt.
"Do you really... think there is a possibility? Opposing China as an individual...?"
Yoon-gi answered Liu Chen with an extremely businesslike and rational attitude.
"You've already investigated me, haven't you? Lining up with me must mean you judged that there was a possibility based on your own calculations."
"That's true. But I want to hear the confirmation from your own mouth."
"10 quadrillion won."
"What?"
"That's the money needed to oppose China. Wouldn't it take about 20 years to save that much?"
Liu Chen couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
"You're going to save that in 20 years? Do you even know what kind of amount 10 quadrillion is?"
As of the 2010s, the total amount of overseas hidden assets of the world's top 0.1 percent of the wealthy was roughly 35 quadrillion won. The 10 quadrillion won Yoon-gi was talking about was exactly that scale. An amount that was logically impossible to earn. However, Yoon-gi continued calmly.
"Between you and me, who is taking more risk?"
Liu Chen, having nothing left to say, accepted the money bag. Furthermore, just as Yoon-gi had said, Liu Chen hadn't just confirmed Zhang Chen’s survival for the past month. He had conducted a multi-faceted investigation into Yoon-gi. As a result of sweeping up every bit of information he could find, Liu Chen concluded that Yoon-gi was worth choosing as an ally for his revenge. He was a man of ability who had effectively raised a 100th-tier chaebol family to the top 10 at a young age. It was true that he had momentarily thought that while 10 quadrillion might be a stretch, 1 quadrillion might actually be possible.
"I'll ask one last thing."
Liu Chen immediately continued.
"How did you find out about me?"
Yoon-gi looked at Liu Chen and chuckled instead of answering.
"Why, are you laughing?"
Liu Chen felt slightly offended, but Yoon-gi’s follow-up answer made him realize immediately that he had been the foolish one.
"If I tell you that, will you trust me, or will you distrust me, thinking, 'Should I really be working with such a stupid guy?'"
"...I cannot deny that. Then I will change the question. Do you not think at all that I might betray you?"
Instead of answering the question, Yoon-gi took a revolver from his pocket. For a moment, Liu Chen looked surprised, but he soon became convinced that Yoon-gi would never do anything reckless and watched his actions quietly.
"What are you trying to do?"
Liu Chen’s voice was anxious, as was natural for any human. However, Yoon-gi showed him that the chamber was full of ammunition and handed the revolver to Liu Chen.
"Wh-what?"
Liu Chen stammered, flustered by the unimaginable situation.
"If you're going to betray me, why not do it now? If you take me hostage, it's possible to escape from here. Who knows? Maybe you'll get a promotion for eliminating me? Then you might get a little closer to the path of revenge."
Liu Chen looked exhausted but reacted as if he understood Yoon-gi.
"You show trust in a truly bold way. Even if our relationship is nothing like the so-called 'guanxi,' I will never forget that you handed me a revolver today."
Liu Chen looked determined as he returned the revolver to Yoon-gi.
"I've found a reason to live until I'm in my 80s..."
No more words were needed between them.
"Oh, that was a blank."
Choi Deok-bae couldn't help but be flustered by Yoon-gi’s nonchalant reply.
"Am I crazy? Why would I hand a gun loaded with live ammunition to someone I can't perfectly trust? Well, in the future, there's certainly a possibility that Liu Chen will become someone I can trust to that extent, but still."
"Let's call it 'strategy' instead. Calling it 'cunning' makes me suddenly crave plum tea."
Yoon-gi smiled at the flustered Choi Deok-bae. Yoon-gi burst into a laugh.
"It is a pretty large amount, isn't it?"
"At first, I thought about making it 100 trillion, but thinking about the 2010s, there were already a few people with assets in the 100 trillion won range. Bill Gates is one, right now."
"Yes. If you think about currency value, that's true. But let's think about it while ignoring currency value. Now, if I set it at 100 trillion, it means there are already equal individuals in the 2010s."
"Then 1,000 trillion is also ambiguous. Because it means that if dozens of people band together, they can easily oppose me, right?"
Yoon-gi nodded.
"If 100 trillion or 1,000 trillion won't do, I thought I'd need about 10 quadrillion. Whether I can earn that, I don't know either. But I intend to do my absolute best to earn it. Because this second chance my grandfather gave me isn't for me to just play around."
Choi Deok-bae looked satisfied. The reason Choi Deok-bae kept helping Yoon-gi was because Yoon-gi lived his life diligently. If Yoon-gi had been busy playing around in this life, thinking he could just earn money with Bitcoin? Yoon-gi would have had to feel the bone-deep consequences of what happens when Choi Deok-bae gets 'disappointed.'
"Since Grandfather made contact with Liu Chen, we can send Johnson later. If Liu Chen succeeds in becoming a close aide to a Party official or a Party official himself in about 10 years, I want to attach Johnson to him in real-time. Well, Liu Chen might fail, but that's the current plan."
"Well, you never know, right? Maybe another ghost like Johnson will appear."
Choi Deok-bae, who was clicking his tongue, brought up a new topic as if he had remembered something.
"Oh, what about Nintendo?"
The time had come for the finished product of the Genesis Project to be released.
"That's right. It's time to start paying attention to that."
Just as Yoon-gi was nodding, Jung-ah’s singing voice began to drift from the living room into the room.
"I wish I could be on TV~ I really wish I could~"
In an instant, a spark flew in Yoon-gi’s head.