The House of Cards Collapses (2)
"What do you mean I'm crazy? I was just resting peacefully!" Heo Cheong-won tried to project an air of stability to Heo Do-il with his trademark benevolent expression.
"Hey! The National Tax Service attacked Heo Seong-su—don't tell me this wasn't your doing? If it wasn't, why would they go after him like that!"
On the other hand, because Heo Do-il’s default expression was always laced with mischief, it was difficult for him to convey any sense of gravity to Heo Cheong-won.
"Hey, hey. Don't be like that. Let's talk just the two of us. Do you want to advertise this to the whole neighborhood?"
"Ugh..."
Heo Do-il put on a performance of being forced into it and headed toward the inner room of the villa, following Heo Cheong-won. It was a spacious room that was effectively a private office. In particular, the entire wall behind the desk was a window, soaking up the sunlight in its entirety.
Whoosh!
As the curtains on both sides were drawn, plunging the room into darkness, Heo Do-il instinctively found the switch and turned on the lights, brightening the interior once again.
"Let's sit down first."
When people of similar status converse, they couldn't exactly do it while sitting in office chairs. Thus, by sitting across from each other on the reception sofa, Heo Cheong-won and Heo Do-il reaffirmed that they were equals.
"Hey, I'm asking again. Why did you attack Heo Seong-su?"
From Heo Do-il's perspective, Heo Cheong-won attacking Heo Seong-su was a very welcome development. However, he couldn't show that. To ensure he wasn't implicated in any way, he asked Heo Cheong-won directly.
"Isn't it actually a good thing for you?"
Heo Cheong-won and Heo Do-il were friends of the same age. Therefore, their conversation continued in casual, informal speech—though it felt like nothing more than a thin veneer of friendliness.
"What's so good about it for me?"
Heo Do-il, who had to pretend not to know despite knowing the situation perfectly well, and Heo Cheong-won, who had to deceive Heo Do-il for similar reasons—their conversation was truly a sight to behold.
"I'm going to retire from politics anyway once this is all over."
"You've said that, but still. Even so, isn't this too insane? How do you plan to handle the fallout?"
"Oh, you chicken-hearted fool." Heo Cheong-won clicked his tongue and continued. "Look, let's be blunt. If the President wanted to stop me, he would have done it already. Don't you think?"
"That's true, but..."
"But seeing as he isn't stopping me, it means the President wants the power of the number-twos to weaken."
It was a story they had both heard from Kim Ju-ho. The two continued their conversation based on the words of their respective 'confidant,' Kim Ju-ho.
"Anyway, for that reason!" Heo Cheong-won looked at Heo Do-il with a firm voice.
"For that reason?"
"I will become your Kingmaker."
"K-Kingmaker?"
Heo Do-il was dying of joy inside upon confirming that Heo Cheong-won was truly going to retire from politics. However, he acted the part of an innocent man who knew nothing, which in turn satisfied Heo Cheong-won’s own inner agenda.
'This guy is really going to retire from politics. As expected, the next presidency is mine.'
'This guy is truly a naive fool. He'll be easy to deceive. As expected, the next presidency is mine.'
Heo Do-il and Heo Cheong-won were dreaming different dreams in the same bed. Finally, their conversation began to draw to a close.
"Do-il, once you take the presidency, call me back into politics later."
"Call you back into politics?"
"Yes. Right now, I'm doing crazy things because I can't control my anger, but once you take the presidency, is there any reason you couldn't call me back? That's why I'm saying I'll be your Kingmaker."
Heo Cheong-won’s words gave Heo Do-il the assurance that he would temporarily retire and be satisfied as a number-two. However, Heo Do-il deliberately avoided giving a direct answer.
"I'm still a bit uneasy..."
"Don't worry, you just have to watch. Besides, I'm the one who will take the responsibility, right?"
Finally, the words Heo Do-il wanted to hear came out.
"Just watch?"
"Yes. You just need to stay still. If this goes well, you'll sit there and become the number-two with the best public image."
"And if it doesn't go well?"
"I'll bear all the karma. You just have to sit still and watch. And then, if the presidential bid works out later, you can just pull me back up."
"Hmm... well, if you say so..."
Just like Heo Do-il, who hid his desire to jump for joy, Heo Cheong-won also felt like laughing because the Heo Do-il in front of him seemed so incredibly stupid.
'I have no risk either. Even if it fails, the Director of the Corporate Tax Bureau will take all the blame.'
The fox ate the soup from the plate, and the crane ate the soup from the narrow-necked bottle. However, they were dreaming of no such thing as the fact that someone had poisoned the soup. And there was a ghost watching them.
***
"Director, are you just going to keep enduring this?"
Heo Seong-su, looking frustrated, flushed his trademark red face even deeper and opened his usually tiny mouth incredibly wide. It was a sight rarely seen in normal times. JSD sat not in the head seat, but across from Heo Seong-su, maintaining a serious expression throughout and offering no reply.
"Director, please say something. Aren't you the one who is the victim of the crazy thing Heo Cheong-won did this time?!"
Heo Seong-su raised his voice in frustration. It was understandable, as he had no one to talk to from his current perspective. He had sought out JD, but was told he was too busy to meet; Heo Cheong-won was unreachable; and Heo Do-il only reacted by saying he knew nothing of the situation. In this case, all that was left was the Director of the ANSP. However, even though he had come to find JSD, JSD merely kept a solemn expression and said nothing.
"Director, are you really going to do this? Even if we haven't been on good terms, this is ridiculous in a situation like this! Looking at the current situation, Heo Do-il and Heo Cheong-won are joining hands to bury us!"
Heo Seong-su had grasped the situation to some extent through his insight. It was the alliance between Heo Do-il and Heo Cheong-won.
"Heo Cheong-won is trying to make Heo Do-il the king!"
Heo Seong-su continued to speak out of frustration, but JSD still did not answer.
"Why, why don't you have a single word to say? Are you not even angry at the current situation?"
Finally, JSD’s lips opened.
"Why should I be angry?"
"Excuse me? What did you say?"
When Heo Seong-su asked back, thinking he had misheard, JSD opened his mouth again with a slightly puzzled expression.
"The President gave me no word on this. Therefore, I have nothing to do, and nothing to be angry about. Everything is a matter for the President to decide."
"No, what is that... Your own face is being smeared, yet you aren't angry?"
"If I were a person who cared about my face being smeared, I would be in that seat, not this one."
"Ugh...!"
It was a very unpleasant thing to hear, but since it wasn't wrong, Heo Seong-su had nothing to say.
"...I understand. You're saying the President didn't say anything?"
"That is correct."
Heo Seong-su intuited that JD wanted to weaken the power of the number-twos and sighed inwardly. However, Heo Seong-su was not a stupid man.
"I understand. Director, if the President happens to give you any word, please be sure to contact me, Heo Seong-su. Even though we haven't had much of a relationship until now, I will be sure to reward you."
He didn't know if such words would actually be effective, but at the very least, it was a million times better than storming out. Thus, JSD nodded and saw Heo Seong-su off.
"Go safely."
The door to the office closed firmly. And a moment later, Choi Ki-hyun, who had finally become a free man from the prosecution, appeared in JSD’s office.
"Welcome!"
***
The study in Choi Ki-hyun’s house. Normally, Yoon-gi would be using it, but for once, Choi Ki-hyun was sitting in the head seat, and Yoon-gi was sitting next to him.
"How was it?"
At the question, a broad smile spread across Choi Ki-hyun’s face.
"Don't even ask. Do you know how good I felt? To think that JSD would show me respect. There are only two people in the world who have received such a thing. One is JD, and the other is me."
"Was it that significant?"
"I'm telling you. JSD didn't sit in the head seat!"
Choi Ki-hyun was using a tone significantly more cheerful than his usual way of speaking, showing just how good he felt. It was understandable, as he had experienced something truly incredible in JSD’s office.
"JSD gave up the head seat? Then did you sit there, Grandfather?"
Choi Ki-hyun shook his head.
"No, it's not that much. He sat in the seat across from me. But even just that much means I've become the second most respectable person to JSD. As much as the relationship between JD and JSD has been creaking lately, it means JSD has started to rely on me."
"Congratulations."
Toward Yoon-gi, who was congratulating him with a bright smile, Choi Ki-hyun returned an equally bright smile.
"Thank you. Really... you keep gifting me things I would never have experienced in my entire life. I had two reasons for founding Samwoo."
"What are they?"
"One was that I didn't want to see my family go hungry. Everything disappeared during the war, didn't it? I was the same, starving in that situation. But I couldn't bear to see my family starve. So, I tried to build a connection with the US military, who were relatively well-off at the time, by any means necessary. And I ended up having a great connection with Colson."
"I guess I really do take after you, Grandfather. I'm making money through the US military too, aren't I?"
"Yes, no matter what anyone says, you are my grandson. My grandson! Hahahaha!"
Watching Choi Ki-hyun burst into laughter of pure joy, Yoon-gi muttered to himself.
'This time, I really am your grandson. Not a fake one.'
Though he couldn't know Yoon-gi’s heart, Choi Ki-hyun began to speak the second reason with a warm smile.
"The second was because I didn't want to be ignored by others. I wanted to live a life where I climbed higher and higher, so that no one would ever ignore me. However, I felt my limits when Samwoo reached the top 100. Even if I wanted to go higher, the blood-oath made of the blood of the chaebols was not something that could be easily broken through."
"Certainly, the chaebol families of Korea have formed blood-alliances with each other."
Choi Ki-hyun placed his hand on Yoon-gi’s head and began to stroke it.
"But you fulfilled my wish. You placed our family in a higher place without a blood-alliance, in a more certain way than I ever could. I have no regrets now. In fact, JSD, who was my final goal, showed me respect. This is an achievement that no other chaebol has ever accomplished."
"Please don't say things like that."
"Hm?"
Choi Ki-hyun looked at Yoon-gi with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Please don't say things like having no regrets. You may have no regrets, but there are still many things you need to experience. I will make sure you enjoy all the luxuries of this world, so please just live a long life. I feel the joy of being alive just by having you by my side."
At his grandson’s sincerity, which held not a single lie, Choi Ki-hyun felt his eyes well up with tears before he knew it.
"It would have been really nice if your grandmother were alive."
"Don't worry. She must be watching over us."
For some reason, Yoon-gi spoke to his grandfather with the thought that, like Choi Deok-bae, his grandmother might be watching him from somewhere.
"Yes, I hope so."
Choi Ki-hyun, who wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, brought up a new topic to change the mood.
"By the way, how will things unfold from here?"
It was a question like that of a reader reading an exciting novel. At that question, Yoon-gi smiled and gave a spoiler that wasn't quite a spoiler.
"Whenever Kim Ju-ho made a call, the phone was always cut off twice."
Yoon-gi mentioned someone who had been monitoring Kim Ju-ho’s calls.
"Did JSD wiretap it?"
"It wasn't JSD."
Yoon-gi’s smile turned into that of a little devil.