The Vanished 100 Billion Won (5)
No sooner had JSD entered the room than JD threw an ashtray with all his might. It was clearly aimed directly at JSD. However, JSD moved with natural grace to dodge the projectile, and the ashtray sailed through the open door, clattering down the hallway with a sharp sound as it rolled across the floor. In the past, JSD would never have dodged; he would have stood silently and taken the hit. But JD was far too agitated to notice this anomaly. How could he not be? Two hundred billion won had just vanished before his eyes. Under normal circumstances, he would have been busy playing YK and the other chaebols against each other to line his pockets, but with the news reports out, neither the chaebols nor YK had any reason to pay him. According to his chief secretary, public opinion already assumed the law was being amended.
Of course, there was one way out. If JD betrayed the current public sentiment and completely abandoned his presidential ambitions, he could still extract money from the chaebols. He could simply take the money and refuse to pass the amendment. But since the situation had shifted due to public pressure, YK no longer had a reason to pay him a massive sum, and JD, in turn, had lost the leverage to demand it. At best, he might squeeze 20 billion won out of the chaebols.
“Hey! Are you not listening to me?!”
As JD’s fury reached a boiling point, JSD bowed his head with a look of profound regret. “I apologize. It seems someone leaked the events of the luncheon and distributed them to the newspapers. We are currently tracking the source, so if you could just wait a moment…”
“Damn it all! What have you been doing until now?! Is this how you handle things?”
To anyone who knew JSD, this situation would have seemed bizarre. In truth, JSD already knew that Oh Jeongsu was the culprit. He hadn’t discovered it through an official investigation—if he had, he would have reported it—but he had learned the truth through a different channel.
"Chief of Security, I’ve heard that Chairman Oh Jeongsu of Haeshin is the one who leaked the article. Because Chairman Oh fell in love with my second granddaughter, he’s decided to stand on our side... That is why I called you earlier. I am truly sorry, but could you please turn a blind eye just this once? If my daughter didn't like him, it wouldn't matter, but it seems she has feelings for him too..."
Seeing Choi Ki-hyun’s earnest request, JSD had decided to just take the verbal abuse from JD. In the past, this would have been unthinkable, as JSD’s core principle was to provide such thorough security that he would even shield JD from minor inconveniences. But recently, JSD had been subjected to too much unjust vitriol from JD. His loyalty had been insulted time and again. Because of that, JSD felt no pangs of conscience in deceiving him.
Choi Deok-bae, watching this scene, was reminded of King Gwanghaegun. Gwanghaegun, who couldn't trust those around him and replaced his staff countless times. He had even grown suspicious of his own head of security, the Commander of the Training Command, and replaced him so frequently that the newly appointed commander ended up being recruited by the coup forces. Just as Choi Deok-bae’s cynical thoughts suggested, JD believed the ‘false report’ nonetheless. JSD’s report that he didn’t know who had spread the article was accepted. Furthermore, Oh Jeongsu hadn’t spread the article himself but had used a trusted subordinate to pass it through several intermediaries, leaving no risk of being discovered through other channels. In short, JD, the absolute ruler, had lost his arms and legs. However, there was a group that had received a far more serious blow than JD—or rather, was about to. JD had merely lost ‘money that should have come in,’ but these people had been robbed of ‘money they already possessed.’
***
“Damn it!”
When Han Hojun slammed the side of his fist against the table, the glass top cracked, and a gash appeared on his hand.
“Blood, you’re bleeding!” Yang Yiyun, startled, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the blood, but Han Hojun just rubbed his fist against his expensive suit and erupted in fury.
“Oh Jeongsu! That bastard betrayed us! He acted like he was offering us a strategy, and all the while he stole our money!”
110 billion won in cash. This was by no means a small sum, even for the chaebols. Yet, that money had vanished overnight. Moreover, this money hadn't just come from Cheonma, Haeseong, and Kangsin. Since it was money pooled from all the chaebols involved in this scheme, Han Hojun, Park Haechan, and Yang Yiyun could not escape responsibility for the mismanagement. Having claimed the role of leaders from the start, they couldn't avoid the backlash even if they stepped down now. That was why Han Hojun was so incensed.
“Those sons of bitches! Just kill them all!”
“I only found out about this recently, but it turns out those two brats aren't Chairman Oh’s bloodline; they were adopted from an orphanage. Perhaps that’s why Chairman Oh betrayed us…”
At Park Haechan’s words, Han Hojun let out a groan that sounded like a scream.
“Agh! Damn it! What are we supposed to do now? 110 billion won vanished into thin air in an instant! 110 billion won is enough to build a department store like YK and still have plenty left over!”
Yang Yiyun spoke cautiously to Han Hojun, who couldn't easily calm his excitement.
“Should we send men to Chairman Oh’s residence to bring the money back?”
“No, Chairman Yang. Are you out of your mind?” Han Hojun thumped his chest as he continued. “Do you think the money is still there? Even if it were, now that Chairman Oh is in league with YK, it’s probably guarded by ex-US military security personnel. Do we have the strength to break in there and take it? And our information network has already been cut off!”
When the news article came out, Han Hojun had immediately called Oh Jeongsu, but he couldn't get through. He had instructed his intelligence network to report on Oh Jeongsu’s situation, and the informant had reported that Oh Jeongsu hadn't left his home. Han Hojun had been completely deceived by the false report of an informant who had been paid 200 million won. Sensing something was wrong, he sent men again late the next afternoon. That was when he finally learned of Oh Jeongsu’s betrayal. Of course, he didn't learn it by talking to Oh Jeongsu directly. He inferred it from Oh Jeongsu’s refusal to meet him despite his personal visit. Therefore, Han Hojun calculated that Oh Jeongsu had already made all the necessary preparations.
“Then, wouldn't it be better to report it to His Excellency? Tell him that Chairman Oh swallowed the money we were supposed to offer him.”
It sounded somewhat plausible, but Han Hojun frowned and shook his head.
“That’s impossible, too. We have no way to prove we transferred 110 billion won. Damn it, if only we had recorded it on video…!”
Because the timeline was so tight and he never imagined Oh Jeongsu would betray them, Han Hojun hadn't arranged for any video recording. And to think that would be his undoing.
“No… even if we had recorded it, if Chairman Oh denied it, we would still have no evidence. Damn it… we just stood there and watched 110 billion won fly away.”
Han Hojun felt a throbbing headache and clutched his head with both hands.
“Ugh!”
Perhaps the wound from slamming the table had grazed his hair, as Han Hojun let out a groan, and Park Haechan handed him his own handkerchief.
“You should at least stop the bleeding.”
“Thank… you.”
Perhaps feeling a bit more stable, Han Hojun accepted the handkerchief and wrapped his hand with a calmer tone. “Anyway, Chairman Oh betrayed us, and 110 billion won is gone. And Daeyoung ultimately didn't join the fray either.”
At Park Haechan