Chapter 208
No sooner had I returned from Gangneung than I called Jang Taesik straight to the office. By chance, Office Manager Oh Yanghun had stepped out to the court over some paperwork issue, and Kang Minjae was just getting up to head out on his own field assignment.
"I brought coffee! …Already drinking some, huh?"
Taesik burst into the office energetically, carrying four cups in his carrier, only to spot the ones already placed on my desk one by one. He deflated instantly and plopped down at the consultation table. Kang, watching him, sidled over and snatched up one of Taesik's cups.
"Whoa, what's this? My favorite café Americano? You read my mind—I was craving one. Thanks, man."
"Come on, Kang. You're already sipping the exact same thing."
Taesik grimaced and pointed at the half-empty cup on Kang's desk. We had a coffee machine in the office, sure, but with a café right on the first floor, we kept buying from there. Today, we'd grabbed one each on the way back from lunch, too.
"Just save it for later. Why get sulky over something like that?"
"Who said I was sulky?"
Kang patted Taesik's grumbling shoulder and sat across from him.
"What's up today?"
"I called him."
"Oh, I wanna hear too."
"Kang, don't you have a client meeting soon?"
"A bit of time left, but…"
"Perfect timing then. Head to the spot early and wait. Being late kills trust, right?"
"…Got it."
The now-downcast Kang grabbed Taesik's coffee and shot to his feet.
"I'll be off."
"If the consult runs long, just head home after."
"Yep."
Once even Kang had left, it was just Taesik and me. I sat across from him and picked up a coffee.
"You already have the same coffee, Lawyer. Why take mine?"
"Fresh one's better."
"Heh, knew it!"
His mood brightened in a flash. So straightforward.
"Anyway, what'd you call me for?"
"Nothing big. Got someone for you to tail."
"Who is it that you're chasing Kang out to tell me?"
"Not chasing him out 'cause he might overhear. Just in case he's late."
Truth be told, it was a touchy story not worth sharing with those two, so I'd timed it for when they'd be out on errands.
"Anyway. Who's the mark this time?"
"You know Lee Jeongchan?"
"Lee Jeongchan? Who's that?"
He tilted his head like he genuinely had no clue. Who in Korea wouldn't know Lee Jeongchan? Classic sub-average common sense, Jang Taesik.
"Politician."
I slid some files his way. Taesik scanned the photos and info inside, then belatedly slapped his knee.
"Oh! Yeah! I know him. That old guy from the news? The one whose son has a disability, right?"
"Spot on."
Huh, maybe not sub-average after all.
"Tailing types like him can be tricky…"
I shot him a look that said And? He clamped his mouth shut for a second, then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Of course! With the lawyer who invested 200 million in our office? Piece of cake! Hahaha!"
"The real target isn't Lee Jeongchan. It's his son, Lee Se-hyeong."
I flipped a page in the files I'd shown him.
"The son? Why?"
"Seems like he's hiding something. Time to check it out."
Taesik's eyes narrowed suspiciously, like I'd turned into the bad guy right before him.
"Guy's got health issues. Gotta go that far?"
"Does being disabled mean he can't do bad shit?"
His voice dropped to a mumble.
"Well, no, but…"
"Doesn't mean they can't or won't. They're just people, same as anyone. Your thinking's the real discrimination."
"No, that's not what I…"
Lee Se-hyeong had an acquired disability, paralyzed from the waist down, unable to walk. The tragedy hit him one month before his college entrance exam. A sudden car accident cost him both legs. Drowning in despair, he shut himself away. Above all, he didn't want to burden his famous politician father with unnecessary scandal, so he hid the accident even more fiercely.
But one day, Lee Se-hyeong realized he couldn't live like this forever. After long talks with his father, he went public with his disability. Lee Jeongchan donated hundreds of millions to disability groups, vowing to fight harder for welfare after watching his suddenly disabled son suffer firsthand.
Having missed the exam due to the timing, Lee Se-hyeong soon applied—and was accepted—under special admissions for disabled students at a top private university. He graduated in social welfare and joined the very disability NGO his father donated to yearly. A heartwarming tale. Naturally, it boosted Lee Jeongchan's image.
That was the touching story from documentaries and memoirs. One problem, though.
"What's the deal with this Lee Se-hyeong guy? I even watched his doc and cried."
Taesik peered at articles about him on my laptop.
"The problem is his legs work just fine now."
"…What?"
He yelped like the world had flipped.
"His legs are fine? No way! Recent pics show him in a wheelchair at his dad's award ceremony. Look!"
He spun the laptop toward me, incredulous. Natural reaction. Unless you're deep into politics, most remember Lee Jeongchan as "the guy with the inspiring acquired-disability son story." The image crafting around Lee Se-hyeong had been aggressive—and wildly successful.
"So the accident was fake from the start?"
"Nah. Probably recovered at some point but kept milking the image."
I phrased it as a hunch, but it was truth. Lee Se-hyeong regained use of his legs during his father's presidential campaign. Picture this: As Lee Jeongchan ramped up his presidential run, everyone expected his close-knit son to join the rallies. But no Lee Se-hyeong. People asked why; dad said overseas.
Then, right before election day, footage dropped: Lee Se-hyeong rising from his wheelchair at a rally, trembling legs carrying him toward his father. Tears flowed as Lee Jeongchan revealed he'd found an overseas hospital for surgery and rehab—that's why the absence.
To older voters, it screamed divine favor. Some even compared him to Jesus raising the lame. Minwoo Party op, obviously.
I uncovered this scam in my past life, thanks to 2018's Choi Jonghyeon. He'd exposed that Lee Se-hyeong could walk before going public. The whole "overcoming disability" arc? Fabricated. He'd lacked the guts to face the world, holing up the whole time.
Not judging that choice—I'd have despaired too. What pissed me off was faking it post-recovery to peddle a phony image, turning it into votes for dad.
But there's more. As an able-bodied guy, he'd snagged a severe-disability-only special admission to a top uni—and dodged the military to boot. National scam for image polish, son's college, and draft exemption. Master liars.
"I'm kinda shocked. You sure?"
"That's what I'm sending you to confirm."
Taesik, reeling like he'd been clocked in the back of the head, nodded slowly.
"Honestly, I wasn't big on Grandpa Lee Jeongchan politically, but his son story gave me good vibes. If it's fake? Time to get payback for those doc tears and snot."
He clenched his fist, resolute.
"Pisses me off! I'll nail it down solid!"
He sprang up with a sigh.
"Should I snap pics if Lee Se-hyeong jumps up and walks?"
"That'd be gold. But won't be easy."
Lee Jeongchan—top presidential contender. Reporters dying to dig into years of his image-building? Plenty. Even at the initial reveal, skeptics existed. But they weren't idiots; he was meticulously cautious, paperwork airtight.
Plus, in months, he could drop the act and live normally post-election. Extra careful till then, especially now.
"What to focus on tailing Lee Se-hyeong?"
"Everything daily. Oh, the doc mentioned a rehab hospital. Seems he switched. Track the new one."
"On it."
"Oh, Representative! You're here?"
A high-end Japanese restaurant in Jongno. The manager—known among staff for her icy demeanor—rushed out to greet Lee Jeongchan the moment she spotted him. She never showed her face otherwise, but hearing he'd reserved? Dropped everything to come in.
His secretary whispered something to her as she approached.
"Ah, Manager Jeong."
"Yes, Representative."
"Your daughter got married recently, right? Went well?"
"How do you even remember that?"
She pressed a hand to her chest, flustered, bowing deeply. The secretary handed her an envelope.
"The Representative said he regrets missing the wedding and to prepare this."
Her face lit up at the feel of the thick packet.
"Oh, Representative, how can I accept this? And we'd never dream of you attending our girl's wedding. That's why we didn't even send the invite…"
"No, no. Just thanks for always treating me well. Take it."
"Well… if you insist, I won't refuse. We'll go all out today—more than usual."
"Your usual is plenty. Haha."
Lee Jeongchan followed her inside. And eyes watched from afar.
"Hey, mister! Wipe this floor! It's filthy."
None other than Choi Jonghyeon, briefly posing as a janitor to uncover ties between Lee Jeongchan and the Food and Drug Administration commissioner.