Chapter 116: I Only Told Her What She Wanted to Hear

Jinhyuk Park took a sip of his freshly served coffee before beginning the story of why he had come.

“Do you happen to know the Junghwa Art Museum?”

“The Junghwa Art Museum?”

At Jinhyuk’s question, Han Ji-yeon pursed her lips and stared at him for a moment.

Until just a moment ago, she had maintained a soft expression toward him. However, as soon as the name Junghwa was mentioned, her face hardened instantly. It was as if she were trying to discern his intentions.

Seeing this, Jinhyuk decided to speak further to open her mouth rather than waiting for her to break the silence.

“Upon arriving at DS Telecom, I learned that they had purchased artworks from the Junghwa Art Museum. However, when I looked into it, I was told that the museum exists only on paper. It’s not just a few pennies; they traded artworks worth over seventy billion won. It seemed strange to me that a transaction of that scale happened with a place that only exists on paper, so I tried to investigate… but absolutely no one would tell me anything. I’m not sure if it’s just the nature of this industry, but people refuse to open up unless there’s a direct connection. That’s why I came to see you, Miss Ji-yeon, thinking you might know about Junghwa.”

“You said you had dealings with Junghwa?”

“Yes. I was told my uncle, the former CEO, conducted the trade.”

Only then did Han Ji-yeon’s tension seem to ease slightly. She felt a sense of trust in Jinhyuk because he didn’t hide his reasons. She nodded as if she understood and spoke.

“There probably wasn’t anyone around who would give you a straight answer about Junghwa. I understand. It’s a place that is difficult to speak of aloud.”

“Difficult to speak of? Why is that?”

“It’s a place that specializes in classic slush fund laundering. They are difficult to meet and even more difficult to trade with. And of course, even if someone knows about them, it’s a place they can’t easily mention to others.”

“A slush fund?”

“It’s a method that was popular once and is still frequently used by people like us. Whether it’s gifting assets through artwork or hiding money… you know how it is, don’t you?”

Jinhyuk had expected as much. It seemed the stories of money laundering and slush fund accumulation through art, which had once caused an uproar in South Korea, were still ongoing.

“So, you’re saying this Junghwa Art Museum acts as a broker?”

“Something like that. And they are a bit more special than other places. They manage their clientele strictly, dealing only with top-tier companies in the business rankings and a few high-level politicians. That’s why they’ve built such trust and reliability over time. You have to be at the level of Cheongwoo or DS to even see their faces.”

“Are people reluctant to talk because they’re afraid those involved might get dragged into it if they say the wrong thing?”

“That’s part of it, but in truth, the number of people who can even say they know of them is very small. Those who truly know the details are even fewer.”

“In that sense, I’ve come to the right person.”

“Yes. You’re right. You’ve come to the right person.”

Jinhyuk flashed a satisfied smile at her words.

“That’s good to hear.”

“But are you looking into this simply because the transaction with Junghwa seemed strange? I don’t think that alone would be enough to move a CEO.”

Han Ji-yeon looked at Jinhyuk with a suspicious smile. Jinhyuk nodded as he met her gaze.

“Yes, you’re right. I didn’t seek out Junghwa simply because we traded with them.”

“Then what was so strange that you came here?”

“The items we traded for were all fakes.”

“Pardon?”

Han Ji-yeon doubted her own ears at Jinhyuk’s statement.

“What did you just say?”

“I checked, and the items that came in through the trade with Junghwa were counterfeits.”

“Are you saying there were fakes mixed in?”

“No. They were all fakes. To be precise, out of more than sixty works, all of them were counterfeits except for about ten.”

“Are you sure? That shouldn’t be possible.”

“Shouldn’t be possible? Why are you so certain?”

Han Ji-yeon’s eyes shifted as she fell into thought for a moment. Then, she shook her head and replied.

“DS isn’t the only place that has traded with Junghwa. To be honest, we have traded with them many times as well. In fact, you could say that almost any chaebol wishing to create a slush fund has dealt with Junghwa, provided they have the status. But like us, I’ve never heard of anyone receiving a fake. Of course, none of the items we received were counterfeits, either. As you’ve found out, Junghwa isn’t a place that procures items through normal channels. But what would happen to a place like that if even their goods were fake? It’s impossible.”

“And yet, that impossible thing happened on our end.”

“Are you certain? They were definitely fakes?”

“I am. I’m certain.”

Although Jinhyuk gave a confident answer, Han Ji-yeon still tilted her head, unable to believe it. It meant her trust in Junghwa was that significant.

Watching her, Jinhyuk felt his suspicions leaning in one direction.

‘It seems the items were swapped after the genuine ones arrived.’

If Han Ji-yeon was this certain, then it was likely that the genuine articles had indeed been delivered initially. Furthermore, as she said, if they traded with other chaebols besides DS, they would likely value their credit like life itself. There was no way those clients wouldn’t have verified the authenticity of the incoming goods.

As Jinhyuk processed his thoughts, Han Ji-yeon, who had been thinking as well, looked at him as if something had occurred to her.

“You said they were all fakes, right? And you confirmed it yourself. Then, has it occurred to you that they might have been swapped after the items arrived?”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“But why? There’s no reason to swap them internally.”

“Well, we’ll have to ask the person who did it. By the way, perhaps…”

Jinhyuk paused before finishing his sentence. Han Ji-yeon gave a thin smile as if she already knew what he was going to say.

“You’re curious about the whereabouts of the swapped items, aren’t you?”

“Yes. If the items were swapped, I believe the genuine ones must have flowed somewhere else. They wouldn’t have swapped them just to let them rot in a warehouse.”

“You’re right. I don’t know who it is, but if they swapped the goods, they would try to liquidate them as quickly as possible. Do you happen to have a list?”

“I don’t have it on me now, but I can provide it separately.”

“Then give the list to me. I’ll let you know if any items on that list appear on the market. If the items surface, wouldn’t we also be able to find out who put them out there?”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. You’ll be paying me back for this later anyway.”

“Yes. I won’t forget this help.”

Han Ji-yeon nodded as if that was enough. The two concluded their conversation and shared a bit of small talk before Jinhyuk stood up to leave.

Jinhyuk did not ask about the relationship between the Center Director and Han Ji-yeon until the moment he left. He already had a rough idea of their relationship and felt no need to step inside to confirm it.

However, as Jinhyuk said his goodbyes and prepared to leave the room, Han Ji-yeon called out to him.

“Thank you for the plum blossom bonsai.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“The woman serving as the Center Director is my father’s second concubine.”

Jinhyuk turned back toward Han Ji-yeon with his hand still on the doorknob. She spoke with a bitter smile.

“To anyone else, it’s something to be sneered at. Placing a concubine, not even his own wife, as the director of an art center. And on top of that, making his own daughter work under her. Do you know where that woman came from?”

Her eyes were filled with anger while she mourned her own situation. Jinhyuk simply stared into her eyes silently.

“She used to roll around in the gutters of the nightlife industry. But now, such a person is plotting all sorts of things to take over Cheongwoo’s inner circle. Just because she gave birth to a son. And I am working under such a woman. Simply because I am a woman. If I were a man, would I be here doing this?”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Jinhyuk spoke in a voice devoid of emotion to Han Ji-yeon, whose voice was becoming increasingly agitated. Hearing his voice, she quickly calmed her heart. Then, she asked Jinhyuk a question in a composed tone.

“Is it because my pride is too strong?”

“You seem like someone with strong pride, but a heart that is more fragile than anyone else’s. Don’t bottle it up too much. If you keep it all inside, you’ll end up exhausted and collapse when it’s actually time to use your strength.”

Jinhyuk finished speaking, opened the door, and walked out. He felt that having a deeper conversation with Han Ji-yeon would only result in useless talk.

Outside, it appeared that Junwoo Kim wasn’t the only one waiting for Jinhyuk to emerge. A person sent by the Center Director was also waiting alongside Junwoo Kim. Jinhyuk brushed them off by saying he had a busy schedule and would return another time, then left the building.

Outside the building, the car Jinhyuk had arrived in was waiting for him. As soon as he climbed inside, the car sped toward the DS Telecom headquarters.

“CEO. How did you know I was preparing a plum blossom bonsai?”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

Jinhyuk, who had been closing his eyes and thinking about Seyoung Oh embezzling the paintings, opened them and looked at Junwoo Kim. Junwoo began to bring up the question he had wanted to ask since earlier.

“The plum blossom bonsai. I don’t believe I mentioned it to you first, so I was curious how you knew.”

“The plum blossom bonsai? Did I say I knew beforehand? I didn’t know either until you mentioned it, Secretary Kim.”

“Then how could you say that to the Deputy Director? You spoke as if you had prepared it with full knowledge.”

“Ah… I was wondering what you were talking about. It just happened to come to mind, so I mentioned it. It’s not like I knew.”

“You said it just happened to come to mind?”

Junwoo Kim looked at Jinhyuk with a face of disbelief. He was always amazed by the man’s abilities, but the fact that he could pull a fitting story for a suddenly presented item from his head and use it at the perfect moment was simply astonishing.

“Shouldn’t I do that so the other person trusts me a bit more? Maybe that’s why she held onto me as I was leaving and talked about the plum blossom bonsai again. I guess the story was quite good.”

“What did she say?”

“She asked if her pride was too strong. Since I told her the plum blossom bonsai was a fellow with strong pride, it seems she projected herself onto it.”

“Wasn’t that your intention, CEO? That’s how it sounded to me.”

He had given the plum blossom bonsai as a gift while telling a story about it. And he had thrown out comments about pride and receiving love. No matter who heard it, the situation appeared as if he had given the gift while identifying Han Ji-yeon with the bonsai.

However, Jinhyuk smiled and spoke to Junwoo Kim.

“People want to hear what they want to hear. She caught me as I was leaving and asked that. But is there anyone in this world whose pride isn’t strong? Everyone, including you and me, has pride. And we all think of ourselves as fragile people. Why? Because there’s a protective instinct that tells us we aren’t bad people. I bet even a notorious murderer thinks there was a reason for everything they did and that they just made a wrong choice.”

Junwoo Kim’s eyes went wide at Jinhyuk’s words.

‘Where on earth did this person learn how to handle people?’

He was a man who would barely be 30 once the year turned. Every time, Junwoo found himself doubting if this was truly the man’s first experience in society. It didn’t seem like something he knew from reading many books, either. He knew that this kind of behavior couldn’t be produced without actual experience.

Jinhyuk spoke nonchalantly, as if he didn’t care how Junwoo Kim took his actions.

“If you tell them what they want to hear, they’re bound to like you. That’s true whether they are the eldest daughter of Cheongwoo or the youngest daughter of a neighborhood grocery store. It was enough for me to tell Han Ji-yeon what she wanted to hear and reduce her hostility toward me. That’s why I said it.”

Jinhyuk spoke as the right corner of his mouth curled up.

“Hand over the list of the works we own to the Deputy Director. Since she offered to look into it, we just need to find out where our genuine works are flowing.”

After he finished speaking, Jinhyuk leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Watching him, Junwoo Kim couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh and shake his head.

***

The executives were all giving presentations with similar content, as if they had all studied from the same source.

“I believe the next-generation growth engine is e-commerce. In that sense, I think we need to create our own payment method.”

Jinhyuk scanned the materials placed before him. They were materials the executive in charge of the presentation had put his best effort into.

“…In that sense, I believe the launch of DS Pay will become our new growth engine.”

The executive, who had presented with all his might to the point of breaking into a sweat, watched Jinhyuk’s reaction. He was sensitized to every movement, waiting to see what kind of response Jinhyuk would give.

However, Jinhyuk simply nodded without any particular reaction and called for the next turn. Then, the executive who had just finished went back to his seat, and the next one came forward to introduce what he had prepared.

“I have found a new business within the sharing economy, which is currently in the spotlight. It is mobile phone sharing. The headquarters would purchase and lease mobile phones to customers who find it difficult to buy them every time. The basis for this business is…”

Jinhyuk scanned the materials prepared by the presenter while listening to the content. After receiving Jinhyuk’s orders, the executives had done their best to prepare and catch his eye. They had researched and studied the latest trends, combining various elements to devise business plans just to stand out to him.

In the past, they would have dismissed such things, asking if this was even a business, but now they were coming forward to present them personally.