President Cha stroked the Ukwang Construction bribe ledger with a satisfied expression.
Unlike the raging anger he showed just a moment ago, now a warm breeze seemed to flow from his eyes to the corners of his lips.
“If it weren’t for my precious grandson, this would have been quite a headache. Since when did the Japanese bastards ever move for a bit of hush money?”
“With a weakness like this, we can fasten their leash good and tight. Right now, in Japan proper, the mood is unforgiving toward corruption among high-ranking officials, thanks to the Lockheed Gate.”
“Excellent! Even those pesky rats can’t help but cooperate this time!”
They were about to win a project worth a whopping 180 billion won, all thanks to his seven-year-old grandson.
“If we can just secure the Line 2 Subway construction, I plan to reward you handsomely for this achievement.”
“President, on that note…”
Kim Secretary took the opportunity to speak.
“I believe it would be appropriate to transfer about 100 million won worth of Taeseong shares to the young master’s name.”
“What?”
President Cha blinked in surprise.
From early morning, high-ranking Seoul city officials experienced something chilling.
On the desk in their Main Office lay approval documents—among them, a single, inconspicuous sheet of paper.
The sheet detailed when, where, how much, and by what method each bribe was received—recorded meticulously.
Thud!
Without exception.
Not one person who read the sheet didn’t immediately crumple it in panic.
The current administration was waving the banner of rooting out high-level corruption.
Hidden bribes could be hushed up, but if a list like this made its way directly to His Excellency, there was no escaping the blade.
“Damn it! Who the hell is it? Who sneaked into my Main Office and…!”
Without exception.
None of them could finish their curses out loud.
The most important thing now wasn’t who had delivered the paper.
It was that they had no choice but to comply with the threat of whoever sent it.
A cold sweat trickled down their backs.
“Ahem!”
Without exception.
They all quickly tore the paper to bits and incinerated it in their metal trash bins while glancing around.
If anyone else found it, the number of people who could use it for blackmail would only grow.
“Ukwang, you bastards!”
So they kept a separate bribe ledger?
And now, that’s fallen into someone else’s hands?
Now I’m in real trouble.
“Just wait. I’ll make you pay dearly for this!”
The anger of high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Commerce, and others, all simmered toward Ukwang.
Meanwhile, something similar was happening at the National Assembly Building.
There, too, people discovered sheets of paper on their way in.
However, for them, it was a little different than for the city officials.
Instead of being tucked in with approval documents,
“Urk!”
One assemblyman tore a paper off the hallway wall.
It was a record, under his own name, of bribes received from Ukwang Construction.
“Which damn bastard would display something like this for all to see…!”
For assemblymen, public perception was everything.
Their power depended on elections.
So, the notes for them were a bit different from those for the officials.
The assemblyman quickly glanced around.
It was early morning; only a janitor was scrubbing the hallway and stairs.
He hastily crumpled the paper and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing it furiously.
He had to erase his secrets by any means necessary.
“Damn it!”
Some discovered the paper in the Assembly Building hallways, some on their office doors, some on the main entrance steps.
Assemblymen who found the papers displayed so openly rushed to tear them up and destroy them.
Naturally, they, too, cursed Ukwang for failing to keep the bribe records secure.
The same thing was happening at newspaper companies and broadcasting stations.
One reporter even received a sheet while on the toilet.
He saw the paper slipped under the stall and his eyes went wide.
“Who’s there!”
But of course, he couldn’t burst out with his pants down just to catch the culprit!
“Ukwang, these bastards!”
Naturally, the message to the press had a slightly different threat.
The reporter ground his teeth.
He shredded the paper and flushed it down the toilet.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the suite door at Taeseong Hotel early that morning.
Yoshimoto, a senior official from Japan’s Ministry of Transport, rose from the sofa and opened the door.
“I didn’t order room service.”
“Excuse me. I am Kim Younggeol, Director of the Secretary’s Office at Taeseong Group.”
Kim Secretary stood at the door, smiling coldly.
Yoshimoto frowned deeply.
“How rude. I have no intention of speaking with you.”
“Since I’ve already been rude, I might as well commit one more discourtesy.”
Kim Secretary thrust a sheet of paper before Yoshimoto’s eyes.
It was a detailed list of bribes received from Ukwang Construction.
Yoshimoto snatched it from Kim Secretary’s hand.
“This is highly improper and extremely unpleasant! Are you threatening me? Hmph, you’ll never meet me again under the name Taeseong—!”
“If this gets delivered to the Prime Minister of Japan, you’re right, you’ll never see Taeseong again. You’ll be purged.”
“…!”
“Yes, this is blackmail.”
Yoshimoto’s eyes trembled violently, as if in an earthquake.
“These days, the Japanese government is in an uproar because of the Lockheed Gate, isn’t it?”
Lockheed Gate.
The biggest political funding scandal in Japanese history.
Lockheed distributed bribes to high-ranking officials across several countries to sell its airplanes.
As a result, the heads of state and senior officials of Japan, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and more were purged in one sweep, with rapid regime changes.
“The current Japanese Prime Minister was arrested on bribery charges, wasn’t he?”
“Mm.”
“Many high-ranking officials connected to the scandal were also purged, and I hear the Liberal Democratic Party failed to secure a majority, suffering a humiliating defeat.”
“Why bring up the Lockheed case now…?”
“You took money too, didn’t you? From the Lockheed lobbyist. Or am I wrong?”
“…”
Yoshimoto was silent.
The paper in his hand crumpled tighter.
“If every bribed high-ranking official were punished, the Japanese government would be paralyzed. You’re barely keeping your head above water because of that.”
“…”
“And I know perfectly well that you’ve been lying low, coming to Korea with the excuse of the Korea-Japan Technology Agreement.”
“…”
“So what do you think will happen if accusations of bribery you took in Korea are added to that?”
“…”
“What’s wrong? Do you think Taeseong is too small to sway the Japanese media? Too bad, because the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and the Japanese Newspaper Companies would love to tear you apart.”
Kim Secretary smiled coldly.
“You’ve made plenty of enemies in the media, haven’t you? So? Still not interested in talking?”
“L-let’s go inside, for now…”
“Then, excuse me.”
Kim Secretary strode right past Yoshimoto into the suite.
Yoshimoto bit his lip so hard the crumpled paper in his hand trembled.
Thud.
Kim Secretary sat down on the head seat of the living room sofa where Yoshimoto had been sitting.
He gestured for Yoshimoto to sit.
“Please, have a seat. There’s no rush to carry out threats. We can negotiate first.”
“What do you want?”
“Share Japan’s underground civil engineering technology.”
Kim Secretary leaned forward, locking eyes with him.
A chillingly cold gaze shone from behind his silver-rimmed glasses.
“Is that difficult?”
Yoshimoto let out a long sigh.
“It’s not difficult at all. In fact, resolving that issue under the Korea-Japan Technology Agreement is exactly why I was sent here as Japan’s representative.”
Yoshimoto held out his hand.
“The Ministry of Transport of Japan wants to work with Taeseong, not Ukwang. What does Taeseong say?”
“I gladly accept your country’s proposal.”
Kim Secretary took Yoshimoto’s hand.
The bed was soft, and the blankets were warm.
Thanks to the oil boiler running all night, the room was filled with cozy heat.
I stretched out lazily.
“Haaam.”
“Did you sleep well, my son?”
“Yes. What about you, Mom?”
“I slept well, too. You’ll be surprised when you see the living room.”
“Let’s go see!”
I grabbed my mother’s hand and hurried down the stairs.
“Wow, a Christmas tree!”
“Hey, kid, you’re up?”
Cheolgu ajusshi was tidying up the Christmas tree, and Taeseong Group’s bodyguards were moving wooden crates.
They were filled with tree ornaments.
“Turns out there was something like that in the basement. We thought we’d get in the Christmas spirit, for once.”
I always knew rich people’s basements were full of all sorts of things.
But I never expected they’d even have Christmas tree decorations.
“Jeonghyeok, want to decorate the tree with us?”
“Yes! What about Mom?”
“I’ll help in the kitchen to prepare breakfast.”
I didn’t think that was a good idea.
My mother isn’t exactly talented at cooking.
If she tried, I had a bad feeling a monstrous hybrid dish would be born.
Especially since there were so many people who’d have to eat it.
Burning with a sense of duty, I tugged on my mother’s skirt.
“Let’s make it together, Mom. I’ve never done this before.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Every year I’d made a Christmas tree for young Kangwoo.
“Oh, is that so? I didn’t realize. I didn’t even think about it.”
Oops.
For people like us, a Christmas tree was a luxury.
We couldn’t even afford proper furniture in our tiny shanty room.
But we can do it together now. I don’t remember when I was little, so saying that is fine, she won’t know anyway.
I placed a big, shiny gold ornament in my mother’s hand.
After all, I’ve always liked things that looked like solid gold.
A hearty voice came from the kitchen.
“Alright, Jeonghyeok’s mom. I’ll handle breakfast. Don’t disappoint the kid—go help decorate!”
It was Owner Granny.
“Thanks to you, Cheolgu came home safely. I’m so grateful, I want to treat you to a proper meal. You understand, right?”
Owner Granny winked at me.
My mother crouched down to meet my eyes.
“Shall we make the tree together, then?”
“Yes!”
I was happy.
Who would have thought?
This was a sweet moment I could enjoy after forty-five years.
A ticklish warmth filled my heart.
“Huh? It’s snowing!”
“Big snowflakes.”
I got excited.
“Mom, it’s snowing outside! Let’s go out and see! Come on!”
“Alright, alright. Hold on. Let’s put on our coats and scarves first.”
“Hurry! If you make a wish on the first snow, it comes true!”
I dashed to the entrance and slipped my feet into my sneakers.
Before I knew it, Taeseong Group’s men had brought over coats for me and my mother.
They were new, still in paper bags from Taeseong Department Store.
“I’ll wish for Dad to come back so we can all spend Christmas together!”
President Cha had promised personally, so he’d bring Dad back even if he had to kidnap him.
I scampered outside like a puppy.
“Mom, did you make a wish too?”
I asked slyly.
That was my real reason for making such a fuss.
Bespoke service really is the best.
“Yes. I made the exact same wish as you…”
At that moment, the Taeseong Group bodyguard on watch opened the main gate with a clang.
No doorbell rang, no ID check, no confirmation.
Thud, thud.
He was tall, with long legs, wearing a black long coat and a gray scarf—more handsome than most celebrities.
A faint, sophisticated fragrance of men’s cologne seemed to drift in with the chilly wind.
He stopped in his tracks as he saw us.
“Sujina.”
“O…!”
My mother covered her mouth with both hands.
“Seongjun sunbae…!”
It was my father.