Chapter 36: Taking the Helm

Father went into the study first, but Secretary Kim was in the living room, giving instructions to a few of Taesung Group's bodyguards.

I hurried over to Secretary Kim.

"I have a favor to ask, Secretary Kim."

In the past, just sending out an invitation in the name of 'The Sillim-dong Ant Hell' would have been enough.

But now, I needed Secretary Kim's help.

"A favor? Very well. However, I must carry out the Chairman's orders first. In the meantime, why don't you check your gifts, young master?"

The gifts Secretary Kim was referring to weren't the kind you find under a Christmas tree.

At his signal, the Taesung Group bodyguards set the travel suitcases they had brought down at my feet.

"You'll find it quite entertaining to check through them, so you shouldn't get bored while waiting."

"Alright."

"Then, I'll see you again shortly."

Only after bowing to me politely did Secretary Kim head toward Father's study.

'Hmm?'

Quick-eyed bodyguard, self-proclaimed number two, and my right-hand man, Chief Yoo Jong-tae of the security team, was groaning as he carried the suitcases.

Moreover, the other Taesung Group bodyguards began moving desks and chairs.

Their destination was the study on the second floor.

'Father only suggested we have a cup of tea, but this seems to be getting more and more complicated.'

I snapped my fingers.

'Hey, Guardian Spirit!'

[Understood. Sharing vision.]

He started sharing his vision without question or complaint!

All this putting him to work seems to have made him more efficient!

---

Father stood with his back turned, looking out the study's glass window.

Secretary Kim spoke respectfully.

"Young master, the conversation may run long—would you like to take a seat on the sofa?"

"I already told you, I have no desire for a lengthy chat. I'll be blunt. What was your intention in deliberately bringing up Taesung Chemicals in front of Junghyuk?"

His tone was cold, sharp, and tinged with hostility.

"Young master Junghyuk needed to know as well."

"You remain as inscrutable as ever. I thought I’d made myself perfectly clear."

Father didn't even look at Secretary Kim.

"I know you well, Father. When it comes to business, you never act carelessly. You're not the sort to let go of Taesung Chemicals for nothing. Let me ask again: why are you deliberately shaking things up for the child?"

"It seems I made myself quite unpopular with you because of that envelope of money seven years ago."

Secretary Kim opened the travel suitcase he said was for Father.

"The Chairman did not send you these gifts for nothing. Strictly speaking, they’re a reward."

He pulled out a file folder with a black cover, tied with string.

Thud.

"This is the U-Gwang Construction bribe ledger. It's also a highly classified document from the Agency."

"...What?"

It was the very ledger that Uncle Cheolgu had written and that I had sent to the Chairman.

"For your reference, there’s a man in this house who looks like a bruised and battered bear—Mr. Park Cheolgu. He’s the agent from the Agency who drew up the U-Gwang Construction bribe ledger. Young master Junghyuk saved him when he was on the brink of death at the Seobinggo water torture chamber."

"No way..."

"Yes, young master Junghyuk gave this to the Chairman."

"...Wait. Junghyuk? How did that child learn U-Gwang Construction’s dirty secrets and deliver them to Father?"

Unable to restrain himself, Father turned around.

He wore an expression of disbelief.

Regardless, Secretary Kim calmly continued.

"According to the bribe ledger, U-Gwang handed out about 2 billion won in bribes to secure important contacts for the subway project."

"Wait a second. U-Gwang’s been struggling financially ever since they got into the steel business four years ago. Where would they get 2 billion to spread around in bribes?"

"They siphoned it from Taesung's vault."

"What did you say?"

"Yes, the Chairman had every right to be furious. Here is Agent Park Cheolgu’s handwritten statement."

This time, Secretary Kim produced the three pages I’d torn out.

"Even after being dragged to the Agency, that stubborn man never opened his mouth, but young master Junghyuk persuaded him. Thanks to him, the Chairman was able to purge all of Taesung Construction’s rotten elements at once."

"Did you say Taesung Construction?"

"Yes, and this is the confession of former Taesung Construction President Cha Yoonseong."

Thud.

"It details how he ended up partnering with U-Gwang and the circumstances so far."

"Ha, my younger brother..."

"Of course, the supporting evidence and double-entry books are all in this suitcase. Once you've purged Taesung Construction’s executives, you can simply check the results."

"Hmm."

"Thus, instead of sending your uncle to prison, the Chairman took everything he had and gave it to young master Junghyuk as a gift. That's why it’s a reward."

"Is this even possible?"

Whether Father was stunned or not,

"The Chairman often said, 'Young master Seongjun has really raised a fine son.'"

Father stared at the documents Secretary Kim had laid out, half dazed.

Secretary Kim picked up the U-Gwang Construction bribe ledger and gave it a little shake.

"In every way—technology, achievements, even scale—U-Gwang has been considered a few steps behind Taesung. So for them, lobbying was a matter of survival."

"Collusion between government and business is rampant in this country."

"In the end, thanks to young master Junghyuk, Taesung has acquired U-Gwang's most powerful weapon."

"Weapon?"

"Yes, the Chairman sent letters to everyone named in this bribe ledger."

"You mean blackmail? How do you plan to handle the consequences?"

"That’s not Taesung’s problem. It's for U-Gwang to worry about. Why do you think we sent those letters anonymously?"

"Hmm."

"With a weapon this good, how could we let it rot in a warehouse like fools?"

Secretary Kim pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses.

"I too benefited greatly from this weapon. Thanks to it, Taesung obtained Japan's underground facility civil engineering technology. This is the technical sharing agreement we signed with Japan."

Thud.

Another stack of documents piled up on Father's desk.

"After all, the harvest should go to the one who owns the money, don't you think? Today, the President of U-Gwang Construction rushed to Taesung Hotel to propose a joint bid to the Chairman."

"Ha...!"

"Of course, the Chairman refused."

"As he should."

As Father nodded, Secretary Kim pointed at the suitcase.

"So, when we raided the Taesung Construction president’s office safe, we brought back all these materials. These represent the future of Taesung Construction that you, young master, will now have to handle personally."

Secretary Kim placed the travel suitcase directly on the desk and began taking out more files.

"These are the tax evasion records and documents about promissory notes that must be blocked immediately, recovered from the Taesung Construction president’s office safe."

Thud.

"These are documents regarding the apartment sites Taesung Construction tried to sell off and the current halted domestic construction sites."

Thud.

"And these are the feasibility reports on the site selection and funding for the subway Line 2 construction."

The documents stacked higher and higher on Father’s desk.

"Whew. There's still a lot more—should I continue?"

"…That’s more than enough. No, it's already too much."

Father squeezed his eyes shut.

No pile of dung could stink worse than this mess.

"Ha! I never imagined Taesung Construction was in such utter chaos."

"But now that all those cancerous elements have been cleanly cut out, you needn't worry, young master Seongjun."

Secretary Kim tapped his fingers atop the files related to Taesung Construction's executive team.

"Given that this was a battle you would have had to fight someday, it’s actually turned into a blessing in disguise."

Executive positions don't open up easily.

Even if you want to get rid of people, you need justification, and if you’re not careful, the backlash can grow out of control.

"When you return to the company, you should fill those vacancies with your own people, young master."

Father unconsciously started to nod, but then rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"All of this started just because Junghyuk brought the U-Gwang Construction bribe ledger?"

"Yes."

"Junghyuk is just a seven-year-old child!"

"I know."

"This is just…!"

Father rubbed his face wearily.

"Was there perhaps another talented helper involved?"

"Maybe. But in this world, luck is a skill and resourcefulness is a skill. This is all thanks to young master Junghyuk's abilities."

Secretary Kim's lips curled up on one side.

"The Chairman hopes that you, young master, will take charge of Taesung Construction and successfully carry out the subway Line 2 project."

Secretary Kim shook the U-Gwang Construction bribe ledger again.

"Your young son has brought things this far—will you, his father, simply stand by and do nothing?"

With each shake of the ledger, Father's eyes wavered.

"The Chairman has given up on Taesung Chemicals. He’ll be busy sorting that out for a while, and handling the 180 billion won subway Line 2 project at the same time would be difficult, don’t you think?"

"...Very well. I'll take charge of the subway Line 2 project."

Father looked at the mountain of files on his desk with a confident face.

"If it’s just a matter of rolling up my sleeves, there’s nothing I can’t do. Let’s do this right. When it comes to bids, I’ve drawn up countless estimates and plans and given briefings in the Middle East—why should Korea be any different?"

"You’re absolutely right, young master."

Father slapped the U-Gwang Construction bribe ledger closed.

"Seems like there’s an awful lot to do."

"Indeed. As you know, there isn't much time left until the bidding for the subway Line 2 project. You’re going to be very, no, extremely busy."

"How much progress has been made on the bid estimates for subway Line 2?"

"Taesung Construction’s executives are so incompetent that it’s barely moved forward. It's enough to make you sigh."

Secretary Kim pointed at the travel suitcase.

"Should I take out more documents? For the record, I haven’t even gone through half of them yet."

"That’s enough. That’s more than enough for me to understand. You’re telling me the road ahead is steep."

Father let out a quiet sigh.

"There’s no way I can handle this alone. There’s not even a month left until the bid, and there’s a mountain of work to do."

"That’s why I’m here."

Secretary Kim shrugged.

"So what shall I do? Shall I just have a cup of tea and take my leave? Or stay on? As I said from the start, I’ll follow your wishes, young master."

"I’ll have to beg you for help."

"There’s no need to beg. All you have to do is command, young master."

As Secretary Kim opened the study door, Yoo Jong-tae set down five heavy suitcases as if he'd been waiting.

"My security team will be joining in and providing support for the time being."

"I’ve called over seven staff from the Taesung Group Secretary’s Office. Starting tomorrow morning, they’ll all be joining us here."

"I've also contacted the Taesung Construction Finance, General Affairs, and Audit Departments. They'll bring the relevant documents and ledgers."

"All you need to do, young master, is assign work to them appropriately."

Secretary Kim and Yoo Jong-tae were perfectly in sync.

Father grinned.

"Reliable."

"Leave the rest to me. All you need to do, young master, is focus on the subway Line 2 project."

"It feels like I’ve gained a thousand troops and ten thousand horses."

At Secretary Kim’s signal, a Taesung Group bodyguard brought a desk and chair to the corner of the study.

"For three days—until the New Year's Eve event is over—I’ll stay here and assist you, young master. If you need anything, just assign it to me."

"Let’s send a telegram first."

"Telegram? Where to?"

Secretary Kim pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses.

Father quickly scribbled a note on a memo pad with his fountain pen and handed it to Secretary Kim.

"To Room 707, Crystal Hotel, Dubai."

"Ah, you're calling in that secretary?"

"There’s too much at stake in this 180-billion-won subway Line 2 project. At a time like this, you need a partner who works in perfect sync."

Father gently brushed the cover of the U-Gwang Construction bribe ledger with his fingertips.

"Do you know why I went all over the Middle East, eyes bloodshot, to secure construction contracts?"

Father spoke.

"When I turned down the marriage alliance with U-Gwang, I wanted to at least lessen the massive losses we’d have to bear if Taesung Chemicals was lost. I started this—how could I dump all the losses and responsibilities on Father?"

His face looked somehow relieved.

But only for a moment—he soon composed himself and looked at Secretary Kim.

"By the way, do you remember why I ended up going to the Middle East in the first place?"

"After declaring oil a weapon, the Middle East was awash in oil money. With that overflow, they were building entire cities. Isn’t that right?"

"Wrong. When I threw away my pride and got down on my knees to beg you."

"Don’t tell me…"

Secretary Kim, for once, looked flustered.

"Was it because of the report that Lee Sujin's last known whereabouts were in the Middle East?"

"That's right. We searched every nook and cranny of the country and still couldn’t find her. But when I finally did meet Sujin..."

"That was Mapo-gu, Jungdong, though..."

"..."