Free Web Novel“Ha, I’m stuffed. Food really tastes best in Korea. You just can’t get this flavor in a Korean restaurant in the States. I guess I really am Korean after all.”
After finishing his meal, Han Kyungyeong set down his spoon with a happy face and sipped the scorched-rice tea the housekeeper brought.
“Didn’t Jintae just start university? Auntie, isn’t that right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The housekeeper was the oldest among the staff working at the Pyeongchang-dong residence.
She had been working there steadily since Grandfather’s time, with a sealed mouth and reliability. Of course, she also knew Han Kyungyeong well.
“Time flies. Korea University, wasn’t it? And business administration at that. Jintae’s such a dutiful son.”
At the praise of her youngest son, the housekeeper’s face bloomed with a smile.
“Well then, I’ll have to get him a gift for his admission.”
“No, sir. The Chairman already took care of everything — tuition and even a house near the school.”
“Hey, that was Muhyuk, not me. I’ve eaten Auntie’s cooking too many times to just let it slide. I’ve got to give at least one gift. What would be good?”
I joined in to help his banter.
“Buy him a car or something.”
“Oh my, sir. A car? Really.”
“Oh, a car sounds good.”
“I’ll just take the thought.”
“My brother really loves your food, Auntie. Just close your eyes and accept it.” freёwebnoѵel.com
“That’s right, Auntie. Jintae even said I was his role model. How can I just sit still? I’ll meet him separately and hand it over, so you just pretend you don’t know.”
“Still...”
These kinds of things happened often enough.
She now understood it was like sending kimchi to acquaintances — a small kindness. Yet she still looked visibly burdened.
“Anything else you need?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll get up now. Just four cups of coffee, please. We’ll be in the study.”
When I stood, Han Kyungyeong and Eva stood too.
“Manager, come in too. We need to sort out this year’s plans.”
“Yes, Boss.”
All three of my close aides gathered in the study.
I quietly lifted my coffee cup and spoke.
“This year is going to be very important for me.”
“Because of the presidential election?”
Han Kyungyeong asked perceptively. I gave a small nod. freewebnøvel.coɱ
“We need to win this election by a landslide. Only then can we ride that momentum and push through constitutional reform toward a parliamentary system.”
“A parliamentary system, huh. Is that really necessary? Can’t you control everything well enough under the presidential system? Public opinion still looks pretty negative about it.”
In a recent poll, over 70% favored constitutional amendment in general, but less than half supported a parliamentary reform.
Instead, a system like the U.S. — two consecutive four-year presidential terms — had much higher support.
And that was after we’d worked hard to sway public opinion. People simply didn’t trust lawmakers they themselves elected.
“The presidential system concentrates too much power in one person. Having someone who could pressure me anytime isn’t good.”
“Couldn’t you just keep putting your own people in the presidency?”
It sounded reasonable at first, but I couldn’t trust politicians.
Concentrated power was always dangerous. Even someone trustworthy would change once they had it.
“It’s easier to control the parliament. Remember President Kim Hakgwon — the moment a weakness showed, they pounced like dogs to tear him apart. Human greed knows no end. The more power someone holds, the less they know how to be satisfied.”
One backstab like Kim Hakgwon was enough.
“So the problem is, how do we sway public opinion?”
“First, win by an overwhelming margin. Only then can we amend the constitution. Otherwise, it’s better to wait. A national referendum cuts both ways.”
“True, just look at Europe. Except Switzerland, referendums hardly ever end well. So what do you want me to do?”
Han Kyungyeong was always like this.
Never blindly agreeing, always raising counterarguments to check for weaknesses.
But it wasn’t to control me. Whether the reasoning was solid or not, if I held firm, he stopped objecting and carried out the work without complaint.
Other than Myungsoo and Hyunseong, who had known me since childhood, he was one of the few who spoke frankly to me without hesitation.
“You keep the same role. Expand your influence in the U.S. and Europe. You said Dream High’s companies are under audit now too, right?”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. If you hadn’t told me to prepare, I’d be in deep trouble. I never imagined Arthur Andersen would be involved. Remember when I wanted to sign with them, and you said absolutely not? Did you already know?”
Arthur Henderson was hailed as a legend among American accountants. He established modern accounting principles and emphasized ethical responsibility and fairness.
The accounting firm bearing his name remained America’s pride even after his death, one of the Big Five multinational firms.
But when they dove into consulting, problems began. Auditing and consulting couldn’t coexist.
They realized consulting made more money. From then on, Arthur Henderson’s honor was shredded.
They were caught multiple times covering up clients’ accounting fraud, paying fines.
At least those companies were solid. But Enron was different. Its bankruptcy filing shocked America to its core.
“It was bound to burst sooner or later.”
“Well, yes, but...”
Han Kyungyeong shook his head.
“The Dow and S&P 500 didn’t crash even during the dot-com bubble, but now they’ve plunged — once from terrorism, once from this scandal.”
Those indexes, representing blue-chip companies and market cap, had stayed relatively stable even as Nasdaq collapsed.
“If the dot-com bubble was created by greed, this was created by accounting firms’ and Wall Street’s moral collapse. Enron won’t be the last.”
“Arthur Andersen had countless clients. This won’t stop with Enron. The problem is, the blowback hit us too. That bastard George Bush. After all I did for him, the moment fraud broke out, he sent auditors at us? I called the White House, but they just kept saying it couldn’t be helped. Dick Cheney won’t even answer calls. Shameless bastards.”
“See? I told you, politicians can’t be trusted.”
Han Kyungyeong agreed bitterly.
“Didn’t we already get audited two years ago? And again in just a year? This time they want to audit not only us but every related company. That’s absurd. New president # Nоvеlight # or not, same damn tricks.”
“They’re just trying to keep us in check. Wall Street wants to send a warning too. A lot of factors lined up. But we’ve got nothing to fear, right?”
We had prepared thoroughly on that front.
“Minor things might surface, but nothing fatal. You always stressed it — never let tax issues become our weakness. At first I wondered if it was overkill, but now I see why.”
“Taxes are the best weapon to squeeze corporations. Especially in America. Once you evade taxes, you commit bigger crimes to cover it. That becomes the noose.”
The stricter democracy, the fewer tools the state had to pressure companies.
If America, the vanguard of free markets, squeezed firms, who would trust them with investment?
So America rarely interfered — or couldn’t.
Look no further than Joongwoo Group’s accounting fraud.
Our government propped them up with public funds, chanting “too big to fail.” America? They tossed Enron to the market’s judgment.
“For now, step back and watch. Enron will collapse, and Arthur Henderson will be dismantled. Reach out early to their talented accountants. Recruit them. Build a proper firm with them.”
“But can we trust guys who already played dirty?”
“They’re skilled. We need talent. Orders came from the top — the rank and file had no choice. With tight management, they’ll be invaluable.”
Han Kyungyeong nodded.
“But will they really let Enron go bankrupt? Politically, it’s risky for the president.”
“Even rival firms won’t touch it. Or rather, even if they wanted to, no banks or investment houses will fund it. They’ll have no choice but to step back.”
“What about us?”
“Not worth it. Sure, it’s an energy company, but we already have enough assets in Russia. No need to strain ourselves.”
Enron wasn’t appealing. A blue-chip, yes, but saddled with massive debt. Not worth the trouble.
“Then I’ll send our people to meet their staff.”
“Do it. The U.S. government will likely stop here. They don’t want to antagonize us further. With Black Bear active in Afghanistan, it wouldn’t benefit them.”
The Afghanistan War was a bottomless mire.
The Taliban regime collapsed after America’s victory declaration, with the Northern Alliance taking power alongside the U.S.
But remnants hid in the southern mountains, waging guerrilla war. Many Taliban leaders had already crossed into Pakistan.
I had ordered Black Bear to ensure Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Northern Alliance commander, survived.
Originally, he would die before 9/11, but with Al-Qaeda’s accelerated plans, he was still alive.
“You kept the Northern Alliance leader alive, right?”
“Yeah. How the hell did you know about that?”
“About what? The suicide bombing?”
With U.S. backing, the Northern Alliance was Al-Qaeda’s worst nightmare.
Had he died, maybe. But with Black Bear there, of course they’d act.
“Only U.S. intelligence failed to see it coming.”
“Not just the CIA. Even Black Bear’s intel team didn’t predict it. Who’d expect an Al-Qaeda terrorist disguised as a journalist? The CIA must’ve vetted them.”
One reporter who came to interview Massoud was an Al-Qaeda operative.
At the time, CIA agents and even U.S. high officials were present.
Had they missed it, everyone would’ve died on the spot.
But under my orders, Black Bear carried out strict searches and ID checks on all reporters.
The bomber was caught before he could act.
“The CIA Deputy Director himself was there, apparently. Muhyuk, you crazy bastard. You must’ve been Nostradamus in a past life.”
Not sure about Nostradamus, but I did reincarnate.
I just smiled.
