Free Web NovelAfter sending Cheon Jisoo away, I couldn’t help but sink into thought.
If this were overseas, things would be simple. I’d just kill them all.
But assassinating the head and heir of Ilseong Group was on an entirely different level from eliminating mafia or underworld figures.
If I wasn’t planning to flee Korea and live in hiding, it wasn’t something I could do rashly.
With my mind tangled in complications, I let the day drift by blankly.
The next morning, I sat in my study, drinking coffee and watching the news about Chairman Seo Yonggeon.
The major networks were giving heavy coverage to his hospitalization.
Even flipping through channels, every broadcast seemed to be mentioning it — almost amusing, in a way.
“So it’s finally on the news.”
“There’s only so much they could keep under wraps. I think forcing out the patients from the VIP ward was their mistake.”
“Maybe. Or perhaps they leaked it intentionally — to make sure everyone knew.”
“That’s possible too.”
Manager Ma nodded, keeping his gaze on the television with me.
He watched Seo Jaehun give an interview, wearing a somber expression, and quietly remarked,
“For Jaehun to take center stage, he’ll have to announce Chairman Seo’s condition publicly somehow.”
At those words, I stroked my chin and thought.
Even I couldn’t predict how Jaehun would move.
The man I knew was a master at appearances — skilled at dressing himself up in virtue.
To anyone who didn’t know him closely, he even came across as charming.
In some ways, he was far more troublesome than Chairman Seo himself.
“For now, let’s just watch how things unfold. No matter how much Jaehun struggles, there’s only so much he can do.”
This life was already diverging greatly from the previous one.
No matter how shrewdly Jaehun schemed, there weren’t many ways for him to take full control of Ilseong.
Especially with Ilseong Electronics — the group’s flagship — completely dried up of funds.
“Boss, what will you do about Miss Jisoo?”
After a brief silence, Manager Ma brought her up.
“What do you think, Manager?”
“It’s a family matter, sir. Not my place to comment.”
Right. It had been thoughtless of me. Asking Ha Myeonghun or Ma Seokdae for their opinions about my grandfather’s bloodline would be discourteous.
“For now, I’ll leave her alone. If Jaehun decides to deal with her himself, all the better.”
“Understood.”
I had hesitated briefly when I saw her trembling in fear, but there was no reason for me to step in.
Switching off the TV with the remote, I said,
“President Bush is visiting today, right?”
“Yes, Boss.”
After a year of global chaos following his inauguration, President Bush had finally begun his East Asia tour.
He was stopping by Japan before arriving in Korea today.
“What did he discuss in Japan?”
“The official announcement said it was about strengthening the U.S.–Japan–Korea alliance. But there are rumors the real focus was the Iraq War.”
The Bush administration was pouring every resource into Iraq.
This East Asia tour was part of a campaign to secure allied support.
Japan’s constitution forbade deploying troops abroad, so sending actual forces was impossible — but Bush would find some way to extract their cooperation.
“What about the meeting with Powell?”
“It’s scheduled for tomorrow evening. Also, there’s a request for you to attend tonight’s state dinner. ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) How shall I respond?”
“A dinner, huh. Is attendance mandatory?”
“The Blue House strongly requested it, but it’s not compulsory.”
With Seo Yonggeon’s hospitalization still on my mind, the thought of a state dinner made me sigh.
After a moment’s hesitation, I exhaled and nodded.
“Tell them I’ll attend.”
“Understood.”
Rising from my seat, I turned to the window. The study was warm, but the wind outside carried a cold, whistling note.
“Winter’s nearly over.”
Watching the snow piled beyond the glass, I sorted through my tangled thoughts.
That evening, Manager Ma and I left for the Goryeo Hotel, where the dinner was to be held.
“Who’s expected to attend?”
“Most figures from both politics and business, as far as I know.” freewebnovёl.ƈom
It wasn’t every day one could meet the President of the United States — especially Bush, the man who had led the victory in Afghanistan.
Politicians and business tycoons alike would be eager for a word with him.
Though whether the stiff-necked Bush would actually indulge them was another story.
The car stopped in front of the hotel. As we stepped out, we saw security stationed along the entrance.
The entire Goryeo Hotel appeared to have been cleared for the event, and heavily armed police guarded the perimeter, likely due to terrorist concerns.
I walked toward the entrance, where one of the guards stopped us.
“Excuse me, may I see your invitation?”
Despite blocking our way, the officer’s tone was polite — clearly trained for this kind of situation.
At my glance, Manager Ma pulled the invitation from his inner pocket and handed it over.
“Ah, thank you. Please go in.”
After confirming it, the guard stepped aside with a courteous gesture.
I smiled faintly and entered through the main doors.
The hotel lobby was filled with people observing the guests’ movements. freewebnovel.cσ๓
“The security’s tighter than I expected,” I murmured, low enough for only Manager Ma to hear.
“Yes, sir. Many of them look like special forces operatives.”
After 9/11, President Bush had declared war on terror.
Even though Korea was considered a “terror-free” nation, the Blue House wasn’t taking any chances — they’d deployed an excessive number of security personnel.
We took the elevator to the floor where the banquet was held.
No sooner had we stepped out than another group of guards approached.
“No entry without invitation. Please present it.”
Once again, we showed the invitation and were finally allowed inside.
The ballroom was already full of people gathered in small groups, chatting.
Among them were several familiar faces.
Chairman Kim Byungwoo of Joongwoo Group was the first to approach.
“President Kim Muhyuk, good to see you.”
“Chairman Kim, long time no see.”
He greeted me with a broad smile — understandable, since Joongwoo Electronics had recently overtaken Ilseong Electronics.
“I’ve been hearing of Joongwoo Electronics’ success. Faster progress than expected, I hear.”
“You laid all the groundwork, President. Failing after that would’ve been disgraceful.”
Even with all the foundation I’d built, Joongwoo wouldn’t have surpassed Ilseong so quickly without Kim Byungwoo’s own competence.
I gave a small, approving smile.
“I heard the deficit was quite large — that the price war dragged on for quite some time. You’ve worked hard.”
“Fortunately, Representative Eva has been providing ample funding. Being unlisted really helps in times like this. No shareholders breathing down our necks.”
Exactly. That was why I’d bought up and delisted so many public companies, even at great cost.
When shareholders meddle, progress slows.
Most people never understood that. But those who’d experienced it firsthand did.
If the owner’s management philosophy was solid, an unlisted company could operate freely, without interference.
And now that Joongwoo had tasted those advantages, they’d never suggest relisting again.
In Korea, the only other major group still keeping its subsidiaries unlisted was Daeseon Group — operating both here and in Japan.
“By the way, President,” Kim Byungwoo leaned closer, lowering his voice, “you’ve heard about Chairman Seo, yes?”
I nodded. He glanced around before continuing.
“It’s causing quite a stir in the business world.”
“In the business world? Why would they care about Ilseong Group?”
“Because Vice President Seo Jaehun has no proven performance. If any of Ilseong’s subsidiaries go up for sale, the others are already planning to bid. Everyone knows Ilseong’s cash flow has collapsed — it’s an open secret. Plus, Chairman Song of Daehyeon isolated Ilseong before his death, which made it worse.”
He was quite the smooth talker now. I could already guess what he was leading up to, but I played dumb.
“So?”
“Will Joongwoo Group join the bidding if something goes up for sale?”
“What do you think, Chairman?”
“I believe we should, if possible.”
“Then go ahead.”
My answer came so easily that he blinked in surprise.
“Is that all right?”
“Yes. If it’s a good company, we’ll buy it.”
“Thank you. There are quite a few small but valuable subsidiaries. A little pressure, and they’ll likely sell some off to raise cash.”
Large conglomerates always had small but highly efficient affiliates under their main listed companies —
Compact, profitable, technologically advanced firms that could be sold for quick liquidity.
Ilseong Electronics alone had dozens of such subsidiaries under its umbrella, many with world-class technology.
And clearly, Kim Byungwoo was eyeing them.
“They won’t hand them over easily.”
“Their financial backbone’s already cut off. They don’t have many options. They’ll have to sell a few soon just to put out the fire.”
“I see. If anything goes on the market, join the bidding. No matter the price — if it’s necessary, we’ll take it.”
“Thank you.”
Kim Byungwoo’s face broke into a full smile.
He wasn’t the group’s owner, but his loyalty to Joongwoo was admirable.
After that, I spoke with several other chairmen and executives.
Unlike my grandfather, who had rarely attended public events, I mingled often — so the business world felt more at ease around me.
Then, a foreigner approached me.
“Charlie Kim?”
I turned to see a blond man smiling brightly.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m John.”
“Nice to meet you. And you are...?”
I didn’t recognize him at all. Despite my guarded tone, he maintained that overly friendly grin.
Stepping closer, he whispered,
“NSA. Can we talk privately for a moment?”
NSA? Why the hell would they want me?
“This is important,” he said quietly.
“All right. Just a moment.”
I excused myself from Kim Byungwoo and the others and moved with John to a quieter corner.
“What business does the NSA have with me?”
“I heard you stirred up something interesting in Russia.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I answered calmly, though my mind was racing.
How the hell did they know I was involved? The best move here was to play dumb.
“No need to pretend. We already know. We’ve been watching since your first meeting with Mogilevich.”
My expression stiffened. Damn these intelligence agencies — always desperate to sink their teeth in.
“Are you saying you’ve been spying on me?”
“Of course not. We were tracking Mogilevich. You just happened to get caught in the frame.”
“...”
I should have remembered — Mogilevich was a top surveillance target for multiple U.S. agencies. That was my mistake.
“I did meet him. But what’s the issue with that?”
“It was unexpected, that’s all. A businessman like you meeting a criminal like Mogilevich? We even asked the CIA for your file, but they refused to share a thing.”
Right — the CIA and NSA were practically enemies.
They spied on each other to find weaknesses. Naturally, they’d never hand over my dossier.
“Anyway,” John continued, “we picked up signs that you were involved in Mogilevich’s death.”
“What? Mogilevich is dead?”
“No need to play dumb, Charlie. We already know everything, haha.”
All intelligence agents must be cut from the same irritating cloth — the smug, grinning kind.
I had to restrain myself from punching that grin right off his face.
