Genius Grandson Of The Loan Shark King

Has he started having second thoughts now that the presidency of the Republic of Korea is within reach?

I felt a heavy disappointment at Yoon Chang-ho’s silence.

“What on earth is going on, sir? I told you I would pave the way for you to become president. But now it seems you’re thinking differently. Do you feel you no longer need me?”

Yoon Chang-ho, who had remained wordless, filled his cup with makgeolli and said quietly,

“Mr. Kim.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would I do something to turn against you? You must have misunderstood something...”

I cut him off coldly.

“Chairman, if you lie or try to make excuses here, I’ll let go of the hand we once shook. What happens after that will be something you’ve brought upon yourself. Don’t blame me for it.”

At my firm tone, Yoon Chang-ho stopped talking, his lips only twitching faintly.

Then he drank two cups of makgeolli in succession.

I gave him time to collect his thoughts, showing no reaction.

Finally, after drinking one more cup, Yoon Chang-ho sighed deeply and slowly opened his mouth.

“How much do you know?”

“I only know that the senior members inside the Centrist Party have been acting strange lately—and that you’ve been meeting them more frequently.”

I hadn’t yet investigated the party’s internal situation since stirring up Jeong Chanseong to send a warning.

So I only mentioned the reason for my suspicion, and Yoon Chang-ho gave a small nod.

“Well... I was surprised myself.”

Something about his tone was off. After a long pause, he continued.

“You know the Centrist Party isn’t made up of just my faction and Congressman Lee’s faction, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

Even if the party had been founded around Yoon Chang-ho, it didn’t mean he could control everything.

People form cliques as soon as three or more gather together.

And politicians, above all, always move according to their own interests.

“About sixty percent of the assembly members belong to my and Lee’s factions. The rest are divided into two other factions. Those two joined forces—and came to me.”

That much was within my expectations. The closer the presidential election approached, the more they would try to flaunt their numbers to raise their stakes.

“But someone completely unexpected rallied them and started pressuring me. He said that if I didn’t comply, he’d take them all and leave the party.”

I frowned unconsciously. I hadn’t expected them to play the defection card.

“Who is it?”

“Former President Choi Sun-man.”

“...Did you say Choi Sun-man?”

“Yes. Didn’t President Kim Hak-gwon recently pardon them under the banner of national unity? The moment he got out, he started scheming this.”

Choi Sun-man was the last president of the military regime that had seized power through a coup.

He had fallen along with Cheongpunghoe, but President Kim Hak-gwon pardoned him, claiming it was for the sake of national reconciliation.

Even back then, there had been a public backlash. To think that man would cause this mess afterward.

“That’s not all. He said that unless I joined hands with them, the Conservative and Progressive Parties would merge. You know what that would mean, don’t you?”

A merger between the Conservative and Progressive Parties. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Could two ideologically opposite parties really unite?

It seemed impossible, but when cornered, politicians were capable of anything.

Even the three-party merger back then had been something no one had predicted.

If three mismatched parties united under the pretext of contributing to democratization, they could easily become a massive ruling bloc capable of exerting serious pressure.

Now I finally understood Yoon Chang-ho’s strange behavior.

“Chairman, you should have told me about this.”

“Former President Choi Sun-man hinted that he knew you. He pressed me, saying I was nothing more than your puppet.”

“Do you really believe that?”

Yoon Chang-ho slowly shook his head and met my gaze.

“No, you wouldn’t make me your puppet. You’re the kind of man who wouldn’t care what I did as long as I didn’t get in your way. But... I couldn’t bring myself to say that to him.”

The ghost of Cheongpunghoe was still haunting the political stage.

A man who had lost most of his support base had managed to recruit a group of Centrist Party assemblymen in such a short time?

Impossible without a powerful hand behind him. Someone was clearly pulling strings from the shadows.

“What are their demands?”

“They want a proper primary after the merger with the Conservatives.”

“...Will you accept?”

“What choice do I have? If I refuse, forty percent of our party’s members will defect to the Conservatives. And if that happens, even Lee’s faction will start to waver.”

If all those members defected and the Conservatives and Progressives merged, they would instantly become the majority party.

“You hold their weaknesses, don’t you?”

I had dirt on most of the National Assembly members.

Not just those in the Centrist Party—there wasn’t a single assemblyman in the Conservatives or Progressives who hadn’t taken my money.

But that was a card I could never play. It was a double-edged sword that could also turn against me.

Of course, I still had plenty of other leverage on them.

“Yes. I have them.”

“They’re terrified of that. The fact that someone like you exists—someone who can yank their leash at any moment.”

I said nothing, simply staring at him. Even under my cold gaze, he didn’t stop talking.

“As you know, holding a politician’s leash is a double-edged sword. And unlike Chairman Cheon, you actually swing that sword. Naturally, they’re afraid of you.”

Grandfather had never wielded the power or the leverage he had over politicians.

He only made “requests.” And they never refused his requests.

They believed they were accepting his requests in exchange for favors.

But my methods had been completely different.

When I destroyed Cheongpunghoe, I had not hidden my financial or physical power. On top of that, I had publicly handed over the crimes of those allied with Cheongpunghoe to the press and prosecutors.

Anyone who interfered with my plans—no matter who they were—I crushed them.

It was natural for politicians to both fear me and see me as a thorn in their eyes.

But it was still hard to believe that a washed-up old man like Choi Sun-man could become the rallying point for all of them.

“If Choi Sun-man steps forward, a merger between the Conservatives and Progressives is impossible. You know how much the Honam region, the Progressives’ core base, despises him.”

“He doesn’t seem intent on stepping forward himself. He says he just wants to mediate and coordinate between them from the middle.”

I downed the cup of makgeolli in one gulp. Still, my thirst didn’t fade.

“Should I have eliminated Choi Sun-man # Nоvеlight # too?”

I calmed the murderous intent rising inside me and shook my head.

Even for me, killing a former president would be suicide.

I took a deep breath to steady myself. Yoon Chang-ho, too, fell silent for a while, perhaps organizing his own thoughts.

“So, you plan to abandon me and join hands with them to become president? Their puppet?”

“Haha, so now you’re calling me a puppet too.”

Yoon Chang-ho gave a bitter smile. I knew well what inferiority complex was eating away at him.

But that wasn’t an excuse. I continued, voice as cold as ice.

“When a politician incurs a debt, the price is always high. It always has been, and it always will be. That’s why I’ve never hesitated to support you—to make sure you never had to beg anyone for help. But now you’re talking about owing debts to multiple people? Even if you become president, they’ll all demand positions. You’ll end up their puppet, unable to act on your own.”

“...”

“You should have told me first and discussed countermeasures. How can I trust you now?”

With a heavy expression, Yoon Chang-ho shook his head.

“It might sound like an excuse, but I wanted to find out what they were plotting—whether they were really preparing to leave the party, what their true goal was. I was going to talk to you afterward. Like I told you before, I have no intention of letting go of the hand we clasped.”

“Hmph...”

“Believe it or not, that’s your choice. But if I had to choose between you and former President Choi, I’d choose you.”

When he finished speaking firmly, he lowered his eyes.

Of course, I couldn’t take his words at face value.

“Chairman, I can’t say I trust everything you’ve said. I’ve already felt too much betrayal and disappointment.”

“I understand.”

“Still, I’ll try to believe you. Just tell me exactly which heavyweight politicians have joined hands with former President Choi.”

Yoon Chang-ho listed the names he knew.

Big names from the Centrist, Conservative, and Progressive Parties were all involved.

What shocked me most was that Congressman Heo Tae-min, the floor leader of the Progressives, was among them.

“It’s one thing for Centrist and Conservative members to cooperate, but Heo Tae-min? That doesn’t make sense.”

“I was surprised too. If Heo Tae-min’s joined them, then a merger between the Progressives and Conservatives might actually be possible. After all, he leads the largest faction in the Progressive Party.”

Heo Tae-min was one of the Progressive Party’s strongest presidential hopefuls.

In the previous timeline, he lost the nomination to Congressman Han Seung-ho, who enjoyed overwhelming public support, but he still led the largest faction.

“For now, keep meeting with them. I’ll handle the countermeasures. Find out what they’re really thinking.”

“Understood. I’ll do that.”

Had Heo Tae-min been blackmailed by former President Choi?

It was an unexpected turn of events, but since I knew now, I could plan accordingly.

For now, I had to decide what to do with Yoon Chang-ho himself.

I looked at him firmly as he drank and said,

“When all this is resolved, and if you become the presidential candidate, step down from the party leadership.”

“...You...”

Yoon Chang-ho’s eyes widened, and he trailed off.

“I can no longer trust you completely.”

“I explained everything, didn’t I? It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Even so, I need some insurance. I’ll have to take some risks in this situation. If you become president and change your mind, that would be troublesome. I need at least one weapon in my hand.”

I could see his hand trembling as he gripped his cup.

“If you’re not planning anything else, there’s no reason to worry. Or... are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then will you step down from the party leadership?”

“...”

He didn’t answer right away.

Even though the president held enormous power in Korea, running the government smoothly was impossible without controlling the ruling party.

No one knew better than Yoon Chang-ho how much President Kim Hak-gwon had suffered from a hostile National Assembly.

So his hesitation at my demand to relinquish party control was understandable.

But he had no other choice. Staying with me was still better than siding with Choi Sun-man.

“Alright. I’ll do it. Then do you plan to hand party leadership over to Congressman Lee?”

It was too soon to give Myungsoo the reins. I shook my head.

“No. I won’t put Myungsoo at the forefront yet.”

“Hm.”

“Do you have anyone in mind, then?”

“No, I don’t. I’ve never once considered stepping down as party leader, after all.”

If this hadn’t happened, he would have entered the presidential race with strong backing, so it made sense he hadn’t thought about it.

“I’ll consider someone you recommend, if possible.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good. And Congressman Jeong Chanseong can’t be saved. Starting tomorrow, his corruption will be revealed one article at a time in the press. No one will be able to stop it.”

Yoon Chang-ho nodded, checked the time, and stood up.

“I should get going. It’s getting late.”

“Yes, sir. Please go ahead.”

He stood but didn’t leave immediately.

After a brief hesitation, Yoon Chang-ho finally turned and left Grandma’s house.

When he was gone, I sat quietly for a moment, organizing my thoughts, then drank one last cup and rose from my seat.

“Let’s go too. Things are about to get busy.”