Free Web NovelSeeing the sharp glint return to Ha Myeonghun’s eyes for the first time in a long while, a faint smile crossed my face.
For a brief moment, I could see both versions of him overlapping—the stern, stone-faced Chief Ha from my previous life, and the one in this life who sometimes allowed himself a rare smile.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on the past.
I wiped the smile from my face and spoke in a firm tone.
“Chairman, tell me everything you know about Choi Sun-man.”
“Chairman Cheon feared that man. The first president from the military was at least someone you could talk to, but Choi Sun-man wasn’t. If someone displeased him, he eliminated them—no matter who they were. Businessmen, politicians, it didn’t matter.”
Ha Myeonghun spent a long time explaining everything he knew about Choi Sun-man. I could tell from the level of detail that Grandfather’s wariness of the man had been justified.
When he finished, I lifted my teacup and asked,
“So Choi Sun-man wasn’t actually part of Cheongpunghoe, just a collaborator.”
“Yes, that’s correct. My guess is that after Cheongpunghoe collapsed, he tried to negotiate with President Kim Hakgwon to avoid the aftermath. Something like, ‘I’ll go to prison, so pardon me in a few years.’ That would’ve been his get-out-of-jail card. He might have stepped back just enough to protect himself amid the public outcry to crush Cheongpunghoe.”
For a politician, public sentiment and the press were inseparable from survival.
The moment Choi Sun-man was sentenced and sent to prison, the public’s hatred for him would’ve faded. Out of sight, out of mind.
When President Kim Hakgwon pardoned him “for the sake of national unity,” that memory faded even more—until he was nearly forgotten.
If Choi Sun-man had planned all that... he was terrifying.
I’d never met him, not in the previous life nor this one, but he already felt like the most formidable opponent I’d ever face.
“Now then, the faction within the Korean military still loyal to Choi Sun-man...”
I picked up one of the files on the table and placed it in front of him.
“Among the generals, the Defense Security Commander, Lieutenant General Kim Hakbeom, and the Army Special Warfare Commander, Lieutenant General Kim Seokyeon, are confirmed supporters of Choi Sun-man. A few division-level officers too.”
Ha Myeonghun took the file, scanned the list of names, and gave a small nod.
“With this many, they could stage a coup. They hold quite a few key positions. They lost a lot when Hanahoe was purged, but if it’s Choi Sun-man, he’ll have built more networks elsewhere. Hanahoe was only the one we knew about.”
As I expected, plenty of Choi Sun-man’s loyalists still remained within the army. freёwebnovel.com
But there was something else strange—something I couldn’t make sense of as I dug deeper into his background. The soldiers I could understand, but this other group... why were they connected to him?
“Networks, huh. Maybe this counts as one of them too? I can’t figure this man out.”
I handed Ha another file.
“What kind of relationship could a new religious movement’s leader possibly have with Choi Sun-man? Do you know anything about this? The more I look into him, the stranger he gets.”
Inside the file I handed over was a photo and dossier on Han Seongjin, founder of the world’s largest new religion.
The religion’s official name began with ‘World Peace...,’ but people simply called it the Heaven Church.
It had started in Korea but spread worldwide—especially in Japan, where it had the most followers.
Because of that, the sect wielded massive influence in Japanese politics and industry. And Han Seongjin was the key figure linking Japan, Choi Sun-man, and Daedonghoe.
“Hmm... what’s this man doing here...”
Ha frowned and exhaled heavily. His distaste was obvious.
“You know him?”
“Yes. Chairman Cheon met him several times. He even made donations.”
I blinked, stunned. The grandfather I knew—the cold man who never shed blood or tears—had donated money to a cult?
“Grandfather donated to him?”
“Yes. He had no choice.”
“Then this group must have more power than I thought, if Grandfather gave in.”
“‘Gave in’ isn’t quite right. He said he paid them off just to get their filth out of his sight. He threw money at them because he didn’t want to deal with them.”
That sounded exactly like him. I could almost hear his voice saying it.
“Then do you know anything about the connection between Choi Sun-man and Han Seongjin?”
“During his presidency, Choi Sun-man funneled many civilian contracts to Han Seongjin’s companies. Of course, he received his cut, but it was clear he favored Han over other conglomerates. It was also during that time that the administration pressured Chairman Cheon to make those donations. Even then, we suspected there was some deeper connection.”
So Choi Sun-man wasn’t a Heaven Church follower after all—but they were politically and financially intertwined.
“Han Seongjin still owns a number of companies. His cash reserves and financial stability are probably unmatched in Korea. He never takes bank loans. His religious organization continuously injects funds, which is how he breezed through the IMF crisis without damage.”
That reminded me of a rumor I’d once heard—how Han Seongjin had offered to repay all of Korea’s IMF debt if President Kim Hakgwon would declare Heaven Church the national religion.
It sounded absurd, but it showed just how much wealth that cult controlled.
Money wouldn’t be enough to pressure him. As I considered how to approach this, Ha spoke again, hesitating.
“Sir... maybe it would be better to step back from this one.”
I looked at him, puzzled. His face was lined with concern.
“No matter how you see it, getting involved with religion isn’t good. Especially one with this much money and power.”
I understood what he was worried about—but I slowly shook my head.
“I’m not trying to entangle myself with them. I know how dangerous religious power can be. But if I step back now, I’ll end up stepping back again later.”
“Still...”
He was right—it could easily lead to conflict with the group.
It wasn’t a normal church; it was a cult, which made his worry all the more valid.
But I couldn’t retreat.
“My target is Daedonghoe and Choi Sun-man, not Heaven Church. But...”
A cold gleam flashed in my eyes. Ha swallowed hard when he saw it.
“If they interfere with me, I’ll have to change my approach.”
I hadn’t planned on taking Han Seongjin down along with Choi Sun-man—but if he got in the way, I’d have to strip him of his power.
He was far more influential than I’d realized—recognized worldwide, with millions of followers.
If he sided with me, things would become easier. If not, I’d have to make sure he couldn’t interfere at all.
“Anyway, he’s not the main issue. The important thing is removing Choi Sun-man. If we miss this chance, it’ll be much harder next time.”
“I understand.”
Ha didn’t try to dissuade me again. He’d watched me long enough to know better.
He knew that once I decided on something, I never backed down.
“Once you give up an inch, you’ll give up another. And when the time comes to stand again, you’ll find you’ve lost everything. The only reason I’m still standing here is because I never backed down. Not once. And I never will.”
I had stood firm before the Tsar of Russia, before the President of the United States—the leader of the strongest nation on earth—and before the President of Korea.
I’d said what I wanted to say, without bowing.
I never back down. If anyone wanted a fight, they’d better come ready to die—because I wouldn’t go alone.
There had always been friction, but I survived every chaos and took what was mine.
“When a fight comes to me, I won’t back down.”
Everyone in the study nodded, drawn in by my unshakable resolve.
Even Han Kyungyeong, who was usually carefree, sat tense and silent.
“All we need to do is strip Choi Sun-man of his power. I don’t intend to kill him—just take everything he has and turn him into a forgotten old man no one seeks anymore.”
For an old monster like him, losing influence would be worse than death. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
“So, there’s a lot for each of you to do. I’ll handle the final confrontation myself, but we’ve got plenty to prepare before then. Everything must be ready before the election. By then, Choi Sun-man must be forced to step down.”
I looked each of them in the eye in turn—Ha Myeonghun, Han Kyungyeong, and Ma Seokdae.
“Chairman, start tracing Choi Sun-man’s funding. Those generals aren’t serving him out of loyalty alone. Everything revolves around money.”
“Understood.”
“At the same time, apply financial pressure on Ilseong Group. There are only two obstacles left in Korea that can interfere with me—Choi Sun-man and Ilseong Group. Your role is the most important.”
Ha Myeonghun gave a small nod. Then I turned to Han Kyungyeong.
“Hyung, you’ll fly to Japan tomorrow. Coordinate with the hedge funds and make it look like you’re preparing to attack the Japanese foreign exchange market. Just make it convincing enough. They’ll reach out to you—meet them when they do.”
“Just make it look that way?”
“Yeah. Koizumi needs a pretext to act. Toshiba’s trying to buy Ilseong Electronics’ semiconductor division. If that goes through, Ilseong’s liquidity problem will be solved overnight. I’m not letting that happen.”
“Got it. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”
Finally, I turned to Chief Ma.
“Tell the Chinese Triads and the Russian mafia to get ready for an operation against Japan. And contact Igor—have him send one special unit into Japan ahead of time.”
“Yes, boss.”
When I looked around again, I could feel how heavy the atmosphere in the study had become.
Caution was necessary, but there was no need for this gloom.
To lift the mood a little, I softened my tone deliberately.
“If we want an easy victory, everyone here needs to move in perfect sync. I’m not saying this to pressure you—I just know how capable you all are. So carry out your roles thoroughly, without mistakes.”
The moment I finished speaking, the sound of fireworks burst from outside.
It must have been people celebrating Korea’s advancement to the Round of 16.
For a second, I felt a pang of envy for those who could celebrate without knowing anything.
We continued the meeting a little longer. Once it was over, I dismissed everyone except Ha Myeonghun.
When the two of us were alone in the study, I could finally speak a bit more openly.
“Chairman.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I never wanted to involve someone who’s stepped into the light with Taesan Finance in things like this again. But when I thought about who I could truly trust... your name came up. So I had to call you. I’m sorry.”
At my sincere apology, Ha smiled gently—softer than the sharp look he usually wore.
“It’s alright. I’m actually relieved you called me.”
“How’s Taesan Finance?”
“It’s still growing. If things go well, we could ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) become the top financial company in Asia by the year after next.”
I nodded slightly. It was always good to hear that the company bearing Grandfather’s name was catching the wind.
“Good. I’ll be waiting for the day it becomes the best in the world, not just in Asia. That’s how Grandfather’s name will echo across the globe.”
A faint trace of longing crossed Ha’s face, and I found a small smile tugging at my own lips.
“Yes. We need to make his name known to the world.”
Remembering the dead was fine—but it was time to look toward the future.
I changed my expression and brought up business again.
“What about the credit cards? You’ve already stopped issuing new ones and reduced the loan limits, right?”
“Yes. We stopped issuing new ones last year.”
“Well done.”
The credit card bubble was just beginning to form. President Kim Hakgwon’s policy to “stimulate the post-IMF economy for the people” had led to reckless, indiscriminate card issuance.
More and more people were signing up for cards with no thought, using them freely, even paying one card’s bill with another—dollyeomakgi, as people had started to call it.
By early 2002, the masses were hurtling toward financial ruin. Soon, most working-class citizens would bear the label of “credit delinquent.”
In that situation, Taesan Finance had halted all new card issuance through both Taesan Card and Taesan Bank.
While other banks and card companies were expanding cash-advance limits and competing to attract new customers, Taesan did the exact opposite.
The financial world mocked us for it, saying we were going against the times.
But would they still say that later?
The results would speak for themselves. They would prove that Taesan Finance had made the right choice.
Because Taesan Card and Taesan Bank had focused on stability—issuing and managing cards responsibly—there would be no collapse of card debt on their books.
“A cash-advance ratio over sixty percent makes no sense. That means people are paying one card’s bill with another. That doesn’t reduce debt—it multiplies it.”
“I agree. In some ways, credit cards are scarier than loan sharks. At least with private loans, you know you’re borrowing. Credit cards make people spend money they don’t even realize they’re spending.”
Hearing that from a man who once lived in the loan shark world made me laugh. A card was just another product, after all.
I mimed an explosion with my hands.
“Exactly. Boom! One big blast, and it’ll all collapse. And when the card companies fall apart, Taesan Finance will step in and buy them all.”
