Free Web NovelA day passed, but the Industrial Bank governor still didn’t show himself.
“So Baek Seongjin says he doesn’t know who gave the order, huh?”
Eva came in, looking drained, and gave her report. My expression naturally hardened.
“Governor Heo isn’t from MOFIA. He was parachuted into the position, so they say his relationship with the MOFIA officials hasn’t been good.”
“That makes sense. But still, even if he’s the governor, it’s a state-run bank, isn’t it? Approvals don’t get issued without consulting the bureaucrats. No— even if they were approved, those MOFIA guys could’ve contacted us before the loan was released.”
“...I’m sorry. I must’ve gotten too complacent. I was trusting MOFIA too much.”
I had pressed her, but the guilt that tinged Eva’s voice made me feel uncomfortable.
“Eva, I’m not blaming you.”
“I know. I know, but still...”
“So, why was the loan pushed through so fast without even informing us?”
“Governor Heo bypassed MOFIA and issued the loan through his direct executives and staff. By the time the MOFIA side found out, the money was already gone. They said it would be difficult to recover it now— the justification is airtight.”
Even if the tide was turning, Ilseong Group still ranked among the top five conglomerates in the nation.
And once even a single credit card company collapsed, it would trigger a chain reaction— so there was more than enough pretext to approve that loan.
“I understand. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“I won’t make the same mistake next time.”
“It’s fine. I was too relaxed myself. I trusted Kim Hakgwon too much.”
“It wasn’t President Kim Hakgwon’s order.”
“I don’t think so either. So then who was it? Maybe Governor Heo took a bribe from Ilseong, or maybe there’s another reason.”
Honestly, I hoped it was the bribe. If it was something else, that would be far worse. If he had just taken money from Ilseong to issue the loan, I’d almost feel relieved.
Now all I could do was wait for Manager Ma to bring in Governor Heo Geun-yong.
“For now, go back and start investigating Ilseong Group. We may have to consider a hostile M&A.”
“Okay, boss.”
Eva stood up, hand on the doorknob to leave the study.
“Eva.”
She paused. When she turned back to look at me, I met her eyes.
“You’ve done well until now. So don’t blame yourself too much. I trust you.”
Eva hesitated for a moment— a late reaction, and I caught a faint glimmer of moisture in her eyes.
“Can I keep earning that trust?”
“Yeah, boss. Trust me.”
Only then did Eva smile radiantly and leave the room.
I thought about calling her back to talk a little more, but soon shook my head.
Once Manager Ma brought in Governor Heo Geun-yong, it wouldn’t exactly be a pleasant atmosphere. It was better to send her away in advance.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, then looked over the documents on Heavenly Church while waiting for Ma to arrive.
The more I looked, the stranger this religion seemed.
It was a religion founded by a Korean, yet it was far more famous overseas than in Korea.
It was also known for holding massive joint wedding ceremonies.
When the Church designated a spouse, the believers accepted it without question.
Last year, they had rented out the entire UN Headquarters, inviting UN representatives and religious leaders from various countries, and held a mass wedding in front of thousands.
“They rented out the whole UN building?”
If one could judge by one event, that alone said everything about the influence of Heavenly Church.
With generous donations from believers and corporate profits, they had lobbied politicians both at home and abroad— now they wielded considerable influence not only in Korea, but in the U.S. and Japan as well.
The Catholic Church and Protestant denominations had long branded them as heretics.
How laughable. As if this were the first monster to wear the mask of religion.
“In the end, religion is still just religion.”
Anyway, Han Seongjin was quite a figure— but his family was a mess.
All three sons were scoundrels, and their spouses were even worse.
I decided to exploit the fact that they still hadn’t settled their succession plan.
Ha Myeonghun had warned me that getting entangled with religion wasn’t wise.
But if I could shake their line of succession, keeping their attention trapped internally?
If I could split that church into multiple factions?
Then I could remove the threat entirely.
Even if I didn’t destroy them outright, planting the seed of discord inside might be enough.
I set the papers down and thought it through.
“Han Seongjin’s eldest, Han Hyunjin, and second son, Han Hyunwoo, don’t get along, and the youngest, Han Hyunsu, is more interested in business than religion...”
I spent hours thinking about how to sow division.
But as the sun set, I still hadn’t come up with a concrete plan.
I’d have to choose one of them and meet him first before deciding.
While I was deep in thought, a knock at the door pulled me back.
The one who stepped in was Manager Ma.
“Ah, you called for me?”
“Yes. They’re bringing him here now.”
I nodded slightly. Judging by how long it had taken, the man must’ve hidden himself well.
“Where was he?”
“At his private villa in Gangneung.”
“No resistance?”
“There was a brief scuffle, but we subdued him quickly. They’ll be here in about two hours.”
I gave a faint smile.
“Good. When he arrives, bring him here. And prepare the table with some drinks.”
Just as Ma had said, about two hours later, Heo Geun-yong was led in by my men.
Since Ma had mentioned a ‘small scuffle,’ I half-expected injuries— but fortunately, his face was unmarked.
His gait, however, was uneven. So they must’ve handled the parts that didn’t show.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Muhyuk. This is our first time, right?”
“...”
“Please, sit down. It must’ve been tiring to come all this way.”
I didn’t wait for his answer and sat myself.
Heo Geun-yong still didn’t move.
“What are you doing? I said sit.”
I gestured impatiently. Finally, limping slightly, he walked over and sat down.
I began placing ice into my glass.
“You’ve been here before when my grandfather was alive, haven’t you?”
“...”
“Well, if you don’t want to answer, don’t.”
I filled my glass with whiskey, poured another, and slid it toward him.
“Have a drink.”
Heo Geun-yong just stared at me in silence.
I smiled faintly.
“My arm’s getting tired. Take it.”
Reluctantly, with a grim expression, Heo picked up the glass.
He just sat there holding it, saying nothing. The clinking ice in my own glass was the only sound breaking the silence.
After the ice melted a little, I took a slow sip and spoke.
“Our esteemed governor seems to have done something interesting. You approved a loan for Ilseong Group, didn’t you? Secretly, without anyone knowing, and then conveniently went on vacation to Gangneung.”
“...”
“The Blue House didn’t know, the MOFIA executives didn’t know, the bureaucrats didn’t know... So why would our Governor Heo do such a thing?”
He still didn’t answer.
“What’s the matter? Did someone lock your mouth shut?”
“Look here, Mr. Kim.”
At last, he spoke. Not that I liked what came out.
“What is this rude behavior?”
“Rude?”
“Yes. I’m meeting you for the first time, but this isn’t how civilized people act. If you wanted to meet, you could’ve contacted me, set an appointment, and met properly.”
I snorted softly. People who talked about manners were usually the ones who had none.
“You weren’t answering your phone. So I had no choice but to use some physical means.”
“This is kidnapping! You’ve kidnapped the head of a state bank! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
He spoke to me in that patronizing tone of a senior lecturing a subordinate.
“Release me now, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”
“Well, sure. I’ll let you go— once you clear up my curiosity. You could at least do that much, right?”
“...”
“Still not talking?”
I clicked my tongue lightly, downed the whiskey in one gulp, and set the glass down.
“Governor Heo, let’s talk like civilized men, shall we?”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Did Ilseong Group pay you off? Is that why you approved the loan?”
I studied his reaction carefully as I asked.
“Or was someone behind you, giving the order?”
But his face remained stone. No flicker, no twitch. Was I even talking to a human being?
“If you keep this up, I’ll have no choice. We’ll go down to the basement.”
“What?”
“If that happens, you won’t be treated like a human being. My men are quite rough. I heard you’ve even been tortured by the KCIA back in the day— guess that doesn’t scare you?”
“...”
“Well, you were younger then. You’re not exactly in your prime now, are you? Let’s not overexert ourselves. Just tell me what I need to know, and you’ll walk out of here in one piece.”
It was a clear threat, yet I smiled brighter than ever.
“I don’t know what kind of man you think I am, but people often misunderstand. They think I’m afraid of public scrutiny, that it holds me back.”
“...”
“But you see, it doesn’t scare me in the least. In fact, I’ve stopped caring entirely. Congratulations, Governor— you’ll be the signal flare for that.”
“You...”
He tried to say something, but I cut him off.
“Whatever you’ve heard about me, forget it. I’ll give you one chance— your first and last.”
I opened the drawer beside me and pulled out a folder, tossing it in front of him.
“Take a look. It’s been a while since you’ve seen your son in America, hasn’t it? Did you know he’s a junkie?”
“What?”
Heo’s eyes widened as he hastily opened the file.
In the photos, his son stared blankly into space, pupils dilated from drugs. For the first time, Heo’s expression cracked.
“If I make a single call, your son will be arrested by the FBI. You know how harsh the U.S. is on drug crimes, right? In Korea, you might get out as a first offender, but not there. And the amount he had— massive.”
“...”
“By the way, I heard your daughter’s wedding is next month.”
I trailed off, refilling my glass.
“I wonder if the groom’s family knows... that she used to frequent an OB-GYN clinic back in college?”
“H-how do you...”
I didn’t answer. I simply swirled the whiskey in my hand.
His pale, trembling face reflected through the glass.
“Still don’t want to answer my question?”
His hands, clutching the file, shook faintly.
“I said it was your last chance. I won’t give you long. Answer before I finish this drink. If you don’t, you’re going to the basement— and your son will be arrested, your daughter’s secret will reach her fiancé’s family.”
Heo remained silent. No sign of speaking.
I didn’t bother to push further— just emptied my glass. Then pressed the bell to summon Ma.
When Ma entered, I nodded toward Heo.
“Take him to the basement. Get every word out of him. Also contact the FBI— hand over the son’s file. I’ll handle the daughter’s side myself.”
“Yes, boss.”
At Ma’s signal, my men entered from the back.
“A man of loyalty, huh? Rare to see that these days. Dying for a sense of honor...”
I smirked as Heo lifted his head to look at me.
Even while being dragged away by my men, he kept glancing at me, eyes frantic. It was almost funny. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Maybe he saw something real in my eyes, because suddenly he blurted out, desperate—
“I’ll talk! Please...”
“Too late.”
“It—it was President Choi Sun-man’s order!”
“...”
“Please... Mr. Kim...”
The name I had expected. I almost sighed.
“So. Are you ready to talk now?”
Heo nodded vigorously.
“Release him.”
My men let go of his arms.
“Come back and sit down.”
His legs gave out halfway, and he half-crawled back to the sofa.
“Have a drink first.”
I gestured toward the glass.
Without a word, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ he took the whiskey and downed it in one shot.
A thick smile crept across my lips. Finally, the man was in the mood to talk.
I crossed my legs, looking straight at him.
“Now— why would former President Choi Sun-man suddenly get involved in Ilseong Group’s loan? Explain it to me so I can understand.”
