Free Web NovelBack when I sent Cheon Sooman to Australia, I had asked Grandpa about Cheongpunghoe.
“Please tell me about Cheongpunghoe. Who are they, that even with your power, you say you can’t take revenge?”
Grandpa didn’t answer. He just stared at me silently.
Frustrated, I pressed him again.
“What is your relationship with them? Why are you staying quiet? I need to know. Please tell me, Grandpa.”
Still seated, Grandpa reached behind him and opened his safe.
It was his personal safe—not even Manager Ha was allowed to open it.
Back in the previous timeline, it had only opened after he died. And back then, it was empty.
This time, Grandpa took out a single ledger and placed it on the desk.
“Do you know what this is?”
“I don’t. It looks like a ledger, but...”
Grandpa’s smile turned cold.
“This is my power. How do you think a mere loan shark like me survived two ruthless military regimes? It was the power of money.”
That ledger, though empty on the surface, held the history of Grandpa’s life.
“I won’t be passing this on to you. When I die, this thing goes in the grave with me. Even if I used this ledger to go to war with Cheongpunghoe, my chances of winning were less than fifty percent. And even if I won, I would’ve lost everything—my family, my money, even my life...”
I stared blankly at the ledger in Grandpa’s hands.
As if avoiding my gaze, Grandpa tightened his grip on it and looked down.
“This ledger lists every politician I’ve paid off—regardless of party. Not just them, but top-level bureaucrats, military officers, practically anyone who’s ever held power in this country. Now you understand why they listen when I ask for favors?”
I had a vague idea before.
The reason I couldn’t wield real power after being named successor in the original timeline... was because I never inherited that ledger.
‘Why didn’t he want to pass it on?’
Grandpa kept talking.
“Even those so-called clean dissidents took my money. And if they didn’t take it at first, I just gave them more. Yeah, I gave money to Cheongpunghoe too. I first met him in the late ‘50s.”
Grandpa’s tone was slow, as if pulling from distant memory.
Not “them,” but “him.”
“You know how I told you I first made my money from enemy-owned property after the war?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“When the war ended and I returned to Seoul, I saw an opportunity. I started buying up government-released Japanese properties, flipping money, and building my wealth. That’s when I met a man. That’s how it started.”
He wasn’t reminiscing.
His voice was laced with regret.
“That man had considerable influence over the government. I did a lot with him. I was just a small-time loan shark, but thanks to him, I started dealing with corporations. And I gave him money.”
A sigh as deep as the wrinkles on his face echoed through the study.
“He was the one who created Cheongpunghoe. That’s when our paths diverged. He wanted to control Korea from the shadows, but I just liked making money. Still, I kept giving him money. You need power to protect what you earn.”
The real story behind Cheongpunghoe began to unfold.
“When the military regime took over, he colluded with them. The power they built was enormous... and that’s when the distance between us grew. Japanese money started flowing to him. I learned later he was a descendant of pro-Japanese collaborators.”
I had known Cheongpunghoe was linked to pro-Japanese bloodlines—but never that their leader was a direct descendant.
“Over time, our connection faded. After the loan freeze crisis, I stopped giving him money and redirected it to the real power-holders of the regime. The rift grew. Then, when the president suddenly died and the Fifth Republic began, he started plotting to hand the Myeongdong loan market over to Japan.”
The memory was still vivid—Grandpa’s face twisted with fury like it had happened yesterday.
“I didn’t care if he was a collaborator or not, but trying to take over my turf? Unforgivable. That was the first time I used both the carrot and the stick. This ledger... that’s when we were done for good.”
Grandpa tapped the ledger with his palm, trying to suppress his anger. I began to collect my thoughts.
‘So the collapse of the private loan market to Japanese capital after the IMF—this fight had started way earlier.’
Grandpa’s story explained everything, even the parts my future knowledge couldn’t clarify.
I’d never understood why the private loan market had fallen so easily. Now I knew—it had been a long war.
Eventually, Grandpa calmed down, took a sip of water, and continued.
“Today, Cheongpunghoe is more monstrous than ever. It’s got members from the 3rd to the 5th Republics—key players from every regime. The descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators are funneling money into it. Politicians, journalists, conglomerates... It’s not just them. Even some so-called democratic heroes—respected dissidents—are secretly members. The only one who knows every member... is the Chairman.”
Now I understood why Grandpa couldn’t take revenge.
“Who is this person called the Chairman?”
There was killing intent in Grandpa’s eyes.
“Lee Yonghyeon. An unacknowledged descendant of Lee Wanyong. He’s the head of Cheongpunghoe—the mastermind pulling the strings behind Korea.”
At last, I knew who the Chairman of Cheongpunghoe was.
The man responsible for my parents’ deaths.
The one who had me killed.
The puppeteer behind Cheon Sooman and Cheon Suhan.
“Is the current administration working with them too?”
Grandpa nodded heavily.
“Maybe not the President himself, but you can assume that most of the bureaucrats and politicians under him are within their influence. Ruling party or opposition—who and how many, I don’t know for sure. If the President were truly their puppet, he wouldn’t have disbanded Hanahoe. That clique was part of Cheongpunghoe’s core.”
The more Grandpa spoke, the more I felt the weight of their power.
“What exactly is in that ledger that makes it your shield?”
“Haha... Don’t ask. It’s a poisoned chalice. Muhyuk, if this ledger ever goes to you, you might gain power—but you’ll never walk in the light again. That’s why I won’t pass it on. It’s a burden I must take with me to the grave.”
I could feel a piece of Grandpa’s heart.
“I understand.”
He gave a bitter smile.
“For now, even Cheongpunghoe will tread carefully around me. They know a grieving parent has nothing left to lose. But... seeing you, Jiwon, Jisoo, and Jiyoung—it's hard. Please understand.”
Grandpa’s eyes looked sad as he gazed at me.
I didn’t avoid his gaze.
“I understand. I’ll wait until I have the strength to take them down. But please, let me inherit that ledger too. If I don’t stake everything to fight them, I won’t win. Even if it destroys me.”
“But...”
“Please.”
Grandpa stared into my eyes for a long while, then finally sighed deeply and nodded.
“Fine. If a day comes when you truly need it... I’ll pass it on. But that day is not now.”
“Yes. I know.”
The conversation continued.
It was a moment when I understood Grandpa a little more.
Time flowed like a river, unrelenting. While I stayed busy day after day, 1994 quietly neared its end.
The guys all passed the third round of the bar exam and received final notice of their acceptance.
Continuing university while attending the Judicial Training Institute next year would be difficult.
“You’re going to take a leave of absence, right?”
We were eating to celebrate Myungsoo’s final passing when he looked at me.
“Of course. Dropping out would be crazy. It’s bad for your career, ain’t it? The class ranking matters, but so does the name—Korea National University still carries weight.”
The prosecution takes class rankings very seriously.
If someone younger outranks them and becomes Prosecutor General, the seniors traditionally all resign.
“What about the others?”
“They’ll all probably take a break too. After the training institute, they gotta go to the army anyway, whew...”
“You’re going in as a military legal officer, right?”
“Still the army, man. You’re exempt, so you wouldn’t get how I feel about it.”
I snorted, lifting my spoon, when Myungsoo suddenly remembered something.
“Oh! Hyunseong called too. Said congrats. Still not in touch with him?”
“Let it be. I’ll reach out eventually.”
The moment Hyunseong’s name came up, my mouth went bitter.
Since our talk in Busan, I hadn’t contacted him.
He hadn’t contacted me either.
“Jeez, get over yourselves. You’re not dating or anything.”
Not wanting to keep talking about Hyunseong, I quickly changed the subject.
“What about your folks?”
“I called them. They were gonna come up to Seoul, but I told them I’d go down instead. Winter break’s coming, and I haven’t been home in a while. Wanna come with?”
“Nah, I’ve gotta stay in Seoul for now. Go visit Grandma for me. She must be feeling lonely. We talk every day, but still...”
Myungsoo raised an eyebrow curiously.
“What are you talking about? Hyunseong visits her every day, keeps her company, eats dinner with her, then heads home. Didn’t she tell you?”
“What?”
That was the first I’d heard of it.
“Oh, for god’s sake.”
I couldn’t even hear what Myungsoo was saying anymore.
He clicked his tongue, giving me a pitiful look.
“Just wait a little. Hyunseong’s probably got his own reasons. That guy’s all brawn and no bite, right? Can’t even work out anymore. He’s probably scared and sorry that you took revenge for him.”
Yeah... you can’t sever ties just because you want to. I tried to let go, but he kept weighing on my mind.
I called Grandma when I got home.
When she answered as always, asking how I was, I asked her—
“Grandma, is it true that Hyunseong comes by every day?”
“Hm? How’d you know? He asked me not to tell you.”
“Found out from Myungsoo. When did he start coming?”
“About a month after you went up to Seoul. He ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) didn’t say a word and just cried and cried. Since then, he’s been coming over daily—keeping me company, sharing meals...”
“You should’ve told me. Seriously, Grandma...”
“Hyunseong asked me not to. Said you were busy and not to bother you. Did you two fight? You never even fought when you were little...” freēwebnovel.com
“It’s not like that.”
“Hyunseong is like my own, and so is Myungsoo. Thanks to them, I’m doing just fine, so don’t worry about me.”
“Okay. I’ll come down soon.”
“Aww, good.”
After hanging up, I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
‘Just wait. One day he’ll call.’
Reaching out first might backfire.
That night, I was finally able to fall asleep with a slightly lighter heart.
It was now December.
The streets were filled with Christmas trees and carols, Salvation Army bells ringing beside their red kettles.
As December 20th approached, the tension grew.
The peso had been declining since June, but what if my bet changed the future?
— Muhyuk, it really is the 20th, right? I haven’t been able to do anything for days.
“Hyung, just trust and wait.”
Just like in the original history, Mexico was descending into chaos.
Even with uncertainty, I had no choice now but to trust my memory.
And finally, December 21st, Korean time.
The day of reckoning arrived.
It was early morning, but I couldn’t sleep.
This wasn’t an era of advanced internet—you couldn’t get real-time updates on Mexico.
I stayed up all night with open eyes.
At 5 a.m., the moment my phone rang, I snatched it up.
“This is Kim Muhyuk.”
— Muhyuk! The Mexican government... they just widened the dollar exchange rate fluctuation band to 13%! Just like you said—they devalued the peso!
In that instant, all the tension melted away.
< Who Is This Person Called the Chairman? > End.
