Free Web NovelPrinceton, New Jersey, USA.
It was home to Princeton University, one of America’s most prestigious institutions, alongside Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.
“Hey, Jaykan!”
An Asian man walking across the Princeton campus turned his head at the familiar voice.
“Oh, Michael.”
The Asian man called Jaykan—Hong Seokgeun—waved cheerfully at the Black man who had called out to him.
When Michael came closer, he casually slung an arm around Hong Seokgeun’s shoulders.
“Where you headed?”
“Classes are over, so I’m heading back to the dorm.”
“Man, what do you Asians even live for? Campus, dorm, campus, dorm...... You don’t even have time to enjoy your youth?”
At Hong Seokgeun’s answer, Michael made a disgusted face and held out his fist.
Hong Seokgeun bumped it with his own and laughed.
“There’s nothing special to do, really.”
“Then how about a party tonight? Wanna come with me? Mary specifically told me to bring you.”
“Mary?”
Hong Seokgeun tilted his head, recalling the face of a student who took the same class.
They weren’t close enough to arrange separate get-togethers, so he was curious why she would ask for him.
“I’ve barely even talked to Mary. Why would she......?”
“You’re smart, but why are you so clueless? She likes you, man. You can tell just by her eyes—how do you not see it?”
“She does? Mary, likes me?”
Seeing Hong Seokgeun ask back in confusion, Michael thumped his own chest in frustration.
“Forget it. Just come to the party. Then you’ll understand what I mean.”
“Uh...... Where is it?”
“Where else? If it’s a place to party around here, you know what it is. Mary rented out a club for the day. We just need to show up.”
Nodding, Hong Seokgeun quickly checked his outfit, then smiled awkwardly.
“Alright, I’ll go. I should head to the dorm first and change.”
“Yeah. Get ready and meet me in front of the dorm in an hour.”
Michael waved and disappeared, while Hong Seokgeun hurried back to the dorm.
From a distance, Michael watched Hong Seokgeun enter the dormitory, then scanned his surroundings.
He pulled out his phone and called someone.
“I’ve lured the target to a club. Yes. I’ll bring him in an hour.”
After ending the call, Michael folded his arms and leaned against the wall.
His eyes never once left the dorm entrance.
An hour later.
Freshly showered and neatly dressed, Hong Seokgeun came out of the dorm.
“Michael!”
Michael, who had been looking at his phone, raised his head.
Seeing how well Hong Seokgeun was dressed, Michael whistled and even gave him a thumbs-up.
“Are you sure you’re the Jaykan I know? I didn’t think you knew how to dress like this.”
At the compliment, Hong Seokgeun scratched his cheek shyly.
He was simply grateful to Michael, who always looked after him kindly as he struggled to adapt to college life.
“Alright, let’s go. Forget studying tonight and actually have some fun. I’ll show you how Princeton parties are done.”
Following Michael, Hong Seokgeun stepped into a Princeton club for the first time.
Loud music pounded his ears, and the classmates who normally wore shabby clothes and studied nonstop were now all dressed in flashy outfits.
Some danced on the stage, others swayed lightly to the rhythm with bottles in hand.
“So? Isn’t it insane?”
Hong Seokgeun nodded, spellbound.
He had done nothing but study since he was very young.
Kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school—his life had been nothing but studying. That was how he made it to Princeton.
But even after entering college, unlike his friends who enjoyed nightlife, he continued to focus solely on studying.
For someone like him, this kind of stimulating party was a first.
“Hey, Mary!”
Michael led the dazed Hong Seokgeun forward.
They approached Mary’s table to greet the host of the party.
Mary, who had been chatting with friends, turned at Michael’s call.
“Michael! Oh, Jaykan! You came too?”
She greeted them warmly, jumping up to hug Michael, then hugging Hong Seokgeun as well.
“I told Michael, but I honestly didn’t think you’d come. I heard you don’t like places like this.”
“Huh? Uh......”
Perhaps because he was somewhere unfamiliar, Hong Seokgeun was even more awkward than usual, but Mary seemed to find it cute and laughed out loud.
“I’m happy your first party is one I’m hosting, Jaykan.”
“Y-Yeah. Thanks for inviting me......”
“Sit here. I’m the host today, so just follow my lead. Easy, right?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
Mary gestured to Hong Seokgeun, then gave Michael a look.
Reading her signal, Michael greeted them casually.
“Jaykan, I’ll go say hi to some other friends.”
Once Michael left, Mary sat down and patted the chair next to her.
Naturally, Hong Seokgeun ended up sitting beside her. She poured him a glass of champagne and spoke.
“Jaykan, you should relieve stress like this sometimes. Are you just going to study and go back to your home country? At our university, it’s all about connections. Connections come first, second, and third. Grades come after that. If you only study like this and don’t build relationships, you’ll regret it later.”
Just as she said, unlike the awkward Hong Seokgeun, the other students looked completely at ease in this setting.
While he reflected on how much he had studied in the past, Mary poured herself a glass of champagne and raised it.
“Alright—here’s to Jaykan’s first party!”
Swept up by the atmosphere, Hong Seokgeun clinked his glass against hers without even realizing it.
Under the gazes of those around him, he drained the champagne in one go.
His very first party was fun, and the night only grew deeper.
* * *
To meet Hong Jinwoo, I headed to a traditional Korean restaurant near the National Assembly building.
Guided by my manager, I arrived at the private room I had reserved.
When the door opened, Hong Jinwoo was already there, waiting.
“Nice to meet you, Assemblyman Hong Jinwoo.”
When I greeted him, Hong Jinwoo stood up with an affable smile.
“Nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Chairman Kim Muhyuk.”
He extended his hand first. I took it, wearing a businesslike smile.
“I’ve heard a lot about you too, Assemblyman.”
“No need to talk standing. Let’s sit.”
After a brief handshake, we sat facing each other.
Perhaps he had arranged it in advance—the table was already set with food.
Until we called for it, no one would open the door and come in.
It was a place National Assembly members frequented, but not ideal for secretive conversations.
Reporters who kept an eye on lawmakers often passed through.
When I proposed the meeting, he chose this place—meaning he didn’t want anything secretive.
“I know you’re a busy man, Chairman Kim. I hear your name more often than President Yoon Changho’s these days. The more I learn about you, the more interesting you become.”
“I’m nothing special.”
“You’re being overly modest. Two parties that together hold more than two-thirds of the seats in the National Assembly—the Centrist Party and the Progressive Party—are both watching your every move. No, perhaps it’s more accurate to say even the president is watching you.”
Without realizing it, I raised one eyebrow.
Perhaps because he led the Sohong faction, he got straight to the point—unlike most politicians.
It was convenient not having to dance around each other to probe intentions, but I wondered how he planned to clean this up later.
Since he’d decided to dispense with pleasantries, I responded in kind.
“Watching my every move? That’s an exaggeration. President Yoon Changho and I are partners. What I’m doing doesn’t harm national interests, so he doesn’t oppose it. If the president truly wanted to, getting rid of me would be easy.”
Hong Jinwoo nodded.
“I don’t believe what you’re doing harms national interests either. However, people like you are what we call shadow power brokers. The people elected by the public are President Yoon Changho and the lawmakers of °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the Centrist and Progressive parties. If you control everything from behind the scenes without the public’s knowledge, can that really be called representation of the people? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to call them representatives of Kim Muhyuk?”
If words could carry blades, this was how it felt. Just like his sharp gaze, Hong Jinwoo’s words were edged with steel.
He continued without stopping.
“If you had used legitimate methods, I might have tried to maintain a good relationship with you. But in the long run, people like you are of no help to this country. You are someone who needs to disappear.”
So he thought he could speak down to me just because I listened quietly.
I erased the smile from my face.
Perhaps because the atmosphere shifted instantly, Hong Jinwoo fell silent.
“And who decides that?” I asked. “Who decides that I should disappear?”
“.......”
“When you first entered politics, there was an organization called Cheongpunghoe. Did you say the same thing back then? That Cheongpunghoe should disappear?”
Hong Jinwoo clenched his lips, unable to answer.
I let out a deliberate scoff.
“Ha. Isn’t it funny? Someone who couldn’t even squeak in front of Cheongpunghoe now says that I should disappear. Do you really think Cheongpunghoe vanished naturally? If you looked into me, you already know. I’m the one who personally crushed Cheongpunghoe. Same with the Conservative Party. They were practically wiped out by me as well. Did that harm you? Or did it harm the public? No. The public and the Progressive Party benefited—only benefited.”
When Hong Jinwoo became a lawmaker, Cheongpunghoe’s influence had still been deeply entrenched in South Korea.
“Back then......”
“Back then you had no power, and now you do? If that’s the pathetic excuse you’re going to give, don’t bother. The ‘power’ you have now amounts to a handful of lawmakers who follow you. It’s not that different from before. You couldn’t open your mouth because Cheongpunghoe and Hongseok Construction were connected, could you? At the end of that government–business collusion that could’ve ended your political career, wasn’t Cheongpunghoe standing there?”
Hongseok Construction was able to grow from a Honam-based company into a nationwide firm solely because of protection from the military regime.
Otherwise, how could a company with less competitiveness than giants like Daehyeon Construction or Jungwoo Construction have grown? freёwebnovel.com
Backed by the military regime, Hongseok Construction started with apartment projects in Gwangju and went on to secure government-led national projects.
Even after the regime fell, Cheongpunghoe’s power remained.
Until I brought them down, South Korea had been Cheongpunghoe’s world.
And Hong Jinwoo, the second son of Hongseok Construction, couldn’t be completely free from that criticism.
“Didn’t you openly criticize Hongseok Construction and divest your shares because it stood in the way of your political career?”
“Chairman Kim Muhyuk. Your manners—”
“Weren’t you the one who crossed the line first? It’s laughable to hear the word ‘manners’ from someone who told another person to their face that they should disappear. Do I look like someone you’re allowed to look down on?”
I couldn’t understand why he was so hostile toward me.
Meeting his glare head-on, I spoke firmly.
“Let me warn you right here. Don’t think about throwing me to the wolves.”
“Threatening a member of the National Assembly—are you confident? I’ve never taken money from you, and I don’t have any major weaknesses either. Chairman Kim Muhyuk, how exactly do you think you can touch me?”
That part genuinely surprised me.
A lawmaker—no, a South Korean lawmaker—who couldn’t be shaken even if you shook him to dust.
If he didn’t hate me, I might’ve actually liked him.
“That surprised me too. You’re the first person I’ve met with absolutely no weaknesses. You’re human, so there were minor blemishes, but nothing big enough to end your political career. I almost felt admiration. Someone in your position must’ve faced countless temptations. Yet you ignored all of them and kept walking straight ahead. Your political life is impressive enough to deserve applause.”
“Khmm.”
At the sudden praise, Hong Jinwoo cleared his throat awkwardly. Even so, he didn’t lose the wary look in his eyes—thorough to the end.
“Well, that doesn’t mean there’s no way.”
“Are you going to kill me? Like you killed the head of Cheongpunghoe?”
I wasn’t about to let him off that easily.
Just as my lips parted, both my phone and his phone rang at the same time.
“I’ll take this call for a moment. It’s important.”
Hong Jinwoo nodded and rejected his own incoming call.
I pulled my phone from my pocket. A U.S. number starting with 1 was on the screen.
—Hoo, Charlie. Please don’t make requests like this anymore. The job’s done.
“Thank you. I won’t forget this.” ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Even during the short call, Hong Jinwoo’s phone kept ringing.
I could see him frowning, debating whether to answer.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. That sounded urgent—shouldn’t you take it?”
After I finished my call, I spoke to him. Still staring at his phone, Hong Jinwoo shook his head.
“......No. They can call back later.”
“Well. I think you should answer. Otherwise, you might regret it.”
Seeing him look at me in confusion, I let a deep smile spread across my lips.
Instead of saying anything else, I lightly gestured—telling him to take the call.
