Free Web NovelThe Chief of Staff and the Head of Legal exchanged glances.
The Head of Legal asked in shock,
“H-how are you here...?”
“For the same reason as you, what else? Is it that surprising that I’m here?”
Unlike the Head of Legal, the Chief of Staff responded calmly.
I watched their exchange with interest, slowly swirling the wine glass in my hand.
“I’m curious as well. I didn’t expect to see you here, Chief of Staff. Why did you betray the Chairman? Weren’t you friends with him?”
“Friends... I considered Woosik a friend. But friendship can only be maintained between equals. When we were young, he may have seen me that way too. But after we grew up, I became nothing more than a subordinate. No—more like a servant.”
His words made me flinch involuntarily.
They weren’t directed at me, but somehow they struck deep.
Friendship could only exist between equals. That sentence kept echoing in my ears.
Are Myungsoo, Hyunseong, and I truly equals?
Are we still friends?
Myungsoo treated me no differently than before, but at some point, Hyunseong had started acting cautious around me.
He tried not to show it, but deep down, he might be thinking the same as the Chief of Staff.
‘I need to pay more attention.’
I silently nodded as I looked at the Chief of Staff.
I resolved not to let the two of them ever feel that way about me.
Yoon Hyunju lightly cleared her throat, breaking the heavy atmosphere.
“Let’s stop the useless chatter here. The fact that the Head of Legal came to see me... can I take that as meaning you’re ready to abandon that man, Choi Woosik?”
With a faint smile in her eyes, she asked.
The Head of Legal swallowed dryly.
Then, without warning, he dropped to his knees.
He had knelt just as suddenly earlier too. What a worthless set of knees.
“Please spare me. I only carried out my duties faithfully because the Chairman ordered me to.”
“Hmm... From what I heard, you’ve been meeting Choi Woosik privately lately, excluding the Chief of Staff. And you were even investigating me.”
“Th-that’s... I couldn’t disobey the Chairman’s orders.”
His stammered excuse made Yoon Hyunju shrug.
“Even so, you could have told me, couldn’t you? If the Chief of Staff hadn’t investigated, I would’ve been stabbed in the back without knowing a thing.”
“I will devote my loyalty to you, Director. I will do anything you ask.”
I couldn’t understand why the Head of Legal was groveling this much.
He was still the Head of Legal at KS Group. Even if he got fired, he could easily open a private practice and live comfortably. Wasn’t this too submissive?
“And then what? When the tide turns again, you’ll just pledge loyalty to someone else? The first time might be hard, but the second time is easy, isn’t it?”
“N-no. I wasn’t loyal to Chairman Choi Woosik, I was loyal to KS Group. From now on, I will devote my loyalty to you until the day I die.”
Cornered, the Head of Legal spouted nonsense.
Yoon Hyunju looked at me.
“What do you think, President Kim?”
“My opinion doesn’t matter. You should do as you see fit.”
“Still, if you were to give some advice?”
I thought for a moment about why she had managed to win over the Chief of Staff but not the Head of Legal, then asked,
“Do you happen to have any leverage on him as well?”
At my question, the Head of Legal, who was pressed flat against the floor, flinched.
“Not yet. But you know how it is. He’s done plenty of dirty work to turn illegality into legality. He’s someone who should share responsibility with Choi Woosik. After the shareholders’ meeting, I plan to start an audit on all of his people.”
As I expected, she didn’t have any leverage yet. She intended to uncover his crimes through an audit.
If she already had something on him, she would have either recruited him early like the Chief of Staff or eliminated him while he was still by Choi Woosik’s side.
“Since you’re asking for advice, just take this as a reference.”
“Alright. I’ll filter it myself.”
“First of all, his competence is well known. He’s capable enough to clean up all of Choi Woosik’s illegal activities. And he has strong connections in the prosecution.”
Yoon Hyunju nodded in agreement.
Without the Head of Legal’s extensive lobbying, Choi Woosik would have been arrested long ago.
“If you can fix him and use him, it would be best to do so. If not... do you have a replacement in mind?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then there’s no better candidate than him. I recommend putting a leash on him and using him. After working together this time, it seems you’ll need at least one legal expert around you.”
Yoon Jaeha had gone through quite a bit this time. She nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. I felt that very clearly.”
Yoon Hyunju turned her head and asked the Chief of Staff,
“What do you think?”
“He’s capable, no doubt. The problem is whether he can be trusted... but that’s not for me to decide.”
After a brief moment of thought, Yoon Hyunju looked back at the Head of Legal.
“Can I trust you?”
“Please trust me. I will devote my loyalty.”
“You’ll do anything I ask?”
Afraid of missing his chance, the Head of Legal nodded so hard his neck might snap.
“Then how much do you know about Choi Woosik’s private life?”
“Th-that... the Chief of Staff would know better than I do. What I know is...”
“Do you think I’m asking you because I don’t know? I’m asking whether Choi Woosik secretly transferred any assets to that woman and her brat behind my back. Are you pretending not to know, or are you just stupid?”
Startled by her sharp tone, the Head of Legal flinched—but unexpectedly, he spoke without much resistance.
“...He transferred a building in Gangnam under that woman’s mother’s name. And he also prepared a will, in case of sudden death.”
“A will?”
At the unexpected mention of a will, Yoon Hyunju’s eyes widened.
“...That bastard wrote a separate will?”
“Yes. He did.”
“Choi Woosik, you insane bastard! What the hell did he write in it? Tell me right now!”
“All of his assets, including stocks and real estate... are to be transferred to Choi Jinwoo...”
“Has he lost his mind?! How dare he!”
Grinding her teeth, Yoon Hyunju slammed the table.
She didn’t even try to hide her anger—it showed clearly.
“All his assets? To that brat? Does that even make sense? To an illegitimate child?!”
“......”
“Where is the will? Bring it to me right now! I need to see it with my own eyes!”
“It’s stored in a personal vault at Taesan Bank’s headquarters. Only the Chairman himself can access it. Even if I go, or even if you go, they won’t open it.”
“Taesan Bank headquarters?”
At that, Yoon Hyunju looked at me.
I could tell exactly what she was thinking.
“That’s a bit difficult for me to help with. I understand your situation, but if I were to ask them to open it arbitrarily, no one would ever use Taesan Bank’s vaults again. It’s a matter of trust.”
Of course, if I really wanted to, I could make it happen.
I just had no reason to take that risk.
“...I was just looking.”
Realizing her rudeness, Yoon Hyunju turned away and asked the Head of Legal again,
“Think of a way. Stick close to Choi Woosik and get that will, no matter what it takes. If you do, I’ll let you stay by my side.”
“R-really? Yes! I’ll make it happen.”
Color returned to the Head of Legal’s face.
After watching him silently for a moment, Yoon Hyunju waved her hand dismissively.
“Then get out. For now, stay glued to Choi Woosik and find out what he’s up to. Got it?”
“Yes. Understood. But... after the shareholders’ meeting, if I’m removed from my position as CEO, I won’t have any justification to stay close to him...” ƒrēewebnovel.com
“Then resign! You can come back later!”
“I—I’ll do that.”
The Head of Legal stood up, gave me a slight bow, and left.
As soon as he was gone, Yoon Hyunju muttered viciously,
“What a joke. Writing a will behind my back?”
Seething, she grabbed a glass of water and drained it in one go.
“There are plenty of ways to invalidate the legal effect of a will, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
“I’m not worried. I’m just pissed off. That man has never been any help in his entire life. Ah, President Kim, you must be hungry. I’ll have them bring the food.”
Watching Yoon Hyunju’s emotions swing wildly after everything she had been through, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Soon, she called a waiter and ordered food.
We quickly finished our meal and continued talking over coffee.
“I’ll never forget the help you gave me this time. And the fact that you rejected his offer as well.”
“It was a transaction. If there had been no benefit for me, I wouldn’t have helped so easily.”
“You’re not being honest. You’re not someone who would move for such a small gain.”
Yoon Hyunju chuckled softly and continued,
“I’ll fully support whatever you do, President Kim. Ask for anything.”
“That works for me. There are plenty of good ventures we can pursue together.”
Perhaps because we shared a common enemy, the atmosphere remained warm throughout our conversation.
* * *
Chen Liangyu tried contacting Jiang Zemin repeatedly, but couldn’t reach him at all.
The more that happened, the more his anxiety grew.
Even as officials from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection spread throughout Shanghai, he couldn’t do anything.
They didn’t even bother hiding the fact that they were conducting inspections—they moved openly, as if announcing it.
Not only Shanghai City Hall, but every institution within Chen Liangyu's sphere of influence was being audited.
“Thank you all for gathering today.”
Meanwhile, in Beijing, all members of the Standing Committee convened for a meeting chaired by Hu Jintao.
“The reason I have called all of you here today is to decide on Chen Liangyu's dismissal.”
Even after Hu Jintao finished speaking, the other eight Standing Committee members showed little surprise.
It had already been expected.
“Secretary Wu Guanzheng, please give your report.”
Wu Guanzheng, ranked seventh in the Standing Committee and also serving as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, stood up.
“After conducting a comprehensive investigation, we have confirmed that Chen Liangyu, Party Secretary of Shanghai, accepted bribes and committed serious abuses of power.”
He lifted a stack of documents from the table and continued,
“These papers contain all the corruption charges we have identified so far.”
All the members picked up the documents and reviewed them.
However, the charges listed inside were not as significant as expected.
The total amount cited for bribery was 2.39 million yuan.
For someone of Chen Liangyu's stature, it was a surprisingly small figure.
The abuse of power charges were also weak—mostly typical favors for relatives’ businesses, the kind of things officials routinely did.
But the final item listed was the real problem.
“Is this true? Misappropriating social insurance funds and deliberately causing losses?”
Huang Ju, a close ally of Jiang Zemin, frowned as he asked.
“All evidence has already been secured.”
Huang Ju quietly closed his eyes.
This could not be defended. If he tried to save Chen Liangyu, he—and even Jiang Zemin—could be dragged down with him.
Hu Jintao spoke with a hardened expression,
“I believe Chen Liangyu should be dismissed as Shanghai Party Secretary. He should be arrested immediately and investigated further. Does anyone object?”
The room fell silent.
No one spoke.
“Very well. I will take that as unanimous agreement. The motion to dismiss Chen Liangyu is hereby passed.”
At that moment, Jia Qinglin, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“Shouldn’t we at least inform former Chairman Jiang Zemin?”
“...I will meet him personally and inform him.”
“If that’s the case.”
After responding, Hu Jintao turned to Wu Guanzheng and ordered,
“Do not send anyone else. Secretary Wu, you will personally go and arrest him.”
“Yes. I will do so.”
“Let’s not drag this out. We’ll handle everything today. As for the now-vacant Shanghai Party Secretary position...”
This time, Huang Ju raised his hand and interrupted him.
“Chairman, let’s ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) discuss that later. Appointing a successor immediately won’t benefit any of us.”
“Hmm...”
Hu Jintao hesitated.
He had originally planned to finish everything today, but he also had to consider the position of Jiang Zemin’s faction.
He could push them if he wanted—but there was no need to provoke unnecessary resentment.
A victor should show magnanimity.
“Very well. We’ll reconvene next month to discuss that. For now, the Shanghai Mayor will serve as acting Party Secretary. Any objections?”
Once again, no one responded.
But Hu Jintao welcomed that silence.
“Then it’s settled. Proceed.”
Chen Liangyu, who once wielded absolute power—so great that they said even birds would fall from the sky at his command—
fell from those heights in less than an hour.
