I summoned Assemblyman Hong Jinwoo to the Myeongdong office.
“He should be arriving about now.”
The appointed ti was approaching. I shut down the computer and moved toward the window.
Below the wide glass, Myeongdong Street stretched out clearly. Watching the people rushing about and the endless stream of cars, I sank into thought.
Will Hong Jinwoo completely surrender? Or will he cling to his pride until the very end....
If he declared surrender, I thought I would be rather disappointed.
The reason I had made such an unreasonable request of Jessica was that I hadn’t been able to find a major weakness that could truly shake him.
The thought of a politician—one who had pushed into making this kind of choice—abandoning his convictions and kneeling before because of his son wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Well, that said, if he were to abandon his son instead, that would be even more disappointing...
What broke my train of thought was Manager Ma.
“Boss. He’s arrived.”
“Oh, really? Then have him co in. I hear Assemblyman Hong likes pu-erh tea... We got so recently, didn’t we? Prepare two cups of that.”
Manager Ma left, and soon after, Assemblyman Hong Jinwoo entered.
“Assemblyman. Welco.”
I greeted Hong Jinwoo with a smile, but his face was heavy with worry.
Well, given the situation, smiling would an sothing was wrong with his head. I naturally took the seat of honor and gestured.
“Please, have a seat.”
Hong Jinwoo glanced around my office before sitting down.
Surprisingly, the first thing out of his mouth wasn’t about his son.
“This is unexpected.”
“What do you an?”
“For soone so young, the office location and interior decor are quite dignified.”
“Ah, that’s probably because it used to be my grandfather’s office. I didn’t feel the need to change it, so I left it as it was.”
“So this is where Chairman Cheon Taesan used to work.”
I briefly looked around the office, where traces of my grandfather still lingered here and there, and nodded.
“Everything started in my grandfather’s generation. Like him, I also started out as a loan shark and made it this far.”
Hong Jinwoo nodded and asked,
“Is that so? You seem to operate quite a number of lending companies.”
“Looks like you did quite a bit of research. That’s right. I don’t forget my roots.”
What was he trying to get at, laying out such an elaborate preface?
I answered his questions readily, but kept an eye on his expression.
Even while eting my gaze, Hong Jinwoo didn’t stop speaking.
“The loan sharks I know are people without blood or tears. But even though the lending companies associated with President Kim Muhyuk control over 90% of the dostic lending industry, they don’t feel that unreasonable. You even successfully blocked Japanese lenders from entering the market.”
At that mont, Manager Ma opened the door and ca in. Seeing him, Hong Jinwoo shut his mouth.
After placing the teapot and teacups on the table, Manager Ma stood quietly behind .
I poured pu-erh tea into an empty cup and slid one toward Hong Jinwoo.
“I heard you like pu-erh tea. This is pu-erh I received as a gift from a Chinese friend. Please try it. There’s no better tea for calming the mind.”
Hong Jinwoo only stared at the cup, without lifting it.
He looks calm, but he doesn’t have any composure.
I lifted my own steaming cup and spoke.
“Please continue what you were saying.”
Hong Jinwoo hesitated, glancing at Manager Ma.
“It’s fine. Just think of him as not being here.”
He seed to know who I was, but apparently not who Manager Ma was.
If he knew that the information he’d uncovered about consisted only of crumbs I’d deliberately scattered, what kind of expression would he make? Smiling, I brought the cup to my lips.
Savoring the fragrant pu-erh tea, I waited for Hong Jinwoo to speak again.
After a mont, he slowly opened his mouth.
“I’ve been thinking that I may have misunderstood you, President Kim Muhyuk.”
“A misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding?”
“I thought you were a cold-blooded man without blood or tears. Everyone I saw who knew you seed to fear you.”
If we’re talking about the people he could co into contact with...
They were probably all people whose weaknesses I had in my grasp. Of course they feared .
“But the more I looked into you, the more I felt you weren’t that cold-hearted.”
What a long introduction. I set down my teacup and asked,
“Assemblyman. What is it that you’re trying to say? I don’t particularly like beating around the bush.”
“....”
Ninety-nine percent of what cos out of a politician’s mouth is a lie.
Out of a hundred words, maybe one is what they actually want to say.
Last ti we t, he got straight to the point. Seeing how long-winded he was now that he was at a disadvantage, I was reminded that a politician is still a politician.
“You didn’t ask to et today just to tell who I am. It doesn’t look like you’re that pressed yet. If you need more ti, feel free to co back later.”
“...I wanted to say that President Kim is a reasonable person. Fine. I’ll stop going in circles and ask directly.”
Now we’re finally communicating. I nodded, and Hong Jinwoo, after swallowing dryly, asked,
“Can you save my son?”
“Save your son...”
Instead of answering directly, I deliberately dragged out my words, and Hong Jinwoo hastily added,
“I’m asking whether it’s possible to undo everything that’s happened so far.”
“Well, that depends on what you do, Assemblyman.”
“President Kim, don’t evade the question...”
“I’ve heard that the Departnt of Holand Security has stepped in. To persuade them, I’ll have to push myself quite hard. Money isn’t the issue. Even if it takes an astronomical sum, I can afford to pay it. But to make the Departnt of Holand Security understand, money alone won’t suffice. I may have to concede quite a lot.”
“To my ears, that sounds like it’s difficult, but possible.”
You already know the answer, yet you ask. I shrugged and replied,
“It will be difficult, but it should be possible.”
At my casual attitude, Hong Jinwoo’s face stiffened.
“...Was this entire incident your scenario, President Kim? A way to trap ?”
Watching him voice it himself while still looking unable to believe it, I smiled.
To him, it must have sounded absurd and far-fetched.
“You think I moved the Departnt of Holand Security? Even President Yoon Changho would find that difficult. That’s going too far, Assemblyman. It’s true that I have so degree of connection with the person in charge of this case.”
“....”
“Do you think I instigated them and drove your son into a corner?”
Biting his lip, Hong Jinwoo nodded instead of answering.
“Of course not. I have nothing to do with your son’s case. There’s just one thing I was involved in. I prevented this situation from leaking to the dia. One of the projects I’m pursuing is the Iraq reconstruction project. Now, if the son of a National Assembly mber of the Republic of Korea—an influential opposition politician with significant backing—were not only involved in a drug cri, but also found to have ties to a terrorist organization like Al Qaeda?”
I paused and stared straight at Hong Jinwoo’s face.
Drug cris. Al Qaeda. Terrorist organization. The mont he heard those words, all color drained from his face.
“If that were to beco public, it could cause problems for what I’m trying to do. It might even create issues in the diplomatic relationship between the United States and Korea. So I stepped in first and persuaded the person in charge to keep it out of the press. But I don’t know how long that can be maintained. The person in charge is already pushing himself quite hard.”
After finishing, I lifted my teacup and hid my smiling lips behind it.
In truth, it was a hastily put-together plan, and there were holes visible here and there.
Thanks to Jessica doing her job thoroughly, we managed to get through it safely...
But even if Hong Jinwoo had noticed those gaps and tried to exploit them, there was no way he could have escaped the deeply dug trap.
“...What do I need to do? What do I need to do for you to save my son?”
“Is your son worth protecting even if it ans violating your convictions, Assemblyman?”
“There’s an old saying: Cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. You must first set yourself right, then protect your family, and only then govern the nation. I have no intention of abandoning my family for the sake of my politics.”
Oh? At his words, a scoff slipped out of .
They were calm words, but they carried his ambitions within them.
It seems he doesn’t intend to remain just another run-of-the-mill politician. He’s dreaming of the presidency.
“So what do I have to do for you to save him? Do I need to kneel before you, President Kim?”
Hong Jinwoo rose from his seat as if he were truly prepared to kneel.
At first glance, his words sounded like a declaration of surrender, but that wasn’t the case at all.
His voice, cracked and hoarse, sounded desperate, almost tragic, yet his eyes were sharper than ever.
“You’re too agitated, Assemblyman. Why don’t you calm down with a cup of tea?”
“....”
“Please. If we talk while you’re agitated, even sound matters can go awry. Let’s continue our conversation after you finish a cup.”
After I pressed him repeatedly, Hong Jinwoo finally lifted the cup before him.
Watching him drink the tea that had already gone cold, I poured myself another cup and drank as well.
During the brief ti it took to drink a cup of tea, I organized my thoughts on what I would do next.
Hong Jinwoo was probably doing the sa, sorting out the chaos in his own mind.
Soon, I set down my empty cup and t his eyes.
“Assemblyman. From now on, I’m going to ask you three questions. You don’t have the right to refuse. And you must not lie.”
The biggest issue right now wasn’t the drugs. It was the allegation that he had beco a funding source for a terrorist organization.
Whether it was true or not didn’t matter. If Jessica had gotten involved, a guilty verdict was guaranteed.
She wasn’t the kind of woman to set sothing like this up carelessly.
Since I was clearly going to take losses, I had to extract information from Hong Jinwoo in return.
“All I need to do is answer the questions?”
At his anxious words, I nodded and said firmly,
“Don’t lie. If even a trace of falsehood is mixed in, there will be no saving your son. If you want to make a deal with , rember this: there must be absolutely no lies.”
“....”
There was no reply, but I asked the first question anyway.
“Is the presidency your goal?”
I was curious about his ultimate objective.
Hong Jinwoo frowned, hesitated for a mont, then answered,
“Is there any politician for whom the presidency isn’t a dream? Yes. I dream of becoming president. Whether the opportunity will co or not, I don’t know. Does that answer your question?”
Cliché, but every politician dreams of becoming president.
I nodded vaguely and asked what I was most curious about.
“Tell why you’re hostile toward .”
As if he had anticipated the question, he opened his mouth without hesitation.
“As I said # Nоvеlight # before, I believe you, President Kim Muhyuk, are harmful to the Republic of Korea. You may be helpful in the short term, but if you continue to exist as a shadow power for a long ti, it won’t ultimately benefit the national interest. You’re soone who uses both carrot and stick better than anyone. Even if I were to seize the presidency, I have no intention of becoming your puppet.”
Ah, now I get it. This is why he’s hostile toward .
As soone who dreams of the presidency, he fears that if he were to beco president, he might end up reduced to my puppet.
Big dreams, and equally big delusions. At the sa ti, it was clear he was a frog in a well.
I’ve never thought of Yoon Changho as my puppet.
I simply helped soone with the sa views as beco president. Even now, I maintain a good, businesslike relationship with him.
In other words, as long as our goals aligned, I wouldn’t care at all if the man sitting in front of beca president.
“Last question. If you beco president, do you intend to change the owner of Hoseok Construction?”
At my question, Hong Jinwoo sucked in a sharp breath.
Unlike the previous questions, which he answered easily, he hesitated and couldn’t respond right away.
“Is this question really that difficult? You answered whether you want to be president and why you’re hostile toward without much thought. Is this question harder for you than the previous two?”
Even while being pressed, Hong Jinwoo did nothing but continue to deliberate, unable to answer easily.
Probably because I had told him not to lie.
Of course, I couldn’t be sure he had spoken only the truth so far, but at the very least, he wasn’t the kind of man who would lie when it ca to his son.
This ti too, he was probably taking his ti to choose his words carefully.
After a long period of thought, Hong Jinwoo asked a question instead of answering.
“...May I ask why you think that?”
“If it were , I’d choose to beco the owner of a solid company like Hoseok Construction rather than a politician—especially since the eldest son, Vice President Hong Jinseong, isn’t particularly capable. But you act as though you’ve completely abandoned all of that. As if you want soone to believe you have no interest whatsoever in Hoseok Construction. That’s what puzzled . Why would a politician based in Honam deliberately turn his back on Hoseok Construction?”
For a Progressive Party politician with a base in Honam, giving up Hoseok Construction’s backing would be foolish.
Not just the company’s executives and employees, but everyone connected to it would vote for him.
Yet Hong Jinwoo had chosen the opposite path, and that was what raised questions.
Still watching him struggle to answer, I asked,
“Or is it that, since you can’t have it, you intend to destroy it instead?”
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