Upon hearing the news of the search and seizure of JK dia, President Hu Jintao could not hide his anger.
—President. It seems this is growing too large. At this rate, I may be in danger as well.
“How are you handling things? Does it make any sense that you didn’t detect the movent of Shanghai Public Security?”
—I apologize. Xu Xin, that hunting dog, moved. That man only follows orders from the Shanghai faction...
Hu Jintao cut him off irritably.
“That’s enough excuses. What about Han Zheng? What did he say he was doing?”
—After saying he was sorry, contact was cut off.
“Tsk. This is exactly why I said we shouldn’t associate with people from the Shanghai faction.”
—I apologize.
“What do you think? Does this look like an operation ant to weaken ?”
Hu Jintao had not strongly opposed Jiang Zemin’s moves to check Kim Muhyuk.
The more Jiang Zemin and Kim Muhyuk fought and wounded each other, the more advantageous it was for him.
But as ti passed, the situation began to turn strange.
Wen Jiabao was now completely tied down. Up to that point, it had been acceptable.
After all, he knew better than anyone the relationship between Wen Jiabao and Kim Muhyuk.
Then, one by one, people connected to him began to fall.
It was nothing unusual that the Shanghai faction filled those vacancies. But before he knew it, they had even struck JK dia.
—It’s difficult to assess what the objective is. If you were the target, President, they would have arrested on the spot as well. Xu Xin is the type who would not hesitate to do that.
“For now, lie low. Sothing about this feels off. It feels like they’re aiming at .”
—I will do so. And President Kim Muhyuk said he wishes to speak with you.
“Not now. If I move rashly, everything I’ve built could collapse.”
—I will relay that.
After ending the call with Hao Xun, Hu Jintao tapped the armrest and sank into thought.
He had not yet fully inherited power.
He had swiftly succeeded the positions of Party General Secretary and President of the State, but Jiang Zemin had stubbornly refused to relinquish the chairmanship of the Central Military Commission.
That ant he intended to rule as regent using that position.
Hu Jintao had known this, yet he had bowed his head and endured.
When SARS swept through China the previous year, Jiang Zemin’s close aides had insisted on minimizing and concealing the outbreak, even advocating false reports to the WHO and foreign governnts regarding its spread.
‘Wen Jiabao and I had no choice but to follow those asures.’
But the number of infections continued to rise, and a doctor’s whistleblowing exposed the truth.
Hu Jintao saw the SARS crisis as an opportunity to reduce Jiang Zemin’s power.
He publicly ordered that there be no concealnt in reporting SARS.
Then, holding people accountable, he dismissed both Jiang Zemin’s ally—the Minister of Health—and his own ally—the Mayor of Beijing.
From that point, Hu Jintao took the lead in resolving SARS and ultimately succeeded.
He convened a plenary session and took over the chairmanship of the Central Military Commission from Jiang Zemin. It was Hu Jintao’s overwhelming victory.
‘Once I’m formally elected at next year’s National People’s Congress, it will be over.’
For ten years, Hu Jintao had walked on thin ice under Jiang Zemin’s rule. That was the mont he had finally bared his teeth.
‘But Jiang Zemin doesn’t seem ready to step down.’
Backed by Party elders, Jiang Zemin aid to reclaim dominance in East Asia by targeting Korea and Kim Muhyuk. Hu Jintao had stepped back and watched.
At the sa ti, he had subtly encouraged Kim Muhyuk to confront Jiang Zemin—and Kim Muhyuk had sharpened his blade as expected.
Up to that point, everything had proceeded according to plan.
But then a variable erged.
Jiang Zemin put aside his fight with Kim Muhyuk and began striking Hu Jintao’s allies one by one.
‘This won’t do.’
At this rate, he would be pushed aside and reduced to a puppet.
Hu Jintao’s goal was to solidify his own governing system within three years and personally select the next successor.
He pressed the button beside him to summon his secretary.
“Contact Wen Jiabao and have our Standing Committee mbers co in imdiately.”
He needed counterasures. He could not allow Jiang Zemin’s blade to reach him.
* * *
Several days had already passed since Chairman Yoo Seongjin and Kim Hyunjung were taken away by public security.
Many things had happened in the anti.
After concluding the North Korea–Japan summit, Jang Songthaek, pressured by China at every turn with economic aid as leverage, sought assistance from Russia, Korea, and Japan instead.
Since arrangents had already been made behind the scenes, each governnt accepted North Korea’s requests.
Yet China showed strangely little reaction.
“The Chinese governnt says the matter is still under investigation and cannot be disclosed. Even embassy visitation requests are being denied.”
Myungsoo looked visibly worn after days of struggle.
Cheonha Group ranked within the top forty conglorates.
Its chairman had been arrested in China, and no one even knew whether he was alive or dead.
“The President is even considering sending a special envoy. It probably won’t work, but it’s sothing that has to be done.”
With relations between Korea and China already strained, sending a special envoy was unlikely to resolve anything. But sothing had to be done.
Politics, after all, was ultimately a show.
“Have you found out anything? What the hell happened? On what charges did public security arrest them? There has to be sothing.”
Myungsoo fired off questions in frustration. I could only shake my head.
“Shanghai is completely sealed off.”
Black Bear’s intelligence team was trying to extract information from the Shanghai faction, but nothing was coming through.
“That bad? They must be determined. It’s not Hu Jintao... Jiang Zemin?”
“Most likely. Hu wouldn’t attack JK Cinema when his own money is invested in it.”
“That old man should’ve retired quietly and enjoyed his respect. He still clings to power.”
Myungsoo clicked his tongue and cursed Jiang Zemin at length.
“So what are you going to do? You’re going to save them, right? At the very least, we need to know if they’re alive.”
“They won’t kill them. No matter how reckless they are, they can’t ignore international scrutiny and execute them.”
As we were discussing counterasures, there was a knock, followed by Chief Ma’s voice.
“Boss. Vice President Seo Hyungjun has arrived.”
“Send him in.”
Seo Hyungjun entered imdiately and bowed slightly to Myungsoo and .
Myungsoo rose, returned the greeting, and said,
“I’ll get going. I’ll contact you if there’s any progress.”
“Thanks. Take care.”
After Myungsoo left, Seo Hyungjun sat in his place. I spoke at once.
“I’m glad at least you’re safe. What exactly happened?”
“...Headquarters has been shut down. The permit for the Shanghai branch, which was about to hold its grand opening, has been put on hold.”
They had been in the final stages of preparing to open the largest multiplex in China in Shanghai.
Both the Shanghai municipal governnt and the central governnt had been supportive until recently.
And now everything had suddenly been blocked.
“That can be resud later. Saving Chairman Yoo and Director Kim cos first.”
Seo Hyungjun nodded, his face darkening instantly.
“I never imagined they would storm in like that while I was away.”
“It’s fortunate at least you’re safe. If everyone had been arrested, things would be even more complicated.”
It was a stroke of luck ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) amid misfortune that public security moved while Seo Hyungjun was on a business trip to Taiwan.
“Yes. If things had followed the original schedule, I wouldn’t have been spared either.”
I nodded. If the schedule had gone as planned, he would have been in Hong Kong, not Taiwan.
He let out a deep sigh.
“...President Kim Muhyuk. No matter how I look at it, JK dia was just for show. Chairman Yoo was the target. Otherwise, they would have known I was in Taiwan and wouldn’t have rushed in like that.”
Yoo Seongjin was the formal owner of the joint venture, but that was rely on paper.
It was Seo Hyungjun and Kim Hyunjung who actually ran JK dia’s operations in China.
JK dia’s business had three main pillars.
First, the multiplex business. Second, film production and distribution. Third, managent.
If they had wanted to strike at those operations, they would have arrested Seo Hyungjun.
“Most of the business is run by . Director Kim assists greatly, but I handle the core operations.”
“Go on.”
“The Vice Chairman was present as well, but he wasn’t arrested. If they intended to climb up through JK dia to attack Hu Jintao, they would have arrested Hao Xun too. Arresting Chairman Yoo should be interpreted as an attack on you.”
“The mont they arrest Hao Xun, Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin would be forced into open war. Hao Xun is Hu’s hidden blade.”
Neither Hu nor Jiang could afford full-scale confrontation.
Seo Hyungjun shook his head.
“I’ve been mobilizing my guanxi to find out more, but most people are lying low. I managed to reach the Vice Mayor of Shanghai. He said this wasn’t initiated by the central Party—it was a unilateral order from the Shanghai Party Secretary. Even the Shanghai mayor wasn’t aware.”
The Shanghai Party Secretary...
A na ca to mind.
“You’re saying this was Chen Liangyu acting alone?”
Chen Liangyu was considered Jiang Zemin’s preferred successor over Hu Jintao.
Behind the scenes, Jiang undermined Hu’s power, while publicly Chen attacked Hu.
And now he had struck JK dia, which was tied to Hu, without Jiang’s orders?
It was absurd.
It felt like deliberate disinformation.
“The Vice Mayor is Shanghai faction as well, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did he advise you to enter China and resolve the matter?”
“Yes. I refused imdiately. Going in now would be suicide.”
“You did well. That Vice Mayor is likely on the sa side. There are too many suspicious elents to believe Chen Liangyu acted alone.”
In China, the Party Secretary held more power than the mayor.
Shanghai was the stronghold of the Shanghai faction. Most officials were under Jiang Zemin’s influence.
“...How do we solve this? For now, remain in Korea and keep investigating.”
“I will.”
“You must be exhausted from rushing back. Go ho and rest. Let’s have a al tomorrow.”
“Yes, President.”
After sending Seo Hyungjun away, I began thinking through solutions.
‘What is this? This feels less like I’m the target and more like China’s internal power struggle.’
Observing the flow, it seed I had been caught in a clash between power elites.
‘Or are they trying to capture both and Hu Jintao at once?’
The more I thought about it, the more tangled it beca.
But I couldn’t just sit and wait.
I summoned Chief Ma and requested a eting with the Chinese ambassador.
The ambassador accepted imdiately—as if he had been waiting.
* * *
“Welco, President Kim Muhyuk.”
“Pleasure to et you, Ambassador.”
I t the Chinese ambassador at the embassy. The mont we sat down, he lanted loudly, as if wanting to hear it.
“Relations between China and Korea are very poor.”
“How could they be good? You planted a spy in the Blue House.”
“That is slander.”
“There are too many exposed facts for it to be called slander.”
“That is not sothing we are aware of.”
“Well, that’s a matter for governnts to sort out. The reason I ca today is...”
The ambassador simply listened.
When I finished, he nodded.
“I see. As a matter of fact, soone instructed to contact them if President Kim Muhyuk ca to see . Would you like to speak with them?”
So that’s why he accepted the eting so readily. He had been waiting.
“Who is it? Who told you to contact them?”
“You’ll know if you speak directly.”
“Make the call. I’ll speak now.”
She picked up the phone beside her and dialed a number.
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