Chapter 26

Chapter 26

As Desired

Chairman Cha stroked the U-gwang Construction bribe ledger with a satisfied expression.

Unlike the appearance of raging like fire until just now, this time a warm wind blew from his gaze to the corners of his mouth.

“If it weren’t for our precious grandson, it would have been something we struggled with quite a bit. Do those Japanese guys even budge with any ordinary money?”

“With this much of a weakness, we can firmly put a collar on them. Right now, the Japanese mainland is in an atmosphere of not forgiving the corruption of high-ranking public officials due to the Lockheed scandal.”

“Good! Those detestable guys won’t be able to help but cooperate obediently this time too!”

It looks like we’ll win a full 180 billion won construction thanks to the seven-year-old grandson.

“If we just win this Subway Line 2 construction, I intend to repay this merit thickly.”

“Chairman, so about that.”

Secretary Kim opened his mouth taking this opportunity.

“I hope you give about 100 million won worth of Taeseong stocks to the young master.”

“What?”

Chairman Cha blinked both eyes.

* * *

High-ranking public officials of Seoul City experienced a chilling matter from the morning.

Approval documents placed on the desk of the office.

It was because of one sheet of paper casually inserted there.

This is the details of the bribe that U-gwang Construction handed to you. Please confirm.

On what year, what month, what day, around what time, where the bribe was received, how much was received, how it was received.

Those details were meticulously recorded.

We hope you will lend strength to Taeseong in the Subway Line 2 construction bidding. If Your Excellency does not wish to receive this paper.

Whoosh!

A hundred out of a hundred.

There was no one who didn’t crumple it immediately upon reading the paper.

The current government is taking the eradication of corruption of high-ranking public officials as its banner.

Receiving secretly behind can be hushed, but if a paper with the bribe list accurately recorded is delivered to His Excellency, that knife absolutely cannot be avoided.

“Damn! Who on earth! Who sneaked into my office······!”

A hundred out of a hundred.

There was no one who didn’t swallow the latter words.

What’s important now is not which guy delivered this paper.

It’s that one cannot help but respond to the threat of the guy who had this paper delivered.

It feels like cold sweat is flowing down the spine.

“Kheum!”

A hundred out of a hundred.

There was no one who didn’t quickly tear the paper finely while looking around and incinerate it in the tin trash can.

Because if this is discovered by another guy, the guys threatening using this as a pretext will increase.

“U-gwang, these bastards!”

They made a separate bribe ledger, right?

And that was snatched by others’ hands again?

Thanks to that, I became very troubled.

“Just wait. I’ll repay this debt very thoroughly!”

Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, etc.

High-ranking public officials chewed their anger toward U-gwang.

* * *

Meanwhile, a similar matter was also occurring in the National Assembly.

They also discovered the paper on the way to work.

However, in their case, it was a bit different from the high-ranking public officials.

Instead of being delivered inserted in approval documents,

“Ugh!”

One assemblyman tore off the paper stuck on the wall of the National Assembly building corridor with a rip.

It was the details of U-gwang Construction’s bribe written in his name.

“What damned bastard is exhibiting something like this in a place where everyone sees······!”

What assemblymen value most is others’ eyes.

Because they are ones who maintain power through elections.

For that reason, the latter words of the paper received by high-ranking public officials were also a bit different.

We hope you will lend strength to Taeseong in the Subway Line 2 construction bidding. If you do not wish for this paper to be made public through newspapers and broadcasts.

The assemblyman quickly looked around.

From early morning, the cleaners are only diligently sweeping and wiping the corridors and stairs.

The assemblyman crumpled the paper tightly, put it in his mouth, and chewed it with a crunch.

Even like this, he had to destroy the weakness immediately.

“Damn!”

Some assemblyman in the National Assembly building corridor, some assemblyman on the door of the assemblyman’s office, some assemblyman on the main gate stairs.

The assemblymen who discovered the paper exhibited as if showing off rushed and were busy tearing it off thoroughly.

Naturally, the assemblymen also burst out the same curses as the high-ranking public officials.

Anger toward not properly keeping the bribe ledger headed toward U-gwang.

* * *

A similar matter was also occurring in newspaper companies and broadcasting stations.

One reporter received the paper while urgently having diarrhea.

Seeing the paper casually pushed under the toilet stall, the reporter opened his eyes wide.

“Who!”

But he couldn’t rush out without even wiping his butt!

He couldn’t even open the toilet door and confirm the culprit while his pants were down!

“U-gwang, these bastards for real!”

Naturally, the latter words of the paper sent to media people were also a bit different.

Taeseong will win the Subway Line 2 construction bidding. We hope you will lend strength with favorable articles and news. If you do not wish to become a target of media suppression. Of course, if you ignore this, advertisements being cut off is a bonus.

The reporter ground his teeth.

While tearing the paper thoroughly and flushing it down the toilet water.

* * *

Knock knock.

From the morning, there was a person knocking on the door of the Taeseong Hotel suite room.

Yoshimoto, a high-ranking official affiliated with the Japanese transportation bureau, got up from the sofa and opened the door.

“I didn’t order room service?”

“Excuse me. I’m Kim Young-geol, chief of the Taeseong Group secretariat.”

Secretary Kim was smiling coldly in front of the door.

Yoshimoto frowned his brow as much as possible.

“How rude. I have no mind to talk with you.”

“Since I’m already being rude, it seems I have to commit one more rudeness.”

Secretary Kim thrust one sheet of paper in front of Yoshimoto’s eyes.

It was a paper meticulously written with the bribe handed by U-gwang Construction.

Yoshimoto snatched the paper from Secretary Kim’s hand.

“The intention is very impure, so I’m extremely displeased! Are you threatening me now? Hmph, from now on, you absolutely won’t be able to meet me under the name of Taeseong······!”

“If this is delivered to the Japanese prime minister, yes, perhaps you won’t have a chance to meet Taeseong from now on. Because you’ll be purged.”

“······!”

“Yes, so the threat is correct.”

Yoshimoto’s eyes shook roughly as if an earthquake had occurred.

“These days, the Japanese government is flipped upside down because of the Lockheed scandal, right?”

The Lockheed scandal.

The largest political fund scandal in Japanese history.

Lockheed distributed bribes omnidirectionally to high-ranking public officials of various countries to sell airplanes.

In the end, the heads of government and high-ranking public officials of Japan, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, etc., were purged all at once and the regimes were replaced at once.

“The current Japanese prime minister was arrested on suspicion of receiving bribes?”

“Umm.”

“Of course, several related high-ranking public officials were also purged, and the Liberal Democratic Party failed to secure a majority of seats and is experiencing humiliation, I heard.”

“Hey, why the Lockheed incident suddenly······.”

“You also received it, right? From the Lockheed lobbyist. Isn’t that right?”

“······.”

Yoshimoto couldn’t answer.

The paper in his hand was only crumpling more tightly.

“If they punished all the high-ranking public officials who received bribes, the function of the Japanese government would fall into a complete paralysis state, right? Thanks to that, your neck is barely attached.”

“······.”

“While fully being on guard and only breathing skillfully according to the mood, I know well that you came over to Korea under the pretext of the Korea-Japan technical agreement.”

“······.”

“If the suspicion of receiving bribes that you ate in Korea is added on top of this, what do you think will happen?”

“······.”

“Why? Do you think Taeseong is a small company so it can’t exert power on the Japanese media? Unfortunately, it seems Japanese broadcasting stations and newspaper companies will gladly tear you apart.”

Secretary Kim smiled coldly.

“You had a lot of disliked hair stuck in the media. How is it? Still no mind to talk?”

“T, then first inside······!”

“Then excuse me.”

Secretary Kim passed Yoshimoto and walked with heavy steps into the suite room.

Yoshimoto bit his lips tightly enough that the snatched paper trembled along with it.

Thud.

Secretary Kim sat in the upper seat of the reception room sofa where Yoshimoto had been sitting.

He extended his hand and offered the seat to Yoshimoto.

“Please sit. Executing the threat can be done after the negotiation falls through, it’s not late.”

“What do you want?”

“Sharing of Japan’s underground facility civil engineering method technology.”

Secretary Kim leaned his body and met eyes frontally.

A chillingly cold gaze flashed beyond the silver-framed glasses.

“Is it difficult?”

Yoshimoto let out a long sigh.

“What would be difficult? I came to Korea as the Japanese representative to solve that problem according to the Korea-Japan technical agreement.”

Yoshimoto extended his hand.

“Our Japanese transportation bureau wants to work together with Taeseong, not U-gwang, but what is Taeseong’s intention?”

“Gladly. We will accept your country’s proposal.”

Secretary Kim held Yoshimoto’s hand.

* * *

The bed was fluffy, and the blanket was cozy.

Thanks to sleeping with the oil boiler turned on full blast, the room was full of warm heat.

I stretched out languidly.

“Haaam.”

“Our son, did you sleep well?”

“Yes. What about Mom?”

“Mom also slept well pleasantly. If you go to the living room, there will be something surprising?”

“Let’s go quickly!”

Holding Mother’s hand, I went down the stairs.

“Wow, a Christmas tree!”

“Little kid, did you wake up?”

Uncle Cheol-gu was organizing the Christmas tree, and the Taeseong Group security guards were moving wooden crates.

It was a crate full of tree decorations.

“There happened to be something like that in the basement. We also tried to get into the Christmas mood this time.”

I had thought there were many things in the basement of a rich house.

But I didn’t expect there would even be Christmas tree decorations.

“Jeong-hyeok, do you want to decorate the tree together with the uncles?”

“Yes! What about Mom?”

“Mom is going to help a bit with preparing breakfast in the kitchen.”

That doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Our Mother has no talent for cooking.

If left like this, an ominous premonition that a terrible hybrid food would be born surged in.

Moreover, there are so many people who have to share that food.

I burned with a sense of mission and shook Mother’s skirt.

“Mom, let’s make it together too. I’ve never made something like this even once.”

Of course, this is a lie.

Because I used to make a Christmas tree for young Gang-u every year.

“Ah, that’s right. That’s true. Mom didn’t pay attention up to there.”

Oops.

In a poor household like ours, a Christmas tree was a luxury.

Because in the shanty room, we weren’t in a situation to even bring in proper furniture.

“Aey, even now if we make it together, it’s fine. I don’t remember when I was young, so I don’t know even if you say such things.”

I placed a large gold ball shining brightly in Mother’s hand.

Whatever it is, I prefer large gold lumps.

The hearty answer came from the kitchen.

“Yes, Jeong-hyeok’s mom. I’ll take care of preparing breakfast. Don’t make the baby regretful and quickly help.”

It was the landlord grandmother.

“Thanks to Jeong-hyeok’s mom, our Cheol-gu returned safely. I’m so grateful for that that I want to sincerely treat one meal. You know my heart?”

The landlord grandmother winked one eye at me.

Mother squatted and matched eye level with me.

“Then shall we make the tree together with Mom?”

“Yes!”

It was happy.

What’s so special about this.

A sweet time that could only be enjoyed after 45 years.

One corner of the chest was ticklish.

“Huh? It’s snow!”

“It’s a heavy snow.”

I got excited.

“Mom, it’s snowing outside! Let’s go out quickly! Quickly!”

“Yes yes. I know. Wait a moment. First put on the coat and scarf.”

“Quickly! They say if you make a wish while catching the first snow, it comes true!”

I ran to the entrance and crumpled on the sneakers first.

Before I knew it, the Taeseong Group uncles brought Mother’s coat and mine.

It was new clothes in a Taeseong Department Store paper bag.

“I’ll wish for our Dad to come back and spend Christmas all together!”

Since Chairman Cha personally promised, I’ll definitely bring him even if I have to kidnap Father.

I ran outside like a puppy.

“Mom also made a wish, right?”

I asked subtly.

This is the real purpose I made a fuss.

As expected, whatever it is, customized service is the best.

“Yes. Mom also the same wish as Jeong-hyeok······.”

Then the Taeseong Group security guard who was standing guard opened the main gate with a clang.

The doorbell didn’t even ring, and without ID check or identity confirmation.

Thud thud.

A man with a tall height and long legs, wearing a black long coat and gray scarf, much more handsome than ordinary celebrities.

It seemed like a heavy and sophisticated luxurious men’s perfume smell was faintly spreading riding the cold wind.

He stopped his steps abruptly seeing us.

“Su-jin.”

“Ah······!”

Mother covered her mouth with both hands.

“Senior Seong-jun······!”

It was Father.