Chapter76: < The Puzzle Pieces Fall into Place (1) >
After a pleasant and delicious meal, Chief Kang said he had something to think about and went to his room first. Left on their own, Yeonghun and Yeon-hee felt it would be a shame to call it a night, so they decided to have a drink at the hotel lounge.
The two of them began to pour out all the things they had been holding back while Chief Kang was present.
“I’ve been surprised more than a few times working with you, Yeonghun, but today I was just... completely blown away! Wow... how could you...”
Yeon-hee shook her head in disbelief.
“It was my first time at a mahjong table, but reading people is pretty much the same anywhere.”
“Still, to be in a place like that, with that kind of atmosphere, and say everything you needed to without flinching... you really have nerves of steel, Yeonghun.”
‘People are easier to deal with than ghosts,’ Yeonghun thought, swallowing the words with a faint smile.
Watching Yeonghun’s inscrutable smile, Yeon-hee took a sip of her wine.
As the alcohol took effect and the night view of Harbin began to fill her eyes, a memory she had been trying to ignore gently surfaced. It was the moment Yeonghun had suddenly taken her hand as the mahjong game ended.
Why did he grab my hand? Was it really necessary in that situation?
As she was earnestly pondering how to interpret the fact that Yeonghun had held her hand, Yeonghun, who hadn't the slightest clue about a woman's heart, stood up and spoke.
“I’m feeling a bit hot and stuffy with the food and drinks. I’m going to step outside for some fresh air before heading up. Are you going to stay for another drink, Yeon-hee?”
Caught off guard by Yeonghun speaking to her while she was having strange, romantic? thoughts about him, Yeon-hee felt her face flush.
“Well... what would I do here alone? I’ll just wash my hands and follow you out.”
Yeonghun nodded and headed toward the outdoor garden connected to the lounge, while Yeon-hee scurried to the restroom. Whether from the alcohol or embarrassment, her face was visibly red. She fanned her face in the mirror to cool down and touched up her makeup, when a sudden wave of irritation washed over her.
‘Why do I even like such a clueless man...’
Though she grumbled to herself, she carefully and prettily reapplied her faded lipstick.
The outdoor garden, covered in a light blanket of snow, was silent, with only the lights twinkling diligently. She approached Yeonghun, who was standing stock-still and gazing into the distance, seemingly unfazed by the -10 degree Celsius weather.
“Aren't you cold? What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Watching Yeon-hee approach, rubbing her hands together against the cold, Yeonghun spoke calmly.
“The cold air clears my head. It’s a good way to sort through complicated thoughts.”
“Complicated thoughts? About what?”
Instead of answering, Yeonghun looked into Yeon-hee’s eyes.
It was only for a few seconds, but Yeon-hee was completely flustered. She couldn't look away, but she also found it difficult to keep meeting his gaze, so she simply froze.
In that moment, Yeonghun took Yeon-hee’s hands, which she had been clasping together against the cold, and gently lowered them before placing a light kiss on her lips.
Seeing Yeon-hee’s eyes widen in shock, Yeonghun smiled faintly and said.
“My greatest skill is reading people. So why have you been staring at my lips this whole time?”
“...”
Yeonghun gently caressed Yeon-hee’s cheek, then kissed her.
*
These days, Assemblyman Jo Jae-min didn't find it as difficult to wake up in the morning as he used to.
Most people tend to think of National Assembly members as tax-sucking parasites who do nothing but laze around and collect their salaries, but regardless of their efficiency, they live incredibly busy lives.
To make a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting, he had to wake up at 5 a.m., and since he never got home before 10 p.m., he slept less than five hours a day.
Despite this, he found his eyes snapping open at dawn these days, much like when he was in his early twenties going through rigorous military training. It felt as if the vigor of his youth was surging back.
He never thought he could change this much himself.
He had only intended to support Assemblyman Kang Ju-won, helping to pave the way for his own future. But after meeting that strange fellow from Hyunjin Corporation, he had started looking down from above, rather than up from below.
The first person to notice this change in Assemblyman Jo was, naturally, his aide, Kim Si-won.
He knew all too well how intently the assemblyman was monitoring the situation in Yeouido, which was why he had reached out to his Seoul National University alumni and seniors.
But the news he received this morning via KakaoTalk from a senior aide to the party's secretary-general was nothing short of shocking.
“Sir!”
Aide Kim Si-won rushed over to Assemblyman Jo Jae-min, who had just finished a lecture at a corporate cafeteria in Gwangju and was eating with the employees.
Assemblyman Jo, who was in the middle of eating a heaping plate of rice and soup, looked up at his aide.
His gaze was a question: was this something so urgent it had to be delivered now, surrounded by so many employees?
Aide Kim Si-won leaned in and whispered the news so others couldn't hear.
“Hahaha... I do apologize. Something urgent has come up at home. My wife, she really is...”
“If something’s happened at home, you should go.”
Assemblyman Jo gave an awkward laugh and excused himself to the employees. He placed his unfinished tray in the return area and quickly walked out of the cafeteria.
He started at a brisk walk, but by the time he left the company building, he was practically running.
“Who knows about this?”
He asked the moment he got into the back seat of the car. Aide Kim Si-won, in the driver's seat, answered quickly.
“I got it directly from Secretary-General Min Jae-won’s aide, so not many people should know yet.”
“Ha... This is why I always say, if a politician does something shady, it's bound to come out eventually. What do you think the central party will do?”
“Even for someone like Assemblyman Kang Ju-won, if bribery allegations surface, they’ll have no choice but to handle it according to party regulations. I heard Secretary-General Min Jae-won flew into a rage when he heard and immediately ordered an investigation.”
“If this breaks in the news...”
“Assemblyman Kang Ju-won will be excluded from the party nomination, so he won't even have to worry about the next election.”
“Then it’s over.”
A seasoned politician, over seventy years old, getting hit with bribery charges in his twilight years?
His political career was as good as finished.
If he had ended his career cleanly, he could have stepped back and enjoyed a subtle, lingering power under the pretext of mentoring his juniors. But who would seek him out after such a disgraceful exit?
“Assemblyman Kang’s granddaughter is getting married next week. Will you be attending?”
“Of course. Even if a nobleman is forced to resign, he's still a nobleman. Attending family events is the most basic of courtesies. But you haven't forgotten what I told you to do before, have you?”
“You mean making the Gunsan Bus Terminal a campaign promise?”
“Yes. Put in an advance request for a blueprint from Hyunjin E&C and come up with a plausible plan. If you contact Manager Choi, he’ll prepare a good one for you. It’s up to you to cook it into something special.”
“Understood. Then, are you planning to push for Hyunjin Corporation to get the construction contract for the Bongseon-dong apartment complex?”
“I’ll have to. I need to get a firm commitment this week. It’s times like these I’m so glad my brother-in-law joined the LH Corporation.”
“What if your brother-in-law says it’s difficult?”
“What’s there to be difficult about?”
“Don’t bids involve scoring numerous items? If you push for them and word gets out later, won’t it cause problems for you, sir?”
“I understand you’re worried because of Assemblyman Kang Ju-won, but this is different from his case. Do you think bids are ever decided on objective scores alone? Do court rulings only follow legal principles? There’s a technical term for it, isn’t there? Non-price factors.”
Assemblyman Jo was confident.
He was confident he could handle something like the Bongseon-dong construction contract, and he was confident he could use the Gunsan Shipyard to restore the Gunsan economy.
If he could pull that off, he believed his political career could enter a completely new phase.
“Then you’ll need to start showing your face more in the Gunsan area.”
“As it happens, I lived in Gunsan for a bit when I was young before moving back to Gwangju. Was it about five years? This works out well.”
“If you lived there for five years, you’re practically a Gunsan native.”
“Haha, you’re becoming quite the politician yourself. You’re right. Five years makes me a Gunsan man.”
Assemblyman Jo tried to calm his racing heart and turned his gaze out the window.
For some reason, he wanted to see the Gunsan Shipyard today.
He wanted to imagine the sight of the shipyard bustling with energy once more.
And exactly after the five-day business trip to China ended and Yeonghun's team returned, a major personnel reshuffle took place at Hyunjin Corporation.
*
“President Im...”
“Sigh...”
President Im Ji-eun pressed a hand to her forehead as she looked at the two gentlemen standing before her with grim expressions, their hands clasped.
She had already downed a cup of cold water, but its coolness was far from enough to soothe her frustrated heart.
“I apologize. I don’t know what to say...”
President Im Ji-eun cut off Senior Managing Director Cha Ji-yeol, who was bowing his head deeply and making excuses.
“No, how could you handle things so carelessly? How careless were you that a few people could go to China and uncover everything you did, Senior Managing Director Cha!”
“They couldn’t prove that I gave the direct order. It’s just that my mistake caused harm to the company...”
“What’s the difference? The contract was terminated, wasn’t it! Is there not a single person here who can do their job properly? I’m so disappointed. I really misjudged people, didn’t I? Hey! You, say something.”
Kim Tae-min, who had come up to Seoul from Geoje for the first time in a while, sighed and shook his head.
“Hoo... What is there for me to say? You’ve already gone and made a mess of things on your own.”
“...”
The words that he had only acted on Senior Managing Director Kim Tae-min’s orders rose to the tip of Senior Managing Director Cha’s tongue, but he barely managed to swallow them.
The order had been to cause trouble, but there had been no specific instructions on how to do it.
But this was the classic method superiors used to get their subordinates to do their dirty work.
They don’t provide specific methods so that later, to avoid taking responsibility, they can simply claim the subordinate acted out of loyalty.
Senior Managing Director Cha was seething. His superior had told him to handle it on his own to avoid taking responsibility, and now that a problem had occurred, he was being treated like a fool.
“Forget it. What do we do now?”
At President Im’s question, Tae-min shrugged and said.
“If we make a move on Hyunjin Corporation now, we could just make the situation worse. Let's wait and see how the cobalt mine acquisition plays out before we decide anything.”
“Sigh... I feel like I’ve just become a burden to you.”
“Not at all, Mom. This only happened because you were trying to do a good job. The bidding is in a few days, so let's just wait and see. Besides, from what I've seen of Grandfather lately, he's not paying any attention to Hyunjin Corporation at all.”
“Is that so? Then what is he interested in?”
“He's going all-in on the Qatar LNG carrier contract. That's the biggest priority right now. The goal is to win as many ship orders as possible in this competition. If we get what we're expecting, the contracts will be worth over two trillion won. So, I don't think acquiring Hyunjin Corporation is even on his mind.”
“I suppose so. It's not like it's some stranger's company; his daughter-in-law is running it, so he probably thinks of it as his own, doesn't he? The nerve of him. He made such a fuss about whether he'd acknowledge me or not, and now that it looks like I'm doing well, he doesn't say a word. This is why I don't trust your grandfather.”
“Haha, don't be so hard on him. Let's just see the results of the bidding before we decide anything.”
“Yes, I suppose that's all we can do.”
President Im Ji-eun felt a strange sense of unease.
It was the exact same feeling she'd had back when she was young and dating Tae-min's father, the day she'd gone out wearing mismatched earrings.
< The Puzzle Pieces Fall into Place (1) > End
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