Chapter 120: The Naïve and the Lifelong Guest 2
The briefing room at Seoul City Hall was buzzing with cameras and reporters.
Rumors had already made the rounds. The mayor of Seoul was about to make a major announcement, and the content was said to be shockingly unexpected.
As the journalists exchanged information in hushed tones, Mayor Choi Chang-je ascended the podium, his face set in a grim expression, clutching a few sheets of paper.
As the camera flashes went off, Mayor Choi adjusted the microphone and began to speak.
“I stand here today with a heavy heart, to apologize to the citizens of Seoul and the nation. Even though I was unaware, I sincerely apologize for my family’s involvement in an unfortunate incident.”
He stepped aside and bowed deeply.
The reporters were convinced that today’s conference was the scoop of the year. Mayor Choi’s family might be just another law firm, but his in-laws were the Sunyang Group, weren’t they? If the mayor was holding a press conference, it had to be about the Sunyang Group.
“A few days ago, I announced a revised plan here to curb the overheated real estate speculation. Since then, we’ve received numerous reports of illegal activities in the acquisition process, and all these reports have been handed over to the prosecution.”
Mayor Choi’s expression grew even more solemn as he faced the cameras.
“However, there has been no indication that the prosecution has initiated an investigation. Instead, suspicious individuals have been flocking to the district, demanding the deletion of transaction records. How can this be? The prosecution is sitting idly by, while evidence is being destroyed….”
His voice trailed off as he bowed his head, and the reporters murmured among themselves. After a long pause, Mayor Choi raised his head again.
“I mentioned two families at the beginning. The prosecution, where I first served, and my in-laws, the Sunyang Group. The in-laws are the ones fueling the real estate speculation, and the prosecution is complicit by turning a blind eye. As the mayor of Seoul, I can no longer overlook this. Therefore, I urge the National Assembly to act if the prosecution does not.”
The reporters’ expressions soured as they whispered among themselves.
“What? Why bring the National Assembly into this?”
“Is he calling for a special investigation? Over real estate speculation? Isn’t that overkill?”
“He’s just trying to cover his bases, to avoid any suspicion that he leaked the information himself.”
“He’s drawing a line, showing he’s separate from the Sunyang Group.”
“Damn, Mayor Choi’s putting on a show, and we’re just the audience.”
“Still, it’s newsworthy. There’s something fishy between the Sunyang Group and the prosecution. Let’s play along.”
Seeing the reporters’ lukewarm reactions, Mayor Choi quickly wrapped up the conference. He was satisfied that his message had been delivered.
“Has he lost his mind…!”
Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki, watching the TV, immediately grabbed his phone. But he didn’t call the mayor.
“Seo-yoon, get to the office right now.”
— “Oppa, what’s with the sudden call? I’m busy too. Can’t we just talk over the phone?”
“Do you even know what that husband of yours just did?”
— “Watch your language. He’s your brother-in-law.”
“Shut up! Did you put him up to this? Wasn’t it enough to mess with my son? Now you’re blowing it up? Can you handle this?”
— “What? Are you threatening me now?”
His sister’s sharp voice pierced his ear.
“Threatening? No, I’m warning you. Stop now. If you take one more step, your husband won’t come out unscathed.”
Jin Young-ki ended the call abruptly and dialed another number.
“It’s me. Make sure there’s no follow-up on the Seoul mayor’s story. If it doesn’t end as a one-off, make it clear that Sunyang will cut ties.”
With incidents popping up every day, the mayor’s press conference would soon be forgotten.
Just one more call, and the immediate crisis would be averted. But it seemed the other side was more urgent. Jin Young-ki’s phone rang.
“Ah, Chief Prosecutor.”
— “Vice Chairman, what was that press conference about? The team was so shocked they rushed over.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a political stunt for media attention. Politicians, you know how they are.”
— “It’s a bit more complicated. The Blue House just contacted us. They said it’s related to a government initiative for cultural development and can’t afford any noise. They want it resolved cleanly, without a hint of suspicion.”
Jin Young-ki’s face twisted. This was getting bigger. The Blue House was involved….
“Seriously, why is everyone overreacting? It’s just some land purchases! And we didn’t even profit; we’re at a loss. Let’s keep it reasonable.”
— “Vice Chairman, we’re in a tough spot too….”
“Alright, alright. I’ll talk to the Blue House, so just hold on a bit longer.”
Ending the call, Jin Young-ki finally sensed the gravity of the situation.
The Blue House Chief of Staff….
It’s a place where his influence doesn’t reach directly, especially after the regime change.
If it were his father, he could connect instantly, but running to him would only escalate things. In a bad way.
“Well done. Now you’re selling out your nephew too?”
Grandfather didn’t look angry. He stared at Aunt with a look of disdain.
“Father, I had no choice this time. Young-jun bought tens of thousands of pyeong of land. If this gets out, my husband is in danger. He can’t escape suspicion of insider trading. This is grounds for a hearing, a special investigation. Do you know how many people are after him?”
Aunt tried to justify herself, but Grandfather’s expression remained unchanged.
“That’s not it. You coaxed Young-jun into buying the land, and then your husband exposed it to play the righteous mayor of Seoul, didn’t he?”
“Father!”
“Quiet. You’re just as foolish. Your husband tricked you too. Don’t you see his target isn’t Young-jun but the prosecution?”
I didn’t know either. Not until Uncle held that press conference.
Who would have thought he’d go after the prosecution…. He’s more cunning than I imagined.
“So what do we do? We need a guarantee that the prosecution will close the investigation before we can move forward with the development.”
“Defending your husband, are you…. Tsk tsk.”
Seeing Aunt biting her lip, I could tell. She felt the sting of betrayal from her husband too.
“And you, Do-jun!”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“I must have misjudged you.”
Not knowing Grandfather’s true intentions, I had to play along, whether it meant nodding or dancing.
I quickly bowed my head.
“Boasting about knowing some trivial information in advance? Important information shouldn’t be shared, not even with your parents. What do you gain from bragging about it?”
“I’m sorry.”
After scolding me, Grandfather turned back to Aunt.
“Your husband provoked the prosecution, so they won’t sit idly by. And your brother will be out for blood…. You should have done something manageable.”
Aunt’s expression was grim.
She should have stopped at exposing Jin Young-jun. Hurting the family’s eldest grandson would have been enough to distance herself from the Sunyang name.
Aunt hadn’t anticipated things would escalate this much, so she was at a loss.
She glanced at Grandfather, sighed briefly, and then looked away. Grandfather ignored her gaze.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen grown children fighting. I won’t interfere with your squabbles, but if any of you bring disgrace to the company, I’ll make sure you regret it. Remember that.”
At Grandfather’s stern warning, Aunt quietly stood up. I started to rise but had to sit back down.
“Do-jun, you stay.”
As Aunt left the study, she gave me a pleading look.
She was asking me to resolve this.
“What are you up to?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you provoking the prosecution?”
“No, I’m not.”
Oh no, he’s misunderstood. He seems to think I’m trying to play both sides.
“I only suggested a way to create some distance from the Sunyang label for Uncle, by causing a minor scandal.”
“And that was Young-jun?”
“Yes. If we just excluded the Eunpyeong-gu Susaek district from development, it would have ended there…. I never imagined he’d go after the prosecution.”
“Well, well. You’re not even trying to hide it from me anymore.”
Grandfather chuckled lightly, as if he found it amusing.
“You see through everything, don’t you? What’s the point of hiding it?”
In times like this, it’s best to be straightforward. If I tried to hide my schemes, he’d only be disappointed.
There should be no secrets between close people.
“So? What do you plan to do now?”
“Is there room for me to intervene? They’ll sort it out themselves, whether they fight or shake hands and make up.”
Grandfather’s eyes changed. It was a subtle shift, but it was clearly a look of disappointment.
“You think you have your uncle-in-law in the palm of your hand, don’t you? Because you have that contract for the 40 billion won campaign fund.”
“Well, not exactly. It’s more like insurance.”
“Whatever it is, you think there’s no problem because you hold the reins, right?”
“To some extent, yes.”
“Poor thing. The colt you thought you had under control is about to die before it even grows. Heh.”
It wasn’t a joyful laugh. It was a mocking one.
But… die? Could Grandfather be planning to make a move?
“H-Grandfather, what do you mean? Please explain so I can understand….”
For the first time, I started to grovel. I needed to nurture Uncle into a useful stallion, but if Grandfather interfered, it would be impossible.
“Your uncle-in-law underestimated something.”
“The prosecution? Did he think it would be easy because he’s from there?”
“No. The in-laws.”
“What? The in-laws…?”
“You’re talking about Young-jun’s wife, right? Your cousin’s wife.”
“Oh…!”
I had completely forgotten. The Hanseong Daily, practically a media empire in Korea, is her family.
“Rumor has it that your sister-in-law made quite a fuss, and her family scraped together every penny they had to invest in land. They’re facing significant losses, and the one who started it all is your uncle.”
Oh no!
I hadn’t even considered that. If the largest media outlet decides to go after the Seoul mayor for four years, just like Grandpa said, it would be a disaster.
Forget about running for president; even getting re-elected as mayor would be a long shot.
“The thing journalists fear most is a company like ours. We’re their lifeline.”
“But the one place you can’t afford to lose is politics.”
“Exactly. It’s the only arena where you can really throw your weight around. Politicians are scared of the media, which is why companies pay for ads. If word gets out that Hanseong Daily got snubbed by the Seoul mayor? They’ll be branded as a powerless paper. What a humiliation that would be!”
Grandpa watched my troubled expression and then burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha! Oh, our youngest. You thought you were so clever, and now look at you. What a mess! You tried to use your uncle as a pawn and ended up losing money. Ha ha.”
I barely heard Grandpa’s teasing.
If Hanseong Daily decides to go all out against Media City, who knows how public opinion will shift?
Judging by Grandpa’s demeanor, he’s likely to just sit back and watch the chaos unfold.
I need to come up with a plan, and fast.