Double-Edged Sword, Part 1
“A deal, you say…”
“Money and power. Trading these two is quite common, isn’t it? It’s nothing new.”
Prosecutor Bae Jae-hwan stared at me intently for a while before breaking into a sly smile.
“Prosecutor Lee mentioned you’re quite different from the usual privileged types. Now I see why.”
“In what way?”
“You have a knack for saying audacious things as if they’re perfectly reasonable.”
“Those who give can afford to be bold. After all, there will always be people trying to scrape off the rice stuck to my golden spoon. Don’t you think?”
There are plenty of vendors willing to sell their power. Aren’t there about two thousand of them?
“You have quite the talent for making people feel embarrassed. Alright, I’ll come back with a proper product to sell.”
He understands perfectly.
Trust, loyalty, and honor… He knows that a mutually satisfying transaction is a far more enduring foundation for a relationship.
“I’m in a hurry. Bring me something good within a month. I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”
“It seems Prosecutor Lee is in more of a rush. The desperate one digs the well, right?”
“Ah, since it’s our first deal, I’ll pay in advance. Tell him the transfer to Cheongju is off the table. And add that we’re expecting great results.”
Prosecutor Bae smiled broadly and bowed his head.
“Thank you on behalf of Prosecutor Lee.”
“I should be the one thanking you.”
“Pardon?”
“One of the five or six people you mentioned might have to step down. Do you have someone in mind?”
“Step down?”
Prosecutor Bae asked, startled.
“Just considering the worst-case scenario. We need someone who values money over their position as a prosecutor. Someone willing to take the fall. In return, we’ll hire them as a lawyer for our Miracle legal team.”
I reassured him, seeing his hesitation.
“Even if they lose their lawyer’s license, it’s fine. They’ve studied law, so their skills won’t disappear. The company needs legal knowledge, not a certificate.”
“You plan to make this a big deal.”
“As I said, it’s just in case.”
“I’ll look into it. If there’s someone thinking of starting a law practice, they’d be more than welcome.”
Earning in a year what a lawyer makes in ten? Who could refuse?
“Then I’ll be waiting. Let’s get this first deal right.”
Prosecutor Bae shook my hand firmly.
“The prosecution was just a probe. The real issue is the Financial Supervisory Service.”
“Have you figured out what they’re up to?”
“They’re digging into our company, you and me, even our personal transactions. They’re tracing the funds that came in when we established Korean Miracle.”
Though Oh Se-hyun spoke casually, a hint of unease crept into his voice.
“Is there anything problematic?”
“We’ve moved funds in the trillions. Even the crumbs could amount to hundreds of billions. We call it tax optimization, but to them, it’s tax evasion. It’s a matter of legal interpretation. If they find anything, the tax office will come knocking.”
“It’s a bit nerve-wracking.”
“In the worst case, we pay the taxes and fines. We have enough money for that, so it’s fine. Heh.”
“You know this isn’t just about money.”
Seeing my serious expression, Oh Se-hyun stopped smiling.
“How far are you planning to go?”
“Once the sword is drawn, it must be used. I’m not planning to just cut a radish and sheath it.”
His expression grew more serious. Not seeking reconciliation meant a battle between Sunyang Group and Miracle.
Can we really pierce the fortress that is Sunyang? Or will we end up wounded instead?
These worries were written all over his face.
“You said it yourself, Uncle. If we can solve it with money, it’s a bargain. There’s no need to back down.”
Confirming my resolve, Oh Se-hyun took a deep breath and stepped back.
“Do you have the sword ready?”
“Yes. There’s a prosecutor named Lee Kang-sik in the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office’s Financial Investigation Division. He’s supposed to be transferred to Cheongju soon. Can you cancel that order?”
“Is he our swordsman?”
“In a way. He’s gathering the wandering prosecutors to become our strength.”
“That’s no problem. The Southern District isn’t a key position anyway.”
“Then let’s see how sharp a sword our wanderers bring us.”
And before the month was out, our swordsman returned with a formidable weapon.
“Internal transactions and preferential deals aren’t even newsworthy, so we didn’t allocate resources there. Instead, we focused on overseas companies… and found this.”
Oh Se-hyun eagerly grabbed the documents Prosecutor Lee Kang-sik handed over. After meticulously reviewing every number, he let out a low whistle. It was solid evidence.
“The Southern District’s Financial Investigation Division is impressive. To uncover this!”
“Everyone hides slush funds, and the impact is huge. It’s hard to expose, so we focused on money laundering and hit the jackpot.”
“It must have been tough without help from the U.S.”
“I was lucky to participate in a Ministry of Justice training program. It’s a perk for Seoul National University graduates, but they include a few like me without connections. I made friends with a third-generation Korean-American there who helped.”
“What is it?”
Pointing to the documents, I asked, and Oh Se-hyun smiled brightly.
“Embezzled dollars. Money withdrawn from accounts linked to the U.S.”
“How much?”
Lee Kang-sik spoke with confidence.
“Over 20 billion won. The problem is there’s no record of where that money went after leaving the U.S. Usually, it’s gambling.”
“Gambling?”
“Yes. This is something only the owner’s family could do… Does Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki enjoy gambling?”
Lee Kang-sik’s eyes sparkled, hoping for a new lead.
Gambling…
I know who it is. Isn’t gambling harder to quit than drugs? The one who’s caused endless trouble with gambling is my great-aunt.
Park Hye-young.
Born into a wealthy family and married into an even wealthier one.
A woman who turns everything into her own with her boundless money and flaunts it endlessly.
A person who lives indulging her desires, in a way, an enviable human.
Men, gambling, and shopping. They’re inseparable from her life.
“Compare the overseas account withdrawal dates with my great-aunt’s travel dates.”
“Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki’s wife?”
“That’s right.”
Their mouths dropped open.
The eldest daughter-in-law of a chaebol family caught in high-stakes gambling abroad is a moral scandal, regardless of legality.
“Let’s play politics. Leak it to the media first. When public opinion gets loud, the prosecution announces it. Then the media picks it up again.”
“Will any media take it? If they offend Sunyang, they’ll lose all their ads.”
The power of influence is often clearer to outsiders than insiders. Prosecutor Lee has seen media ignore prosecution requests many times, especially in cases involving chaebols.
“We’ll fill the gap. We have construction, cars, department stores, and marts. It’s enough.”
But he still shook his head, predicting the obvious outcome.
“That’s as far as it’ll go. Even summoning a witness will be difficult. It’ll likely end with a written inquiry and a no-charge decision.”
“That’s fine. Even if my great-aunt is truly innocent, no one will believe it. Just mentioning that a privileged chaebol wife gambled abroad makes it true.”
The goal is to wound. They’ll learn that I, too, wield a sword.
“Before that, Uncle, meet with my great-uncle. Suggest that if we stop here, there won’t be any hard feelings.”
“And if they stop? If the Financial Supervisory Service halts their investigation, do we stop too?”
“No. We keep going. It’s the first time, so we need to show we’re serious. Otherwise, it’ll happen again.”
I didn’t expect him to clap in agreement, but Oh Se-hyun’s stern face exceeded my expectations.
“Is it necessary to go that far? If they lower their sword, we could too, and spare the prosecutor from a difficult situation.”
He doesn’t understand.
They never lower their sword. They won’t stop until they have something in their grasp. It’s just a matter of whether they use it or not. They need to know, deep down, that we also have a sword.
“Don’t trust my family. You only know my father, so you see them as soft. They’re all ‘iron-faced.’ It’s not just my grandfather.”
And we need to clearly show what our real weapon is.
My great-uncle’s pressure on us might not just be about flaunting power. It could be about trying to seize our true weapon.
“Thank you for making time, Vice Chairman.”
“No, no. You’re always welcome, especially as the mentor of my adorable youngest nephew.”
“Then why not just see him as adorable?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t let your wariness of Do-jun spill over onto me.”
“Oh, that? Haha. You’ve misunderstood.”
“Disappointing. Are you denying it?”
“Denying? No, I have no grudge against President Oh. I’m not wary of Do-jun either.”
“Then what is it? If it’s neither this nor that?”
“Sunyang Motors took what was mine, and I’m just trying to get it back.”
To Oh Se-hyun, Jin Young-ki is an enigma.
He completely disregards the first rule of negotiation: never reveal what you truly want.
“Cars? Are you talking about the shares in Sunyang Motors?”
Jin Do-jun’s words echoed in Oh Se-hyun’s mind as he watched Jin Young-ki nod with a smile.
— Wield our true sword.
Oh Se-hyun was waiting for the right moment to strike.
“Why do you think those belong to you, Vice Chairman? I acquired them fairly from Chairman Jin.”
“The ownership just changed hands temporarily. Or rather, it was left in your care during the chaos. You know, they call the IMF crisis a ‘foreign exchange turmoil,’ don’t they?”
Jin Do-jun’s words came back to him. These people are shameless. How can they speak such nonsense so easily?
“I’ll pay you a handsome storage fee, so hand them over. If it comes to it, I can even pay the market price. It won’t be a losing deal for you.”
“And if I refuse?”
“For someone who deals with money, you’re slow at calculations, Mr. Oh. Holding onto those shares won’t let you control Sunyang Group. Better to trade them for something useful than to keep a headache.”
“By ‘headache,’ do you mean using public power like you’re doing now?”
“The Southern District Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial Supervisory Service are just the beginning. Worse ones will come after you.”
“Worse ones, you say… That would be the Central Investigation Department and the National Tax Service teaming up, wouldn’t it?”
“One more. A media blitz.”
As he looked at the smug Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki, Oh Se-hyun spoke slowly, his face expressionless.
“Oh, how terrifying.”