Chapter 5: The Serpent’s Head
“Who were all those people today?”
Chun Sang-pil asked the question the moment he stepped into the office, his face a mask of fear.
“They’re just some staff handling the dirty work. They’re good at what they do, so you don’t need to worry about your family.”
“Speaking of which, where is my family?”
The bravado he had shown earlier seemed like a distant memory, replaced by a look of sheer terror.
“They’ve been sent to Bali, Indonesia. They’ll be staying at a beach resort for a few days to relax. One of my subordinates went with them to ensure they have everything they need.”
“And what about me…?”
“Once we’re done here, you can go wherever you want. I’ll make sure your family joins you there.”
Chun Sang-pil’s expression shifted dramatically as he shouted, “Are you holding my family hostage?!”
Had he watched too many movies, or was his uncle’s threat truly that terrifying?
“Do you think I’m some kind of mob boss? Hostages? That’s absurd. They’re just in hiding to avoid any potential danger. They probably haven’t even reached the airport yet. Should I call them back?”
“No, no. I misspoke.”
“Given the situation, it’s natural to have all sorts of thoughts. Try to stay calm.”
I handed him a glass of whiskey, which he downed in one gulp.
“Could you tell me what you discussed with the Vice President?”
“Jin Young-gi… That bastard started with threats right off the bat.”
Chun Sang-pil vented his frustration, recounting the conversation.
A man with money and power, who wouldn’t hesitate to use it. This time, he had wielded his influence.
When he finished, I asked, “So, what will you do now, Counselor?”
“What?”
“Decide. Starting with what you’ll do about the shares.”
He remained silent, and when the silence stretched on, he finally asked me, “Why don’t you make a suggestion? I’ll decide after hearing it.”
Betrayal, threats, fear, safety, and greed.
With all these tangled together, it’s no wonder he couldn’t think straight. He was looking to me for a guiding point because he didn’t know what the right decision was.
“I’ve already leaked information to the opposition. This will come to light in two days at most. I think you should settle everything and leave the country before then.”
“By ‘settle,’ you mean the shares?”
“Yes. Can you convert them to real names within two days?”
“It is possible, but…”
The hesitation in his voice was due to one thing: money. Or rather, it wasn’t just about money.
It was about the price of loyalty he had dedicated his life to, the shattered trust in his grandmother, and the fear instilled by his uncle’s threats.
Without compensation for all of this, it’s only natural he’d hesitate to let go of what he held.
“Here’s what we’ll do. If you side with me, I’ll give you $100 million upfront. Use it to settle wherever you wish. Surely that’s enough for initial expenses?”
“No, it’s more than enough.”
“I’ll give you the rest once the insurance money comes through. Have you made up your mind? Even if I break my promise later, you’ll still be a billionaire. Do you need more time to think?”
On one side, three years in prison and living expenses; on the other, at least a billion dollars.
Chun Sang-pil wasn’t a fool. The promise of immediate money was a strong motivator.
He opened his bag, spilling out thick files, and powered up his laptop.
“Let’s start by reviewing the stock status. I need to check some overseas accounts.”
As I sifted through the documents he handed me, I made a call.
“Uncle, I need to access the Labuan funds. Can you prepare them?”
I hung up quickly before Oh Se-hyun could start yelling. There were many calls to make.
“Vice President Jang, I need you to come to my Yeouido office immediately.”
I also instructed Deputy Kim Yoon-seok to be on standby.
After finishing the calls, I confirmed with Chun Sang-pil once more.
“We’ll start the stock conversion tomorrow morning, right?”
“Yes, in your name…”
“No, the shares belong to someone else. I’ll give you the details and necessary documents in the morning.”
These were the shares my grandmother had painstakingly accumulated.
I wasn’t worthy of them.
Slap!
Slap!
After the sound of consecutive slaps, Vice President Jin Young-gi’s voice erupted in anger.
“You idiots! How could you let him slip away?”
Apparently, slaps weren’t enough to quell his rage, as he followed up with punches and kicks.
Baek Jun-hyuk, the chief secretary, frowned as he watched the violence unfold.
“What, you got a problem with that? You think this doesn’t concern you? What exactly is your job?”
When Jin Young-gi’s hand flew towards Secretary Baek, he instinctively closed his eyes.
But he only felt a light tap on his cheek, prompting him to open his eyes.
“Let’s do better, okay? We need to do better!”
“I’m sorry, Vice President.”
As Secretary Baek bowed his head, Jin Young-gi spoke in a calmer tone.
“Get that guy back here. Just in case, have people stationed at the airport.”
As the staff hurried out, Jin Dong-gi, who had been summoned, appeared.
“He got away?”
“Yeah, a meddler showed up.”
“Do-joon’s people?”
“Probably. Who else would care about that guy but Do-joon? He’s the biggest accomplice in the crimes their mother committed.”
Despite losing an important figure, Jin Young-gi remained composed.
“Even if he flees abroad, it doesn’t matter. We can just say he ran because of the criminal charges.”
“The shares are the bigger issue, not his whereabouts, right?”
“I’ve already set things up with the guys working in Myeong-dong. They’ll contact us as soon as Chun Sang-pil shows up.”
Jin Young-gi looked at his worried brother with disdain.
“Chun Sang-pil won’t immediately side with Do-joon. He knows his life is tied to those shares, so he won’t hand them over easily. He’ll hold onto them while he figures out his next move. We still have time.”
As his brother continued to question everything, Jin Young-gi said, “Now, let’s see what you’ve been up to. How did your meeting with Do-joon go?”
“I’m not sure if he knows about the proxy shares. But he was full of resentment towards our mother. The way she treated his wife, the truck accident… But what really set him off was her blatant attempt to push him out of the group. Having our mother, the matriarch of Sunyang, badmouthing him everywhere must have been a burden.”
Jin Dong-gi recounted his conversation with Jin Do-joon over drinks.
When he finished, Jin Young-gi’s eyes gleamed.
“So he doesn’t know about the proxy shares?”
“I’m not sure. You know how sly he can be.”
“Maybe he orchestrated all this to get his hands on those shares.”
“We have to consider that possibility.”
Pacing the room, Jin Young-gi suddenly smiled.
“Hey, this might end up being surprisingly easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“We could just give Do-joon what he wants and cover this whole thing up. Then Chun Sang-pil won’t have to go after him. What do you think?”
“What?”
“Isn’t that what Do-joon wants? For our mother to live in exile? Honestly, spending her remaining years in a few European villas wouldn’t be so bad for her. And how much longer does she have, anyway?”
“Are you serious? When people get old, they want to live in their homeland. Spending her last years in a foreign country with unfamiliar food and surroundings doesn’t make sense.”
Jin Dong-gi shouted, but Jin Young-gi just smirked.
“Doesn’t make sense? You know she fancies herself a French aristocrat, right? She hasn’t touched Korean food in ages. Europe probably feels more like home to her. She spent seven years in Switzerland when Father was alive. You’re worrying over nothing.”
There was no good retort. In hindsight, their mother had always found this land distasteful.
“So if she stays abroad, everything’s settled. Isn’t that a win-win? We get the shares, she lives comfortably, Do-joon gets his revenge, Chun Sang-pil continues his normal life, and the Sunyang Arts Foundation keeps running smoothly. Why make a fuss?”
Jin Young-gi found his brother’s persistent frown exasperating.
“Come on, stop pretending to be the good guy. You know having Mother around nagging all the time is just annoying. Right?”
“So what? Should I go to Do-joon and say we’ll make sure your grandmother never sets foot in Korea again, so keep quiet? What if he knows about the proxy shares? What if that’s his real goal?”
“Then we’ll crush him. That’s why we need to find out what he really wants.”
Jin Dong-gi was always uneasy about his brother. Or perhaps it was fear. When it came to getting what he wanted, Jin Young-gi was ruthlessly cold.
His focus was razor-sharp when he had a target.
Jin Dong-gi, who prided himself on being rational, couldn’t emulate that.
“I can’t do it. I boasted to Do-joon that we’d do this properly. How can I go back on my word now? I told him we’d handle it, and now you want me to grovel?”
“Ah, your pride… Fine, I’ll do it. We need to act fast to stop the opposition’s exposé.”
Jin Young-gi picked up the phone without hesitation.
I didn’t answer the first call.
I hadn’t expected them to be so blatant, and I was caught off guard.
But when the phone rang a second time, I picked it up without hesitation. After all, things couldn’t get any worse after my second uncle had already shown his hand.
“Yes, Uncle.”
-Oh, my dear Do-joon. Are you very busy?
What was this now?
I expected him to start yelling, but his voice was unexpectedly gentle, as if he were merely asking how I was doing.
Was he suppressing his anger? Or was he trying to coax me?
“No, please go ahead.”
Why wasn’t he questioning me about taking Cheon Sang-pil?
When I hesitated to respond, my uncle’s voice became even softer.
“Understood, Uncle. I’ll come see you first thing tomorrow morning.”
It was a way to buy some time. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep him tied up while my people make their move in the morning.
“No, the house is a bit uncomfortable. I’ll arrange a place at the Sunyang Hotel. Is that okay?”
“Yes. See you tomorrow.”
As soon as the call ended, all eyes—Cheon Sang-pil, Jang Do-hyung, Kim Yoon-seok, and Executive Director Woo Byung-jun—were on me.
“It was Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi. Don’t worry about it.”
But Cheon Sang-pil’s eyes were filled with unease. He seemed worried that I might have struck a deal with Vice Chairman Jin to hand him over.
“Attorney Cheon, switch to real names as early as possible tomorrow morning. Nothing changes.”
“Alright. I trust you. Not that I have much choice. But whose name should it be under?”
“Lee Seo-hyun. I’ll prepare the necessary documents.”
Everyone blinked, clearly clueless about who that was.
“Oh, she’s my mother.”
She was the daughter-in-law my grandmother despised the most, but by tomorrow, she would transform into the daughter-in-law my grandmother adored the most.
After all, she was the one inheriting the entire fortune.