"The atmosphere is about cleaning up Hana-hoe?"
Manager Ha, receiving Chairman Cheon's gaze, opened his mouth.
"Yes, it seems he plans to extensively reorganize the military this time. It is said that every single person from Hana-hoe will be stripped of their uniforms. Gatherings of Hana-hoe members are increasing."
Chairman Cheon, who had been deep in thought for a moment, spoke.
"The president has truly made up his mind. It is not an easy decision, yet to think he would plan to clean up Hana-hoe as soon as he took power."
"Isn't he someone who suffered greatly under the military regime? Though he eventually joined hands with them to take power, he is not the type of man to just sit still."
"What about the Blue Wind Association? Are they quiet?"
"They seem to be planning to lay low for now. Isn't the political climate currently filled with fierce investigations? Especially in the early days of power, when the wielded blade is at its strongest, even the Blue Wind Association must avoid it."
"Mu-hyeok, what do you think?"
The question came back to me, who had just been quietly listening.
"I think it will proceed without much trouble. He has already carried out the replacement of key positions like the Army Chief of Staff and the Defense Security Commander. I heard the reorganization was done in just four hours after calling in the Minister of Defense. Even if Hana-hoe is cleaned up, the title of a conservative regime isn't going anywhere, and the citizens won't allow them to stage a coup and seize power again. The other soldiers aside from Hana-hoe won't sympathize with them either."
"It seems you have a lot of interest in politics. You have a good grasp of it."
"How could I not be interested? Isn't it an important variable in the work you do, Grandfather?"
"Hoo?"
Grandfather laughed warmly as if he was in a good mood and looked at Manager Ha as if telling him to continue his report. Receiving the gaze, Manager Ha opened his mouth again.
"There doesn't seem to be any big issue other than the eradication of Hana-hoe yet... It is said that almost no one knows the president's true intentions right now. The senior secretaries we planted also seem unaware of what the VIP is up to. Only... I heard he brought up the topic of a war on corruption in the recent senior secretaries' meeting."
"Corruption?"
"Yes, he supposedly told high-ranking public officials to disclose their assets. Although there is a lot of opposition around him... given his personality, he will definitely execute it."
Chairman Cheon rubbed his forehead as if his head hurt.
"He is bringing in too rapid a wind of change. Phew... I knew it, but it's still impossible to predict."
"Does your head hurt? I will bring your medicine."
"It's fine. And what else? Is there nothing about the economic sector?"
"That is... strangely, they said there was no mention of the economic sector."
Chairman Cheon's eyes narrowed.
"The senior secretary for economic affairs is our person, right?"
"Yes. I know that other large corporations haven't obtained much information either."
"What are your thoughts?"
"The real-name financial system will likely be possible next year at the earliest, or at the end of his term at the latest. He has already faced too much opposition right now from the Hana-hoe purge to the asset disclosure of high-ranking officials, so to carry out the real-name financial system too..."
"So those are your thoughts?"
"Yes."
Chairman Cheon nodded and looked at me.
"Mu-hyeok, what do you think?"
"The real-name financial system will definitely be executed. It has been discussed continuously since the 70s, but wasn't it constantly canceled due to opposition from politicians? Looking at the current president's personality, there is a high probability that he will secretly use a small number of people to finish the preliminary work and announce it suddenly."
"Hohoho."
At that, Chairman Cheon burst into laughter. Chairman Cheon, who laughed for a long time, looked at me and spoke.
"This little guy might be smart, but you still don't fully understand the nature of those humans called politicians. No matter if this president isn't a soldier, he is still a politician who can never escape the shackles of political funds. It is not something that can be achieved in a short period."
"Even so, I think it is still necessary to move the funds to people we can trust."
"That's enough, Myeong-hun."
"Yes."
"I have something to talk about with Mu-hyeok, so step outside."
"Yes, Chairman."
Manager Ha went outside.
"You little rascal. Are you that worried about the real-name financial system?"
"Yes, Grandfather."
"Do not worry. It is distributed among people I can trust. The rest are not large amounts."
"Grandfather. Human greed knows no end. Right now, there is no big problem because you immediately hold the bankbooks and the seals, but if the real-name financial system is executed and you cannot withdraw the money unless it is the actual person, there will definitely be problems."
It was the truth. Grandfather takes a huge hit from the real-name financial system. He blew about 25% of his entire fortune into thin air.
He suffered massive losses not only from anonymous accounts under the names of dead or nonexistent people... but also from accounts under borrowed names.
"Hmm..."
"Instead of that, I think it would be better if you organized things this time. It could also serve as a check on your overall assets. Trust money, but do not trust people. Those are the words you said to me, Grandfather."
"Hohoho. You little rascal, you still remember that?"
"Yes."
"I understand. I will think about it. More than that, Mu-hyeok."
"Yes."
"How did you know about the secret account held by Boss Kim? It was something I entrusted to him without anyone knowing. How did you figure that out?"
I had been waiting for him to ask this question.
"I knew from looking at Boss Kim's expression. That there was something more. You clearly told me to take over all the accounts, Grandfather, but I felt a strange sense of incongruity from his expression when he handed the accounts over. After I sent Manager Ha out and asked him directly, he quickly confessed."
"What? Kuhahaha! He confessed quickly? That Kim Ho-sik, the great Twin Blades? That fake genius who thinks he's the smartest person in the world?"
"Yes. I did threaten him a little bit, but he answered easily."
"Hoho, this kid. The more I look at you, the more I like you."
"Thank you, Grandfather."
I didn't avoid the gaze of Chairman Cheon, who was looking at me with a pleased expression, and looked back at him. My confident appearance must have pleased him, as Grandfather could not wipe the smile off his face.
"So you think the real-name financial system will happen within this year?"
"I believe it will."
"How do you want to retrieve and distribute it?"
"Even if you leave the money in the accounts of people you truly trust, Grandfather, I think the most urgent ones are the accounts created under the names of nonexistent people. I think it would be good to gather those into a trustworthy place first. Because that will truly become money we won't be able to retrieve later no matter what methods we use."
"Hmm. Do you know how much this grandfather's fortune is?"
"I do not know exactly, but I've learned a few things while learning the work."
"Speak."
"The person with the most cash in Korea. Even including known stocks and real estate, one of the top richest people in the Republic of Korea, the king of private loans Cheon Tae-san."
"Hohoho. You are putting gold on this grandfather's face."
"But I do not believe those words. Rather than being one of the top richest, I think no one can compare to your wealth, Grandfather. Am I right? Your unknown assets are greater than your known assets, right?"
"Well. That might be true, or it might be wrong."
Even after Grandfather's death, we could not accurately grasp Grandfather's wealth. Perhaps it was because there were too many assets managed under borrowed names... How much had my uncles and I fought to find and take Grandfather's assets for ourselves.
In the end, I was pushed out of that fight and died, but... Even Manager Ha, who was known as his trusted confidant, did not know all of Grandfather's wealth.
"Mu-hyeok."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"This grandfather has committed a great sin against your mother. My poor youngest daughter. The sin I committed against Mi-sook is great. So I want to give you a chance. Never disappoint this grandfather."
"Yes."
"Once you get back all the accounts entrusted to the Myeon District bosses, you manage the secret accounts. Try using it for whatever you want. However, if you blow all that money, that will be the end of the money I give you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, if you trust and entrust it to me, I will never make a mistake."
"Alright, go out and rest."
I bowed to Grandfather and came outside. Manager Ha was waiting in front of the door. I exchanged glances with Manager Ha and returned to my room.
'Hah.
I never thought he would entrust that to me. This way, I can proceed with things much faster than I thought. First, I need to find someone to manage the money.'
The conditions were set to bring forward the work I had planned. By unexpectedly getting to manage Grandfather's slush funds, my choices had multiplied.
"Myeong-hun."
Chairman Cheon, left alone in the study, called for Manager Ha. Manager Ha opened the door, came in, and bowed his head.
"Yes, Chairman."
"We need to organize the accounts a bit."
"You mean organizing the accounts?"
"Yes. Leave the borrowed names alone for now, and consolidate all the accounts under the names of the dead or nonexistent people."
"Where should I consolidate them to?"
"Do it under your name. Aren't you the person I trust the most?"
"Yes. I understand."
"Organize the held stocks and report to me as well. How long will it take?"
"Organizing the accounts will take until July at the earliest. They are scattered in too many places..."
"Just the anonymous ones, excluding the borrowed names, take that much?"
Chairman Cheon rubbed his furrowed brow with his fingers.
"I see. Still, try to organize them as quickly as possible."
"Yes."
"Also, how much in total is in the borrowed name accounts entrusted to the Myeon District bosses? Is it around 50 billion won?"
"It should probably be around that much."
"Transfer those to Mu-hyeok's name. There won't be any problems, right?"
"To the Young Master's name?"
"Yes. Finish it so it won't become a problem."
"I understand."
"First, sort out Mu-hyeok taking over from the Myeon District bosses before starting the work."
Manager Ha bowed and went outside. Mu-hyeok, who had received a huge gift without even realizing it, was sleeping peacefully, completely unaware.
The next day. I visited Viper's office in Myeon District. Viper, unlike Twin Blades, welcomed me politely.
"Young Master, welcome."
"Hello. I am Kim Mu-hyeok."
"I have only heard stories; this is my first time seeing your face. Please have a seat first."
There was no one in Viper's boss's office. There were only three people: Viper, myself, and Manager Ha. As soon as we sat down, it was Viper, No Ik-seon, who immediately took out the ledgers and bankbooks.
"Please check the ledgers and the bankbooks. There shouldn't be any problems."
"Okay."
While I checked the ledgers, Viper waited in silence. It was the same when I checked the bankbooks.
"There are no problems. I will now collect the bankbooks. I will check the ledgers every two weeks. That's fine with you, right?"
"Yes, Young Master."
"Manager Ha? I would like to have a brief chat just between the two of us."
Perhaps because there was a precedent of this happening once before, Manager Ha left without a word. As soon as the door closed, I brought up my business.
"Boss No, don't you have more bankbooks? Please give me those as well."
"Excuse me? What do you mean?"
"The bankbooks the Chairman secretly entrusted to you."
The knife scar on No Ik-seon's face subtly twitched. His gaze wandered dizzily as if he didn't know where to look.
"Why, is there a problem with the bankbooks?"
"No." "Then give them to me."
"I need to confirm with the Chairman..."
I stopped Boss No as he tried to stall for time.
"The very fact that I know about the existence of bankbooks that only you and the Chairman know about speaks of the Chairman's intentions. Is there a reason to drag out the time by insisting on confirming it? Just give them to me quickly."
Boss No kept reading my face without answering.
"Hoo... Do I need to give you time as well, Boss?"
Viper's reaction was no different from Twin Blades'. Following Twin Blades, even Viper—it meant they were all doing something with Grandfather's slush funds. ...Don't tell me these guys. During the real-name financial system, the money in the anonymous accounts didn't just evaporate... didn't these bastards take advantage of the situation to snatch it up?
Gulp.
At my fierce glare, only the sound of Viper swallowing his dry saliva echoed in the office.