#81 This place is always delicious, no matter when I come. — It was so hard trying to keep a straight face in front of those punks. Thanks to Mu-hyeok, I got to see a very amusing scene.
“Is that so?” — I don't know where a lucky charm like him came from.
I never envied you for anything, Cheon, but now I have something to be envious of. Ah, raising children never goes the way you want. Chairman Cheon burst into laughter. — Don't laugh.
But are you planning to step down completely now?
“My name still has its uses for Mu-hyeok. I have to hold my position for a while longer. What about you, Chairman Song? Still haven't been able to let go?” — My children will probably fight amongst themselves when I die.
“You're blessed...” — Chairman Cheon.
“No matter how much you try to sort things out and hand them over before you die, it will be difficult. That's how complicated the Daehyun Group is. Try to organize it as best you can to minimize complaints.” — I'll have to.
After ending the call with Chairman Song, Chairman Cheon stared at the receiver for a long while before finally raising his head.
“Where is Mu-hyeok?”
“He said he would be arriving in the country today.”
“Why did he go to Hong Kong?”
“I don't know the details, but he said he was going to recruit someone.”
Chairman Cheon nodded and said in a low voice.
“You must make sure Ji-won and Ji-soo don't get any funny ideas. If they get greedy, it could lead to another bloodbath.”
“I will watch them carefully.”
“After I die, if Mu-hyeok tries to eliminate them, Myeong-hun, you must stop him at least once.”
“...Chairman.”
Chairman Cheon waved his hand at Manager Ha, who had a dark expression.
“History is like that. It's not easy to leave someone alone, even if they pose no threat. Much less those who are greedy.”
“You are still hale and hearty.”
“I'm not dying right away. But just in case. Understand?”
“...Yes, Chairman.”
“How is Su-man doing?”
“I've received reports that he's slowly resuming his outside activities. I've heard he's attending Korean community gatherings and making new acquaintances.”
Chairman Cheon's brow furrowed.
“There are no unusual movements, right?”
“No, he won't be a threat to the Young Master.”
“I'm worried about Su-man, not Mu-hyeok. I'm worried he won't know his place and will try to challenge Mu-hyeok. How is Su-han?”
“...”
“Why? Speak.”
“I think we may have to move him to a mental hospital.”
“Tsk...”
Chairman Cheon clicked his tongue, but he didn't give the order to move him. The decision was Mu-hyeok's to make. If he were to step in, it would be no different from giving Mu-hyeok justification...
“Did you look into what he's doing with the money in America?”
“Other than the fact that Han Gyeong-yeong is managing it, we couldn't find out much. However, I understand that he has made quite a substantial profit.”
“I see. You may leave.”
After Manager Ha left, Chairman Cheon, now alone in his study, stared silently out the window for a long time. His back was not that of the king of the private loan market, but closer to that of a simple old man.
The bankruptcy of the Hyeonbo Group was a burden on the government as well. A few days after the final bankruptcy, an investigation into Chairman Jang began, and he was arrested the very next day. Separate from the Hyeonbo situation that spread through political and financial circles, the bankruptcies of large corporations continued.
In March, when the Seommi Group, ranked 26th in the business world, went bankrupt, a sense of alarm was slowly rising. Just then, a statement by IMF Managing Director Camdessus became a convenient excuse for the government. 'The Korean Economy is Not in Crisis.'
Camdessus's statement adorned the front page of the Goryeo Daily, and the theory of an economic crisis was dismissed as a simple conspiracy theory. Then in April, Yoon Chang-ho, the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed as the Prosecutor General.
“Congratulations, Prosecutor General.”
“Haha, congratulations from a junior feel the best.”
A smile never left Prosecutor General Yoon's face.
“Now, only a path of success lies ahead of you.”
“The atmosphere isn't good. There's a lot of talk about an economic crisis and whatnot.”
“How is the Hyeonbo Group investigation progressing?”
“There's a hearing soon, isn't there? The Blue House will probably give some orders then.”
The Hyeonbo Group scandal led to the arrests of bank presidents. A total of seven former and current bank presidents from Jeil Bank, Joheung Bank, and others were summoned by the prosecution for investigation, and three of them were arrested. Many politicians, regardless of party affiliation, were investigated, and five of them were arrested.
With the presidential election approaching, the political world plunged into a fog where one could not see even an inch ahead.
“Wasn't the President's eldest son also involved?”
“Heh… your intelligence network is the real deal. I don't know the VIP's intentions yet, but he'll probably find it hard to avoid arrest. He took too much money for that.”
It was the downfall of the man who had been called the 'little president'.
“You must not remain merely a trumpeter for the Blue House. You must think of the future.”
“That's right. Now that he's a lame duck, why should I care what he thinks? Still, he appointed me, so while I do as he wishes, I must also do what I want to do.”
This was a glimpse into Prosecutor General Yoon's ambition.
“Prosecutor General, this economic crisis will likely not end easily. Your role will be incredibly important. Economic criminals will be rampant due to all sorts of corruption and the chain bankruptcies of companies. The pressure from the political sphere will also be intense. You must hold your ground firmly.”
“The economic crisis isn't the end?”
I nodded at Prosecutor General Yoon, whose eyes had widened.
“Yes, it will get to the worst possible point. It will be worse than anything you can imagine. We could even lose our economic sovereignty, like during the Japanese colonial period. If you hold your ground and conduct investigations without sanctuary at that time, you could aim for the Blue House after your term.”
“Haha. I'm happy to hear it, even if they're just empty words. I didn't know you could say such things.”
Empty words, he says. When we first met, I hadn't thought that far, but given the public's current support for Prosecutor General Yoon, he was a worthy contender for the next presidency. And this upcoming presidency was a poisoned chalice.
“And I have a favor to ask.”
“Say it. I'll do anything.”
“I'd like to request an internal investigation into the Jungwoo Group.”
The Jungwoo Group collapses after 1998. But by then, there was little to gain due to its immense debt. The astronomical accounting fraud and secret funds were more than enough to destroy the credibility of the Jungwoo Group.
It was necessary to move the timeline up a bit.
“The Jungwoo Group?”
“Yes. There will be an enormous amount of charges for embezzlement, breach of trust, and more, enough for an immediate arrest. You can time the summons for when I want it.”
“Hmm… this is a very burdensome task. You know that, right?”
“I know. That's why I'm asking. But if you take care of the Jungwoo Group before it becomes an even bigger bomb, it will become your achievement.”
“Are you planning to swallow the Jungwoo Group? Do you have the money for that?”
“I'm not the one who will be taking it. My friends are planning to.”
Prosecutor General Yoon studied me, as if searching for something.
“There won't be any harm to me, will there? As you said, if I'm to make it to the Blue House, I absolutely cannot have any blemishes on my record.”
“Of course. I will pave a flower road for you. All you have to do is walk it, and you will become the master of the Blue House.”
Although he would become the master of the Blue House, only to be my puppet.
“Alright. I'll start the internal investigation immediately.”
“You must form a team of trustworthy people.”
“Don't worry. You know that guy.”
Does he mean that prosecutor who was sent down to the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office?
“Did you call him up to the Public Prosecutor's Office?”
“There was a lot of opposition, but I placed him in a key position in the Central Investigation Department.”
“If it's him, he can be trusted. He's a man who always delivers more than what is asked for.”
“That guy's future is now paved as well.”
It was true. Even now, politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties were sending him love calls.
“Fill the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office with your people. Never share power. An era where the prosecution's power becomes unprecedentedly strong will soon arrive.”
They are called the dogs of the regime, but if it was Prosecutor General Yoon, I believed he could withstand the pressure and grant my request.
“Alright. Let's eat.”
Watching Prosecutor General Yoon pick up his spoon, I picked up mine as well. The amicable meal came to an end, and Prosecutor General Yoon was the first to rise from his seat.
“Some delicious apples came in this season, so I had three boxes moved to your trunk. They're clean apples, without a speck of pesticide, so you can eat them right away without washing.”
In the trunk of Prosecutor General Yoon's official car, there would already be three apple boxes filled with ten-thousand won bills, placed there by Section Chief Ma himself.
“Thank you, as always.”
After my meeting with Prosecutor General Yoon, I began preparing for the post-IMF crisis, one step at a time.
“Grandfather. I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
It had been a long time since I had a private meeting with my grandfather.
“Yes, a favor.”
“Hah… what is it that you have to be so serious? You're making this old man's heart drop.”
Perhaps because he had now let go of everything, his expression had brightened, and he was a grandfather who would even joke like this from time to time. It was a side of him I had never seen in my past life.
“Next year, the Interest Limitation Act will probably disappear.”
“What?”
My grandfather's voice grew louder. It was just that surprising.
“There's a high probability it will happen. At that time, an enormous amount of Japanese capital will likely flow in. Our country's crises have always been opportunities for Japan.”
After liberation, what opened a path for Japan, a defeated nation, was the Korean War. At that time, Japan achieved explosive economic growth with the support of America and the Allied Forces. Japan's current boom was over.
It was now experiencing the dark age of its economy, which would later be called the 'Lost 20 Years'. The Republic of Korea's economic crisis would become another opportunity for Japan.
“The Blue Wind Association will make its move.”
When the Interest Limitation Act is abolished next year, Myeon District's Private Loan Market will be thrown into chaos. Aside from the mushrooming of illegal loan sharks, Japanese capital, backed by the support of the Blue Wind Association, eventually comes to dominate half of the private loan market.
The Blue Wind Association enacts the Money Lending Business Act to eliminate its competitors. However, despite the Blue Wind Association's efforts, the law is only established in 2002. It was necessary to move that up.
Before chaos erupted in the private loan market, the Money Lending Business Act had to be created to establish a legal framework. I had no intention of giving them an opportunity.
“I would like you to lend your strength to that law as well, Grandfather. For its swift passage.”
“What? Why on earth?”
My grandfather had an expression of utter incomprehension. With the Interest Limitation Act about to disappear, he had a winning hand. He couldn't understand why I would want to create a law that would once again limit interest rates.
“It's an opportunity for us, but it's also an opportunity for the Blue Wind Association. I have no intention of giving them even the smallest opening. I plan to use Twin Blades and my friend Hyeon-seong to establish legal lending companies in Myeon District and provide loans at lower interest rates than them. As for the private loan market that goes deeper underground, I will use Viper to manage it.”
“Hmm...”
“Just because there's no interest limit doesn't mean corporations will borrow money at high rates. For deals with large corporations, neither the Interest Limitation Act nor the Money Lending Business Act is of any use. The common people and small to medium-sized enterprises are the main customers. The large corporations can be managed separately. I told you, didn't I? That they would bow their heads before you again, Grandfather.”
I was thinking of making Hyeon-seong the representative of the holding company that would sit above the several lending companies. I planned to entrust the practical affairs to Boss Twin Blades Kim Ho-sik, and assign one lending company each to his subordinates and the veterans of Myeon District's Private Loan Market.
I once again persuaded my grandfather, who couldn't let go of his lingering attachments.
“Grandfather, if we miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to keep the Blue Wind Association in check. They will back the capital coming in from Japan. We must introduce a variable into their plans before that happens.”
By moving the timeline up slightly, different from the original history, I will create a situation favorable to myself. I could not miss the chance to preemptively seize the market, giving them neither a small opening nor an opportunity. I didn't know what kind of butterfly effect this would cause, but there was no need to repeat failure.
“I'm asking you, please. Grandfather.”
My grandfather was silent for a long time. As someone who had spent his entire life in the private loan business in the shadows, not the light, it would be difficult for him to make a quick decision, even if it was to keep the Blue Wind Association in check. I waited quietly for my grandfather's answer.
“Alright. I will do as you wish.”
In the end, my grandfather granted my request.
End