Chapter 191: The Shaking Empire (4)

Nam Kun-ho’s face hardened.

“What on earth are you talking about? How absurd.”

Lim Man-seok did not back down even an inch and shot back.

“Do not pretend you do not know. Do you really think I would not know what Daehan is doing through Taeseong Construction.”

His gaze sank chillingly.

“The method of sending a person away, shaking them from inside and out, and then swallowing them up. It is a trick you have already used once before. Just like when it was your brother, Nam Mun-ho.”

The air in the room sank heavily once again.

“Do you think I would not know the scheme to set up my son, Do-hyun, in that spot this time!”

Nam Kun-ho spoke with a fishy smile.

“There is no groundless speculation like this. I cannot listen to it.”

He leaned his back.

His fingers slowly tapped the sofa armrest.

On the outside, he looked like a relaxed person.

However, Lim Man-seok did not miss what that meant.

“You would know better than anyone whether it is groundless speculation or not. That rascal Do-hyun ran away first even before receiving the notice of dismissal.”

Chairman Lim Man-seok’s gaze shot at Nam Kun-ho as if to kill him.

“Just like someone who was tipped off in advance.”

At those words, Nam Kun-ho’s gaze shook for a moment.

He acted as if it were nothing, but Lim Man-seok did not miss that split second.

“No matter how much we searched, he did not appear. He was not at home, not at the villa, and not at the golf courses, bars, or anywhere he frequently visited; not even a shadow was seen.”

Lim Man-seok’s voice sank even lower.

“But is it not quite strange?”

He paused for a moment and said while looking at Nam Kun-ho.

“From that point on, the movements on the Daehan side became very busy. As if they had to move someone to a safe place.”

Nam Kun-ho snorted.

“Chairman Lim, am I some kind of broker who helps fugitives? Why do you keep saying I have hidden something.”

“If it is not hidden, then that is even more of a problem.”

Lim Man-seok retorted composedly. The words that followed were nothing but cold.

“It is not just Do-hyun.”

He slowly tapped the table with his finger.

“What kind of materials were leaked from within Taeseong Construction, and in what way they flowed into the media. Do you perhaps think I will not know until the end?”

Nam Kun-ho’s eyebrows twitched.

“Media?”

The corners of Lim Man-seok’s mouth rose crookedly.

“Looking at the borrowed-name accounts bursting… they even knew the shareholding structure that was not disclosed one after another. If it is at that level, is it not something only the person who made it would know? Even if you spread it, you should have done it only to a certain extent. Since you quite openly did it as if saying I am the one who did it, is there any way I would not know.”

His voice became even lower.

“There are always traces left in what people do. It is only a matter of time before it is revealed.”

He glared as if piercing through Nam Kun-ho.

“There is no secret that is kept until the end. Chairman Nam, you would know that better than I, would you not?”

A silence flowed for a moment.

Nam Kun-ho let out a laugh mixed with a sigh and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“Think as you please, Chairman. Since it seems you have already reached a conclusion in your own way, is there any need for me to bother adding anything.”

The inner meaning was this. Think whatever you want to think.

He picked up the teacup. After taking a sip, he set it down.

In fact, there was only one reason Nam Kun-ho came here.

He came to watch after thinking that the stubborn Lim Man-seok’s spirit would have been broken to some extent.

Since his son had burst the borrowed-name assets and gone into hiding, he was curious about how the worn-out tiger would act.

He expected that he might see him bowing his head deeply for the first time.

However, the man he actually saw before him was still sitting with his back straight.

The spirit flowing out from his voice and gaze had not changed much from before.

‘Is it that even when a tiger grows old, its spirit does not die?’

Nam Kun-ho clicked his tongue inwardly.

They certainly do not know where Lim Do-hyun is. He found this situation quite interesting.

“As expected of Chairman Lim Man-seok. You are acting relaxed even in this situation. With a face that looks like you are about to die soon….”

Lim Man-seok did not even respond to those words.

Instead, he called Kang Cheol-woo, who was standing beside him.

“Cheol-woo.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Bring what I told you about earlier.”

Kang Cheol-woo’s eyes flashed for a moment.

He nodded immediately.

“Understood.”

He opened the leather bag he always carried.

He took out a document envelope from the inside.

“Here it is.”

When he politely held out the envelope with both hands, Lim Man-seok received it.

He looked down at the envelope for a moment, then without much hesitation, put strength into his wrist and pushed it as if throwing it onto the table toward Nam Kun-ho.

The document envelope fell with a Tak sound.

“What is… this?”

Lim Man-seok snorted.

“You will know if you look, will you not.”

As the words spat out indifferently, Nam Kun-ho looked at it for a moment and then narrowed his brows.

An ominous feeling climbed up the back of his hand.

The envelope was tightly sealed. He slowly tore the sealed part with his finger.

The sound of paper tearing echoed long inside the quiet office.

The documents came out to the world.

The bold title stamped on the front page caught his eye.

[Confidential materials related to the supply of parts for Navy vessels of the government Defense Acquisition Program Administration]

In an instant, Nam Kun-ho’s pupils shook, and strength went into his fingertips.

“How is it? Does it not look familiar, Chairman Nam.”

Nam Kun-ho turned the pages without saying a word.

On the second page, content he was well aware of was written.

-Navy Multi-purpose Support Vessel XXX Construction Project

-Navy Supply Ship and Coastal Patrol Boat Improvement Project

-Offshore Drilling Support Vessel XX Project

-Defense Acquisition Program Administration bulk order, structure of separate supply for detailed equipment and parts

Below that, a list of subcontractors and sub-subcontractors was organized in a table.

Beside some company names, memos marked by someone with a pen were also densely written.

[Daehan Precision Industry]

Major partner company of Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering

-Connection: Chairman Nam Kun-ho’s family holds 62% stake, dispersed under names of eldest son and eldest daughter)

[Daehan Merchant Marine Technology]

Technical advisory firm for hull and propulsion systems

-Connection: Representative Director registered as the brother-in-law of a former high-ranking official of Navy Headquarters

[Daehan Machinery Research Institute]

Registered as a research institute, actual distribution channel for parts

-Connection: Family company of a former manager of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, 90% dependent on sales from Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering

Nam Kun-ho’s gaze stopped at the ‘Connection’ part written for Daehan Precision Industry and Daehan Machinery Research Institute. Veins bulged on the back of his hand.

Lim Man-seok spoke slowly.

“Has it been about ten years? From the time you were winning contracts for offshore drilling rigs to the defense contracts related to Navy vessels. I have been watching well by your side all that time to see what kind of things you have been doing.”

Nam Kun-ho’s jaw muscles twitched.

“This joke is going too far.”

“Do I look like I am joking right now? Under Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, there are Daehan Precision Industry, Daehan Merchant Marine Technology, and Daehan Machinery Research Institute. On the surface, they are major partners, research institutes, and technical advisory firms. In reality, they are not your slush fund creation channels.”

Nam Kun-ho’s gaze sank coldly. Lim Man-seok clenched and unclenched his fist.

“The price went up once when entering the bid for Navy vessel parts, went up once more while going through Daehan Precision Industry, and the price went up again when the final supply price was stamped at Daehan Machinery Research Institute. On paper, it is all technical verification costs, R&D expenses, and quality assurance fees. Haha.”

His voice became even lower.

“Was not the thing actually developed at that research institute a method to siphon off money, not parts. You left the testing to the shipyard sites and only stamped the approval on the documents.”

The inside of the office became suffocatingly quiet again. Lim Man-seok pointed to another page of the document with his chin.

“It should be written there in detail. The records of consulting fees and advisory fee payments made between the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Navy Headquarters, and those companies. The structure where it entered Daehan Merchant Marine Technology, went out to an overseas SPC account, and then entered your account again as investment profit.”

It was truly so.

The money that went out from Daehan Merchant Marine Technology to the SPC was deposited into Nam Jae-ik’s personal account as advisory fees.

That was changed back into overseas investment profit. Nam Kun-ho’s fingertips trembled.

‘Did this old man really dig back this far?’

Lim Man-seok continued his words.

“Since work in the defense industry has such complex interests, you must have felt relieved. Because politicians, generals, bureaucrats, and even brokers are linked one after another. Even if someone knew something, you probably thought they would not dare to expose it.”

The corners of his mouth twisted bitterly.

“If it bursts, it is not just Daehan that gets smashed, but the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Ministry of National Defense, National Assembly, and even banks will be caught up together. A few of our people could also get hurt in this.”

He admitted it calmly.

“That is probably why you did such a thing. You must have thought no one could touch this.”

Nam Kun-ho gave a fishy smile.

“As expected, Chairman Lim’s eyes are remarkable. So I probably did it with peace of mind, right? Everyone knows it is something that cannot be revealed anyway.”

The moment this was touched, it was like a time bomb where everyone would explode together. Who would be crazy enough to offer up their own life. However, Lim Man-seok’s gaze was directed toward a completely different place.

“That is why I also did not pass this anywhere for over ten years.”

His voice turned chilling.

“I thought a day like today might come someday.”

I, who was listening while hiding, widened my eyes. I had no idea at all that Chairman Lim Man-seok had been preparing something like this for over ten years.

Lim Man-seok opened his mouth again.

“It is as you said. If this comes out into the world, it will not just be Daehan that gets hurt. Politicians, the government, and companies will be damaged one after another. Taeseong cannot guarantee being completely fine either.”

He did not seem to have any intention of avoiding it at all.

“Even so, if you are going to put my son and Taeseong on the sacrificial altar, I am also prepared to enter the pit of fire together at least once.”

After finishing his words, he breathed out roughly. There was no place that did not ache from the taut tension. Nevertheless, his gaze did not falter even a bit.

“Chairman Nam. That is the decisive difference between you and me.”

Nam Kun-ho swallowed dry saliva.

‘Surely this old man is not really going to throw it, right?’

He barely opened his mouth.

“Chairman Lim, thinking so extremely is….”

“You were the one who did the extreme thing first.”

Lim Man-seok’s eyes shone coldly.

“It was so when you kicked out Nam Mun-ho, and it is so now that you are trying to put Do-hyun on the board.”

He leaned forward and asked point-blank.

“In this kind of situation, what is there that I cannot do?”

Lim Man-seok’s chilling voice filled the office. He brushed the teacup aside as if sliding it away.

“To be honest, how much longer would I live?”

After catching his breath for a moment, he continued his words calmly.

“I also roughly know what the doctor is muttering. Even if it is long, there are not many years left.”

He raised the corners of his mouth as if scoffing. That appearance brought to mind a tiger targeting its prey.

“I, you see. I thought that I must see at least one thing before I die.”

Lim Man-seok’s gaze sank even colder.

“Must I not see the sight of Daehan tumbling down to close my eyes peacefully even if I die.”

The end of those words was driven firmly into Nam Kun-ho’s heart.

“As I thought about how there are not many days left to live, my thoughts also changed. If only I could see Daehan collapsing with my own eyes before I go….”

Lim Man-seok placed his left hand on the table. He grabbed the teacup with his left hand and struck it down on the table just like that.

Broken fragments flew in all directions.

Red blood slowly seeped out onto the white back of his hand. A few pieces of glass were embedded in his skin, but Lim Man-seok did not even blink an eye.

Rather, he slowly raised his blood-stained hand and made Nam Kun-ho look straight at it. That appearance was terrifying and bizarre beyond words.

“The extent of one of my arms being cut off….”

He looked down at his blood-stained hand and laughed lowly.

“It seemed I could endure it.”