Chapter 1570 Scolding (5)

In a luxurious restaurant somewhere...

A server smartly filled a wineglass next to a slightly cold slab of steak. After filling the glass halfway with the liquid as smooth as silk, the server retracted the wine bottle, then bowed deeply.

“I hope you two gentlemen enjoy a wonderful time.”

Jeong Hong-Geun found that statement rather ironic, though.

A wonderful time, you say...?

Different people would have different views on what constituted a wonderful time.

In a normal situation, that statement would have meant something to him. Jeong Hong-Geun could’ve earned so many benefits by being in the same room alone with his dinner guest, after all.

However, today was not one of those situations. Right now, he had nothing to gain from the person sitting in front of him.

Jeong Hong-Geun narrowed his eyes and stared at this person. He could see well-combed hair parted to the side, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, a smooth jawline and a gentlemanly business suit, but none of these things adequately described who this person was.

But there was one term that did just that, and it was the Prime Minister. Or, more specifically, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea.

The man who had replaced Kim Myeong-Chan as the new Prime Minister was sitting in front of Jeong Hong-Geun, and his name was Goh Han-Bong.

“Please enjoy the food,” said Goh Han-Bong.

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“Even though the steak is rather expensive?”

“It’d be better not to have indigestion, after all.”

Goh Han-Bong grinned brightly. “I’m sure you can have steak of this quality any time you wish. But for me, it’s a rare opportunity, you see...?”

Jeong Hong-Geun nodded slightly. “You must be worried about the perception, then.”

“Indeed. In the past not too long ago, being treated to a good meal now and then was the norm, but with our current era being what it is... The public will crucify me if the word of a high-ranking civil servant receiving treats like this gets out.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure calling our country’s Prime Minister a mere civil servant is appropriate.”

“Hahaha. Even if I’ve been appointed to the role, a civil servant is still a civil servant, Mister Jeong. If your wage comes from tax, that makes you a civil servant, I’d say.”

Goh Han-Bong chuckled amiably, then began cutting into the steak.

Jeong Hong-Geun calmly asked, “That steak seems rather overcooked, doesn’t it?”

“Now that I’ve gotten older, I actually prefer this. But that’s not the case when we were younger, no? Back then, we wouldn’t have had issues even after munching on raw meat, after all. Yes, we were filled with youthful spirit and guts tough enough to digest whatever we’ve swallowed.”

“Indeed...”

“But now that we’re getting older, even if we eat the same food as before, we’ll get all sorts of indigestion and illnesses. Unless we thoroughly cook our food, our innards just don’t want to accept it. Isn’t it the same for you, Mister Jeong?” Goh Han-Bong asked, his tone probing.

Jeong Hong-Geun didn’t reply. He knew the Prime Minister wasn’t referring to the steak, after all. Instead, he changed the subject.

“Surely, you must be very busy, Mister Prime Minister.”

“Hahaha. It must be the same for you as well. Yes, you are one of the busiest people in our country, without a doubt.”

Goh Han-Bong mouthed a chunk of steak and began munching away. He took his time chewing the meat, then washed it down with the wine before staring straight at Jeong Hong-Geun.

“However, I’ve been hearing certain rumors about you focusing on a matter unrelated to your business lately.”

“...”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s lips squeezed shut a little more.

Just as he suspected!

The Prime Minister called him up out of the blue and suggested they should have a meal together. The thing was, Jeong Hong-Geun couldn’t think of a reason why the Prime Minister would suggest that.

...With the exception of that one topic, that was!

“Just what...” Jeong Hong-Geun asked, the sharpness in his glare not abating. “...Or who are those bastards that you are all going this far?”

“Haha, I’m not sure who you’re referring to. I was merely concerned with you wasting time on an unnecessary matter, that was all.”

“You were worried, you say?”

“Yes, of course. With our economy not doing well, we need Taegwang to pull its weight as one of the leaders of the industry that keeps our country motoring along, you see?”

“...”

Goh Han-Bong wiped the corners of his lips with a napkin. “He’s also quite concerned, you see? The economic situation continues to worsen with every passing day. That’s why we need large corporations to continue acting as the engines powering our country. He still expects great things from you.”

Jeong Hong-Geun subtly furrowed his brow.

You sure have no shame, do you?

The Prime Minister had the cheek to say all that when he and the rest of the government had passed all sorts of laws and policies designed to target big businesses?

Then again, I get why.

This type of behavior wasn’t unique to Go Han-Bong. All politicians were the same, after all. In a way, they were quite similar to entrepreneurs. They tried their utmost when it came to benefits, but would coldly turn a blind eye to potentially loss-making ideals.

Jeong Hong-Geun coldly replied, “There are no issues with Taegwang.”

“Yes, so far,” Goh Han-Bong replied firmly. “So far, you haven’t had any issues. However, what will happen to Taegwang if its chairman is distracted by sundry matters and can’t pay his undivided attention to its operations? Who doesn’t know that it was your hard work that put the corporation called Taegwang on the map, Mister Jeong?”

“...So, you asked to see me because you were concerned, Prime Minister?”

“Yes. As I’ve said before...” Goh Han-Bong smiled gently. “He’s very concerned, Mister Jeong. So much so that he even mentioned Taegwang outright... No, you specifically.”

“...”

“He wishes for Taegwang to perform many more roles for our country. Wouldn’t that be a splendid development for Taegwang as well? Yes, it’d be a mutually beneficial arrangement, indeed. Huhuhuh!”

The Prime Minister kept referring to a “he”. Of course, Jeong Hong-Geun knew who that mystery person was. But that only made him even more confused instead.

Why is the President of the country protecting that Kang Jin-Ho bastard?!

Could he be the President’s hidden illegitimate child or something?

Jeong Hong-Geun’s anger flared up again. Despite all his efforts to suppress his anger and stubbornness, they reared their heads again and threatened to erupt into the open. Such a loss of control would’ve been unthinkable to Jeong Hong-Geun, but his back was against the wall right now.

That was precisely why he couldn’t view the Prime Minister’s smile as a smile.

“If I...”

Jeong Hong-Geun stopped talking and grabbed his wine glass. He didn’t hesitate to gulp the liquid down in one go before roughly putting the empty glass on the table with an audible clack. With eyes that were more bloodshot than before, he glared at Goh Han-Bong.

“If I insist on doing this, something bad will happen. Is that what you’re saying, Mister Prime Minister?”

“...Mister Jeong.”

“It was your side that pressured the police and the prosecutors to drop the investigation, wasn’t it?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Hah. Hahaha! You’re not sure? Yes, you must be unsure about everything!” Jeong Hong-Geun burst into raucous laughter. “You don’t know anything, and you are unsure about everything, isn’t that right!”

At this stage, Jeong Hong-Geun no longer cared about Jeong Myeong-Cheol. This problem had gone well beyond the issue of some bastard daring to hurt that foolish kid. Now, it concerned Jeong Hong-Geun and Taegwang.

“Tell me, Prime Minister. If we refuse to play ball, are you going to put a leash on us? Even though we’ve been supporting your administration for so long, are you going to forget about our history and come after us? To destroy us?!”

Goh Han-Bong didn’t reply and simply listened to Jeong Hong-Geun’s roars in silence.

“Fine! Try it! Do you honestly think you can underestimate Taegwang like this?!”

When Jeong Hong-Geun’s roaring ended there, Goh Han-Bong slowly pushed a cup of cold water at him.

“Here. Please drink this.”

Jeong Hong-Geun glared at the Prime Minister before grabbing the cup and gulping the water down. He put the empty glass down just as Goh Han-Bong sighed deeply.

“...Chairman. You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“Misunderstanding, you say?”

“Yes. Misunderstanding.”

“Really?! From everything that has happened so far...”

“No, please listen till the end!” Goh Han-Bong cut Jeong Hong-Geun off for the first time during this meal. “Chairman. We really are worried about Taegwang. And you.”

“...?”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s glare was broken by a hint of confusion. What did the Prime Minister mean by that?

“Yes, I know it sounds strange, but it’s the truth. We are not protecting them. At all. Please don’t misunderstand us. This is not a fight between Taegwang and our side. We don’t have a reason to do that.”

“...?”

“You suspect us of protecting them for some unknown reason. But that is emphatically untrue! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you since the beginning!” Goh Han-Bong grunted, then loosened his tie as if it was getting stuffy. “Chairman... Mister Jeong, nothing good will come from insisting on this path.”

“...”

Goh Han-Bong lowered the volume of his voice once more. He no longer spoke directly either, instead choosing to resume his beating-around-the-bush way of talking.

“He’s genuinely worried about you, Mister Jeong. The same goes for me as well. Please come back to your senses. Right now, everything is fine. If you stop now and focus your attention back on Taegwang, everything will be peaceful again. We can assist you at least that much.”

Jeong Hong-Geun narrowed his eyes. “If I don’t, what will happen?”

“Are you asking me that because you don’t know?”

Jeong Hong-Geun clamped his mouth shut. He didn’t know? Of course not.

Everything that had happened so far, the way Jeong Myeong-Cheol had behaved, and now, this subtle pressure coming from the Prime Minister of the country who kept bringing up the President... All these things seemed to point to the only likely outcome.

“Just who... are they?”

Goh Han-Bong slowly shook his head. “You don’t need to know. And you shouldn’t know, either. Mister Jeong, some people in this world cannot be touched even with money or power. I’d even say that spending money and using political power against such people is an exercise in futility. Most important of all...”

Goh Han-Bong’s voice trembled ever so slightly just then.

“You must absolutely refrain from resorting to violence.”

“...”

“Now that we’ve come this far, you probably don’t have a lot of options left, Mister Jeong. However, you must never choose those options. I implore you, do not touch their... reverse scale. You’re dangerously close to crossing the line right now. And they are not... merciful at all with their retaliation.”

When Goh Han-Bong reached the end of his sentence, a hint of fear flickered briefly in his eyes. And Jeong Hong-Geun didn’t miss that.

Just who could scare Korea’s Prime Minister to this degree?

Jeong Hong-Geun quietly asked, “Is it... related to the former Prime Minister, Kim Myeong-Chan?”

Goh Han-Bong shook his head. “What you’ve heard is only the tip of the iceberg, Mister Jeong. A lot more things happened behind the scenes.”

“...Such as?”

“That’s not important. But what is important is the outcome. Mister Jeong, do you think you have the courage to deal with that outcome yourself?”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s clenched fists trembled weakly.

What was Kim Myeong-Chan’s fate? After getting imprisoned in a cold, foreboding solitary cell, he became a raving lunatic. He shouted and yelled unintelligible nonsense every day, and when he wasn’t doing that, he’d write pages upon pages of incomprehensible ramblings.

Could Jeong Hong-Geun deal with such an outcome? He’d rather die, actually.

“Mister Jeong, I didn’t come here to warn you. Rather, it’s advice... No, a favor. Yes, I’m here to ask you a favor. Please do not pursue this matter any further. If you ignore my advice, we will never see each other again. And no, I’m not the one who’s going to do that. Please remember that.”

Goh Han-Bong got up to leave.

Jeong Hong-Geun stared at the table in silence, but his head shot up suddenly. “Is Kang Jin...”

“Shh!”

The urgency in Goh Han-Bong’s response promptly clamped Jeong Hong-Geun’s mouth shut.

“Please do not carelessly utter that name. You must forget everything. And continue living on as if you don’t know anything. Let me repeat myself, chairman. Taegwang still has things left to do for our country.”

Taegwang still had things left to do? In other words, Taegwang could get destroyed instead?

What a ridiculous notion that was, one that lacked any semblance of reality. However, when such a thing came out of South Korea’s serving Prime Minister's mouth, a ridiculous joke stopped being a joke, and the surreal suddenly felt all too real.

“I pray that we’ll get to speak to each other again in the future, Chairman Jeong Hong-Geun.”

After leaving those words behind, Goh Han-Bong unhesitantly turned around and left the private dining room.

Now left alone, Jeong Hong-Geun silently glared at the table, his shoulders trembling imperceptibly.

Just what is the meaning of all this?

He looked up, but it felt as if his vision was clouded by pitch-black darkness. Darkness that had no form and couldn’t be touched, but which was also so deep and vast that he couldn’t even guess where its depths might be.

But it was this very darkness that he had been trying to catch.

Even as hours passed by, and even after the server entered the room to inform him of the restaurant’s closing time...

Jeong Hong-Geun sat in his spot in a silent daze.