Chapter 1563 Challenged (3)

Trickle...

Jeong Hong-Geun silently poured whiskey into an antique glass cup, then brought it to his lips. After taking a small sip of this expensive imported alcohol, he began furrowing his brow a little.

“It’s not about my pride.”

That was what he said to Bak Sang-Wu. Yes, undoubtedly so. However, was that really true?

A hollow chuckle leaked out of his lips.

Damn. Looks like I’ve become rather talkative lately.

In the past, he’d not even bother with finding pretexts for his actions. And Bak Sang-Wu would never dare question his choices, either.

Yes... I’ve gotten weaker.

He had no choice but to acknowledge it. Jeong Hong-Geun had gotten frail now. It was no longer possible for him to display the same level of tyrannical vigor as before.

Of course, there was nothing he could do about it. No one in this world could escape the influence of Father Time, after all.

The heavens aren’t fair.

Whether it was one’s natural talent or the environment they were born in, every person was different. Imagine telling a child born blind that the heavens were fair to everyone. How would that child respond?

However, there was one constant, one fair hand, that had been dealt to everyone on Earth. And that was time.

Once upon a time, Jeong Hong-Geun was filled with unstoppable drive and energy to take on the entire world, but now, he was yet another old man with a bent back. All he had now was Taegwang, the company he had cultivated throughout his entire life.

But that was precisely why he couldn’t forgive them. How dare they spit on Taegwang and even provoke the Jeong family that was the core of this company?!

It’s not about his pride? Really?

It was all about his pride. His pride! However, so what about it? What was so wrong about being prideful?

Jeong Hong-Geun’s pride had been instrumental in raising Taegwang to where it was now, after all. He wouldn’t have worked himself to the bone in the first place if being proud of his achievements didn’t interest him.

Indeed, it’d not be an exaggeration to say Taegwang was built on Jeong Hong-Geun’s pride. So, swallowing his pride now would be akin to his and this company’s foundation ceasing to exist. Not only that, but...!

What will I have left if you take my pride away?

Taegwang was his pride. His everything.

Other people might say he was being immature, but Jeong Hong-Geun didn’t care. Immature or not, he would never compromise on his pride. Those who dared to provoke him would get trampled mercilessly until his pride had been restored.

That was his rule.

Craaack...!

Jeong Hong-Geun snapped out of his thoughts, and his gaze drifted lower to his cup.

The glass cup containing whiskey had a crack in the bottom.

He stared silently at the crack before furrowing his brow.

Right, I’ve been using this glass for a long time.

This glass had become tatty over time, hadn’t it? Jeong Hong-Geun couldn’t even remember when he started using it.

Replacing the old with the new was the accepted norm in this world.

Yes, I’m old.

Jeong Hong-Geun put the glass down on the desk, then clenched his fists.

However, I’m not worn out yet.

Everyone would learn this truth soon enough!

***

Three days later...

Jeong Hong-Geun entered his office early in the morning, only to discover Bak Sang-Wu standing there, waiting.

“Mm? Have you found them?”

“If I’m to give you a literal reading of what we have uncovered so far... No, sir. We haven’t identified the individual responsible for harming President Jeong Myeong-Cheol.”

“Huh? Then why are you here the first thing in the morning?”

“We haven’t identified the individual, sir.”

“Mm...?” Jeong Hong-Geun narrowed his eyes. “I see. So, it was more than one bastard.”

“Yes, sir. We’ve asked everyone we know, but that got us nowhere. That’s why we changed our tactic and traced where the pressure was coming from, instead.”

“I see. Well done.”

“Doing so netted us one name, sir.”

Bak Sang-Wu politely offered a slender file of documents to Jeong Hong-Geun.

Jeong Hong-Geun perused the documents and muttered, “MK?”

“Yes, sir. That name was brought up precisely twice by the people warning us to stay away. And making them say that name out loud took a great deal of effort as well.”

“So? What is this MK, and what do they do?”

“On the surface, it’s a mid-sized corporation that runs a real estate business and a cafe franchise, sir.”

“A... mid-sized corporation?”

“Yes, sir. It’s not a major corporation, but... Forgive me. I’m not quite sure how to explain. The more we dug, the more bizarre this company got, chairman.”

“Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. What’s the problem here?”

“According to the records, the assets MK supposedly holds are enough to have them labeled as a major corporation. However, because their sales figures are on the lower side, and as they have opened their doors not too long ago, it’s publicly viewed as a mid-sized company.”

“So what is so bizarre about them, then?”

“We can’t figure out the origin of their funds.”

“...!” Jeong Hong-Geun’s eyes narrowed to slits. “The origin of their funds, you say?”

“Yes, sir. It feels as if this company quite literally fell out of the sky one day. To become a company of such a size, it must’ve started from somewhere, but we could not trace that starting point no matter what we did. We’ve gone through all the available records with a fine-tooth comb, but still can’t understand how this company was even established.”

“So, what you’re saying is...” Jeong Hong-Geun slowly tapped on the documents. “This MK was started by someone with a deep pocket and a shady past who’s also under the protection of the political sphere? Is that what you think?”

“That... is also difficult to ascertain, sir.”

“Then what is it?!” Jeong Hong-Geun slammed his fist down on the desk in frustration. “Come out and say it properly, will you!”

“M-my apologies, sir. A company like that wouldn’t be under the protection of both the ruling and opposition parties. And setting up a shady company like that in this day and age would be impossible, as well.”

“Wait, what...? Both sides are protecting this company?”

“Yes, sir. We’ve contacted the people we know on both sides of the aisle, but they were equally unwilling to speak to us.”

“Huh-uh...!”

In that case, there could be one of two possibilities. One, this MK must’ve spent an exorbitant amount of money on both the ruling and the opposition parties. Or this company was doing something that greatly benefited both sides.

There was a third possibility: MK could be pressuring both sides. But that seemed unrealistic. How could a mere mid-sized company exert enough pressure on the country’s entire political sphere like that?

“Okay, so...”

Jeong Hong-Geun leaned back while organizing the information he had received in his head.

“This MK has kidnapped our Myeong-Cheol? Is that right?”

“Yes, sir. It’s almost a certainty at this point.”

“But we don’t know who in MK sanctioned it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jeong Hong-Geun slowly nodded. “Then we know everything we need to know.”

“...? Sir?”

“It doesn’t matter who in MK dared to harm Myeong-Cheol. As long as we know it was MK, that’s all that matters.”

“B-but, sir? The whole company can’t...”

“If it hadn’t been a company-sanctioned move, your contacts wouldn’t have brought up MK, but an individual instead. Or am I wrong?”

Bak Sang-Wu clamped his mouth shut. Because he knew Jeong Hong-Geun was technically correct.

“So, in summary... A mere mid-sized company dared to hurt my Myeong-Cheol. And to bury the incident away, it’s been putting pressure on everyone? Is that what happened?”

“C-chairman, sir...!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk... I must’ve looked like a pushover, then. To think I’d get humiliated like this.”

Jeong Hong-Geun began chuckling weirdly. Since everyone was acting so sh*t-scared, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of monster was hiding behind the scenes, but as it turned out, he was dealing with a mid-sized company?

“This is why I keep saying all these fools know nothing...!”

Bak Sang-Wu hurriedly spoke up. “C-chairman! This doesn’t...”

“Doesn’t what?”

“It doesn’t feel... right, sir.”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s expression crumpled hideously. “Doesn’t feel right?! What are you even suggesting, Sang-Wu?! That we should tuck our tails and back off? Against little bastards like them?!”

“Sir, the way this company is being protected by both sides is abnormal. It makes no sense at all.”

“They must’ve greased the right palms. That’s all.”

“Sir... Please, you know that alone isn’t enough.”

“Listen here, Executive Director Bak!”

Bak Sang-Wu lowered his head. “Yes, chairman.”

“You have a tendency to forget the duplicitous nature of politicians sometimes. When they know something will benefit them, those politicians will unite like brothers. They will protect each other and work together to put pressure on their common enemies.”

“But sir, the ruling party and the opposition are...”

“Those bastards will growl at each other on the outside, but inside? They go to saunas and bars together and treat each other like brothers! As long as there are benefits to be shared, they won’t hesitate to jump into the same bed with each other!”

Bak Sang-Wu sighed softly.

Everything Jeong Hong-Geun had said was correct. But correct or not, Bak Sang-Wu’s instincts still warned him that this matter was far too abnormal to be looked at that way.

Chairman Jeong’s mental acuity has declined, it seems.

Jeong Hong-Geun in the past wouldn’t have been this extreme and stubborn in his response. After all, he used to be a man who avoided dangerous situations like some kind of fortune teller and sniffed out the scent of the stronger people just so that he could latch on to them like a leech.

Indeed, his younger self would’ve viewed this development as a great opportunity to foster an amicable working relationship with MK and visited MK’s chairman with expensive gifts in tow.

But now... the Jeong Hong-Geun of now was nothing more than a narcissistic old man.

“Crush them,” said Jeong Hong-Geun.

“C-chairman, sir!”

“Trample on them. Use everything at our disposal to annihilate them. And when the chairman of MK shows up and starts begging me for forgiveness, I’m going to ask him a question. No, two questions. Why did he hurt my Myeong-Cheol? And with what balls did he dare provoke my Taegwang!?”

Just as those words left his lips!

SLAM!

The door to the chairman’s office was shoved open.

“Who dares?!” Jeong Hong-Geun roared in rage at the man rudely rushing into his office, only for him to tilt his head in confusion. Because the man was someone he was familiar with. “...? Myeong-Cheol?”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol, his complexion paler than a sheet of paper, rushed toward his grandfather.

“N-no, you mustn’t! Grandfather, you mustn’t do it!”

“Mustn’t do what?! Let go of me! I said, let go!”

Jeong Hong-Geun roared unhappily as his grandson clung to his leg near his knee.

“You mustn’t! Not them! Don’t touch them! Don’t go near them! Never! D-death...! Death! They will kill me, grandfather! I’ll die! Don’t you get that, you crazy old fart?!”

“W-what did you say?!”

“Stop it! Stop it now! Nooooow! Stop! Stooooop! Nooooo!”

Jeong Hong-Geun roared while picking up his cane next to him. He then smacked Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s head with it.

His strikes produced loud pow, pow noises against human flesh, but the arms gripping his leg didn’t let go.

“You fool! Let go of me, now! What are you doing, Sang-Wu?!”

Bak Sang-Wu rushed in and tried to yank Jeong Myeong-Cheol away. But the younger man’s grip strength was such that he didn’t even budge an inch.

“You must not touch them! Those lunatics must not be angered! Never! Aaaaaaahhhhhak! Don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me! I’ll behave myself! You will never hear from me! Please, please...! Don’t kill me!”

“Y-you insane little...!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhk!”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol suddenly grabbed his throat before falling on his back and choking himself. Even the one and only Jeong Hong-Geun could only watch on in stupefaction, his jaw falling lower.

“Kku-ruuuk, kku-ruuuuuk?!”

Foam began flooding out of Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s mouth.

“...! D-doctor! Go get a bloody doctor, now!”

When Bak Sang-Wu barked out an order, the secretaries on standby outside the doorway replied loudly before performing their tasks with great haste.

Jeong Hong-Geun watched this scene unfold before pointing at his grandson with his cane, his glare locked on Bak Sang-Wu. “You called him here, didn’t you?!”

“...”

“Look! Take a good look, Sang-Wu! Look at what happened to this kid!”

“...”

Bak Sang-Wu clamped his mouth shut. It was as Jeong Hong-Geun had said; he was responsible for alerting Jeong Myeong-Cheol to what was going on. His thought process was that since Jeong Myeong-Cheol had set everything in motion, he should shoulder the responsibility of stopping his grandfather, too.

But that decision proved to be the worst miscalculation in this situation.

“Let me ask you something,” Jeong Hong-Geun growled as if he was chewing on his words. “Do you still think I must look the other way now? Even after you saw that?”

“...!”

Bak Sang-Wu couldn’t say anything.

“As that kid’s grandfather, as the patriarch of the Jeong family, and as the chairman of Taegwang... You want me to let this go? Really?! Why aren’t you saying anything, Sang-Wu?!”

Bak Sang-Wu’s head fell in silence.

“I’m giving you one last chance, Sang-Wu.”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s brows rose higher.

“That MK or whatever it’s called? Destroy it. And I want the chairman of that company kneeling before me!”

“...Chairman.”

“Unless you do that, don’t even think of stepping foot in this office ever again! Do you hear me?!”

Bak Sang-Wu sighed deeply, then nodded weightily. “Understood. It shall be done.”

“Get out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Bak Sang-Wu alternated his gaze between Jeong Hong-Geun and Jeong Myeong-Cheol before exiting the chairman’s office.

For a moment there, he thought he saw an illusion of the ceiling caving in.