Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 95

95. Breaking into Park Jeong-hwan’s Secret Vault (2)

“Have you forgotten? The one the Saudi minister sent. Who did you have deliver it?”

It was delivered by Kang Tae-soo.

Han Cheong-ho whispered subtly.

“Do you think that guy didn’t take a peek?”

It was definitely sealed properly.

Even the Saudi royal family’s seal was clearly stamped.

It was in perfect condition, even sealed with wax.

“Hmm…”

But a sliver of doubt began to sprout in his mind.

It was the result Han Cheong-ho intended.

“Your Excellency, think about it. What did that guy bring back from Saudi Arabia? It wasn’t just a letter, was it?”

He had the oil supply rights certificate recognized by the Saudi royal family.

Wasn’t Saudi Arabia an oil-producing country that couldn’t supply even a single liter of oil to Western powers supporting Israel?

Yet, they ignored that and recognized Kang Tae-soo’s oil supply rights.

The doubt that had sprouted in his mind began to grow rapidly.

“Why would Saudi Arabia have Kang Tae-soo deliver that?”

He said he had received it for personal merit in Saudi Arabia.

“What could a guy who went to Saudi Arabia to build roads do to deserve merit?”

Could it be…

“Kang Tae-soo did something. He must have caught my secretary and got it from him. He offered it to the Saudi Minister of Defense. Doesn’t that make more sense?”

Park Jeong-hwan’s brow furrowed.

“Kang Tae-soo, that bastard…!”

Now it’s done!

Han Cheong-ho smiled subtly and said.

“When he presented that, I had no choice but to obediently hand over Cheongil Oil and Cheongil Heavy Industries. I couldn’t cause trouble for you, Your Excellency.”

“The evidence?”

“I burned it on the spot. If you don’t believe me, call Jang Jun-yong from Geumsan and ask him to check if there were any traces of burning in the conference room.”

‘I’ll have to call Jang Jun-yong from Geumsan.’

Park Jeong-hwan nodded with a hardened expression.

“You did well.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s only natural.”

“But I won’t praise you.”

Park Jeong-hwan looked at Han Cheong-ho with cold eyes.

His eyes were full of anger.

“It was your fault in the first place. So, it’s your responsibility to fix it. Isn’t that right?”

“Of course. That’s why I readily handed over the oil and heavy industries.”

Han Cheong-ho quickly stepped back.

‘I was going to squeeze more out of him, but it’s not easy. But I succeeded in driving a wedge between them.’

Han Cheong-ho sighed on purpose.

“Now that the Saudi side is settled, I’ll go to Japan tomorrow to settle things there. You can completely put your worries to rest, Your Excellency.”

Park Jeong-hwan frowned.

Just thinking about it is unpleasant in many ways.

“Handle it properly. Make sure this never happens again. Understood?”

“Of course. Your Excellency, about that…”

Han Cheong-ho whispered softly in a subtle voice.

“While I’m in Japan, I was wondering if I should check if there are any problems, would that be alright?”

Park Jeong-hwan frowned openly.

Han Cheong-ho swallowed hard with tension.

“Not only the Saudi minister but also Kang Tae-soo already knows about this, doesn’t he? I think it would be better to move it somewhere else than to leave it as it is.”

Leaving a revealed weakness as it is would be foolish.

“To do that, you need to tell me the password…”

Deeper lines formed on Park Jeong-hwan’s forehead.

Park Jeong-hwan drank his liquor in one gulp and slammed the glass down.

“Send Kyung-hye with you.”

It meant he would never tell Han Cheong-ho the password.

“It’s a big task. Wouldn’t the First Lady be better than a mere 19-year-old young lady?”

Han Cheong-ho asked subtly.

* * *

Tae-soo returned to his hotel room.

“I’m tired.”

It had been a long day.

He had met Han Cheong-ho twice in one day and argued with him.

He had taken over Cheongil’s two main businesses and visited Jang Mal-dong.

“But it was fun for the first time in a while.”

Working with people who do their job well is always enjoyable.

A sense of refreshment washed over him after taking a shower.

Knock knock-

The only person who would come to Tae-soo’s hotel room this late at night was Han-soo.

Tae-soo opened the door wearing a bathrobe.

“Why? Are you here for a celebratory drink for the merger and acquisition?”

“I don’t refuse alcohol.”

An unexpected man was standing in front of the door.

It was Chief of Staff Cha Ki-beom from the Presidential Secretariat.

“No, what brings a busy man like you here?”

“Can I come in?”

“Come in.”

“Seeing your attire at this hour, I have a feeling someone will be in trouble if I go in.”

Tae-soo knew what Cha Ki-beom was talking about.

Tae-soo chuckled.

“Fortunately or unfortunately, I just got off work after working late until now.”

“Until this hour?”

“I still have work left, so I brought some work to finish.”

Cha Ki-beom glanced through the open doorway and saw a mountain of documents on the desk.

Cha Ki-beom clicked his tongue.

“It’s pitiful how a young man lives.”

“You’re probably the only one, Chief Cha, who says a young man is living pitifully while working hard.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t keep a busy person for long.”

Cha Ki-beom strode into the room.

Tae-soo closed the door.

Cha Ki-beom and Tae-soo sat in chairs.

“You need to be careful.”

Tae-soo focused on Cha Ki-beom’s words.

He was a man of few words, not a man who talked nonsense.

“His Excellency met with Han Cheong-ho earlier.”

“Is it because of the contract?”

“No, I don’t think it’s that issue.”

Cha Ki-beom looked straight at Tae-soo.

“When Jang Jun-yong from Geumsan brought the contract, His Excellency thought highly of you. He was in a good mood.”

Park Jeong-hwan had told him to hand over Cheongil Oil, but Han Cheong-ho had played a shallow trick in the middle.

So, when Tae-soo overturned Han Cheong-ho’s trick, Park Jeong-hwan would have willingly turned a blind eye.

Tae-soo had expected this much.

“But after meeting with Han Cheong-ho, His Excellency’s mood deteriorated rapidly.”

“What’s the reason?”

“I don’t know.”

Tae-soo was puzzled.

Wasn’t Cha Ki-beom always by his side to protect Park Jeong-hwan?

“Weren’t you present at the meeting, Chief Cha?”

Cha Ki-beom nodded heavily.

“It was a private meeting. But His Excellency made disapproving remarks about you.”

“What did he say?”

“He said you were a resentful guy. He was angry that you had manipulated him with your eloquence.”

Why was Park Jeong-hwan suddenly reacting like this?

Han Cheong-ho must have played a trick.

Cha Ki-beom stood up from his chair.

“Are you leaving already?”

“That’s all I needed to say. I can’t leave my post for long. I have to go now.”

Tae-soo bowed politely.

“You came all the way here late at night to warn me of danger.”

“I’ve repaid my debt with this. There’s no next time.”

“Thank you so much for taking the time to come.”

Cha Ki-beom looked at Tae-soo with strange eyes and said.

“Why aren’t you shaken?”

Park Jeong-hwan was the highest authority in the country and wielded dictatorial power without hesitation.

He had heard the news that he was angry with Tae-soo, but why wasn’t he afraid of it?

“I have a guess.”

He seemed to know what Park Jeong-hwan and Han Cheong-ho had talked about.

Tae-soo had thought when he handed over the contract to Jang Jun-yong from Geumsan.

-If you’re curious, His Excellency will call Han Cheong-ho and ask him directly.

-What excuse will Han Cheong-ho make in front of Park Jeong-hwan?

-He won’t be able to tell the real reason even if he dies and comes back to life.

Han Cheong-ho probably hadn’t told the real reason.

But he would have given a reason that could drive a wedge between Park Jeong-hwan and Tae-soo.

‘He must have been spouting nonsense with the letter he sent from Saudi Arabia.’

Tae-soo chuckled.

‘I wondered if it would happen, but it did. Han Cheong-ho, you never deviate from my expectations.’

Tae-soo opened the drawer and gave Cha Ki-beom the object inside.

Cha Ki-beom’s eyes widened.

“This is…!”

“What do you think His Excellency will say when he sees this?”

“Now that I know how things are going, I’ll try to bring it up to His Excellency.”

Cha Ki-beom left the hotel.

Knock knock.

After a while, the sound of knocking on the hotel door was heard again.

Tae-soo opened the door with a puzzled expression.

‘Did he forget something?’

But unexpectedly, a young woman was standing in front of Tae-soo’s hotel room.

Tae-soo’s eyes widened.

“How did you get here…!”

Tae-soo was dumbfounded.

It was another unexpected visitor.

“Let’s go inside first.”

She came into Tae-soo’s hotel room.

“How is Secretary Song doing?”

“Of course. He was tormented by Han Cheong-ho and was freed after 28 years. He’s so happy, saying it’s like heaven. He’s gained a lot of weight.”

She was Secretary Song’s daughter.

“How did you come to Korea?”

“I heard the news that you were acquiring Cheongil Oil. I couldn’t just sit still.”

She flew all the way from Saudi Arabia for that reason?

“Aren’t you afraid of Han Cheong-ho?”

“My father is officially missing, or rather, he’s dead.”

But in fact, she was scared.

She was really scared, so she was secretly hiding like this.

“My father said. Those who have their weaknesses exposed do one of two things.”

“Either get rid of the weakness itself, or get rid of the person who knows the weakness.”

“That’s right. How do you know that?”

‘Well, I learned that from Secretary Song too.’

But Tae-soo didn’t have time to learn such lessons from Secretary Song in this life.

“If it’s Han Cheong-ho, if it’s Park Jeong-hwan, how do you think they’ll react?”

“Secretary Song, who knew the weakness, has already been eliminated.”

“But Han Cheong-ho, who was deeply involved from the beginning, is someone who can’t be eliminated now. Maybe later, though.”

“Then they’ll have to get rid of the weakness itself. Now that I see it, that’s why you came.”

“I know why my father praised you so much.”

Secretary Song’s daughter smiled prettily.

“You asked why I came to Korea? I came to give you this. It’s an important item, so I brought it myself because I was afraid it might disappear in the middle if I sent it by mail.”

Looking at what she was handing to Tae-soo, it was a torn piece of notebook paper.

“Do you know what this is?”

“I know.”

There was no way Tae-soo wouldn’t know.

“The last page of Secretary Song’s ledger was torn off.”

“That’s right. I tore it off.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I was afraid that you might harm us.”

‘I knew it.’

“I thought that if the guy who took my father wanted the notebook, it would be to get the code. Without the code, he wouldn’t be able to open the vault.”

“You thought I was deceiving Secretary Song. You thought I approached him with the intention of emptying the ledger.”

“Yes, I know it was a misunderstanding now, but everything was suspicious at the time.”

That was understandable.

Secretary Song’s death was disguised and reported to his family.

Secretary Song left the vault password as a memento, and she emptied the vault and headed to Saudi Arabia.

What was she thinking as she came all the way to Saudi Arabia?

“I’m sorry. I was trying to survive, so I used my head. I thought I could gain a much more advantageous position in the negotiations if I had this.”

“I understand.”

“I thought that if you had this, you might have been able to proceed with this acquisition more easily than you are now. So I came to Korea. But I was one step late.”

Song So-ri handed Tae-soo a torn piece of notebook paper.

“Take it. I’m sorry for delivering it so late.”

“Thank you.”

The notebook contained three 16-digit codes that combined numbers and English letters.

-How to enter the Tokyo Japan Central Bank Akajinko [Likely a fictional bank branch]

“My father said that you could enter the secret vault if you had only this. He said he secretly wrote it down separately when he was running errands.”

Unexpectedly, she brought a very good gift.

Tae-soo sensed that an opportunity had come.