Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 130

130. For a Mess (3)

The man drinking alone at the Geumsan Hotel bar was Park Cheol-wan.

Kim Gwang-rok chuckled.

“I couldn’t reach you on the phone, so you were here.”

As Tae-soo approached, Park Cheol-wan turned around, surprised.

“Oh? What brings you here, Chairman?”

“I came for a drink. What about you, Mr. Park?”

“I’m waiting for my father.”

Park Cheol-wan glanced at the inner room of the Geumsan Hotel bar.

Park Cheol-wan’s father was Park Tae-jong, the president of Pohang Steel.

“President Park of Pohang Steel is here too? Why not in the hall…?”

He should have received an invitation to the Geumsan 30th anniversary event.

He would have met many acquaintances there.

But he wondered why they were meeting separately at this hour in the bar.

“He met an old comrade and got excited. He came here for a drink without worrying about others.”

“A comrade?”

“My father took off his military uniform following the President, but he still has quite a few connections in the military.”

It was puzzling.

If Park Tae-jong’s comrade was someone in the military, he would be in a fairly high position.

It would be difficult to leave their posts and gather like this.

“With Mr. Park’s connections, they must be generals by now. It must be difficult to see them easily.”

“The President summoned them this time, and they rushed over. That’s why my father is so happy and asked to have a drink separately.”

“The President did?”

Now he understood.

Park Jeong-hwan had called Jeon Doo-ho, the commander of the Security Command, as well as the director and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

He might have called other generals as well.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Park Cheol-wan glanced at the room again.

“I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt and ask him to go home, so I ended up having a drink here too.”

Who could it be?

Who was the old comrade drinking with Park Tae-jong in that room?

‘I’m curious.’

He wanted to go in.

But he couldn’t.

“May I ask who is inside?”

“Lee Se-hoo, the Army Chief of Staff, Jeong Seung-hwan, the 1st Army Commander, and Jang Tae-won, the Chief of Staff of the Capital Defense Command.”

It was splendid.

It was truly a gathering of stars.

Tae-soo’s eyes naturally turned to the room.

‘The current Army Chief of Staff is Lee Se-hoo. The person who becomes the Army Chief of Staff later is Jeong Seung-hwan.’

In his past life, Jeong Seung-hwan’s story was famous.

The 10.26 Incident [the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in 1979] occurred during his tenure as Army Chief of Staff.

President Park Jeong-hwan and Chief Bodyguard Cha Ki-beom were assassinated in one place, and Kim Jae-gyu, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was named as the assassin.

Thanks to that, the Central Intelligence Agency became the main culprit in the presidential assassination, and all activities were temporarily suspended.

The one who rose to prominence at that time was Jeon Doo-ho, the commander of the Security Command.

‘With the Central Intelligence Agency completely out of commission, the Security Command controlled information and seized all power under the pretext of catching the mastermind behind the presidential assassination.’

Jeon Doo-ho later launched the 12.12 military coup [a military coup d’état on December 12, 1979].

This was because he was the head of the only institution controlling information and could use the Oseonghoe [a secret military society] to control the military.

‘Jeon Doo-ho kidnapped Chief of Staff Jeong Seung-hwan, and Jang Tae-won, who became the commander of the Capital Defense Command, tried to rescue Jeong Seung-hwan until the end.’

Jeong Seung-hwan had always disliked Jeon Doo-ho fostering the Oseonghoe.

However, he couldn’t touch it because Jeon Doo-ho had Park Jeong-hwan’s favor and Park Jeong-hwan condoned the Oseonghoe.

That was what caused the disaster.

‘In his past life, Jeong Seung-hwan regretted it bitterly.’

What good was it to be higher in rank than Jeon Doo-ho?

Jeon Doo-ho’s Oseonghoe had already effectively taken control of the military.

The game was already over when the Army Chief of Staff was kidnapped.

‘Currently, Jang Tae-won is the Chief of Staff of the Capital Defense Command. He was a loyal soldier trusted by Jeong Seung-hwan.’

Thanks to Jeong Seung-hwan becoming the Army Chief of Staff, Jang Tae-won was promoted to the commander of the Capital Defense Command.

‘The officers who operated the Capital Defense Command’s combat troops under Jang Tae-won were all from the Oseonghoe, so they betrayed their direct superior, Jang Tae-won, and joined the rebels.’

The Capital Defense Command was created to protect the coup forces that seized Seoul immediately after the 5.16 military coup [a military coup d’état in South Korea in 1961].

Also, since the officers belonging to the Presidential Security Service were also from the Oseonghoe, even the security forces joined the rebellion.

In an instant, they seized the Prime Minister’s residence with illegal force.

‘When the rebellion succeeded, Jang Tae-won, the head of the Capital Defense Command, was kicked out, and Roh Tae-woo took his place.’

That was why Jang Tae-won and Roh Tae-woo became enemies.

‘Hmm, in my past life, Jeon Doo-ho’s opposition forces have gathered in one place today.’

It was tempting.

He wanted to meet them.

‘How do I make contact?’

Tae-soo was lost in thought.

Holjjugi poured a drink for Park Cheol-wan and asked.

“But you don’t have to drink alone out here like this. Don’t your father’s friends offer you a drink?”

“They kicked me out, saying it was a military secret.”

Even Park Cheol-wan, the son, was kicked out.

Tae-soo smiled at Kim Gwang-rok.

“Gwang-rok hyung, I need to go say hello.”

Kim Gwang-rok, who was laughing while drinking without a second thought, looked puzzled.

He pointed at himself with his finger and widened his eyes.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to say hello? Where?”

“President Park Tae-jong sent hyung to me, didn’t he? I need to express my gratitude, but I haven’t been able to go down to Pohang even once. Let’s say hello this time.”

Tae-soo got up from his seat.

Kim Gwang-rok stared blankly.

“Tae-soo, didn’t you hear? It doesn’t seem like we belong there.”

“When else would we belong there?”

Tae-soo smiled shamelessly.

“We’re just going to say hello and come out, just say hello. What are you doing? Get up.”

Kim Gwang-rok scratched his head and got up from his seat.

“How can I barge into a star-studded event like this? If I hadn’t taken off my military uniform, I would have been sent to military prison, you rascal.”

Kim Gwang-rok reluctantly followed.

* * *

Tae-soo and Kim Gwang-rok stood in front of the VIP room of the Geumsan Hotel bar.

Tae-soo scribbled something on a notepad with a pen.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m writing a note.”

“What note? Are you trying to exchange phone numbers or something?”

“How did you know?”

“…….”

Kim Gwang-rok looked at Tae-soo with an expression that said, ‘What kind of joke is that?’

Tae-soo tore the notepad, folded it twice, and put it in his pocket.

“Let’s go in.”

“Wait, just a moment.”

Kim Gwang-rok had a noticeably nervous expression, unlike usual.

He straightened his clothes and cleared his throat.

He turned to Tae-soo with a determined expression and nodded.

Knock knock.

Then a voice was heard from inside the room.

“What is it?”

“President Park, this is Kang Tae-soo from the Taeyang Group. May I come in?”

“Oh, Chairman Kang is here?”

After a moment of hesitation, permission was granted from inside.

“Come in.”

Tae-soo opened the door.

The first thing he saw was thick cigarette smoke.

After that, he saw four former and current military officers sitting around a table with whiskey and snacks.

They were all about the same age as Park Tae-jong and were comrades who had served in the military together.

Park Tae-jong saw Tae-soo and raised his hand with a welcoming expression.

“Chairman Kang, it’s been a while. I was looking for you today, but I was disappointed that you weren’t around.”

“Were you looking for me?”

“I didn’t even get a chance to congratulate you at the Taeyang Group’s launching ceremony last time.”

He was a bit late because he came with Park Cheol-wan to the Taeyang Group’s launching ceremony.

As soon as he arrived, he was dragged away by Park Jeong-hwan, so Park Tae-jong couldn’t exchange a word with Tae-soo.

“Ah, let me introduce you. These are my old comrades. We were having a pleasant drink after a long time.”

Park Tae-jong pointed at the generals and smiled.

However, unlike usual, he added a word.

“For that reason, I don’t think I can spend a long time with you today.”

It meant that he would not accept uninvited guests.

Tae-soo was prepared for it.

“I’ll start with the greetings. Hello, I’m Kang Tae-soo from the Taeyang Group.”

Tae-soo bent his waist at a 90-degree angle and bowed.

Army Chief of Staff Lee Se-hoo, 1st Army Commander Jeong Seung-hwan, and Capital Defense Command Chief of Staff Jang Tae-won were sitting to Park Tae-jong’s right.

They did not welcome Tae-soo.

Instead, they welcomed someone else.

“Major Kim, it’s been a while.”

“Oh, Major Kim, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“What brings Major Kim here?”

They all welcomed Kim Gwang-rok more than Tae-soo.

Kim Gwang-rok returned to his military posture and saluted.

“Retired soldier Kim Gwang-rok, I salute the generals.”

Kim Gwang-rok formally introduced Tae-soo.

“This is the chairman of the Taeyang Group, whom I am in charge of guarding this time.”

The eyes of the three generals turned to Tae-soo at once.

They were surprised that the ferocious spy hunter Kim Gwang-rok was so docile.

They were a little curious to see the employer holding the reins.

Park Tae-jong added a word.

“He’s also my son’s boss.”

Then their eyes on Tae-soo became more interested.

“Son? Are you talking about Cheol-wan?”

“His father is the president of Pohang Steel, but he entered another company?”

Park Tae-jong added words that would arouse the curiosity of the soldiers.

“You all must have heard about the main player who ended the Middle East war in Saudi Arabia early? This person here is the one who personally received the Medal of Honor from the King of Saudi Arabia.”

The generals’ gazes became very favorable.

In particular, Army Chief of Staff Lee Se-ho showed curiosity.

“I heard that story too. Can you tell me more about it?”

Jang Tae-won, who was sitting at the end and was the youngest and lowest in rank among them, patted the seat next to him.

“Sit down first.”

“Thank you.”

Tae-soo looked back at the generals and smiled.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ring the golden bell [buy everyone a round of drinks] once in commemoration of meeting the generals for the first time?”

Park Tae-jong laughed loudly.

“Ring it!”

The generals’ faces lit up.

“Sit down, have a drink, and go.”

That was reason enough to ring the golden bell.

* * *

Army Chief of Staff Lee Se-hoo asked.

“A war broke out in the Middle East with all the countries participating, but it ended in just three weeks. It’s hard to believe. Tell me more about it.”

Tae-soo briefly tells about what happened in Saudi Arabia.

He couldn’t bring himself to talk about Rahman’s bluff and the Saudi king’s tacit approval.

He just brought up the story of telling the Saudi king three strategies.

“You went to finish the road construction and ended up building a logistics base in Saudi Arabia? Hahaha.”

“You drove out the oil companies and had the Saudi royal family seize the oil, so you received the oil rights?”

“That’s truly enhancing national prestige.”

The generals liked it very much.

“With that much preparation, the Saudi Minister of Defense was able to seize power in an instant.”

“His Majesty said that it was fortunate that the oil supply was not cut off during the oil crisis, but now I see that your contribution was great.”

“He even told me earlier, ‘If it wasn’t for you, we would have had to cancel military training because we didn’t have oil to run the tanks,’ and joked about it.”

Park Tae-jong laughed as he drank his whiskey.

“The order amount for the Saudi Jubail construction is 1 billion dollars, right?”

The generals all gaped.

It was unbelievable that they were earning more money with one construction project than the annual defense budget.

“Thanks to you, I’m going to drink as much as I want today without worrying about the cost.”

“Please drink as much as you like. I can even book a hotel room for you if you want.”

The generals laughed loudly.

“I like that a young man is so cool.”

“If you had entered the military academy earlier, I would have raised you greatly.”

The generals looked at Tae-soo carefully.

Army Chief of Staff Lee Se-ho asked.

“By the way, are you the one that Jeon Doo-ho called separately earlier?”

The other generals were surprised.

“Jeon Doo-ho called separately?”

“No, what business does Jeon Doo-ho have with a civilian?”

It was news to them.

Park Tae-jong was the same.

“Chairman Kang, what are you talking about? Why did Jeon Doo-ho call you?”

They couldn’t enter with Park Jeong-hwan because they arrived a little late.

Lee Se-hoo took a sip of whiskey and asked.

“Jeon Doo-ho was said to have called a young chaebol chairman separately and lectured him. Looking at it, it seems like you’re the only young chaebol chairman.”

Tae-soo nodded.

“That’s right. Commander Jeon Doo-ho of the Security Command called me separately.”

“Is it because of Kim Gwang-rok?”

Kim Gwang-rok, who was next to him, tilted his head.

“Don’t we know that Kim Gwang-rok caused a commotion by refusing to join the Oseonghoe?”

He even went to military prison because of it.

Kim Gwang-rok scratched his head.

“It’s not because of me.”

Jeon Doo-ho didn’t care about Kim Gwang-rok.

Tae-soo said.

“There were two things.”

“Business on the first meeting… Did you have a separate relationship with Jeon Doo-ho?”