Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 156

156. Internal Strife (1)

Han Il-kwon got out of the car.

“If you’re paying for a job, you should get results. These gangster bastards and their sloppy work…”

He couldn’t wait any longer and had driven all the way here himself.

Han Il-kwon didn’t hide his displeasure as he slammed the car door shut.

Something felt off about Gukbin Manor.

It should have been bustling with preparations for the grand opening, but it was eerily quiet.

“What’s going on?”

He felt a growing sense of unease.

Gukbin Manor was located on prime real estate in Jongno, a usually bustling area.

But there wasn’t even a single fly buzzing around.

Han Il-kwon noticed a piece of paper attached to the firmly closed front gate of Gukbin Manor.

He was dumbfounded.

“So suddenly?”

“Patriotism?”

What was with the sudden display of patriotism from the Gukbin Manor gangsters?

Han Il-kwon tore off the piece of paper and tugged at the gate.

Rattle, rattle.

It was locked tight.

“Are these bastards crazy? Open this!”

Rattle, rattle.

Thump, thump, thump.

Gukbin Manor, notorious throughout Jongno, had vanished so cleanly.

* * *

Myungdong, Jang Mal-dong’s residence.

Shocking news was delivered to Ahn Jung-woo, who had just returned from inspecting the Saudi arms factory.

“The Tae Yang Group security team took over Gukbin Manor?”

Ahn So-jung nodded.

“The whole situation was over in ten minutes after the Tae Yang Group security team moved in.”

“Huh… Kang Tae-soo must not have known what he was doing. Those guys have powerful backers; you can’t mess with them carelessly.”

Ahn Jung-woo let out a hollow laugh.

They were gangsters who acted like they owned Jongno.

They had high-ranking police officers and national-level organized crime figures backing them, so they feared nothing.

Messing with them carelessly was like stepping on a landmine.

That’s why Ahn So-jung and Ahn Jung-woo had been biding their time, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

“There won’t be any repercussions. The Central Intelligence Agency [CIA; South Korea’s primary intelligence agency] has stepped in on a large scale.”

Ahn So-jung smiled.

“The Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency led the operation. Who would dare object to that?”

“They handled it thoroughly.”

How powerful was the Central Intelligence Agency, Park Jung-hwan’s blade?

No one could stand against the power of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Even the prosecution deferred to them.

Jang Mal-dong cautiously opened his mouth.

“Kang Tae-soo, that guy’s skills are truly amazing. To wipe out the Gukbin Manor guys all at once like that.”

He mobilized the Central Intelligence Agency, the ultimate backer.

“Kim Jae-guk isn’t someone you can easily control.”

Kim Jae-guk was the type to push his own agenda rather than succumb to pressure.

He reported on Choi Tae-moon to the end, even though Park Jung-hwan showed his displeasure.

He didn’t care about Park Jung-hwan’s feelings, so whose else’s would he care about?

“The president of Dongbang Ilbo said that Kang Tae-soo also saved the Dongbang Ilbo staff, right?”

“Otherwise, Kim Jae-guk wouldn’t have fabricated the report and released the Dongbang Ilbo people.”

“I can’t understand how he swayed Kim Jae-guk.”

Ahn Jung-woo’s laughter continued for a long time.

“So-jung, to be honest, I’m tempted to recruit him.”

“I understand after meeting him. He’s definitely an amazing man.”

Just look at Gukbin Manor.

Ahn So-jung had been digging into it for months, but Tae-soo cleaned it up in just one day.

It’s not like Ahn So-jung or Ahn Jung-woo’s forces were weaker than Tae-soo’s.

The difference was in the means and methods.

“To deal with Gukbin Manor, which we couldn’t touch because of their backers, by calling in even stronger backers.”

That was why Ahn So-jung was so impressed.

“He’s skilled. And I like how he repays what he receives so thoroughly.”

“Kang Tae-soo is a ruthless guy. A man has to be that way.”

He was thorough in returning more than he receives.

Whether it’s a favor or malice.

He gives back more than double.

That’s why I like him.

Ahn So-jung felt the same way.

“Cheongil [referring to Cheongil Group, a fictional conglomerate] suffered a big blow from this counterattack. They lost a valuable asset like Gukbin Manor just to give a warning.”

Gukbin Manor, which had been doing Han Il-kwon’s dirty work, collapsed in an instant.

“Kim Jae-hak ran away in terror. He’s trying to stop Han Il-kwon from continuing, but Han Il-kwon won’t listen.”

Han Il-kwon has been a strongman his whole life.

A strongman who can easily crush the weak.

“He’s looking for other guys to be his hands and feet, but it’s not easy. Above all, the Tae Yang Group security guards are no ordinary people.”

“They’re special forces soldiers who made a name for themselves in the military.”

The Tae Yang Group security team recently recruited a large number of personnel from the military.

“They provide 24-hour close protection and inspect the vehicles every day. They even returned the favor to Han Il-kwon’s car in the same way.”

“Typical Kang Tae-soo.”

Ahn Jung-woo smiled, raising the corners of his mouth.

“Oh, what happened to the ‘Jirashi’ [a Korean term for underground gossip papers or tabloids]?”

“Just watch. Han Cheong-ho and Park Jung-hwan will be seething.”

Her smile deepened.

Ahn So-jung’s information brokers were secretly distributing the ‘Jirashi’.

* * *

When the news of Dongbang Ilbo’s closure first broke, the world was turned upside down.

Newspapers rushed to report it.

But the Dongbang Ilbo reporters, known for their tenacity, were surprisingly quiet.

Those who had been at the forefront of the press struggle didn’t even hold a single protest.

There were no rumors of them changing jobs, and there was no news of them doggedly pursuing the issue.

As Park Jung-hwan had hoped, Dongbang Ilbo disappeared.

But a strange newspaper emerged.

-Jirashi.

That was the name of the new newspaper.

And that newspaper was making a name for itself in a unique way.

-Free newspaper!

It was being distributed free of charge in subway stations, train stations, and bus stops.

People will even drink drain cleaner if it’s free, so how could they resist a free newspaper!

-Can’t get enough of it!

-So interesting, I keep reading it!

Most of the articles were anonymous, but they contained shockingly detailed information.

Pro-Japanese collaborators, bribery, and scandalous private lives were being exposed one after another.

Yet no one knew where or how this ‘Jirashi’ was being published.

Because it didn’t carry a single advertisement.

* * *

“It’s the ‘Jirashi’!”

A middle-aged man rushed towards the remaining copies of the ‘Jirashi’.

But a young woman was faster.

“Mine!”

“I had my eye on that newspaper first.”

“There’s no ‘eyeing’ here. Whoever grabs it first gets it. It’s free.”

“……”

That’s true.

The middle-aged man who was a step late sighed.

“Getting a ‘Jirashi’ is like reaching for the stars. My daughter told me to get it for her at school.”

“It’s not easy to get a ‘Jirashi’ these days.”

The woman who had failed to get one agreed.

The main readership of newspapers was middle-aged men.

But the ‘Jirashi’ was popular with everyone, regardless of age or gender.

“The ‘Jirashi’ is really interesting.”

Politics, economy, society, culture, entertainment, sports.

No article is lacking in any area.

“The content is rich, and the sections are diverse. They’re good at putting together stimulating content.”

Since it’s a newspaper that’s based on anonymity, the reporters who write the articles and even the people who submit stories are anonymous.

So people are enthusiastic and sending in their stories.

“The most popular section is the novel.”

“I find that the most interesting.”

“Right? It feels like it’s based on real events.”

“I don’t know who wrote it, but it’s a proper conspiracy theory. Everyone at work is talking about it these days.”

It’s so detailed that you wonder if it’s really a novel.

People speculate that it was written based on extensive historical research and data.

“If the ‘Jirashi’ had been properly published, it would have become the most popular newspaper in Korea.”

“They still don’t know where or who is publishing it.”

Public opinion is boiling because of the ‘Jirashi’.

The end result of that public opinion is directed towards the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the South Korean president].

* * *

Blue House, the President’s office.

Park Jung-hwan put the ‘Jirashi’ on his desk.

“How did they know the top-secret information inside the Blue House and put it in the ‘Jirashi’?”

It’s unbelievable.

“It’s written in a joking manner, but anyone who knows will feel a pang of conscience.”

That person with a pang of conscience was Park Jung-hwan.

His eyebrows twitched.

“Especially this one. Judging from the circumstances, this novel seems to be about Han Cheong-ho of Cheongil, right?”

Cha Ki-beom stood there without saying anything.

The taciturn and expressionless guy didn’t talk back much.

Park Jung-hwan took out a past issue of the ‘Jirashi’ and placed it on the desk.

“Is this real, or is it a novel? Why do I feel like it’s true?”

Park Jung-hwan held the ‘Jirashi’ and pondered.

“The circumstances are too perfect to be a fabricated novel.”

Cha Ki-beom didn’t answer.

“Everything, including what I did for Cheongil at my wife’s request, matches. They definitely know.”

Park Jung-hwan raised his hand and lightly touched his head.

“To deceive properly, you have to mix 90% truth with 10% lies. Am I being manipulated by 10% lies right now?”

Cha Ki-beom was always silent as usual.

“Damn it!”

Since when has this newspaper called ‘Jirashi’ been constantly provoking Park Jung-hwan?

In a very secretive, provocative, and explicit way.

‘Curiosity, suspicion, worry, interest. All sorts of things are popping up.’

Park Jung-hwan had to feel his composure wavering every time he looked at the ‘Jirashi’.

But what could he do when he kept being drawn to it?

The secret story between Han Cheong-ho and his dead wife was the subject.

“I asked Han Cheong-ho indirectly, but he just played dumb. But his attitude is very suspicious.”

Park Jung-hwan glared at the pile of ‘Jirashi’ on the desk.

“I can’t stand the curiosity.”

“…Shall I bring the guy who wrote the ‘Jirashi’?”

“No, don’t do it.”

Unexpectedly, Park Jung-hwan shook his head.

“What if the guy who knows the secret runs away if I stir things up?”

The wife he could hold and ask was already gone.

That was why Park Jung-hwan couldn’t touch the ‘Jirashi’.

“I can only think that the guy who is telling me the secret through the newspaper is hiding separately.”

“……”

“There’s no guarantee that I can catch that guy by catching the ‘Jirashi’. Then I won’t know this backstory until I die.”

That was why Park Jung-hwan was patiently waiting and waiting.

Scheherazade of Arabian Nights begged for her life like this.

Park Jung-hwan empathized with the king’s feelings, who couldn’t cut off the woman’s head because of the next story.

“I have to read the next episode. Why isn’t today’s ‘Jirashi’ here?”

“I’ll bring it.”

“Okay.”

Park Jung-hwan got up from his seat.

“They announced that the last episode will be released on May 18th.”

That means the novel will be completed in a month.

“I have to read all of it. After that, I will decide on the treatment of this newspaper.”

“I understand.”

Cha Ki-beom quietly closed the door of the President’s office and came out.

The taciturn Cha Ki-beom raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

‘His Excellency doesn’t seem to be aware of it.’

Recently, Park Jung-hwan has become increasingly cold towards Han Cheong-ho.

The suspicion that the ‘Jirashi’ has planted is gradually turning into conviction.

‘Suspicion has sown a seed, grown, and now it’s even blinding him.’

He can’t hide his suspicion of Han Cheong-ho.

Park Jung-hwan has long lost his composure.

‘What more is there to say when he even cut off Chief of Staff Kim Jung-rim, who was defending Han Cheong-ho.’

Because he raised Han Cheong-ho’s request instead, he was kicked out of Park Jung-hwan’s favor.

There is no one in this Blue House who can compare to the power of Chief of the Presidential Security Service, Cha Ki-beom.

‘Only I face His Excellency and monopolize his trust.’

Even the newly appointed Chief of Staff was reporting to Cha Ki-beom.

Cha Ki-beom was more than happy with the current situation.

‘Jirashi, you must never be discontinued.’

Cha Ki-beom is condoning the ‘Jirashi’.

He was even protecting the identity of the ‘Jirashi’.

Cha Ki-beom used his power to suppress those who were trying to stir up the ‘Jirashi’.

‘Until Jeon Doo-ho completely collapses, I hope it will continue to hold His Excellency’s attention.’

Whoever it is, they’re amazing.

They’re completely captivating Park Jung-hwan with just a piece of newspaper.

In Cha Ki-beom’s heart, an unprecedented desire began to grow.