Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 169

169. Park Jeong-hwan and Three Flaws (2)

Park Jeong-hwan’s eyebrows twitched at the mention of a secret vault.

Why is a secret vault a secret vault?

Isn’t it because Park Jeong-hwan hid things he wanted to keep secret?

It was Park Jeong-hwan’s last resort, a collection of his flaws and embezzled assets.

“Dare touch my vault…….”

You’ve touched something you shouldn’t have.

Then, Tae-soo took out a piece of paper from his pocket and waved it in front of Park Jeong-hwan’s eyes.

It was a written pledge of immunity he had received in advance.

“Please calm down.”

It hasn’t even started properly yet.

‘To think he risked his life for a lighter, that sly bastard.’

Park Jeong-hwan recalled that he had forgotten the promise in a fit of anger.

He had agreed to forgive Tae-soo no matter what he did today.

‘Now that I see it, he got the pledge because of me.’

A meticulous guy; he really planned this out.

Park Jeong-hwan puffed on his cigarette.

“This is the evidence.”

Kim Jae-guk hands the documents to Park Jeong-hwan.

The list of assets was the list of pro-Japanese collaborators that Han Cheong-ho had compiled.

It was a detailed document of the confiscated assets and their disposal.

“It’s a bit strange for my secret vault to have asset seizure data.”

“That’s probably because most of it is the Oh family’s real estate and assets that the First Lady handed over.”

“You sold these off?”

Kim Jae-guk nodded.

“Yes, we’ve captured evidence of the Central Intelligence Agency agents selling them off and recovered the evidence.”

Wasn’t Kim Jae-guk the one who had benefited from the Oh family?

He had been watching with a burning gaze as the First Lady, Oh Young-soon, sold off her assets.

He mobilized the Central Intelligence Agency agents, relentlessly searched, and compiled everything into a list.

‘Han Cheong-ho! You son of a bitch!’

Kim Jae-guk’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Han Cheong-ho.

Han Cheong-ho sensed it.

‘Secretary Park has been caught. He must have spilled everything.’

No wonder he hadn’t been seen since morning.

Han Cheong-ho had been venting his frustration, annoyed that the group’s chief secretary, who should have been his hands and feet, had disappeared when he was busy with the wedding.

But it turned out that the Central Intelligence Agency agents had taken him.

“The reliability of the information is certain. Our Central Intelligence Agency investigated it directly, and the guy we caught confessed. You can trust it.”

Wasn’t it information from a very reliable informant?

Park Jeong-hwan nodded.

It meant he would believe it.

“The one who disposed of the stolen goods is the Chief Secretary of Cheongil Group, Han Cheong-ho, the chairman’s right-hand man.”

“Is that so?”

“If you wish, Your Excellency, we can bring him here.”

“No need.”

Park Jeong-hwan looked at Han Cheong-ho askance.

“You’ve squeezed out quite a bit.”

“Y-Your Excellency!”

Park Jeong-hwan has a total of seven vaults.

This is far from enough to fill Park Jeong-hwan’s vaults.

But he feels terrible.

“You not only dared to squeeze out my wife’s assets but also broke into my vault and sold them off? What did you use it for?”

It was given to the Oseonghoe [a presumed slush fund or organization] slush fund, and some was used for the completion of the Cheongil Hotel.

But Han Cheong-ho couldn’t dare to tell the truth.

Instead, he played dumb.

Wasn’t Han Cheong-ho a master of acting?

“Your Excellency, I don’t know anything about this.”

He looked genuinely wronged.

Of course, Kim Jae-guk’s ridicule followed.

“Are you still denying it when the evidence is so clear?”

“Me, touching the vault? How could that be?”

“Your Excellency, the Central Intelligence Agency has confirmed it thoroughly. Your Excellency’s new vault has been completely emptied. And the password for the vault came from Han Cheong-ho.”

It seems Secretary Park couldn’t withstand the torture and spilled everything.

“We’ve also confirmed where the money was used: interior decoration for the wedding, and the Oseonghoe slush fund. That’s all.”

The source of the money has also been revealed.

Han Cheong-ho quickly said,

“I can’t believe my subordinate dared to commit such a huge crime.”

Cutting off the tail, shifting the blame.

“I feel utterly devastated. To think I trusted and entrusted such a guy until now. No wonder he didn’t show up at my daughter’s wedding.”

Han Cheong-ho was firm.

Secretary Park, that useless guy, couldn’t even do his part and got caught stupidly.

So he should use up his usefulness with this.

“I don’t know anything about it. How would I know how he used the embezzled funds?”

Wasn’t Han Cheong-ho the one who kindly taught Secretary Park the exact location and secret password?

“Breaking into Your Excellency’s secret vault! What guts would I have to commit such a huge act?”

Han Cheong-ho desperately pleaded with the acting skills of a lifetime.

“I have too much to protect. Why would I risk such a thing when I’ve built up Cheongil like this! Please believe me! I’m so wronged! [冤枉 (yuānwang) means ‘wronged’ or ‘falsely accused’ in Chinese]”

Anyone who didn’t know would be fooled by his great performance.

Tae-soo calmly raised a question.

“Speaking of vaults, why was Your Excellency’s Japanese vault filled with the First Lady’s assets?”

The second flaw related to Park Jeong-hwan, even the First Lady, has come out.

Once you start talking about that, everything will follow.

‘It’s all or nothing! I can’t die alone!’

Han Cheong-ho glared at Tae-soo and gritted his teeth.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Kang Tae-soo, it’s because you emptied Your Excellency’s vault!”

You die, I die!

But Tae-soo shrugged.

“I don’t know anything about that.”

Playing dumb isn’t something only Han Cheong-ho can do.

Moreover, this side has immunity.

Han Cheong-ho screamed.

“You emptied the vault first and put paper inside!”

“Me?”

“Yes! Kang Tae-soo, you!”

“Do you have evidence?”

There’s no way there would be evidence.

But Tae-soo knows, and Han Cheong-ho knows, but Park Jeong-hwan doesn’t know.

Han Cheong-ho’s mind raced to find a loophole.

Tae-soo turned to Park Jeong-hwan.

“Has Your Excellency received a report about this from Han Cheong-ho?”

“I haven’t.”

Park Jeong-hwan smiled coldly.

“Then why hasn’t Han Cheong-ho told you that your vault was emptied?”

“Because Han Cheong-ho decided to take care of it.”

Tae-soo nodded.

“Your Excellency must have been wondering all along. You clearly only agreed to hand over Cheongil Oil, so why did Han Cheong-ho sign a contract to hand over Cheongil Heavy Industries as well?”

Han Cheong-ho’s expression began to change.

Han Cheong-ho then made this excuse to Park Jeong-hwan.

-The Saudi Minister of Defense presented what he got from my secretary, so I had no choice but to obediently hand over Cheongil Oil and Cheongil Heavy Industries.

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

“At the time, I exchanged Cheongil Heavy Industries for the original film I had. Not the documents that the Saudi Minister of Defense had.”

Han Cheong-ho snatched the photos and tore them to shreds.

And he even burned them together when he burned the film.

“It’s different from what Han Cheong-ho said, right?”

Han Cheong-ho then tried to drive a wedge between Tae-soo and Park Jeong-hwan like this.

-What could a guy who went to build a highway have done to deserve credit? How could Kang Tae-soo have obtained the oil supply rights?

-He captured my secretary and offered Your Excellency’s weaknesses to the Saudi Minister of Defense. Does that make more sense?

“At that time, the son of the Saudi Minister of Defense, Rahman, came in person to clear up Your Excellency’s misunderstanding.”

Rahman blatantly lied.

-Kang Tae-soo obtained the oil supply rights for his contribution to the early end of the Middle East war.

Moreover, Khalid, who became the Saudi King, supported the lie.

-We award him the Saudi Medal of Honor in recognition of his contribution.

Wasn’t it a big deal that was plastered all over the newspapers and broadcasts for a while?

At that point, it had long since transformed from a lie into a fact.

“Han Cheong-ho was threatening the First Lady.”

“If that were the case, Your Excellency would have known! I didn’t threaten the First Lady! For what!”

Han Cheong-ho glared fiercely at Tae-soo.

“Don’t slander me. Do you have evidence? You don’t have it either!”

Because he burned it all!

Because Cha Ki-beom even stole that!

“Kang Tae-soo, think carefully. If you touch something you shouldn’t, we both die.”

Do you think Park Jeong-hwan will leave alone someone who knows about his wife’s affair?

“Why would I die? I’m not even involved.”

There’s no evidence that Tae-soo emptied the vault.

Also, Tae-soo is not involved in threatening the First Lady.

Besides, he even has immunity.

Tae-soo had nothing to fear.

“The thing I presented when I took over Cheongil Heavy Industries at the Geumsan Hotel that day is this. It’s the thing Han Cheong-ho used to threaten the First Lady.”

Tae-soo took out something wrapped in white paper from his pocket and unfolded it on the table.

It was the debris of burnt film and photo ashes.

“What kind of evidence is this? It’s trash.”

Han Cheong-ho wore a triumphant smile.

“Can the debris of burnt film and photo ashes be evidence? You can’t confirm the contents.”

The decisive evidence has already been destroyed.

Han Cheong-ho had personally confirmed and disposed of it that day, hadn’t he?

‘The thing he burned that day must have been the original film!’

You can’t get it again.

That was the reason he handed over Cheongil Heavy Industries.

“The First Lady wanted to protect her family. She didn’t want to cause misunderstandings. That’s why Han Cheong-ho’s threats worked.”

“Your Excellency, don’t believe him! Why would I threaten the First Lady! For what!”

Han Cheong-ho glared menacingly at Tae-soo.

“Don’t insult the deceased!”

“I haven’t brought it out until now because I didn’t want to disgrace the First Lady, but I’ll present it because Your Excellency wants the truth.”

Tae-soo takes out a few intact photos from his pocket.

Seeing that, Han Cheong-ho screamed.

“No!”

Han Cheong-ho rushed at Tae-soo.

Before he could even realize it, he snatched the photos and crumpled them wildly.

Then he stuffed them into his mouth and chewed them up, swallowing them roughly.

Park Jeong-hwan frowned.

“What are you doing now?”

“I don’t want to be framed!”

It was a suspicious act no matter who looked at it, but Han Cheong-ho stubbornly insisted to the end.

‘If Park Jeong-hwan sees those photos, he’ll go crazy. It’s better to be suspected than that.’

It’s okay if his throat feels like it’s tearing.

It doesn’t matter if he tastes blood in his sore mouth.

Everything is over if Park Jeong-hwan goes crazy.

“It seems you were very hungry. Is it delicious?”

How could it be delicious!

Han Cheong-ho swallowed the words that rose to his throat.

Tae-soo took out a pile of photos from his pocket and smiled mischievously.

“You can eat as much as you want if you want. There are still many.”

“Kang Tae-soo!”

Tae-soo threw the pile of photos into the air with all his might.

Hundreds of photos fluttered and fell beautifully in all directions.

‘It’s over!’

Thud.

Han Cheong-ho reached out to pick up the photos but hurriedly knelt down instead.

“Your Excellency!”

Park Jeong-hwan looked down at the top of Han Cheong-ho’s head with cold eyes.

While glaring at Han Cheong-ho, Park Jeong-hwan reached out his hand.

Kim Jae-guk picked up a photo and respectfully placed it on Park Jeong-hwan’s palm.

“The photos turned out well. It’s nice to see my dead wife again like this.”

Every time Park Jeong-hwan looked at a photo, he crumpled it up and threw it at Han Cheong-ho’s face.

Because he had committed a crime, Han Cheong-ho had to play the target without even frowning.

He just closed his eyes tightly.

Thud. Thud.

It was the sound of the pile of photos hitting Han Cheong-ho’s face and bouncing off the floor.

“Y-Your Excellency!”

“It’s sneaky that the man’s face didn’t come out. It looks just like you, but there’s no way to prove it, right?”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Flutter.

A pile of photos poured down on Han Cheong-ho’s face.

Han Cheong-ho, who had finished playing the target, quickly prostrated himself on the floor.

“It’s a misunderstanding! It’s not me! I didn’t do that! Absolutely not!”

“How can you say that after rushing to stuff it into your throat as soon as it came out?”

Crash.

Park Jeong-hwan pushed the table over.

The vault disposal documents that were on the table spilled onto the floor.

Park Jeong-hwan picked up the pile of documents and threw them at Han Cheong-ho.

“Lift your face!”

Han Cheong-ho raised his upper body while kneeling.

Park Jeong-hwan’s eyes blazed as if they would spit fire.

Park Jeong-hwan raised his hand high.