Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 192

192. Kim Jong-pyo’s Counterattack (2)

“Oh, excuse me. Wrong room?”

With a face that showed no hint of apology, Tae-soo smiled.

Kim Jong-pyo let out a hollow laugh.

Daewoongak was a high-end establishment where one simply didn’t “mistakenly” enter the wrong room.

Kim Cha-yeol, the Prosecutor General, spoke bluntly.

“If you know it’s a mistake, why don’t you just get lost?”

The implication was clear: *a mere kid, thinking he can come here*.

Tae-soo looked at each of them with a knowing glint in his eyes.

“Acting President Kim Jong-pyo, Prosecutor General Kim Cha-yeol, Commander Noh Tae-oh… Quite the gathering of prominent figures.”

Kim Jong-pyo slammed the sake bottle down on the table.

A displeased voice followed.

“Daewoongak’s reputation must be plummeting. Letting in uninvited guests.”

It was a clear order to leave.

Tae-soo remained unfazed.

“Since we’ve met like this, let’s at least introduce ourselves. I’m Kang Tae-soo from the Taeyang Group.”

That was the extent of the pleasantries.

Tae-soo smiled at Kim Jong-pyo.

“This is a shame. If you had kept your promise, we wouldn’t have had to meet again. It seems we’ll be seeing each other more often.”

“I also find it regrettable. But things won’t go your way.”

Kim Jong-pyo smiled wryly.

“Do you really think I’ll even *meet* with you?”

The unspoken words hung in the air: *You’re not someone I’d meet just because you want to*.

“We’re not on the same level for face-to-face talks. You should know your place.”

*I’m the Acting President and the future President.*

*You’re just some guy running a company ranked 163rd in the business world.*

“Oh, and Han Cheong-ho will be out soon.”

Kim Jong-pyo smiled as he drank.

“I’ve decided to use my power for a special pardon to commemorate my inauguration. So, keep that in mind. How about that? Good news, right?”

Tae-soo smiled inwardly.

*Special presidential pardon, what a joke.*

“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep. I suppose it’s too much to ask for such basic integrity from a politician who lies every time they open their mouth.”

It was a direct hit.

“You’ve done something incredibly cruel. Giving someone suffering in the Central Intelligence Agency [South Korea’s primary intelligence agency] dreams and hopes you can’t fulfill. It will be even more painful when that hope is shattered again.”

*It would be quite a sight to see Han Cheong-ho’s face crumble.*

Tae-soo looked directly at Kim Jong-pyo.

“You’ve done something sneaky with the Taeyang Apartments.”

Kim Jong-pyo shrugged.

“It was a favor worth 30 million won [approximately $25,000 USD, adjusted for inflation].”

*Isn’t it greedy to ask for more with such a small amount?*

He was referring to the 30 million won in political funds Tae-soo had given him.

“I, Kim Jong-pyo, am a man of my word. I’ll receive the remaining 70 million won [approximately $58,000 USD, adjusted for inflation] when the Taeyang Apartments are sold, as you wish. Surely, I can understand that much.”

Kim Jong-pyo sneered.

“But *when* will the Taeyang Apartments be available for sale? I don’t know. Maybe in 10 years? 20 years? 30 years?”

*Not within my term.*

Tae-soo wasn’t one to be provoked by such petty taunts.

Tae-soo remained calm.

“I’ll take care of the Taeyang Apartments, so you don’t have to worry. However, I’ve become curious about something.”

Tae-soo deliberately tilted his head.

“When I finish selling the apartments, will there be any reason for me to give you the remaining payment?”

He meant, *Why would I give political funds to a politician without power?*

In other words, *You can never become president.*

Kim Jong-pyo, of course, understood the meaning, and one of his eyebrows twitched.

Tae-soo didn’t stop.

“No, unlike politicians, businessmen value their reputation. I’ll give you that measly 70 million won.”

Tae-soo readily promised.

“Consider it a charitable donation. By then, you’ll have had all your ill-gotten wealth seized, and you’ll be struggling to make ends meet.”

*I’ll give you a break.*

Tae-soo was being generous.

“I’ll have to go all the way to prison to give you the remaining payment. It’s already a hassle. It’s because my reputation is so good.”

Clang.

Unable to bear it any longer, Kim Jong-pyo slammed his glass down roughly.

Tae-soo and Kim Jong-pyo’s eyes met in the air.

Neither yielded an inch.

Invisible sparks flew.

“Are you sure you won’t regret being so disrespectful to me?”

“That’s what you should have considered before bringing up the Taeyang Apartments.”

Tae-soo’s gaze was as cold as ice.

So much so that even Kim Cha-yeol, the Prosecutor General known for his temper, and Noh Tae-oh, who used to raise his voice in the military, were nervously looking back and forth between them.

“The Taeyang Group will be shattered to pieces in my hands. You won’t even be able to keep the signboard. I guarantee it.”

“You will suffer a crushing defeat in the presidential election. You’ll have to return all the wealth you’ve amassed, and you won’t have a penny left.”

“You’ll become a penniless homeless man.”

“You’ll become a criminal. When you go to prison, remember this moment and regret it.”

*Why did I pick a fight and end up like this?*

*You’ll have to regret it over and over again.*

“Kang Tae-soo, if you don’t want to die, hand over Park Jung-hwan’s secret agreement. This is your last chance.”

“You’re the one who threw away the last chance, Kim Jong-pyo.”

*If you had quietly cleaned up the mess you made and stepped down, I would have covered it up as well.*

*But you refused to clean up the mess and instead declared war on me.*

*It’s all your fault.*

“I’m the type who doesn’t avoid a fight that comes my way.”

As Kim Jong-pyo glared fiercely, Tae-soo put the final nail in the coffin.

“Then, let’s meet at the presidential election.”

Less than half a year remained until the December election.

*Your future and mine will be decided there.*

In any battle, there will be victory and defeat, and the victor takes all.

Creak. Clunk.

Tae-soo finished speaking, closed the door, and left.

The sound of Kim Jong-pyo cursing loudly and the table being overturned with a crash could be heard.

Regardless.

Tae-soo turned his back.

*Kim Jong-pyo, so you were preparing a counterattack. You brought in the Prosecutor General and the Army Commander, huh?*

*I understand roughly how things are going.*

*Just as I guessed. I’ll assign you a customized sniper.*

*I know the right people.*

*One of them will probably cooperate with excitement.*

*The other one might need some persuasion.*

Creak.

Tae-soo opened the door to the next room.

An Jung-woo smiled.

“I thought you went to the restroom. Did you go to the next room?”

“I went to say hello.”

“It got quite noisy. Sounds like you turned things upside down?”

“He should have expected that much when he brought up the Taeyang Apartments. Am I supposed to worry about his situation?”

Tae-soo calmly sat down.

He accepted the drink An Jung-woo offered.

“Kim Jong-pyo has brought in Prosecutor General Kim Cha-yeol and Commander Noh Tae-oh.”

“That’s not all. Kim Jong-pyo has been going around threatening Republican Party members. I heard he has a bribery ledger from Han Cheong-ho.”

“Elder, you have the ledger of Choi Moo-ryong’s wrongdoings.”

If you were to ask which was dirtier, Han Cheong-ho’s bribery ledger or Choi Moo-ryong’s ledger, the latter was definitely dirtier.

It was thanks to the men under Choi Moo-ryong that they took care of the Republican Party members’ dirty work.

Where there are men with money and power, women are bound to follow, and where there are women, incidents and accidents never cease.

“Besides, the information brokers have quite a few weaknesses as well.”

What the information brokers were tracking were pro-Japanese activities and hidden assets that had been embezzled.

Collecting the list of pro-Japanese collaborators’ assets and tracking the funds was An So-jung’s job.

That work had been going on for a considerable amount of time at a significant level.

It was a definite weakness.

“Elder, your hold on the Republican Party is stronger and more secure. What are you worried about?”

Receiving bribes is a minor offense.

Politicians can easily cover it up with their power, so they treat it as insignificant.

But losing a large source of money and honor is a big deal for politicians.

“They won’t want to be involved in dirty accidents that happen at the bottom. Republican Party members have to be mindful of you, Elder. Don’t let them off easy, and keep a tight grip on them.”

Tae-soo filled An Jung-woo’s glass.

An Jung-woo sighed softly.

It seemed that his confidence had hit rock bottom after being harassed by the skillful and experienced politician Kim Jong-pyo.

“Politics is more difficult than I thought. Those guys are so dirty and cunning. Looking at their faces makes me feel sick more than once.”

Wasn’t he a national activist and a lonely patriot, An Jung-woo?

He thought he had seen all sorts of dirty things in the underworld, but he was wrong.

Facing the sordid behavior of those who play at the top made him nauseous.

“I know it in my head. I have to coax these guys and bring them under my control to become president. That’s power, that’s strength. But, you know.”

His tone was full of weariness.

An Jung-woo disinfected his nauseous stomach with alcohol.

He opened his mouth again after drinking several glasses in a row.

“I started to wonder if I should become president by embracing such vile people.”

Because he was clean, he hated the filth even more.

Because he was righteous himself, he was angry at the shameful behavior.

Tae-soo liked that about An Jung-woo.

*There is no one better than An Jung-woo to be a clean president who sacrifices himself for the sake of the country.*

He knew what happened to the big shots of the opposition party, Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung.

In his past life, the two big shots became presidents in turn.

They couldn’t ignore their political comrades who had been with them for a long time and had overcome difficulties together.

Of course, unlike the days when they devoted themselves to the democratization movement, they began to change when they seized power.

They were also just interest groups and politicians.

On the other hand, An Jung-woo was different from them.

“Are you thinking of giving up? I thought you would take the lead for the democratization of this country and the liquidation of the past.”

Tae-soo deliberately touched on An Jung-woo’s beliefs.

“Hoo.”

An Jung-woo’s sigh was big and deep.

But Tae-soo didn’t let him off the hook.

“The future of this country depends on who becomes president. If a military dictatorship like Park Jung-hwan seizes power again, something even more terrible will happen than now.”

That’s what it was like during Chun Doo-hwan and Noh Tae-woo in his past life.

There were times when he didn’t want to experience those times again.

Why else would Tae-soo have designed the 5.18 Cheongil Hotel Massacre [a fictional event referencing the Gwangju Uprising]?

“I know.”

“If Kim Jong-pyo seizes power, this country will become even more corrupt because he is a smart guy.”

“I know that too.”

How could An Jung-woo not know?

He had devoted himself to a lonely struggle until now, so he knew better than anyone else.

How much things change depending on the leader of the country.

That’s why he had closed his eyes and jumped into this place, wasn’t it?

“This country is now at a crossroads between dictatorship and democracy. It’s a very important moment.”

“I know that too.”

An Jung-woo closed his eyes.

“It’s something that someone must do for the sake of this country and its people. But it doesn’t have to be me…….”

“Then who will do it? The big shots of the opposition party and the forces that follow them?”

“…I want to trust them once.”

*They will be able to coordinate political forces more skillfully than I can.*

*Maybe this tiresome world is not a place where I can dare to intervene.*

“They are people who have been at the forefront of the democratization movement with the same beliefs and causes as me. They are not people who would abandon the cause for their own private interests.”

“Is that so? All right. I’ll trust them once too.”

Tae-soo’s answer was unexpected.

An Jung-woo, who thought he would persuade him to the end.

He opened his eyes wide.

“I didn’t think you would change your mind.”

“I haven’t changed my mind.”

The next president will be An Jung-woo.

Tae-soo will make it so.

“Didn’t you say you trusted them?”

“I won’t bother persuading you. Instead, why don’t we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

An Jung-woo was bewildered.