The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 124

#124

“Ugh…”

Park Hyun-chul woke up with a grimace.

The alcohol from the night before still clouded his mind.

He shook his head vigorously and opened the refrigerator.

Reaching in, he grabbed a cold bottle.

He opened it and poured the entire bottle into his mouth.

‘Now I feel awake.’

As expected, a bottle of soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] was perfect for a morning hangover cure.

He didn’t care that he was in Inje County, Gangwon Province. [A mountainous region in South Korea]

Yoon Jung-hoon’s words had made him miserable.

‘Elder Park Soo-gil abandoned you, just like you abandoned Da-hye.’

He was filled with doubt.

‘What have I been living for?’

Was the order he had spoken of so confidently in front of Yoon Jung-hoon just this?

He felt as listless as when Da-hye had left.

Only alcohol kept him going.

Park Hyun-chul went outside.

It was the rainy season, and rain poured down.

It felt refreshing.

He was walking along a mountain path, soaking in the heavy rain, when someone spoke.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

A police officer, a little over thirty, held an umbrella over him.

The two walked silently.

“Prosecutor Park Hyun-chul.”

He stopped in his tracks.

‘Is he from Chunjihoe [a secret society or organization]?’

Park Hyun-chul looked at him warily.

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

“Who are you?”

“About 20 years ago, you cracked down on a school violence case in Tongyeong, right?”

He remembered.

It was when he was at the Tongyeong District Prosecutor’s Office.

He had wiped out a gang of bullies who were so vicious that the victim had attempted suicide.

It was a coalition of delinquent high school students in the Tongyeong area.

He investigated and dismantled them like gangsters.

There was more than one victim.

Park Hyun-chul arrested all the perpetrators and sent them to juvenile prison.

Sending them to juvenile detention centers was the norm, but Park Hyun-chul aggressively investigated and put them in jail.

He still couldn’t forget.

The eyes of the boy who thanked him were full of hope for a new life.

Park Hyun-chul turned to look at the man.

It was that face.

“Could it be… student Do Kyung-soo?”

“You remember me.”

“I’ve lived long enough to see this. I never thought you’d become a police officer.”

“Actually, I wanted to be like you, Prosecutor… but I wasn’t smart enough.”

“Hahaha, really? I should have tutored you…”

“Prosecutor, are you okay? I pretended not to notice because it seemed like you had your reasons. The police station told me to investigate you as a suspicious person, but I covered for you, saying you were okay.”

“Thank you.”

“You have to go back.”

“Do you know me?”

“…Well, I don’t know. But you’re the one who led me to become a police officer.”

“I’m not the same as I was then. I’ve become tainted.”

“Does that matter? Even a weakling like me became a police officer. Can’t you go back to the days when you were righteous?”

Park Hyun-chul stopped in his tracks.

He realized for the first time that there was someone who expected him to be righteous.

‘Can I go back?’

He could now.

At this moment, having lost everything, Park Hyun-chul felt he could do it.

‘Can’t I do it? Maybe I can change things?’

A new light flickered in Park Hyun-chul’s eyes.

“Thank you. I won’t forget what happened today. Thanks to you, I remembered what I have to do.”

“I’m glad I could repay you. I always wanted to repay you, Prosecutor.”

“See you next time.”

Park Hyun-chul hurried back home.

He made a phone call.

“Come over now. With Da-hye.”

Park Hyun-chul called Yoon Jung-hoon.

***

In front of a villa-like house deep in the mountains.

Jung-hoon looked at Da-hye.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded and knocked on the door.

Park Hyun-chul’s stern face greeted them.

They went inside, and food was laid out.

“You haven’t eaten, have you? Let’s eat.”

Jung-hoon looked at the noodles placed in front of them.

She silently picked up her chopsticks and began to eat the noodles.

Jung-hoon and Park Hyun-chul also ate their noodles, enduring the extremely awkward silence.

“When she was little, Da-hye really liked it when I made noodles for her.”

Park Hyun-chul glanced at his daughter, but she didn’t look at him.

She just bit her lip tightly and kept her head down.

“Is there a reason you called us here?”

“This Park Hyun-chul has been abandoned by everyone, hahaha. I’ve become a free man. So, I’m going to do things right now.”

“…I understand.”

Jung-hoon decided not to pry.

He was sure it wasn’t a bad thing since he said he was going to do things right.

“Do you need my help?”

“That’s right. You’re smart, so we understand each other well.”

“Are you going back to the Prosecutor’s Office?”

“Isn’t that where I belong?”

“Tell Kang Chul-joong and Kim Soo-ho to support me. That’s enough. They’re both smart, so they’ll do well.”

“Do you really want to do things right?”

“If I can… but it won’t be easy. There are many forces within the Prosecutor’s Office that support Chunjihoe. Even if I was their leader, I’m not anymore. Aren’t I an abandoned son? Hahaha.”

He laughed heartily.

“Then, while you’re at it, why don’t you become the Prosecutor General? I’ll make it happen.”

“What?”

Park Hyun-chul’s eyes widened.

‘No, how can he think he can put me in that position? How far are you going to grow?’

Park Hyun-chul had to believe what Jung-hoon said, but he really couldn’t believe it.

Jung-hoon took out his phone.

“It’s me. I have a favor to ask. Nominate Prosecutor Park Hyun-chul as Prosecutor General.”

“Isn’t he a key figure in Chunjihoe?”

Goo Han-soo was worried.

“He will annihilate the Chunjihoe forces hidden within the Prosecutor’s Office.”

“I understand.”

Jung-hoon hung up the phone, looked at Park Hyun-chul, and nodded.

“It’s what Father should do.”

“Father… Thank you. I will surely pay for the sins I have committed after wiping out Chunjihoe. Please bear with me until then.”

“…Yes. Let’s stay at a hotel. They won’t be able to touch you easily there.”

He went up to Seoul with Park Hyun-chul and Da-hye.

When they stopped at a rest stop on the highway, Park Hyun-chul gave Da-hye a hot dog covered in ketchup.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

After dropping Park Hyun-chul off at the hotel and arriving in front of his house, Da-hye hugged Jung-hoon tightly.

“Thank you.”

She gave Jung-hoon a short kiss.

There was still a long way to go, but they were gradually correcting things.

Jung-hoon explained the situation to Prosecutors Kang Chul-joong and Kim Soo-ho.

Chul-joong was displeased but said he would follow for the sake of the greater good.

Prosecutor Kim Soo-ho followed Jung-hoon’s instructions without complaint.

When Park Hyun-chul appeared at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, they were taken aback.

He had disappeared without a word.

They thought he would never return to the Prosecutor’s Office.

He went into his office, sorted through the backlog of documents, and calmly organized his work.

Soon after, Kang Chul-joong and Kim Soo-ho came to greet him.

“Sit down.”

He said calmly.

“You’re the Prosecutor’s Office’s thugs! You’ll have to do your thug work properly from now on. And Kang Pro.”

Park Hyun-chul looked at Kang Chul-joong.

“Yes.”

“I will surely pay for the sins I have committed later, so don’t worry. Please bear with me for a while. I ask you.”

Kang Chul-joong could only nod at Park Hyun-chul’s calm tone.

While the two were in a meeting, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“You have just been nominated as the next Prosecutor General.”

Park Hyun-chul was nominated as the head of the prosecution, commanding all prosecutors in South Korea.

The Conservative Party and the Democratic Party vehemently opposed it.

A traitor, he was the greatest threat to Chunjihoe.

It seemed difficult to pass the confirmation hearing.

Jung-hoon made appointments with Assemblyman Lee Chan-hee, Assemblyman Jo Young-jin, and all the assembly members who supported them.

Half of the Open Party assembly members gathered.

“Chairman Yoon, thanks to you, we were able to win the election by a landslide.”

Assemblyman Lee Chan-hee thanked Jung-hoon.

“I just added a spoon [helped a little bit].”

“We wouldn’t have been able to get a majority if Chairman Yoon hadn’t sent us the people who were being held back by the Conservative Party.”

The request that Assemblyman Lee Chan-hee made in passing.

Jung-hoon had brought the assembly members who were supposed to join the Conservative Party from the Open Party.

When Cha Young-mi exposed Conservative Party leader Lee Chang-hoon, his corruption poured out like a treasure trove.

It was ridiculous that such a person was nitpicking at minor corruption and holding back the Open Party’s supporting assembly members within the Conservative Party.

Jung-hoon made it possible for the Open Party’s supporting assembly members to leave the Conservative Party through negotiations with Lee Chang-hoon.

He presented him with a carrot of sponsorship along with a strong whip [offered both rewards and threats].

It was a proposal he couldn’t refuse.

Assemblyman Lee Chan-hee, Assemblyman Jo Young-jin, Assemblyman Kwon Yul, and so on.

Jung-hoon looked around at the assembly members who were looking at him.

“The reason I wanted to meet you is because of Prosecutor Park Hyun-chul’s confirmation hearing.”

Everyone’s expression hardened.

In particular, Assemblyman Jo Young-jin did not say anything, but his displeasure was evident.

“Ahem, I’ll do whatever you want. But I don’t really like it.”

It couldn’t be helped.

But he couldn’t abandon Park Hyun-chul.

He knows Chunjihoe within the Prosecutor’s Office.

If it’s him, he can wipe them all out at once.

“I will normalize the Prosecutor’s Office. Park Hyun-chul will wipe out Chunjihoe.”

“Can we trust him?”

“You know how meaningless the word trust is, don’t you? I will show you with actions.”

“We’ll see.”

When the confirmation hearing began, fierce opposition erupted.

All kinds of suspicions, from his private life, were raised.

Some of them were facts, and some were unfounded suspicions.

Park Hyun-chul stood firm and dismissed rumors of his resignation.

Then, with Assemblyman Jo Young-jin and Assemblyman Lee Chan-hee at the center, the Open Party’s general assembly of assembly members was held.

The Park Hyun-chul nominee was approved as the party’s official position.

The next day, the Conservative Party also announced its support for Park Hyun-chul through a meeting.

People were puzzled by the Conservative Party’s sudden change of position, but they soon forgot about it.

After the confirmation hearing, Park Hyun-chul was inaugurated as Prosecutor General.

In his inaugural address, he declared a strong will to purify the prosecution, saying that cats and rats were in the same place (猫鼠同處) [a Chinese idiom meaning collusion between law enforcement and criminals], and that the person who was supposed to catch the thief was in cahoots with the thief.

He pushed forward with prosecution reform by accepting the resignations of half of the high-ranking prosecutors.

His popularity soared.

Jung-hoon called Conservative Party Assemblyman Lee Chang-won to thank him.

“Thank you for your help, Assemblyman.”

“How can I disobey the words of the person who holds my leash?”

“Am I just holding your leash? Don’t I also sponsor you?”

“I appreciate that.”

Jung-hoon was sponsoring the Conservative Party through Shinwa Group affiliates for a considerable amount.

There was only one condition.

Regardless of ideology, it was the exclusion of Chunjihoe people.

As Park Soo-gil’s line, he accepted Jung-hoon’s proposal.

Park Soo-gil, who held all the power, was not going to give up his power before he died.

Rather, it was much more effective to build his own forces.

Slowly but surely, he ousted the Chunjihoe forces within the Conservative Party.

***

Time passed quickly.

It was already autumn.

Jung-hoon received a call from Constitutional Court Justice Go Min-soo.

He asked to meet at a pig’s feet restaurant in Euljiro [a district in Seoul known for its restaurants].

“It’s already autumn. The pig’s feet and sundae soup here are a delicacy. Have some.”

He didn’t call just to have a meal, but he silently ate.

“Isn’t there another reason why you wanted to meet today?”

“Hmm… My conscience as a judge is pricked.”

Judge Go Min-soo had a troubled expression.

But soon, he opened his mouth with a determined face.

“The special law on the relocation of the administrative capital will be ruled unconstitutional.”

“Yes?”

“They’re bringing up that ridiculous Gyeongguk Daejeon [a comprehensive code of law from the Joseon Dynasty]… Damn it, I’m so pissed…”

Go Min-soo glanced at Jung-hoon and continued.

“I’m usually a bit rough, sorry. Ahem. Anyway, those bastards are trying to make an unconstitutional ruling for ridiculous reasons. Park Soo-gil is exerting his influence.”

“Is that so?”

Jung-hoon asked calmly.

“Are you okay?”

“It can’t be helped. I can’t interfere in everything.”

He said that, but Jung-hoon also realized.

He needs to clean up Park Soo-gil’s law firm, Hae Song.

Park Soo-gil is behind all of this.

He vowed to blow up the building like Il Song Group.

“Then it can’t be helped. We’ll just have to watch the unconstitutional ruling.”

“Yes. Even a cornered mouse can bite a cat [even the weakest can be dangerous when desperate].”

“That’s true. Eat a lot, this restaurant’s soup is very good.”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks for what? You’re paying, hahaha.”

A stingy old man.

Who would think this person is the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court?

A shabby suit, worn-out shoes, and a leather bag that looks like it’s been with him for 40 years.

He lived a frugal life.

It was revealed that he had secretly done good deeds while he was dying.

It was a donation.

He donated his last possession, his body, to a medical school for dissection.

He left a great trace of a true giant, giving a deep resonance to Korean society.

Jung-hoon took out the gift he had prepared for him.

“Your bag looks too old, so I prepared this. I didn’t think you’d like luxury goods, so I asked a leather craftsman in Insadong [a district in Seoul known for traditional crafts].”

“I like Hermes. If you give it to me, I’ll sell it and use the money to send it somewhere… too bad. But thank you for the gift.”

He took the gift and looked around.

He stretched his lips long, as if satisfied with the words Insadong craftsman.

“I don’t usually receive things like this, but I’ll accept this in consideration of your sincerity. Hmm, the smell of new leather is good. Ah, calculate 200 servings of pig’s feet before you leave. I have a place to send them.”

“I understand.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Not really.”

“You’re a boring guy.”

A pleasant smile was drawn on Jung-hoon and his face.

***

On October 21, 2004, the Constitutional Court ruled that the ‘Special Act on the Construction of the New Administrative Capital’ was unconstitutional.

It was a ruling that no one had expected.

Jung-hoon’s mouth spewed out the same curse as Judge Go Min-soo at their bizarre logic that brought up the Gyeongguk Daejeon.

“Damn it, I’m so pissed.”

Eun-soo, who was driving, glanced at Jung-hoon in the rearview mirror.

“Wow, your swearing is so good.”

“It’s because the state of the country is ridiculous.”

The car driven by Eun-soo quietly entered the underground parking lot of Hanho Group.

As soon as he got out of the car, he sprayed perfume on his body.

“Stop spraying, you bastard, how much does that cost? Return your card quickly.”

“I don’t use your card, you stingy bastard. Grandma gave it to me. She told me to use it as much as I want. Hehehe.”

He was slightly choked up by Eun-soo’s mom’s drip [lavish spending], but he didn’t show it.

“Shut up.”

The elevator arrived.

The enclosed space was soon filled with the smell of perfume that Eun-soo had sprayed.

He became dizzy.

Jung-hoon barely regained his senses and got off the elevator.

The secretary bowed to Jung-hoon.

“Please come in. He’s waiting for you.”

Cash King’s Genius Grandson, Becoming a Tycoon.