Bab 635: Chapter 635: I Don’t Like Superficial Conversations
After my friends left, I returned home with Grandma.
Her cozy home, brimming with warmth, felt comforting—so different from a hotel.
Holding Grandma's hand, we sat in the living room, chatting like old times.
"Oh my, my little one. When did you grow up so much?"
I was already over thirty, yet in Grandma's eyes, I still seemed like a child.
"I've been grown for a while now. Are you feeling alright, Grandma?"
"Oh, I'm fine. At my age, it's faster to find something wrong than the opposite!"
I just chuckled at Grandma's banter. But then she hit me with a sharp question.
"So, you've grown up… when are you bringing home a granddaughter-in-law?"
"Why? Are you eager to meet her?"
"Come on, how long do you think I have left? I'd like to see my great-grandchild before I go!"
"… Grandma."
Gripping my hand tightly, Grandma gently patted it.
Feeling the increased wrinkles in her hands made my heart sink a little.
"Just don't bring home some woman you don't really like and call her my granddaughter-in-law."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
"That's all I need to hear. Even though I might want to see my great-grandchild, your happiness comes first."
Suddenly, I recalled the fond look in Grandma's eyes when she held Hyeon-seong's daughter yesterday.
She had been trying to hide her jealousy behind all the affection.
"I understand. If I meet a good woman, I'll bring her straight home."
"Ah, it's about time for a rest now."
Was it because of the change in sleeping arrangements, or did the celebration go on too long?
Grandma's face showed an undeniable fatigue.
"I should head up too. I'll come visit again soon."
"Are you already leaving?"
"Yeah, it seems I'll be busy again soon. But I promise to come back often."
As I stood up, Grandma looked up at me, a bit disappointed. Then she stood as well.
"Don't come out, just go inside and get some rest quickly."
I tried to stop her from coming outside, but she insisted on following me until she saw me off.
"I'm off now. I'll call you when I arrive in Seoul, so you go back inside."
"Okay, hurry back."
Seeing Grandma hesitate made me want to pull her into a hug.
It struck me how much smaller she felt compared to my memories.
"Grandma, you have to live a long time so you can see my wedding and hold my great-grandchild. So, if anything's wrong, go to the hospital. And if you want something to eat, just eat it. It's a promise."
"Okay, okay. Promise made. Don't worry about me; just make sure you eat well, my little one. Got it?"
After our long hug, I finally got into the car. Looking back, I saw Grandma waving me off.
I needed to get going, or she would want to come inside.
"Let's get moving."
Grandma stood there like a stone statue until my car disappeared from sight.
I also turned around and watched her become a dot until she faded away as I waved.
Once she was out of sight, I finally let the smile on my face disappear.
"Let's head back to the hotel."
I told Grandma I was heading to Seoul, but I was actually going back to the hotel I stayed at yesterday.
"Kim Mu-hyeok! Long time no see!"
As I entered the hotel room, Han Ji-ho greeted me.
He arrived earlier than our scheduled time and was waiting for me in an empty room.
This showed how eager he was, but…
It was hard to read what he was thinking, so rushing to conclusions seemed unwise.
Seeing me remain silent, Han Ji-ho spoke again with more emphasis.
"Kim Mu-hyeok, it's been a while."
"Yes, Representative. It has been a while. When did you arrive?"
"I just got here. So, how was Grandma's seventieth birthday?"
Look at this! Acting like he didn't already know. I crossed my arms and scoffed.
"Thanks to you, it went well. If it weren't for the messenger you sent, it could have ended up a disaster."
"Ha! You underestimate the value of the mayor attending a citizen's birthday celebration. I sent him over thinking of you."
Despite my jab, Han Ji-ho just laughed and continued his banter.
"If seeing a congressman is a blessing, then I should have invited the president instead. I'm sure he would've come if I called. You can't be serious you thought I'd invite someone of that stature, can you?"
Whether he sent the mayor to ruin the birthday or for a genuine greeting, that was beyond my concern.
What was clear was that he certainly knew where I stood with him.
"Ha! Your confidence is still intact. That youthful spirit exclusive to you is something I now envy."
"I'm not here for word games. You sent the messenger thinking you could handle my anger, didn't you?"
"Oh, come on… Let's have some tea first before you throw a fit."
Acting relaxed, Han Ji-ho asked for tea. I wanted to slap the smug mask off his face, but I needed to hear him out first.
I sighed deeply and instructed Manager Ma to prepare some coffee.
Manager Ma nodded and left the room. Only then did I face Han Ji-ho.
"What exactly is your purpose for being here? I've thought about it on my way, but I still don't understand your intentions. Do you have some grudge against Mayor Ahn Young-soo?"
The files Manager Ma had given me in the early morning contained details about Mayor Ahn Young-soo.
It outlined who he was, how he got into politics, and included everything from minor infractions to major scandals awaiting a spark to ignite them.
If the files got into the hands of the prosecutors or the media, they could take him down thoroughly.
"No way. I wouldn't do that. Ahn Young-soo is a valuable asset. Where else can you find someone as influential in Busan?"
Indeed, as Han Ji-ho claimed, Ahn Young-soo's influence was much greater than I had imagined.
He was born in Busan and went through elementary, middle, and high school before enrolling in Korea University.
After securing a public office position in Seoul, he returned to Busan in 1988 as the direct mayor.
Even after his tenure as mayor, he served as the head of the port authority and later as the president of a local newspaper, twice being elected mayor through public voting.
It would be an utter waste to use him merely as a messenger.
"Well then, you aren't plotting to kill someone because you didn't support the independent candidates in this election, are you?"
Despite being from the Conservative Party, Ahn Young-soo received no support in this general election.
He also didn't support centrist candidates or any independents who graduated from the Conservative Party after leaving.
Centrist. He was literally walking down the middle in this election.
Was that the action that upset Han Ji-ho? Did he feel that way?"
"No. I quite sincerely sent him to congratulate your grandmother on her birthday."
"You could have just waited until later to reach out to me."
"I intended to meet; I'm sure the congressman already spilled everything to you, didn't he?"
"…"
"So it's fitting to send someone directly. And thanks to that, we find ourselves here facing each other."
True. I had no intention of meeting with Han Ji-ho—my curiosity about Ahn Young-soo was the only reason I was sitting across from him now.
"They say there's a saying: 'As long as you're headed to Seoul, it doesn't matter how you get there.'"
How crafty of him. As I stared at him in silence, he spoke again.
Manager Ma returned and set the coffee down.
"I would prefer to have this conversation alone between us."
As Han Ji-ho lifted his coffee cup, he glanced at Manager Ma.
"Not going to happen. He's the only person who knows everything I'm involved in. He is someone I trust deeply, the one who ultimately ensures my safety. If you don't like that, you can leave."
I had no intention of sending Manager Ma away. Why would I trust Han Ji-ho enough to meet him alone?
Han Ji-ho glanced at Manager Ma with a strange expression before returning his gaze to me.
"Having someone you can trust is a blessing. But to me, having that man means I can also hold you hostage in my dealings."
I smirked at his words.
Would Manager Ma really betray me? If that happened, I would definitely crumble.
Though he may not know everything about me, he was the person who knew me the best apart from myself.
Moreover, he had been the one to carry out all the shady dealings I had never touched.
But something like that would never happen—not while the sky remains firmly above us.
"That is a possibility."
I suspected he was trying to shake me, but during his sip of coffee, he continued to throw out nonsensical chatter.
It seemed he had a lot more to say. As I put down my empty coffee cup, I looked at him.
"I think I've given you enough time. Now get to the point. I'm a businessman, not a politician like you. I hate superficial conversations that don't lead anywhere."
His straightforward reply made Han Ji-ho put down his coffee cup and smile.
"Why's the hurry, young man?"
His disinterested attitude annoyed me; I couldn't help but wonder how long he would maintain such a laid-back demeanor.
"I'd like you to stop the investigation of the politicians currently being examined by the prosecutors."
"You've got the wrong person. Shouldn't you be heading to the Prosecutor General or even the President about that?"
"Didn't I say I wasn't here to play games? You think I wouldn't know if you're behind all this?"
I wiped any friendly smile from my face and retorted coldly.
"You're well-informed. So why break our agreement? Even if these politicians speak out of both sides of their mouth, I'm disappointed, Representative. You clearly pushed for the merger of the Conservative and Moderate Parties while ensuring the TK region's interests were safeguarded. So why are you risking everything for more greed?"
Whether it was due to the rapid shift in tone, Han Ji-ho also dropped his mask.
"Ah, an agreement. But as you pointed out, a politician's promise can easily be broken, can't it? Just a figurehead? What is that to anyone? What I wanted was the power of the presidency that Yoon Chang-ho possessed. You and Yoon Chang-ho broke your promise first."
When Yoon Chang-ho handed over control of the party, the Moderate Party chose to go with collective leadership instead of a single leader.
The Moderates decided the party's direction through a majority vote with both the head and senior members.
Though the party head had ample power, it paled in comparison to when he was its president.
Furthermore, more than half of the senior members were from Yoon Chang-ho's camp.
That meant just as easily they could drift away from what Han Ji-ho yearned for.
"That's the shift of the times. It's a declaration of intent to keep power from being concentrated in the hands of one individual. The people welcomed it too, didn't they? What do you think contributed to this overwhelming victory in the latest election? Most of the regions that lost candidates in the nomination process defeated even as independents. People are starting to realize they need change."
"…"
"The transformation of the Moderate Party succeeded. Is that something only you don't understand, or are you pretending not to?"
Before Yoon Chang-ho's time, the president often held the party presidency, monopolizing power.
Though the benefits included compact decision-making, the centralization of power also resulted in significant downsides.
Even Yoon Chang-ho found it hard to relinquish the power he held.
Yet, I had no intention of allowing Yoon Chang-ho to grab a monopoly again.
Even if he chose a different path, I had to move the party to counter any possible hindrance.
Though I was confident that he would continue to walk the same path as mine, who could tell what a person wielding power might do in the future?
"Well, there's no need to lie. I reported their corruption to the media. That's why the prosecutors moved in on this matter. But on the flip side, the core issue is their guilt. If they had no wrongdoing, they wouldn't be facing the prosecutors' questioning like this."
"There aren't many pure politicians around. When power changes hands, the politicians remain the same. Why do you think that is? They are all the same. Each knows the other's weaknesses. So, they reach a compromise somewhere along the line."
Han Ji-ho spoke in an almost patronizing tone, lulling me like a child.
It made me chuckle at how little he understood the situation.
"I think you're mistaken. I'm not a politician."
"That may be true, but what about your friend Lee Myeong-su? Would he think the same? Surely dirt must come out on him as well. I don't plan on dying alone, Kim Mu-hyeok."
Han Ji-ho threatened to take Lee Myeong-su down too.
Was he crazy? How dare he threaten my friend?
A chill ran through my veins at that moment.
I called out coldly to Han Ji-ho without showing any anger or amusement.
"Representative."
Ignoring my reaction, Han Ji-ho smirked as he continued.
"Why? Do you think I can't? Ending the political future of a promising individual has its perks."
"I didn't realize you wanted to end a real life, rather than just his political career. Should I go about making you a martyr?"
My priority was ensuring my people's safety.
Yet somehow, Han Ji-ho crossed the line I had drawn.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone