Capítulo 246: Chapter 246: Don’t You Want to Live?
A good father? Does that really look good to you?"
Seo Jae-hoon's eyes glimmered. Soon, he burst into laughter.
"Stop messing around. Do you even know how I grew up? A good father?"
The man who laughed like a madman suddenly twisted his face into a grimace.
"That person doesn't care about my life. He needs a puppet to inherit the Il-sung empire!""
After finishing his words, Seo Jae-hoon bit his lip hard. It was so forceful that blood began to trickle down.
"Just kill me. Dying here would be better."
It was a statement that sounded almost dignified, but I shook my head.
His struggles had nothing to do with me.
"I've already promised Chairman Seo Yong-geon to spare you. If I kill you here, that's only good for you. Do you really want to die? If so, then go back home and hang yourself. That would be better for both you and Il-sung.""
When I spoke coldly, Seo Jae-hoon's eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
Watching his actions, it seemed like he could end his life whenever he made up his mind.
But Seo Jae-hoon did not die.
"But you won't do that. You don't want to die, do you?"
Acting like a madman, Seo Jae-hoon firmly closed his mouth. Until the people sent by Chairman Seo Yong-geon arrived, we merely stared at each other in silence.
Soon, those sent by Chairman Seo Yong-geon arrived, and Seo Jae-hoon left his home in Pyeongchang-dong with them.
After he returned, I issued orders to Manager Ma.
"Starting today, keep a close watch on Seo Jae-hoon. Do whatever it takes, whether that's tapping phones or anything else."
Though I mentioned not caring about him, it wasn't wise to leave a ticking time bomb unchecked.
Especially if that bomb held power.
I sighed while gazing at the main gate from which Seo Jae-hoon had left.
* * *
Slap!
As soon as Seo Yong-geon saw Seo Jae-hoon returning home after his treatment at the hospital, he slapped him across the face.
"You little bastard…"
Despite being slapped, Seo Jae-hoon merely smiled.
"Why'd you do that? What are you thinking?"
"What do you mean, Chairman?"
"In Japan! What made you act that way, huh? Is it true? Did you hire the Yakuza to attack Representative Eva?"
Chairman Seo Yong-geon asked, trembling with rage, unable to hide his anger.
"Yes, it's true. What's the problem with it? I learned it all from you, Chairman."
"What do you mean?"
"You'd get rid of anything that got on your nerves, no matter what, right? So I followed suit."
Seo Jae-hoon's bold answer left Chairman Seo Yong-geon momentarily speechless.
"Besides, shouldn't you blame the failure instead of the action? You always said to bring results, right? As long as the outcome is good, the process doesn't matter to you."
"…"
"I didn't expect to fail. I went in with all preparations, chasing like I was hunting, but who could've anticipated it would lead to the Russian Embassy? Neither I nor Japan had foreseen that outcome; that's why it failed."
As he finished speaking, a look of despair crossed Chairman Seo Yong-geon's face.
Looking drained, he slumped into his chair and gestured for Seo Jae-hoon to sit.
"Just sit down for now."
As Seo Jae-hoon sat down, Chairman Seo Yong-geon sighed and began splashing water on his face.
"It's not that failure is important. You shouldn't have attempted this in the first place."
"…"
Seo Jae-hoon didn't respond at all.
After a moment of brooding, Chairman Seo Yong-geon finally noticed Seo Jae-hoon's hand and pointed at the bandaged hand.
"What did the hospital say? Are you okay?"
Holding up his hand, Seo Jae-hoon smiled.
"Well, they said it wouldn't affect my daily life."
Although I felt a chill from Seo Jae-hoon's manufactured smile, Chairman Seo Yong-geon chose to ignore it.
"I'm glad to hear that. I hope you learn a lesson from this experience. You're a talent who will one day inherit Il-sung. Small mistakes likke this can add up and eventually choke off your future."
"Yes, Chairman."
"Killing Representative Eva won't solve everything. Why would you think that?"
Chairman Seo Yong-geon believed that killing just Eva would not resolve the situation.
Yet, Seo Jae-hoon had attacked Eva. Chairman Seo Yong-geon wanted to know the reason behind it.
"I just… didn't like her."
"…Yeah. I can see that."
At Seo Jae-hoon's calm response, Chairman Seo Yong-geon bit his lip and sighed softly, nodding slightly.
"Anyway, this incident has caused significant damage. We need to hand over the presidential campaign funds to Kim Hak-gwon and transfer Ilseong Electronics' semiconductor technology to Kim Mu-hyeok."
"…"
"Everything has gotten tangled up right now. I don't even know where it went wrong."
Chairman Seo Yong-geon felt nothing but frustration.
It was bad enough that Ilseong Corporation had been seized, and he had recently received contact from a member of the Moderate Party.
Apparently, an amendment dealing with the separation of powers and governance structure was about to be introduced.
He had instructed them to do whatever it took to block the bill, but he already knew it was impossible.
While searching for measures, Seo Jae-hoon stirred up a major incident.
"It seems the management succession process will take a long time. So stop causing trouble and focus on company matters only."
"Understood."
After finishing his words, Chairman Seo Yong-geon briefly closed his eyes.
Seo Jae-hoon, watching Chairman Seo Yong-geon, showed no emotion in his gaze.
* * *
A few days later, as Koizumi had foretold, the Japanese political scene turned chaotic.
The snowball effect started with the attack on Eva in Tokyo and rapidly escalated into internal scandals.
Ironically, there hadn't been a single line reporting on the attack at the time…
It appeared the internal power struggle within the Liberal Democratic Party had officially begun.
"You settled everything, right?"
I asked Han Gyeong-yeong aboard the private jet headed for Washington. Han Gyeong-yeong raised his head from his laptop.
"Uh… Damn, my hands were shaking while I was settling things. Just how much have we lost?"
The amount lost in the futures market vastly outstripped the loss in physical goods.
This was expected. The bigger the prey, the more hyenas rushed in to take a bite; it was something we had to endure.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Still, since it ended sooner than expected, we managed to get by with this much loss. Japan's economy should stabilize quickly, but there will definitely be aftereffects. Not as severe as Korea, but still."
Han Gyeong-yeong lifted the wine glass beside him. His fingers still trembled.
"Even if it stabilizes as you say, large-scale restructuring of Japanese banks will be inevitable. Many companies will go up for sale. If there are any decent ones, I was thinking about acquiring them, fixing them up, and reselling. What do you think?"
"Do as you wish. That's something you're good at."
Even if they hit the market due to short-term cash pressure, Japanese companies were still renowned for their excellence worldwide.
The best option to recover even a fraction of the loss was simply to let Han Gyeong-yeong handle it.
"Sure, I'll take care of it."
"Rest. Stop looking at your laptop. You still have plenty of time before we arrive."
Shrugging, Han Gyeong-yeong closed his laptop, and I stood up and moved toward my office on the jet.
The office inside the private jet was equipped with various conveniences.
"Manager, I'm going to catch some sleep. Wake me around arrival time."
"Yes, Boss."
There were many tasks to handle once we arrived in the U.S. I needed to save up my energy beforehand.
I closed the office door and forced myself to sleep.
By the time we arrived at Dulles Airport, the morning sun was rising.
"We need to leave right away."
As soon as we landed at the airport for the presidential inauguration starting at 11 A.M., we hopped into the prepared limousine and left immediately.
By the time we arrived in Washington D.C., traffic control was already in effect.
Unable to move by car, we headed near the Capitol building and began walking.
Despite the cold weather, crowds were walking toward the Capitol to attend the inauguration.
Upon reaching the Capitol steps, we were guided by the White House security team to our designated seating area.
To the left of the platform sat former presidents and politicians, while the right was filled with congratulatory envoys and other guests from various countries.
"The weather is awful."
It was the day of the inauguration, yet the weather was dismal. I extended my hand and felt the sleet fall as I muttered.
"Yet surprisingly, Bush is treating us as VIPs, Boss."
I nodded at Eric's words.
The seat we were assigned was in the very first row on the right side.
Sitting in the first row were the foreign ministers from the UK, France, and Germany.
The foreign minister from Japan sat in the second row, while the minister from Korea was in the third.
This gesture showed Bush's consideration for both me and Han Gyeong-yeong.
They couldn't ignore us, especially since Eric was the head of Black Bear and had strong connections with U.S. military officials.
Han Gyeong-yeong was influential in New York and had donated significant political funds.
While I was surveying my surroundings, the president stepped up to the platform, and the inauguration began.
The oath, blessed by the prayers of a pastor and a Catholic cardinal, passed to Vice President Dick Cheney, and finally, all that remained was Bush's oath.
Placing his hand on Lincoln's Bible held by the First Lady, Bush swore in.
— I, George Walker Bush, solemnly swear to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God!
With the oath, the Marine Corps honor guard fired twenty-one cannon salutes. The atmosphere of the inauguration grew increasingly fervent.
After the President's inaugural address began, concluded by the presidential anthem performed by the Marine Corps band.
— Former President Clinton, distinguished guests, and my fellow citizens…
Bush's speech ended with a brief and powerful final sentence.
— May God bless you all and bless America.
As the speech concluded, a thunderous applause erupted from the attendees.
After stepping down from the platform, President Bush approached former President Clinton to embrace him.
With so many people around him, it seemed difficult for them to hold a conversation.
"Let's head out for now. We can catch up at the inaugural party tonight."
I stood up first and spoke to Eric and Han Gyeong-yeong.
But at the moment I rose, the atmosphere around the inauguration suddenly began to shift oddly.
The press surrounding Bush and his aides were bustling around energetically.
The Secretary was approaching Bush to whisper a report into his ear.
With each word he spoke, the smiling face of Bush visibly hardened.
'What the hell?'
Just as I noticed the sudden change and scanned my surroundings, Han Gyeong-yeong took out his phone from his suit pocket.
"Who is it?"
"It's the company. They told us not to contact them while attending the inauguration… What's going on?"
Han Gyeong-yeong grumbled as he picked up the call.
"I told you not to contact us…"
However, Han Gyeong-yeong couldn't finish his sentence. His expression froze, the urgent voice on the other end of the line gripped him tightly.
Though I couldn't catch what was being said, it was clear by Han Gyeong-yeong's expression that it wasn't good news.
"Something happened at the World Trade Center… What? A plane? No, stay calm and report it slowly."
Murmuring in disbelief, something suddenly clicked in my mind.
World Trade Center, a plane. Naturally, I couldn't help but think of the 9/11 attacks.
"Did a plane just crash into the World Trade Center?"
The 9/11 attacks were happening right now? On the day of the presidential inauguration?
It was a terror attack eight months ahead of schedule.
What in the world had changed? My mind tangled like a ball of yarn.
"Hey, Mu-hyeok."
I snapped back to reality at Han Gyeong-yeong's call.
"They just reported that a plane suddenly crashed into the World Trade Center?"
"…"
"They say all of New York is in chaos…"
I felt my legs give way and sank back into my seat.
Han Gyeong-yeong, who followed suit to sit beside me, continued to speak.
"The stock market and the bonds market are going to tremble soon. What should we do? Should we throw all the stocks and bonds we have onto the market?"
Han Gyeong-yeong's question jolted me to attention.
"No way. Absolutely not. Don't even think about making a profit from this incident."
Upon seeing my hardened expression, confusion flickered across Han Gyeong-yeong's face.
Under no circumstances should we profit from this event. Absolutely not.
This was the first time in 88 years that the continental U.S. had been directly attacked.
The rage that would swell in the U.S. was beyond imagination, and no one could challenge the ensuing madness.
"Absolutely not. Don't do anything that could land us in trouble."
Not being able to foresee the future, Han Gyeong-yeong was flustered by my insistence and kept asking why, but I couldn't give him an answer.
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