Chapter 19
A Father Cleans Up His Son’s Mess (1)
Elected officials—people who win office through votes—tend to think they’ve been granted immunity for whatever they do.
The ones serving a second term or more are even worse.
And when they realize they can no longer win another election or have no chance of securing a party nomination, they usually try to pull off one last big score before retiring.
After all, prosecutors rarely bother looking at politicians whose political careers are already over.
This expansion of Incheon’s coal terminal was a joint creation of a man who could no longer become mayor of Incheon and the central government bureaucrats working hand-in-hand with him.
“Dongseong, you idiot. Does he not even realize he’s being used?”
ST had brought Choi Sung Construction into this project.
Only his eldest son, Dongseong, probably believed he was the one who had brought ST in.
“What am I supposed to do with this...?”
His son might be lacking, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch him become nothing more than a prop for ST Group and a bunch of politicians.
To stop that, the entire game board needed to be overturned.
Right now, the only person capable of stopping his eldest son was Lee Sangjae.
But even Lee’s influence had probably weakened considerably.
The source of that influence—the chairman—was lying speechless in a hospital bed.
“Election season’s coming, so everyone’s desperately trying to suck the last drops of profit out of everything.”
As Chairman Kang sighed, a single word caught his attention.
Election.
That’s right.
Everyone goes crazy during election season.
The ones about to leave office chase money.
The ones trying to stay in power chase votes.
If ST had grabbed the hand of someone on the way out, what if he grabbed the hand of someone trying to get re-elected?
The thought crossed his mind.
Chairman Kang sighed again.
When he had been chairman, all he had to do was think.
There had been countless people ready to turn those thoughts into reality.
Now he had to act on them himself.
“I guess when you’re young, you have to use your own body.”
He pulled out his phone.
“Assistant Manager Kim, come to the office building right now. And fill the tank on the way. We’re going to Gangwon Province.”
***
“Where would you like to go, sir?”
“Gangwon Provincial Government first. Where is it? Gangneung?”
“The provincial government is in Chuncheon.”
“Then Chuncheon.”
As the car started moving, Chairman Kang called the governor’s office.
“This is the President’s Secretariat of Choi Sung Trading. We’d like to meet the governor regarding a port infrastructure development project. Please report it and contact me. My phone number is...”
After leaving his number, he hung up.
Choi Sung Trading.
Port.
Infrastructure.
Words guaranteed to attract a governor’s attention before an election.
Listening to a proposal cost nothing.
Someone would certainly make time.
“Assistant Manager Kim.”
“Yes, sir?”
“We might have to spend the night in Chuncheon. Is that okay?”
“No problem.”
“Then book a hotel.”
“Understood. I’ll arrange it as soon as we arrive.”
His immediate response suggested Kim Yoonsu probably wasn’t married yet.
The thought sparked his curiosity, but he didn’t pursue it.
“Chuncheon’s famous for dakgalbi, right? Should we have that for dinner?”
“Sounds good. Let’s get some makguksu too.”
By the time their car entered the expressway, Chairman Kang’s phone rang.
It wasn’t the call he had been waiting for.
—Hey! Where the hell are you? Why haven’t I seen even a glimpse of you all day?
Manager Oh’s shout practically exploded from the speaker.
“I’m on my way to Chuncheon.”
—What? Chuncheon? Why the hell are you going there?
“I’ll explain when I get back. Something good might happen, so look forward to it. I’m busy, so I’m hanging up.”
He ended the call.
The phone immediately rang again.
Thinking it was Manager Oh calling back in anger, he glanced at the number.
It started with 033.
Chuncheon.
“Hello?”
—This is the Gangwon Governor’s Office. The governor has a little free time this evening.
A man anxious about an upcoming election had bitten the bait immediately.
That alone showed how attractive the proposal sounded.
“Send me the time and place by text. I’ll be there within three hours.”
After ending the call, Chairman Kang turned to Kim.
“Looks like you’ll have to eat the dakgalbi and makguksu by yourself. But let’s stay overnight. You’ll be tired from driving.”
Kim merely nodded slightly and pressed harder on the accelerator.
***
“This is the place?”
“Yes. This is the address they gave us.”
He had expected a café.
Instead, it was a rural coffeehouse straight out of the countryside.
What kind of state secret required a meeting in a place like this?
“Assistant Manager Kim, wait here for a bit. Looks like we’ll be having dinner together after all.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll make the hotel arrangements and wait.”
When he entered the second-floor coffeehouse, there was only one customer.
And it wasn’t the governor.
Did he send an aide instead?
It didn’t matter.
As long as the message got delivered.
Chairman Kang approached the man and handed him a business card.
“Hwang Junhyun from Choi Sung Trading.”
The man ignored his greeting and instead pulled out his phone.
He called the company number printed on the card.
—President’s Secretariat of Choi Sung Trading.
“Could I speak with Hwang Junhyun?”
—He’s not at his desk right now. Would you like to leave a number?
“No. I’ll contact him directly on his cellphone. Thank you.”
After ending the call, the man gave a slight bow.
“My apologies if that seemed rude. There are too many suspicious people these days.”
“Election season must be approaching.”
“It is. An incumbent governor meeting with a major corporation. The content doesn’t matter. Just seeing the words ‘major corporation’ is enough to make it look corrupt.”
“You’re being extremely cautious. Must be a close election.”
“That depends on who the opposition nominates. More importantly, let’s discuss your business. Port infrastructure. What exactly are you proposing?”
“Are you familiar with Incheon’s coal terminal? They’re about to begin an expansion project.”
“No. We don’t have the resources to concern ourselves with what’s happening in Incheon.”
“Then look into it. The project is facing strong opposition from Incheon residents and environmental groups. Bring it to Gangwon instead.”
“What?”
The aide still didn’t understand where this was going.
“Not just the expansion. Move the existing coal terminal too. Gangwon used to be a mining region, didn’t it? There’s historical justification. Personally, I think Donghae City would be ideal. The governor and the mayor of Donghae are both from the ruling party, aren’t they? This could become a local election issue.”
“A coal terminal...”
“The west coast already suffers from Chinese fine dust and yellow dust. The East Sea side isn’t as bad, right? There’ll be concerns about air pollution, sure, but one strong wind and it all blows out over the sea. And there’s no need to even mention the job creation.”
“Is something like that actually possible?”
“If the provincial governor, the mayor, and the central government all support it, is building a port really that difficult? Besides, if the project moves forward, Choi Sung Group intends to cooperate actively. Of course there would still be a public bidding process, but preparation beforehand always helps.”
“Even during election season, this isn’t something that can be decided lightly.”
“Of course it requires review. But if you move too slowly, the issue will disappear. Incheon is pushing hard right now. You need to announce it while opposition sentiment is still high. Otherwise, how will you use it as an election promise? The actual construction can start later.”
The aide looked hesitant.
But Chairman Kang knew he would use it.
What politician would ignore an opportunity to boost Gangwon’s struggling economy?
In fact, the mayor of Donghae might announce it before the governor even had a chance.
Whether the project ultimately succeeded or failed was irrelevant.
The important thing was that it could be used as a campaign promise.
Seeing the conflict in the aide’s eyes, Chairman Kang smiled.
“If you become interested, contact me. I’ll prepare proper materials. You’ll need to brief the governor anyway, won’t you?”
An aide couldn’t make this decision.
The governor, the mayor of Donghae, and the local National Assembly member would all have to reach an agreement.
If the mayor didn’t get along with the governor, another city might become the candidate.
The result would be the same.
They would desperately want to use it during the election.
After all, few campaign promises were as effective as development projects.
***
The next day, Chairman Kang expected Manager Oh to yell at him.
Instead, Oh simply crooked a finger.
“Did you bring back something good? If you did, I’ll let yesterday’s disappearance slide. If not, you’re getting chewed out.”
Manager Oh extended a hand.
“What? Nothing?”
“The project Chairman Kang’s son was trying to push through is probably going to collapse. That’s good news, isn’t it? The president’s problem disappears.”
Manager Oh froze with his hand still outstretched.
Chairman Kang beckoned with a finger.
“Let’s go to the meeting room.”
Manager Oh jumped up and practically sprinted there.
Chairman Kang followed at a leisurely pace and closed the door behind him.
“What are you talking about? Collapse?”
Chairman Kang recounted his meeting with the governor’s aide and concluded with a discussion about elections.
“In the local elections, the governor and mayor will definitely play the coal terminal card. Once they do, the Incheon project stalls. The central government will naturally support members of its own party, so momentum shifts toward Donghae. Then we’re left holding a card.”
“What card?”
“Whether we get involved in the Donghae terminal project—or stay away from coal entirely. Give that card to the president. Whether he wants to play it or not is his decision.”
Manager Oh shot up like a spring.
“Don’t go anywhere today. Stay at your desk.”
That was all he said before running toward the president’s office.
President Choi reacted exactly the same way.
“You met the governor?”
“No. More like the governor’s aide. Or perhaps an election strategist.”
“Is he insane? What kind of lunatic goes somewhere like that?”
Manager Oh shrugged.
“Didn’t you already think he was half insane?”
President Choi glared at him.
“Do you think this is funny?”
“My apologies, sir.”
Carefully watching the president’s expression, Manager Oh continued.
“But I don’t think it would be a bad idea to keep this moving.”
“Keep what moving?”
“The governor’s side will probably contact us again. We continue things quietly behind the scenes. If this project really shifts to Donghae, we might end up holding the knife.”
President Choi looked at him as though he were an idiot.
“Are you out of your mind? That project belongs to the chairman’s eldest son. If we snatch it away, we’re declaring war on him. You expect me to take that risk?”
Unless the bedridden chairman suddenly woke up and announced he was donating his entire fortune to charity, the person most likely to become chairman in a few years was Vice President Kang Dongseong.
Crossing someone like that was practically the same as announcing your retirement.
“No, that’s not what I mean. We just keep hold of the rope. And if the project really moves to Donghae, we toss that rope upward.”
“Upward? To where?”
“To Group Strategy Headquarters. Executive Director Lee Sangjae.”
President Choi suddenly regained interest in something he had been ready to discard.
If Lee Sangjae handled the coordination, then any resentment or blame would fall on him.
And Lee Sangjae was more than capable of blocking whatever arrows Kang Dongseong might shoot his way.