CH127

Beyond the wide window, towering buildings overlooked the Donghae Group chairman's office, where a heavy atmosphere filled the room.

In the center, Chairman Woo Yong-gap sat on a dark wooden leather sofa, his expression hardened. Around him were Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-chul, his eldest son Woo Ho-geun, and other senior executives of the group.

Everyone held their breath, tense, watching the chairman's reaction. Even Woo Ho-geun, usually arrogant and overbearing, remained silent, stealing cautious glances at his father's grim face.

Breaking the suffocating silence, Woo Yong-gap finally spoke in a low, heavy voice.

"So, the opposition party held a press conference to officially raise allegations about the slush funds of two former presidents."

His tone wasn't loud, but it was filled with anger, making everyone flinch and shrink back.

Among them, Jung Yoon-sik, a slim-built executive with gold-rimmed glasses and a close confidant of the chairman, carefully responded.

"Yes, sir. One of the former presidents reportedly contacted the government through an intermediary, discreetly inquiring whether the 400 billion won tied up due to the Financial Real-Name System could be converted into a legitimate account."

Woo Yong-gap scowled and pressed further.

"Are they just throwing this out there to take control of the political narrative ahead of the June local elections?"

"Given that they even proposed handing over half—200 billion won—to the government in exchange for turning a blind eye to the fund's origins, it doesn't seem like a baseless claim."

"Damn it. If they had just kept quiet, this could have blown over. But they couldn't hold back and ended up stirring things up."

As Woo Yong-gap vented his frustration, Jung Yoon-sik added,

"400 billion won isn't an amount that can be easily given up."

"So they had to go and poke the beehive?!"

"..."

When the chairman roared in anger, the executives instinctively lowered their heads, afraid of becoming collateral damage.

"Which one of them did something this stupid?"

"We haven't been able to determine that yet."

"Tsk."

Clicking his tongue in irritation, Woo Yong-gap's other close aide, Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-chul, interjected.

"No matter which side it is, if the issue of a former president's slush fund becomes a major political controversy, it will bring no good to our group."

"That's right. There are already news articles mentioning our group alongside ST."

Upon hearing this, Woo Yong-gap's face contorted in anger.

"My younger sister got divorced, so we have no ties to former President Noh anymore. Why are they dragging us into this?"

Woo Ho-geun muttered in annoyance.

Jung Yoon-sik, though inwardly thinking, Do you really not understand why?, kept his expression neutral and responded quickly.

"That may be true, but the fact remains that your family was connected by marriage. Many suspect that former President Noh's slush funds may have flowed into ST and our group."

"This is absurd. They don't have any proof that we received money, yet they spout nonsense. What is the secretary's office doing if they can't even manage this?"

Caught off guard by the sudden rebuke, Jeon Hae-chul stammered, flustered. But as Woo Ho-geun was the chairman's son and sole heir to the group, he simply flushed red and remained silent, unable to argue back.

Observing this exchange, Jung Yoon-sik and the other executives frowned internally at Woo Ho-geun's behavior.

No matter how much he was the chairman's son, Woo Ho-geun was far younger than everyone else in the room and held the lowest-ranking position among them. Yet, he carried himself as if he were above them, an attitude that clearly crossed the line.

Moreover, setting aside the slush fund issue, it was an undeniable fact that their company had received significant advantages during the former president's administration simply due to their in-law relationship, leading to rapid growth.

If they truly had nothing to hide, they wouldn't have needed to gather in such haste for an emergency meeting.

Chairman Woo Yong-gap sensed the discomfort of those around him but decided not to undermine his son's authority in front of the senior executives. There was no need to crush his pride unnecessarily.

"As Secretary Jeon said, we should have taken preemptive measures to prevent this from becoming a problem."

Since the chairman was siding with his son, Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-chul could do nothing but bow his head in silence.

"…I apologize."

"As long as you understand."

Brushing off the matter with a dismissive response, Woo Yong-gap folded his arms, his expression still displeased, before steering the conversation back to its original course.

"What do you think will happen next?"

All eyes turned to Executive Director Jung Yoon-sik, who responded.

"The government immediately denied the claims, but with the local elections approaching, the opposition party will likely keep pushing this issue to their advantage and attempt to escalate it further."

"The more noise they make, the more it benefits them. That's only natural."

Watching Woo Yong-gap's deepening scowl, Jung Yoon-sik cautiously continued.

"Some have even begun suggesting a parliamentary hearing on the former presidents' slush funds, similar to the hearings held during the Fifth Republic investigation."

"A parliamentary hearing, you say?!"

Woo Yong-gap's voice rose sharply, making Jung Yoon-sik hesitate before confirming.

"Yes, sir."

"This is absolutely infuriating."

His face flushing red, Woo Yong-gap quickly downed the green tea in front of him, as if trying to cool his anger.

His strong reaction stemmed from the trauma of the Fifth Republic hearings several years ago.

That investigation, which had lasted nearly a year, had ruthlessly exposed the corruption of politicians and high-ranking officials who had wielded power during the military dictatorship.

And among those caught in the storm were the heads of major conglomerates.

The chairmen of Saseong, Hyunwoo, and Daegwang—household names in the business world—had all been dragged before the hearings, where they were humiliated on live television, grilled and scolded by lawmakers in front of the entire nation.

The experience had been so disgraceful that even now, the mere mention of a parliamentary hearing was enough to send corporate leaders into a panic.

So, it was only natural for Woo Yong-gap to react with such alarm at the prospect of his own company being targeted.

"What if we offer campaign funds to some opposition lawmakers and quietly have them defuse the situation?"

Woo Ho-geun proposed the idea, but Jeon Hae-chul immediately objected.

"With the elections coming up, they're already on high alert. If we make the wrong move, it could backfire and give them even more ammunition against us."

"I agree. Rather than acting hastily and drawing attention to ourselves, it would be wiser to monitor the situation for now."

When Jung Yoon-sik backed Jeon Hae-chul's stance, Woo Ho-geun scowled and turned toward them.

"So, you're saying we should just stand by and watch as this crisis unfolds?"

"We're saying this is a delicate situation that requires a cautious approach."

"Cautious, my ass. If this leads to my father standing in front of a parliamentary hearing, will you take responsibility for that, Secretary Jeon?"

Woo Ho-geun's sharp, sarcastic remark made Jeon Hae-chul suppress his frustration as he replied.

"That's exactly why we need to be cautious—to make sure such a thing never happens."

"Hmph. So, in the end, you're saying we have no real countermeasures."

"That's not what I meant!"

As their voices gradually grew louder, Woo Yong-gap, who had been listening in silence, suddenly slammed his palm against the armrest of the sofa.

"Enough!"

Then, with a furious expression, he shouted.

"I told you to come up with a solution—what the hell are you two doing?!"

Under the weight of his authority, both Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-chul and Woo Ho-geun flinched and quickly ended their argument.

"Tsk!"

After glaring at both men with piercing eyes, Woo Yong-gap leaned back against the sofa and spoke.

"Secretary Jeon is right. If we're not careful, we'll end up sticking our heads straight into the lion's mouth. So put a hold on contacting the opposition lawmakers."

At this, Woo Ho-geun lowered his head slightly, his expression stiffening.

Seeing that his father seemed to trust Jeon Hae-chul more than his own son filled him with deep resentment.

Meanwhile, Woo Yong-gap scanned the gathered executives and issued his next orders.

"It would be ideal if this noise dies down soon, but we can't predict where things will go. Prepare for the worst. Go over everything—see if there's anything that could cause problems, and if there is, clean it up before it becomes an issue. You all understand what I mean, right?"

"Yes, Chairman."

"Understood, sir."

With a casual wave of his arm, Woo Yong-gap signaled for them to leave.

"That's all. You can all go now."

One by one, the executives, including Chief Secretary Jeon, rose from their seats, bowed slightly, and exited the chairman's office.

Woo Ho-geun also got up to leave, but just as he was about to step away, Woo Yong-gap, rubbing his forehead as if dealing with a headache, stopped him.

"Stay back. I need to talk to you."

"Huh? Oh… Alright."

Woo Ho-geun sat back down, his expression puzzled.

Once the last of the executives had left and the room was empty except for the two of them, Woo Yong-gap let out a long sigh before speaking.

"I had your sister divorce Ki-hoon precisely to avoid situations like this… But things in life never go as planned."

Woo Sung-mi was Woo Yong-gap's daughter, whom he had strategically married off to the son of former President No Ki-hoon.

Pressing his fingers against the wrinkles between his brows, Woo Yong-gap then turned his sharp gaze toward his son.

"As you just heard, the current climate is not in our favor. This is a time when even a falling leaf could bring trouble."

"I understand."

Yet, Woo Yong-gap still seemed unconvinced, eyeing his son with doubt.

"Don't just say that lightly! Don't do anything reckless that'll make me have to worry even more. Just lay low for the time being!"

"Oh, come on, I haven't even done anything—"

"You little—!"

Woo Ho-geun had started to protest, but seeing his father's brows shoot up in anger, he quickly shut his mouth. One more word, and he knew he'd be in for a storm of fury. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"…Understood."

"Sigh… Good. If you have even a shred of sense, you won't cause any trouble at a time like this."

The blatantly dismissive tone stung Woo Ho-geun's pride.

No matter what, this level of disregard felt outright humiliating.

"I need to get some rest now. You can go."

"Yes, sir."

Leaving his father, Woo Yong-gap, sinking into the plush sofa behind him, Woo Ho-geun stepped out of the chairman's office.

As soon as he emerged, Section Chief Oh Sang-hyun, who had been waiting in the hallway, quickly approached.

Noticing Woo Ho-geun's stiff expression, Oh Sang-hyun instinctively sensed that something unpleasant had transpired inside. Without saying a word, he merely observed the situation.

"What's the status of the Boseong Telecom deal?"

Striding forward and stepping into the elevator, Woo Ho-geun asked in a cold, rigid tone.

"The share acquisition should be fully completed in just a few more days."

"Then it's time for the shakeout."

"That's correct."

Staring at his own reflection in the elevator doors, Woo Ho-geun recalled his father's warning from earlier.

"That old geezer…"

His eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity as he bit down on his lower lip and muttered.

"Tell Manager Son to proceed exactly as planned."

"Yes, sir."

If he were to follow Woo Yong-gap's orders, he would have to halt or at least put a temporary stop to the stock manipulation scheme.

But too much money had already been invested—not just his own, but also funds from his friends. It was far too late to back out now.

On top of that, the resentment he felt toward his father only fueled his resolve. Instead of slowing down, he decided to press the accelerator even harder.

"As long as we don't get caught, it won't be a problem."

"Sir? Did you say something?"

"It's nothing."

Irritated, Woo Ho-geun brushed him off, and Oh Sang-hyun knew better than to ask further questions.

Just then, the elevator arrived at the selected floor.

Wearing an icy expression, Woo Ho-geun stepped out.