Early in the morning,
I was the first to receive the newspaper delivered to the house.
A headline that made me question my eyes occupied the front page.
[Hyundai Group Honorary Chairman Jang Young-joo Passes Away]
An event that would shake South Korea had occurred.
It was a far bigger incident than Captain Kang and I had intended, and no news related to my grandfather was reported at all.
"Sigh, he finally left us first. Why did he struggle so hard trying to save the group?"
"Grandfather, are you okay?"
My grandfather was deeply shocked.
His complexion was far worse than during the accounting fraud press conference, and he sat on the sofa for a moment to regain composure.
"Even someone as strong as him cannot overcome the weight of time."
"That's why you should attend your medical appointments regularly. I've heard you skip hospital visits because you're too busy. If you skip again, I'll personally drag you to the hospital."
"Living longer only means seeing more ugly things."
My grandfather was soon scheduled for prosecution investigation.
Just thinking about the humiliation he would endure before the prosecution's photo line made my heart ache.
"Don't try to bear the filth alone, grandfather. I'm old enough to take it on now."
"If I'm going to drag my grandson through the mud, I might as well just die."
"Then I'd have to take all that mud—so you have to live a long time."
"Hey, you brat! Is this a time for jokes? Stop babbling and help prepare the funeral."
We went together to the funeral hall of Chairman Jang Young-joo.
Reporters were already stationed at the Blue House neighborhood home, and vehicles of politicians and businesspeople were lined up along the alley.
"Chairman Jang must not have lived his life in vain after all."
"Not only political and business figures but ordinary citizens are paying their respects as well."
"Among businessmen, no one is respected as much as Chairman Jang. Let's go inside."
My grandfather and I entered the Blue House neighborhood residence.
As we arrived, the mourners graciously made way for us.
This was not simply because Taewoo Group was the top conglomerate, but because everyone knew my grandfather had a special friendship with Chairman Jang.
"He worked hard. Was his journey peaceful?"
"He worried about Hyundai Group until the end. It's all our fault for not measuring up, so we can't lift our heads."
Chairman Jang Kyung-jun of Hyundai Motors was the chief mourner.
Behind him were several of Chairman Jang Young-joo's children in a line, including Jang Young-jun, Chairman of Hyundai Group.
My grandfather shook the hands of all of them and spoke at length, with some even shedding tears.
"My deepest condolences for the deceased."
"You're here too. Sigh, I never thought we'd meet again like this."
"Sorry to have taken so much of your time. I will visit again later."
"You're always welcome."
I briefly ended the conversation with Chairman Jang Kyung-jun and moved aside.
Before I knew it, I was shaking hands and talking with Chairman Jang Young-jun.
"I heard Taewoo Group has been struggling because of semiconductors. I feel sorry we passed a bomb onto you."
"Not at all. We knew the situation was difficult when we took over, so the responsibility is ours. Please don't feel sorry."
Suddenly,
Chairman Jang Young-jun raised his left hand and firmly grasped mine.
But there was something rough in his grip.
"When you have time, visit Hyundai Group headquarters. I will treat you well."
"I'll visit soon."
Naturally, I held his hand with both of mine.
I realized the roughness in Jang Young-jun's hand was a note.
"There are the Federation of Korean Industries chairmen over there. I'll go join them, so you go find a comfortable seat and eat."
"I'll see you shortly."
Grandfather and I naturally separated.
I quietly headed to the restroom and took out the note given by Chairman Jang Young-jun.
[Contact between Yoon Hyun-gil and Jang Kyung-jun]
What a bold move.
To receive such a note at a funeral parlor.
I flushed the toilet as if nothing had happened and went back out.
Then I headed back to the funeral hall, where the atmosphere had changed noticeably.
Security guards in black suits were controlling access.
The Federation of Korean Industries chairmen, including my grandfather, were all standing.
"What's going on?"
"Don't you know? Russian President Putin is visiting the funeral hall."
"Wasn't his visit to Korea scheduled for the end of this month?"
"It's been moved up. The government was notified just a day before, and he arrived in Korea."
It was remarkable decisiveness.
Perhaps due to his confidence as the president of a major country, Putin was known for moving recklessly.
I had heard that he was coming to Korea.
But I never imagined he would move up the schedule to come today.
"President Putin is entering."
The number of security personnel increased even more.
President Putin entered the funeral hall accompanied by the Russian ambassador.
He paid his respects with a slight bow and shook hands with the chief mourner, Chairman Jang Kyung-jun, and the other mourners.
As I watched blankly,
President Putin turned and approached where we were gathered.
"You're all business leaders representing Korea. I hope we can maintain a good relationship going forward."
An interpreter quickly relayed Putin's words to the chairmen.
After the interpretation, Putin shook hands with each of the business leaders.
Finally, as he shook my hand, he gave me a subtle wink.
A sudden wink?
Putin was not someone who would usually joke around like that.
I learned why he had done so just a few minutes later.
"This is something the VIP asked me to give you."
A staff member from the Russian embassy discreetly handed me an envelope.
Inside was a tiny USB drive.
What was this now?
After the note, now a USB.
They say a funeral hall is a place for meetings—now I truly understood what that meant.
I left the funeral hall and headed to Captain Kang's office first.
I couldn't bear the curiosity about what data the USB given by President Putin contained.
"What's the PC with the security system installed?"
"PC number 3 has the security system installed and is not connected to the internet."
I immediately plugged the USB into PC number 3.
Captain Kang and Dimon quietly approached behind me to watch.
"Let's see what's been sent from Russia. It seems like serious material."
"I saw news that President Putin visited Chairman Jang Young-jun's funeral. Did the two of you meet there?"
"We'll discuss that after reviewing the data."
I opened the USB and checked the contents.
Several documents written in Russian.
Some photos, numerous voice recordings, and video files were included.
"So, these are materials about Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil."
"I heard Russian intelligence is impressive, but I didn't know they had such files. Affairs, illegal election funds… wow!"
"Included are files on the aides I am investigating as well. Just as suspected, the aide took the blame and punishment for Yoon Hyun-gil's incidents."
There was enough material to hold Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil's leash.
This was the reward for supporting Putin since his independent days.
"Why are you all gathered here? Boss! I'm in Korea."
"David? Why are you in Korea when you should be in the U.S.? I didn't call you."
"I received a very good gift from the White House, so I came to deliver it to you as soon as possible."
David pulled out a 007-style briefcase.
Inside were numerous documents related to Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil.
"The White House sent this?"
"Well, isn't it common for America to surveil Korean politicians? A five-term lawmaker would naturally be monitored. The VVIP told me to use it well."
I received the same gift from both Russia and the United States.
I never asked for help, yet the leaders of these two countries unilaterally gave me presents.
"Captain Kang might become redundant with all this."
"No matter how excellent the team I lead is, can it compete with the intelligence agencies of the U.S. and Russia?"
"It's not just finding Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil's weaknesses anymore; we now have a nuclear bomb that can take him down in one shot."
But the gifts didn't end there.
While I was organizing the data sent by Russia and the U.S., I received a call from Ma Huateng, the CEO of Tencent.
"I've received word from the legal team that the joint venture establishment is complete."
[Thanks to Taewoo Group's active involvement. We received investment offers from Europe as well, but the conditions were too low compared to Taewoo Group's. We really appreciate the favorable terms you offered.]
It was a voice full of genuine gratitude from CEO Ma Huateng.
But calling just to say that?
"I will soon head to China to personally oversee the joint venture."
[We'd really appreciate that. … And one of our staff will be coming to Korea with the contract today.]
"I thought the contract would be brought by Taewoo Group's legal team."
[There's additional information to deliver. It's a small gift prepared by the elder for Taewoo Group. We'll meet again then.]
Dimon, who had been listening to the call beside me, exclaimed.
"Wow! Could they be sending materials related to Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil from China as well?"
"Seems likely. If it's a gift for Taewoo Group, it has to be that."
"I've never seen the U.S., Russia, and China take the initiative all at once like this."
"Nor did I ever expect something like this to happen."
To have three great powers step forward offering help first—
Though I maintained good relations with the leaders of these three countries, I never expected or asked for this.
Still, it wouldn't be polite to refuse when they were the ones offering first.
"A gift sent by the elder."
A few hours later,
A Tencent employee came to see me.
He handed over a hefty envelope of documents and left.
"Boss! Hurry up and open the gift package."
"First, let me take a deep breath. Phew!"
I went up to Captain Kang's office and opened the package of gifts from China.
As expected, the gift package was filled with information related to Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil.
"Boss, with materials sent from these three countries, we can not only end Assemblyman Yoon's political career but his entire life."
"Start by leaking the weakest information first to the media. That will provoke a reaction from Assemblyman Yoon's side, won't it? Also, provide the materials first to media outlets friendly to Taewoo Group. That way, Assemblyman Yoon's camp will suspect us as the mastermind behind this incident."
"If we report to the media today, won't the impact be too weak? The issue will be buried under the news of Chairman Jang Young-joo's passing."
"That's why we report it today—to let Assemblyman Yoon know we have no intention of escalating the issue further."