The next day
From the early morning, the country was in an uproar over the presidential election results.
The ruling party's candidate won by just a 2% margin, but the opposition party refused to accept the results, demanding a recount and alleging election fraud.
"Vice Chairman! The ruling party may have won, but the opposition is crying foul and calling for a recount."
"Let them be. The results won't change no matter what they do."
"Foreign media outlets are reporting that the ruling party's victory was largely due to the widespread adoption of the internet in Korea."
"That makes sense. They secured a strong voter base among young people. By the way, it looks like Candidate Jang has made a fool of himself."
Jang Myung-joon of Hyundai Group.
He had initially merged his campaign with the ruling party's candidate but suddenly withdrew his support just one day before the election, causing a political storm.
Had the opposition party won, he could have claimed credit for their victory. But since the ruling party prevailed, his rash decision ended up costing him dearly.
"If he had stuck with the merger, he would have been the frontrunner for the Prime Minister position. But now, given the circumstances, the ruling party won't share any benefits with him."
"Hyundai Group always suffers when they get involved in politics. Chairman Jang Young-joo ran for president once, and the group ended up facing political retaliation."
To be honest, Hyundai Group wasn't even worth paying attention to anymore.
Apart from Hyundai Motors, the rest of their businesses had fallen far behind Taewoo Group. They were no longer even competitors.
"We need to prepare for political retaliation as well. Right now, all the focus is on the election controversy, but once things settle down, the political establishment will turn its attention to us."
"Then, wouldn't it be best to keep the political scene chaotic? That way, they won't have time to come after us."
"Do you have a strategy in mind?"
"Before they pressure us for not funding the election, we should go on the offensive first."
There's a saying: "The best defense is a strong offense."
Logically speaking, we had nothing to worry about.
After all, we weren't the ones involved in illegal campaign financing—they were.
"If we step forward directly, the backlash could be severe."
"That's why we won't do it ourselves. We'll set things up so that the ruling and opposition parties tear each other apart."
"How exactly do you plan to do that?"
"The opposition party lost by just 2%, so they're desperate to find any excuse to attack. We just need to leak some evidence that suggests the ruling party accepted illegal campaign funds."
"But both parties probably received illicit funds. Do you really think they'd risk exposing campaign financing scandals?"
"People always see things differently depending on who's involved. When we receive campaign funds, it's seen as a patriotic contribution for the national interest. When they receive funds, it's labeled corruption and bribery. That's how politicians think."
"The problem is, we don't have much evidence to leak."
"I'll handle that through my personal contacts."
"But do we even know for sure that the big corporations provided illegal campaign funds?"
"They had no choice but to contribute. The trauma of the financial crisis is still fresh in their minds."
During the Asian Financial Crisis, companies that weren't on good terms with the government were forced to surrender their profitable subsidiaries under the pretense of economic restructuring.
Of course, the official narrative was that these corporate mergers were necessary for economic stability.
But from a business owner's perspective, it was nothing short of a hostile takeover disguised as policy.
"So you're saying that, to avoid another political purge, corporations likely poured money into campaign funds?"
"If you dig deep, you'll find that nearly every major corporation was involved."
"Would the opposition party really pursue this, knowing that the entire business and political establishment is implicated?"
"We'll see soon enough. Will the pot call the kettle black, or will they quietly hide away?"
***
I finally had a moment alone with Captain Kang after a long time.
I often stopped by his office, but lately, we hadn't had much time to talk one-on-one.
Perhaps that's why he looked a bit disappointed.
"Boss! You've been keeping your distance lately. Do you have any idea how miserable it feels to collect a paycheck without doing any work?"
"What do you mean, no work? Thanks to you, I can move around freely without worry."
"Our team's skills are too good to be wasted on mere security detail."
"Then how about we put those exceptional skills to the test? I've brought something very dangerous."
Captain Kang adjusted his posture.
Instead of being wary, he actually smiled at the mention of danger.
"I hope it's really dangerous."
"If things go wrong, we could end up making enemies of the entire political and business elite."
"Now that gets my blood pumping. I'll do it. No—I can do it."
"Let's go over the plan first. Do you remember when I asked you at the beginning of the year to track the flow of corporate and political campaign funds?"
This wasn't something I had come up with overnight.
Even if I never needed to use it as a weapon, I knew this information would be invaluable as an insurance policy.
That's why I had Captain Kang investigate election funding transactions for months.
"We already have five of our guys living near Meeting Square for almost a year. Thanks to them, we've secured some very interesting photos and videos."
"One card isn't enough to win a poker game. We need more evidence."
"Speaking of which, I recently got a tip-off from Lee Young-han in Myeongdong. Apparently, Samsung Group has been funding campaigns through bonds that can be cashed out on the black market there."
"That makes two cards. But so far, all the evidence we have targets the opposition party. We need something against the ruling party. If we dig into KS Group, I'm sure we'll find what we need."
To escalate the situation, we had to get the opposition party involved.
And to get them moving, we needed evidence that could taken down the ruling party.
"I'll start by investigating Chairman Chae Jung-han's closest aides."
"Work with our contacts in Myeongdong. KS Group is bound to have amassed a massive slush fund. That money likely found its way into illegal campaign donations."
I wasn't omniscient, but I knew for certain that Chae Jung-han had an illicit slush fund.
I had already reviewed his profile in detail.
And under "special notes," there was a clear record of a 200 billion KRW slush fund.
"If we're dealing with slush funds, we'll need to pull in our informants at the National Tax Service. We have over 30 people in place there—finding a trail won't take long."
"Companies usually funnel slush funds through construction firms or shipping companies."
"I'll keep that in mind!"
***
A Few Days Later
I received an urgent call from Captain Kang.
It wasn't even time to leave work yet, but I rushed out of the office and headed straight to his.
"Just as you predicted, we've detected suspicious financial activity at KS Shipping."
"You managed to trace the funds faster than I expected."
"It's thanks to our crazy friends at the National Tax Service. Also, KS Shipping was incredibly sloppy in handling this."
"Sloppy? You mean, while creating a slush fund?"
"It looks like they used the simplest method—issuing commercial paper without recording it in their accounting. That unregistered slush fund was then funneled into accounts under the names of company executives. We've found clear evidence of large sums flowing into those personal accounts."
Unbelievable.
A company trying to create a slush fund, yet they hadn't even bothered to cover their tracks properly?
Did they really think the government wouldn't investigate?
"Did you find any traces of those funds flowing into the ruling party?"
"This part is a bit tricky. So far, we've only found evidence of a legal donation—about 2 billion KRW—to one of their official support groups. Oh! And we also found a significant withdrawal of funds near the end of the election campaign."
"That late-stage withdrawal most likely ended up in the ruling party's pockets. It coincides perfectly with the timing of the unification deal that boosted their approval ratings."
"That's my assumption as well."
It wasn't solid proof just yet.
But if we leaked this to a furious opposition lawmaker, they would do the legwork to find the hard evidence for us.
"Feed this intel to the opposition party. Also, use our connections in the prosecution to push for a full-scale investigation into KS Shipping's slush funds."
"I've actually been hearing that the prosecution has been itching to flex its power lately. Before the ruling party can solidify control, they want to prove they're still a force to be reckoned with. So, the chances of them launching an investigation are very high."
"Then let's set this off. And keep digging for more evidence of illegal election funds."
"I'll make sure Yeouido is up in flames by tomorrow."
***
Kim Jeong-bin, Prosecutor General
A graduate of the 5th Judicial Training Institute, Kim Jeong-bin had risen through the elite ranks to become the nation's top prosecutor.
He commanded the loyalty of a significant number of prosecutors, and his power remained intact—even under the new administration.
"So, the new government is talking about 'prosecutorial reform.' It feels like we're being branded as an axis of evil—just like when the U.S. declared Iraq and North Korea as threats to the world. Or is it just my imagination?"**
"No, sir! The new administration clearly sees the prosecution as a joke."
"Then we need to prove, beyond any doubt, that we are not to be underestimated."
Kim Jeong-bin, the Prosecutor General, rose from his seat.
He scanned the room, making direct eye contact with the assembled chief prosecutors and deputy prosecutors before continuing.
"I know very well how underpaid prosecutors are. Compared to corporate employees, your salaries are laughable. So it's only natural that some of you have accepted financial support from various sources."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Kim had just laid bare the uncomfortable truth.
Several prosecutors averted their eyes, unwilling to meet his gaze.
Whether they had received direct payments or indirect favors, many had something to be ashamed of.
A handful of them sat with unshaken confidence, but their numbers were few.
"Forget everything—who you took money from, how deep your connections run. None of that matters right now. If we can show the world just how powerful we are, no one will dare challenge us. But if we let this investigation fizzle out, that will be the real problem."
The room grew tense.
A major operation was about to be ordered.
"Starting with the KS Group slush fund investigation, we will launch a full-scale probe into all major corporations' illegal election funding. Every last cent that flowed into the political world—track it down and expose it!"
"...Are you sure about this, sir? If this goes wrong, you could become the target."
"And that is exactly the problem!" Kim snapped.
"Since when did it become normal for the prosecution to be punished for doing its job? If we want to regain our power, we must go all in. I expect you to put everything—even your lives—on the line for this investigation!"
"We will dedicate ourselves to the case, no matter the cost!"
The room erupted into action.
Some of the prosecutors had close ties with major corporations.
Some had even received funding from KS Group itself.
But none dared to intervene.
The sheer momentum of the entire prosecution body moving as one left them with no choice.
Now, to protect themselves, they had to turn on other corporations and uncover their secrets—before their own sins came to light.