MHD - 63

Chapter 63: The Return of the Past

A few days later, the news about Kwon Chae-won shifted to reports that the prosecution had begun its investigation.

“Kwon Sam-soo’s Daughter, Kwon Chae-won: Prosecution Denies Political Favoritism”

Having just finished a series of early morning video conferences, Jae-hyuk loosened his tie slightly, relieving the pressure on his neck.

His dry gaze drifted toward the monitor displaying internet news articles.

The portal sites were flooded with photos of Kwon Chae-won arriving at the prosecutor’s office. Additionally, paparazzi shots surfaced of her leaving a hotel in the early morning with a male actor, heading somewhere together.

Her father’s protection isn’t enough now that things have spiraled out of control.

Jae-hyuk observed the photo of Kwon Chae-won with an indifferent expression when Oh Seung-joo entered the office.

“Chairman, I have urgent news to report. It seems Representative Kwon will soon resign.”

“Is that so? He’s giving up sooner than expected.”

Jae-hyuk’s tone carried no surprise; it was exactly as he had anticipated.

“Since it’s nearing the end of his term, there’s growing pressure within the party for him to step back voluntarily.”

“He was only aiming for re-election, so this is unfortunate.”

Jae-hyuk replied indifferently, as if discussing someone else’s affairs. Sensing an opening, Oh Seung-joo cautiously offered his thoughts.

“If Representative Kwon loses his foothold within the party, the project we’ve been pushing together could suffer significant damage. The Strategic Planning Division is preparing various contingency plans, but…”

Oh Seung-joo trailed off ambiguously, but Jae-hyuk understood what he was implying. If this situation had been foreseen, he wanted clear direction on how to resolve it.

Before responding, Jae-hyuk’s eyes shifted back to the monitor. Many of the articles about Kwon Sam-soo also mentioned Kangrim Group.

“Kwon Sam-soo’s Honeymoon with Kangrim Comes to an End?”  

“Leadership in Crisis: Unavoidable Damage to Kangrim”

Jae-hyuk had never cared about the favors Kwon Sam-soo promised. Whatever the media said about it didn’t concern him much—he had already gained everything he needed from this ordeal.

By showcasing an alliance with Kwon Sam-soo, he had destabilized Cho Jeong-moo’s faction, identified their key players, planted informants, and secured insider information.

“Chief Oh. Let’s execute Plan B. Schedule an emergency meeting with the Strategic Planning Division for this afternoon.”

“Yes, understood.”

As Oh Seung-joo bowed and prepared to leave, someone knocked urgently on the chairman’s office door.

“Chairman.”

Without waiting for Jae-hyuk’s response, one of the secretaries opened the door and stepped inside.

“What is it?”

“The chairwoman is on her way up.”

“My mother?”

“Yes. She’ll be here shortly…”

Before the secretary could finish speaking, the rhythmic sound of heels striking the floor echoed through the room.

“Chairwoman.”

The secretary standing by the door bowed deeply as Yoon Ji-sun, accompanied by several assistants, entered Jae-hyuk’s office.

“I came because I’m utterly exasperated.”

Ji-sun promptly sat down on the sofa in the center of the office. A secretary, sensing the need, brought tea and placed a cup on the table. Ji-sun then coldly ordered her entourage:

“All of you, leave.”

Thud.

Like a receding tide, the secretaries exited, and the office door closed behind them. Ji-sun took a sip of tea and paused to steady herself.

“You’re here because of Representative Kwon’s situation?”

Jae-hyuk slowly rose from his desk and sat across from Ji-sun.

“Last night, Representative Kwon called me. He went on and on about political conspiracies. Whether it’s a conspiracy or not, none of this would’ve happened if his child had behaved properly. Honestly, failing to manage one’s own child like that… tsk.”

“I saw his appearance at the prosecutor’s office on the morning news.”

“To think we almost welcomed a drug addict into our family. The mere thought is horrifying.”

It wasn’t the fact that she was a drug user—it was the loss of her father’s backing that mattered most. While that was his honest opinion, Jae-hyuk simply listened without comment.

After venting her frustrations at length, Ji-sun finally revealed the real reason she had come to see him.

“What do you think? The project we were pushing with Representative Kwon is completely falling apart.”

With Kwon Sam-soo’s downfall, one of Ji-sun’s ambitious projects had been derailed. Her future in-law, who was supposed to provide support, had suddenly disappeared, so her anger was understandable.

The current situation, which appeared to deal a severe blow to Kangrim Group, was actually something Jae-hyuk had meticulously orchestrated.

Watching Ji-sun subtly seek his opinion, Jae-hyuk smiled calmly.

“For now, the biggest issue is that the bill Representative Kwon planned to propose next quarter has been put on hold. Next month, ships are scheduled to arrive, and if things don’t go smoothly, they might end up stranded at sea again.”

“That’s right. You’ve assessed the situation perfectly.”

“But Mother, if we’re going to move someone, wouldn’t it be better to work directly with the Southeast Asian government rather than an unreliable congressman?”

“The government?”

This was an alternative Ji-sun had never considered. She widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at Jae-hyuk, who smiled confidently, knowing she’d react this way.

“Yes. On their end, our deal is a national-level project. Coincidentally, the oil field development agreement between the Korean and Indonesian governments is set to begin next month. In this situation, the Korean government won’t easily ignore a request from the Indonesian government.”

“And we can pressure the Indonesian government by saying that without their cooperation at the national level, fulfilling the contract will be impossible.”

“Exactly.”

Watching her son present such a clear and seamless solution, Ji-sun couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.

She had always felt uneasy about Kwon Sam-soo’s slippery nature, so this turn of events worked in their favor. If things proceeded as Jae-hyuk suggested, they could operate the business independently without being held hostage by political vulnerabilities.

“If Representative Kwon falls because of this, the next contender for floor leader will likely be Park Cheol-joo. He’ll be much easier to handle—his weaknesses are numerous.”

As Jae-hyuk continued offering his analysis, Ji-sun was suddenly struck by a strange sense of déjà vu. She recalled a moment long ago when Jae-hyuk had worn a similar expression while protecting someone in front of her.

Ji-sun realized she was missing something crucial. Her slightly twisted smile faded, and her gaze sharpened as she seemed to piece something together.

“Was this your doing? The whole Kwon affair?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Jae-hyuk paused before calmly admitting:

“Yes, it was.”

“Why?”

Ji-sun’s eyes were filled with questions as she stared at her son.

Though they hadn’t met Kwon Chae-won’s parents officially, there had been quite a buzz about their rumored romance in the media.

If Jae-hyuk had no intention of marrying Chae-won and wanted to keep their relationship secret, he could have easily suppressed the dating rumors. Every time such articles surfaced, Ji-sun assumed he was deeply interested in Chae-won. She even thought she might soon welcome her as a daughter-in-law.

But now, seeing his demeanor, it was clear Jae-hyuk had known everything from the start. He had never considered Chae-won as a potential spouse.

That meant he must have known from the beginning that Chae-won could become a liability.

“Why did you do it? I thought you clearly liked Chae-won.”

“I’m not sure why you’re so surprised, Mother. It’s actually me who’s confused.”

“Of course I’m surprised! There were so many articles, and I heard you dined with Representative Kwon a few times, so naturally, I assumed…”

“Mother.”

Jae-hyuk gave her a quick glance, then gathered the reports in front of him, neatly aligning them into a stack.

“Aren’t all political marriages like this? If she had been indispensable, I would have married her. Since she wasn’t, I simply used her as needed.”

“Jae-hyuk. Not all political marriages are bad. I admit I made mistakes in how I presented her to you. Still, I’m quite satisfied now.”

“You don’t need to… say such things, Mother. I understand everything.”

Jae-hyuk rose from his seat, signaling he didn’t want to hear more, and walked toward his desk. Placing the reports on it, he turned back to Ji-sun.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

Ji-sun silently observed her son for a moment before standing up.

“All right, you must be busy. I’ll take my leave.”

As Jae-hyuk moved toward her, Ji-sun raised her hand to stop him.

“No need to see me out. Let’s have dinner sometime soon.”

“Of course. And you’ll need to pick my next matchmaking candidate too.”

“Don’t tell me you resent me for choosing someone like Kwon Chae-won for you.”

Ji-sun glanced at Jae-hyuk sideways as she began walking out of the office. Jae-hyuk followed her briefly and asked:

“Why would you think that?”

“For pushing someone like Kwon Chae-won onto you.”

“How could I resent you? I was the one who chose her, wasn’t I?”

Standing at the office door, Ji-sun gave Jae-hyuk one last look before turning away. He stood there, smiling faintly, seemingly unfazed.

Thud.

A dull sound echoed behind her as the office door closed. Ji-sun paused mid-step and turned around to see the door shut firmly.

Narrowing her eyes at the closed door, Ji-sun quickly resumed her pace toward the elevator. A feeling washed over her—that something she had long feared was finally coming true.

“We need to prevent this,” she muttered under her breath.

“Where to, ma’am?”

Team Leader Gong Sun-young cautiously asked as they waited for the elevator. Ji-sun, lost in thought, finally lifted her head.

“Team Leader Gong. Keep an eye on Jae-hyuk’s surroundings.”

“Vice Chairman Lee’s surroundings?”

Furrowing her brows, Ji-sun turned to Gong and asked:

“Seo Hee-soo. Yes, Seo Hee-soo. Find out if he’s meeting her again.”

“Seo Hee-soo… the actress?”

“Yes, that Seo Hee-soo. You know her well.”

Gong nodded meaningfully. Before Hee-soo went into temporary seclusion, Gong had personally kept tabs on her movements and reported them to Ji-sun.

“I’ll look into it.”

Ding.

The elevator arrived, its doors opening with a soft chime.

Ji-sun stepped inside, exhaling deeply. Forgotten matters and forgotten people seemed to be resurfacing, intertwining once more.

She had to stop it. At all costs.