Chapter 1487: Contributing (2) |
“The NIS did that?”
—Yes, sir.
Kang Jin-Ho depressed the accelerator a little harder.
The NIS, was it? Listening to that name immediately awakened several unpleasant emotions in Kang Jin-Ho. Every single matter involving the NIS left him with headaches, after all. Worse still, the NIS would forever be “Kim Myeong-Chan’s lapdog” in Kang Jin-Ho’s mind, making his aversion that much greater.
“So, what did you do?”
Lee Hyeon-Su on the phone confidently replied.
—Don’t worry, sir. I’ve given them a fair warning.
A fair warning? Lee Hyeon-Su’s idea of what was fair differed quite a bit from an average person’s, though?
He must’ve beaten them up to a pulp, then.
Regardless of what, though, the NIS was clearly getting “interested” in the Assembly’s affairs once more. Since that was the case, it was time to remind them of the consequences of stepping out of the line.
“What do you think?”
—I don’t think it’s something to be concerned about, sir. Rather than ill intentions, it was more like they wanted to gather information.
“Is that right? Even though we’ve warned them before?”
—That’s how things are like with new appointees, after all. People like that usually hope to achieve a feat their predecessors have never done before, you see?
“Hmm…”
Lee Hyeon-Su’s explanation made sense, but that didn’t make Kang Jin-Ho feel any better.
—As long as the Assembly remains a part of South Korea, things like this will keep happening to us, sir. I mean, it’s unreasonable to expect them to ignore our existence completely when they have functioning eyes and ears.
“Well, I guess…”
—Keeping an eye on them so that they don’t try anything foolish should be enough, sir. Besides, even if they become emboldened later, we won’t even have to lift a finger here. We can just let the Americans pressure the NIS, after all. Hang on, maybe China will be a better alternative than America?
Kang Jin-Ho chuckled slightly. What a strange situation this was. To keep the Korean government in check, a Korean organization must rely on America and China?
If people heard that without any context whatsoever, they’d start badmouthing and criticizing the Assembly, that’s for sure!
Well, even with context, they wouldn’t be technically wrong, anyway.
The only excuse Kang Jin-Ho could think of right now was that his actions, plus the decisions the Assembly had made so far, had never been about harming this country.
Both tried their best to help the country and the organization at the same time. However, it was also true that, in case what was good for the Assembly clashed against national interest, Kang Jin-Ho would always prioritize the Assembly.
“What about Yi Jong-Wuk, though?”
—He was pretty firm in his refusal, sir.
Lee Hyeon-Su’s somewhat impressed voice came out from the phone’s speaker.
—Honestly, you and I know that it’s not easy for an ordinary person to acclimatize to life in the Assembly. So I figured he might at least show a hint of interest in the offer. But to think he’d refuse them outright like that? I think I should reward him by lessening his workload a bit, sir.
Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly. Some people might think the “lessening the workload” sounded like nothing special, but it came out of Lee Hyeon-Su’s mouth, which made it an earth-shattering event.
It seemed Lee Hyeon-Su had started trusting Yi Jong-Wuk a lot more thanks to this incident.
“So, it was a total non-event, then?”
—Yes, sir. More or less.
“Still, we don’t know what the future holds.”
—Of course. I haven’t forgotten.
Kang Jin-Ho subtly furrowed his brow.
This incident could be brushed aside as an insignificant little distraction. But it also confirmed the unfortunate fact that the NIS would never stop trying to acquire information on the Assembly’s affairs.
Even if this incident had burned them nastily, the NIS would no doubt try its luck again not too long from now.
“In the end, we have to make that choice, huh.”
—I believe so, sir.
The choice Kang Jin-Ho mentioned was… Should the Assembly completely shut off all attempts by the NIS to interfere? Or tentatively extend an olive branch and try to get along a bit more?
A simple sounding choice, indeed, but one that required much thought.
Completely shutting the NIS out shouldn’t be impossible. It could stop any and all attempts by the NIS with extreme prejudice, after all. Although, doing so would create irrevocable bad blood between the two organizations.
If the NIS higher-ups determined that the cost of acquiring information was too steep, they would be forced to give up sooner or later. However, doing so would turn not only the NIS but also the Korean government into the Assembly’s enemy.
It was already too late to say they weren’t enemies right now, but still. That would be akin to declaring that the Assembly would never cooperate with the Korean government.
Kang Jin-Ho’s feelings toward the current administration were not favorable at all, but as long as he wanted to keep living as a Korean, turning his back on the Korean government completely didn’t sound like a great idea.
—Sir… Will you consider the path of reconciliation?
Kang Jin-Ho softly sucked in a deep breath.
Going against the NIS and the Korean government was not a good idea, at least that was what his rational mind warned him. But what tripped Kang Jin-Ho up from making his choice right now was his emotions, not rational thinking.
Kang Jin-Ho and the Martial Assembly hadn’t committed any actions that might be construed as hostile to the country, yet the government still saw fit to attack them first. That much was undeniable. So, why should Kang Jin-Ho worry about mending this relationship?
When Kang Jin-Ho stayed silent for a while, Lee Hyeon-Su quickly offered his opinion.
—Sir. Just do what you feel is right.
“…”
—Besides, isn’t that your specialty? Not caring about the situation and doing whatever you feel like, that is.
Did this idiot lose his mind? Kang Jin-Ho was almost triggered just then. However, it was only almost, since he also knew Lee Hyeon-Su was right.
—Whatever you choose, it won’t disadvantage us, sir. So, don’t worry too much about it and do your thing.
Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly again. Not because Lee Hyeon-Su had set his mind at ease, however. No, it was because Lee Hyeon-Su was right once more.
Kang Jin-Ho had already made his mind up, hadn’t he?
“Reconciliation, you say… Yes, it’s a good idea.”
—Yes, sir. A good idea.
“However, if that was what the other side truly wanted, they wouldn’t have secretly contacted Yi Jong-Wuk but tried to visit me directly. Isn’t that right?”
—Yes, sir. With a basket of fresh fruits, no less.
“That’s right.”
The fruit basket bit was obviously a joke, but it still didn’t detract from the fact that the other side had gotten the order of things wrong.
If the NIS had genuinely wanted to mend its relationship with the Assembly, they wouldn’t have resorted to underhanded schemes like this. No, they would have asked to meet Kang Jin-Ho in person and apologized to him.
Then, they could have received information properly without trying their luck like this.
Unfortunately for the NIS, though, it seemed they still hadn’t learned their lesson yet. Was it because this was the nature of the NIS? Or was it because the newly appointed NIS director was not much different from his predecessor? Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t tell.
—Then… What would you like us to do, sir?
“Simple. Teach them,” said Kang Jin-Ho. He sounded unimpressed just then. “Teach them what happens if they forget their place and try something unwise.”
—Understood, sir. I’ll take care of it on my own.
“Fine. Do what you think is appropriate.”
While answering, Kang Jin-Ho wound the window a little. Cold air rushed in through the open gap, instantly refreshing his mood a little.
—I’ll report back to you later with an update on the matter, sir. Well, then.
The call ended, and Kang Jin-Ho sank a little deeper into the car seat.
The government, was it…? It seemed they needed another reminder, then.
However, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t have to step up to do that this time. He had trustworthy people to take care of such things now, after all.
That doesn’t mean things have gotten easier, though.
He grinned wryly while stepping on the accelerator.
***
“Excuse me, sir? Can you calm down a bit, please?”
Hwang Min-Su stopped pacing around and stared while pouting. “What? What did I do?”
“You’re gonna wear out the carpets at this rate, sir! Please, take a seat!”
Gu Jeong-Beom’s irritated yell finally forced Hwang Min-Su to plop down on the nearby couch.
“Sir, you pacing around nervously won’t change anything, you know? And you’ve been circling around the same spot for the past thirty minutes, too. Please, please! Think about your reputation!”
“My reputation won’t put food on the table, okay?!”
Hwang Min-Su glared like a serial killer. Gu Jeong-Beom groaned loudly at how scary that glare was.
Even though he wasn’t like this in the past…
Back when Hwang Min-Su was still working for Jaegyeong, he displayed an admirable amount of guts. Although his complexion was never that great back in those days—understandable, since the shadow of Hwang Jeong-Hu loomed over his sons like an oppressive force—he never hesitated or doubted himself while leading a project.
But now, this…
He’s not even a puppy holding its wee, so why…?
Gu Jeong-Beom sighed deeply again. “Sir, what happened to the guy who didn’t break a sweat while negotiating a multi-billion won deal?”
“This and that are two different situations, okay?! Back then, I wasn’t in charge of the deal!”
“Please act your age, sir!”
“Ohh? And what about you, Mister Gu? Why are you shaking your leg so much like that?”
“Me?! What are you even talking about, sir! My legs are firmly rooted to the floor, unmoving!”
“Yeah, sure. Like firm springs!”
“…”
Gu Jeong-Beom sneakily glanced at his own legs. Even he couldn’t pretend that his legs were not shaking nonstop right now.
“Sir… This nervousness is killing me.”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
The two grown-up men groaned in perfect sync.
Hwang Min-Su shook his head. “I… I’ve never been this scared in my career before.”
“Me too, sir. Me too…”
Noh Tae-Gwang glanced at the two men and chuckled helplessly. “You two used to travel all over the world to make deals, so what happened here? Since when did everyone in this office become helpless cowards?”
Gu Jeong-Beom deeply furrowed his brow. “Haaah? What about you, then?”
“I said everyone in this office, didn’t I? Of course I’m also bloody terrified.”
His brazenness left Gu Jeong-Beom utterly speechless.
“I mean, how can we not get scared?” Noh Tae-Gwang smirked bitterly. “Our fate hangs in the balance, after all. All those deals worth billions we used to make in the past might sound impressive and stuff on paper, but we would’ve been fine even if they went sideways, right? The worst that could have happened to us would’ve been demotions, but that would be it.”
“Well, yeah. That’s true.”
“But this time, things aren’t like that. If we mess this up, the entire company might go under.”
Technically speaking, it wouldn’t be the entire company going under, but only the department they were in. And the fate of a department’s management usually mirrored that of the department itself.
Even if a department was dissolved, regular employees of said department would get transferred to different departments or get assigned to new projects, usually speaking. Their performance evaluation might suffer a bit, sure, but they would still get to keep their jobs.
However, that story didn’t apply to the management.
The executives were called executives because the buck was supposed to stop with them.
Everyone gathered in this office was brought in by Hwang Min-Su to bring this project to success. So, logically speaking… If the whole project went down the drain, their position in the company would also go down the same drain, too!
Since the executives like them couldn’t even complain to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the only fate waiting for them would be the life of a jobless bum!
Gu Jeong-Geom shuddered. “Gee whiz. Look at all these goosebumps on my arms.”
Hwang Min-Su loudly fake-coughed. “Come on! We did our best, right? I’m sure everything will work out!”
“Sir, your encouragement would’ve been more effective if your voice wasn’t quivering like that.”
“…Urgh. Yeah, I’m also dying inside here, okay!”
Hwang Min-Su promptly gave up and sighed again and again. So, this was what it felt like?
Betting everything on a single business venture was a novel experience even for Hwang Min-Su. This intensely nerve-racking experience freshly reminded him of how amazing his father truly was.
Hwang Jeong-Hu had experienced moments similar to this countless times while building the legend of Jaegyeong from practically nothing, didn’t he?
No wonder he viewed his sons, including Hwang Min-Su, as a bunch of disappointments. Why wouldn’t he be disappointed when his sons, working in incomparably nicer environments than him, couldn’t handle the pressure and whined constantly about everything?
And also…
Just as Hwang Min-Su’s thoughts reached that far, the office door was pushed open without a knock, and a familiar man appeared beyond the doorway. Everyone in the office hurriedly got up.
Hwang Min-Su’s trembling eyes studied the man. This man, his boss… He was the same as Hwang Jeong-Hu, no?
No, maybe this man’s rise from obscurity was even more meteoric than Hwang Jeong-Hu’s. Which meant the pressure he must be under could easily surpass what Hwang Jeong-Hu had been subjected to all those years ago.
The man, Kang Jin-Ho, entered the office with an unflustered face.
“Good morning, Chairman!”
Hwang Min-Su greeted Kang Jin-Ho with a sharp ninety-degree bow.
Didn’t he feel a bit unhappy about being so respectful toward the boss who was much younger than him? Indeed, a part of him did feel that way.
But that part would never influence Hwang Min-Su’s actions, because he genuinely acknowledged Kang Jin-Ho. After all, this young man must’ve risen above the pressure hundreds, nay, thousands of times worse than what Hwang Min-Su felt right now to establish MK!
It seemed Hwang Min-Su wasn’t the only one who felt this way this morning.
“Good morning, Chairman! How’s your day so far!”
“It’s a great morning, isn’t it! Sir!”
Kang Jin-Ho flinched at the “vigorous” greetings. “Did you all… commit a crime or something?”
“…”
“…”
Unfortunately for them, teamwork was non-negotiable if the would-be criminals wanted to get away with their crime scot-free.
