We all entered a Japanese restaurant for lunch.
I briefly pondered how to sit, but fortunately, Taek-gyu plopped down right next to me. Naturally, Ellie and Yuri sat side by side.
Seeing the two together highlighted their charms distinctly.
Ellie had a boyish look with her brown short hair, while Yuri radiated a cute vibe with her long blonde ponytail.
The atmosphere felt a bit awkward, somehow…
After ordering my meal, I casually stood up.
“I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.”
While washing my hands in the restroom, I realized something important.
Could it be that I was unknowingly caught in a love triangle between the two? What should I do now?
As I was thinking, I heard a voice behind me.
“So hurry up and decide to confess.”
“Hmm?”
When I looked in the mirror, Taek-gyu was standing behind me.
“What’s the problem?”
At his question, I replied defensively.
“Well, I’m not in a good situation to date anyone right now. Work is really busy.”
I had numerous tasks on my plate, and none were resolved. The pile of work was immense, and there was no sign of a solution to the issues with Eun-seong and Park Si-hyeong.
In this situation, could I really have a proper relationship?
Taek-gyu waved his fingers and said, “That’s just an excuse. Do you think others are dating because they have nothing to do?”
“Is that so?”
After all, who in the world isn’t busy?
“There’s no relationship that doesn’t hurt anyone. Just follow your heart.”
“That’s true, but…”
I nodded, then hesitated.
Why am I getting relationship advice from someone who’s never dated?
“What do you know about dating?”
Taek-gyu patted my shoulder and said, “Do you think I haven’t encountered a few dating sims?”
“…”
So he learned about romance from games.
By the way, him being here meant only Ellie and Yuri were left. Just the two of them made me a bit worried.
What if they feel awkward with each other?
I hurried back to my seat. However, contrary to my expectations, they were engaged in a warm conversation.
“So, you worked in Hong Kong and then came to Korea?”
“Yes. I followed Jessica when the Korean branch was established.”
“Wow! I’ve dreamed of working in Hong Kong for a while now. It’s the financial hub of Asia, right?”
“Have you been to Hong Kong?”
“I went a few times with my parents.”
Ellie turned to me and said, “Why did you take so long? Hurry up and eat.”
“Oh, right.”
During the meal, the mood was cheerful. Yuri asked various questions about the Golden Gate, and Ellie kindly answered.
When the topic of Hyun-joo came up, Yuri couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Being the first female branch manager is really impressive,” Taek-gyu remarked.
“My sister is doing really well.”
“How can I achieve that?”
“If you work 20 hours a day for about 10 years, you’ll get there.”
“……”
We finished our meal and stepped outside.
Ellie said, “Let’s go have some coffee.”
“Shall we?”
At that moment, my phone rang. The caller was Chairman Im Jin-yong.
[If you’re not busy, how about a drink?]
From his voice, it didn’t sound like a casual invitation for drinks. Did he have something to discuss?
“Understood.”
[I’ll send you the address.]
Ending the call, I turned to Ellie and said, “I’m sorry, but something came up, and I have to go.”
Ellie smiled and nodded. “It’s okay, you should go. We’ll have our coffee together.”
***
When I arrived at the designated location, the personal assistant was standing by the parking lot.
“The chairman is on the second basement level.”
“Understood.”
I entrusted him with my car and took the elevator down. In the dimly lit spacious bar, a man was sitting alone, sipping his drink.
As I approached, Chairman Im Jin-yong turned his head.
“Hello, sir.”
“Thank you for coming, junior.”
“What brings you here?”
“Nothing much. It’s tedious drinking alone.”
There was no one else in the bar besides Chairman Im. I couldn’t see any bartenders, staff, or assistants.
On the table were a bottle of liquor and two glasses.
“Have you been drinking alone the whole time?”
“My younger brother just left a moment ago.”
“Your brother… Mr. Im Seung-yong?”
“Yes.”
I could roughly guess why they met. He probably apologized for the foolishness of trying to stand up to his older brother and pleaded for leniency.
“So what happened?”
Chairman Im sipped his drink and said, “As an older brother, I accepted it. I have to understand that my younger brother made a brief mistake.”
“And as the group chairman?”
In response to my question, he simply smiled faintly.
“It’s a lonely position to be a chairman.”
Chairman Im pointed at me with his finger.
“Isn’t it the same for you?”
“I have Taek-gyu with me.”
“That’s nice. Having someone to drink with must be comforting.”
“I think so too.”
I could sense his genuine envy in his tone.
“Do you enjoy drinking?”
“I can drink, but I don’t indulge in it.”
Chairman Im Jin-yong extended his glass toward me and poured the liquor.
“There’s a Scottish proverb: There is no bad whiskey in the world; there are only good whiskeys and better whiskeys.”
“That’s a good proverb.”
“But no matter how good the whiskey, if you drink it with someone you don’t connect with, it can feel worse than cheap vodka.”
We sat side by side, drinking. There were no appetizers. It wasn’t likely that he couldn’t afford them; it seemed he just wasn’t the type to eat while drinking.
In any case, I had just eaten and was already full.
Chairman Im brought up the main topic.
“President Park Si-hyeong seems to have drawn his sword quite firmly.”
I nodded.
“From what you’re saying, it sounds like that sword is aimed at me.”
He spun the empty glass with his finger.
“If Ronald had taken control of Washington, Park Si-hyeong would probably be holding his breath. But right now, Ronald is too busy handling his own affairs.”
Despite trailing by over three million votes, Ronald managed to secure the White House, but he failed to gain control of Congress. Both the House and Senate are firmly with the Democratic Party.
It would be one thing if public opinion leaned in his favor, but currently, Ronald’s approval rating is even lower than that of the Republican Party.
Every party has its factions, both mainstream and fringe.
Diane, a political scion who has been committed to the Democratic Party for generations, naturally belonged to the mainstream of her party.
On the other hand, Ronald, a political newcomer, was classified as a thorough outsider within the Republican Party. His policies diverged significantly from traditional Republican values.
There was substantial backlash even within the Republican Party against Ronald’s aggressive policy push. His ambitious reforms, including immigration law changes, healthcare reform, trade agreements, and the construction of a border wall with Mexico, faced numerous obstacles.
To advance policies, one must continually persuade and compromise with the party, the National Assembly, and the media.
But who would Ronald appeal to for support? Instead of persuasion, he hurled insults and mockery at his opponents, which only intensified the backlash.
The National Assembly was a mixed bag, his approval ratings plummeted, and even senior party members turned their backs on him. He found himself in a dire situation.
“What do you think President Park’s weakness is?”
“Isn’t it PAS?”
Chairman Im Jin-yong nodded.
“That is definitely critical. But would exposing it be enough to bring down the president?”
“……”
“Let’s talk about the primary. At that time, the atmosphere in the Korean Party primary was such that just passing meant almost automatically becoming president.”
I nodded in agreement.
“That’s how it turned out.”
The presidential election was a decisive victory. Park Si-hyeong became the first to win a majority vote after direct elections were enacted.
“Consequently, the exchanges during the primary were fierce. PAS was initially revealed by an opponent back then.”
Aside from that, there were issues related to collusion with large corporations, properties under false names, slush funds, embezzlement, and more. There was no shortage of problems. However, none of these matters proved to be obstacles to his becoming president.
“Did the public truly not know about Park Si-hyeong’s corruption? Or did they turn a blind eye despite knowing?”
Although the prosecution found him not guilty of various charges, not many truly believe Park Si-hyeong is entirely innocent.
Despite this, the public ultimately chose Park Si-hyeong.
Is it that they prefer an outstanding leader with some flaws over an honest but incompetent one?
“People only see what they want to see. The same goes for the revelations about his ties with PAS.”
The scandals that have emerged are far too many to count. Some, like the National Intelligence Service’s illegal surveillance and the Military’s election meddling, could have shaken the regime.
However, most cases haven’t even been investigated, and when they are, the outcomes are conveniently dismissed as individual misconduct.
“President Park Si-hyeong never forgets a grudge. You know what he did during the general elections right after he was elected.”
After a fierce primary, Park Si-hyeong showed a willingness to embrace the opposition. He needed to secure as broad a support base as possible to become president.
But once elected, those factions were no longer needed.
The general election was held less than a year after the presidential election. Support ratings for both the president and the party were soaring, making it easy to secure nominations for parliamentary seats.
During this time, Park Si-hyeong purged opposition lawmakers by excluding them from nominations. Even senior members of the party were not spared. They were either denied nominations or pushed into difficult constituencies under the guise of strategic selections. The only alternative for them was to leave the party and run as independents.
It was so severe that the term “nomination massacre” arose.
In contrast, his supporters were meticulously placed in key positions. Since then, the Korean People’s Party has essentially taken on the characteristics of a personal party for Park Si-hyeong.
“After coming to power, Park Si-hyeong focused on two major tasks.”
One was to control the so-called four major investigatory agencies: the police, prosecution, National Intelligence Service, and National Tax Service. The other was to seize control of the media.
He replaced all the heads of the national broadcasters, including the public broadcaster, with his affiliates and manipulated conservative media through control of cable channel allocations.
In the early days of his administration, media outlets that criticized government missteps fell silent and became loyal mouthpieces for the regime.
With the rise of internet media and social networks, it’s impossible to hide all facts. However, mainstream media can silence itself or voice different opinions, effectively rewriting events and blurring the line between truth and falsehood.
The judiciary and media are not fulfilling their roles, and various illegal activities, corruption, and government blunders have all been buried. President Park Si-hyeong has maintained high approval ratings even until the end of his term.
“During the U.S. presidential election, many companies sided with the Democrats, and some CEOs openly criticized Ronald. CNN and NBC openly debated with him. What would happen to businesses and media in Korea if they did the same?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be good for them.”
“Korea is very different from the U.S. In a situation where political power manipulates the market, even conglomerates can’t do business if they fall out of favor with the politicians.”
“Isn’t that a sign of weakness?”
Chairman Im Jin-yong acknowledged this candidly.
“That’s true. Hence, large corporations have donated large sums under the pretext of political funds. How much do you think they’ve given to Park Si-hyeong and his close aides?”
“Isn’t accepting bribes grounds for impeachment?”
Im Jin-yong chuckled softly.
“Both the bribed and the bribers are at fault.”
“…….”
So, it seems everyone involved is forced to stay silent.
The Seosung Group must have contributed quite a bit as well, especially since they are the top in the industry.
I suddenly realized how much unchecked power the president holds in Korea. The only consolation is that the term is limited to five years.
“Will the regime change in the next election?”
“Unless something remarkable happens, the successor nominated by President Park Si-hyeong will likely win.”
Park Si-hyeong will certainly not relinquish power easily. Perhaps he will seek to exercise influence even after retiring.
“So, what should we do?”
Chairman Im Jin-yong adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“There’s nothing to gain by fighting the regime; it would be wise to reconcile. If necessary, I can help facilitate that.”
“Reconcile…”
Can I solve the issue just by bowing my head and paying off like other conglomerates?
OTK Company is based in the U.S., so if problems arise, we can simply relocate there. However, K Company is a Korean entity, and all the investors are also in Korea.
Do I really have to go this far just because I’m doing business in Korea?
After a moment of thought, I shook my head.
“I’m not interested in that.”
They made the first move. Because of it, I’ve been through a lot. Even Taek-gyu ended up in a terrible situation.
“This isn’t going to end like this.”
I nodded.
“That’s good to hear. I had no intention of letting it end like this either.”
What has been done to me must be repaid several times over.
Go