» The Youngest Son of Sunyang
The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family - 268
[268]Snake's Head 1
"Nonsense!"
Though she blustered, Grandmother couldn't meet my gaze.
It wasn't because she believed my words. It was because she couldn't judge whether what I said was right or wrong.
The surest way to escalate the matter was to leverage politics, but Grandmother had no idea how politics truly worked. In that regard, she was nothing more than an ordinary old woman who had never properly followed the news or read a newspaper.
"Shall I tell you one more thing? The absolute worst-case scenario?"
If it had been my uncle, there would have been no need for such words. Wouldn't he have understood with just a hint?
"The moment the opposition party exposes in the National Assembly that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was involved in Sunyang Gallery's art smuggling, this will escalate into a diplomatic issue between Korea and the United States. The U.S. wouldn't have imagined a country like Korea would engage in smuggling, would they? Grandmother must have exploited that fact."
Could that have been Grandmother's idea? Someone must have told her.
"Now, the U.S. has a handle on our country. They won't cover this up. They'll start their investigation with the Wentworth Art Gallery... and I'll claim all those paintings are fakes."
"The paintings are real!"
"I know. But who would believe Sunyang Gallery, a place that habitually engages in smuggling? A special prosecutor will initiate a full audit of Sunyang Arts Foundation's collection, won't they? Then, instead of the paintings secretly sold off, the fakes they possess will spill out, and the Wentworth Art Gallery's claims will be proven true."
Sunyang Gallery, possessing fake paintings.
This affair will become global news, turning the art world upside down. Then, clients who have secretly purchased paintings from Sunyang Gallery until now will not stand idly by.
At that point, there will be no way to stop a flood of international lawsuits.
"Oh, and it's stated in the contract, isn't it? The penalty for breach of contract is three times the transaction amount of 600 million dollars. Well... that'll be fine, won't it? The insurance company will handle it."
My grandmother finally grasped just how massive this issue would become. The trembling in her tightly clasped hands wouldn't stop.
"Did you do all this just to receive a mere penalty fee?"
"Certainly not? There are countless ways to make money. Didn't I tell you? At a negotiation table like this, the priority is to ascertain what the other party wants."
"Th-then? What is it you want?"
"Let me tell you one more thing. The one holding the knife doesn't need to state their demands first. If you wish to know what I want, Grandmother, then you should first tell me what you can offer. That is the order of things."
There was no need to say more. There was still something I needed to uncover. The real thing I needed to uncover.
"I'll give you time to think. Go ahead and consult with a clever subordinate, or perhaps your proud son. Only then... will our country avoid any uproar."
She must have also known that the one who rises from their chair and leaves the study first is the one in power. Before leaving, I tossed one last remark to Grandmother, who remained motionless.
"My, isn't it a bit harsh not to even offer your grandson a cup of coffee when he visits? Are you truly my grandmother?"
I glanced around the garden, which I had walked through slowly earlier, and then left the house.
Kim Yoonseok, my assistant manager, and the other staff, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed out of the car and came running when they saw me.
"Recruit more people. Starting today, you must identify everyone who comes in and out of this house. If an unfamiliar person appears, follow them to the end. You must ascertain the identity of every single person, without exception. Understood?"
"Yes, Director Jin."
"Then, please put in the effort."
Whoever arrived first, that person would be Lee Pilok's brain.
* * *
Pacing the study with bitten lips, Lee Pilok picked up the receiver. She knew that to sort out this chaotic situation, her own strength alone would not suffice.
"Director Cheon. It's urgent. You need to come to the house right now."
About thirty minutes after she made the call, a middle-aged man appeared.
"What is it, Chairwoman?"
"Ah, Director Cheon. Come in quickly."
Director Cheon, who had rushed over, had to listen to Chairwoman Lee Pilok's story without even a moment to drink a glass of water.
"Jin Dojun? Are you saying this was all a trap orchestrated by him?"
"It certainly seems so. Look at this."
Lee Pilok handed him a copy of the contract.
"He was holding onto it. It doesn't seem like he's lying."
Sangpil Cheon, Director of the Sunyang Arts Foundation, frowned as soon as he saw the English contract copy. Having reviewed the contract dozens of times himself, a mere glance was enough to confirm it wasn't fake.
"Did he say he would leak this to the opposition party?"
"Yes. He even threatened me, mentioning a special prosecutor, a public hearing, and that it would become a diplomatic issue."
"Not the media, but the opposition party? Well, I'll be... Haha."
Director Sangpil Cheon let out a hearty laugh, as if dumbfounded.
"He's a smart one. He knows how to achieve the greatest effect with the weapon in his hand."
The corners of Lee Pilok's eyes twitched upwards.
"Did I call you, Director Cheon, just to listen to you praise that rascal?"
"My apologies. Jin Dojun hit the nail on the head, so I merely..."
As Director Cheon bowed his head and fell silent, only silence filled the study.
Unable to endure the prolonged silence, Lee Pilok finally spoke.
"Tell me one thing. If that rascal leaks this to the opposition party, will it really escalate into a major diplomatic issue?"
"The domestic issues would be more severe than the diplomatic ones. For the opposition party, defeated in the general election, there couldn't be a better opportunity than this. They would desperately try to blow up even non-existent problems."
"Even with me, the matriarch of Sunyang, wide awake and watching?"
"There will be by-elections next year. If the opposition party wins then, they could shatter the ruling party's majority. The ruling party currently holds a precarious lead of just two seats, so a reversal is possible."
"So, that rascal's words are true?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Understood. You may leave."
"Yes, Chairwoman. I will try to meet Jin Dojun."
"Of course you should. Don't even think of showing your face to me until you resolve this."
Director Sangpil Cheon bowed his head to Lee Pilok, who didn't even look at him, and exited the study.
* * *
"Whoa, this kid. He's a pro. Digging a 600 million dollar trap just to catch his grandmother?"
Chairman Lee Hakjae shook his head after hearing my entire story.
"Your grandmother is in big trouble now. This is beyond Sunyang Group's power to suppress. She won't be able to avoid appearing at the prosecutor's office in a wheelchair, and if the opposition party keeps tweeting, she'll face a prison sentence. The only way out would be probation or bail on medical grounds. There's no escaping it. Heh heh."
"Sunyang Arts Foundation will have to close down, won't it?"
"That's just a bonus."
Chairman Lee Hakjae stopped laughing and said.
"However, it could take several years to go through all three trials. After next year's by-elections, your grandmother's case might just fade away... If she liquidates all her shares within that time? You wouldn't gain a thing."
"We need to end it before it goes to trial."
"Do you have a method?"
"Grandmother has a problem-solver. Take a look at this person."
I handed him a printed photo. It wasn't clear, having been taken at night, but it was enough to recognize the face.
"Do you happen to know who it is?"
Chairman Lee Hakjae scrutinized the photo, then pondered for a long time.
"Ah! This fellow. Cheon... Sangpil. That's right, Director Sangpil Cheon."
"You know him?"
"Yes. It's been quite a while since he quit, hasn't it? He was a director at the Arts Foundation, if I recall?"
"Where did he come from?"
"He was in the group's legal team but was seconded to the foundation. He was a clever fellow, but he quit after only a few years. I believe he left because he was pushed out into the non-mainstream?"
"If he was in the legal team, he must be a lawyer."
"Probably. But why him?"
"As soon as I declared war on Grandmother, he was the first to rush to her side."
"Really? So, he's her closest confidant?"
"Her brain, I'd say. Just as you were the first person Grandfather sought out when he faced difficulties, Chairman."
Chairman Lee Hakjae let out a short laugh, looking at my hand pointing at him.
"If you cut off her limbs, Lee Pilok won't be able to move a muscle. She doesn't have any spare limbs, you see."
"She probably only has one head, too, right? Director Cheon is her brain, after all. It would be problematic if she had a spare."
Chairman Lee Hakjae shook his head from side to side.
"You ruthless fellow. You're planning to cut off your grandmother's head and firmly attach it to your own hand, aren't you?"
"Why? Surely Director Sangpil Cheon doesn't wield immense power like you, Chairman Lee, does he?"
"Power is relative. The power to freely control the Sunyang Arts Foundation in place of a puppet-like grandmother isn't all that different from the power I held as Sunyang's second-in-command. No, it's even greater. I was the dragon's tail, but Director Cheon is the snake's head."
Done. I had obtained all the information I needed.
"To cut off a dragon's tail, you need a large expeditionary force to catch the dragon. But to cut off a snake's head, a single snake catcher is enough. That is the limit of a snake's head."
"Do you have a snake catcher?"
"Yes. I have one fearsome snake catcher. Heh heh."
Chairman Lee Hakjae waved his hand dismissively.
"Just go. Looking at you, I realize how fortunate I was to have been the dragon's tail."
* * *
—Mr. Jin Dojun?
A sudden, unfamiliar call. In that instant, a feeling struck me.
This guy, he's the snake's head.
"Yes, that's me."
—Madam Lee Pilok, that is, regarding your grandmother, Mr. Jin Dojun, I'd like to meet with you... Could you spare some time?
I had momentarily forgotten Grandmother's habit of pushing all troublesome and bothersome matters onto her subordinates.
For an issue of this magnitude, it was only natural to mobilize someone who could resolve it at once, and such a person would be a brain, not mere arms and legs.
"I don't know who this is, but let's start with a minimum of courtesy. Who are you?"
I needed to make sure the snake's head clearly understood that the knife was in my hand.
—Ah, my apologies. I am Sangpil Cheon, a director of the Sunyang Arts Foundation.
"Sangpil Cheon? I don't believe there's a director by that name among the foundation's current directors. Who are you?"
—Ah... I neglected to mention 'formerly.' Haha.
This one was the cunning type of snake.
"Alright. Assuming you are Grandmother's representative, think carefully about how much you should bring, coordinate with Grandmother, and then contact me again. I'm hanging up."
I hung up, but I could almost hear the snake's head grumbling, 'Where did that young whippersnapper eat his manners?'
Now, it remained to be seen just how grand my grandmother and the snake's head truly were.
* * *
I rented a room at Sunyang Hotel. I thought it would be more comfortable for the cunning snake to play his tricks freely if there was no one else around.
Sangpil Cheon, who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, had a sharp, keen impression that didn't quite match the image of a cunning snake.
"It's an honor to meet you, Director Jin Dojun. I am Sangpil Cheon."
"I am Jin Dojun. Please, have a seat."
"You certainly know a thing or two. To think you'd prepare such a private room. Haha."
Sitting down and looking at the coffee cup on the table, he laughed again.
"Wouldn't a glass of whisky be more fitting for an occasion like this than coffee?"
"If the numbers you bring impress me, I'll get you a whole box of Balvenie whisky."
"You really do know a thing or two, after all. Looks like I'll be loosening my belt and having a grand drink today, chuckles."
"Stop drinking kimchi soup and let's hear the numbers you brought first."
Sangpil Cheon's smiling expression instantly hardened.
"I came here to hear what you want. If it were merely about numbers, I wouldn't have found a reason to dig such a grand trap. Someone who poured 600 million dollars into setting a trap wants money? Let's stop with the jokes."
I said, looking directly into his eyes.
"Due to the sudden phone call, I wasn't able to convey my intentions precisely."
"Now we can talk. So, what is it you want?"
"It is indeed numbers I want. It's just that they weren't the numbers *I* wanted. Director Sangpil Cheon, what I meant was for *you* to bring the numbers *you* want."
For a moment, Sangpil Cheon couldn't utter his usual cunning words nor send forth a sharp gaze. He merely blinked his eyes.