A Genius Speaks with Money

Chapter 50

As Jeong Jin-woo entered quietly, both our gazes turned toward him.

One person was me, Lim Hyunjun, in a school uniform, and the other was Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan sitting there with messy hair and a shabby suit.

I gave a light smile and spoke.

"You worked hard, Chief."

Jeong Jin-woo bowed briefly and placed a laptop bag quietly on the table.

Jeong Yu-chan stared blankly at that bag.

Jeong Jin-woo took the laptop out of the bag and touched it a few times, then a voice flowed out.

It was a voice very familiar to Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan.

-Do not worry about Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan. I will try to talk to him well.

As his name was mentioned directly, Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan's eyes momentarily shook minutely.He inhaled heavily and closed his eyes.

After time passed, he opened his eyes and looked at the laptop while speaking in a low voice.

"...This is certainly clear enough."

Jeong Jin-woo nodded with cold eyes that carried no emotion.

"Besides this, there are more audio files additionally secured."

I opened my mouth toward Chief Jeong.

"Good work, Chief. You may leave now."

Having perfectly finished his mission, Jeong Jin-woo left after giving a greeting.

A heavy silence flowed between the two of us who remained.

Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan was still lost in thought while looking at the laptop screen.

His eyes were full of fatigue and confusion.

I spoke first.

"Assemblyman, you seem flustered."

Jeong Yu-chan let out a deep sigh for a moment.

Fatigue and confusion were mixed in that breath.

He had encountered countless people while doing politics until now.

However, every time he checked the bottom to this extent, he felt like his trust in people was collapsing.

Jeong Yu-chan opened his mouth with a bitter expression.

"After starting politics, I have experienced all sorts of humans. From those who speak of the people's livelihood outwardly while exchanging envelopes of money behind the scenes.... They shouted for justice with their mouths but easily knelt before power."

He quietly withdrew his gaze and continued his words to me.

"But seeing the bottom to this extent... it is indeed not easy. The voice of that human selling me out while mentioning my name is so disgusting."

I nodded without a word.

Jeong Yu-chan bit his lips firmly for a moment and then gave a bitter smile.

"I thought I had done politics well in my own way. Of course, I cannot say even I am completely clean. Still, I tried hard not to cross the line. But I realized today. A line is not something others decide for you."

I opened my mouth quietly.

"I think just holding out when the opportunity to cross that line arises is meaningful."

Jeong Yu-chan nodded slightly at those words.

"Thank you for those words. It is strangely comforting. I did not expect to hear such words from a young friend like you. Haha."

I smiled lightly at the Assemblyman's words.

Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan looked at the laptop placed on the table and said.

"Representative Lim, I will take responsibility and lead the National Audit."

"Thank you, Assemblyman."

Jeong Yu-chan packed the materials and stood up.

Soon after Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan left, I was finally alone.

Rising from my seat, I scanned the tabletop once and then headed toward a wall where there was nothing.

A place that looked featureless on the outside.

However, when my fingertips pressed a certain part, the wall moved slowly with a clicking sound.

"Do you like it now?"

My voice filled the quiet space.

A hidden room beyond the wall.

A completely different landscape unfolded there.

In the wide space, there were soft leather sofas, a table, and a large screen that one might see in a movie theater.

On that screen, the space where I and Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan had been sitting across from each other just a moment ago was being shown in real-time.

The sound flowing out of the space, quiet as a dead mouse, was enough to touch the skin.

Someone was sitting in such a place.

It was Chairman Lim Man-seok, the head of Taeseong Group.

And his younger brother, Chairman Lim Man-cheol, who leads Taeseong Heavy Industries.

As I entered the room, Lim Man-cheol turned his gaze.

He let out a few exaggerated coughs as usual and then intentionally messed up his posture.

It was an attitude as if it were no big deal.

"You little brat. I am still thinking about your great-uncle."

He said that, but his eyes were complicated as if the previous scene were circling in his head.

His heart pounded.

He turned his head and feigned indifference while muttering inside.

'This guy is the real deal.... If he continues like this, he will become very great.'

Lim Man-cheol had already finished his calculations regarding me.

However, he did not want to admit it in front of his older brother.

He still maintained a stiff attitude and sat with his legs crossed for no reason while clasping his arms.

The heart that did not want to admit it made his triumphant pride surge even more.

"What if Jeong Yu-chan suddenly changes his mind then? Do you think the world is that easy?"

Lim Man-cheol added worry at the end of every word for no reason, but he ended up chuckling anyway.

The corners of his mouth betrayed his heart.

I did not miss that sight.

"I fully understand that you are worried about Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan, great-uncle. Because the political arena is a place where betrayal happens at any time. However, while our opinions match, it is the same as being in the same boat. To think about things after that seems like too far a story."

I grinned toward Chairman Lim Man-cheol.

Then Lim Man-seok's gaze turned toward me and then he looked at his brother.

"It is a relief that this fellow is my grandson. If he were your grandson, I would have been so jealous I wouldn't have been able to sleep."

It was a short joke, but it was full of pride that could not be hidden.

Lim Man-cheol tried hard to pretend he didn't hear, but he couldn't hide a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Tch. Brother..."

Lim Man-cheol pouted his lips because of his pride and brushed back his hair for no reason.

'If I had a grandson like that, I would be dying of joy. Phew. Why isn't there a single useful fellow.'

Then I approached and sat quietly across from the sofa, then opened my mouth.

"As you can see, Assemblyman Jeong will move immediately. The outline of the National Audit schedule will also come out within this week."

Lim Man-seok nodded and replied.

"Then we should prepare the next move."

"...Yes."

Lim Man-cheol also showed interest and leaned his body forward slightly.

"So what is the next move you are thinking of?"

I turned my gaze toward the screen as if organizing my thoughts for a moment, then soon turned my head and looked directly at Lim Man-seok.

Then I replied in a confident voice.

"Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering."

The moment that name came out of my mouth, the air in the room froze coldly.

Lim Man-seok did not look surprised, perhaps having expected it to some extent.

On the other hand, Lim Man-cheol's mouth opened naturally.

"You brat. Do you know what kind of company Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is? Even our Taeseong Heavy Industries is a difficult competitor. There is no place larger than that in the domestic shipbuilding industry."

I did not waver at all.

In those eyes, I looked like a person who already predicted everything.

"That is correct, so I plan to shake it properly this time. To the point where even Daehan Group cannot easily touch it."

It was a tone as if buying items at a market.

At my words, Lim Man-cheol's eyes changed.

The intuition of a seasoned businessman recognized that meaning at once.

"How on earth are you going to shake it?"

I explained slowly while smiling continuously.

"A structure with a rotten foundation is bound to collapse from the inside even if you do not intentionally break it. Assemblyman Jeong Yu-chan has stepped forward, but if the media response that follows, the internal whistleblower, and the hidden reality of the financial structure are all revealed, it will naturally shake."

Lim Man-cheol hurriedly closed his open mouth and looked at me for a long time.

And then he muttered with a voice mixed with admiration and even clapped his hands.

"Look at this guy. Brother, you have a truly amazing grandson. Hahaha."

"How frivolous.... You're praying for my eardrums to fall off."

Lim Man-seok was scolding his fawning brother, but he felt good inside.

I looked at the two of them and tilted my head slightly.

Then I said with a characteristic playful smile.

"Oh, by the way, great-uncle, you met with Vice President Choi Dong-ryeol of Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering recently, didn't you?"

At those words, Lim Man-cheol's eyes bugged out.

"W... what? Ah, that is... you see. Hyunjun, it is all a misunderstanding. No, I absolutely didn't do that to betray my brother. I just met him out of politeness because he asked to have a cup of tea..."

"Great-uncle!"

I smiled slightly and continued.

"It is fine. I do not even worry about betrayal in the first place. Rather, please continue to have such meetings in the future."

As I spoke as if it didn't matter even if he betrayed, Lim Man-cheol felt as if he were spinning round and round on the palm of a young brat.

That feeling was not very pleasant.

"...What do you mean by that? Who do you think I've been meeting. You must have heard wrong somewhere...."

At that time, Lim Man-seok cut his brother off with a single quiet cough.

"You stop being so restless. Do you think I don't know you've been going around like that? I just left you alone because there was nothing particularly problematic."

"...Gasp. Brother, are you still doing background checks on me?"

"Since my younger brother causes accidents every time, can I leave you alone."

"No, even so. What kind of accident would I cause again...."

Lim Man-cheol's pupils shook for a moment and then he shut his mouth tight.

Looking at the two of them, I felt as if I were watching a comedy skit, and laughter kept leaking out.

"Well then, great-uncle, how about trying it like this? Let's take it for all it's worth this time. It would also be good to instill the illusion that there is someone inside reaching out a hand, so that Choi Dong-ryeol cannot escape on his own."

Lim Man-cheol looked at me with a face mixed with confusion and admiration, and finally leaned back on the sofa while muttering.

"This guy is a complete freak. Where on earth did a kid like this come from in our family? Is this kid really Do-kyung's son? Do-kyung has been soft since he was young. Do-hyun was a bit shrewd..."

"This brat, I've had enough of you. There is nothing you won't say to my grandson."

As the scolding immediately flew in, Lim Man-cheol's large frame shrank.

"He takes after me. He is exactly the same as how I was in my younger days."

"What.... If he took after you, there's no way he'd look so refined."

"You brat. I've been so indulgent because you're my brother that you don't take my words seriously!"

There was a cane next to Chairman Lim Man-seok.

As his eyes turned toward it, Lim Man-cheol quick-wittedly played dead.

"Oh, brother. Please calm down. Hyunjun's actions are exactly like you in your younger days. A tiger cub comes from a tiger. Would a kitten come out?"

"Ahem. Of course."

Only then did the two of them stop bickering.

Lim Man-seok laughed with a satisfied expression.

That expression was full of contentment.

It was a moment where power and ability were passed down across generations.

And above all, it was the moment the curtain rose on the war to swallow the collapsing Daehan Group.