novelraw Chapter 120 : There Were Also People I Needed to Pay My Respects To, So This Works Out Well
Chapter 120 : There Were Also People I Needed to Pay My Respects To, So This Works Out Well
Chapter 120: There Were Also People I Needed to Pay My Respects To, So This Works Out Well
The result of the currency reform that the government had ambitiously pushed through was disastrous.
The new currency, the won, failed to circulate properly in the market, and the people’s assets remained tightly locked away inside bank vaults. The streets lost their vitality, and on people’s faces, instead of hope, only deep despair was visible.
The economic reconstruction the government had promised remained nothing more than a slogan, and public sentiment grew more vicious by the day.
In the midst of that, an editorial was published in the Dongbang Daily.
[Who Will Take Responsibility?]
The currency reform that began under the grand slogan of national modernization has brought about unprecedented chaos and now stands on the brink of collapse. The market has been paralyzed, companies are groaning under capital shortages, and ordinary citizens have been driven into livelihood crises overnight. This grim reality is the situation we currently face.
The people are asking. Who, exactly, will take responsibility for this chaos? Of course, there is no reason to doubt the revolutionary government’s loyalty in seeking to purge the corrupt old era and establish a new economic order.
However, good intentions do not always produce good results. The financial authorities’ complacent response and lack of preparation deserve criticism.
But the even greater problem is the lingering suspicion that this reform was pushed through without sufficient prior review or the collection of opinions from various sectors, driven solely by the dogmatism and idealism of a single individual. A soldier’s rigidity deserves respect, but the economy is not a domain that can be forced through like a military operation.
Ideals that do not take root in reality amount to nothing more than empty slogans, and this incident clearly demonstrates that arrogance which ignores experts’ earnest advice ultimately returns as suffering for the entire populace.
Even now, it is not too late. The government must clearly identify where responsibility lies. Holding those who committed errors strictly accountable—this alone is the only path to restoring the shattered trust of the people and bringing this crisis under control.
After reading the entire editorial, Jeong Tae-soo set the newspaper down.
A snake-like, icy smile crept onto his lips. The refined weapon called a newspaper was merely the beginning.
This kind of elegant flame was not enough. To burn down the vast plain called public sentiment without leaving anything behind, something far more vicious and primal was needed.
“Manager An.”
At the low call, the subordinate standing before him stepped forward.
“Yes, Deputy Director.”
“A scrap of newspaper isn’t enough. Only those who can read a bit will see it and get angry. Fire has to rise from the marketplace. From the hottest, filthiest places.”
After finishing his words, Jeong Tae-soo rose from his seat and stood by the window. His gaze turned toward the window of the director’s office where the KCIA Director was.
He opened his mouth again. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but the contents carried within were as sharp as a viper’s fangs.
“Spread it so it gets hammered clearly into the ears of market merchants, factory workers, and ordinary people trying to forget the worries of the world over a cup of makgeolli. That General Yushin-hyeok mocked the words of overseas-educated economic experts as mere armchair theory and ignored them. The more concrete and provocative, the better. People are swayed by stories more than by logic.”
The tale that someone believed to be a hero who saved the nation was in fact a stubborn tyrant who starved the people through his own obstinacy was one that always worked, regardless of the era.
Manager An immediately grasped Jeong Tae-soo’s intent and bowed his head.
“Yes, Deputy Director. I will dispatch people immediately.”
“No. Things like this leave no loose ends only when you move directly. You’ll personally meet a few I’ve already selected.”
Jeong Tae-soo took out a thin file folder from his desk drawer and tossed it to Manager An.
Inside were densely written names and weaknesses of executives from the market merchants’ association, key figures in labor unions, and information brokers who controlled rumors in the back alleys.
“Give them what they want and extract what we want. The flames must be neither too large nor too small. Control it so that the smoke reaches exactly up to that window—no further than the director’s office.”
“Understood, Deputy Director.”
As Manager An withdrew with the folder held to his chest, Jeong Tae-soo once again stood by the window.
After he left, Jeong Tae-soo thought for a moment before picking up the receiver. After the signal tone rang a few times, a low voice came from the other end.
“It’s me. I’ll pass along a few usable things, so dress them up as if they came from your side and send them up to the director’s office. The source must never be revealed.”
After setting the receiver down, the snake-like, icy smile once more appeared on his lips.
KCIA Director’s Office. Kang Byung-woo, unable to sleep properly for days, wrestled with stacks of documents with hollowed eyes.
The black market crackdown operation had been derailed by the Chairman’s sudden order to halt, and the issue of responsibility for the securities turmoil continued to cling to his ankles.
He was cornered.
At that moment, an aide carefully entered, holding a document envelope.
“Director, I think you should take a look at this.”
Kang Byung-woo lifted his gaze from the documents and looked at the envelope in the aide’s hands.
“What is it.”
“A tip-off has come in.”
Kang Byung-woo frowned. Then he replied dismissively.
“A tip-off? Handle things like that on your own.”
“……The contents are not trivial. It concerns General Yushin-hyeok.”
At the name Yushin-hyeok, Kang Byung-woo’s eyes flashed. He snatched the envelope from the aide’s hand.
Inside were only a few thin pages of a report, but the contents were anything but light.
It detailed, with supporting evidence, that when Yushin-hyeok had stayed in Japan in the past for military supplies procurement, he had arranged for enormous benefits to flow to his own relatives.
To be honest, it was not such major corruption. Back then, there was hardly a general who had not committed such minor irregularities.
But at a time when public sentiment was this unstable, it was a perfect dagger to redirect anger.
“What about the source of the information?”
“It came in through our intelligence line, but…… the source is unknown.”
“Well, what does the source matter. The person who led the currency reform funneled benefits to his own relatives. There’s nothing better than this for assigning responsibility.”
“Yes. That’s why I brought it.”
“Good. Dig into that bastard Yushin-hyeok. Go through everything written in these documents and fabricate—no, create—evidence. Shake out every speck of dust and trample him so thoroughly that he can’t even dare to lift his head.”
Kang Byung-woo threw the documents down with a flick of his hand, his eyes gleaming.
Kang Byung-woo had made up his mind to strike down Yushin-hyeok in order to survive himself.
Kang Byung-woo was waiting for the Chairman Han at the safe house.
A short while later, the door opened and Chairman Han entered. Kang Byung-woo quickly rose from his seat and saluted him.
“Relax. It’s just the two of us.”
“No, Your Excellency.”
“Tsk. Honestly.”
As Chairman Han clicked his tongue and took off his coat, Kang Byung-woo accepted it and hung it on the coat rack.
The two of them soon sat facing each other.
“So, tell me. What is it.”
“I believe you should take a look at this.”
Kang Byung-woo politely presented the document envelope he had prepared. Chairman Han asked without even looking at the documents.
“What is it.”
“It concerns Committee Member Yushin-hyeok.”
“General Yu?”
Chairman Han furrowed his brow.
“So, you’re even digging into the backgrounds of the supreme committee members now?”
“No. A tip-off came in, and I merely verified the facts.”
With an expression of displeasure, Chairman Han looked at Kang Byung-woo and then opened the envelope to check the materials.
After silently reviewing the contents inside, Chairman Han set the documents down and spoke.
“Why are you telling me about something from the past now? Isn’t this kind of thing commonplace.”
“Your Excellency. Public sentiment is unstable because of the currency reform. At this rate, it will become an obstacle to Your Excellency’s grand design.”
“…….”
“Someone must take responsibility. You must cut down Committee Member Yushin-hyeok.”
Chairman Han filled a bowl to the brim with makgeolli and downed it in one go.
“If we hold General Yu responsible, wouldn’t we also have to hold me responsible for approving it?”
“Your Excellency. That is precisely why you must wipe out Committee Member Yushin-hyeok, the Minister of Finance, and the Governor of the Bank of Korea all at once. Only that much will be enough to stabilize public sentiment. The marketplace is already filled with voices pointing fingers at the government. At this rate, they could rise up at any moment.”
“……Is it that bad?”
When Kang Byung-woo quietly nodded, Chairman Han put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.
“Hoo……. It won’t be easy. On top of that, the Americans are threatening to cut off economic aid because of the currency reform.”
“Your Excellency.”
After thinking for a moment, Chairman Han opened his mouth.
“Fine. Those who must take responsibility should do so. I understand what you’re saying.”
“I apologize, Your Excellency.”
“No. No. What do you have to apologize for. Go back and stand by for now. I want to be alone.”
At Chairman Han’s dismissal, Kang Byung-woo rose from his seat and saluted once more.
After he left, Chairman Han stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and muttered.
“So he’s throwing General Yu on the altar just to save himself?”
Chairman Han had already read through Kang Byung-woo’s true intentions. He drank makgeolli alone, sinking into deep thought.
The president’s office of Daejin Trading Company. Starting with the Dongbang Daily, I read through every article and editorial from the piles of newspapers stacked like a mountain on my desk.
[Who Will Take Responsibility?]
[An Economic Disaster Born of Dogmatism, Are the People the Sacrificial Lambs?]
[An Armchair Reform That Ignored Reality, A Foretold Failure.]
The expressions differed slightly, but every arrow was aimed at a single person. Yushin-hyeok.
“So in the end, they’ll push out Yushin-hyeok.”
I muttered quietly as I set the newspaper down.
Everything was unfolding exactly as I had expected. No, it was far faster and more blatant than that.
“They’ll lift the account freeze soon.”
The government was gradually easing the withdrawal limit, which had been set at 500 won, in order to soothe public sentiment.
But that was nothing more than a stopgap measure that barely gave individuals room to breathe. It did nothing at all to resolve the cash flow crisis facing companies.
‘While Jeong Tae-soo is busy fighting internal power struggles, I need to deal with Dan Tae-geon first.’
Now, while Jeong Tae-soo still could not fully focus on Myeong-dong, was the perfect opportunity to sever his financial lifeline.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door. It was Yoon Sang-hyeon.
“President. We’ve finished the internal personnel reshuffle.”
“Come in.”
His report listed new names filling the positions left vacant by the purge. Since we had no leeway to hire externally, it seemed they had refreshed the atmosphere through internal promotions.
“Well done. Please bear with it a little longer until the Chief Secretary returns.”
“Not at all. It’s an honor to serve you.”
Yoon Sang-hyeon said as he bowed his head.
“And we’ve received contact from the Federation of Korean Industries. They said you are to attend this general assembly.”
“Is that so? When is the date?”
“Tomorrow.”
“They’re quite dismissive.”
Rumors must have already spread far and wide that the owner of the Daejin Trading Company stirring up such upheaval was a shockingly young president.
Being summoned almost as a notice with the general assembly only a day away did not sit well with me, but I had to attend.
“Very well. I also had people I needed to pay my respects to, so this works out well.”
The next afternoon, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“I’ll wait here.”
At Yoon Sang-hyeon’s words, Baek Min-woo nodded and entered the building alone.
Past the corridor heavy with silence, he was guided to a small conference room. Through the tightly closed door, low voices and thick cigarette smoke were leaking out.
The moment the door opened, all the noise filling the room stopped as if it were a lie. At the same time, dozens of sharp gazes turned toward him in unison.
Around the massive round table, the power brokers who moved the Republic of Korea’s economy were already seated in their respective places.
In some eyes, he could read blatant curiosity toward the rumored upstart. In others, contempt for someone seen as a rootless nobody. And in still others, indifference as if looking at a trivial insect.
Baek Min-woo accepted all those gazes with his entire body without shrinking even a little. He simply walked at a steady pace toward the only empty seat at the table.
Standing before the empty seat, he looked at each of the assembled magnates in turn and bowed politely.
“I apologize for being late. I am Baek Min-woo of Daejin Trading Company.”