Do whatever you want
The chief secretary and the head of the legal team made eye contact.
The head of the legal team asked in surprise.
"Da, how did you······."
"Is it for the same reason as you? Is it that surprising that I'm here?"
Unlike the head of the legal team, the chief secretary responded in a more relaxed manner.
I watched the conversation between the two with interest and shook the wine glass in front of me.
"I'm curious too. I didn't know the Chief Secretary would be here. Why on earth did you betray the Chairman? Weren't you friends with the Chairman?"
"Friend······. I thought of Woo-shik as a friend. However, friendship can only be maintained on an equal footing. When I was young, Woo-shik must have thought of me as a friend, but as an adult, he treated me as a superior and subordinate. No, as a servant."
I flinched without realizing it at the Chief Secretary's words.
Although he wasn't talking about me, his words somehow struck me in the heart.
The idea that friends can be maintained on an equal footing kept ringing in my ears.
Are Myeongsu, Hyeonseong, and I really on equal terms? Are we still friends?
Myeongsu treated me no differently than before, but Hyunseong started to show signs of being cautious when meeting me at some point.
Although he may pretend not to on the outside, deep down he may be thinking the same thing as the Chief Secretary.
'I need to pay more attention.'
I nodded silently, looking at the chief secretary.
The two promised each other that they would be careful not to have such feelings toward each other.
Yoon Hyun-joo lightly coughed to lighten the gloomy atmosphere.
"Let's stop this useless chatter. Should I take the fact that the head of the legal team came to see me to mean that he's going to abandon that guy, Choi Woo-shik?"
When Yoon Hyun-joo asked with a smile, the head of the legal team swallowed dry saliva. Then, out of the blue, he knelt down.
Just now, he suddenly got down on his knees, and I thought that his knees were truly worthless.
"Please spare my life. I was just doing my job faithfully because the Chairman ordered me to do so."
"Hmm······. According to the Chief Secretary, I understand that he has been meeting exclusively with Choi Woo-shik, excluding the Chief Secretary. And he has also been investigating me."
"That, that······. I couldn't disobey the Chairman's instructions."
Yoon Hyun-joo shrugged her shoulders at the stammering excuse.
"But couldn't you have told me? If the chief secretary hadn't investigated, I would have gotten stabbed in the back of the head without knowing anything."
"I will be loyal to you, Director. I will do whatever you ask me to do."
I couldn't understand why the head of the legal team was acting like this.
But you are the head of the legal team at KS Group. Even if you get fired, you can go out and open your own office, so you won't have any trouble making a living. Isn't that too humble?
"And then when the tide turns again, are you going to be loyal to that person? Anything is difficult once, but easy the second time."
"Oh, no. I was not loyal to Chairman Choi Woo-shik, but to the KS Group. From now on, I will be loyal to you until I die."
The cornered legal team leader blurted out a strange story. Yoon Hyun-joo looked at me and asked.
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"What do you think, Mr. Kim?"
"What does my opinion matter? Do whatever you want, sir."
"But what if I give you some advice?"
The chief secretary was able to persuade her, but the head of the legal team was unable to, so he asked her why.
"Do you happen to have the weaknesses of a legal team leader?"
At my question, the body of the legal team leader who was lying face down on the floor flinched.
"Not yet. But you know, the head of the legal team did not hesitate to do dirty work to make illegal and unlawful methods legal. He is the person who should be held responsible along with Choi Woo-shik. After the shareholders' meeting, I plan to start an audit of Choi Woo-shik's limbs."
As expected, it wasn't that he had any particular weaknesses, but rather that he was going to reveal the crimes of the head of the legal team through audits.
If he had a weakness, he would have tried to win it over in advance like the chief secretary, or he would have blown it up by Choi Woo-shik's side.
"Please take note, I am just asking for your advice."
"Okay. I'll filter it out myself."
"First of all, the legal team leader's abilities are well known. He is so resourceful that he can somehow resolve Choi Woo-shik's various illegal activities. He also has great connections within the prosecution."
Yoon Hyun-joo also nodded, seeming to acknowledge that.
If it weren't for the all-out lobbying by the legal team leader, Choi Woo-shik would have been arrested long ago.
"If you can rewrite it, it would be better. If that's not possible… Have you thought of a replacement?"
"I don't have anyone in mind."
"Then there is no one better suited to the job than me. I recommend that you put on a leash and use it. After working with you this time, I think you should have at least one legal professional around you."
This time, Yoon Jae-ha had a hard time. She nodded in agreement.
"That's right. I felt it strongly this time."
Yoon Hyun-joo turned her head and asked the chief secretary.
"What do you think, Chief Secretary?"
"He is a capable person. The question is whether or not he can be trusted. I don't think that's something I can judge."
After thinking for a moment, Yoon Hyun-joo turned her gaze back to the head of the legal team.
"Can I trust you?"
"Please trust me. I will be loyal to you."
"Do whatever you're told?"
The head of the legal team nodded his head with his neck hanging off him, fearing that he might miss the opportunity.
"Then how much do you know about Choi Woo-shik's private life?"
"Well, the Chief Secretary would know that better than I do. All I know is······."
"I don't know, so why would I ask you? You're asking me if Choi Woo-shik gave that woman and that kid some property without my knowledge. Are you pretending not to know, or are you just stupid?"
The head of the legal team, who flinched at the sharp question, surprisingly opened his mouth obediently.
"······I donated a building in Gangnam under the name of that woman's mother. And I also wrote a will in case of an unexpected death."
"A will?"
Yoon Hyun-joo's eyes widened at the sudden mention of a will.
"······That person wrote a separate will?"
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"Yes, that's right."
"You crazy bastard Choi Woo-shik! What on earth did you write in your will? Tell me right now."
"I will give all my assets, including stocks and real estate, to Jinwoo Choi······."
"Are you crazy! How dare you!"
Yoon Hyun-joo, who had been chewing on this, slammed the table.
She didn't even try to hide her emotions, showing how angry she was.
"You're going to give all your wealth to that kid? That makes no sense! To an illegitimate child?"
"······."
"Where is the will? Bring it to me right now! I have to see it with my own eyes!"
"It is stored in the personal safe at the Taesan Bank headquarters. The chairman must go there in person. Even if I go there, the manager will not open it."
"Taesan Bank Headquarters?"
At those words, Yoon Hyun-joo looked at my face. I can see what she's thinking.
"I'm afraid I can't help you with this. I understand your situation, but if I were to ask you to open it for me, no one would use the Taesan Bank vault. It's a matter of trust."
Of course, it was possible if I put my mind to it. I just didn't want to take that risk, so I didn't do it.
"······I just looked at it."
Realizing that she had been rude, Yoon Hyun-joo turned her head and asked the legal team leader again.
"Think of a way. Stick close to Choi Woo-shik and bring me the will without hesitation. Then I will give you my side."
"Yes? Yes! I will definitely do it."
A smile appeared on the face of the head of the legal team. After looking at him for a moment without saying anything, Yoon Hyun-joo waved her hand.
"Then go out. For the time being, stick close to Choi Woo-shik and find out what he's doing. Got it?"
"Yes, I understand. But······. If I am dismissed from the position of CEO after the general shareholders' meeting, I will have no justification to stick around···."
"Write a letter of resignation! You can always come back later!?"
"Yes, I will do that."
The head of the legal team stood up, bowed his head slightly to me, and then went out.
As the head of the legal team left, Yoon Hyun-joo muttered venomously.
"People are so funny. You wrote a will without me knowing?"
As if she was burning inside, Yoon Hyun-joo picked up the glass of water and emptied it in one go.
"There are many ways to nullify the legal effect of a will, so don't worry too much."
"Don't worry. I just feel bad. Anyway, Choi Woo-shik will never be of any help to you. Oh, Mr. Kim. Are you hungry? I'll tell him to bring in some food now."
I was inwardly amazed at the sight of Yoon Hyun-joo, who had been going through some mental anguish, jumping around with emotions all of a sudden.
Soon, Yoon Hyun-joo called the employees and had them prepare food.
We quickly finished our meal and continued our conversation over coffee, which was served for dessert.
"I will never forget the help you gave me this time. And also the fact that I turned down that human's offer."
"It was a deal, you know. If it wasn't for my benefit, I wouldn't have helped so easily."
"You are not being honest. You are not the type of person who would act for such a small profit."
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Yoon Hyun-joo smiled slightly and continued speaking.
"I will give my all to whatever Mr. Kim does. Ask for anything."
"If you do that, I'll be happy. There will be many good businesses we can do together."
Perhaps because we had a common enemy, the conversation with Yoon Hyun-joo was friendly and cheerful.
* * *
Tian Liangwei tried to contact Jiang Zemin from time to time, but there was no response.
The more this happened, the more Cheonryangwi's anxiety grew.
Even though people from the Central Discipline Inspection Commission were roaming around Shanghai, they were unable to do anything.
They moved openly as if they had no intention of hiding the fact that they were grateful.
We conducted an audit of all institutions under the influence of Tian Liangwei, including Shanghai City Hall.
"Thank you all for gathering today."
Meanwhile, in Beijing, all Standing Committee members gathered for a meeting chaired by Hu Jintao.
"The reason I called all the members of the Standing Committee today was to decide on the dismissal of Cheon Ryang-wi."
Even after Hu Jintao finished speaking, the other eight Standing Committee members did not seem particularly surprised.
Because it was something that had already been planned.
"Secretary Woo Gwan-jeong. Please report."
Wu Guanzheng, the seventh-ranking member of the Standing Committee and concurrently secretary of the Central Discipline Commission of the Communist Party of China, stood up.
"After conducting a comprehensive audit, we have confirmed that Shanghai Party Secretary Tian Liangwei accepted bribes and seriously abused his power."
Woo Gwan-jeong continued speaking, picking up a bundle of papers lying on the table.
"What is written on that piece of paper is the corruption allegations against Cheonryangwi that we have uncovered so far."
All the standing committee members picked up the paper and checked what was written.
But the corruption allegations written in it were not as serious as expected.
The amount presented for the alleged bribery was 2.39 million yuan.
It was a relatively small amount of money for someone as big as Cheonryangwi to receive.
The content written about the abuse of power was also still poor.
These were common things that those in power routinely did, such as favoring their relatives' business.
But the last thing written was the biggest problem.
"Is this true? That you misappropriated social security funds and intentionally caused losses?"
Jiang Zemin's confidant, Huang Ju, narrowed his eyes and asked.
"We already have all the evidence."
The rat quietly closed its eyes.
This was absolutely indefensible. No, trying to save Tian Liangwei could have caused not only himself but also Jiang Zemin to fall to the bottom.
Hu Jintao opened his mouth with a stiff face.
"I think we should dismiss Shanghai Party Secretary Tian Liangwei. Then we should immediately arrest and detain him and continue the investigation. Are there any objections?"
The conference room was quiet. No one opened their mouths.
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"Okay. Then I will consider that everyone agrees, and the motion to dismiss Cheonryangwi has passed."
At that moment, Ja-Cheong-Rin, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
"Shouldn't we still inform former President Jiang Zemin?"
"······I will discuss that in person."
"If that's the case."
Hu Jintao, responding to Zhao Lin's words, gave an order to Wu Guanzheng.
"Don't send anyone else, Secretary Wu himself should go and arrest him."
"Yes, I will do that."
"Let's take care of everything today without wasting any time. The Shanghai Party Secretary position will be vacant······."
This time, Huang Zhu raised his hand and interrupted Hu Jintao.
"Your Majesty, let's talk about that later. It wouldn't be good for us to decide on a successor right away."
"Umm······."
Hu Jintao swallowed hard and thought about it. He had originally planned to finish it all today, but he also had to consider the positions of the Jiang Zemin faction, including Huang Ju.
You can push them if you want to, but there was no reason to force them and make them uncomfortable.
The winner had to show the winner's composure.
"Good. Then let's meet again next month to discuss this, and for now, the vacant position of Shanghai Party Secretary will be temporarily held by the Shanghai Mayor. Any objections?"
Again, no one answered. But Hu Jintao was rather pleased by the silence.
"I understand that everything has been decided. Go ahead and execute it."
Cheonryangwi, who enjoyed the omnipotent power to the point where he could even make birds fall from the sky.
It took less than an hour for him to fall from the high sky.
< Do whatever you want > End