Chapter 26

Chapter 26. Suspicion (3)

"My father probably has something in mind."

Hyeon Jiyeon answered calmly.

But judging from her expression, she clearly wasn't thrilled that the position of successor had to go to one of her cousins despite Chairman Hyeon Wonsik still having two perfectly healthy daughters.

"Whoever gets adopted will have their entire life changed overnight."

Harok already knew how things would end, but he deliberately pretended otherwise.

"Do we really have to keep talking about such an uncomfortable subject?"

Truthfully, Harok was extremely curious.

Hyeon Yeongmo had practically appeared out of nowhere.

One day, Chairman Hyeon Wonsik named him his adopted son, and he suddenly became the protagonist of a Cinderella story.

He wasn't even the oldest among the cousins.

Before being adopted, his name had barely been known outside the family.

Yet he won the adoption race.

A few years later, he inherited the entire TS Group.

What the hell happened behind the scenes?

Stories about chaebol families had always felt distant to Harok, like things happening in another country.

But now that he was sitting across from a chaebol heiress and hearing about the family directly, his curiosity naturally grew.

"As I said earlier, this isn't merely a private matter involving the Hyeon family. Depending on who becomes the successor, the entire Korean economy could be affected."

Jang Junyeol kept pressing.

He hadn't survived more than thirty years in journalism by taking things easy.

His experience showed.

"Do you know what standards your father will use to select the successor?"

"All three currently hold important positions at group affiliates. Their business performance will probably be part of the evaluation."

Suddenly, Harok thought of Vice Chairman Bae Jaegwon, head of the Strategic Coordination Office.

"Won't Director Bae Jaegwon's opinion carry a lot of weight?"

Hyeon Jiyeon didn't answer immediately.

It was obvious to anyone that Bae Jaegwon's influence would matter greatly.

"That makes sense. Vice Chairman Bae's opinion could be almost as important as the chairman's."

Jang Junyeol nodded in agreement.

"Vice Chairman Bae is involved in practically every major and minor affair of the group, so that's certainly possible."

It was a complicated game.

In Harok's previous life, he had only seen the result.

Hyeon Yeongmo suddenly became the adopted son and successor.

Harok had never cared enough to investigate what happened within the family before that decision.

The media hadn't dug very deeply into it either.

They had been too busy rewriting whatever official explanation they were given.

But according to Hyeon Jiyeon, two things seemed likely to matter greatly.

The management performance of the three candidates.

And Vice Chairman Bae Jaegwon's influence.

"Then among the three candidates, who's currently considered the most likely successor?"

"Do we really have to keep discussing this?"

Hyeon Jiyeon kept trying to avoid the subject.

That was understandable.

Her biological brother was gone, and now her ambitious cousins were circling the vacant position.

"Ah, I'm sorry. But like I said, this is something everyone would naturally be interested in. Since we've already come this far, why don't we talk a little more? We'll keep everything said here off the record."

Jang Junyeol glanced at Harok.

"Yes. My lips are sealed."

Only then did Hyeon Jiyeon calmly explain the current situation inside TS Group.

Chairman Hyeon Wonsik had two younger brothers, Wonsang and Wonjung.

Hyeon Wonsang was vice chairman of TS Group.

Hyeon Wonjung had gone independent early and was now chairman of Damo Electronics.

Hyeon Wonsang had two sons.

Hyeon Junmo, thirty-eight years old, executive director at TS Construction.

Hyeon Seokmo, thirty-five years old, managing director at TS Electronics.

Hyeon Wonjung's son was Hyeon Yeongmo.

He was thirty-four and had recently become a managing director at TS Foodnet.

Wait.

Hyeon Yeongmo is a managing director at TS Foodnet?

Lee Jinbaek's face naturally came to mind.

Could Senior Jinbaek be part of Hyeon Yeongmo's line?

"Judging by age and business performance so far, Junmo oppa is the most likely."

Wrong.

Hyeon Yeongmo gets adopted and takes the whole TS Group.

According to Hyeon Jiyeon, the oldest cousin, Hyeon Junmo, was currently the overwhelming favorite.

Meanwhile, Hyeon Yeongmo was the youngest and had only worked inside TS Group for about two years.

Hyeon Jiyeon's words had to reflect the current mood within the Hyeon family accurately.

So how did the situation change from Hyeon Junmo to Hyeon Yeongmo?

Possibility one.

Hyeon Yeongmo achieved some extraordinary result.

Possibility two.

Hyeon Junmo and Hyeon Seokmo screwed up badly enough to eliminate themselves.

Possibility three.

Both happened.

Something smelled suspicious.

Hyeon Yeongmo becoming chairman of TS Group was no longer an irrelevant future event to Harok.

There were no coincidences in this world.

The garbage dumpling scandal erupted.

TS Group entered the dumpling market.

Soon afterward, TS Foodnet caused a sensation in that market.

In Harok's previous life, TS Foodnet was competing for first or second place in dumplings.

Was that achievement what earned Hyeon Yeongmo recognition?

And there was something else.

Lee Jinbaek had the trust of Vice Chairman Bae Jaegwon.

He was also working alongside Hyeon Yeongmo, one of the succession candidates.

With Bae Jaegwon's backing, could they have freely used group resources?

Could they have used those resources to engineer the garbage dumpling scandal?

Harok's suspicion toward Lee Jinbaek began growing again.

Even if this theory was correct, however, there was no way to confirm it immediately.

If he investigated the people around them one by one, perhaps he could eventually peel back the curtain hiding the mastermind.

"Thank you for today."

"We learned a lot."

After saying goodbye, Harok suddenly thought he should become closer to Hyeon Jiyeon.

If he wanted to follow Hyeon Yeongmo's movements in the future, Hyeon Jiyeon could be useful.

"I'd like to interview you sometime, Director. Would that be possible?"

"Me?"

"People talk a lot these days about socially responsible companies. But when a major corporation establishes and runs art centers or museums like this, that's a real form of giving back to society."

"I suppose that's true."

"So I'd like to hear what kind of vision a young planning director like you has for Yeouljae's future."

Hyeon Jiyeon looked slightly flustered by the sudden proposal.

"If that's the topic, shouldn't you interview my mother instead...?"

"Director Lee Seongeum has already appeared in the media many times. It isn't fresh anymore. Readers want something new."

Hyeon Jiyeon tried to politely refuse, but Harok didn't back down easily.

In the end, she relented.

"All right. Let's do it."

"Department Head, that's okay, right?"

Harok immediately turned to Jang Junyeol for permission.

He had already arranged the interview right in front of him and was only now asking for approval?

Jang Junyeol could only laugh and nod.

"Director, I'll contact you soon. We'll set the date then."

"All right."

After exchanging farewells again, Harok parted ways with Jang Junyeol in front of Yeouljae's main entrance.

He was walking toward the bus stop when his phone rang.

It was Han Seungjin from the political affairs department.

"Senior Han."

"What are you doing?"

"I just finished dinner with my department head. I'm heading home now."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. What brings you to call me?"

"You asked me about Woncheol last time."

"Right."

"I'm meeting him tomorrow. He said if you have time, you should join us. He wants to explain what happened back then."

Explain?

He blocked a perfectly valid article from being published, and now he wanted to explain himself?

Shouldn't he be apologizing instead?

Because Bang Woncheol interfered, Harok's article had been killed.

Harok had been forced to transmit it without authorization.

As a result, he had been sent before the disciplinary committee and gone through all kinds of trouble before barely landing in the culture department.

The starting point of all of it had been Bang Woncheol.

Fine.

Let's hear what excuse he has tomorrow.

The next day, Harok met Han Seungjin and Bang Woncheol at a Korean restaurant downtown.

"So you're Harok."

Oh?

We've never met, and you're already talking down to me?

"Yes, yes. Nice to meet you."

Harok made no effort to hide his irritation.

Han Seungjin noticed immediately but said nothing and simply sat down.

At first, they focused on eating.

After about five rounds of bomb shots, Harok spoke first.

"Senior, why did you pressure the paper to kill my article?"

Bang Woncheol frowned as though he had expected the question.

Then he quickly regained his composure.

"I heard you suffered because of that. I'm sorry about what happened."

"That's all you're sorry about?"

Bang Woncheol avoided answering directly and lifted the glass in front of him.

Gulp, gulp.

"Ahh. Running a country is subtle and complicated. There are many things civilians shouldn't know about and couldn't understand even if they did."

"Did garbage dumplings somehow threaten the administration?"

"Not exactly..."

"You used to be a reporter too. How could you so casually call a newspaper and tell them to pull an article?"

Harok's questioning grew increasingly sharp.

Han Seungjin finally stepped in.

"All right, all right. Harok, calm down a little."

"Senior Han, doesn't this make you angry too? The government pressuring a newspaper? What is this, the Fifth Republic?"

"I know, I know. I'm angry too."

Han Seungjin lightly patted Harok on the back.

Harok continued pressing the subject for quite a while, but Bang Woncheol ultimately refused to open up.

"...All I can say is that there were highly political considerations behind the decision."

Harok eventually got tired of pushing.

He picked up the bomb shot in front of him and drained it.

While Harok ate some food, Han Seungjin and Bang Woncheol took a brief break from the subject and started talking about family.

"So, Senior Secretary Bang, is your wife still in the United States?"

"Yes. The kids need to finish school there, so..."

"Living apart from your family can't be easy."

"I'm entering my seventh year now, so I'm used to it."

"Seven years already?"

"They've been in the US ever since my overseas training."

Overseas training?

He had taken every benefit journalism could offer, then immediately left when the Blue House called him.

Bang Woncheol had transferred to KDTV, an affiliated broadcaster, shortly after joining Daehan Daily.

There, he had covered the Blue House and eventually changed jobs directly into the presidential office.

"Harok, you should hurry up and get married too. Then go somewhere nice for overseas training."

Why does getting married have anything to do with overseas training?

"Can single reporters not go overseas for training?"

"It's not that. But overseas training is meaningful when you have kids. They need to learn English while you're abroad."

"Exactly. If you're single, there's not much point."

Bang Woncheol joined in.

"Senior Secretary Bang, who sponsored your training? I went through the Press Foundation."

"I went through Yeouljae. Their program is good, and they give generous living expenses too..."

"Right. Anything run by a conglomerate is usually better."

Yeouljae?

He had gone to the United States through Yeouljae?

Wasn't Yeouljae a foundation operated by TS Group?

In journalism and the legal world, there was a phrase like "XX scholarship recipient."

It referred to people who had received scholarships from a specific conglomerate or enjoyed benefits such as overseas training.

Afterward, they often became people that conglomerate continued to manage and support.

Naturally, they became known as that company's "scholarship recipients" and, directly or indirectly, tended to defend its interests.

Of all companies, he went overseas using TS Group's money...

"Senior Bang, how many children do you have?"

"One son and one daughter. My oldest starts middle school next year. The younger one's still in elementary school."

"Where in the US do they live?"

"Boston."

There was no way he had sent his children to public school in a major city like Boston.

The difference in tuition between public and private schools was enormous.

Could a Blue House senior secretary's salary really cover private school tuition?

"They're not in public school, right?"

"Of course not. Sending kids to public school in America is practically abandoning them."

"Can you afford the tuition?"

The moment tuition came up, Bang Woncheol's expression stiffened.

"Well, that's..."

Apparently, he hadn't prepared for questions about his family.

"I've heard from friends that private school tuition in the US can cost tens of millions of won per child every year."

"They don't go somewhere that expensive. You're talking about schools for America's wealthy elite."

"Even if it's not that expensive, it can't be cheap."

"That's why I'm always broke. Haha."

He laughed, but his expression wasn't bright.

"All right, all right. Harok, you're not even married. Why are you so interested in children's education?"

"Exactly. Worry about that after you get married and have kids, you brat."

They clearly wanted to smooth over the subject.

Well, if the other side refused to speak, there wasn't much Harok could do.

The conversation soon shifted to politics.

The administration's approval rating had fallen below thirty percent, putting the ruling party on alert.

The presidential election was still far away.

The immediate concern was next year's general election.

"Senior Secretary Bang, are you planning to run too?"

"Senior, what are you talking about?"

"The rumors are everywhere. I heard you've been visiting your hometown a lot lately."

"Come on, Senior. Don't say things like that anywhere unless you're trying to ruin my future."

It was obvious.

Bang Woncheol had already decided to run in next year's general election.