The Famous Millionaire

Hyunwoo’s educated guess was right. Jungsu intentionally acted funny. He suspected that somebody might be monitoring or wiretapping his conversation with Hyunwoo.

Jungsu was a prosecutor. Besides, his father held a powerful position as the chief of Seoul Prosecutors’ Office.

Given that, Hyunwoo could figure out the identity of the guy who might want to bug Jungsu.

‘He must be a political big shot.’

At that moment, a certain name flashed into his mind.

‘Is it Jungmin Hwang?’

Hyunwoo heard that recently Jungmin Hwang joined hands with Chulmo Kim. No matter how powerless they are now, they can still exercise some power if they join hands. Besides, Chulmo Kim is reportedly on close terms with the President.

Hyunwoo chimed in whenever Jungsu said something.

“Haha, it would be my pleasure if I had you as my brother. From now on, please talk down to me comfortably.”

“Oh, that makes sense, haha.”

So, Hyunwoo made Jungsu his elder brother all of a sudden. Of course, he would show due courtesy to Jungsu when they left this place.

Hyunwoo chatted with him for about 30 minutes.

“How about a family get-together?”

“I’m afraid your wife might feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s a thing of the past, isn’t it? And your wife is the most beautiful woman in the world, right?”

“Really? I’m okay as long as your wife doesn’t mind.”

“Let me contact you later.”

Jungsun then left the place first.

Hyunwoo also stood up. Though he really wanted to look around to find the surveillant, he held it back. He didn’t want to give the impression that he got wind of it.

Back to the office, he focused on what was coming next.

He would be contacted by Jungsu soon. As he was watchful of the surveillant, Jungsu would contact him through an unorthodox channel.

By then Hyunwoo would find out who the surveillant was.

No matter who he turned out to be, Hyunwoo needed to be prepared in advance.

Hyunwoo called the security chief of the company but stopped for a moment.

‘Is my office bugged, too?’

After thinking it over momentarily, he wrote something on a Post-It sticker.

The security chief came in.

“Did you call me, sir?”

Hyunwoo gave him a corporate card with the sticker behind it.

“I hear the security team is working hard these days. Please use this card for a drinking party with your staff.”

A quick-witted man, the security chief quickly noticed that sticker but didn’t show his embarrassment. He acted naturally just as usual.

“Thanks.”

He read the memo, receiving the card.

<I’ll see you at the bench near the wisteria tree in front of the annex building at 5 pm>

“You can leave now.>

At 5 pm, he met the security chief and gave him a specific direction.

“Double check if somebody has installed a bugging device in places that I often visit, including my office. I’m preempting it just in case.”

“Got it.”

“And increase the security staff to 200. And ten of them should be young handsome men and beautiful women. I’m going to grow them as entertainers later.”

“Will do as instructed.”

The security chief didn’t ask unless he felt compelled. Even then he asked very shortly to confirm Hyunwoo’s intention.

“Good. Just go and have a good drinking party.”

“Thanks.”

Three days later, one of his bodyguards came to Hyunwoo.

“A student at Haenim School asked me to send this note to you.”

It was sealed outside, so only Hyunwoo could confirm the contents.

He opened it and read,

<Brother, can I see you at the Japanese restaurant in Ansan tomorrow? At 7 pm, I’ve made a reservation with the name of Youngchan Song.>

There was no sender’s name on it.

But Hyunwoo could immediately figure out who he was.

At 7 pm, the next day Hyunwoo arrived at the restaurant. When he arrived, the other party welcomed him, shaking hands with him.

“Glad to see you again, brother.”

“Ah, yes…”

Jungsu again called him brother and tried to be friendly toward him.

Hyunwoo was tense again because he was afraid he was being watched by somebody.

But Jungsu made a bright smile as if to put him at ease.

“We’re good here. When I said I wanted to serve you as my brother, I meant it. Anyway, you and I are entangled in life in one way or another. Let me just call you brother comfortably. So, you can talk down to me.”

“That sounds good.”

A little later a waitress served some food and then left quickly.

Only then did Jungsu get to the point.

“In fact, Jungmin Hwang proposed a deal. He proposed that he would make my father the Prosecutor General if I get you arrested you.”

How? It was simple. Jungsu first would make friends with Hyunwoo quickly and then find out more and more about him. If he uncovered something fishy, Jungsu would take action to charge him.

Jungsu frankly told Hyunwoo about Jungmin’s dirty scheme.

Hyunwoo just listened to him. It was a surprising trick, but Hyunwoo had nothing to respond with.

When Jungsu was done, Hyunwoo cautiously asked, “So, what do you want me to do?”

Jungsu replied without any hesitation, “Please support Songjukhoe.”

“Songjukhoe?”

“It is a social club of young prosecutors, journalists, and businessmen from all walks of life. They formed the club with the intention of making our country a just and clean one.”

The club was new to Hyunwoo.

Actually, the club had been formed a long time ago, even before Jungsu became a prosecutor.

At that time, it had been a simple social gathering, with its members composed of young men and women in their 30s and 40s.

Its original name was the Association of Future Youth.

When the Munsik list involving the resources diplomacy was disclosed, however, some of the association gathered and remodelled it as Songjukhoe.

Like Jungsu said, Songjukhoe comprised a total of 150 people from all walks of life.

But most of them were young, and they had no major posts in their jobs. Though they were full of enthusiasm about changing the country, they couldn’t have any impact because they had no power to make the final decision.

“But we can’t sit idle like this. So, we have decided to fight on this occasion. We have resolved to drive out the corrupt vested interests and create a new world,” said Jungsu, a member of Songjukhoe.

Hyunwoo supported his idea but didn’t show his innermost feelings easily. It would take some time for Hyunwoo to open his heart to him.

But he readily responded to Jungsu’s request.

“Sure, let me help Songjukhoe. How can I help you?”

“If Songjukhoe needs to build strength, it needs information. If it wants information, it needs an organization, which needs funds. Please donate some funds necessary to run Songjukhoe.”

As far as the fund is concerned, Hyunwoo was willing to offer as much as they wanted. If Songjukhoe could drive away corrupt politics, he could spend one trillion won.

But the problem was he didn’t want to leave any trace of the fund. If something went awry, the other party could find fault with it to attack him.

“Can I donate cash?”

“I’ve thought about various methods through which you could donate money. We can receive cash in part and set up a paper company, so we can get the fund in the form of the purchase of the company’s products. And…”

“Sure, let me give you as much as you want. Instead, let me ask a favor of you.”

“Please go ahead.”

“In fact, this is a risky fight. You never know what kind of mean means they can resort to. So, I hired lots of bodyguards. Can I send bodyguards to you and your wife? I think I feel comfortable with bodyguards protecting you and your wife.”

Jungsu seemed a bit agonized but responded favorably.

“I’m fine, but let me ask my wife about it. Let me persuade her.”

Hyunwoo made a satisfied smile and said, “Thanks.”

Several days later, the ruling and opposition parties began to nominate candidates for the seats vacated by those lawmakers arrested because of the resources diplomacy scandal.

The ruling party led by Mr. Wonhu Ha nominated young candidates.

Veteran politicians naturally opposed it. In particular, Chulmo Kim and his clique raised their voices against the young candidates.

Though they had to restrain themselves, they couldn’t sit idle when it came to the important issue of candidate nomination. If they let Han have his way, the nominated candidates would all take side with him when elected.

But Mr. Ha, the chairman of the ruling party, didn’t budge a bit. Though Chulmo came up with a compromise idea, he didn’t accept it.

If both sides didn’t meet halfway, it was certain that the ruling party would split before the by-elections.

After all, Chulmo proposed a different idea to his confidants.

“Okay, then. Let’s send our men as independent candidates. Young voters won’t come to the polling booths. And old voters are mostly on our side. So, if we campaign for our candidates strongly, we will win the elections.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Chulmo had his men run as independents. In some areas, Chulmo’s candidate put pressure on the ruling party’s candidate with a competent supporting rate.

That was an unexpected factor that Ha didn’t think about in advance. There was a real possibility that some of the seats would be won by Chulmo’s men.

Ha deeply agonized over this, but could not find a good way.

He urgently called Hyunoo for some advice.

“Whew…we might be defeated.”

Hyunwoo tilted his head to one side, though.

“There is no big difference between the rival candidates’ supporting rate. You don’t have to be disappointed yet…”

“You don’t know anything about elections. In the polls on the supporting rate of candidates, young voters are mostly participating in it. On election day, however, many of them don’t come out to the polling booths. That’s the problem.”

Hyunwoo nodded as if he understood that. After all, the key was how to raise the voting rate of the young voters.

At that moment, Hyunwoo hit upon an idea.

“I know a surefire method. We’re going to win an overwhelming victory this time.”

Ha’s eyes popped up.

“What’s that? Which method?”