Chapter 11
“What kind of investigation? A lawsuit? By whom? Uh… this damn…”
Lee Jeong-seok stopped himself from swearing.
Right now, the only ones who would hear his words were his wife and Lee Seon-su.
“Got it. I’ll return to Korea right away. Don’t worry. I can resolve this. Things are going well here. Really. The athlete’s performance is going well, and they’re offering me 1.2 billion won annually for my salary. Yeah.”
A true senior.
The first thing he does is reassure his family so they don’t worry.
“I’m telling the truth. It’s not 120 million, it’s 1.2 billion.”
Well, it’s understandable if his wife finds it hard to believe.
He went from earning around one million won a month to making not ten times more, but a hundred times more.
“I’m not lying. With that much money, solving this issue won’t be difficult.”
It makes me wonder if it’s something that can really be resolved with money.
“Okay. I’ll book a flight and call you. I’ll call you again before I depart… Yeah. How are Yeong-jun and mother? Ah, got it. I’ll call you back. Love you.”
Senior Lee Jeong-seok hung up the phone.
“Senior, what’s going on?”
“Haa…”
He sighed deeply.
“Samdo General Trading has filed a lawsuit against me.”
He has every reason to sigh.
It’s absurd.
“For what?”
“Su-jeong said something about leaking confidential information. She doesn’t seem to know the details either. I guess I’ll have to check it out myself.”
There’s no way his wife, who stays at home, would know the exact details.
“So… I’m sorry, but…”
“I’ll look up the next available flight to Korea right away.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Quickly…”
Startled by the unexpected situation, I was about to send my senior off to Korea immediately.
But I changed my mind.
“Senior, let’s finish the bank business tomorrow and fly back together in the evening.”
“That sounds better, right?”
A slightly disappointed expression appeared on his face.
“I’m asking you to come with me on purpose.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t believe Samdo General Trading has a legitimate reason to sue you. You haven’t done anything wrong while working for them.”
“That’s true.”
“Then why did they file a lawsuit? What confidential information could you have leaked?”
“What information could I possibly have leaked…? I don’t have anything. Even if I did leak something, who in Korea would dare challenge Samdo General Trading?”
Someone did.
“Senior, this is just a thought, but hear me out.”
“What is it?”
“What if… they’re upset about the contract we secured with Gazprom in St. Petersburg?”
“No way. That’s not possible. It’s a project they abandoned as unrealistic.”
“But that ‘no way’ could turn out to be a big problem.”
“It’s unlikely. There’s no way the company would…“
What a stubborn man.
“That very same company treated you poorly and pushed you out the door.”
Lee Jeong-seok recalled something he had forgotten.
A desk in front of the bathroom.
And the sight of his wife witnessing that scene.
“Hah… Could they really be that petty?”
“Who knows? But it’s worth considering. Look at me. Even when I didn’t do it, they pinned it all on me and slipped away unscathed.”
When Lee Jeong-seok thought about how Lee Seon-su had to go through a trial, he realized it was entirely possible.
“Seon-su… If they really filed a lawsuit because of this project…”
Lee Jeong-seok’s body trembled.
“What do we do? They’re Samdo General Trading. It’s Samdo Group, the top company in the industry…”
“What do you mean, ‘What do we do’? We fight and win.”
“Win? Against Samdo Group? We can’t win. Even though it wasn’t my case, there was a similar situation. The person in charge of a project passed confidential information to a rival company…”
During a bidding competition, the person in charge leaked the items and bid price to a rival company.
Of course, Samdo General Trading lost the bid.
But soon after, they found out the suspicious person had left the company and joined a subsidiary of the rival company.
Samdo General Trading mobilized all their resources to press the former employee and the rival company.
The rival company, facing greater potential losses in other projects, confessed everything.
And the betraying employee suffered through numerous lawsuits.
Senior Lee Jeong-seok spoke about this incident with anxiety.
“In the end, he lost everything and went to prison. It’s said the company pulled every string they had. He couldn’t even hire a private lawyer; he had to rely on a public defender.”
“Senior, that person and you are different. That person really betrayed them… But you just did a project they refused to do.”
“Still…”
He knows the power of Samdo Group too well.
If public opinion isn’t on their side or the issue doesn’t become widely known, things go as the conglomerate wishes.
And even if it becomes public, they have the resources to keep it quiet over time.
That’s the power of a conglomerate.
“It’ll be okay. Everything will work out.”
Lee Seon-su said this to reassure him.
Even so, it was comforting to have Lee Seon-su by his side.
Lee Jeong-seok nodded.
“Okay.”
“I’ll call a taxi to take you back to the hotel.”
They had booked a hotel as a place to stay in Singapore.
“What about you?”
“I’ll check the flight tickets for tomorrow evening and get everything ready for us to go to the bank early in the morning.”
“Then let’s do it together.”
“No, go to the hotel and get some rest. You’ve been through a shock.”
At any other time, Lee Jeong-seok wouldn’t have listened even if Lee Seon-su had said this.
But this time, because he was indeed shocked and anxious…
It seemed that work would be impossible to focus on.
And he didn’t want to be a burden to Lee Seon-su.
“Alright.”
“Wait a moment.”
He picked up the phone.
One of the benefits of having an office rental in Singapore is that some of them offer concierge services.
Like a hotel, they handle any necessary tasks.
Some places don’t have it, but this one does.
I told them the name of the hotel and asked them to call a taxi.
Soon, a taxi arrived, and Senior Lee Jeong-seok headed down to the first floor.
“Well then, let’s get ready.”
He picked up the phone.
It seemed like he needed to act faster than expected.
***
Money was sent to Gazprom and Putin.
The Singaporean bank treated him like a VIP.
They even gave him a gift, saying they looked forward to working with him in the future.
Thanks to the VIP treatment, the remittance process was also completed quickly.
They also changed his flight to Korea from an evening flight to a 2 PM flight.
And upgraded him to first class as well.
They had wanted to treat him to a meal, but when he mentioned he had urgent matters in Korea and had booked an evening flight, they accommodated him.
As a result, he comfortably arrived at Gimpo Airport in Korea.
After passing through immigration, three men approached him as he tried to leave.
“Are you Mr. Lee Jeong-seok?”
“Yes, and you are?”
One of the men pulled out an identification card.
“We’re the police. Please come with us.”
Their tone was completely authoritative.
Senior Lee Jeong-seok seemed taken aback.
He couldn’t say a word.
Two detectives tried to grab Senior Lee Jeong-seok’s arms.
“Which precinct are you from?”
The officer who showed his ID responded to my question.
He looked me up and down before speaking.
“And who might you be?”
“I’m Senior Lee Jeong-seok’s junior.”
“Then just go on your way. Don’t get involved and make things difficult for yourself.”
“You’re talking as if you’re taking me with you as well.”
“That’s a possibility. As an accomplice.”
“An accomplice? Of what crime exactly?”
“You’ll find out at the police station. What are you doing? Take him away.”
The two detectives grabbed Senior Lee Jeong-seok’s arms.
“Seon-su…”
Senior Lee Jeong-seok had a look that said he wondered if he should just let them take him away.
But that’s not happening.
“You bastards.”
The detectives stopped at my words.
“What did you just say?”
“I asked if you had a warrant?”
“Had a warrant? Your words are rather short.”
“You spoke informally first.”
The detectives were at a loss for words.
They had identified themselves as police officers, but Lee Seon-su was acting too confidently.
“Want to come along as well?”
One of them even took out handcuffs.
“If I’m handcuffed, I think a lot of people will stop to watch.”
I held out my hands to the detective holding the handcuffs.
“Go ahead. Let’s see if you can handle it.”
The detective flinched as I pushed harder.
Most people who weren’t afraid of the police had some sort of powerful backing or influence.
“He’s not a suspect caught in the act, and you don’t have a warrant. Can you really cuff someone and take them away?”
“We can take you in for obstructing official duties.”
The detective’s tone changed as I came on too strong.
“Obstruction of what official duty? Preventing you from forcefully taking Senior Lee Jeong-seok is obstruction of duty?”
“It’s not forceful. We followed proper procedures.”
They hadn’t followed any proper procedures.
They were just here because someone told them to pick him up.
“Procedures? What procedures? Let’s check them. Do you have a warrant?”
“……”
The detective’s face twisted.
It was clear they didn’t have a warrant.
“This is voluntary accompaniment.”
“Voluntary accompaniment, huh. That means you need the person’s consent. Senior, are you going to the police station?”
Senior Lee Jeong-seok shook his head vehemently.
“No, I’m not going.”
“He says he’s not going. So let go of his arms.”
The detective thought Lee Seon-su knew too much about the law.
“Are you a lawyer by any chance?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then stop meddling in police affairs and just leave. We’re not taking you.”
“Then you shouldn’t take my senior either. You don’t seem to understand even when I’m being polite.”
The detective was dumbfounded.
The words Lee Seon-su was saying were usually what they said to scare people.
Hearing it directed at them felt strange.
“What if you’re not being polite? Do you plan on taking us down by force? By yourself?”
“Who said I was alone?”
In fact, all this time, I’d been stalling.
“Over here! Come here!”
I waved my hand. Men in suits came rushing over.
There were six of them.
“Are you client Mr. Lee Seon-su’s?”
“Yes, I am Lee Seon-su.”
“Shall we start our work now?”
“Yes, work begins now.”
The detectives and Senior Lee Jeong-seok looked bewildered, not understanding what was happening.
“Please prevent these detectives from illegally taking him away.”
The man who had asked me if it was time to start work approached the detectives.
“Is this illegal?”
The other five men surrounded us.
To be precise, they were preventing the detectives from running away while protecting us.
“Illegal? It’s voluntary accompaniment of a suspect.”
“That’s illegal. I’m a former police officer. Which precinct are you from?”
These men were employees of a security company.
In anticipation that Samdo General Trading might send people, I had hired them in advance from Singapore.
“We’re from Yongsan Precinct.”
“Yongsan Precinct… That’s where Chief Lee Han-su is stationed, right?”
“Do you know the Chief?”
“He’s a well-known senior of mine.”
“Are you by any chance from the Police University…?”
“Yes, I am. I now run a security company.”
The man took out his business card.
“I’m Im Kang-min from Super Guard.”
“Ah, Super Guard.”
Even the detectives knew of the company.
But that didn’t mean they could just say, “Okay, we understand,” and back off.
“Got it. But we still have to take the suspect. If you obstruct us, it’s interference with official duties. Even if you know the Chief, it won’t change anything.”
“What’s your name?”
The detective sneered.
“It’s Kim Doo-sik.”
There was a reason the detective sneered.
“You’re going to complain to the Chief about me or something?”
“Not complain. Just want to know who’s making mistakes.”
“Do as you please. But we have to take Mr. Lee Jeong-seok, so do what you want.”
Im Kang-min looked at me and slightly shook his head.
If the police were this determined, there was nothing they could do.
And they couldn’t use force either.
Being on bad terms with the police would cause problems for their future work.
“Just hold them off for 10 minutes.”
Im Kang-min nodded at my words.
He could manage that much.
“Detective Kim Doo-sik, would you mind waiting just 10 minutes? Let’s not create unnecessary conflicts.”
Detective Kim Doo-sik nodded.
He didn’t want to fight with Super Guard unless it was absolutely necessary.
Even if they won, there was no real benefit.
He knew he’d get called in by the Chief for a reprimand if word got out about a fight with Super Guard.
“Waiting 10 minutes isn’t difficult… But do you have some kind of ace up your sleeve?”
He was probably speaking to me.
“I don’t think you’ll even need to wait 10 minutes. They’re coming now.”
I waved my hand again.
“Over here!”
Two men carrying briefcases were approaching quickly.
“Are you client Mr. Lee Seon-su?”
“Yes.”
The lawyer badges on their suit jackets shone in the light.
“I’m Attorney Bae Jeong-min from Song Law Firm.”
“Nice to meet you. Can we start working now?”
“We started working the moment you transferred the fee yesterday.”
Attorney Bae Jeong-min quickly assessed the situation.
“What’s the problem here?”
“The police are trying to take Senior Lee Jeong-seok away as a suspect without his consent, claiming it’s voluntary accompaniment. They even tried to put handcuffs on me, calling it interference with official duties.”
“Ah, I see. I’ll take care of it.”
Attorney Bae Jeong-min walked over to the detectives.
“I’m Attorney Bae Jeong-min from Song Law Firm. Who’s in charge here?”
“That would be me.”
It was Detective Kim Doo-sik.
“Alright. You’re saying Mr. Lee Jeong-seok is a suspect?”
“That’s correct.”
“And you don’t have a warrant.”
“……”
“You’re trying to forcibly take him even though he refuses voluntary accompaniment.”
“If there’s a risk of escape…”
“That’s not applicable here. There needs to be clear evidence of a flight risk. If he were going to flee, he wouldn’t have even entered the country. Besides, he’s a client of Song Law Firm.”
“……”
“And you even tried to put handcuffs on Mr. Lee Seon-su, who hasn’t committed any crime? That’s not interference with official duties; it’s an abuse of power. I’ll be filing a formal complaint and pressing charges.”
With the lawyer’s appearance and strong words, Detective Kim Doo-sik realized he had no choice.
“Let him go.”
The detectives let go of Senior Lee Jeong-seok’s arms.
Detective Kim Doo-sik then said,
“Mr. Lee Jeong-seok, please don’t go too far away. If you receive a summons, you must report to the police station.”
“Understood.”
Detective Kim Doo-sik glared at me before leaving with the other detectives.
Senior Lee Jeong-seok then approached me.
“Seon-su, who are all these people?”
“I made some preparations just in case.”
“You… You’re unbelievable…”
More than the preparations, Senior Lee Jeong-seok was grateful that I was so considerate of him.
“If it had been a construction company, they might have sent thugs.”
Though I said “thugs,” it could have been gang members.
“Let’s head home. We can talk on the way.”
I looked at Im Jeong-min of Super Guard.
“Are the cars ready?”
“Yes, they are. I’ll guide you.”
We followed the bodyguards outside the airport.
Three sedans were waiting.
“Attorney, please ride with us.”
“Alright.”
We got into the back seat of the sedan that the bodyguards opened for us.
Senior Lee Jeong-seok got in as well.
The lawyer sat in the front passenger seat.
The other lawyer went to retrieve the car they had arrived in.
The remaining bodyguards got into the other two sedans, and we set off.
The destination was clear—Senior Lee Jeong-seok’s home.
“Seon-su, how much does it cost to hire these bodyguards?”
“Why?”
“Deduct it from my salary.”
I burst out laughing.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s a company matter, so we’ll cover it as an expense.”
“Still.”
“We’re covering it as an expense, so just leave it at that.”
“Hey! Lee Seon-su! Are you trying to make me feel guilty? How much is it?”
“It’s 500 Million won.”
“……”
“And we paid 500 Million as a retainer to Song Law Firm as well.”
“……”
“Should we deduct it from your salary?”
“No.”
“Hahaha.”
The bodyguard driving and the lawyer sitting in the front seat tried to hold back their laughter.
It seemed like they found it amusing how quickly Senior’s attitude changed.
“Senior, don’t worry. You’re now someone we absolutely can’t lose at our company.”
“Seon-su…”
Who would spend 1 Billion won for someone else?
If it were Samdo General Trading, they would have pinned all the blame and then kicked him out.
“Don’t feel burdened by it.”
To be honest, this was partly for Senior Lee Jeong-seok, but I was also furious about what Samdo Group was doing.
From now on, I wasn’t planning on being helplessly victimized anymore.
—
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