Chapter 19 – Steel Ants
The Samdo Group was in chaos.
The Prosecutor’s Office and the National Tax Service had conducted a search and seizure on Samdo General Trading, which was practically the foundation of Samdo Group itself.
“How on earth do you handle your work?”
Chairman Lee Hwan-geon of Samdo Group was furious.
“How dare they!”
“I apologize, Chairman.”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho bowed his head.
However, Chairman Lee Hwan-geon spoke to Vice Chairman Lee Min-uk, not to Executive Director Lee Min-ho.
“How did you manage things to let this happen?”
“I apologize.”
“Do you think an apology is enough? How do you expect me to entrust the group to you with incidents like this?”
Whenever an issue arose, he would say he couldn’t trust them with the group.
Vice Chairman Lee Min-uk hated hearing this more than anything. But there was nothing he could do.
“Min-ho, what do you think? Do you not want to be in charge of trading?”
“No, sir.”
“Then why did you let things get this bad?”
Chairman Lee Hwan-geon’s pride was hurt.
Samdo Group, ranked number one in South Korea’s business world, had been disrespected.
“If you don’t want it, we’ll have to continue with professional management.”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho clenched his teeth.
Chairman Lee Hwan-geon was always like this.
He never fully entrusted the company to anyone.
He placed professional managers in the president’s seat and kept an executive director under them.
Only when someone earned his complete trust would he hand over the company entirely.
“Make sure that Min-sik doesn’t come near the company!”
“Yes, sir.”
The Strategic Planning Office of Samdo Group identified the reason behind this incident.
Lee Seon-su and Lee Jeong-seok had gone to St. Petersburg, Russia, to secure a contract with Gazprom.
Executive Director Lee Min-sik tried to take it away, but somehow, Lee Seon-su and Lee Jeong-seok responded as if they knew everything and evaded the situation.
And just when the situation couldn’t get stranger, Lee Seon-su returned with something backed by Russia.
Initially, the details were unclear. However, a few phone calls from Chairman Lee Hwan-geon revealed the truth.
“Min-ho, persuade that man, Lee Seon-su, and bring him here.”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho was taken aback.
“Lee Seon-su?”
“Yes.”
Knowing Chairman Lee Hwan-geon’s personality, this was an impossible request.
No matter the reason, anyone who harmed Samdo Group would never be forgiven without facing consequences.
This meant there had to be something exceptional about Lee Seon-su.
“Chairman, the Strategic Planning Office is not disclosing the details. They claim it’s under your orders.”
Only Chairman Lee Hwan-geon knew that Lee Seon-su had entered as an agent representing the Russian government with negotiation authority.
“You all should at least be aware to some extent. That man, Lee Seon-su, came in as a representative of the Russian government. He made an offer that the government could not refuse.”
“What kind of offer…?”
“A proposal from Russia to stop supplying weapons and technology to North Korea.”
Vice Chairman Lee Min-uk and Executive Director Lee Min-ho’s jaws dropped.
It was beyond anything they could have imagined.
“It looks like the Blue House is directly overseeing Lee Seon-su’s work. That’s how they’re able to strike at our group like this.”
Vice Chairman Lee Min-uk and Executive Director Lee Min-ho finally understood.
“Wasn’t that man originally an employee in construction?”
“Yes.”
They had gathered basic information about Lee Seon-su.
“Tsk. Min-sik has no eye for people. A man who demanded 1 billion won to take the fall and leave can’t be ordinary.”
Back then, they thought he was a madman.
It was necessary for the sake of the group’s honour. They hadn’t considered anything else.
But now, looking at the current situation, they regretted losing Lee Seon-su.
“That money funded his success in Russia.”
At Chairman Lee Hwan-geon’s remark, the two had no response.
“Let’s end this with Min-sik facing punishment. If this goes further, even trading will suffer. Min-ho, you might have to stand trial, and the company could face fines. The Blue House’s intent is clear.”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho nodded.
“I understand.”
“I’m not done speaking yet.”
“S-Sorry, Chairman.”
“Negotiate well to minimize damage and see if we can link this with the Russian business.”
“Are you saying we should cooperate with Lee Seon-su?”
“What? Don’t want to? A businessman should shake hands with an enemy if it brings profit.”
“No, Chairman.”
“Tsk. When will you start thinking properly?”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho lowered his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“If we cooperate with Lee Seon-su, our group will have plenty of opportunities in Russia. He won’t be without needs either. His new venture is just starting, so he must be lacking a foundation. You understand now, don’t you?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
The instruction was to offer Samdo Group’s infrastructure to Lee Seon-su. Under normal circumstances, there would be no reason to refuse such an offer.
“Min-ho, you may leave.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
After Executive Director Lee Min-ho left, Chairman Lee Hwan-geon spoke to Vice Chairman Lee Min-uk.
“Sort out the group shares held by construction.”
Vice Chairman Lee Min-uk was shocked.
“Are you planning to let go of construction?”
“You must cut off what’s rotting quickly, before it spreads to the whole group.”
“But construction…”
“Construction’s reputation has been tarnished because of Min-sik. Is there any place left for us to do projects domestically? And now, because of this incident, we’re even under investigation by the prosecution. The media will soon find out.”
“Can’t we stop that?”
“Don’t waste money on pointless efforts. We can restart construction later.”
If Executive Director Lee Min-sik hadn’t been arrested, Samdo General Construction would have smoothly merged into Samdo General Trading.
However, this incident made Chairman Lee Hwan-geon change his mind.
With the numerous rumours and the potential costs that could arise if a faulty construction issue were to surface, no one could predict how much compensation would be needed.
“Keep that in mind and make the necessary preparations.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Vice Chairman Lee Min-uk thought this was not right, but he couldn’t oppose it.
Once Chairman Lee Hwan-geon made a decision, he did not change it easily.
***
The Blue House.
President Lee Sam-yeong was in a meeting with Minister of National Defense Im Gi-jun, NIS Director Kim Seong-woong, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Han-se.
The topic was the weapons acquisition proposal brought up by Lee Seon-su.
“Mr. President, this is an opportunity,” said Minister of National Defense Im Gi-jun, his face flushed with excitement.
“It’s a chance for South Korea to have the only aircraft carrier task force in Northeast Asia, excluding Russia.”
In 1993, neither China nor Japan had aircraft carriers. China only launched its first aircraft carrier in 1998 through a loophole.
“Having an aircraft carrier task force means North Korea won’t be able to provoke us easily, and it will also prevent Japan from taking aggressive actions regarding Dokdo.”
President Lee Sam-yeong nodded in agreement.
“I think so too. It seems Mr. Lee Seon-su has brought many gifts. Is everything with Samdo Group being handled well?”
NIS Director Kim Seong-woong responded.
“Yes, it is.”
“Then, what do you think about the three conditions proposed by Mr. Lee Seon-su?”
Minister of National Defense Im Gi-jun chimed in.
“We can absolutely register his company as a defense contractor. After all, we’re acquiring the aircraft carrier through Mr. Lee Seon-su. I think we can offer that much benefit. Aircraft carriers are not something that can be easily bought, Mr. President.”
President Lee Sam-yeong smiled at Minister Im Gi-jun’s passionate speech.
“I see. Then it seems the defense contractor registration is settled.”
He looked at the NIS Director again.
“The second condition, regarding Attorney Kang Mu-song’s ongoing lawsuit, should also be possible. If we replace the prosecutors and judges who are cautious because of Samdo Group and bolster the evidence, it should conclude quickly.”
“There won’t be any fabrications, right?”
“No, Mr. President. Mr. Lee Seon-su’s request was to ensure a fair trial.”
“The second condition is met… The third one, won’t Samdo Group protest?”
“At the investigation stage, we plan for Mr. Lee Seon-su to meet with Executive Director Lee Min-ho of Samdo General Trading. Depending on Mr. Lee Seon-su’s decision, we may go all the way with Samdo Group.”
“In some ways, the last one is the most difficult. I heard that Chairman Lee Hwan-geon of Samdo Group is trying to gather information by pulling strings, so I told them to share just enough.”
President Lee Sam-yeong was sending a warning to Chairman Lee Hwan-geon not to act recklessly.
“If it comes down to it, how do you think Samdo Group will react?”
No one responded to President Lee Sam-yeong’s question.
For now, it was the early stage of the administration, and the president’s will was strong, so Samdo Group had not shown significant resistance.
But if Samdo Group started pushing back, the situation would change.
Politicians supported by Samdo Group would move.
And so would the business world.
“Therefore, it seems the best outcome would be for Mr. Lee Seon-su to settle things smoothly with Samdo Group.”
Again, no one responded.
But internally, they agreed that following President Lee Sam-yeong’s words was the best course of action.
“If Mr. Lee Seon-su doesn’t reach an agreement with Samdo Group, I’ll meet with Chairman Lee Hwan-geon myself and try to negotiate.”
It wouldn’t be just a negotiation.
They might need to offer something.
But given the gifts Lee Seon-su had brought, it seemed necessary.
“Before that, I’d like to meet Mr. Lee Seon-su.”
President Lee Sam-yeong was curious about who Lee Seon-su was.
***
It was thought that all three conditions could be met.
But no one expected a conclusion so quickly.
“Where did you say we’re going, Director?”
Although they said they would meet all three conditions, what was said at the end was unexpected.
“To the Blue House. The President wants to meet you.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”
NIS Director Kim Seong-woong looked at him as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“It’s the President himself inviting you.”
“Do I have to go?”
To be honest, it was a burden.
“Yes, you must go. Are you refusing?”
“Are you asking me to go meet the President and negotiate?”
“No, that’s not the case.”
“If it’s not for negotiations, I don’t think there’s a need to go. I’ll decline.”
Most people would feel honoured to be invited by the President.
But Lee Seon-su seemed annoyed.
“Listen, Mr. Lee Seon-su!”
NIS Director Kim Seong-woong almost spoke in a threatening manner without realizing it.
About reconsidering the conditions or something similar.
But he changed his mind in an instant.
Part of the reason he was still in his position was because of Lee Seon-su.
And from what he knew of Lee Seon-su’s personality, threats wouldn’t work.
Calming himself, he spoke.
“Why don’t you want to meet the President?”
“Because I have no reason to.”
To be honest, he didn’t want to get involved politically.
This time, blocking Samdo Group’s attack was an unavoidable choice.
There was no way to win against the extensive network and influence Samdo Group had built over decades.
The goal was simply to make sure Samdo Group couldn’t act recklessly.
“It’s best not to think about forcing me to go.”
Seeing the slight flinch, it seemed that was indeed the plan.
“If you really force me, you’ll get only one of the two benefits.”
“Who’s trying to force you…”
NIS Director Kim Seong-woong wondered how he should report this to the President.
“Please keep your promise and let me meet the person in charge at Samdo General Trading. After that, I’ll proceed with the negotiations with Russia.”
“Understood. I’ll inform you of the schedule.”
With a displeased expression, NIS Director Kim Seong-woong left.
The next day, he went to the Central District Prosecutors’ Office.
***
“Ten minutes.”
It was Chief Prosecutor Song Jun-su from the Central District Prosecutors’ Office.
He had entered the office as if he was there for other business and went into the interrogation room.
There, he met with Chief Prosecutor Song Jun-su.
“For the next ten minutes, neither recording nor filming will be done. No one will know you were here.”
Chief Prosecutor Song Jun-su deliberately did not mention Lee Seon-su’s name.
“Please go in.”
I entered the interrogation room with Chief Prosecutor Song Jun-su.
Inside, Executive Director Lee Min-ho was seated.
Executive Director Lee Min-ho was surprised when he saw me.
“Lee Seon-su?”
“Do you know me?”
“Of course. You’re the one who caused this entire situation.”
“Then do you know why I’m here?”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho did not answer. He seemed to be thinking.
At that moment, Chief Prosecutor Song Jun-su spoke.
“Ten minutes.”
Chief Prosecutor Song Jun-su left.
Seeing that, Executive Director Lee Min-ho looked astonished.
“I had my doubts, but the prosecution is really moving.”
“I didn’t move them. They acted on their own.”
“That’s even more frightening.”
I sat down across from Executive Director Lee Min-ho.
“There’s no time, so let’s get to the point.”
Ten minutes was shorter than one would think.
“I want Samdo General Trading to stop interfering with our business. Normal competition is fine, but no more dirty tactics involving power or violence.”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho tilted his head.
“Normal competition?”
“There’s no reason to prevent Samdo General Trading from competing by working hard. We don’t engage in absurd lawsuits or bribery like some people.”
“You caused all this trouble just for that?”
A smirk.
“Just for that? To you, it might seem trivial. But for us, this is everything. It’s a matter of survival.”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho thought he understood why he lost to Lee Seon-su.
He had thought of Lee Seon-su and Lee Jeong-seok as ants that could be crushed repeatedly.
But they were steel ants that didn’t die when stepped on.
Instead, they would bite back.
“Don’t try to steal what others have worked hard to build. Compete fairly.”
It seemed I was getting worked up.
My tone didn’t come out as nice.
“I understand what you’re saying. I won’t do that anymore.”
Huh?
That easily?
No anger?
Shouldn’t you be coming at me, full of rage?
So I could knock you down with confidence.
“Is that all you want? You don’t want any compensation or anything?”
“No need.”
“So, we’re agreeing to end this amicably?”
“You’ll really compete fairly?”
“I promise.”
I couldn’t trust him.
“But I have one condition, too.”
There it was.
“What condition?”
“Our chairman wants to meet you.”
What is this?
Why does everyone want to meet me?
“It could be a good opportunity for you, too. It’s a chance to partner with Samdo Group.”
Opportunity, my foot.
You’re just going to drop it when it suits you.
“So, when should we schedule a visit to see the chairman?”
Maybe when I’m about to die?
I can’t say that.
Let’s be more direct.
“Why should I? If he wants to see me, he can come.”
Executive Director Lee Min-ho’s eyes widened.
He wouldn’t be able to easily tell Chairman Lee Hwan-geon what I just said.
“Then, I’ll take it that we’ve resolved this peacefully.”
I stood up.
But Executive Director Lee Min-ho couldn’t stop me.
—
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