A Seoul penthouse overlooking Guryong Village in full view.
Lee Jongseong gazed down at the scattered lights flickering throughout Guryong Village and muttered quietly,
“What a waste of land. It only needs to be developed now.”
Twenty years had passed since Lee Jongseong first began serving Byun Heebong.
During that time, Byun Heebong had gone to prison twice, and each time, Lee Jongseong had filled the void left behind.
Having proven his capabilities, Lee Jongseong was eventually promised adoption by Byun Heebong after his final prison term.
After that, Byun Heebong truly pushed Lee Jongseong forward as his successor while stepping back himself.
“Hoo...”
It wasn’t loyalty alone that made him Byun Heebong’s shadow.
The expectation that everything Byun Heebong possessed would someday become his.
That single hope was the only reason he had worked like a dog for twenty years.
As Lee Jongseong sank into thought, the penthouse doorbell rang.
After checking the intercom to see who stood outside, Lee Jongseong smiled as though it had been painted onto his face and opened the door.
“Welcome, Chief Secretary. Ah, or should I say the mayor’s chief secretary now?”
The person recently nominated and elected as Seoul mayor was Oh Changhoon.
After defeating the incumbent mayor in the primary and winning the election with sixty percent of the vote, his status had instantly risen to that of a presidential contender.
Ha Eunbin, the woman visiting Lee Jongseong now, was one of the mayor’s closest aides.
And also his lover.
“Call me whatever’s comfortable.”
“Then please, come in.”
As Lee Jongseong stepped aside, Ha Eunbin walked inside with elegant, haughty steps.
Looking around the penthouse, she let out a small sound of admiration.
“This place is really nice.”
“Haha. It’s a penthouse owned by the company. I’ll give you the password, so feel free to use it whenever you want.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Let me say this in advance. It’ll be useful when you want to host discreet parties or when the mayor wants a quiet meeting.”
Wearing a satisfied expression, she nodded and sat down on the sofa.
“President Lee, you should sit too.”
Though Lee Jongseong was clearly the host, she treated him as though she were the one hosting.
Inside, Lee Jongseong cursed.
‘She has nothing of her own, yet struts around borrowing the mayor’s authority.’
But skillfully hiding his true thoughts, he sat across from her with a smile.
Without even looking directly at him, Ha Eunbin checked the watch on her wrist and spoke.
“So what’s this about? It’s getting difficult for us to meet like this now. You know that, right?”
“I do. Of course I do.”
Instead of getting straight to the point, Lee Jongseong lifted the shopping bag beside him and placed it on the table.
“First, please accept this. I saw it and thought it would suit you.”
“What is it?”
“A necklace. It’s a new release from Damiani, a high-end Italian luxury jewelry brand. It hasn’t even entered Korea yet.”
The unfamiliar name made Ha Eunbin tilt her head.
“Damiani?”
“Yes. It’s luxury jewelry only people in the know recognize. Go ahead and take a look.”
More than the words “luxury jewelry,” the phrase “only people in the know” stimulated her vanity.
Ha Eunbin opened the shopping bag and pulled out the box inside.
Carefully, she lifted the necklace from the box.
“What do you think?”
At Lee Jongseong’s question, she answered with a satisfied smile.
“It’s pretty.”
“Try it on. I think you’ll like it even more.”
Rising from his seat and moving behind her, Lee Jongseong unclasped the necklace she was already wearing and handed it back to her.
Then he took the necklace he’d gifted and fastened it around her neck.
Lifting the corners of her lips, Ha Eunbin pulled a small mirror from her bag and examined herself.
“It’s really beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“But what kind of favor are you planning to ask for after giving me something like this today?”
Returning to his seat, Lee Jongseong met her eyes and shrugged.
“It’s not a difficult favor. I’d prefer if the small disturbance at Guryong Village didn’t get blown out of proportion.”
“Guryong Village... You mean the place where that bloody clash happened recently?”
“Yes. There’s no need for Seoul City Hall to move just because the media keeps making noise. We’ll handle it quietly ourselves.”
Ha Eunbin answered with an awkward expression.
“President Lee... I think that’ll be difficult. The city already decided internally to reevaluate the Guryong Village redevelopment project.”
“What? Reevaluation? Didn’t Seoul City already sign an agreement with Joongwon? That’s why we started purchasing land in Guryong Village. So what do you mean by reevaluation...?”
“I’m sorry.”
Answering firmly, Ha Eunbin removed the necklace, returned it to the box, and closed the lid.
“I’ll pretend I never accepted this. And I’ll pretend I never heard what you said today.”
“Chief Secretary!”
“The party leadership has already decided to look into Guryong Village. And...”
After hesitating briefly, Ha Eunbin continued.
“I’m only telling you this beforehand because of our relationship up to now. The National Tax Service is about to launch a tax investigation into Joongwon. There isn’t much time left, so prepare yourselves.”
“What? A tax investigation? Joongwon’s classified as a model taxpayer—”
“You know how it works. If they’re determined to tear someone apart, none of that means anything.”
Without realizing it, Lee Jongseong responded in a dazed voice.
“No one contacted us. What exactly are you talking about?”
“Well, I don’t know either. The mayor received instructions from the party leadership. They told him to reevaluate Guryong Village. And to proceed with an audit into Joongwon as well.”
One shock after another hit Lee Jongseong so hard he could only open and close his mouth.
“I’m taking a risk even telling you this much. So please don’t contact me anymore.”
“Chief Secretary, what exactly—”
“Oh, and please pass this along to Chairman Byun too. Busan may become dangerous as well.”
“Busan? Why Busan?”
“I don’t know the details either.”
This was no longer something Ha Eunbin could handle at her level alone.
Making a quick decision, Lee Jongseong spoke urgently.
“Please arrange a meeting with the mayor.”
“That’s difficult.”
“You only need to arrange the meeting. I’ll handle the rest.”
Ha Eunbin scratched her cheek awkwardly without answering.
“If you solve this matter for us, I’ll transfer ownership of this penthouse to whoever you designate. We’ll even clean up all the tax issues perfectly so there won’t be any problems.”
“You’re giving me this place?”
Ha Eunbin’s eyes widened.
“Yes. Guryong Village is that important to us. We need to know the reason before we can come up with countermeasures. If things suddenly go this way, then we’ll have no choice either. We’ll have to use other methods...”
Lee Jongseong deliberately let his words trail off.
He knew bringing up the ledgers outright would truly cross the line, so he intentionally left the threat incomplete.
But Ha Eunbin understood exactly what he meant.
Her brows furrowed sharply.
“President Lee. Are you threatening me right now?”
Waving his hands dismissively, Lee Jongseong denied it.
“Of course not.”
“President Lee. Chairman Byun survived all this time because he keeps his mouth shut. You know that, right?”
Even after being arrested twice, Byun Heebong never revealed anyone’s name to the end.
That trust was precisely why politicians and bureaucrats accepted his money without fear.
“I know. Of course I know.”
“Hoo... I’ll only arrange the meeting. The rest is your problem.”
Lee Jongseong immediately stood and bowed deeply.
“Thank you.”
“Make sure you calculate things properly.”
After saying that, Ha Eunbin rose from her seat.
“You’re leaving already? At least stay for dinner—”
“Next time. We should be careful right now.”
“Then at least take this.”
Lee Jongseong placed the box back into the shopping bag and held it out.
After hesitating briefly, Ha Eunbin accepted it.
“It’s a gift given sincerely, so I’ll accept it.”
“Yes. Let’s definitely have dinner together next time.”
“Alright. I’ll contact you separately about the schedule.”
Lee Jongseong politely saw Ha Eunbin out until the very end.
The moment the door closed and he was left alone, the fake smile vanished from his face.
“Fucking bastards! After everything they’ve eaten from us!”
His vicious curse echoed emptily through the vast penthouse.
* * *
The Seoul mayor smiled brightly the moment he saw me.
“Welcome, President Kim.”
“Congratulations on your election, Mayor.”
“Haha. It’s all thanks to your support, President Kim. And congratulations on becoming branch president as well. I really wanted to attend, but circumstances didn’t allow it.”
The mayor carefully spoke while gauging my expression.
I deliberately smiled gently and shook my head.
“It’s fine. I heard you’ve been running around nonstop trying to take control of City Hall after your inauguration. The previous mayor had the civil servants firmly united behind him.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
We shared a meal while exchanging meaningless small talk.
This was exactly why politicians were exhausting.
When politicians talked, they almost never brought up the main point first.
In the end, after finishing the meal, I was the one who finally brought it up.
“The Dreamhigh Korea Branch is planning a business project this time.”
“A business project?”
“Yes. But it’s something that absolutely requires Seoul City’s cooperation. It’s the first project carrying my name, and I dislike unnecessary noise.”
The mayor nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. Until now, only people in the know recognized you, President Kim. Most people still don’t.”
“That’s why I wanted to ask for some help.”
“If it’s something I can help with, I’ll gladly do so. As long as it’s not illegal.”
“Haha, surely you don’t think I’d ask for something illegal?”
When I answered jokingly, the mayor laughed along casually.
“Well, that’s good then. So what exactly do you want my help with?”
“I want to completely redevelop Guryong Village and build an apartment complex there.”
The moment the words “Guryong Village” came out, Mayor Oh Changhoon’s expression stiffened.
“But it seems things have gotten rather noisy there.”
“There’s already a developer partnered with Seoul City, so that’s a bit...”
“Joongwon? As far as I know, instructions already came down to you from the party leadership.”
Only then did the pieces click together in the mayor’s mind.
His face hardened slightly.
“Was all of that your request, President Kim?”
“Yes. I requested it. The political risk would’ve been too great for you to overturn it alone, so the party gave supporting fire first. And the Ministry of Land will support it as well.”
“Wait. Just wait a moment. Let me organize my thoughts.”
I nodded.
After tapping the table with an unnecessarily serious face for a while, Oh Changhoon finally spoke.
“President Kim. How much do you know about Joongwon? There are a lot of people tied up with them.”
“I know enough. Including the fact that Byun Heebong is the one at the center.”
Since I already knew that much, Oh Changhoon finally decided to speak honestly.
“To be frank... I’m not free from them either.”
Letting out a long sigh, he confessed.
“I’ve received political funds from them for years. If that man ever decides to talk...”
“Why worry so much? I’ll clean things up in a way that won’t harm you, Mayor. But prepare a scapegoat to take responsibility.”
“Mm...”
“Oh, and one more thing. Do you know who Chief Secretary Ha Eunbin has been meeting lately?”
“My chief secretary?”
I called for Manager Ma, who had been waiting outside.
“Manager. Did the quick delivery arrive?”
“Yes. It just arrived.”
“Give it to the mayor.”
Manager Ma pulled an envelope from inside his jacket and handed it over.
Inside were photographs that had just been developed and delivered via courier.
After checking the photos, Oh Changhoon frowned.
“What is this? Are you investigating us?”
“Of course not. They were taken by coincidence. President Lee Jongseong, Chairman Byun’s shadow, has been staying at that penthouse.”
“She was there with Lee Jongseong?”
“You didn’t know?”
So Oh Changhoon didn’t know Ha Eunbin had been meeting Lee Jongseong.
But Oh Changhoon and Ha Eunbin weren’t simply colleagues.
They were having an affair and shared every secret with each other.
Quickly reorganizing my thoughts, I decided to shake the relationship between them instead.
“She’s been inside for about an hour now, and she still hasn’t come out.”
Oh Changhoon’s lips twitched slightly before he finally spoke with a conflicted expression.
“...What exactly are you trying to say?”
“We’re going to catch Lee Jongseong. And starting from him, we’ll climb all the way up to Chairman Byun. But I’d rather this information not leak beforehand.”
“......”
“Chief Secretary Ha probably won’t be able to avoid this. You have to throw her away.”
“Throw Ha Eunbin away?”
“Yes. Otherwise, you may end up in danger too. She’s apparently one of the core members of that social club.”
Oh Changhoon’s expression turned strange.
“They call it a social club, but in reality, it’s Chairman Byun Heebong’s private networking circle. We’re starting by tearing that apart first.”
“Wait. Just wait. Let me make a call first.”
When I nodded, Oh Changhoon quickly pulled out his phone and called someone.
Judging by the voice coming through the receiver, he’d called Ha Eunbin.
“Where are you? Ah, really? Alright. Okay. See you later.”
He spoke warmly during the call, but the moment he hung up, his face flushed red.
“What did she say?”
“She says she’s having lunch with a friend.”
His voice dripped with anger.
Was it because she lied?
Or because of jealousy as a man?
I wasn’t sure.
But one thing was obvious.
The trust between the two had already begun to crack.
“President Kim. Let’s make a deal.”
Perhaps realizing he’d shown an ugly side of himself, Oh Changhoon covered part of his face with his hand before speaking.
He asked me to investigate Ha Eunbin in secret.
