Episode 192. Headwind (1)
Defense Minister Cha Jun-seong was on his way home after meeting Chun Ju-hee. I felt the back of my neck tingle from exhaustion.
“… I’m really going to die.”
In the car, only the driver and Cha Jun-seong were driving.
Cha Junseong muttered quietly, caressing his neck, then looked out the window.
“How long do you think it will take you to get home?”
“… … .”
The driver did not answer any of his questions.
Feeling strange, Cha Junseong frowned slightly and asked again.
“Look.”
“… Please wait a moment.”
The driver’s voice came out.
At the same time, Cha Jun-seong became surprised.
“Now, you… … ?”
“… … .”
The driver drove along the north riverside road and turned right into a small parking lot. It was late and it was in a backwater, so there were only two cars standing.
The car stopped and the driver spoke again.
“The Minister of National Defense is talking secretly at such a late hour… Shouldn’t you be more careful?”
At first, I wondered who it was. Then, hearing the voice again, it was clear who it was.
This is because the identity of the driver was Kang-soo.
“… It was you too. when the hell… Did you even learn that type of disguise?”
The appearance of Kang-soo, seen from the side from the back seat, was no different from the driver who was in charge of driving.
At this, Kangsu slightly turned his head, but it was difficult to tell the difference just by looking at him.
“You don’t have to wonder about that.”
“no wonder… I thought the article was too reticent today.”
Cha Jun-seong was in a bad mood because he had to meet Cheon Ju-hee. So I barely spoke to the driver and just sat in the back seat.
Cha Jun-seong, who was at a loss, suddenly remembered something.
“What about the knight?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be sleeping at home.”
“Ha—how the hell did you know I was going to meet Cheon Joo-hee? Maybe even a person to me… no Even if they had attached someone, they wouldn’t have known until today’s meeting.”
Even if there was a gap of 12 hours, it was an unscheduled position.
That meant that someone at close range kept looking around the Minister of Defense.
“Did you plant people?”
“It’s not like that, calm down.”
“If it wasn’t planted, how did you know I was meeting Candidate Chun today?”
“Don’t worry, I have my own way. Rather… Since when did the person who sat in the chair of the Minister of Defense become so light-hearted?”
In an instant, Cha Jun-sung’s expression hardened.
At this, Kangsu sat in the driver’s seat and started talking.
“Wasn’t anything about me confidential? I didn’t expect you to say it so easily.”
“… did you hear everything? how… … .”
“You don’t have to wonder how. Isn’t that what’s important right now?”
Kangsu turned his head and glanced at Cha Junseong.
Cha Jun-seong, who was nervous due to the unusual atmosphere, rang the sound of saliva going down his throat.
“She would have figured it out one way or another.”
“you’re right. I must have. But isn’t it also important who acted as a catalyst, whether sooner or later? And about the UBT case, I even asked you not to bring it up again.”
Cha Jun-sung answered slowly through the heavy air, as if choking his breath.
“I’m sorry about that. But I didn’t tell you the details. Even Cheon Joo-hee would have understood that.”
“Do you look like someone who will stop there? What would you do if you were to sit in the president’s seat and bring out the case and the people again?”
“At that time, the record was completely sealed. Even the president can’t confirm.”
He was confident that no one could repeat the operation that UBT had succeeded in. That was the reason Cha Jun-sung only gave Cheon Ju-hee information about Han Kang-soo.
Cha Jun-seong looked at this and continued talking.
“no way… Are you going to dispose of me?”
“… I’m not some kind of assassin, so would you go that far?”
“… … .”
“But I don’t know what will happen if this happens again.”
Once again, saliva went down Cha Jun-sung’s throat.
gulp-
“if… Are you planning to make Cheon Joo-hee like Yoon Jae-seung?”
“I don’t know. I just came to warn you. never… So that something like this does not happen again.”
Kang-su turned his head properly and looked at him.
Although he had the face of a driver, his eyes were terrifying, as if a knife had been pressed against his neck.
“You drive yourself and go home.”
After opening the door, Kang-soo took out the car key from his pocket and pressed it.
Belt—
The headlights of a car parked in the corner came on.
Kang-soo, who climbed into the car, left the parking lot and went up the riverside north road.
Cha Jun-seong, who was left alone in the back seat of the car, breathed a sigh of relief.
“Whoa—”
The cold sweat running down the back of his neck wet the collar of his shirt.
Cha Junseong felt his neck tightened, so he loosened his tie and turned his head to check out the window.
Woo-woo-woo-woo-
“Ah-!”
Cha Jun-seong was taken aback by the sudden vibration in his arms.
It was a call on a cell phone. The name of former Defense Minister Lee Tae-hoon was stamped on the screen.
“I got a call.”
[What happened to you? The phone keeps not connecting.]
“… yes? what is that… ah-“
Then, the message notification continued to ring.
Cha Jun-seong was able to guess with a sigh.
[Why? Did anything bad happen at the meeting with Cheon Joo-hee?]
“It is not. However, CEO Han Kang-soo found out.”
[what-? How?]
At Lee Tae-hoon’s surprised voice, Cha Jun-seong even laughed at the absurdity.
“I was posing as a driver. Besides, even though they didn’t go into the villa together, they seemed to have overheard the entire conversation.”
[I really don’t know.]
When Lee Tae-hoon came to the filming site of ＜My Neighbor Diablo＞ without permission, the NIS and the Ministry of National Defense were playing tug-of-war and noise… … .
This was the third time.
“The fact that the phone didn’t go off seems like something caused the jammer to come out during a conversation with me.”
Otherwise, there was no reason not to call.
At this, Lee Tae-hoon muttered as if it were natural.
[Still thorough. So what did you say?]
Cha Jun-seong thought for a moment at the voice full of concerns before speaking.
“They told me to make sure nothing like this happens again.”
[Is that all? Didn’t he say anything about his contact with Cheon Ju-hee?]
It sounded like he was expecting something.
Of course, Cha Jun-seong also had some expectations at first.
“I also mentioned Yoon Jae-seung and asked him about it, but he just said he didn’t know.”
[hmm… . It depends on how it comes out.]
“I think we should watch the situation for now, but should we leave Cheon Joo-hee as she is now? There are only a few votes left.”
Hearing this, Lee Tae-hoon let out a sigh.
[Whoa—]
“Shall we explode the one we prepared?”
[You mean money laundering corruption on the foundation side? If so, isn’t there enough evidence? It wouldn’t be easy for the prosecution to move with just that.]
“Still, wouldn’t your feet be tied for a moment? If the media moves along, it could have a significant impact on voting.”
They also knew about Cheon Ju-hee. Of course, they also collected evidence about what Joo-hee Cheon was doing.
However, due to the nature of the Ministry of National Defense, there were inevitably many restrictions in domestic activities.
[If you do it wrong, it could backfire. If you are not sure, it may be fuzzy.]
“But for now, this is all, isn’t it?”
[Is there a way?]
“I’ll figure it out.”
[…] do it Instead, leave no traces as much as possible.]
“All right.”
After finishing the call, Cha Jun-seong sighed deeply and moved to the driver’s seat.
* * *
late afternoon the next day.
Around the time the sun went down, a charity event called the Night of the Beautiful Stars was held in an outdoor hall called the Platanus Garden.
Chun Joo-hee, who had finished campaigning during the day, entered the garden accompanied by her family and assistant Lim Gyeong-sook.
Many people came to Cheon Ju-hee and surrounded him.
“Candidate! You will definitely win!”
“Fighting! Candidate!”
Everyone was busy trying to catch Chun Ju-hee’s eyes at least once.
“thank you. Please enjoy today’s meeting happily. Thank you for your interest.”
Cheon Joo-hee also greeted them one by one with a smile.
Everyone had no doubts about Chun Ju-hee’s election.
Meanwhile, aide Lim Kyung-sook received a call from someone and her expression hardened. He cautiously approached Cheon Joo-hee, who immediately greeted him badly, and whispered in his ear.
“Oh, could you wait a moment? I will come and talk.”
Cheon Joo-hee and Lim Gyeong-suk left and went into a room in the garden building.
Chun Joo-hee, feeling very tired, sat down on the sofa in the middle and said,
“So KBC, TnBC, MBS, and other media outlets also reported information from the foundation and part of the money laundering documents? Who sent it?”
“It is called Anonymous. Fortunately, it is said that the candidate was cut at the desk thanks to the periodic connection with the directors of the media.”
At her explanation, Chun Ju-hee closed her eyes and twisted her neck as if loosening it.
“Um— Foundation side… . Do I need to find out the source of the documents?”
“Perhaps it is Kang Bong-seok, the foundation’s chief who tried to act as a whistleblower last month. The matter has been dealt with, so there seems to be no need to worry.”
Woo-woo-woo-woo-
The phone rang in Lim Kyung-sook’s hand.
“Take it.”
“Excuse me.”
Lim Kyung-sook, who slightly turned her head, answered the phone and talked on the phone for a while.
The call didn’t take long.
“… Yes. Please do not let it leak outside.”
After ending the call with those words, Lim Kyung-sook approached Cheon Ju-hee again.
“What is it?”
“I am Deputy Chief Prosecutor Seok Woo-won of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. The data distributed to the media also went to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office and the Central District Prosecutor’s Office.”
“I don’t know who it is, but it seems that they made up their minds.”
“First, Deputy Prosecutor Seok Woo-won proposed to the president and told him to proceed with an unofficial investigation. In the meantime, the voting can be completed.”
It was as if all the plates had already been laid out appropriately for them.
Cheon Joo-hee laughed and nodded at Lim Gyeong-suk’s explanation.
“Thank you for treating me well.”
“Do not worry. Whatever happens, I will handle it quietly.”
“I believe. Please take good care of me.”
After the conversation, Cheon Joo-hee and Lim Kyung-sook went outside again.
I talked to people again. Then Jennifer Han, unknown when she came, approached Cheon Joo-hee, accompanied by Zi Hu-chen and Travis Floyd.
“Thank you for coming. CEO Jennifer Han.”
“Of course you should come. Charity gatherings are such a fun atmosphere.”
“What you sent for the children the other day is being put to good use.”
“If you need anything, just let me know. Wouldn’t this country and the world grow well only when they grow up well?”
The two of them laughed and talked.
On the surface, it sounds like a donation, but in reality it was a story of bribery. They smiled happily as if the world had already become theirs.
Then I heard the voices of the people.
“Isn’t that the CEO of Camo, Han Kang-soo?”
“Does it seem right? Wow— was the head of Camo invited here too?”
Returning life of a retired S-class mercenary