Chapter 125 - Hann Constructions (II)

Only a few kilometers away from KJ's apartment, a tall man in his late forties was waiting inside a lavish hallway. He wore a black suit, well ironed and stylish. His dark brown hair was properly brushed and trimmed. His handsome face was stoic and nonchalant but inside, he was very anxious.

Shun Oguri was feeling nervous. It was the first time he had been called by this man. To be honest he was not fond of him but there was no other choice. Everyone must heed to his call.

He was standing in the midst of a grand living room. It was furnished with mahogany sofa sets complemented with a marble coffee table in the center. There was a large phonograph on a stand just next to the couch. A book shelf stood near the door, the collection ranging from Anglo Saxon period to Contemporary writers. A warm, cozy fire danced in the fireplace while the walls were adorned with paintings from different eras from Korean history. 

He recognized one piece by the famous painter Byeong Sang-byeok who was famous for his detailed portraits of animals. 

There was also a painting by Gang Se-hwang. It was one of his lesser known muninhwa or more commonly, a landscape painting. Shun had never seen this particular painting in any museum. It was was an intricate piece consisting of a series of pine trees, standing against a transparent sky on rocky hills, which looked like Cheongdam region.

There were countless such pieces from Korean artists throughout history hanging on the walls. If it was not for the signature style and names on the paintings, Shun would never have been able to guess that these are rare collectibles. A lot of them have been suspected to be lost but Shun knew, this man must have spent billions of dollars to locate these. If he had not known about the dangerous man behind the facade, Shun would have admired his love for art.

Loud clanking of boots made him stand up straight. Entering the room was a tall, grey haired man. Shun immediately recognized him as Ziko.

"I was summoned here by the President," Shun said curtly. He did not bother to greet nor was he interested to indulge in any chit chat with this man. 

"As was I," Ziko replied coolly. There was high tension in the air. The two men were not fond of each other at all. 

"Do you know why he might have called us here?" Ziko questioned.

"I do not know," Shun replied. "It may have something to do with the succession?"

Ziko frowned but did not say anything. Instead, he took a seat on one of the couches while Shun took a seat opposite him. They sat in silence, ignoring each other's presence. Both of them wondered why the President had called them. He would not appear himself; he never does. He would probably send a message through one of his many assistants. 

The door opened. They turned around to find a man in his late twenties entering the room. He was thin with mousy brown hair. His scrawny face had a professional demeanor and he was wearing a blue designer suit. His face was devoid of any expression as he looked at the two men. 

Giving them a bow, he introduced himself. "I am Shim Junhyung," he said. "The President's Head Secretary. I believe we have only been communicating via telephone conversations all these years. However, due to the urgency, the President decided to summon you both directly here."

Ziko frowned. Like the President, his staff had also maintained complete secrecy from all of the Cartel's men. However, there was something oddly familiar about this man standing in front of him. He could shake off the nagging feeling that he had seen this Shim Junhyung somewhere…

"I will connect you with the President through the intercom," Junhyung went on, giving no indication that he recognized either of them.

"All these years and he still does not meet us directly," Shun commented. "Does he distrust people that much?"

"Yes," Junhyung replied bashfully as he typed a code on the IPad he was carrying. "He has not trust in any of you and would throw all of us under the bus if it means he'd survive."

Shun raised an eyebrow. The President's Secretary was quite well known for his blunt attitude but he did not expect the boy to be this direct.

"The President is on the line," Junhyung said. "His voice will echo through the speakers installed in this room."

He pointed at two speakers on the tall bookshelf. A loud static screeched through them which gave both the men goosebumps. Junhyung, on the other hand, remained unaffected.

Finally, the static stopped and a voice boomed out.

"Is everyone here?" a deep voice came out of the speakers.

"Yes sir," Junhyung replied. "Both Ziko and Shun are here."

Ziko noted that the Secretary did not use any honorifics to address them with.

"Aren't you being too full of yourself, Secretary Shim?" he raised his eyebrow. "Calling us by names without any honorifics."

"I do not think it is necessary to address someone lower than me in rank with honorifics," Junhyung shot back calmly. 

Ziko narrowed his eyes. Shun, on the other hand, was intrigued by the boy.

"You're an interesting fellow," Shun said, leaning back. Junhyung ignored the jibe.

"Both of you do not deserve any honor!" the President's voice bellowed. 

The room became silent. Even though the President was not there in person, his anger rang in their ears.

"Ziko," the President said. "What is the progress on Kwon Jiwon?"

Ziko shifted in his seat. "He was shot last month," he reported. "By an unknown assailant at Madam Hong's party. We were supposed to make a hit on him ourselves, but it seems that someone else had decided to end his life before us."

"And did you find out the identity of this attacker?" the President asked.

"No, sir," Ziko answered. "But I will-"

"Shun," The President cut him off. "What is the progress of the takeover of Hann Constructions?"

"Out of the thirteen shareholders, we have secured six of them," Shun replied. "They will hand over their shares to us. However, the remaining seven are still Kwon family's loyalists. They wouldn't hand it over. We'll have to blackmail them with something. My men are working on it."

"And what is the progress on finding Abyss?" The President questioned.

Both men were silent. They had no answer to it. 

"So you are saying that even after all these years, there is no progress on who the mastermind behind that pesky organization is?" the President asked quietly.

"We are still working on it," Ziko said quickly. "We are sure that Madam Lim was killed by the Abyss and-"

"Madam Lim was killed by Teppei and you know that very well, Ziko," the President threatened him. "And about the whereabouts of Madam Hong...she is dead."

Ziko and Shun were shocked.

"Dead?" Ziko repeated. "But she was reported to be in the Philippines…"

"A false trail sent out by Abyss," the President countered. "As a matter of fact, she was the one who shot Kwon Jiwon."

A deathly silence fell upon the room. Ziko dreaded the consequences. The President of the Cartel found out about this before he did. Moreover, he had failed to stop Abyss and also Kwon Jiwon was still alive. All these strikes against him were not good.

"You failed to kill Kwon Jiwon," the President counted. "You failed to stop Abyss. You failed to find out who Abyss' CEO is. You failed to find Madam Hong and your man killed Madam Lim. Not only did you fail to destroy our enemy but you are also killing off our valuable pawns."

Shun grinned. Watching Ziko crumble was very satisfying.

"I'm starting to doubt your intentions to win the succession war," the President went on.

"No!" Ziko exclaimed. His nonchalant demeanor was falling off. Instead, there was fear visible on his face.

"I am still hellbent on being your successor," he declared. "I promise you, I will find that darned Abyss and bring you the CEO's head!"

"An empty promise," the President proclaimed. "Don't stand there making promises. Go and bring me his head. Then I might consider you for the position of my heir."

He was toying with them. Seeing their fear gave him immense pleasure.

"You don't have to worry about Abyss," Shun said. "We know that they are currently stationed around Kwon Jiwon's home. Their CEO is most probably close to him. If we get to Kwon Jiwon, we'll get to the CEO as well. Once Hann Constructions is under us, Kwon Jiwon will lose his influence over their men. After that, he will be vulnerable and open for us to attack."

"A feeble plan," the President snorted. "But it matters not. If you want to become the next head of the Cartel, then give me results not excuses. Dismissed."

The President signed off. The atmosphere inside the room was tenser. The two men fidgeted in their seats while Junhyung stood there, expressionless.

"I'll bring Abyss down," Ziko vowed. "And I will become your heir."

"I won't stay put either," Shun shot back. "Only I will become your heir."

Both men looked at each other, determined on their paths. Junhyung noted their mutual hostility. His lips were curved into a smile. Their in-fighting was about to benefit him greatly.