The Congressman Bows Low

The next day.

Cha Jae-rim returned to the audit office for questioning.

Secretary Choi was even more stern-faced than the day before.

“The more you lie, the heavier your sins will be. It’s not for nothing that they say confession leads to redemption.”

“Why aren’t you calling in Manager Kang and Manager Park?”

“Manager Kang? Manager Park? That’s a bit short of an answer, isn’t it?”

“I’m going through all this hardship because of them, so I hope you can understand why I’m not feeling very charitable towards them.”

“Do you think you’ll be safe if you keep blaming your superiors?”

“…”

“Wake up. All you’re doing is adding obstruction of justice to your charges.”

“Why are you treating me like a criminal, just because of a single complaint, while you’re not taking any action against those two?”

“Am I obligated to explain that to you?”

“You may not be obligated to explain it, but you are obligated to summon and question any employee who is under suspicion. Why aren’t you doing that?”

Secretary Choi snorted and got out of his chair.

“This is your last chance. Write down all your wrongdoings in detail and repent. Otherwise, you will suffer doubly, triply, even quadruply.”

He threw an A4 sheet of paper and a ballpoint pen in front of Cha Jae-rim and left.

Cha Jae-rim stared at the paper for a moment, then got up from his seat.

And then, with an indifferent expression, he asked Goo Young-jin,

“It’s already 5 o’clock. We won’t be late for our appointment, will we?”

[You could trip and your face would land right on Gwanghwamun; it’s that close. You won’t be late.]

Cha Jae-rim smiled and got up.

The paper that Chief Choi had given him was still blank.

*

Standing tall and proud in front of the magnificent Gwanghwamun, was a building even more magnificent than Gwanghwamun itself.

The words “Far Eastern Economic Daily” were emblazoned in large letters on the upper part of the beige building.

It was the best-selling newspaper in the Republic of Korea.

Just as it had been in 2008 when Goo Young-jin was alive, the Far Eastern Economic Daily was at the height of its power in this era of 1998.

No wonder the owner of the newspaper company was called the “President of Night.”

[This building is the same now as it was then.]

Goo Young-jin smiled strangely, lost in thought.

Goo Young-jin had never been inside this building.

It wasn’t considered good for politicians to frequent the offices of media companies.

When he did meet with Far Eastern Economic Daily reporters, he usually preferred to use the hotel coffee shop owned by the Far Eastern Economic Daily that was connected to the building.

So, even to the great Goo Young-jin, the atmosphere of the Far Eastern Economic Daily office felt unfamiliar.

There were a few empty desks where reporters were out on assignment, and those who were at their desks were busy sending faxes, answering phones, or typing on keyboards.

If it was a strange sight to Goo Young-jin, how much more so for Cha Jae-rim?

Cha Jae-rim felt a bit nervous as he looked around at the bustling scene that seemed like a fast-forward of the leisurely Finance Department of the District Office.

Just then, someone approached him and extended his hand.

“Welcome.”

“Oh, hello.”

Cha Jae-rim quickly grasped the extended hand.

Goo Young-jin smirked.

[That’s Han Ho-ya.]

Goo Young-jin couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his old acquaintance ten years younger.

He handed his business card to Cha Jae-rim.

“I’m Han Ho, a reporter in the political department.”

“Yes, I also have a business card to give you.”

At Cha Jae-rim’s words, Reporter Han Ho smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

“What business card could a second-year civil servant possibly have? It’s okay.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“I don’t have much time. So let’s hear it.”

Reporter Han Ho kept glancing at his watch.

It was a gesture that Goo Young-jin had never seen him make.

Goo Young-jin smiled wryly.

[Whenever you were with me, you’d beat around the bush just to hear a few more words, but you’re treating this guy so rudely.]

Well, what’s wrong with that?

It’s Cha Jae-rim’s fault for not having anything.

Cha Jae-rim said with a smile,

“It’s okay even if it’s just for a short while. But I’d like to talk in a quieter place.”

“It doesn’t seem like you have anything so important that you need to be so secretive.”

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

“That’s true.”

The young man was quite quick-witted.

Reporter Han Ho chuckled and led Cha Jae-rim to an empty conference room.

He treated Cha Jae-rim, who looked like a rookie, with ease.

“Well, would you like some coffee?”

Even his polite speech sounded casual.

“That’s okay. You don’t have much time.”

“No, it’s okay to have some coffee. If you don’t want any, that’s fine.”

Reporter Han Ho gave up easily and sat down opposite Cha Jae-rim.

“I’ll cut to the chase.”

“Please do.”

“I’m from the Finance Department of Seongbuk District Office.”

As soon as Reporter Han Ho heard the words “Finance Department,” he figured out the rest.

“I think I get the gist of it. What’s the dirt? Embezzlement, something like that? Playing around with money.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, do you have any evidence?”

Goo Young-jin encouraged Cha Jae-rim.

[Don’t be intimidated. Just do as we planned. He’s nothing special.]

Cha Jae-rim nodded.

“I have everything documented, including purchase estimates and expenditure approval documents.”

“Oh really?”

“Anyway, those guys have a tight grip on everything at the District Office, so they weren’t very thorough.”

“Just what you’ve seen isn’t enough for an article. I need real evidence to write an article. Oh, is it okay if I call you Jae-rim?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Especially when it comes to public institutions, it’s a pain in the neck to get involved in legal disputes. Besides, it’s even worse since it hasn’t even gone to court yet.”

Instead of replying, Cha Jae-rim took out copies of the documents from his bag and spread them out.

“I think this should be enough evidence.”

Reporter Han Ho quickly glanced over the copies and then casually reached out to gather up the documents.

Cha Jae-rim pulled the documents back towards himself before they could completely reach Han Ho’s hands.

“Please write the article. I’ll give them to you if you promise.”

“Wow, you’re quite sharp for your age.”

Goo Young-jin smiled proudly.

[If that guy is saying that about you, then you must be pretty good.]

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Reporter Han Ho took his hands off the documents and leaned back in his chair with a playful smile.

“But why did you bring this to me? It seems like you should try to resolve it within the District Office first.”

“Because I’m certain that it won’t be resolved within the District Office.”

Reporter Han Ho laughed out loud.

“As your senior in life, I advise you to reconsider. It becomes much more difficult once things are brought outside.”

“Haha…”

Cha Jae-rim laughed, but Reporter Han Ho did not.

“Don’t laugh. I’m serious. Resolve it internally. Or, just stay quiet. Don’t do anything. That’s the best thing.”

[He’s talking big about being a senior in life, this greenhorn!]

Goo Young-jin growled at Reporter Han Ho for ignoring his script and going off on his own.

“Thank you for your concern. But isn’t your job as a reporter to investigate and report, not to worry?”

‘Oh, really?’ Reporter Han Ho chuckled at the unexpected remark.

“That’s a fair question. I’m just curious. Why did you bring this to me?”

“Because I want to live.”

“…Because you want to live?”

“If I don’t blow the whistle first, I’ll be the one who dies.”

“Oh? It seems that this side is also involved in some financial shenanigans.”

Cha Jae-rim remained unfazed by the subtle threat.

“No, I didn’t do anything wrong, but I’m being accused of it.”

Reporter Han Ho nodded slowly, shaking the leg that was resting on the other.

“You want to blow the whistle to save your own life… But blowing the whistle could also hasten your death. Are you really prepared for that?”

“Just give me an answer. Are you going to write the article or not?”

“Well, I like a good story. I’ll write it. But I can’t guarantee that the desk will run it.”

“Is that so?”

Reporter Han Ho spoke to him as if he were a naive child.

“This kind of incident may be a huge scandal for you, but it’s not for us.”

“Yes, because incidents like this happen several times a year all over the country.”

“You’re well-informed. It might make it into a regional newspaper, but a major central newspaper like ours might only run it as a short article.”

“That would probably be the case under normal circumstances.”

Reporter Han Ho smiled strangely.

“Are you saying things aren’t normal right now? Has a war broken out or something?”

“Aren’t we in a quasi-war situation? The mayor is sharpening his sword, looking for someone to hang.”

One of Reporter Han Ho’s eyebrows rose.

‘How does this low-level guy know about that? It’s supposed to be confidential.’

Cha Jae-rim continued speaking calmly.

“Isn’t the right cause important for anything? I’m sure the mayor would rather have a good reason to draw his sword than to draw it for no reason.”

“Could your case become that cause?”

Cha Jae-rim nodded.

“Yes.”

“It’s too small for that. The total amount is barely over a 100 million won.”

“The smaller the amount, the better.”

Reporter Han Ho smiled strangely.

“Why is that?”

“To embezzle tens or hundreds of billions, a low-ranking civil servant like me wouldn’t be able to do it alone. Higher-ups must be involved.”

“So?”

“Then it would implicate elected officials, even the mayor himself.”

“…And?”

“In this election, the ruling party won 19 mayoral seats. The opposition party didn’t win even a handful. Is a new mayor who has only been in office for 100 days going to go after a district mayor from his own party?”

[Well done, my boy.]

Goo Young-jin applauded.

Bringing up complicated political engineering to talk about bloodsucking.

Reporter Han Ho became interested.

It wasn’t common for someone so young and inexperienced to come to the media first, threatening to blow the whistle.

But the more he listened to him, the more cunning he seemed.

He spoke bluntly, but he seemed to think carefully before saying anything.

‘What is this kid?’

Reporter Han Ho was slightly taken aback by this new type of source.

“For the mayor, a case of this size is the perfect excuse to swing his sword without hesitation.”

“That’s quite a bold assessment. Well, whatever. Even so, this is still insignificant. It’s too bland, so even if it were to blow up, you’d be the one who gets hurt.”

“If it’s bland, can’t we just add some salt?”

“Salt?”

“It’s not the most ethical method, but I’m in a life-or-death situation, so I can’t afford to be picky. Can I tell you about it?”

“Go ahead.”

Reporter Han Ho had already used up all the time he had allotted for Cha Jae-rim.

But instead of getting up, he listened intently to what Cha Jae-rim had to say.

It was because he sensed that it was worth it.

The more Cha Jae-rim spoke, the wider Reporter Han Ho’s eyes became.

After hearing everything Cha Jae-rim had to say, Reporter Han Ho said with a complex expression,

“You’re carrying out such a reckless plan so nonchalantly.”

“At the very least, you won’t be able to say that it’s too bland after this.”

“…Yes. At this level, it certainly won’t be…”

“Will you do it?”

Reporter Han Ho gazed into Cha Jae-rim’s eyes.

Cha Jae-rim’s eyes did not waver.

In some ways, it was an absurd plan.

And he was nonchalantly chattering away about such a plan.

Without a trace of hesitation or agitation.

‘This kid is hilarious.’

Reporter Han Ho gathered up the copies in front of Cha Jae-rim and pulled them back towards himself.

“I’ll think about it.”

Goo Young-jin frowned.

[Think about it? He’s going to think about it? Who does he think he is, this punk!]

He wanted a definite answer.

He didn’t want to end this meeting with such an ambiguous conclusion like ‘I’ll think about it.’

He didn’t want to be led around by the nose by someone like Han Ho.

It was a waste of time, and his pride was hurt.

Goo Young-jin put his hand on Cha Jae-rim’s shoulder.

[What can we do when that punk keeps dodging us? We need to put some bait on the hook.]