#50

“Yes.”

“……Is this the kind of dirty connection between politicians and conglomerates that you only see in dramas or movies?”

Did I just get tangled up in a conspiracy where one wrong move could send me straight to prison? Am I about to be part of a noir plot? I prefer slice-of-life healing genres over noir.

“Providing political sponsorship funds to a congressman itself is legal, so we can’t make hasty judgments. However, since former president Goo Won rejected Rep. Oh Hahyun’s proposal at the time, I believe there must have been a corresponding reason.”

Hmm…… A reason for rejection……

I stroked my chin with my fingers, lost in deep thought. What could the reason be? What was it that Goo Won didn’t like about Rep. Oh Hahyun’s proposal? Honestly, forming a connection with a congresswoman would generally be beneficial for business rather than harmful. After all, networking is quite important in the business world.

“Then, do you think Rep. Oh Hahyun is holding a grudge over that incident and seeking revenge on us? By using President Lee Yongjun? In such a childish manner?”

If I had some knowledge about the other party, I could at least try to anticipate their intentions. But right now, I had never met Oh Hahyun even once. That meant it was practically impossible for me to guess her motives.

In the end, I gave up on figuring it out myself and decided to rely on the knowledge of Secretary Sung Yoojun, who knew more about him than I did.

“Secretary Sung, what do you think? Is this Oh Hahyun person the type to pull something like this?”

At my question, Sung Yoojun fell into deep thought. I remained silent, not wanting to disturb him.

After a moment of silence, he carefully opened his mouth.

“No. I don’t think so. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, so I can’t be 100% sure, but……”

“……”

“She’s not the kind of person who would resort to something like this. If she truly held a grudge and took action herself, she would have pressured us far more aggressively than what we’re seeing now. Using childish tricks like this doesn’t match Rep. Oh Hahyun’s level. At least, that’s what I believe.”

Oh, that’s a much higher evaluation than I expected. For the great Secretary Sung Yoojun to speak so highly of someone…… I raised my level of caution against Rep. Oh Hahyun in my mind. She must be a highly capable and dangerous individual.

“I see. So instead of stepping forward herself this time, she simply encouraged President Lee Yongjun.”

“Yes. That’s probably the case.”

“What could she possibly want to go through all this trouble……?”

I let out a sigh, leaning back into the sofa.

“She must have some kind of objective for doing this, but I have no idea what it is. Meanwhile, President Lee Yongjun’s intentions are ridiculously easy to figure out……”

That man’s intentions were blatantly obvious. After paying off his debt and catching his breath, he must have been tempted by Tartarus’s high returns again. While contemplating ways to bring them back under his control, Rep. Oh Hahyun must have subtly offered a helping hand.

And with the perfect timing, he gained the solid backing of a sitting congresswoman. Thinking he had secured an advantage, he likely tried to coax the kids back to his side behind my back. But when things didn’t go his way, he threw this pathetic tantrum.

“The more I see, the more he seems like someone with a lot of greed but little capability.”

“Which is a relief for us. Thanks to that, we don’t have too many headaches. Of course, that doesn’t mean it isn’t irritating.”

I spoke in a cold voice, twisting my lips slightly.

President Lee Yongjun still thought of Tartarus as his personal property—something he could control at his whim.

The fact that he tried to pressure Yoo Euiseo by booking him onto a program he despised, just because Yoo Euiseo refused to obey him, was proof of that. He genuinely believed that such a petty tactic would frighten Yoo Euiseo into submission. And I found that utterly infuriating.

How could someone be so foolish as to make such a dumb judgment about people? Clicking my tongue in irritation, I furrowed my brows at President Lee Yongjun’s stupidity.

Although his actions were annoying, they weren’t truly harmful to us. He could simply be ignored. If I gave the order, the staff would take care of him on their own. But Rep. Oh Hahyun was a different story. Given her current position and influence, she was not someone my employees could handle.

“Tsk. If only I knew her true intention, at least I wouldn’t feel this frustrated.”

Clicking my tongue, I grumbled under my breath. At that moment, Sung Yoojun cautiously called out to me.

“Sir.”

“Yes?”

“Should we proceed with the instructions you gave earlier as they are? If there are any changes, please let me know.”

The instructions from earlier? Oh, does he mean the order to block President Lee Yongjun and spread some strategic rumors in the industry?

I frowned slightly and fell into thought. Since I had given that order without knowing who was behind him, it made sense for Secretary Sung Yoojun to confirm my stance again.

“No, just go ahead with—actually, no. We should take stronger measures.”

“Are you planning to provoke her?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Hearing my firm response after a long contemplation, Sung Yoojun looked a bit surprised. Noticing his expression, I asked curiously.

“Secretary Sung? What’s wrong?”

“I’m just a little surprised by your response. I actually expected you to revise your approach to be more defensive.”

“Me? Why would you think that?”

“Because you don’t know exactly what the other side is holding or what their motives are. I thought you would want to observe the situation first. You are quite cautious, after all.”

I nodded quietly at his words. That was true. I was a fairly cautious person—the type to knock on a bridge before crossing it. But even so, I didn’t think it was necessary to be overly cautious in a situation where it wasn’t required.

“While a more defensive approach, as you suggested, is certainly a valid option, I feel like that would just drag things out indefinitely.”

“But isn’t there too much risk in taking an aggressive stance when we don’t even know what cards the other side is holding?”

There was a subtle concern in Sung Yoojun’s voice. I understood why he was worried and nodded in acknowledgment.

“That’s a reasonable concern. But in a fight, momentum is everything. The game hasn’t even started yet, and I don’t want to appear like I’m already losing. Besides, whatever card they have, it doesn’t seem all that significant.”

“Are you sure?”

“About 80% sure? Based on what you said, she doesn’t seem like the type to be overly cautious. If someone like that had something truly useful, she wouldn’t be resorting to these childish tactics.”

People who hold an advantage can’t help but show it.

A sense of superiority, confidence in their victory, and boldness stemming from that certainty. But Rep. Oh Hahyun exuded none of these. Normally, in battles like this, people at least pretend to have leverage—but she hadn’t.

Putting all of that together, I concluded that Rep. Oh Hahyun didn’t have a strong hand to play against us. At least, that was my judgment.

“If the opponent doesn’t have a means to threaten me, it’d be foolish to hold back.”

“You’re bolder than I expected.”

“Not really. It’s just that the conditions align for me to take a strong stance. There’s no reason to back down when I don’t have to. Even so, I admit I might be acting a little rougher than usual because of personal feelings.”

“Personal feelings……?”

Looking at Sung Yoojun’s puzzled expression, I answered in a calm voice.

“I really dislike people who scheme behind the scenes instead of saying what they want outright. And I don’t like those who use others as shields for their own affairs.”

“That sounds like you despise people like Rep. Oh Hahyun.”

“Maybe so.”

I shrugged nonchalantly, and Secretary Sung Yoojun chuckled.

“As you said, they must already know that we’re aware of them.”

“Yes, they must.”

“Good. If I respond aggressively despite knowing, they’ll have to react somehow. Will they back down, state their demands directly, or attack more forcefully? I’m curious to find out.”

Resting my elbow on the sofa’s armrest, I propped my chin up, a glimmer of anticipation in my eyes.

Just how would Rep. Oh Hahyun respond? Then, as a thought suddenly occurred to me, I called out.

“Oh, right. Secretary Sung.”