Chapter 144: Someone’s Resolve (3)

Outskirts of Paris, France.

A gray sky hung over the car window.

Since the rain that fell all day had stopped, the road was wet, and the headlight beams spread long over it.

Lee Ji-na, sitting in the driver's seat, held the steering wheel tightly while wearing leather gloves.

She was a designer dispatched from the HJ Partners headquarters after finishing university in France and was currently working at the Peugeot headquarters design research center.

She was fluent in French and naturally hung out with local colleagues.

Today was the day she decided to meet her boyfriend after a long time, not her colleagues.

Lee Ji-na's boyfriend was attending Velotech Automotive, an auto parts developer located near the Peugeot headquarters.

She was on her way to the company where her boyfriend was driving as soon as she left work.

However, something was strange.

The road, which should have been quiet normally, was jammed today of all days.

The dense line of vehicles did not move an inch.

“What is going on?”

As she lowered the window halfway, a faint smell of smoke brushed the tip of her nose along with the cold air.

A pillar of black smoke was rising from among the gray buildings in the distance.

Her heart sank in an instant.

The direction where the smoke was coming from was the direction where Velotech Automotive was located.

Boom!

A sudden explosion tore the city's air.

Subsequently, a short silence flowed and gunshots were heard consecutively.

It was in the middle of the city, and on a late weekday afternoon at that.

People jumped out of their cars.

Someone burst into tears, and someone sat down while holding a cell phone to their ear.

Lee Ji-na's hands trembled automatically.

Her gaze naturally headed toward Velotech Automotive.

Another explosion occurred and red flames soared into the sky.

Sirens wailed crazily from within the flames.

She stopped the car and got out.

The cell phone in her hand vibrated.

An emergency alert popped up on the screen.

[Explosion occurred near Velotech Automotive in Paris, France. All European dispatched personnel belonging to HJ Partners, please confirm your safety.]

Lee Ji-na froze just like that.

Her mind went white.

***

Seoul, HJ Partners headquarters conference room.

On the large screen, black smoke and collapsed buildings were visible continuously.

While the explosion site in Paris, France was being relayed in real time, the air in the conference room was heavy.

I was staring at the screen with my arms crossed.

Then, Han Seung-woo, the head of the Strategic Planning Division, continued reporting while turning over the reports.

“The French government has officially announced that it is the work of Al-Jahad. Currently, there were three explosions centered on the industrial zone on the outskirts of Paris, and the damage near Velotech Automotive is the greatest.”

Director Choi Seo-jun asked.

“Velotech Automotive is not that far from the Peugeot headquarters either. Has the location of the employees dispatched locally been identified?”

Division Head Han Seung-woo continued with the report.

“According to what has been confirmed so far, our employees dispatched to France are all safe. However, among the Peugeot personnel, several people who were inspecting Velotech Automotive were injured. Fortunately, their lives are not in danger, but their injuries are said to be quite severe.”

I asked immediately.

“How did Peugeot take action?”

“The Peugeot headquarters has also formed an emergency response team and is responding.”

I was lost in thought for a moment and then opened my mouth again.

“Deliver this to Peugeot. Say that we will help in any form if they need anything. Whether it is medical support, recovery funds, or dispatching personnel. Now is not the time to weigh interests.”

At my words, the people gathered in the conference room agreed.

I, still unable to take my eyes off the screen, muttered as if to myself.

“To think such a thing would happen in France. I did not expect it at all.”

Wrinkles formed on my forehead.

This incident was not a simple act of terrorism.

I got goosebumps at the fact that Al-Jahad's movements already reached the heart of European industry.

I thought to myself.

‘This is clearly a strong move made by Al-Jahad, who was pushed into a defensive position as the U.S. applied pressure. But I did not know they would go this far….’

I continued speaking while tapping the table with my fingertips.

“It is difficult to predict now. I cannot get a sense of how far Al-Jahad intends to take things.”

As I said, this was not simply a problem of one country.

There was no law saying that what happened in France would not happen in Korea.

***

Chen Wei Holdings headquarters chairman's office.

Snow poured down from the sky.

Because of that, the Huangpu River was submerged in gray fog.

Under the dim lighting, Chen Wei sat quietly for a while and waited for something while tapping the armrest with his finger.

Finally, a ringtone was heard and he picked up the receiver.

The voice of a man speaking in English with an awkward pronunciation flowed out.

-It has been a long time, Chairman.

At the man's voice speaking as if nothing were wrong, Chairman Chen Wei's expression distorted at once.

“I gave you that much time and there is still no news! When on earth are you going to do it?”

His voice was full of anger.

A moment of silence flowed and the broker replied cautiously.

-Chairman, we are also continuing to try. But that guy is no ordinary person. Recently, the security level is too high. He even increased the security personnel, so it is hard to break through.

Chen Wei's fingers moved faster as if he were anxious.

Tap. Tap.

A blizzard swept against the window along with a strong wind.

“Are you saying that as an excuse now?”

-It will not change anything even if you say something to me now. If you do not like it, then whatever. Do as you please.

The broker's voice was still calm.

However, he was also nervous.

The money received from Chairman Chen Wei for this task was substantial.

Onyx Crow was watching this matter.

If the work went wrong, it would not end simply by returning the money then.

Even his life as a broker would be hard to guarantee.

However, the situation strangely became twisted.

As Al-Jahad touched Paris, unpredictable variables increased explosively.

Eventually, they came to need a reliable funding source, which was bigger money.

Therefore, they could neither refuse nor avoid Chairman Chen Wei's demand now.

Even so, the broker put on a show of bravado.

Chairman Chen Wei twisted one corner of his mouth and quietly took out a cigarette.

His gaze shone coldly.

He continued speaking calmly while lighting the cigarette with the receiver hanging on his shoulder.

“I am a person who does not know how to wait. It is fine if more money goes in. Just make the end certain.”

Pungent smoke slowly rose into the air.

He lightly flicked the cigarette he was smoking over the cup containing coffee.

The ash that became gray fell over the coffee and spread.

“This is not a matter of money. It is a matter of my honor and a matter of order. I am saying, make that bastard never appear in my sight again.”

Only the sound of breathing was heard from beyond the receiver for a while, and then the broker replied briefly.

-We are also doing our best.

Chen Wei wore a fishy smile.

“Good, but do not forget. Since I cannot wait long.”

The call was disconnected after a short silence.

The heavy blizzard was still tapping on the window.

He put the cigarette itself into the coffee cup.

***

Time passed quickly.

A few days later, the schedule for the South Korean President's official visit to the United States was reported extensively in major media.

In the news, the anchor delivered the news in a calm voice.

“Next Monday, the South Korean President will officially visit Washington D.C. Major economic delegations are expected to accompany this visit.”

At the bottom of the screen, subtitles of President Nam Yoon-kyung and Representative Nam Jae-min of Daehan Group, Vice Chairman Lee Han-kyu of Hanmyeong Group, President Lim Hye-seon of Taeseong Group, and Representative Lim Hyunjun of HJ Partners passed by in order.

Subsequently, the phrase of simultaneous attendance of 12 major companies appeared.

It was a national schedule and a place where the attention of the business world was focused.

This visit was not a simple diplomatic event.

It was a huge diplomatic stage where the interests of each field were intertwined.

Choi Seo-jun, who was watching the news screen, spoke.

“The size of this delegation to the U.S. is quite large. From Daehan Group, President Nam Yoon-kyung and Representative Nam Jae-min are going together. I thought Chairman Nam Kun-ho would step forward personally.”

I answered quietly without taking my eyes off the screen.

“He is probably trying to see who among the two is the suitable person through this matter. It will likely be the final test.”

“If that is the case, would President Nam Yoon-kyung not be at an advantage?”

“Well, until now, yes.”

I was silent for a moment.

Watching the interview on the screen, I lifted the coffee cup and took a sip.

“…Originally, this was a place where President Nam Yoon-kyung was going to go alone.”

Choi Seo-jun turned his head and looked at me.

“As expected, that incident happened last time….”

Chairman Nam Kun-ho was originally keeping his eldest daughter Nam Yoon-kyung in mind for the next succession structure.

The eldest son Nam Jae-heon had already been sentenced to a prison term and trials were continuing.

Furthermore, the youngest Nam Jae-min was a person close to having his presence within the group almost disappear.

However, the situation flipped as he won the contract for the Dubai super-luxury complex building project.

That huge contract was something achieved under the full support of HJ Partners.

It was a result achieved by me designing it directly and connecting the overseas investor network.

With that incident, Nam Kun-ho finally began to look at his youngest son's name again.

If Nam Yoon-kyung was a cold strategist, Nam Jae-min was excellent in driving force and field sense.

That difference would be clearly revealed this time.

Eventually, within Daehan Group, a structure was formed where the two siblings, Nam Yoon-kyung and Nam Jae-min, directly faced off.

It was not revealed externally, but inside, the spark of competition thicker than blood was burning.

***

Taeseong Hospital VIP ward.

The late afternoon sunlight seeped through the glass window and spread softly over the white curtains.

Inside the quiet hospital room, special news reports flowed from the large TV screen.

Chairman Lim Man-seok lowered the newspaper he had folded for a moment and placed his glasses on top of it.

His gaze slowly stared at the TV screen.

“The scene you are seeing now is the President boarding the private jet heading to Washington D.C. at 4 PM today, Korea time. Major groups from 12 economic delegations are joining this state visit, and the expansion of Korea-U.S. economic cooperation is expected to be discussed as a priority during the visit to the U.S.”

Along with the anchor's calm voice, the President walked up the red carpet with the First Lady on the screen.

Subsequently, the faces of the entourage were shown in order.

In the subtitles, President Lim Hye-seon, the acting chairman of Taeseong Group, and Representative Lim Hyunjun of HJ Partners flowed out.

Seeing that, Chairman Lim Man-seok slowly smiled.

On the screen, I was wearing a neat suit and wearing a calm expression.

Lim Hye-seon, standing next to me, also looked elegant and bold.

A satisfied smile hung on Lim Man-seok's mouth.

He spat out words as if muttering to himself without realizing.

“I wonder whose grandson he is. Hahaha.”

“Whose grandson would he be? He is your grandson.”

As Mrs. Yoon Myeong-sook, sitting next to him, replied, Lim Man-seok laughed loudly for the first time in a while.

Then soon, the screen changed and other news flowed out.