I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 157



Only Noblemtl

157 Abandoned (3)

The place I agreed to meet him was an officetel in Gangnam.

Since you must have been conscious of other people’s gaze, you must have met me in a closed space. In the case of high-ranking government officials or executives of large corporations, there are many cases where they get an officetel near the company and use it as a second office.

Ding dong.

Crunch.

When I rang the bell, the door opened without any confirmation. When I opened the door and went in, he was standing at the entrance.

I quickly scanned the man.

He looked to be over 180 centimeters tall, had a muscular build, had hair combed back with pomade, had a sophisticated-looking suit, had a tie that was tied up perfectly despite the late hour, and had an embarrassed expression on his face as if he didn’t know how to treat me. It was definitely him.

“Come in.”

He takes a step back and offers me a seat.

“Excuse me.”

As we sit down, he brings a jug of water and places it on the table.

“There’s nothing to drink but water.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Her body type resembles mine. Her face resembles my mother’s, and her height and build resemble her father’s.

“I’ve learned a little about you. You’re a world-class chef and the son-in-law of the LK Group… Your personal wealth is quite substantial. I’ve seen many people in this position, but none of them have made it on their own at such a young age as you. How on earth did you manage to do that?”

Bam.

The documents he threw contained detailed personal information about me.

The lower body was a familiar person. I could feel the aura of someone who had never been in the position of the lower body before.

“Is it strange that an abandoned child is living well?”

His eyebrows twitch at my words.

“I should tell you that first. I first heard the news of your birth when I was on leave from the military. I never thought Yeonju would give birth. At that time, there was nothing I could control. When I was discharged, everything was already over. Yeonju had gone abroad to study, and you were left in an orphanage of some unknown place.”

He explains the situation in a somber tone, but I can read a different emotion in his attitude.

It was a relief. He must have felt relieved at the time. Everything had already been resolved without him having to take the initiative. And in the direction he wanted.

There would have been nothing to be responsible for.

“Oh! It was inevitable. I understand. As we live in this world, unavoidable things happen.”

I have no intention of keeping up with the rhythm of cheap melodrama.

after.

He puts his hand to his forehead and lets out a deep breath as if things aren’t going his way.

“So why did you want to meet me?”

“I believe you will know the situation roughly through the performance. The personnel hearing will be held soon. The current administration is in a lame duck state. If I don’t pass the hearing, the flow will be twice as fast. The state administration will be paralyzed. I hope you will cooperate.”

He has a serious expression on his face and speaks to me in a solemn tone. But I can’t help but laugh.

“Kekekeke. Everything is for the country after all… Is that right?”

Yeah.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“I did some research before coming here. I heard you have been sponsoring the orphanage for over 10 years. Did you feel a little burdened? People who have committed sins are often worried that the karma of the past will come back to them one day. You must have been afraid of that too.

“Sponsorship and service may have been a form of therapy for you, a self-satisfying act to gain peace of mind and avoid karma.”

He looks straight at me and his body trembles.

“If I was in a desperate situation, you would have handed me an envelope of money. It would have been a kind of act of charity, wouldn’t you say? Don’t worry. I don’t blame you. You said it was a hearing, right? Even if someone finds out about my existence and comes looking for me, I will only tell one truth.”

“What is that?”

“I’m saying that I never had a father, and I don’t have one now. I don’t mind swearing it. It’s the most transparent truth. To be honest, I found it a little funny when I heard that you were looking for me.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Isn’t that right? What you want is to confirm that you have nothing to do with me. Is that right?”

He looks at me with his mouth tightly shut.

“We have exactly the same wishes. I also have only one wish. I didn’t even know your name until a few days ago. And I was living happily. I just want to live like that in the future. Don’t feel guilty about me. I am nothing to you. I am just a dandelion seed that was blown away by the wind and bloomed somewhere.”

“No, what kind of nonsense is that…?”

“You have never been a father to me and you never will be. Conversely, I have never been a son to you. So neither responsibility nor guilt are necessary feelings in our relationship.

I hope today is the last day I hear from you. The only reason I came here today is because I didn’t want to be a bother. Don’t bother me. I mean, just like you have been for the past 30 years, continue to do so.”

I got up from my seat and walked slowly out the entrance.

* * *

After Jehee left, Minseok sat there for a while. Then he got up and moved to the desk.

Knock knock.

He opened the drawer and found a white envelope. He opened it and checked what was inside.

[The DNA of sample A and the DNA of sample B extracted from somatic cells have a 99.9% chance of being paternity according to the genetic match test results.

Client A and subject B have a parent-child relationship.]

He takes a cigarette out of his pocket and lights it.

Dingy.

The light came on after three tries.

He takes a deep breath and exhales.

Phew.

He came out today prepared with various scenarios. If Jehee cursed, he planned to listen quietly, and if she demanded an apology, he planned to apologize. If she demanded compensation, he thought about how much he should give, and even cashed out some of his assets.

But all he wanted was just one thing, that they would never hear from each other again until today.

Hehe.

Suddenly, a smile appeared. He had no son. He had one daughter, but she divorced and followed his mother. For the past 20 years, he had worked harder than anyone else to gain recognition in the organization. Now, only Hwa-ryong-jeom-jeong remained, and there was no one around to share his joy.

“What on earth did I expect?”

Seong Yeon-ju was a person who was good at lying. So he didn’t completely trust her words. Even if her child was real, he thought that he might not be the biological father. At that time, she handed him a mug.

-Check it out. That’s the cup the kid was drinking from.

Ring ring ring.

“This is Song Min-seok.”

– Minister, how are the preparations for the hearing going?

He was a member of the ruling party.

“I’m still a vice minister. There’s no problem with preparations.”

-Haha. It’s already been decided. Then I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.

* * *

“It is time, so I will now open the 312th extraordinary session of the National Assembly Planning and Finance Committee.”

Thump thump.

“I would like to inform you in advance that today’s meeting will be broadcast live nationwide through the three major broadcasting companies and the National Assembly Broadcasting System.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance is a position that exercises enormous authority in executing our country’s taxes and budget. As such, the candidate is required to have not only qualifications and work ability, but also a high level of morality.

“I hope that the members of the committee will cooperate today so that we can verify these points well. I ask candidate Song Min-seok to answer the members’ questions sincerely so that the hearing will not end in vain.”

As the musician turns on the TV, the hearing is being broadcast. Vice Minister Song Min-seok walks out, raises his right hand, and swears that he will tell only the truth. He appears relaxed during the subsequent questioning. There is a sharp confrontation between the ruling party members who are trying to protect him and the opposition party members who are trying to disqualify him.

“Vice Minister Song Min-seok has assets worth 10 billion won. I sent a request to explain the process of creating the assets, but I received only one document. Isn’t that too much?”

Opposition lawmakers question his assets.

“Actually, I had nothing more to send. It was an inheritance. The only money I earned while working as a public servant was my annual salary. I don’t own stocks or real estate. All the land and buildings I own were gifts, and I have already submitted the documents.”

It was a perfectly managed history. There was absolutely nothing to find fault with, so the opposition lawmakers started to get annoyed.

“You don’t say anything about your opinions on the president and government policies. You just say that you will follow the principles. So how can we verify your ideology?”

A female congresswoman takes the microphone and escalates the offensive.

“It doesn’t matter what I think. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance’s job is to verify the validity of policies passed by the National Assembly and ensure the soundness of the budget. Please let the National Assembly, including you, take care of such concerns.”

Even if you try to frame him by linking him to a president with a low approval rating, he skillfully avoids it. If he can’t take the lead in the hearing, he will be at a disadvantage in the upcoming budget review. He needed a leash to hold him back. This is when Rep. Sim Seong-ju steps in.

“As some of you may know, I am a student in the same department and class as the candidate. You had a girlfriend when you were a freshman in college, right? I remember they were a famous couple.”

“I will not answer personal questions.”

“Mr. Chairman! This is a link to the candidate’s important moral qualities. Please allow me to answer.”

Representative Shim Seong-ju pressures Min-seok through the chairman.

“Candidates, please answer.”

The chairman gave him a look of rebuke, asking why he was asking such a thing. However, he could not ignore the request of a senior member of the National Assembly.

“… there was.”

“Has the candidate’s girlfriend become pregnant and given birth after he enlisted in the military?”

Song Min-seok glares at Shim Seong-ju. The eyes of reporters and lawmakers hearing this for the first time widen.

Click click.

When provocative material appears, flashes of light start to go off like crazy.

“Please answer. As far as I know, you married someone else, so if it’s true, that means you had an extramarital affair.”

Song Min-seok was a decent candidate regardless of political interests. Shim Seong-ju had no intention of disqualifying him. Since the Minister of Strategy and Finance resigned, the vacancy lasted too long, so all major budget deliberations were postponed until after the hearing.

He just wanted to put pressure on Minseok to get the budget in an advantageous position. It is difficult to verify the scandal from 30 years ago now. All he had to do was deny it.

Of course, it’s not like there’s no way out. If you really want to, you can summon Seong Yeon-ju as a witness, but that would be like declaring war and turning them into enemies.

I didn’t want to go that far because if the two people denied it, I would be the one who would be cornered. I also had a small desire to leave it as a last resort in case something happened.

The more insurance the better. This question is the groundwork for that time.

“… … .”

But the mood was turning ominous. He was hesitating to answer.

“I have to say that there is no such thing.”

Seong Yeon-ju, who was watching TV, also felt upset.

“Candidates, please respond quickly.”

The chairman recruits Minseok.

Minseok closes his eyes tightly and opens them. Then he bows his head towards the microphone.

“I heard that she gave birth to a child when she was on leave from the military. I heard that she sent the child to an orphanage. It is true that she had an illegitimate child.”

Groan, groan.

“Awesome! Camera close-up!”

Reporters rush to the desk and call.

The ruling and opposition party members, including the chairman, could not immediately understand what he had just said. No, they clearly heard it, but they doubted their ears because it was something they thought would never come out at a hearing.

“Is it true that you just revealed that you have an extramarital affair? Think about it carefully.”

Rep. Shim Sung-joo gives him another chance to correct himself.

Gulp.

Everyone’s eyes are focused on his mouth.