CH14 | MCT

Pohang Steel: Park Tae-jong (3)

Terrified, Ushiroda shouted hastily.

“President Park, this is a misunderstanding!”

Tae-soo scoffed.

“You still haven’t learned, huh? Still speaking down to people?”

“…President Park! This is all just a misunderstanding!”

Ushiroda switched to fluent Korean, now using honorifics.

Park Tae-jong let out a disbelieving laugh.

“So you do know how to speak politely. Took me three whole years to find that out?”

“…”

Ushiroda quickly pulled himself together and raised his voice again.

“President Park, let’s talk this through!”

“How about a little visit to the Central Intelligence Agency? I guarantee all misunderstandings will be cleared up there.”

Ushiroda frantically shook his head.

“No! Absolutely not! There’s no need to take this to the CIA. Let’s settle this among ourselves. We’re working on this steel mill together, there’s no need for hostility…”

“And why should I?”

Park’s voice turned icy, as if he had made up his mind.

It was clear he intended to break Ushiroda’s arrogance and put him in his place for good.

This was the first time Ushiroda had encountered such an overbearing stance from Park Tae-jong.

His vision darkened.

He knew then—he had messed up.

“Damn it. I should have held back… I went too far.”

This was entirely his own doing.

“President Park, please… just this once. If you help me now, I won’t forget this favor.”

The tables had turned.

“Let me off just this once.”

“I could just replace you with another technical advisor. Not sure if the Japanese government will have to pay a delay compensation fee, though.”

“No one else speaks Korean as fluently as I do.”

“That’s fine. I do happen to speak fluent Japanese myself.”

“…”

Park Tae-jong grinned.

The more he did, the more Ushiroda’s nerves burned like fire.

“Let’s say another technical advisor replaces me. But what if they also act uncooperative, just like I did?”

Park Tae-jong’s gaze sharpened at Ushiroda’s inadvertent confession.

“If construction keeps getting delayed, if time keeps slipping away, if funding—already scarce—runs dry, you know the Japanese government will definitely…”

“…The Japanese government ordered the delays?”

Damn it! Whatever! I need to save myself first!

Ushiroda squeezed his eyes shut and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“From now on, I’ll be a changed man! I swear I’ll pour my soul into building Pohang Steel!”

“Hm.”

“I swear on my honor! I won’t interfere again! I’ll cooperate with everything I have! There’s no one better suited for this than me!”

Park Tae-jong looked down at Ushiroda with cold indifference.

I never thought I’d see the day when this insufferable Japanese bastard vowed to dedicate himself to building this steel mill.

Three whole years. Three years of dealing with this man’s nonsense.

Every time, Park had been helpless.

Ushiroda had weaponized the fact that the project needed a Japanese technical advisor.

But now… it’s like pulling out a rotten tooth.

Relief flooded Park Tae-jong, leaving behind only mild exhaustion.

The “leash,” huh? I owe that young man for handing it to me.

His eyes flicked to Tae-soo.

How the hell did he know about Ushiroda’s dealings?

It wasn’t like Park hadn’t investigated him before.

Ushiroda’s name, accounts, and records were all perfectly clean.

Then, Park let out a quiet chuckle.

Does it even matter? Ushiroda just promised to cooperate fully. That’s all I need.

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

“President Park! Please, just spare me this once! If this gets out, my family and I are done for!”

“…We’ll see, depending on how you behave.”

“Th-Thank you, President Park!”

Yes! I’m safe!

Ushiroda’s face lit up.

He turned to leave, eager to escape this nightmare.

But then—

Wait. No.

This is all that bastard’s fault.

He stopped in his tracks.

Then, with a furious expression, he spun back around and pointed at Tae-soo.

“President Park! But him! That insolent brat! He entered this restricted area without authorization, didn’t he?”

Even at the brink of his downfall, he refused to let Tae-soo off the hook.

Park Tae-jong shut him down immediately.

“He had clearance.”

“…What? Since when?”

“Just now.”

“······.”

Ushiroda clenched his teeth.

Meanwhile, Tae-soo simply shrugged, infuriating him even more.

He wanted nothing more than to slap that smug face, but with Park Tae-jong siding against him, there was nothing he could do.

“I’m the president here. I’m also in charge of security. Got a problem with that?”

“N-No, sir.”

Ushiroda answered weakly.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me…”

“You mean excuse you to run off to Japan?”

“N-No! I’m going to—uh—inspect the accident site! Yes! To find the most efficient way to restart construction!”

And with that, Ushiroda scurried away as fast as he could.

The employees of Pohang Steel watched from afar.

Having suffered under Ushiroda’s tyranny for years, they were thrilled.

Some even clapped in secret.

Meanwhile, Tae-soo’s popularity skyrocketed.

And Park Tae-jong?

He was just as pleased.

Three years of headaches… solved in an instant.

But that wasn’t all.

Tae-soo handed me the leash. He saved my reputation. And he got that insufferable bastard to cooperate voluntarily. In the end, he just shortened the completion time of the steel mill.

At first, Park had eyed Tae-soo like a potential spy.

But now?

His gaze held nothing but admiration.

“Well then, since you’ve got clearance now, why don’t we head to my office for some tea?”

“Sounds good to me.”

From the sidelines, the skinny man who had been silent the entire time cautiously raised a hand.

“Uh… could we have whiskey instead?”

“Hahaha!”

Park Tae-jong burst into laughter.

***

Pohang Steel President’s Office

Park Tae-jong removed his safety helmet and placed it on his desk.

Then, he extended a hand toward Tae-soo.

“I’m Park Tae-jong, president of Pohang Steel.”

“Kang Tae-soo.”

“Here, take this.”

Park handed him a business card.

“I don’t have one to give you in return.”

“That’s fine. Just tell me—what company and what position?”

“I’m currently waiting for approval from the regulatory office. I plan to run a mining and mineral trade company, as well as a construction firm. Tae-yang Minerals and Tae-yang Construction.”

Park Tae-jong raised his brows in surprise.

“You’re doing both?”

“Well… it just turned out that way.”

“Which one’s your main focus? Mining or construction?”

“For now, mining. But in the future, I plan to make construction my main business.”

“You’re quite the ambitious young man. Have a seat.”

Following his invitation, Tae-soo and the lanky man took their places on the sofa.

“Would whiskey be all right?”

“I’d love that!”

The skinny man spread his arms wide in exaggerated enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Park Tae-jong studied Tae-soo intently.

“You’re telling me you dug into every single connection that Japanese bastard had? Family, friends, school ties, regional affiliations? You scoured all of Japan?”

“Of course not. I’m not that free.”

Tae-soo answered nonchalantly.

Park was puzzled.

A half-hearted investigation wouldn’t have uncovered so much dirt.

“Then how the hell did you find out about his shady dealings? He hid them pretty well.”

“No one can completely hide something rotten.”

“You think I didn’t do my own digging?”

“Well… let’s just say my side was a little dirtier in digging things up.”

Tae-soo had given Han-soo precise instructions:
Start with brothel owners, gangsters, construction suppliers, and labor agencies—that’s where the filth hides.

And why not?

As the former chief secretary of Cheong-il Group, Tae-soo had mastered the art of tracking important figures.

He had practically memorized everything about Park Tae-jong as well.

Truth be told, even without Tae-soo’s involvement, Ushiroda was bound to get caught by Park eventually.

Once Park got his claws on him, Ushiroda would have no choice but to dedicate himself to the steel mill’s construction.

This was a well-known story—his newfound enthusiasm shaved an entire month off the project’s timeline.

All Tae-soo did was speed up the process.

And for one reason only—to strengthen his position in negotiations with Park Tae-jong.

“Just how did you pull it off?”

Park was dying of curiosity.

Tae-soo shrugged.

“I had help from someone well-versed in these matters.”

“A professional, then?”

“Exactly.”

Realizing he wouldn’t get more details, Park clicked his tongue in mild frustration.

“Introduce me to this expert someday. The country could use people like that.”

“You have a good eye.”

“Pfft—!”

The skinny man, mid-sip of whiskey, nearly spat it out.

Wait a second. Didn’t he just say he had Han-soo do the digging?

Tae-soo winked at him playfully.

Annoyed, the skinny man gulped down more alcohol. If this kept up, he’d need a lot more whiskey.

Meanwhile, Park grinned, thinking about Ushiroda.

“This was the best gift I could’ve received.”

“I’m glad it helped.”

“This steel mill isn’t just another construction site—it’s the dream of our nation and our people. Thanks to you, we’ll finish ahead of schedule. I won’t forget what you’ve done.”

“Good.”

Tae-soo flashed a broad smile.

One might expect him to wave it off with some humble response.

But no—he fully intended to collect on this debt.

“And let’s not forget, you saved Manager Kim’s life, too.”

Park’s expression turned serious.

“Tell me… how should I repay you?”

Park had taken the bait.

And hook, line, and sinker, at that.