My Peninsula 2007

Chapter 448 Lieutenant Lin

To reiterate, South Korea has all sorts of associations, which are often formed by people from a particular industry. They use the guise of protecting the interests of their industry, but the truth is hard to say, just like the agricultural cooperatives.

Within the South Korean armed forces, there are also similar associations, which are divided according to the military branch, such as the Army Association, Navy Association, and Air Force Association. Among them, the Army Association is the largest and most influential.

According to Lim Ya-eun, this "Soldiers' Home" building belongs to the Army Association. In essence, it is similar to the military district guesthouse of the Seoul Garrison Command. However, in South Korea, such institutions are not managed by the logistics department, but by the Army Association.

Now, this 40-year-old building is very old and in urgent need of investment for maintenance. However, the Army Association does not have enough money, so it wants to "contract" it out. Lin Ya'en is obviously interested in getting involved and taking over this "military home".

"Approximately how much funding do you need?" After Lin Ya'en finished speaking, An Rusong thought for a moment and asked, "Or rather, how large is your funding gap?"

“What I need is not funding, but opportunity,” Lin Ya’en said, turning the steering wheel and driving the car into the passageway leading to the underground parking lot of the “Military Home” building. She pursed her lips as she spoke. “As I just said, the Army Association is now looking for investment from private capital. Since private capital is involved, there will definitely be many complex conflicts of interest.”

The Jeep went down the ramp into the underground parking garage. Just as it turned the corner, a black Honda came from the opposite direction. However, the car's headlights had already alerted Lin Ya'en, and she slowed down to avoid the oncoming vehicle.

“The Army Association is not like those government agencies. For projects like the renovation of ‘Military Homes,’ they don’t issue tenders to the public. Only those who are closely related to them can taste the sweetness of the ‘cake,’” Lin Ya’en said as she drove the car. “Like me, it’s already good enough that I can get the news, but to participate, it’s not something that can be solved just by having money.”

An Rusong nodded in understanding. The military system is indeed different from ordinary government agencies and departments. In South Korea today, if similar government agencies and departments want to undertake any projects, they must go through the bidding process. Even if there are various problems in this process, the general procedure must always be followed.

But it's different in the military. Most of their projects are not public, and even those that are public and go through bidding processes are often fraudulent, with some resorting to deception and not even bothering to cover it up.

Seeing his silence, Lin Ya'en, who had just found a parking space, continued while adjusting the car, "The current chairman of the Military Association is named Xian Bingju. He graduated from the 35th class of the Military Academy and holds the rank of Major General."

After parking the car in the parking space, Lin Ya'en turned the key and turned off the engine. "You may feel unfamiliar with this person, but you are very familiar with his cousin, after all, you just spoke to him."

An Rusong was stunned for a moment, then realized that the other party must be talking about Bai Jinjun. The current chairman of the Army Association was actually Bai Jinjun's cousin?
“Yes, you heard right. Ham Byung-geol and Chief Baek Geum-joon are cousins. Baek Geum-joon’s mother, Ham Suk-na, is Ham Byung-geol’s aunt,” Lim Ya-eun added.

“Since 1998, Xian Bingju has been the chairman of the Army Association,” Lin Ya’en continued when An Rusong did not speak. “His influence in the Army Association is deeply rooted, and he can be said to be a person whose word is law. Therefore, for him, the ‘Military Home’ project is just a small problem. As long as he speaks up, any dissenting voices can be suppressed.”

An Rusong could believe what Lin Ya'en said. If it was really as she said, Ham Byung-geun had been the chairman of the Army Association for so many years, and the South Korean Minister of National Defense had changed four or five times, yet he was still able to sit firmly in this position. Then his control over the entire association must be quite effective; otherwise, he would have been transferred long ago.

Considering the special relationship between Baek Jin-joon and Ham Byung-geol, An Ru-song didn't mind asking "Chief Baek" for help. Just as Lin Ya-en said, the "Military Home" project might be a lucrative opportunity for her, but in Ham Byung-geol's eyes, it was just an old, dilapidated building in dire need of renovation.

Therefore, if An Rusong really asks Bai Jinjun for help, there should be no problem getting this done.

but.
Extending his right hand and holding up two fingers to Lin Ya'en, An Rusong smiled and said, "Two questions."

"Hmm?" Lin Ya'en adopted a focused and clear-headed posture.

“I’m curious, where did you get the funds?” An Rusong said. “For a building like this to undergo a complete renovation, the investment required must be substantial. Moreover, once the money is invested in this kind of project, it’s impossible to recoup the investment in the short term. In other words, you won’t get your investment back for at least the next few years.”

“It’s a very simple thing,” Lin Ya’en said with a smile. “As long as I can get the agreement and contract from the Army Association, I can get a large bank loan with this agreement and contract.”

She paused, then continued, "Besides, this isn't just my business. There are other people involved in this project. I'll handle securing the contract with the Army Association, and the others will raise the funds. Everyone will share the profits—it makes perfect sense, right?" Well, hearing this, An Rusong understood the scheme. In short, Lin Ya'en was playing a game of getting something for nothing. She was essentially acting as a middleman in this project, using her position for personal gain.

However, this woman's power to seek rent is not in her own hands, but rather she has to borrow it from An Rusong.

“It is indeed very reasonable.” Although the woman’s idea was “greedy,” An Rusong did not feel disgusted. After all, he had sensed it for a long time that she had been seducing him and trying to get close to him.

She's a stunningly beautiful woman with a great figure and a lieutenant rank. Why would she seduce him for no reason? Is it because he's handsome and has an elegant demeanor? Hmm, perhaps that's part of it, but it's definitely not the only factor. Ultimately, she must want something from him.

What did we gain? Now we have the answer, don't we?

“Well, my second question,” An Rusong said, curling one of his two raised fingers into a ball, “why should I help you?”

Lin Ya'en looked at him with a smile, without answering the question directly. She stared at An Rusong for a while, and then turned her gaze to the finger that was still raised.

Just as An Rusong was about to ask the question again, she suddenly unbuckled the seatbelt around her chest, then leaned closer, slightly opened her mouth, and put An Rusong's finger in her mouth. She then sucked on An Rusong's finger, her eyes widening as she met his gaze with a seductive look.

An Rusong did not move. He suppressed the slight agitation in his heart and said calmly, "That's not enough. My Lieutenant Lin, you should know that I don't lack women."

Lin Ya'en reached out and placed her hand on An Rusong's thigh, then slowly backed away, spitting out An Rusong's fingers little by little.

“The Army Association’s renovation plan for the Military House was actually formulated four months ago,” Lin Ya’en said, wiping the corner of her lips as she sat up straighter. “I have been paying attention to this matter since then, and I have a very complete plan for the entire renovation work here.”

"Well, Ru Song, are you interested in hearing me explain my idea in detail?" Lin Ya'en said, gently squeezing the hand on An Ru Song's leg. "I have my own room here, on the twelfth floor. From there, you can overlook the entire Han River Park. The view is quite nice."

An Rusong smiled, said nothing, and simply opened the car door next to him.

Lin Ya'en parked her car near an elevator, only a dozen steps away. The two walked side by side, and along the way, Lin Ya'en began to introduce the building to An Rusong.

It's clear that Lin Ya'en has been watching this building for a long time. She knows the situation here very well. She even knows that the six elevators installed in the building are all Hitachi "Original Type A Elevator (EA)" model elevators manufactured in 1966.

She also knew that elevator number 4 had experienced a fatal accident last year, resulting in the deaths of two people. However, the building management had suppressed the incident, and few people outside knew about it.

Her words made An Rusong feel extremely anxious as the elevator ascended. Fortunately, although the elevator shook violently and made occasional creaking noises, it still managed to reach the 12th floor safely without any accidents.

Lin Ya'en's room was room 1239 on the 12th floor. It was a large suite. To An Rusong's surprise, Lieutenant Lin, who usually looked clean and efficient, had a room that was a complete mess.

There was a shoe rack in the entryway, but six or seven shoes of various kinds were scattered on the floor. On the sofa in the living room, some clothes were haphazardly draped over the back of the sofa, and the coffee table in front of the sofa was piled with various books and magazines.

(End of this chapter)