The Uncrowned King of the Peninsula

Chapter 281 The Ultimate Scumbag Commander (Part 2)

“Beixiufeng Park, um, I’ve arrived.” Bae Yong-joon stood at the entrance of an inconspicuous park and said to Yoo Ji-min on his phone.

"That's good. My information is that recently, President Wen sometimes comes here for a walk around four or five o'clock in the afternoon."

Liu Zhimin recounted the information she had gathered.

"Sometimes?" Bae Young-joon asked.

"Otherwise what? My President Pei, my father is just a director, not the Prosecutor General. It's already quite impressive that he could get this kind of information." Liu Zhimin snorted.

"Wow, Director Liu has really made progress, hasn't he?" Bae Yong-joon exclaimed. "It would be great if he became the Prosecutor General. Then I'd have a powerful backer."

"Heh, what's it to you?" Liu Zhimin snorted. "That's my dad."

“Isn’t it you I have?” Bae Young-joon smiled.

"What do I have to do with you? Ugh..." Liu Zhimin muttered, "Don't you dare press my head down next time! It hurts so much, I've been coughing all night."

Last night, Bae Yong-joon couldn't help himself and patted Yoo Ji-min's head, and she's been nagging about it ever since.

"Really?" Bae Yong-joon recalled that moment from last night, and his heart skipped a beat as he thought of her glistening lips.

"Next time you can press me, I don't mind." He laughed.

"Huh? What change...!" Liu Zhimin, who lacked experience, was stunned for a moment before she realized what was going on.

"You scoundrel! You pervert! Don't even think about it!" She's become very familiar with this string of words now.

"We agreed to be good partners, helping each other out, it can't be just you helping me."

Bae Yong-joon consciously wanted to take on his responsibilities.

"What good partner? Just an ordinary friend." Liu Zhimin hurriedly refused, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

"Is anyone here?"

"No." Bae Young-joon glanced at his watch.

It was almost five o'clock. In winter in Seoul, the sun was already beginning to set below the horizon, and dusk was just around the corner.

Beixiufeng Park is just an ordinary small park with only a small artificial hill inside, and hardly anyone comes here.

Bae Young-joon looked around, but there was still no sign of Commander Moon.

"Is he not coming today?" Liu Zhimin guessed.

“I think he will come,” Bae Young-joon said.

"Why?" Liu Zhimin asked.

“If I knew someone was investigating my whereabouts, I would definitely come and check,” Bae Young-joon said.

"They might even send someone to arrest you!" Liu Zhimin snorted.

“I’m perfectly fine now, aren’t I?” Bae Young-joon countered.

“That’s true…but…” Liu Zhimin wasn’t as confident as Bae Yongjun.

"But why did you seek out the President?" Yoo Ji-min asked about Bae Young-joon's motives.

"We don't even know what Woo Kyung-ho and the others are doing."

"I don't know, but I do know that if we just keep investigating and release some trivial news, we'll never be able to touch them at all."

Bae Young-joon watched the setting sun slowly descend and said softly.

“Your father is a policeman. I don’t believe he didn’t investigate your mother’s affairs, but he clearly came up empty-handed. Not to mention those third-rate reporters you hired.”

"Besides, even if we find out the truth, what then?"

“Woo Kyung-ho is already the president of Kakao Entertainment, not to mention his father.”

"Knowing the truth sometimes doesn't change anything."

“What should we do then…” Liu Zhimin murmured.

“That’s why I’m looking for people who can really help us,” Bae Young-joon said.

"The Grand Commander? He'll help us?" Liu Zhimin found it hard to believe. "You're not counting on me, are you? I don't have that ability."

Bae Young-joon smiled. "Jimin, aren't you curious about who Woo Kyung-ho's mother is?"

"Who?" On the other end of the phone, Liu Zhimin, who had never thought about this question before, held her breath.

“Park…” Bae Young-joon said the name.

"What? The Grand Commander?" Liu Zhimin exclaimed in surprise, "So Woo Kyung-ho is..."

"He's an undercover agent. Once he achieves his ambitions, our President Wen will probably be blind and deaf."

Bae Young-joon said with a smile, "So, let's help him now."

"It seems to be coming."

At the end of the deserted street, the sound of a car engine came from the roadside. Three black cars stopped by the roadside, and a square-faced man with gray hair and glasses stepped out.

He nodded to Bae Young-joon.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Bae Yong-joon naturally joined President Moon Jae-in and they walked together toward the small hill in the park.

"President Pei, right?" He smiled and nodded at Pei Yongjun, looking him up and down. "Not bad, your news writing is very good."

"They're really good at digging; no wonder they were able to block me."

"Your Excellency, did you know I was coming?" Pei Yongjun asked, following behind him.

"A reporter, especially one as capable as you, shouldn't have too much trouble digging up my whereabouts," the President said.

“It was difficult. If it weren’t for my partner’s help, I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet you,” Bae Young-joon said.

The two arrived at the foot of the hill and began to slowly climb up the trail.

"Good job, young people should make more friends." The president seemed to be feeling a bit sentimental, as if he had remembered something.

“Having many partners means you can get a lot of help,” Bae Young-joon said.

“No,” the president shook his head, “at least you’ll find that with more people, you can at least find a few who aren’t so stupid.”

Bae Young-joon was taken aback.

"Really, I mean it." The president blinked, his expression serious.

The two laughed together.

"You're very intelligent, and I'm paying close attention to you." The laughter subsided, and the Grand Commander said, "You've come here this time because of Yu Qinghao?"

Bae Young-joon nodded.

“Cho Kuk mentioned these things to me,” the President continued. “Jung Kyung-soo is his father, you know? He supported us at a crucial moment before the last election, and we have to show our support in return.”

Bae Young-joon nodded again.

"Why are you nodding so much?" the president asked.

“You are very wise,” Bae Young-joon said.

The president laughed heartily, "You're not satisfied? You want to be a director of KBS, right? I'm listening to Cho Kuk, you probably mean that, don't you?"

"Otherwise, why bother asking?"

The president and his words were very straightforward.

“Yes, that is indeed my goal.” Bae Young-joon nodded again.

"Well, the answer will disappoint you." The president looked at him. "Our party's opinion is, Woo Kyung-ho."

“Woo Kyung-ho will become the new KBS director, and then after a short transition, he will become the chairman.”

"This is a return for the help he received from his father, and that is the opinion of our party."

"If that's what you're asking, here's the answer. Chief Cao has helped me a lot, so now I'm helping his student in return," the Grand Commander said, his voice calm and carrying an air of unquestionable authority.

"Anything else?"

Their eyes met, and Bae Young-joon looked into the eyes behind the president's glasses, trying to catch the faint question in the depths of his gaze.

"besides."

"What? Speak," the commander gestured for him to continue.

"So what do you mean?" Bae Young-joon asked.

"What do you mean?" The president stopped in his tracks for the first time. "The Progressive Party means Woo Kyung-ho, so what do you mean?" Bae Young-joon asked again.

"What I mean?" The president smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "What I mean is, you should be the director of KBS."

The goal I was pursuing suddenly seemed so close.

Bae Young-joon couldn't help but blink.

"May I ask you why you chose me?" he asked.

"Because you are about to tell me an amazing secret that will convince me to make this decision immediately." The president smiled, his eyes filled with the shrewdness of a seasoned politician.

"President Pei, otherwise why would you come to see me?"

"You're a smart person; you won't do anything meaningless."

"Are you ready? This is a big secret." Bae Young-joon and the President looked at each other.

"I'm all ears, even more excited than when my wife first confessed her love to me." The Grand Commander slightly turned his head and tilted his ear.

"Really?" Bae Young-joon asked.

"It's fake, it was me who confessed." The president smiled slyly.

Bae Young-joon found the president's words quite interesting, even though they were a bit awkward.

"Please speak, I'm listening," the commander said, gesturing for the others to proceed.

"Your Excellency, do you know who Woo Kyung-ho's mother is?" Bae Young-joon asked.

“I’ve met her, she was an elementary school teacher, quite kind, but you mean…” The Grand Commander understood what Bae Young-joon meant.

“Since he is an illegitimate child, then his real mother is someone else,” Bae Young-joon said.

"Who?" the president asked with great interest.

“An unexpected person,” Bae Young-joon said.

"Unexpected? Aside from that old spinster President Park, I wouldn't be surprised who his mother is now." The president laughed, but his smile faded as he looked at Bae Young-joon's somewhat strange expression.

"Your Excellency is wise." Bae Young-joon nodded. "Extremely wise."

"Phew...what a big secret," the Grand Commander muttered to himself.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"So, Woo Kyung-ho's mother is actually her?" The Grand Commander opened his mouth, "Oh my, I never expected that she was someone who had love before."

love?

Bae Yong-joon felt that this President Moon was a bit too love-struck.

Is this reasonable?

"Woo Kyung-ho is now the president of Kakao Entertainment. At this rate, he will probably take over Kakao soon and become a director of KBS."

"He has the most important channels of public opinion, both from the public and the government. At that time, black can be turned into white, and the living can be turned into the dead."

“A former president who's been imprisoned,” Bae Young-joon looked at him, “can also become…”

“A national hero who was framed.” The president continued, paused for a moment to think, shook his head, and looked at Bae Young-joon again.

“Very good, very good, you’ve given me the confidence to make a decision.” He patted Bae Young-joon on the shoulder. “My mind is made up, you will be the director of KBS.”

"Is this what you mean?" Bae Young-joon asked.

“This is my intention. What you need to do next is to transform my intention into the intention of our party,” the President said. “Then, I will nominate you.”

"What should I do?" Bae Young-joon asked.

"The first thing you need to do is make sure that all party members and the public can hear your words before you can talk about persuading them," the president said bluntly.

"You are not good enough now."

"How many subscribers does your newspaper have now?" the president asked.

“We have a little over 150,000 long-term subscribers, and that number will be higher if there’s big news,” Bae Young-joon said.

"Reach 300 million in two months." The president held up three fingers. "Is that possible?"

"Can you do it?"

"A director of KBS can't be so incompetent as to lack even this much ability."

"A provocation tactic?" Bae Young-joon raised an eyebrow.

“Let me see what you’ve got, young man,” the Grand Commander said.

“This is difficult,” Bae Young-joon said.

"Then good luck." The president, acting like a scumbag, just smiled and said, "I'll be waiting for you."

"Please help me. You have to take responsibility for me. I've told you the secret, which means I've completely offended Woo Kyung-ho." Bae Young-joon gradually figured out the secret to getting along with the president.

Just treat him as a jerk.

"Hahahaha." The president laughed heartily. "Alright, you can let me make a phone call, to anyone you want, consider it me helping you out."

"Just one phone call? What did you say?" Bae Young-joon asked.

“There’s only one phone call. What did you say…” he drawled, then winked at Bae Young-joon, “It depends on how you perform.”

"We can't rush things at the first meeting."

"Behave yourself."

"I'm leaving."

He strode down the mountain, and a few dozen meters behind him, several black-clad guards expressionlessly pushed Bae Yong-joon to the side of the mountain path, following the figure of the Grand President as he disappeared into the distance on the other side of the park.

This is...

done?

Bae Young-joon grinned.

Woo Kyung-ho has a former president as his mother, and he has the current president as his mother...

Scumbag?

He curled his lips.

"Three million subscribers..."

"President Yu, please help me out again, give your brother a hand."

Bae Yong-joon muttered to himself as he walked down the mountain in another direction.

"Hey, Zhimin, could you give me back the check I gave you last night?"

Liu Zhimin felt that all the emotion she felt last night had been wasted.

------

The small building of Woolim Entertainment in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

“Three million? How is that possible?” In the president’s office, Lee Jung-yeop stared at Bae Young-joon in disbelief.

“Hmm, three million subscribers, is that not enough?” Bae Young-joon repeated, “Let your idols’ fans work harder.”

"Hey, President Pei, just kill me already! How could that be? Even with fan support, my groups don't have that many fans. Ten or twenty thousand would be a good number."

"What if there were a super talent show that swept the peninsula? How many do you think there would be?" Bae Young-joon asked.

"Popular? How popular?" Li Chongye asked, "Can it be even more popular than Produce 101 from two years ago?"

"That's about two million votes, I think."

"Two million or so, that's about right." Pei Yongjun nodded, already having made up his mind.

"What, is there really going to be a new super talent show?" Lee Chong-yeop savored the thought, looking at Bae Young-joon with excitement.

For a small company like this, securing a debut spot in such a super talent show would be like achieving instant success.

"Yes, President Li, you should prepare well."

Bae Young-joon stood up. "Let's go see how everyone's spirits are."

Bae Young-joon still managed to get the hang of unscrupulous businessmen.

(End of this chapter)