abcnovels
Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Chapter 14. RESTRICTED AREA
Myung Joong-Hwan, accompanied by Goo Sang-ho and his bodyguards, arrived at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan.
He was escorted to the office of Minister Ko Seung-won by the Minister’s aide, who had come out to greet them.
“Hahaha—Chairman Myung! Welcome.”
“It’s been a while, Minister Ko.”
The two exchanged greetings and sat down on the sofa.
“I was surprised when you requested a meeting regarding MH Tech all of a sudden.”
MH Tech was a defense industry subsidiary under the MH Group. Recently, they had been in discussions over issues related to the supply of military vehicles and engines. MH Tech was also a subsidiary that Myung Joong-hwan personally took a keen interest in, often resolving issues directly with the Blue House and the Ministry of National Defense.
“That, and there’s something else I wanted to ask while I’m here.”
Ko Seung-won leaned back into the sofa, smiling.
“Seems like that ‘something else’ might be more important than the MH Tech matter.”
“I guess my true intentions were too obvious.”
“Since you’re not the type to backtrack on finalized deals, I assume there’s a more pressing reason for your visit. And you’ve come all the way here to the office, no less.”
Usually, they would meet elsewhere, or a business associate would visit the MH Group headquarters or MH Tech directly. Ko Seung-won, even as the Minister of National Defense, was no exception. Thus, this unusual meeting made him curious.
“You’re aware of the recent turmoil within my family, correct?”
“I read about it in the news. An illegitimate child of Chairman Myung… it seems there’s quite a story behind it.”
“I’m reaping what I’ve sown.”
“But why bring up that story now?”
After a brief pause, Myung Joong-hwan spoke in earnest.
“My daughter had a son, without getting married. He’s 23 this year and recently completed his service as a non-commissioned officer in the army.”
“So your grandson was in the military. But to hear that your daughter is a single mother… it seems she’s been through a lot, just like you.”
“She didn’t have it easy with a father like me. While looking into things, I found some irregularities in my grandson’s military records.”
The chairman openly admitted in front of the Minister of National Defense that he had accessed his grandson’s military service records. For a moment, Ko Seung-won’s expression hardened but quickly returned to normal.
“Aren’t you being a bit too forward?”
“Why bother hiding what will be known eventually? And besides, this concerns my own blood.”
Sigh. “So, what exactly is strange?”
It was a casual inquiry.
“My grandson served as a non-commissioned officer in the logistics department of the Army Special Warfare Command. Out of curiosity, I tried to ask some soldiers who had been discharged around the same time if they knew him, but none of them did.”
The faint smile on Ko Seung-won’s face vanished for a moment, replaced by a cold expression, before reverting back.
“Soldiers don’t always have a lot of contact with non-commissioned officers, do they?”
“My secretary, Goo Sang-ho, met with a soldier who served in the logistics department of that command. He didn’t even recognize my grandson’s name. Could such a thing be possible?”
“Perhaps there was a mistake in identifying the unit, or the soldier simply forgot.”
“If you’re suggesting that MH Group’s information network is wrong… I find that hard to believe.”
Ko Seung-won was well aware of Goo Sang-ho’s meticulous nature as Myung Joong-hwan’s secretary. If Goo Sang-ho had gathered the information, it was almost impossible for there to be any errors unless the data itself was flawed.
“May I ask your grandson’s name? If it’s alright with you, I can look into it.”
The only name publicly known was that of his illegitimate daughter, Im Hee-yeon. The existence of a son had never been mentioned, let alone his name.
“…Baek Shin-woo.”
Once again, Ko Seung-won’s expression shifted momentarily before returning to normal.
“Baek Shin-woo… It won’t be easy, but I’ll inquire with the Army Special Warfare Command.”
“Will I be able to get accurate results?”
“Though I hold the position of Minister of National Defense, I’m merely a link between the various commands and the national army structure. Each command has its own chain of command and protocol, so I can’t interfere beyond that.”
It felt like he was skirting around the issue.
Myung Joong-hwan noticed this and displayed a subtle smile.
“You seem hesitant to verify the military records of a mere non-commissioned officer, Minister.”
“I’m simply respecting the boundaries of each domain.”
“Understood. I’ll leave it in your hands.”
Afterward, Myung Joong-hwan wrapped up the conversation regarding MH Tech and left the office.
As Ko Seung-won watched him leave, he turned to his aide standing nearby.
“Bring in the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ko Seung-won returned to his office. Not long after, Lieutenant General Yoon Tae-in, the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, entered, wearing his crisp military uniform.
“You called for me, Minister.”
There was a slight look of concern on Yoon Tae-in’s face, given the unexpected summons from the Minister of National Defense.
“There’s something I need you to verify. Please, have a seat.”
Once Yoon Tae-in was seated, Ko Seung-won paused briefly before speaking.
“Do you know a Baek Shin-woo who was recently discharged as a non-commissioned officer in the logistics department of the Army Special Warfare Command?”
“…Sorry? I’m not in charge of personnel, so I’m not sure if a non-commissioned officer by that name was discharged from our Special Warfare Command.”
“I’m not just asking casually. I’m speaking as the Minister of National Defense.”
With Ko Seung-won’s voice and expression more serious than ever, Yoon Tae-in swallowed nervously.
“…If the Baek Shin-woo that you and I know is the same person… then yes, I know who he is.”
A long sigh escaped from Ko Seung-won’s lips.
“I thought I’d seen the name before in classified documents. He was a member of the ‘UAD Project’ under the codename Muakjae, wasn’t he?”
“…That’s correct. However, the project has ended, and all documents and personnel records have been completely destroyed.”
“I’m aware.”
UAD (Underground Attack Department). The name directly translates to the Underground Attack Department, a secret operations team briefly formed within the Army Special Warfare Command. As the final overseer of UAD, Ko Seung-won had regularly received mission reports from Yoon Tae-in, so he knew the project well.
“But why are you asking about Sergeant Baek Shin-woo?”
“Do you know where Sergeant Baek is now?”
“He was discharged after completing a non-disclosure agreement. I haven’t kept track of his whereabouts since.”
The atmosphere grew heavier. Ko Seung-won, now feeling the pressure, looked at the increasingly puzzled Yoon Tae-in and spoke.
“Codename Muakjae… I’m told Sergeant Baek Shin-woo is the illegitimate grandson of Chairman Myung Joong-hwan.”
The term illegitimate grandson refers to the child of an illegitimate son or daughter. Realizing what was said, Yoon Tae-in’s eyes widened in shock.
“Sergeant Baek Shin-woo was an orphan, abandoned as a newborn. That was one of the minimum requirements when we selected members for the UAD Project.”
“Who wouldn’t know that?”
Orphans were chosen to minimize complications if anything happened to the team members during missions.
Given Baek Shin-woo’s qualifications and abilities, it was already surprising that he was a member of such a unit. But to learn he was the illegitimate grandson of MH Group Chairman Myung Joong-hwan left everyone astonished.
“So… if he’s the illegitimate grandson, that means he’s the son of the woman recently reported as Chairman Myung’s illegitimate daughter?”
“That’s right. Moreover, Chairman Myung found a loophole in Sergeant Baek Shin-woo’s falsified service records and asked me to look into it.”
“What? But that…”
The primary mission of UAD was to neutralize potential threats to South Korea’s national defense and eliminate enemies or hostile forces before they could strike. The number of enemies eliminated during UAD’s operations was beyond imagination.
Baek Shin-woo had been on the front lines of those missions, excelling in assassination, hand-to-hand combat, and close-quarters shooting.
Naturally, his real service records were classified as top secret and were completely destroyed following the conclusion of the UAD Project.
“Even if those records existed, I couldn’t provide them. But it seems they’ve already sensed something.”
“How so?”
“Isn’t Goo Sang-ho always by Chairman Myung’s side?”
“Ah…”
Yoon Tae-in was well aware that Goo Sang-ho was a former National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent.
Since he was so well-versed in the inner workings of government organizations, it was no surprise that he could easily discern the authenticity of military records.
“This is becoming a headache. And to think he’s connected to Chairman Myung’s bloodline…”
“…Indeed.”
“If he hadn’t been discharged, we could have found a way to handle it.”
At that moment, Ko Seung-won’s sharp gaze locked onto Yoon Tae-in.
“It’s not like I didn’t try to stop him. You know that, Minister.”
Originally, the UAD Project was meant to be staffed by officers of at least the rank of commissioned officers.
Despite being a non-commissioned officer, Baek Shin-woo’s outstanding abilities had earned him a key position in the unit.
When Baek Shin-woo requested to be discharged, it was none other than Yoon Tae-in, the Commander of the Special Warfare Command, who personally met with him to dissuade him.
“Who doesn’t know that? General Yoon, you even tried to establish a system to promote him from a non-commissioned officer to a commissioned officer.”
“To be honest, I was more than half serious about it.”
“I thought so, too. It’s a shame that such talent was discharged…”
“But what about Chairman Myung? If Secretary Goo is involved, there’s no way the falsified records will hold up.”
“At this point, we can’t hide it any longer, and we have to consider the business relationship as well… We’ll need to explain everything to Chairman Myung and resolve it at his level.”
Both men’s expressions grew even darker.
“As for the missions…”
“I know. But without any remaining records, there’s nothing for them to find. Still, just in case, verify it once more.”
“Yes, I will review it again.”
“Please do.”
***
Several days later. Minister of National Defense Ko Seung-won personally visited the headquarters of MH Group. Seated before him was Chairman Myung Joong-hwan.
“You could have simply called me to the Ministry, Minister, but you came here yourself.”
“It is the duty of the one with business to come. How could I summon the chairman of such a prominent group?”
After exchanging these polite formalities, Myung Joong-hwan, who already knew the reason for Ko Seung-won’s visit, calmly spoke.
“What did you find out about my grandson?”
As soon as they entered the main topic, Ko Seung-won hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“…I cannot provide any official records regarding your grandson, Baek Shin-woo.”
Myung Joong-hwan’s brow furrowed at once.
“I find that difficult to understand. As a relative, don’t I have the right to request that information?”
“It’s as I said.”
“And why is that?”
“The first reason is that, under my authority, I cannot release Baek Shin-woo’s military service records.”
The person explaining this was none other than the Minister of National Defense of South Korea.
Given the status of the person delivering this explanation, it was even harder for Myung Joong-hwan to comprehend.
“And the second reason?”
“All the records have been destroyed and no longer exist.”
“…Are you playing word games with me right now?”
“This is the truth. Baek Shin-woo’s service in the military is classified, and all related documents were destroyed upon his discharge.”
In reality, it wasn’t just his discharge but the conclusion of the operation that led to the records being destroyed.
However, it was impossible to reveal the full truth, so a plausible explanation was given instead.
Still, Myung Joong-hwan, unaware of the specifics, maintained a cold expression. Of course, he could guess the deeper meaning behind Ko Seung-won’s words.
“It sounds like my grandson was involved in a highly dangerous mission.”
“…I cannot go into details, but it wasn’t a safe operation. At the time, no one was aware that Baek Shin-woo had any family.”
“You’re saying he was part of some kind of special forces unit.”
Strictly speaking, it was far more specialized than ordinary special forces. However, given the circumstances, further explanation of the mission was not possible.
“Something like that. This matter is classified as a state secret, so I ask for your understanding.”
“Frankly, I’m not satisfied with your answer. The fact that someone of MH Group’s bloodline was involved in life-or-death missions….”
“I apologize. And, in truth, this is not a subject that should have been brought up here in the first place. So… Chairman Myung, I hope you understand….”
“I know exactly what you mean. Still, I appreciate you clearing up at least some of my questions.”
With that, the conversation wrapped up, and Ko Seung-won bid his farewell to Myung Joong-hwan and left.
—