Chapter 21 of 100
Chapter 21
15 min read3,707 words
In the meeting room.
As soon as Lee Jeong-min finished speaking, the scene immediately erupted into chaos.
Before this, everyone had guessed that Lee Jeong-min would promote Kim Yun-ho, but they never imagined that Lee Jeong-min would promote him three levels at once. Is Lee Jeong-min crazy? How could he promote a newcomer so enthusiastically?
"I oppose! The promotion of a prosecutor mainly depends on their work performance. Mr. Lee Jeong-min, what outstanding work performance does Kim Yun-ho have that warrants a three-level promotion?" Zheng Maotian loudly opposed.
Lee Jeong-min: "This is not an ordinary promotion, but compensation for Kim Yun-ho."
Zheng Maotian: "Compensation? What compensation? Sending Kim Yun-ho to study in the United States for three years is a great benefit for him. This is his good fortune, and others don't even have such a learning opportunity. What more compensation does he need?"
Lee Jeong-min: "Let's set aside whether this is good or bad. The fact is that it delayed his promotion time. Now, Kim Yun-ho's rank is too low, far below that of his peers who performed worse than him at the time."
Zheng Maotian: "What a joke! Others gained promotions through their work performance. What work performance does Kim Yun-ho have to deserve a three-level promotion? If we follow your logic, we won't need to evaluate prosecutors anymore. We can just give them exams, and whoever scores the highest gets promoted."
Lee Jeong-min: "You're being unreasonable; this is a completely different matter!"
Zheng Maotian: "I'm not the one being unreasonable, you are. Promoting a trainee prosecutor three levels at once is a ridiculous thing to say."
Lee Jeong-min: "You..."
"Alright, both of you calm down." The Deputy Chief intervened, calming down the confrontational Lee Jeong-min and Zheng Maotian. He then said to the others, "Everyone understands the situation. Please share your thoughts."
"I support Senior Prosecutor Lee Jeong-min's proposal. We should compensate Kim Yun-ho. If we owe someone, we should make up for their loss. That makes sense."
Choi Gwang-hyuk still firmly supported Lee Jeong-min, casting his vote in favor.
He represented the interests of South Korea's SK Group, which had a good relationship with the Lotte Group represented by Lee Jeong-min. This was the real reason he strongly supported Lee Jeong-min.
"I oppose. There is no precedent for this. If we really promote Kim Yun-ho three levels at once, it will be a big joke in the prosecution system."
Another senior prosecutor cast his vote against. His name was Zheng Jiashi, representing the interests of Hyundai Heavy Industries. Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Motor, represented by Zheng Maotian, shared the same roots and were originally one family. Therefore, he firmly stood by Zheng Maotian.
Now, with Lee Jeong-min's vote in favor and Zheng Maotian's vote against, the score was 2:2, evenly matched.
Four senior prosecutors had not yet expressed their opinions.
Each of the eight senior prosecutors in the room represented the interests of a large South Korean conglomerate.
Lee Jeong-min represented the Lotte Group, and Choi Gwang-hyuk represented the SK Group. Lotte and SK had a good relationship, and they often stood on the same side.
Zheng Maotian represented the Hyundai Motor Group, and Zheng Jiashi represented the Hyundai Heavy Industries Group. They were another group.
The remaining four also represented the interests of their respective groups.
"I oppose." Senior Prosecutor Goo Yong-nian spoke up.
"I also oppose." Senior Prosecutor Goo Deok-sun also cast his vote against.
Goo Yong-nian represented LG, and Goo Deok-sun represented GS. They had always been fence-sitters. Now, seeing that Lee Jeong-min was about to retire and would soon lose his influence, they decided to side with the 'vigorous and capable' Zheng Maotian, adding insult to injury.
4:2, Zheng Maotian's side was two votes ahead, securing half of the votes and putting them in an unbeatable position.
Lee Jeong-min had anticipated Goo Yong-nian and Goo Deok-sun's 'betrayal.' They were typical fence-sitters, and their choice today was expected.
What he valued were the votes of the remaining two senior prosecutors. If he could gain their support and reach a 4:4 tie, he had the means to secure the final victory.
"I... oppose." Senior Prosecutor Park Myung-hyun, representing the interests of POSCO.
"I oppose." Senior Prosecutor Cho Yong-nam, representing the interests of Hanjin Group.
Suddenly, they both cast their votes against. Previously, they had worked well with Lee Jeong-min. However, times had changed. The soon-to-retire Lee Jeong-min would soon lose his power and the ability to continue working with them. They chose to side with the stronger party.
Park Myung-hyun and Cho Yong-nam's sudden reversal caught Lee Jeong-min off guard, leaving him stunned.
6:2, Zheng Maotian and his allies decisively rejected Lee Jeong-min's proposal, thoroughly humiliating the once powerful senior prosecutor.
Zheng Maotian comfortably leaned back in his chair, smiling at his 'old partner' Lee Jeong-min. They had been in conflict for over a decade, and today, they finally had a clear winner. Although it might seem like taking advantage of someone in a weak position, he didn't care; he wanted only the victory.
Moreover, today's victory was significant for him.
Today, he had undermined Lee Jeong-min's credibility. After Lee Jeong-min retired, he would have even less credibility. This way, Zheng Maotian could easily erase Lee Jeong-min's influence in the prosecution system and completely remove his power. This would increase his own credibility and strength.
A simple personnel proposal had far-reaching implications.
Unfortunately, Zheng Maotian had won, and he was now basking in his victory.
In contrast to Zheng Maotian's elation, Lee Jeong-min slumped in his chair, defeated.
He had lost, decisively, with a 6:2 score.
Before the meeting, he had been full of fighting spirit and strategic plans.
This proposal to compensate Kim Yun-ho's rank, on the surface, seemed to fulfill the Lee family's promise, but in reality, it was a bold attempt by Lee Jeong-min.
Promoting Kim Yun-ho three levels at once seemed like a pipe dream, but considering Kim Yun-ho's special circumstances, it wasn't entirely impossible.
If the meeting had approved his 'exaggerated' proposal, it would have brought him significant influence. His credibility would have soared. Even after retirement, he would have retained this credibility in the prosecution system, leaving a considerable influence for the Lee family and Lotte.
He had prepared a trump card, and if the votes had reached 4:4, he was confident of winning. However, his plan, though well-conceived, could not match the reality of human nature. Past favors and cooperation were no match for 'reality.'
He knew the significance of today's proposal, but so did his enemies, and they had done better.
6:2, a complete and utter defeat.
Kim Yun-ho, it's not that I'm not fulfilling my promise; it's the will of heaven and the reality of the situation!
Lee Jeong-min seemed to have lost all his energy, no longer the spirited and determined man he once was, no longer having the energy to 'battle hundreds of rounds' with Zheng Maotian.
It seemed everything was already decided.
...
"Wait a moment!"
The Deputy Chief, who was chairing the meeting, spoke up.
The eight senior prosecutors looked at the Deputy Chief in unison, awaiting his words.
"Mr. Deputy Chief, the result is clear. After our vote, the proposal to promote Kim Yun-ho was rejected with a 6:2 majority. I wonder if you..." Zheng Maotian asked, puzzled.
He didn't understand why the Deputy Chief, who usually remained silent and neutral, would speak up at this moment. A sense of unease began to grow in his heart.
"Ha ha, Senior Prosecutor Zheng Maotian, please let me finish." The Deputy Chief smiled kindly and then turned to the others, speaking slowly, "My role is to chair the meeting, and the specific matters are decided by the eight of you. However, I have a different opinion about today's decision."
"But Mr. Deputy Chief, the vote is already in, and the matter is settled. The proposal to compensate Kim Yun-ho's rank has been rejected." Zheng Maotian's unease grew, and he quickly tried to conclude the matter.
"That's true, the result is in. However, the meeting rules state: The Deputy Chief is responsible for chairing the meeting and has no voting rights, only supervisory rights. In special circumstances, the Deputy Chief has the authority to veto the voting results and oversee a second round of voting by the eight senior prosecutors." The Deputy Chief slowly recited a rule from the meeting guidelines.
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.
What was the Deputy Chief up to? Why was he suddenly exercising this right?
Although this right did not have actual voting power, its influence was significant. After the second round of voting, if the Deputy Chief still found the result questionable, he could report the matter to the Chief Prosecutor for a final decision. If the Chief Prosecutor agreed, the decision would be implemented; if not, a third round of voting would be held.
A low-level prosecutor's appointment was causing the Deputy Chief to exercise this right?
None of them could understand why the Deputy Chief was acting this way.
Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Lee Jeong-min, for the first time, showed a glimmer of hope.
It seemed the battle was not over yet, and he and Kim Yun-ho still had a chance to win.
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