The Congressman Bows Low

“Ugly face? Ah… Chae-rim?”

“You! Didn’t I avoid saying his name?”

“What’s the harm in it? It’s just among us. But really, he’s only been here for a year, so what good would it do to pick on him?”

Manager Park clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Manager Kang, you’re more honest and upright than I thought.”

“Huh?”

“My friend back at the main office who I mentioned earlier was just selected to be on the audit committee that they’re putting together. If we want, he could be assigned to our office. Of course, when someone gets something, something else has to be given in return.”

“Oh, then…!”

“If we play our cards right, it would be as simple as squeezing a bug from the bottom ranks.”

“Then, should we leave this office supplies contract to Chae-rim?”

“We need to hurry. If we wait until city hall officially declares war, it will be too late. Three days. We need to settle this within three days. Can it be done?”

“Of course.”

Manager Kang’s stunned expression turned into a wide, toothy grin.

Manager Park followed suit with a wide grin of his own.

Goo Young-jin had been listening quietly, but he let out a burst of stifled laughter as he crooked his head to the side.

‘These two, they’ve got some guts for civil servants. Are they trying to pull one over on the mayor himself? Well… I guess that’s what they have to do to survive these days.’

Goo Young-jin clicked his tongue in amusement for a while.

‘Good thing I decided to eavesdrop.’

If the two managers’ plan succeeded, Cha Jae-rim would be a sitting duck.

Never in his wildest dreams would he imagine that he was being targeted by a conspiracy like this. If he kept going like this, he would surely end up as a corrupt civil servant, his career tainted from the very beginning.

‘Maybe I can be Cha Jae-rim’s savior.’

With a grin, Goo Young-jin quietly returned to Cha Jae-rim’s side.

Manager Kang, who had gone outside, returned to his desk.

But the expression on his face was grim.

He plopped down in his chair and let out a long sigh.

“Whew.”

He pushed his bangs back and sighed deeply.

Cha Jae-rim focused on his work, oblivious to everything else.

Manager Kang stole glances at him repeatedly.

Cha Jae-rim felt his gaze but didn’t react.

There was no point in making eye contact with Manager Kang when he was in a bad mood.

Cha Jae-rim focused his attention even more on the documents in front of him.

He could still feel Manager Kang’s gaze, accompanied by more sighs.

After looking at Cha Jae-rim a few more times, he called out to him.

“Hey, Chae-rim.”

“Yes, Manager.”

“Come outside for a minute.”

Manager Kang led him to the emergency exit.

Manager Kang crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as he spoke to Cha Jae-rim.

“Jae-rim-ah.”

“Yes, Manager.”

Cha Jae-rim found it strange to hear Manager Kang calling him by his first name in such a gentle voice.

“About what we talked about earlier, proceed with the original plan.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s what you’ll do.”

Cha Jae-rim was puzzled by Manager Kang’s sudden change of heart.

Just a moment ago, he had been vehemently insisting that he change the order to Taeyoungsa, but after a quick smoke break with Manager Park, he had completely reversed his position.

“I think you were looking into another place? What was it, Wonjin Office Supplies?”

Cha Jae-rim nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Change the order to go through them instead.”

“Ah… I understand.”

“But adjust the price. Let’s be a bit more realistic about it.”

“What do you mean by realistic?”

“Sign the contract for a price slightly lower than Taeyoungsa’s, which is what we usually deal with.”

If he was being told to do something, he had to do it.

Cha Jae-rim nodded.

“Yes, I will.”

“You should ask President Kim of Wonjin for an expensive bottle of alcohol after doing something like this for him.”

“That’s fine.”

“Boy, you have to do something like this for President Kim to really appreciate it. And don’t forget that I’m not just saying this for your sake, but for the sake of our contract department’s reputation, so just do it without complaining.”

“…”

“Answer me.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

“We’ve come this far, so let’s finish it. Go meet with President Kim of Wonjin today.”

“Today?”

“Yeah. They’ll pick you up near the district office around the time you get off work. Go have a drink with him and talk things over. And when he offers you pocket money, accept it. Don’t act all stiff about it.”

“…”

Without waiting for Cha Jae-rim’s response, Manager Kang turned and went back to his desk.

Cha Jae-rim felt as if he had been bewitched.

In the blink of an eye, everything had been decided.

At the precise moment he finished work, a car pulled up in front of the district office.

It was President Kim of Wonjin Office Supplies’ car.

Manager Kang even came out to see him off, just to make sure he got into President Kim’s car.

“That black Grandeur over there, that’s President Kim’s car. Go and get in. I’ve already arranged everything with him.”

“Yes.”

“Do a good job, hotshot.”

Manager Kang patted Cha Jae-rim on the back.

Up until that point, Goo Young-jin hadn’t said a single word.

He knew the truth behind Manager Kang’s and Manager Park’s secret plan.

If he had any real concern for Cha Jae-rim, he should have told him not to meet with President Kim.

Yet, Goo Young-jin remained silent.

During the short walk to the black Grandeur, Cha Jae-rim asked Goo Young-jin,

“What should I do?”

[What should you do?]

“Something’s a bit strange. Manager Kang has never been this considerate towards me before, but he’s being unusually kind to me today.”

Cha Jae-rim’s expression was calm, but Goo Young-jin could detect a subtle sense of unease in his eyes.

‘Of course, he’s uneasy.’

No matter how dignified and mature Cha Jae-rim might seem, in Goo Young-jin’s eyes he was still just a naive rookie.

Cha Jae-rim didn’t even try to hide his anxiety.

This old fox might be a despicable character, but he was a seasoned veteran who had seen it all back in Yeouido.

(T/N: Yeouido is a district in Seoul, South Korea, known for being a hub of politics, particularly housing the National Assembly.)

He was the perfect person to seek advice from in a situation like this.

For the first time since he began accompanying him, Cha Jae-rim felt that Goo Young-jin had some value.

He slowed his pace as he approached the Grandeur, listening to what Goo Young-jin had to say.

Goo Young-jin glanced sideways at him.

[Nothing’s going to happen over one meal.]

“But still, something’s not right. Is it really okay for me to go?”

[Just make sure you don’t go to places where you’d hang out with women. Drinking is fine.]

“I’ll trust our councilman for now.”

[He seems like a cunning guy. He’s not like your councilman who has been treated like a neighborhood dog up until now, he’s… something else.]

Cha Jae-rim quickened his pace as he walked towards President Kim of Wonjin Office Supplies, taking Goo Young-jin’s advice to heart.

With a friendly smile, he bowed his head towards the president.

“Are you President Kim?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. Mr. Cha Jae-rim from the contracts department?”

“Yes, I’m Cha Jae-rim.”

President Kim handed Cha Jae-rim a business card and led him to the passenger seat.

Goo Young-jin naturally got into the back seat.

‘Ah, there was a time when I used to sit like this and have a driver at my beck and call.’

Goo Young-jin looked out the window with a sullen expression.

Unaware that there was a ghost riding along, President Kim chuckled as he spoke to Cha Jae-rim.

“I’ve heard quite a lot about you from Manager Kang. He says you’re a bright young man who is both polite and competent.”

“Oh, no, I’m still green.”

Cha Jae-rim replied bluntly.

“He also said that it was all thanks to you that our company was discovered. Thank you very much.”

“Don’t mention it.”

President Kim’s Grandeur left Seongbuk District Office and entered a bustling downtown area.

“I’ll make sure to take good care of you today. From the start to the end, all you have to do, Mr. Jae-rim, is follow my lead.”

“…”

President Kim said to Cha Jae-rim, his laughter exuding goodwill.

“Mr. Jae-rim, do you like sashimi?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Oh, good. Then let’s start with a light meal at a Japanese restaurant.”

President Kim turned the steering wheel, changing direction towards a Japanese restaurant.

Cha Jae-rim, whose life had been marked by poverty, found himself sitting opposite President Kim at an upscale Japanese restaurant that he had never been to before.

They were in a private room separated by sliding doors, with traditional tatami flooring and a sunken area for guests to place their feet.

Goo Young-jin sat down next to Cha Jae-rim and his mouth watered.

[Ah, this looks delicious. Just one sip of sake with some of this tteok-bokki would be perfect.]

Goo Young-jin swallowed his saliva, which wasn’t even real.

President Kim smiled as he urged Cha Jae-rim to eat.

“Please, feel free to eat as much as you want.”

“Oh, yes. I will.”

Cha Jae-rim wielded his chopsticks diligently.

He ate some sweet potato tteok-bokki that had been served as a side dish, and picked up some grilled corn on the cob and nibbled on it.

At that, Goo Young-jin suddenly burst out in exasperation.

[What are you doing? Can’t you stop eating that corn? They ordered sashimi, sashimi!]

Goo Young-jin wanted to experience all the dishes that he himself could no longer eat through Cha Jae-rim.

Cha Jae-rim couldn’t argue back, so he reluctantly picked up some sashimi.

[Oh man, this is frustrating. Why are you eating something like sea bass when there’s such expensive-looking tuna right there?]

‘What’s wrong with sea bass?’

Cha Jae-rim retorted in his mind and moved his chopsticks towards the tuna.

Only then did Goo Young-jin relax and smile.

[That’s it, that’s it.]

Then, seeing Cha Jae-rim pick up a piece of tuna and dip it into the soy sauce, Goo Young-jin erupted again.

[Hey, you idiot! Who the hell dips tuna in soy sauce? Ah, this really is…!]

Cha Jae-rim glared at Goo Young-jin and his hands began to tremble.

Unaware of the circumstances, President Kim chuckled and said to Cha Jae-rim,

“Are you feeling uncomfortable? Please don’t feel pressured. Just relax and eat comfortably.”

“Ah, yes…”

Cha Jae-rim bit hus lip once and ate his meal according to Goo Young-jin’s preferences.

Cha Jae-rim washed down the tuna oil that lingered in his mouth with some soju and asked President Kim,

“But you really don’t have to do all this for me.”

“Oh, this isn’t anything special. I’ll be taking you to an even better place later.”

[He’s going to take you somewhere with women. Cut him off right now. Just end it here.]

“I’m more than satisfied with just this much today. Anything more and I’ll feel too uncomfortable.”

“Well, that puts me in a difficult position. At least accept this as a token of my sincerity…”

Cha Jae-rim remained adamant.

“We met today to discuss business, correct?”

“Yes? Oh, yes…”

Cha Jae-rim smiled gently.

“In that case, please be considerate of my feelings. Please.”

“Ahem, w-well, alright.”

[Alright, good job. You’ve got some guts. It’s not easy to refuse while keeping your pride intact.]

President Kim cleared his throat and composed himself.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude for considering giving our company this contract opportunity.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s also in our best interests to sign a contract with Wonjin Office Supplies.”

“And the unit price…”

“Manager Kang gave me some guidelines. I believe it’s a price that you’ll be satisfied with as well.”

“Haha, well that’s a relief.”

After they finished eating, President Kim handed Cha Jae-rim an envelope.

“This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it.”

“No, thank you. Your intentions are enough.”

“Come on, how much do civil servants earn these days? Just think of it as pocket money to encourage you to work hard for the good of the country. It’s not much.”

Goo Young-jin looked at President Kim with his arms crossed and chuckled to himself.

‘Right, it can’t be that much. How much could it be, coming from someone like you?’

Taking bribes was an extreme sport.

Extreme sports are all about pushing the boundaries between life and death in order to experience a thrill.

Bribes are no different.

Will you get caught or not?

You’re teetering on the edge of a precipice.

The thrill you get from extreme sports has to be great enough to make you willing to take a risk.

If the thrill you get from taking a risk is only as exciting as riding a merry-go-round, then what’s the point?

The same goes for bribes.

Taking a bribe is also about exchanging the possibility of getting caught and punished for a sufficiently thrilling amount of money.

If the potential punishment is outweighed by a sufficiently thrilling amount of money, then you might accept the bribe.

Conversely, if the risk is low but the amount is too paltry, then you won’t accept it.

The money that President Kim was offering wasn’t much, but it reeked of suspicion, so it was definitely not something he should accept.

Goo Young-jin watched Cha Jae-rim without offering any advice.