Chapter 196: Abduction

Tongui-dong, Seoul.

The 19th Presidential Transition Committee Building.

“Does it feel awkward?”

In response to the secretary’s question, Jo Seong-hwan, dressed sharply in a suit, glanced at himself in the mirror and shook his head.

“I’ve been too busy to even feel awkward.”

As if to prove his point,

the desk in front of him was piled high with documents.

There was a long line of tasks waiting, from the list of ministerial candidates he had reviewed until last night,

to the reassignment scenarios for senior civil servants at the vice-ministerial level and above,

and the policy implementation priority plan.

Jo Seong-hwan sat down, picking up the first stack of documents.

[Director of Policy Planning, Ministry of Science and ICT]

• Candidate: Jeong Ha-yeon

• Key Experience: Computer Science, KAIST / Team Leader, Research Planning, Dojin Soft / Project Manager, Quantum Security-based Luna Platform

• Recommendation: Extensive technical expertise and planning experience, well-suited for the government’s upcoming digital policies…….

A smile crept across his lips.

He was someone Seong-hwan had known for a long time, not only highly capable but also fiercely loyal to Dojin.

‘Even in a ministry filled with researchers, someone with Jeong Ha-yeon’s skills should fit right in.’

Next, he picked up documents related to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

[Director of Semiconductor Industry Policy]

• Candidate: Go Yeong-pil

• Key Experience: Mechanical Engineering, Korea University / Team Leader, Production Planning, Dojin Tech / Pyeongtaek Fab Infrastructure Manager, Government Budget Coordinator

• Recommendation: Possesses friendly leadership, experienced in semiconductor equipment procurement and policy responses, with a history of practical cooperation with the Ministry…….

‘Deputy Chief Go Yeong-pil is the type who trusts the field more than numbers. He’ll also be good at coordinating with the working-level staff.’

During the establishment of Dojin Tech’s Pyeongtaek plant,

he had worked closely with the Ministry’s officials for months, almost living together, to meet equipment delivery deadlines.

With his unusual philosophy of ‘consensus over command, conversation over documents,’

he was surprisingly well-suited for policy implementation.

Just then, as the sound of a knock on the door echoed, a staff member from the Strategy and Planning Division of the Transition Committee entered.

“Committee Member Jo, have you finished the personnel recommendations requested by the Chief of Staff’s office?”

“Ah, just a moment. I’ll send them over shortly.”

Setting down the documents he was holding, Jo Seong-hwan picked up another file and reviewed its contents one last time.

[Director of Planning and Coordination, Defense Acquisition Program Administration]

• Candidate: Jin Gyu-sang

• Key Experience: Former Committee Member, Army Defense Industry Cooperation Technology Group / Experimental Development Manager, AGE, Dojin Frontier / Extensive experience in weapons system performance evaluation and military collaboration

• Recommendation: A hands-on defense industry expert with proven organizational leadership through multiple collaborations with DAPA internal staff. A strategic talent with high technical understanding and practical operational expertise.

“Good. This should be enough.”

Jo Seong-hwan sent an email summarizing the recommendations for the three individuals to the Chief of Staff’s office of the Presidential Transition Committee.

Just after sending the email,

the secretary approached cautiously and whispered,

“Committee Member Jo, we’ve received a call from CEO Kang’s office.”

“Tae-joon? What’s the matter?”

The secretary handed over a note.

[Request to consider Seo Jeong-pil for Deputy Assistant Minister of Finance. Extensive experience in Dojin Tech project budget planning.]

“Seo Jeong-pil…… It’s been a while since I’ve heard that name.”

Given how much he traveled, it had been several months since they last saw each other.

Jo Seong-hwan stood up, looking out the window and muttering,

‘This is how we fill each position, one by one.’

What caught his eye wasn’t the skyline of Seoul.

Instead, he saw the intricate web of policies, organizations, budgets, and people connecting beneath it.

And at the heart of that web,

Dojin’s seeds were taking root.

Mujinwon

Ahsung Group Chairman’s Office.

Chairman Cheon Ho-tae gripped his whiskey glass so tightly

that the liquid inside sloshed violently.

His expression hardened as he stared at the news articles and personnel lists on the table.

“……What a mess.”

Though his tone was quiet,

the weight of his words instantly froze the air in the room.

Kim Seong-jae, sitting across from him on the sofa, cautiously spoke up.

“……Dojin’s people have infiltrated the Transition Committee. They’re not just making recommendations—they’re shaping the entire personnel structure.”

“How deep does it go?”

Kim Seong-jae unfolded the list he had investigated.

“They’ve placed around twenty people in key positions, including the Director of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Director of Semiconductor Industry Policy, the Director of Planning and Coordination at DAPA, and the Deputy Assistant Minister of Finance, as well as in various ministerial committees and strategic planning task forces.”

“……So, Dojin’s completely pushed out our people?”

For the first time, Cheon Ho-tae’s voice rose.

He slammed the glass onto the table, whiskey spilling over the edges.

“At this rate, our foundation and the National Unity Party’s could collapse entirely before the general election.”

Kim Seong-jae nodded.

“The situation is more serious than we thought. With public opinion on their side, if we don’t stop them now…… we might lose all access for the entire administration.”

Cheon Ho-tae spoke firmly.

“Do whatever it takes to stop them. Even if it means spreading the narrative that Dojin has seized control of the Transition Committee.”

As if waiting for the cue, Kim Seong-jae reacted immediately.

“I’ve prepared the materials. I’ll distribute them to the media right away.”

…

…

[Is the Designer of This Administration a Private Conglomerate?…… Controversy Over Chaebol Influence in the Transition Committee]

Evidence has emerged that the Presidential Transition Committee of President-elect Baek Mu-jin is heavily staffed with individuals from specific corporations. Particularly, former and current Dojin Group personnel are concentrated in working-level positions at the Ministries of Science and ICT, Trade and Industry, and Finance, leading to criticism that the administration is being designed to favor corporate interests rather than public policy.

[Private Sector Leading Transition Committee Personnel? Fairness Concerns Grow]

There are growing concerns about corporate bias in the early days of the administration, as Committee Member Jo Seong-hwan, who plays a central role in the Transition Committee, is effectively part of Dojin Group’s ‘inner circle.’

…

Critical articles flooded in from media outlets aligned with the National Unity Party, such as National Broadcasting, Central Media, and Hanbit Daily.

Soon after, Ahsung’s comment brigades were mobilized.

Similar phrases were spread across portals, communities, and social media.

└This is basically the Dojin Republic now.

└Private corporations controlling the government…… By the time the general election comes around, will we even have a Dojin Party? ㅋㅋㅋ

└The Transition Committee and the administration are completely privatized

└President Baek Mu-jin never fails to disappoint

└Let it all collapse!

The comment sections were flooded with criticism targeting Dojin and President Baek Mu-jin.

Related articles quickly dominated the trending searches.

But then,

a new video appeared on Kang Tae-joon’s KTalk Feed.

[KTalk Feed] - @Kang Tae-joon | 67,770,518 Followers

[Video Attachment: 3 minutes 29 seconds]

[Who Does Politics Serve?]

In April 2016, Ahsung Group’s Kim Seong-jae visited Representative Kwon Seok-tae’s office and handed over 32 million won in cash under the guise of ‘policy coordination.’

(Video: Footage of the covert exchange, including a receipt)

That November, 19.3 billion out of 23 billion won in funding for the National Unity Party’s think tank, the ‘Blue Future Institute,’ was traced to Ahsung Group subsidiaries.

(Video: Screenshots of transaction records, partial internal accounting reports)

We can’t change the past, but we can document who destroyed the country.

AhsungKwonSeoktae #PoliticalCartel #MoreGovernmentOfficialsFromAhsungThanDojin #Maybe100TimesMore? #Who’sReallyCorrupt?

Within just 30 minutes, the post garnered over a million comments.

└Tae-joon’s really spilling all the tea ㄷㄷ

└Wait, is this even allowed?

└ㅋㅋㅋ After backing Baek Mu-jin all the way to victory, what can’t he do?

└At this point, shouldn’t Ahsung be more afraid of Dojin?

└Ahsung went after Dojin? How do you know?

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋ All the media outlets writing these articles are partially owned by Ahsung.

└National Broadcasting! Central Media! Hanbit Daily!

Occasionally, comments from Ahsung’s brigades appeared,

but they were quickly buried under the overwhelming number of followers and barely gained any traction.

Kang Tae-joon’s post, trending at number one, flipped public opinion instantly, leading to a prosecution investigation into Ahsung and Kwon Seok-tae.

『Representative Kwon Seok-tae Summoned for Prosecution Investigation on Charges of Political Funds Law Violation and Bribery』

『Prosecution Tracing Funds of Ahsung Group Subsidiaries…… Kim Seong-jae Also Expected to Be Summoned』

『Kang Tae-joon’s Feed Partially Verified as Fact…… Political Cartel Between Ahsung and National Unity Party Exposed』

『Chairman Cheon Ho-tae Claims Ignorance, Blames Kim Seong-jae for All Actions』

『Ahsung Group’s Second-in-Command, Kim Seong-jae, Steps Down…… Who Will Be the Next Head of Strategic Planning?』

…

…

Succeeding Kim Seong-jae,

the new head of Ahsung Group’s Strategic Planning Office was Choi Ha-rim,

a former National Intelligence Service strategist and analyst, who had spent five years managing overseas operations and global networks at Ahsung Group’s Singapore branch as part of the shadow leadership.

“It seems Kim Seong-jae will struggle to avoid a prison sentence.”

“What about Kwon Seok-tae?”

Choi Ha-rim replied slowly.

“Fortunately, Representative Kwon appears likely to avoid indictment.”

All records of meetings with Kim Seong-jae and others had been fabricated, and the transferred funds were under third-party names,

leaving no concrete evidence directly implicating Kwon. Additionally, Kwon’s side was staging a show of taking political responsibility, giving the prosecution little grounds to dig deeper.

“So, the damage has been minimized.”

While all responsibility fell on the former director Kim Seong-jae,

Chairman Cheon’s expression showed no trace of sympathy or regret.

Instead, he seemed to view the incident as a minor setback.

“Make sure this doesn’t escalate further. Coordinate with Kwon Seok-tae’s side to shift public opinion. It would be even better if we could create negative issues around the current administration.”

Choi Ha-rim nodded immediately.

“I have some ideas in mind. I’ll discuss the details with Kwon Seok-tae’s team.”

A month later.

Jo Seong-hwan was attending the Gulf Defense & Technology Expo in Doha, Qatar, as an advisor to the Transition Committee.

The event aimed to strengthen defense cooperation with key Middle Eastern nations and explore the potential for exporting weapons, including the AGE system.

After completing the first day’s official schedule, an evening banquet was planned, but Jo Seong-hwan did not return to the hotel.

“Committee Member Jo…… has disappeared.”

At 9:42 PM that day,

in the lobby of the Conrad Hotel in downtown Doha,

the frantic cry of the attending secretary was immediately relayed to the Presidential Transition Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Korean Embassy in Qatar.

Jo Seong-hwan was missing.

The hotel’s CCTV only captured him leaving, with no trace of any vehicle or individual following him.

Three days passed,

and a video tagged with Kang Tae-joon and the Korean government appeared on KTalk Feed.

In the video, Jo Seong-hwan, blindfolded and tied to a chair, was surrounded by unidentified armed men.

[Transfer 2,000 AGE units and $300 million within 10 days. Failure to comply will result in the hostage’s execution.]

The sender was identified as ‘Mujahid Al-Kufra Front,’

a terrorist organization known to operate along the Libya-Syria border.