The three of them were struck with shock, as if a bomb had gone off, at something they had never even imagined.
President Bush, who had been staring blankly with his mouth slightly open, was the first to regain his composure. Leaning forward, he pressed Seok-won urgently.
"Are you saying President Bill Clinton and Democratic lawmakers accepted lobbying money from China?"
Chief of Staff Watt and Landon also stared at Seok-won with hardened expressions, their gazes boring into him.
Under the weight of their attention, Seok-won calmly gave a small nod.
"That's correct."
"My God."
As if his throat had gone dry, President Bush lifted his teacup and gulped down the remaining coffee.
Then, in a low and heavy voice, he looked at Seok-won and spoke.
"You do realize what you're saying right now. If this goes wrong, Washington—no, the entire United States—could be turned upside down."
Seok-won answered immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
"I'm not the first to say that Chinese funds flowed to President Bill Clinton and the Democratic Party, am I?"
"Hm."
After President Bill Clinton won reelection, there had been an incident in which the FBI uncovered that the Chinese government had provided massive political funding to the White House and the Democratic Party in an attempt to influence U.S. policy toward China.
Because of this, President Bill Clinton had been pushed to the brink of impeachment and endured a prolonged political ordeal. The scandal became known as China Gate.
Seok-won turned his head and gestured with his eyes toward Landon, who was seated beside him.
"Could you take out the file folder from the bag?"
"Oh. Yes."
Landon opened the briefcase at his feet and took out a thick file folder, handing it to Seok-won.
Since he had simply brought it straight from Manager Han Jiseong, who was waiting outside, without knowing what was inside, Landon looked puzzled.
Seok-won placed the file folder down in front of President Bush, then pulled a photograph from his inner pocket and set it on top.
In the photo, former President Bill Clinton and his wife stood smiling brightly beside an Asian man who appeared to be in his early forties.
To anyone's eyes, they looked unmistakably close.
"His name is Jackie Chung. He's a Chinese American, originally from Fujian Province. When the Communists won the Chinese Civil War, he fled to Taiwan with his father, then later moved to the United States. He's now working as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C."
Seeing President Bush listening intently with his arms folded, Seok-won continued.
"If you check the visitor logs, you'll see it immediately. During President Bill Clinton's term, he entered the White House no fewer than 130 times. They had an extremely close relationship."
"It's certainly unusual for a lobbyist to have visited the White House that often," Chief of Staff Watt said, "but lobbying itself isn't illegal."
Seok-won shrugged slightly in response.
"Of course. There are over a hundred thousand registered lobbyists operating legally in Washington, D.C."
Then Seok-won's gaze shifted to President Bush.
"Lobbying may be routine in Washington politics, but when a foreign government uses money with malicious intent to co-opt lobbying targets and steer policies in a direction favorable to its own interests, that is clearly illegal."
President Bush leaned forward and asked,
"Specifically, what illegal acts are you referring to?"
"You may remember that I once asked you for help regarding Magnequench, the company that China acquired."
Because Seok-won had made the request personally right after the election, President Bush gave a small nod.
"As I've already explained, the neodymium permanent magnets produced by Magnequench are critical components used not only in civilian applications but also extensively in the U.S. military's most advanced weapons systems."
"..."
"Doesn't it strike you as strange that China was allowed to acquire, with virtually no restrictions, a company that almost monopolizes the technology and manufacturing of these neodymium permanent magnets?"
Chief of Staff Watt, seated across from him, raised his eyebrows and asked urgently,
"Are you saying President Bill Clinton was involved in that matter?"
"He may not have directly pressured GM to sell Magnequench, but there was clearly at least tacit approval and acquiescence from the White House."
Watt's expression hardened as he spoke.
"You do realize how serious and dangerous what you're saying is."
It was a warning that, if this was nothing more than unsubstantiated rumor, it should stop here.
The implications were enormous, a potential political scandal of unprecedented scale that could shake not only Washington but the entire United States.
President Bush, sharing that concern, fixed Seok-won with a heavy, somber gaze. Beside him, Landon swallowed hard, the gravity of the situation tightening his throat.
Seok-won, however, remained calm and spoke without any change in expression.
"If you look into it, you'll find that the Department of Defense opposed the Magnequench sale at the time, citing unresolved concerns."
"Hm."
"And it wasn't just that. During President Bill Clinton's administration, many rare earth companies and technologies in the United States, including the rare metal magnet manufacturing division of Crucible Materials Group, were sold off to China."
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, only Seok-won's steady voice continued.
"The rare earth industry was seen as dirty and environmentally harmful in the U.S., so it may have been moved to China to produce cheaply without environmental constraints. Or, as suspected, there may have been direct involvement from the Chinese government. At this point, it's difficult to definitively say which."
Seok-won looked at President Bush, who was sitting in silence with his lips pressed tight.
"But one thing is certain. With all rare earth technology and production capacity having shifted to China, the United States now has to rely on China's cooperation to procure the rare earth components needed to build cutting-edge military hardware. And this applies not only to the military, but to civilian industries as well."
President Bush, arms folded, thought for a moment before speaking.
"I understand what you're getting at. But going after President Bill Clinton with just that would be far too risky."
As if he had anticipated that response, Seok-won replied in a measured tone.
"Of course. If things went wrong, it could backfire as a political attack meant to cover up the Enron scandal."
Sensing something in his manner, President Bush's eyes sharpened.
"It sounds like you have something else in mind."
When he looked at him with clear expectation, Seok-won lifted the corner of his mouth slightly.
"Wouldn't it be a different story if the lobbyist who frequently visited the White House and maintained a close relationship with President Bill Clinton were connected to Chinese intelligence agencies?"
"...!"
President Bush's eyes flew open.
"Is that true?"
Chief of Staff Watt and Landon also stared at him, mouths agape in shock.
Seok-won tapped the photo of the former presidential couple and the lobbyist with his fingertip, speaking with emphasis.
"If you investigate, you'll find that the funds Jackie Chung used for lobbying came from China's Ministry of State Security, the MSS."
"Hah… how could something like that even happen…."
President Bush let out a hollow breath, his face stiff with disbelief, and the other two were equally unable to hide their shock.
This went far beyond simple illegal lobbying. It was a staggering case in which a U.S. president had been manipulated by Chinese espionage activities.
Watching the three of them struggle to process the revelation, Seok-won let out a bitter smile to himself.
'Even before my regression, this incident turned the United States upside down and became a turning point that forced it to take China, which it had long looked down on, seriously. No wonder they're reacting like this.'
The reason Seok-won knew so much about Jackie Chung was precisely because the issue had grown so large that it led to Senate hearings.
'And later, when China began using rare earths as a weapon to strong-arm the United States and the rest of the world, this case was dragged back out again, becoming a lasting stain on President Bill Clinton's legacy.'
Whenever Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former First Lady, entered politics and challenged for the presidency, this incident resurfaced as her Achilles' heel.
Pushing aside the fleeting thoughts, Seok-won looked at President Bush and spoke.
"Isn't it common practice to bury one issue with another? A case of this magnitude should completely neutralize any attempt by the opposition to shake the White House over Enron."
At that, Chief of Staff Watt grew visibly animated, shifting in his seat.
"Chairman Park is right. If we turn this into a major issue and go on the offensive against the opposition, we can seize control of the political landscape and even head into next year's midterm elections with the upper hand."
President Bush, who had been scowling just moments earlier, now looked thoroughly energized, his expression loosening.
"That's it. Hahaha! Just imagining those opposition fools who were sharpening their knives to come after me over Enron, now reeling from an unexpected blow, already makes me feel relieved!"
President Bush couldn't hide the broad smile on his face as he contemplated how to use the Jackie Chung affair to throw the opposition into disarray.
"Thanks to you, a problem that had been giving me a headache has been resolved cleanly and decisively."
Gone was the earlier frostiness in his tone, replaced by something far more relaxed.
Leaning back into the plush sofa, President Bush narrowed his eyes and asked,
"But how did you come by this information?"
Chief of Staff Watt and Landon both looked equally curious.
Expecting the question, Seok-won calmly delivered the answer he had prepared in advance.
"You know I've always taken a keen interest in the rare earth industry. While looking into Magnequench, I happened to come across information about Jackie Chung."
Recalling how, at Seok-won's request, pressure had been applied to block the relocation of a neodymium permanent magnet plant to China and to recover the related technology patents, President Bush nodded in understanding.
"I see. In that case, if something like this comes up again in the future, make sure to inform me in advance so we can prepare countermeasures."
Seeing that President Bush's anger had completely dissipated, Seok-won replied with a smile.
"I will make sure to do so."
Watching this from the side, Landon felt a deep sense of admiration.
Things could have easily gone wrong and permanently damaged relations with the most powerful man in the world, yet Seok-won had resolved the crisis in a way no one could have anticipated. It was nothing short of impressive.
'As expected of the boss.'
Once again, Landon's trust in and reverence for Seok-won grew deeper and more resolute.
President Bush crossed one leg over the other and turned his gaze toward Chief of Staff Watt.
"If, as Chairman Park says, this was deliberate accounting fraud and the executives have been engaging in unethical behavior by selling off their own shares, then the government should not step into the Enron issue."
Reading President Bush's intention to abandon Chairman Hayward, Chief of Staff Watt responded immediately.
"Getting involved could only hand the opposition a pretext for attack. It would be best to keep our distance."
"That's right. It's regrettable in many ways, but it can't be helped."
As President Bush nodded solemnly, Enron's fate was sealed.
President Bush's decision to stand aside was based on the optimistic belief that, while the company would be badly shaken by the accounting scandal, a massive corporation with assets totaling 49.8 billion dollars and ranked as the seventh largest in the United States would surely not collapse.
Chief of Staff Nick Watt shared the same assumption.
But Seok-won, who knew exactly how events would unfold from here, allowed a deep smile to form inside.
TL/n –
"Chinagate" refers to a U.S. political scandal that surfaced in the mid to late 1990s, mainly during Bill Clinton's presidency.