CH30 | MCT

Cheongil Group (3)

Song Jin-gu pulled a bundle of documents from inside his coat and handed them over.

Tae-soo smiled in satisfaction.

"As expected. Elder Jang Mal-dong is a man who never forgets his debts. Thanks to him, my job just got easier."

The gift Jang Mal-dong had sent was land deeds.

He had repaid Tae-soo for exposing the traitors in his ranks and helping him recover his private loans—an act that had saved him from financial ruin.

"Jang Mal-dong truly is a remarkable figure. Shrewd and decisive in his dealings."

He had sent exactly what Tae-soo needed most right now: land.

Tae-soo flipped through the documents.

"10,000 pyeong in Daechi-dong? Excellent. That’s exactly the land I was planning to acquire."

"Damn... You didn’t even let me say a word, yet you're reciting the old man's message verbatim."

Tae-soo simply smirked.

"There should be one more thing he told you to pass along, correct?"

"What the hell... How do you keep knowing these things? This is driving me crazy."

"How long did he say I could borrow you for?"

"Cough! You—you’re not a mind reader, are you?"

At this point, Song Jin-gu could only shake his head in disbelief.

"Half a year."

That was how long Jang Mal-dong had agreed to lend his man.

It was a generous offer—one that must not have come easily.

"Just send the money. No need to bother coming up to Seoul from Gangwon Province. I’ll buy land in Gangnam for you myself."

"Tell the elder I’ll make good use of this favor. I sincerely appreciate it."

"Seriously, how did you know? Is there still a rat left in our ranks?"

Muttering under his breath, Song Jin-gu narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

Tae-soo chuckled.

"Jang Mal-dong is only giving you the information you need to know."

He hadn't even explained why he was sending this gift.

Yet, Song Jin-gu knew precisely that Tae-soo was secretly acquiring land in Daechi-dong—and even the exact scale of it.

"That means there’s a reason the elder let him know.

"He wants me to use Song Jin-gu for purchasing the land in Daechi-dong."

And the reason was simple.

"Jang Mal-dong deliberately sent Song Jin-gu with the land deeds to Gangwon Province so he could meet me in person—to confirm my intentions directly."

"Message received, loud and clear."

Tae-soo smiled brightly and gave a polite farewell.

"You've delivered your message and handed over what you needed to. Safe travels back to Seoul."

"Damn it... How do you always know these things? You really are something else. I give up."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Song Jin-gu got up from his seat.

Tae-soo glanced at the stack of documents in his hands and chuckled.

"Who would’ve thought Jang Mal-dong would support me this much? I was already struggling to juggle trips between Seoul and Gangwon Province."

It was the perfect gift.

And to top it off, Song Jin-gu, the infamous Myeong-dong hyena known for his ruthless skills in private lending, was now his assistant.

With his extensive connections and sharp instincts, he would undoubtedly pull every string available to acquire the Gangnam land Tae-soo needed.

"Thanks to Jang Mal-dong, I got the exact help I needed at the perfect time. Everything will go much more smoothly from here."

Tae-soo turned his gaze to the map of Seoul hanging on the wall.

"Step by step, I move forward. To Gangnam. And it all starts with Daechi-dong."

A deep sense of satisfaction filled him.

***

Meanwhile, at the Cheongil Group Chairman’s Office.

A furious shout echoed through the room.

All because of molybdenum.

"Even when the mines were on the other side of the planet, it wasn’t this damn hard to get our hands on it! What the hell are you doing?!"

"I sincerely apologize. I have no excuse."

"You know better than anyone how many of our factories will have to shut down without molybdenum!"

Han Cheong-ho grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at Kim Bong-nam.

A glass ashtray.

It shattered against the wall, scattering cigarette ash in all directions.

Kim Bong-nam wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"That molybdenum... They’re selling it to other companies just fine. But they won’t sell to us. And they’re doing it on purpose!"

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.

"I don’t even know why they’re refusing to sell to us. I can’t report something I have no answer for."

Sometimes, it was better to stay silent than to admit ignorance.

If he confessed that he didn’t know why, it would only expose his incompetence.

And this time, it wouldn’t be an ashtray flying at him—it’d be a full kettle of boiling water.

"No matter how insane that bastard is, unless he holds some personal grudge against Cheongil Group, there's no reason for him to act so irrationally."

Frustrated, Kim Bong-nam had already conducted a thorough background check on the young mine owner.

"There’s absolutely no connection between him and Cheongil Group. So how the hell am I supposed to figure this out?"

The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt.

"A lunatic is a lunatic for a reason. If he made any sense, he wouldn’t be a lunatic. It’s ridiculous and humiliating having to beg him every day to sell to us. What’s the point of being a president if I have to grovel like this? Damn it."

But, of course, he couldn’t say that out loud.

So he sat there in silent frustration, stewing like a man with a stomach ulcer he couldn’t complain about.

Kim Bong-nam kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

His lack of a proper excuse only made Han Cheong-ho’s rage boil over.

"Park Tae-jong is making a fortune selling chromoly steel and stainless steel with that molybdenum! If he can do it, why the hell can’t we? Give me a damn explanation!"

CRASH.

This time, it was a flower pot.

Not just any flower pot—an expensive Japanese spring orchid pot, a gift from a Japanese corporation that had been carefully displayed.

"The chairman must be absolutely livid. He never touches that damn orchid, no matter how angry he gets."

Kim Bong-nam wiped his sweat-soaked face again and again.

He felt like a dead man walking.

"But what choice do I have? If I want to keep my job, I have to endure this humiliation. I just have to bite my tongue and survive."

What’s the use of being a president?

In front of the chairman, he was just another salaried employee.

Han Cheong-ho kept pacing, breathing heavily like a raging bull.

Then, suddenly, he grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down furiously, the sound echoing through the office.

Finally, his eyes cooled, his expression steadying.

The tantrum was over.

Now, at last, it was time for a real conversation.

"Alright. So tell me, what the hell have you been doing all this time? You can’t even handle a greenhorn kid? Explain yourself properly, you useless fool."

Kim Bong-nam, who had been carefully gauging the chairman’s mood, cautiously responded.

"Chairman, I’ve done everything I possibly could. I drive a truck to that damn mine a dozen times a day."

"And yet you always come back empty-handed. Probably because you went empty-handed, too."

"Chairman, do you think I’m an idiot? Do you think I’d go there with nothing in my hands when the stakes are this high? Of course, I brought a fat envelope every time."

"Then clearly, you didn’t bring enough. There’s no problem money can’t solve."

Kim Bong-nam shook his head.

"Don’t even get me started. This is harder than handing out political funds."

"I’ve greased palms from the Blue House to the military, and you’re telling me there’s a place money can’t buy? Don’t give me that nonsense."

"Even the lowest-ranking employees flat-out refuse my envelopes."

If I’m being honest, it’s because his younger brother groped the accountant once, and now every time they see me, they glare at me like murderers and come running with pickaxes.

But if I say that out loud, his brother’s getting fired on the spot—so I keep my mouth shut.

Han Cheong-ho clicked his tongue.

"You should be reflecting on your lack of persuasion skills if you can’t even win them over with a stack of cash."

"They’re making a fortune off molybdenum right now. You really think they’d look twice at pocket change?"

"Even big-shot politicians with their noses in the air jump at the chance when I show up with a box of cash."

"I brought an entire box—and they still turned me down."

"They rejected the whole damn box?"

For the first time, Han Cheong-ho looked genuinely stumped.

"If money doesn’t work, then try women."

"You think I didn’t? Didn’t even faze him."

"It’s in Gangwon-do, right? Maybe the road’s too rough for the pretty ones? Bring in the best—singers, actresses—the real eye-catching ones."

"Chairman, I already brought singers, actresses, models—even news anchors. They all came back soaked in water, crying their eyes out."

Even Han Cheong-ho is at a loss now.

"Wait a minute. That mine owner—he’s in his twenties, right?"

"Yes. And not even married. But he didn’t blink at a single one of them."

"That bastard—he’s not a eunuch, is he?"

"Honestly, sir, I’ve started wondering the same thing."

Han Cheong-ho stroked his chin.

Kim Bong-nam wasn’t just anybody—he was damn good at what he did.

If not, Han wouldn’t have turned a blind eye to his troublemaking younger brother sitting in a vice president’s chair.

For Kim to completely fail like this? That was a first.

"What about loan sharks? No businessman is clean enough not to have borrowed at least a little."

"You think I didn’t check? That guy hasn’t taken a single won in loans."

"No loan sharks? What about the banks?"

"No bank loans, either. Squeaky clean."

Han Cheong-ho’s jaw dropped.

"A guy running a mine hasn’t taken a single loan? Not even from loan sharks or banks? How is that even possible?"

"I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s the truth."

"Even I, a damn chaebol, use loan sharks when necessary and max out bank loans whenever I can!"

Han Cheong-ho tilted his head, puzzled.

"Maybe he’s some rich heir? A hidden son of a chaebol or something?"

"Not even close. He grew up in a slum, living in a run-down shack. Six months ago, he nearly lost his home when the place got demolished for just 100,000 won."

The more he heard, the more ridiculous it sounded.

A rags-to-riches story straight out of a fairy tale.

Han Cheong-ho’s face hardened.

"Tell me everything. Every last detail."

Some time later…

After hearing the full story about Tae-soo, Han Cheong-ho let out a dry chuckle.

The guy bought an abandoned molybdenum mine—left untouched for 15 years—for just 100,000 won and struck gold.

He exploited the 8.3 Loan Freeze Policy to swallow up Dae-yang Tungsten and Dae-yang Cement at dirt-cheap prices.

After the U.S. stopped molybdenum production, he became filthy rich overnight.

He built a refining facility, hired miners, and ran the operation without a single loan—not even from loan sharks or banks.

It was almost laughable.

"This guy’s either the luckiest bastard alive or has unreal business instincts."

There was no other explanation for his success.

At last, Han Cheong-ho got up from his chair.

"I need to see this for myself."

At this point, it wasn’t just about business—it was personal curiosity.

He had to see this untouchable molybdenum mine owner with his own eyes.

"Get the car ready."

A trip all the way to Gangwon-do? This guy better be worth it.

***

Meanwhile…

Tae-soo smirked as he looked at the land deeds Song Jin-gu had sent over.

"Already 14,000 pyeong of land in Daechi-dong? Damn, Song Jin-gu really knows his stuff. He’s barely been back in Seoul, and he’s already making moves."

Thanks to him, Tae-soo had more time to breathe.

Not to mention, he could actually enjoy watching molybdenum sell like crazy.

Knock, knock.

"Yes, come in."

A neatly dressed man in his 40s stepped inside.

"I’m from Geumsan Chemicals. Chairman Jang Jun-yong asked me to personally deliver his gratitude."

He pulled out a business card and handed it to Tae-soo.

It was no ordinary card—it gleamed with a golden finish. On the back, a handwritten note in the fountain pen read:

[Geumsan’s Jang Jun-yong owes you one.]

"If you ever need anything, just bring this to him, and he’ll do you a favor."

"I’ll gladly accept it."

Tae-soo was not the type to turn down a good offer. Not even out of politeness.

Seeing this, the secretary gave a faint smile.

"A bold one, huh? Just from his eyes, you can tell he’s no ordinary man. Interesting. Chairman Jang will definitely like him."

The more he observed Tae-soo, the more impressed he became.

"Chairman Jang wishes to establish a long-term supply contract with you. As a small token of appreciation…"

The man reached into his pocket and produced a thick envelope.

"Chairman Jang would be disappointed if you refused. Please, accept it—it’s a gesture of goodwill."

"Sure, I’ll take it. Thank you."

But then, to the secretary’s surprise, Tae-soo casually placed the envelope back into his hand.

The man frowned, puzzled.

"You just said you’d gladly accept it—so why…?"

"Well, you came all the way to Gangwon-do on behalf of your chairman. I can’t let you leave empty-handed, can I?"

"Ha—do you even know how much is in here?"

"No idea."

He had barely touched the envelope before returning it. How could he know?

Tae-soo simply grinned.

"Instead, let’s trade it for your business card."