CH29 | MCT

Cheongil Group (2)

The door to the president’s office at Cheongil Chemicals burst open.

"Hyung!"

Kim Jung-nam came running in, looking like a total wreck. His hair was a mess, and his body was covered in hastily wrapped bandages, clearly for show.

Kim Bong-nam, who had been reviewing paperwork, frowned.

"What the hell happened to you now? What trouble did you get into this time?"

"Hyung, how could you say that? Your one and only little brother comes back in this state, and you don’t even ask what happened first? That hurts."

"Let me guess—you got caught messing with another pretty girl and got your ass handed to you."

"....."

Bullseye.

But Kim Jung-nam felt wronged.

"Hyung, give me some credit! I went all the way to Gangwon Province! Yeongwol County! Sangdong! To a freaking mine for molybdenum!"

"How much did you bring back?"

".....They wouldn’t sell it."

Of course.

This idiot never goes anywhere without screwing things up and making enemies along the way.

‘I gave him a fancy business card and a cushy position so he’d at least carry himself properly, and now he messes up a molybdenum deal? At this timing?’

Kim Bong-nam shot a glare at his secretary.

"Who sent this fool all the way to Gangwon?"

"The chairman instructed that you personally establish a supply chain with the molybdenum mine... I apologize. I didn’t think he’d actually go."

The usually competent secretary bowed in apology.

Kim Bong-nam clicked his tongue at his thoughtless younger brother.

"You have nothing to apologize for. This idiot is just useless."

"Hyung!"

"Tsk. If you went all the way there, you should’ve sealed the deal. And if you couldn’t, then you shouldn’t have gone at all."

"Hyung, I swear I’m innocent! They grabbed me by the collar before I could even say a word!"

Kim Jung-nam dramatically mimed getting grabbed by the collar.

"They grabbed me like this and then bam!—threw me to the ground! And then they rolled me across the floor like I was a damn straw mat—"

He went all out, even rolling across the office floor.

Years of tattling had made him quite the actor—Bong-nam could picture the whole ridiculous scene.

"Hyung, do you know how vicious those bastards were? I barely escaped with my life!"

"You took a bunch of muscle with you, didn’t you? How the hell did you end up getting manhandled?"

"They brought a whole army of miners, Hyung! We were outnumbered! If it weren’t for my fighting skills, I’d be dead—the guys I brought almost died out there!"

Fighting skills, my ass.

Kim Bong-nam let out a long sigh.

"Did you or did you not drool over some girl first?"

"All I did was comment on how weird the coffee tasted."

"Did you or did you not touch her?"

"Just a little. On the butt. But that’s it! If I’d actually done anything worse, I wouldn’t be this frustrated!"

"You idiot!"

Kim Bong-nam slammed the paperwork shut.

He was already drowning in work, and now his useless brother was adding to the chaos.

"The chairman personally entrusted us with this deal, and you screwed it up because you couldn’t keep it in your pants! And now you have the nerve to come crying to me? Get the hell out of my office!"

"Hyung!"

"You want me to report this directly to the chairman? Think you’ll still have your position after that?"

"I'm going, I'm going! But this is too much, Hyung! This is so unfair!"

Kim Jung-nam left the office, grumbling as he went.

Kim Bong-nam watched his pathetic brother’s retreating figure.

He’d scolded him harshly, but he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his gut.

No matter how much of an idiot he was, he was still his only brother.

And at the end of the day, the kid had gone all the way to Gangwon to help out with the business.

But instead of being welcomed, he got humiliated by a bunch of miners?

"All he did was pat a female employee’s ass, and they publicly humiliated him? Those bastards."

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

"How dare they stand up to Cheongil Group? I’ll show them what real consequences look like. Arrogant punks."

He turned to his secretary.

"Get the car ready! We’re heading to Gangwon now."

"Yes, sir."

"And bring as many of our guys as possible. Contact the police and prosecutors, too. If we’re going to scare them straight, we’ll use real power this time. My idiot brother only brought muscle—no wonder he got wrecked."

"Understood."

Since they were going to secure a supply deal, they might as well teach those disrespectful bastards a lesson while they were at it.

Just then—

Ring ring.

His secretary handed him the phone.

"It's the chairman."

"The chairman?"

The moment he picked up, Han Cheong-ho’s furious voice blasted through the receiver.

"Why the hell haven’t I heard anything about the molybdenum deal yet?! That fool went all the way to Gangwon and came back empty-handed?!"

"My apologies. I’ll go there myself this time."

"The factory’s about to shut down because we don’t have molybdenum! I don’t care what it takes—convince them! Bring it back!"

"Sir, it's not like that mine is the only place we can source molybdenum..."

"Oh? Then why don’t you go find some elsewhere? The whole world’s in a molybdenum crisis! You got a solution? Fly to another country if you have to! But leave your title behind first!"

"....."

Kim Bong-nam shut his eyes tightly.

If only the U.S. hadn’t suddenly halted molybdenum exports, none of this would be happening.

"What are you waiting for?! Get the damn contract signed! Don’t even think about setting foot in Seoul until you have that contract in hand! If you have to bury your bones there, so be it—just bring me the deal!"

"Chairman—!"

"You know what you're good at! Bribe them with money, seduce them with women, sweet-talk them, or crush them with force! I don’t care how—just secure at least 30 tons of molybdenum by the end of this month!"

Before he could even respond, the call ended.

Kim Bong-nam let out a long, weary sigh.

‘There’s no other choice. I’ll put personal feelings aside and focus entirely on securing this contract.’

Decision made.

The company came first.

This wasn’t the time for pride—not when his position was on the line.

‘I’ll endure the humiliation until the contract is signed. I can settle my personal grudge afterward.’

His secretary cautiously asked,

"What’s the plan? The chairman is furious. Should I book a flight?"

"We’re going to Gangwon."

"How many men should we bring? Should I arrange a bus? How far should we reach out to the prosecutors and the police?"

Kim Bong-nam shook his head.

"Forget the muscle. Bring in the women—singers, actresses, news anchors, models. Make sure there's a good variety to match different tastes. Send them all to Gangwon."

As he put on his coat, his eyes gleamed.

"Prepare the money envelopes. Pack them thick, and make plenty. Also, bring apple boxes."

"Apple boxes? Isn’t that a bit much? It’s not like we’re dealing with a high-profile politician."

"The chairman said to use any means necessary."

Kim Bong-nam spoke gravely.

"We’re going all in to secure this deal."

This time, persuasion was the key.

***

Once again, Tae-soo was buried under a mountain of paperwork in his office.

With molybdenum selling like hotcakes worldwide, his workload had naturally increased.

"I’m exhausted."

Lately, Tae-soo had been overworking himself.

His mineral export trading company, Tae-yang Trading, had grown rapidly in no time.

Especially since he had started aggressively acquiring land in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, his exhaustion had reached new heights.

Shuttling back and forth between Seoul and Gangwon Province was pushing him to the limit.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Yes, come in."

The company accountant entered.

Without being asked, she casually placed a steaming cup of warm milk on his desk.

"Sir, a man named Song Jin-gu is here to see you."

"Song Jin-gu?"

That loan shark who worked under Jang Mal-dong, the big shot in Myeong-dong?

What business could he possibly have here?

"Where is he now?"

"Hey, you lunatic. Been doing well?"

Song Jin-gu stood at the office door, waving casually.

"I hear you're rolling in cash these days—word’s all over Seoul. But looking at this office, you don’t seem to be spending any of it. Damn, these furniture pieces must be at least a decade old, huh?"

As a seasoned debt collector, Song Jin-gu had a knack for appraising things at a glance.

"What brings you here?" Tae-soo asked.

"Heard you've been buying up land in Gangnam."

Song Jin-gu plopped down into a chair, still sizing up the office furniture.

"Lowlands that flood whenever it rains. Land where crops won’t grow, filled with nothing but gravel and rocks—practically useless wasteland."

He grinned.

"And yet, you’ve been sweeping up Daechi-dong like there’s no tomorrow."

Jang Mal-dong was more than just a loan shark—he was an information broker.

A kingpin of Korea’s underground finance world, there wasn’t a single region in the country where his money hadn’t flowed.

"So, Jang Mal-dong has caught the scent."

There was no point in hiding it.

"That’s right. I’ve got some extra cash, so I figured I’d buy some land."

"‘Some’ isn’t quite the word, is it? Even if that wasteland’s dirt cheap, buying over 20,000 pyeong (approx. 66,000 square meters) must’ve cost you a pretty penny."

And 20,000 pyeong still wasn’t nearly enough.

The Cheongil Apartment Complex in Daechi-dong spanned a massive 237,900㎡ (approximately 72,000 pyeong).

"If possible, I need to secure even more. The best time to buy is when no one else is paying attention."

Tae-soo wasn’t just planning to match the scale of Cheongil Apartments—he was aiming for something even bigger.

"Man, life is full of surprises. Who would’ve thought that a molybdenum mine would emerge from a 100,000-won IOU? And in just six months, you went from rock bottom to a land tycoon. No one could’ve seen that coming! Hah! Hah!"

"What exactly do you want to say?"

"The old man has established a bank."

Jang Mal-dong had finally stepped out from the shadows into the legitimate financial world.

With Park Jeong-hwan’s August 3rd Private Loan Freeze Order, it had become clear that underground financing had reached its limits.

"It’s called Jangsu Bank. Naturally, the headquarters is in Myeong-dong."

"Send him my congratulations. I’ll drop by and pay my respects next time I’m in Seoul."

Song Jin-gu smirked, shaking his head.

"Hey, lunatic. How did you know Choi Moo-ryong was starting a bank? Who tipped you off?"

"For the same reason your boss decided to open one. Do I really need to explain?"

Song Jin-gu let out a short laugh but didn’t press further.

"Man, you’re sharp as ever. Anyway, the old man sent me to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"Yeah. Thanks to you, we sniffed out all the rats hiding among us."

A chilling gleam flashed in Song Jin-gu’s eyes.

Tae-soo immediately understood.

"Damn. So there was a bloody purge of traitors."

It made perfect sense.

The Private Loan Freeze Order had been an emergency measure.

It was announced on August 2nd at 11:40 PM.

By midnight on August 3rd, in just 20 minutes, all private loans had turned into worthless scraps of paper.

"Jang Mal-dong got the heads-up from me ten days before, so he managed to recover at least part of his funds. But what about Choi Moo-ryong?"

How had Choi Moo-ryong salvaged enough money to establish a bank?

"I never warned him. And the president had ensured a total information lockdown, intending to obliterate underground finance."

That meant only one possibility—

"Jang Mal-dong must have realized that someone within his circle was leaking information to Choi Moo-ryong."

And when Jang Mal-dong set his mind on something, no one could escape.

A storm of blood had undoubtedly followed.

"Jang Mal-dong is smart. But he missed one crucial detail."

"In the past, Choi Moo-ryong managed to evade the Private Loan Freeze Order and established Chomyung Bank. That means he had another connection—a different lifeline."

In Tae-soo’s previous life, Jang Mal-dong had gone bankrupt, while Choi Moo-ryong had survived.

For someone who prided himself as a master of intelligence, Jang Mal-dong had ultimately been outmaneuvered.

"Choi Moo-ryong's information was faster, sharper, and more precise."

Still, Jang Mal-dong’s response this time had been remarkable.

"After all, there's nothing more dangerous than a hidden dagger at your throat."

Tae-soo gave a small nod.

At that, Song Jin-gu frowned deeply.

"You're telling me you figured out the whole situation just from that little bit?"

"Is there any reason I wouldn't? I understand perfectly. Send my regards to the old man—tell him I appreciate his message."

"Message?"

Song Jin-gu looked utterly dumbfounded.

It simply didn't make sense to him.

"Did the old man not explain it to you?"

"If he had, would I be standing here with this look on my face?"

"Then why don’t you ask him yourself when you get back?"

A deep scowl crossed Song Jin-gu’s face.

Tae-soo extended his hand.

"The old man must have sent something for me, didn't he?"

"What the hell... Are you psychic? How did you know that?"

"Like I said, I got the message."

Song Jin-gu let out a low whistle and shook his head.

"Damn, you’re sharp. Here—take it."

With that, he pulled out a bundle of documents from inside his coat.