Chapter 25: I’ll Sort This Out for You

Is this the place?"

I drove straight to the location Chief Ha had given me

A rundown inn in Bulgwang-dong

As I opened the door, the distinct smell of the inn hit me

Hearing movement, an old man poked his head out from a small door near the entrance

"Looking for a room?"

"No, I'm trying to find someone. Is there a Mr. Han Gyeong-yeong staying here?"

The innkeeper eyed me up and down before grumbling

"What… are you a detective or something?"

"Pardon?"

"Who keeps proper guest records in a shabby place like this? How'd you even know the name?"

"I'm not a detective. I'm looking for a man in his late 20s. Any long-term guests like that?"

"Well… my memory's foggy these days. Getting old, you know"

I pulled out a 10,000 won bill from my wallet and placed it on the counter

"Remember now?"

"Ah, yes! Don't know the name, but there's a young guy staying long-term. Let's see… the room is…"

The innkeeper's attitude changed as he flipped through the guest book

"Room 302. Go on up"

He quickly pocketed the bill on the counter. The small door snapped shut

'Room 302…'

As I climbed the stairs, I spotted a young man coming down

Our eyes met

He suddenly stopped, then turned and bolted back up the stairs

"Hey! Mr. Han Gyeong-yeong!"

I called out, but got no response

I chased after him as he sprinted up to the roof without stopping

Opening the roof door, I found Han Gyeong-yeong looking around nervously, peering over the edge. I couldn't help but smile

To think this was the same Han Gyeong-yeong known as the 'Black-haired Foreigner' who'd sent the Korean stock market into a panic. It was hard to believe

"I'm not here to collect debts. Let's talk, Mr. Han Gyeong-yeong"

He finally turned to face me, his body stiff

"You're really not a debt collector?"

"No, I'm not"

"Ah, geez! I ran all that way for nothing. You could've said something sooner!"

The tension drained from Han Gyeong-yeong as he slumped to the ground, looking up at me

"Let's sit and talk. I'm exhausted. But who are you?"

"I'm Kim Mu-hyeok. You're Han Gyeong-eong, right? The stock trader?"

"Ah! Yes, that's me, but…"

"Great, I found you. Let's work together"

What's with this guy?

That was the look on his face

Fair enough. Anyone would be thrown off if some young stranger tracked them down and suddenly proposed working together

"I'm not a scammer"

"Then what… a market manipulator? I don't do that stuff. No matter how desperate I am for money, there are lines I won't cross"

I held back a laugh

Then what about all those people who ended up at the Han River because of your schemes?

I don't need a good person

I need someone who can read stock trends, someone who can set aside greed

Most importantly, I need someone who'll follow my instructions without question

That's why I sought out Han Gyeong-yeong

"I don't do that kind of thing. Anyway, get up. You haven't eaten, right? Let's talk over a meal. What do you like? Korean beef? Sashimi? Just name it"

Han Gyeong-yeong's face lit up at the mention of food

He sprang to his feet as if he'd never sat down, urging me on

"It's been ages since I had Korean beef. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

We left the inn together

"Get in. I'll treat you to a great Korean beef place"

"Oh, a Grandeur! Are you some rich kid?"

Han Gyeong-yeong looked over the parked car before climbing into the passenger seat. I started the car slowly

"Where are we going? I know a good place in Yeouido. Let's go there"

"Haha, I know a place in Myeong-dong. I'll treat you there"

The color drained from his face at the mention of Myeong-dong

"M-Myeong-dong?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Didn't… didn't you say you weren't here to collect debts?"

"I'm not here for debt collection. I am involved with private loans, but don't worry. No one will touch you when you're with me in Myeong-dong"

But the unease didn't leave his expression

I smiled casually and made a bold claim

"I told you not to worry. If I wanted to catch you, I wouldn't have come alone"

"Sigh… Alright. Let's go"

Though he said that, Han Gyeong-yeong let out a deep sigh, his face ashen

* * *

We arrived at a Korean beef restaurant in Myeong-dong

I led Han Gyeong-yeong, who kept looking around nervously, into the restaurant

We were guided to a quiet room, placed our order, and began to talk

"How much do you owe?"

"Why?"

His tone had turned a bit sharp, probably because I'd brought him to Myeong-dong

I smiled and continued

"Mr. Han, I want to have a good relationship with you. I have no intention of harming you. Don't you find it strange that I found you so easily when even the loan sharks couldn't?"

"…"

"How much debt do you have?"

"…3 million won"

3 million won…

It was laughable that this man was in hiding over a mere 3 million won

"3 million won?"

"Yes, I borrowed 3 million, but with the interest…"

Our ordered meat arrived

The conversation paused as the waiter grilled the meat for us

"Let's eat first. We'll talk after"

Han Gyeong-yeong's gaze was fixed on the meat, mesmerized by the aroma of the cooking beef

We spent about 30 minutes eating

After finishing the meal, including rice and soybean paste stew, we sat down to talk

"Is 3 million really all you owe?"

"Yes"

"And the interest?"

"…8 million"

"8 million? Compound interest, right?"

"I thought I could pay it back quickly. But… I never imagined the stocks would become worthless. Ha ha…"

Now that his stomach was full, he seemed a bit more composed, laughing awkwardly

"I'll take care of that loan for you. Work with me. I'll put you in a car much more expensive than that Grandeur outside. What do you say?"

Han Gyeong-yeong's face hardened

I was puzzled by his expression, as if he'd seen something unbelievable. Then, in a trembling voice, he spoke

"Are you… an angel? Like, with wings on your back? Or are you a con artist?"

His unexpected question left me momentarily stunned before I burst out laughing

"Hahaha! Wow, you're an interesting guy"

He kept staring at me with a mix of suspicion and hope

"Come on, right? A stranger shows up out of nowhere, buys me a meal, offers to pay off my debt, and wants to work together. If you're not an angel, you must be a con artist, right?"

"Let's go. Where did you borrow the money? It's an office in Myeong-dong, right?"

I stood up and spoke, causing Han Gyeong-yeong to panic even more

"What? Where are we going?"

"To the office where you borrowed money. We need to sort this out. You can't work with me if you're hiding"

"…"

Seeing him hesitate, I added

"Trust me and get up. We're going to pay off your debt. You should walk in with your head held high"

"Are… are you really going to pay it off?"

"Yes, on the condition that you work with me"

"…What if I just run away?"

That made me chuckle

"You're free to run. But… I'll probably be scarier than those loan sharks. If you're in Korea, I'll find you, no matter what"

Han Gyeong-yeong gulped audibly

"What exactly do I have to do?"

"You know what you're good at, right? Stocks"

"What?"

"Let's go. We'll pay off your debt first and talk about the details later. There's no rush"

Though he still looked doubtful, Han Gyeong-yeong stood up, following me in a daze

He trailed slowly behind me

As we stepped out of the restaurant, the sun was about to set

"Where is it? Lead the way"

When I turned and spoke, Han Gyeong-yeong reluctantly took the lead

But… his pace was excruciatingly slow

"Are we going to a funeral? Hurry up. The sun's setting. At this rate, we'll get there tomorrow morning"

After about 10 minutes of walking

Han Gyeong-yeong stopped in front of an old building

There was a sign on the third-floor window that read 'Loan Consultation', but no other signage for this private loan office

"Is this the place?"

"…Yes"

"Let's go up"

I strode up the stairs, leaving the hesitant Han Gyeong-yeong behind

Following me, he looked like a cow being led to slaughter

"Is this really okay?"

I ignored the voice from behind

The third floor had no indication that it was a loan office, unless you knew what to look for

Without a moment's hesitation, I opened the door and walked in

I saw two men with tattooed forearms and a sleazy-looking man who appeared to be the boss

Seeing Han Gyeong-yeong enter behind me, the two men stood up

"Well, well. This bastard came to die on his own?"

Han Gyeong-yeong shrank at those words

"Enough! We have guests. What are you doing?"

At the boss's words, the men sat back down

Well, well, they're putting on quite a show

"Who's the one with you?"

"Someone here to pay the debt"

At those words, the boss got up and walked to the sofa

As he sat down, he spoke to the thugs

"You idiots, get up. We have guests, and you're taking up space?"

At the boss's scolding, the men stood up and moved behind him

I sat on the sofa with Han Gyeong-yeong

"So, our dear customer. Did you bring the money to pay?"

"How much is it?"

"Hmm… Bring me the ledger"

One of the standing men brought over a ledger from the desk and handed it to the boss

The boss flipped through the ledger and spoke

"Here it is"

The boss opened a page of the ledger, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards me

I didn't even glance at the ledger, just smiled at the boss

"Come on, don't show me the ledger. Just tell me the amount straight up. Why so amateurish?"

Despite my continued informal speech, the boss's expression remained unchanged

Instead, the expressions of the thugs behind him grew a bit more menacing

"Our young customer lacks manners. The principal is 3 million, interest is 12 million, so the total comes to 15 million. I'll waive the extra 30,000 won as a service~"

The magic of compound interest that turns 3 million into 15 million!

This was the essence of private loans

"Ah, no, how can the interest be…"

Han Gyeong-yeong, who had been listening, tried to argue in a trembling voice

"Don't you know about compound interest? Hah, this bastard ran away and came back, and now he's trying to argue? I ought to pickle you"

Scared by the boss's words, Han Gyeong-yeong shut his mouth

"15 million will do?"

"Young man must be loaded. Yeah, exactly 15 million and I can tear up the papers. Bring cash"

"Can I use the phone?"

The boss pushed the phone on the table towards me

"Anytime"

I called Pyeongchang-dong

― Yes, this is Ha Myung-hoon

"Chief, it's me. Could you bring 15 million won here?"

― Yes, where are you?

"Where is this place again? Just a moment"

I turned to the thugs behind me and spoke

"Hey"

The guys looked at each other with strange expressions

"You, the one on the left"

The man I pointed to looked at me with a 'really?' expression

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. Give him directions. I can't explain it well"

When I waved the receiver as if telling him to take it, the man's face contorted

"Take it and explain"

But at the boss's words, he had no choice but to take the receiver and explain the location to Chief Ha

After hanging up, I smiled at him as he glared at me murderously

The boss, who had been chuckling beside me, said

"Young friend, you've got no fear"

At those words, the smile on my face turned into a sneer

"Isn't cash king in Myeong-dong?"

"That's right. But the cash hasn't arrived yet, has it? Nothing's certain until it's here"

"Hahaha!"

A loud laugh burst from my mouth

A loan shark who didn't exist in my memory at all

Probably one of those who quietly disappeared after the financial real-name system was implemented

And yet, he was trying to intimidate me. It was quite amusing

Even though I was killed because of my uncles and the Cheongpung Group, I've been through so much as Chairman Cheon's successor in this field. And now I'm being disrespected by this punk just because I look young?

"You're laughing? Ha~ You really are crazy"

"Let's all laugh. You guys in the back, lighten up those expressions. They say laughter brings good fortune. You already look scary enough without those frowns"

Unable to contain themselves any longer, the thugs flinched visibly

The guy on the left who had taken the phone earlier burst out

"You little shit! Are you insane? Do you want to die?"

"Don't do anything you can't handle. We can just quietly give and take what we need to, and be done with it"

"This bastard!"

"Enough!"

At the boss's voice, the thug who had been walking towards me stopped in his tracks

"Boss!"

The thug turned to the boss with an aggrieved look

The boss, too, was now looking at me with turbulent eyes

"Young friend, loan sharks are more vicious than gangsters. You know that, right? We're people who'll do anything to get our money back. Don't compare us to those amateur loan sharks"

I nodded

"That's right. Loan sharks are more vicious. If they're proper ones, that is. Not like you guys with two pigs trying to act tough. Just take the money and get lost"

The boss's expression finally changed after remaining constant all this time

"Huff~ This bastard really doesn't get it. Boys!"

"Yes, boss"

"Let's teach him some manners first"

The two men's faces brightened at the boss's instructions

Han Gyeong-yeong, frightened, fled from my side

I too stood up from the sofa with a smirk. At that moment

The door behind us burst open

I didn't need to turn around to know. It was Chief Ha

And without a word, Chief Ha, who had grasped the situation at a glance, let out a disbelieving chuckle

The thugs who had been about to rush at me snarled viciously

"Who the hell is this now?"

"Hey! What are you laughing at, asshole!"

The color drained from the boss's face

"Hey, you crazy bastards! Shut up!"

The desperation in his voice echoed through the office