Chapter 48: Mr. Park, I’m Counting on You

Park Dong-su came up to Seoul.

He'd finished wrapping things up in Busan and arrived right on schedule. Of course, Lee Sang-geun was with him.

They'd agreed to meet at a hotel coffee shop in Jongno. I arrived there with Manager Ma.

"Hey! Little bro!"

Manager Ma's eyebrow twitched at Park Dong-su's voice.

This guy really hasn't changed a bit.

I shook my head as I sat down.

"You kept your promise, I see?"

"Of course. I didn't handle things sloppily like before. Sang-geun here wrapped up the business shares and such nice and clean, and I left the boys under Suhyeong's management."

Confidence radiated from Park Dong-su's face.

He'd been problematically soft-hearted before, but it seemed he'd toughened up while dealing with Lee Sa-seong after my ultimatum. I liked that.

That's right, you've got to be tough to be a gangster.

"Dong-su hyung, you've worked hard. Now I'll pave the way for a bright future, so just follow my lead."

Seeing his face light up at the word 'hyung', I couldn't help but smile too.

"What's that? Dong-su hyung? Wow! I'm finally being called 'hyung' by our little bro. Feels great, doesn't it, Sang-geun?"

Lee Sang-geun gave a small nod. It seemed like a gesture of complete loyalty to Park Dong-su.

With the small talk out of the way, I set the mood to properly continue our conversation.

"Mr. Park, shall we discuss business now?"

Perhaps due to the sudden change in how I addressed him, Park Dong-su stared at me intently.

I flashed him a slight smile.

"We're talking business, so we can't be all buddy-buddy, can we?"

He sighed at my words.

"Hah… Alright."

"Please be careful in front of others. Sure, I met you when I was young, so we can be informal in private, but we can't maintain that kind of relationship while working, can we? It's common in the gangster world. I'm becoming your sponsor, after all."

He nodded, seemingly agreeing with my words.

"Speaking informally is fine, but I'd appreciate it if you maintained some respect."

"Got it. So what do you want me to do now?"

His quick agreement was a good sign.

It seems he learned a thing or two while wrapping things up in Busan.

"Before that, did you look into my parents' matter?"

"Ah, that. We're asking around, so we'll contact you as soon as we find something. Like you said, if the police only investigated ex-cons back then, there might be some gangsters who were questioned. Let's wait a bit longer."

I didn't have high expectations, so I just nodded and said, "Alright."

Originally, I'd planned to start by taking over Yeongdeungpo and creating a construction company with hired muscle to make it look like a legitimate business. But now that I'd decided to take down Jo Hyun-gu's Geukseong Construction, I chose to speed things up.

"Do you know Jo Hyun-gu by any chance? He's the CEO of Geukseong Construction."

"Jo Hyun-gu? Oh, you mean that Cheongju gangster Jo Hyun-gu?"

"He was a gangster from Chungcheong-do, but now he's the CEO of a mid-sized company. You know him well?"

"I've seen him and said hello a few times at events. Just know his face, I guess? Well, I heard he bought a construction company and became a CEO. Why?"

So they do know each other.

"I'm planning to take him out. I want you to take over Geukseong Construction. Can you do it?"

"Khh- cough!"

Park Dong-su choked on his water and looked at me in surprise.

"Jo Hyun-gu isn't an easy target. He's well-connected not just in Cheongju, but with officials and politicians in Seoul too. I mean, he's a gangster who transformed into a businessman, you know."

"I'll handle the backing. Can you win if it comes to a fight? Assuming there's no interference from law enforcement."

"We'd have to face off to know for sure. Why are you trying to start a war as soon as you get here? Should we just charge in right away?"

I shook my head.

"I'll make sure the groundwork is solid before we move. But before that, I need you to do something else first."

"What is it?"

"Jo Hyun-gu has a son named Jo Chan-sung. I want you to shatter his Achilles tendon. Make him limp for the rest of his life."

"What? Not Jo Hyun-gu, but his kid?"

Park Dong-su showed clear reluctance.

I just stared at him silently.

He looked into my eyes, devoid of any emotion, and let out a sigh.

"Sigh… Little bro, even among gangsters, there are rules. We don't mess with civilians. Especially family – that's absolutely off-limits. If you do that, you'll be buried in this business."

"Do it anyway. If you want to keep working with me, you have to. This isn't a request – think of it as a test to see if you can keep up with me."

When I first met Park Dong-su on the hospital rooftop, I helped him thinking I'd use him later in the fight against the Cheongpung Group.

In my previous life, I didn't know about the power Chief Ha possessed, but now I know it's grandfather's hidden blade.

It was time to reconsider whether I really needed to use Park Dong-su as my blade.

"I know. I know and I'm still telling you to do it. If you're going to question and refuse the jobs I give you, we can't work together."

"Little bro…"

"You know my friend, right? Park Hyeonseong, Detective Park's son. That friend of mine can't do the sport he's dedicated half his life to because of Jo Hyun-gu's underling. And you're talking about rules now?"

"What? Detective Park's son was attacked?"

"Will you do it?"

But if Park Dong-su could do what I asked, even if it went against his principles, that would be reason enough to keep him around.

I'd need him for the war against the Japanese funds and yakuza entering the loan shark market later on.

After a long silence, Park Dong-su nodded.

"Alright. I'll do it."

At those words, Lee Sang-geun, who had been quiet, turned to look at Park Dong-su.

"Jo Hyun-gu struck first, they say. I'll have the boys do it like you said. But you better have my back. I'm trusting you on this."

Park Dong-su hesitated a bit before adding,

"And don't you dare betray me. There are plenty of gangsters who've ended up dead after backing powerful people. I don't want to go out like that."

"If I was planning to throw you away, I wouldn't have given you that information in Busan. Let's work together. Once we take over Geukseong Construction, even the police won't be able to touch us easily."

Park Dong-su sighed and muttered something about 'iron-hearted bastard' under his breath.

"As soon as you're done with Jo Chan-sung, we're going after Geukseong Construction. Gather your men and be ready. I'll contact you."

"Alright. Give me a week. I just got here, so I need time to prepare."

I nodded and stood up.

"Let's have a drink after we wrap up the Geukseong Construction business. I've never really had a proper drink with you, Mr. Park."

"Sure."

Park Dong-su stood up too.

I extended my hand, and he grasped it with a grin.

"Let's do well, little bro."

"Yes, Mr. Park. I'm counting on you."

After parting with Park Dong-su, I got in the car with Manager Ma.

Before we set off, Manager Ma turned from the driver's seat and asked,

"Do we really need people like that?"

"You mean gangsters?"

"Yes."

"At first, I didn't know grandfather had hidden power. I didn't know I'd get someone like you, Manager Ma. I was thinking it'd be nice to have my own blade when that guy caught my eye."

There was still a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"I've helped him a few times, and he seems like a decent person. Why throw him away if he's not useless? He follows my orders without question, and the more blades you have, the better, right?"

Manager Ma stared silently at the cold smile that appeared on my lips.

* * *

Ma Seok-dae descended the stairs, guided by an employee.

As he entered the isolated room, familiar faces greeted him.

Each one had a chilling gaze and an imposing physique that was far from ordinary.

"How long has it been since we all gathered like this?"

At Ha Myung-hoon's words, everyone looked at each other with smiling faces.

"Well, we've met here and there, but it's been hard to see Myung-hoon hyung and Seok-dae hyung. Myung-hoon hyung's been busy serving the chairman, and Seok-dae hyung just wouldn't come back from abroad."

One of them grumbled, and Ma Seok-dae laughed out loud.

"Haha, you're giving me a hard time just because we haven't seen each other for a few years?"

"It's not a hard time, it's just a younger brother whining a bit because it's been hard to see his hyungs."

Everyone couldn't hide their laughter at those words.

Ha Myung-hoon raised his glass and looked at everyone.

"Come on! We've got the chairman's permission today, so let's drink to our heart's content and die together!"

"To our brotherhood!"

They all shouted loudly as they clinked their glasses and downed their drinks.

As they chatted, the drinking session deepened.

"Seok-dae."

"Yeah?"

"I hear you've decided to follow the young master? That was quicker than I expected."

Ma Seok-dae gave Ha Myung-hoon a bitter smile.

"Well… I came back to Korea thinking I might follow him, and he seemed alright. I made up my mind when I saw him rush back to Korea as soon as he heard his friend was hurt. I thought, this guy won't abandon us, he's different from the chairman."

"Do you still resent the chairman?"

It was a cautious question.

Ma Seok-dae shook his head without much hesitation.

"Resent? How could we resent the chairman? We're all sitting here drinking together because of him. I was just young back then, that's why I took off abroad without thinking."

"That's a relief."

Ha Myung-hoon filled Ma Seok-dae's glass with a slightly relieved expression.

He drank it in one gulp as soon as he received it.

"The chairman took us in and raised us when our parents abandoned us. And he's his flesh and blood. If there's no major flaw, there's no reason not to follow him."

"He's capable. Serve him well. Any issues with what you're doing now?"

"What?"

"The young master's friend's matter."

"What are you talking about? Ask the boss directly."

"What? Look at this guy! Hahaha!"

Ha Myung-hoon laughed loudly at Ma Seok-dae's blunt response.

"Right, that's how it should be. If you're going to follow him, you should seek answers from him, even if the chairman or I ask."

"If you know, don't ask."

"Alright, you bastard."

They laughed and clinked glasses again.

* * *

A few days had passed since I'd assigned the task to Park Dong-su.

I was sitting in the back seat of the car, legs crossed, listening to Manager Ma's report.

"There weren't any major construction projects going on, probably because redevelopment permits aren't being issued under this new administration. Jo Hyun-gu and his family own most of the stocks since it's an unlisted company. It seems he's given small portions to his mid-level bosses."

I nodded, and Manager Ma in the driver's seat continued his report.

"He's been friends with Kim Se-young, a three-term ruling party congressman, since childhood and has been funding his political activities. Most of the government contracts in Cheongju are being handled by Geukseong Construction. He also wields significant influence in the Judo Association."

"So if we just get Jo Hyun-gu to transfer his stocks, we can take over Geukseong Construction without much trouble, right?"

Getting the stocks transferred wouldn't be too difficult, and once we put him in detention, everything else would fall into place.

"What about the corruption information to hand over to the prosecutors?"

"It was a comprehensive gift set of corruption. We don't even need to dig deep; just scratching the surface would be enough. Once the prosecutors decide to investigate thoroughly, he'll have a hard time avoiding detention."

"Then as soon as Park Dong-su deals with Jo Chan-sung, let's hand over the evidence to the prosecutors. Please prepare it."

Manager Ma silently bowed his head in acknowledgment as I got out of the car.

Today, I had an appointment to meet Chief Prosecutor Yoon at a Korean restaurant in Seocho-gu.

After waiting for a few minutes, the door opened and Chief Prosecutor Yoon entered.

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

"Not at all, I just got here myself."

He hung his coat on the hanger and sat down with a smile.

"How have you been lately? No problems on your end? I hear even all the way in Seocho that loan sharks are lamenting about their funds being tied up."

"The chairman isn't someone who'd be concerned about such trivial matters, is he? We got through it without any major issues. Though we did incur some losses."

"Haha, that's Chairman Cheon for you."

We chatted about recent happenings over dinner.

As we were about to drink sujeonggwa, Chief Prosecutor Yoon brought up the topic.

"I looked into Geukseong Construction a bit after hearing from you. Isn't it too small for the chairman to be targeting?"

"As I mentioned before, this isn't the chairman's business, but my personal matter. I'm determined to bury CEO Jo Hyun-gu."

"Hmm…"

No immediate response, huh…

I put down the sujeonggwa I was drinking and looked at him.

"Is it difficult, Chief Prosecutor?"

A deep smile spread across my lips.