Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Negotiation (2)

“Don’t you want to seize a big opportunity this time with Seoul City land as collateral?”

This kind of thing is more important than my age.

A golden opportunity to firmly seize a big share!

“Hmm.”

As expected. Having smelled the money, Master licked his lips with his tongue.

But this gentleman, even at times like this, doesn’t bite right away and probes.

“Is there any land in Seoul City these days that doesn’t rise in price? Kid, you don’t need to worry. I’m sweeping up most lands on my own.”

“You would. But what if it’s a board that Taeseong Construction and U-gwang Construction are jumping into and growing?”

Then the story changes.

Gulp!

Master’s Adam’s apple bobbed greatly.

“The Gangnam apartment sales boom? How many times more will it jump at most? On the other hand, this is on a different dimension from real estate speculation involving such pittances. Seoul City land itself has risen as the stake.”

Master’s eyes flashed.

The same was true for Secretary Kim.

“Subway Line 2 construction!”

“Is it the Subway Line 2 bidding?”

I nodded.

“With Gangnam development, a railway line connecting Gangnam and Gangbuk became necessary, and to build a large circular line for the major downtown areas of Seoul that Subway Line 1 doesn’t pass through. A major construction with a total route distance of 48.8 km and an expected bidding price of about 180 billion won was planned.”

“······.”

“The subway is free from the noise and dust generated by railways, preserves the ground functions and aesthetics of the city, and is an important national facility also used as an air-raid shelter from North Korean shelling or bombing.”

“······.”

“Also, it disperses the concentrated road traffic in downtown Seoul, reduces travel time, and has many advantages such as speed, accuracy, safety, mass transport, comfort, low pollution, and low cost, so it is a national project that the government is pushing with great effort.”

“······.”

“On top of that, not only convenience facilities like drinking water and toilets, but also underground shopping malls where food and emergency clothing can be supplied are planned to be included. That is, it means the nearby commercial area will revive and the floating population will explode.”

“······.”

Master pointed at me with that expression again and looked at Secretary Kim.

Then Secretary Kim answered with a sigh.

“I said he’s seven years old.”

These gentlemen, really from earlier!

I said my age isn’t important right now?

“For that reason, even in major downtown areas, land prices near places where the subway opens and near subway stations are expected to skyrocket to an unprecedented degree.”

I grinned.

“Naturally, if you only have internal information of the construction company in charge of the subway construction at this point? You can know before others where the subway stations go in and preempt the land at a cheap price, right?”

For Master, who increases his wealth by preempting well-located land, it would be information coveted enough to make his eyes turn.

It was the reason high-ranking government officials and political figures rush in with their eyes turned upside down.

‘During the past Gangnam development, high-ranking officials such as the Blue House security office raised capital gains in this way to prepare political funds and fill their own vaults.’

I know that, Master knows that, U-gwang knows that, Taeseong knows that.

But Master pretended not to know and said.

“Honestly speaking, I do covet the land near subway stations. But if you’re going to extract my hard-earned 8 million won for that reason, it should have been someone from U-gwang who came, not you! Isn’t that right?”

It meant that if U-gwang takes charge of the subway construction, they will use internal information to sweep up land near the subway stations.

Secretary Kim snorted.

“Elder, you think U-gwang has risen to a more advantageous position than our Taeseong?”

“Of course. Isn’t that the fact?”

“No way. This Subway Line 2 construction will be won by our Taeseong.”

“Wouldn’t it be difficult? This time U-gwang is one step ahead. Word has reached here that they properly cooked the high-ranking officials.”

Who gives the subway construction order?

It’s given by the high-ranking officials who directly plan and push urban development.

‘U-gwang is a representative company that grew through collusion between politics and business during the military regime. They tried to win the construction not by construction performance or the lowest bidding price, but by bribing high-ranking government officials.’

Anyway, the bidding price and the bidding process are conducted privately.

This was an era when transparency of information disclosure was thrown to the dogs and collusion between politics and business was rampant.

“To prevent U-gwang from winning the construction with bribes, you need a weapon comparable to that. This is it.”

I shook the document folder left and right.

It was a ledger that detailed the amount of bribes distributed by U-gwang and the list of high-ranking public officials who received improper solicitations.

“Right now, the government is raising the banner of eradicating corruption to root out the corruption of high-ranking public officials, right?”

The public’s gaze toward the government is not favorable.

Since it’s a government that seized power by staging a coup anyway.

Worried about being disliked by the people, they pretended to be very clean on the outside.

A government that works well and is clean, a government that revives the economy and serves the people.

Eradicating corruption was part of such image packaging.

“What if His Excellency the President learns of this? Will they leave the high-ranking public officials and U-gwang who openly committed the bribery solicitations forbidden by the government alone?”

It’s unconditional execution.

They will purge them in front of the people as an example.

And they will shout once more.

A government that works well and is clean, a government that revives the economy and serves the people does not tolerate corruption and is doing its best to eradicate irregularities.

“The one who actually distributed the bribes is U-gwang, but the one who has to grant the solicitations is the person who has this ledger, right?”

That is, a weapon to threaten high-ranking public officials, and a leash to recruit high-ranking operatives.

There would be no more coveted sword than this in the board of big shots.

A sword that can cut the necks of annoying high-ranking officials if necessary.

“A hit list of high-ranking officials. Depending on how this is used, the construction bidding results will change. What do you think?”

As the bait shook in front of his eyes, Master’s pupils also shook back and forth following the document folder.

“You already secured a business card that allows one request to Secretary Kim earlier. What are you hesitating for?”

“Ahem!”

“Just 8 million won. It’s not even the price of one Gangnam apartment?”

“Hmph, no way! The biggest problem still remains!”

Master said decisively.

“Whether that ledger is real or not! That’s not even certain from the start, so what am I supposed to trust and give money for?”

“Then check it yourself.”

I leisurely extended my hand toward the inside of the pawnshop.

“One phone call should be enough.”

“Umm!”

“The person who made this ledger is called KCIA agent Park Cheol-gu. Do you know him or not?”

“Fine. Excuse me for a moment.”

Master slammed the pawnshop iron bars shut with a bang.

Then he went out through the inner passage of the pawnshop.

Secretary Kim smiled while stroking his chin.

“Young Master, how about this?”

“······?”

“Sell that ledger to Taeseong. I’ll give 10 million won generously.”

Secretary Kim’s eyes never left the document folder.

I wondered why he was coveting an item whose authenticity hadn’t been confirmed yet.

I realized the difference from Master.

‘He must have caught Uncle Cheol-gu while investigating my background.’

Probably Secretary Kim had information I didn’t know.

So he must be openly coveting this ledger like this.

“Even if the young master sells it to the pawnshop, it will eventually come to us. Because I intend to obtain that no matter what means I use.”

Probably in his head, he was drawing a picture of how to shake the people connected to U-gwang with that bribe ledger.

I grinned.

“That’s up to you, Uncle.”

Originally, when competitors increase, the seller becomes advantageous!

I just had to wait for the winner of this competition with a relaxed mind.

From the beginning, my goal was to secure the 18 million won lacking for the house contract.

‘Hey, guardian deity.’

Snap.

[Why? Again? What? What’s the matter?]

‘That thing you did earlier. The one that let me overhear the lottery wives’ conversation. Do that once.’

[Ah, this?]

The sound coming from inside the pawnshop became clear and distinct.

* * *

A secret room prepared inside the pawnshop.

There was a man organizing secret documents there.

Master frowned and ordered.

“Call the KCIA. If there’s an agent named Park Cheol-gu among them, tell them to switch the call.”

“Yes, Elder.”

After a moment, the man hung up the phone.

“Elder, the KCIA agent named Park Cheol-gu has been dragged to the Seobinggo basement right now, they say.”

“Dragged to the water torture room? For what?”

“He got caught while investigating the background of U-gwang Construction, they say.”

“Umm!”

“Certain circumstances were detected so they dragged him, but when they searched, that confidential document didn’t come out. It seems he hid it perfectly.”

The man held out a few documents he had been organizing to Master.

“This is news that just came in. Right now U-gwang is moving with eyes blazing. They say they mobilized the entire secretariat personnel and met newspaper and broadcasting station people.”

“Blocking in advance in case it spreads to the media?”

“On top of that, the upper ranks of the KCIA also moved. They say KCIA agents were largely mobilized and are arresting Park Cheol-gu’s acquaintances.”

Master flipped through the documents the man handed over and listened to the rest.

“They overturned Park Cheol-gu’s house using contractors and started forced demolition. They even set fire to the shantytown.”

“Because it’s annoying, they’re trying to burn it all cleanly and erase it.”

“It must be like that. Whether hidden in the house or hidden in the neighboring house. Erasing it would be better than finding it. Even though quite a few casualties occurred from the fire, the media is silent.”

“Hmm. They really cooked them well here and there.”

That was U-gwang’s specialty.

Along with omnidirectional bribe distribution, they formed sticky connections here and there.

They had no hesitation in using South Korea’s chronic diseases of school ties, regional ties, and blood ties.

“By the way, regarding the document U-gwang is looking for. They say there’s a torn part in the middle.”

“A torn part?”

“When they searched Park Cheol-gu’s desk, that was the only thing that came out. They say it’s part of the slush fund details that U-gwang gave to Assemblyman Choi Il-tae?”

“We’ll know if we check. Whether that is the original written by that KCIA agent or not.”

Master placed the documents received from the man on the desk with a thud.

“Open the safe.”

“Yes, how much shall I take out?”

“Cash 18 million won.”

Experience and insight so far say.

That is the original ledger that U-gwang and the KCIA are searching for with their eyes turned upside down.

* * *

Master came out from the inner passage of the pawnshop.

He opened the iron bars that had been closed again.

Through the gap for putting items, Master’s hand stuck out.

“It’s an 8-million-won transaction. First, I need to confirm the item.”

“If you wish.”

I obediently handed over the ledger.

Master flipped through the pages with a rustle and stopped at one part.

The paper was largely torn.

At the very top of that page, the characters ‘Assemblyman Choi Il-tae’ caught the eye.

Thud.

Master closed the ledger.

“A kid with great skills. Good, I’ll buy this for 8 million won. The watch, the business card, and this ledger, a total of 18 million won.”

He pushed a thick-looking paper envelope toward me.

But I also pushed that paper envelope back toward Master in the same way.

“You’re hasty. The negotiation isn’t over yet?”