Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Resolve

It’s clearly a very good method.

'But if it’s Uncle, he’s not the type who would obediently hand over that document even if I ask for it. And I can’t forcibly take it either.'

Nothing I can do.

Shall I take a slightly longer detour?

I looked straight into the uncle’s eyes.

“Uncle, they say the courage of the powerless is recklessness. Do you want to stop the forced demolition? Do you not want to see the shantytown people getting hurt? Then you need to have that much power. If you don’t have power right now, either bring in someone who does.”

Uncle Cheol-gu opened his eyes wide.

“To hit the exact center of the target, you have to aim above it. If you want to stop U-gwang Construction, aim above them. Look at the line carefully.”

Hoping he would take my words to heart and save his life.

“You should prepare in case something happens to Uncle. Even rabbits dig multiple paths when digging a burrow, you know.”

I decided to end the meddling here.

‘If he has a head, he’ll find a way to survive on his own.’

My sincerity and goodwill only went that far.

But as I spoke, something suddenly bothered me.

The words the guy said while torturing Uncle Cheol-gu kept circling in my mind.

-I’m asking why a bastard who should be investigating the background of spies has been uselessly investigating the background of U-gwang Construction!

-Do you know how many people have been put in a difficult position because of you?

-Hurry up and spit out the backer. It’s Taeseong Construction, right? It is Taeseong Construction.

-Insensitive bastard. I’m saying it’s Taeseong Construction.

That guy must have been one of the people who were put in a difficult position because Uncle was investigating the background of U-gwang Construction.

The upper ranks of the KCIA intervened to cover for U-gwang.

The problem here.

‘Why is U-gwang targeting Taeseong?’

It was strange.

What are they trying to do by even extracting a false confession and pointing to Taeseong as the backer?

‘As far as I know, U-gwang and Taeseong were intertwined by marriage ties and helping each other, so why are they in such a frenzy trying to devour each other now?’

It clearly seems like something is hidden.

If not that, then why is that document shining with golden light like that?

I’m dying of curiosity.

So I asked outright.

“What part of U-gwang Construction did Uncle touch?”

“Related to the subway construction bidding······. Damn, I got caught again. This damn cunning kid, really······.”

Subway construction bidding?

Ha, I think I roughly know how the situation is unfolding.

I got the sense!

*

“Auntie, I’m here.”

“Yes, Jeong-hyeok’s mom. Come in.”

The landlord’s grandmother warmly welcomed Jeong-hyeok’s mom.

“What did you call me for?”

“It seems we won’t be able to use the coal boiler today.”

The grandmother said with a troubled face.

“Jeong-hyeok’s mom also knows the situation in this neighborhood these days. We don’t know when the demolition contractors will barge in and destroy everything. I’m really sorry, Jeong-hyeok’s mom.”

This is all because of the forced demolition.

Both Jeong-hyeok’s mom and the landlord’s grandmother knew that it was a situation where it was difficult to spend a large amount of money to replace the coal boiler.

“So, this is the deposit and this month’s room fee. You need at least this to find a house to move to.”

The landlord’s grandmother pushed a bundle of cash forward.

“It seems the forced demolition will start soon. It would be better to take Jeong-hyeok and leave quickly before seeing any rough sights.”

I was planning to do that anyway.

In the cardigan pocket was the housing lottery that Jeong-hyeok had put in.

Jeong-hyeok’s mom looked down at the bundle of bills the landlord’s grandmother handed over blankly.

“What are you going to do, Auntie?”

“I’ll hold out as long as I can.”

The landlord’s grandmother smiled bitterly.

“I thought that once I came this far, it was time to leave without lingering attachments. But it’s not as easy as I thought.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m lingering. This house is one that the late Cheol-gu’s father built with his own hands. Maybe that’s why. My feet just won’t leave.”

The grandmother looked around the house with eyes filled with longing and said.

“Is Jeong-hyeok’s mom the same?”

“What?”

“I returned the deposit a month ago too. Both then and now. It just seems like there’s a separate reason you can’t leave lightly. Is it because of Jeong-hyeok’s father?”

Jeong-hyeok’s mom couldn’t say anything for a moment.

But she soon shook her head.

“It’s not like that. That person probably doesn’t even know I’m here.”

Jeong-hyeok’s mom took the money.

“I was thinking of going to a real estate agency anyway.”

“Good thinking.”

The landlord’s grandmother tightly held Jeong-hyeok’s mom’s hand.

“Live well wherever you go.”

“Thank you for everything.”

* * *

Uncle Cheol-gu habitually took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Perhaps because I was in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to light it and just scratched the back of his head several times.

I also quietly closed my mouth and organized my thoughts.

‘Since Subway Line 1, which opened in ’74, was a great success, the government must be ambitiously pushing the construction of Line 2.’

The construction of Subway Line 2, a circular line, passes through Seoul’s major points.

For large domestic construction companies, it was something they would rush into with eyes blazing.

‘It’s not simply at the level of winning the construction and raising sales and performance. Places where Subway Line 2 passes will see land prices jump hundreds of times.’

The land of Seoul City has become the entire gambling stake.

A large board means the flesh to bite into is also large.

Probably high-ranking figures in politics and government are involved one after another.

‘The capital gains from buying and reselling land around subway stations will be much larger than the construction itself. They’ll also thickly grease the palms of high-ranking political and government figures and leave their mark.’

I could clearly see why U-gwang was checking Taeseong and playing tricks.

It was before the marriage ties between Taeseong and U-gwang were formed.

‘In the past, it was U-gwang, not Taeseong, that won the Subway Line 2 construction.’

On a certain day right before the subway construction bidding proceeded, the president called the chairman of Taeseong and got greatly angry, they said.

In that way, Taeseong Construction was game over.

The competitor U-gwang won the Subway Line 2 construction and monopolized the capital gains by buying land near the subway stations on a large scale.

‘If this is something that involves not only Uncle Cheol-gu’s life but also Father, the story changes again.’

Honestly, I was planning to repay the favor of saving Mother’s life with advice to save the uncle’s life.

This uncle has good luck.

Now that I know our father is in charge of Taeseong Construction, this has become something that’s hard to just overlook and pass by?

I whispered subtly.

“Uncle, in case of emergency, it would be good to keep a separate copy of that document.”

“What?”

I looked around and said in an even smaller voice.

“Who knows? A secretly set-aside copy might become a lifeline in a critical moment.”

To save Uncle Cheol-gu’s life as well, and to obtain a weapon to defeat the competitor.

This has become another reason to call Father as soon as possible, hasn’t it?

“Jeong-hyeok!”

Mother is calling.

“Hurry and pack the luggage. We need to hurry if we want to get a room at an inn before it gets dark.”

I grinned toward Uncle Cheol-gu.

“Just think of it as digging one more rabbit burrow. Retreat routes are originally better the more there are.”

I turned my back without lingering and ran to Mother.

Mother was packing clothes into a large travel bag.

“Shall we go to a real estate agency with Mom tomorrow? To look at apartments.”

“Yes!”

It was the answer I had been waiting for.

“Have you decided where to move?”

“Hmm, as you said, how about Apgujeong-dong or Daechi-dong, or Banpo-dong or Seocho-dong.”

An excellent choice.

Neighborhoods in Gangnam where land prices are rising sharply.

In the past, many of the real estate properties I was diligently scraping up were concentrated there.

* * *

We entered an inn in Myeongdong.

“Jeong-hyeok, do you want to watch TV here? Mom thinks she needs to go out for a bit in front.”

Mother took her coin purse and notebook.

I know what’s written in that notebook.

The phone number with only one written.

This must be Mother’s business.

“Have a good trip.”

Good. I also have something separate to do anyway.

Mother has made a big decision, so as her son, I need to support her properly.

“When I come back, Mom will buy something delicious. So you have to wait quietly, okay?”

“Of course. Don’t worry and take care of your business.”

Mother left.

I lay down in a big character shape on the warm floor and looked at the room ceiling.

‘What should I call you? Guardian deity, underworld messenger, the bonus King Yama attached. Whatever it is, come out right now.’

[Call me guardian deity.]

As expected, the underworld messenger rose up like a shadow.

This was exactly my business.

[How dare you speak casually to me. Arrogant for a mere human.]

‘Then let’s include that and have a conversation.’

[Was there something that needed to be said between us?]

‘Of course there is.’

There’s one thing I deliberately didn’t bring up in front of King Yama and left behind.

So let’s settle the accounts properly from now on.

‘I’ve never heard of an underworld messenger acting as someone’s guardian deity since I was born. They’d be busy enough guiding the way to the Yellow Springs, yet attaching such high-grade personnel as a guardian deity? Anyone can see this is a waste of resources.’

[So?]

‘After the truth was revealed by the Mirror of Karma, I was curious why you were trembling so much. Why of all people you became my guardian deity, I thought carefully about the reason.’

No matter how I look at it, it’s strange.

‘Spit it out straight. The false accusation that I sold out the country in my past life, the heavenly punishment, the wretchedly unfortunate harsh life. All of that was because of you, right?’

The underworld messenger flinched greatly.

Oho, you’re caught red-handed!

‘Still, is casual speech unacceptable?’

[Casual speech, I will accept it.]

The circumstantial evidence has solidified into certainty.

‘If you promise to obediently cooperate as I wish from now on, I’m willing to cover it up without asking or questioning.’

[I will actively cooperate. I will do my best.]

‘Good. Then fly to the Taeseong Group chairman’s house right now. There’s one thing you need to do there.’

[Hmm?]

I pointed at my temples and grinned.

‘The thing you did to the landlord’s grandmother last time. Entering someone else’s dream.’

[Somehow, I think I know whose dream I need to visit.]

The underworld messenger also grinned.

[I’ll go and come back.]

* * *

Jeong-hyeok’s mom found the public phone booth at the neighborhood entrance.

“Hoo······.”

She held the public phone receiver and steadied her breathing for a long time.

Her whole body trembled slightly from tension.

She didn’t know how many times she wiped the sweat that kept forming on her palms with a handkerchief.

She yielded her turn to the person waiting behind once, twice, three times.

Only after yielding to more than ten people was she able to muster the courage.

“Okay. I can do it. For Jeong-hyeok’s sake.”

For the sake of her son’s future, there is nothing she can’t do.

The resolve to willingly endure whatever humiliation pours down!

The will to handle it even if the child is taken away!

Such determination could be seen in Jeong-hyeok’s mom’s eyes.

Ring ring. Ring ring. Click.

-Hello?

A thick voice.

She knew well whose voice this was.

“Oh, it’s been a while, Chairman Cha. This is Lee Su-jin. The youngest son Seong-jun and······.”

-Oh! I was waiting for your call anyway.

“······?”

Jeong-hyeok’s mom tilted her head.

Chairman Cha, famous by the nickname Flame Bulldozer.

She had called after firmly resolving that a sudden firestorm would fall due to that hot-tempered nature.

What is this? This enthusiastic welcome?