I haven't been here in a very long time. In my previous life, I didn't even have the leisure to visit this place.
I can't even remember their faces.
My parents, whom I only remember from photographs, were smiling in those pictures.
The names were written there:
Deceased Kim Jin-ho
Deceased Cheon Mi-suk
No tears came.
Thinking back now, there were some suspicious points about my parents' deaths.
Although it was treated as a simple robbery, the culprit was never caught, and it remains unsolved.
This time, I resolved to investigate thoroughly.
"Mom, Dad. This time, I will live properly. Watch over me from heaven. I will definitely uncover the truth about your deaths."
Beside me, my grandmother was wiping away her tears sorrowfully.
My grandmother. The poor woman who lost her only son.
I hugged her.
"Is this okay?"
"Just stay still. Grandma."
The struggle between my grandmother trying to pull away and me trying to hold on ended with my victory.
Holding my grandmother, I looked at my parents' photos again.
"Grandma, live a long life."
"Of course. I have to see my grandson get married."
"Okay."
When we left the columbarium, it was already dusk.
"Let's have dinner and then go home."
"What?"
"Just because. I want to treat you to something delicious. Let's go, Grandma!"
I held her hand tightly and walked slowly, matching her pace.
The sun had set above our heads.
I felt both proud and empty.
The day I would go to Seoul for college was approaching.
One day, Chairman Cheon visited my grandmother at our Busan home.
When he said he wanted to talk alone, I reluctantly went outside.
"Why did you ask me to leave, Manager Ha? What did the two of you want to talk about?"
"I don't know."
"Hmm."
"Chairman Cheon coming all the way to Busan means he acknowledges you as a relative. It's not a bad thing, is it?"
"Right?"
"Yes."
Manager Ha didn't say anything more after that.
* * *
"Relative. I'm sorry for coming so late."
Chairman Cheon bowed to Jo Gyeong-ja.
Jo Gyeong-ja waved her hands, not knowing what to do.
"Oh, sir. You don't have to do that for me. Just for Mu-hyuk..."
"You've raised Mu-hyuk until now, haven't you? In the past, your son and our daughter... they eloped, and I forgot about it, but now let's keep in touch."
"Yes..."
While Jo Gyeong-ja wiped her eyes at the mention of her son and daughter-in-law, Chairman Cheon waited silently.
"Are you not going to Seoul with us, relative?"
"I want to stay here. I don't know how to read, and I don't have any connections in a place where I don't know anyone."
"I see."
"Mu-hyuk asked me to go with him, but I said no. I want to live and die here."
"Hmm... Then I'll make sure you have everything you need."
"Oh! Sir, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."
They continued talking about Mu-hyuk for quite a while.
* * *
The front door opened, and my grandfather came out.
"Go in. When will you tell me about the bet?"
"When I go to Seoul."
"Right. I heard you're worried about you from your relative. Take good care of yourself. See you in Seoul."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Manager Ha opened the back door for Chairman Cheon to get in.
After the car door closed, Chairman Cheon rolled down the window and asked again.
"Can I expect something from you?"
"Yes."
The door closed, and the car started moving. When the car was out of sight, I went back inside.
Grandma's eyes were slightly red.
"Grandma! What did you talk about?"
"Nothing much. We talked about your future."
"But why are your eyes red? Did you cry?"
Grandma wiped her eyes.
"Ah, just..."
"What? What did he say?"
"..."
"Tell me. What did he say?"
Under my persistent questioning, tears finally burst from Grandma's eyes.
Taking the tissue I offered, she sobbed.
"Your father... He said he was sorry for opposing you and your mother, which led to both of your deaths. When I heard that... I thought of your father and mother... Even now, what good does it do? But I hope they are living well in heaven."
"..."
It was the first time I faced the deep-seated pain in Grandma's heart.
I pulled her close and hugged her tightly.
Grandma, who had been crying, finally sobbed uncontrollably.
"Grandma, let me take care of you. I'll be your child, not just your grandson."
I held her tightly and stayed silent.
After a while, Grandma calmed down and pulled away from my embrace.
"How did you grow so tall, my child?"
"I've been taller than you since middle school, Grandma."
"Yes, you really have grown well."
A few days later.
Before going to Seoul, I went to a nearby restaurant with Park Dong-su, who had come to my house.
"What? You're buying me drinks at a good place?"
"Let's just eat here, Uncle."
"Damn. Even if you're buying, it's still a pain."
Park Dong-su grumbled but sat down.
His younger brothers took seats around our table.
"Hey, what's good here?"
His voice was loud.
"Uncle, the eel stew here is good."
"Is that so? Bring a big one of that eel stew. And a bottle of soju! You guys order what you want."
"Yes, brother."
When the auntie brought the soju, Park Dong-su immediately opened the bottle and poured half a glass into a beer mug.
"Let's have a refreshing drink?"
What, pouring half a bottle of soju at once?
"Hmm... Okay. Just the first glass."
"Wow! You're a man, a real man!"
We clinked glasses and did a shot.
"Ah! That's the taste."
Park Dong-su's exclamation and my lack of reaction strangely matched.
"Wow! Look at this kid, his expression doesn't change at all. Can he drink well?"
"I don't drink."
"Ha ha ha. I see. But what's your real identity? You have a lot of information, you study well, and you fight well."
"I'm Kim Mu-hyuk, a twenty-year-old college student."
"Ah, you're really funny. Hey! Two more bottles of soju."
When he tried to pour soju into a beer mug again, I stopped him and offered a soju glass.
Park Dong-su looked at me, chuckled, and filled the soju glass to the brim. He then poured half a glass into his beer mug and raised his glass.
"So, what should I do now?"
"How did you handle the situation at the nightclub?"
"That guy is a bit naive, but he's a close friend, so I sent him to manage the Boksu area. I left him alone because he didn't have any muscle, but thanks to you, he now has some muscle."
Park Dong-su smiled, saying, "Killing two birds with one stone."
"Then are you managing Nampo and Boksu? All of them?"
"Well... Nampo, Yeongdo, Boksu... I've taken over the entire Jung District. It was originally our territory, and most of the troublemakers were caught, so there wasn't a big fight. What should I do now?"
Park Dong-su asked, pouring more soju.
"First, find a lawyer. Then establish a legitimate security company. Clean up your act that way."
"And then?"
"First, completely take over Busan. Make sure you don't get caught by the authorities. You have connections with the police and prosecutors, right? Bribe them generously and manage them well."
"Will that be enough?"
"Taking over Busan is easy?"
Park Dong-su chuckled.
"Most of them are in jail, leaving only the small fry. I can do it in a year."
I decided to trust his confidence.
"Then take over first. Absolutely don't touch drugs. Drug enforcement is getting much stricter. It's much tougher than before, so even with connections, it's difficult. Work on transitioning from the shadows to the light slowly."
"Huh, to the light?"
Park Dong-su laughed bitterly.
"We can't go to the light. If I go to the light, another guy like me will come from the shadows and take over. Then it will be war again."
"Ha ha ha. Uncle, I'm not saying to go to the light completely. I'm saying to wear a mask of the light. Why be a gangster if you're going to do legitimate work?"
"What?"
Park Dong-su, after drinking the soju he poured, continued.
"Seoul gangsters have already started the process of corporatization. Busan needs to do it soon, or you'll be eaten by the Seoul guys. Gangsters have their networks, so they probably know about it... First, corporatize. That's the priority. Take over Busan, and then we'll work on expanding to Seoul separately."
Park Dong-su poured soju into his beer mug and drank it in one go.
"Damn, listening to you, I feel like I'm being swept away. So, take over