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Chapter 10




The Genius Grandson of the Loan King - Chapter 10 (10/840)
< Leave it to me. >
#10
Leave it to me.
I decided to be hospitalized for a few days. Even though I said I was fine, Manager Ha insisted it was absolutely necessary and made me check in.
“I won’t ask for the reason. However, I will have to inform the chairman a few days later. First, focus on recovering. I’ll take care of the rest.”
After saying that, Manager Ha never visited the hospital again until I was discharged.
Soon, Grandma, Ming-shu, and Hyun-seong came to my room.
Grandma entered crying, while Ming-shu was surprised by the large room, creating a stark contrast.
“Wow! This isn’t a hospital room; it’s a hotel, what is this?”
Grandma came to the bed, crying.
“What’s all this? Oh, Mu-hyeok. Are you badly hurt? Oh dear.”
“I’m not badly hurt. Grandma, I’m sorry. Don’t cry. I didn’t need to be hospitalized, but Manager Ha insisted. I’m not in pain.”
“Not in pain...”
I held Grandma’s hand, which was upset.
“Really. It’s just a minor injury. Don’t worry.”
“Have you eaten?”
“I just had hospital food.”
“Is hospital food any good? Is there anything you want to eat? I need to nourish my child.”
Ming-shu, looking around the room, said in a gentle tone.
“Oh, Grandma. It’s fine. Mu-hyeok didn’t get into a fight or anything. It’s just a minor scratch. They admitted him to be safe in case there were any issues later.”
I subtly signaled to Ming-shu, who nodded slightly.
“Grandma hasn’t eaten because she’s been worried about you. I’ll take her to eat.”
“Can you do that? Thank you.”
“Thank you, indeed.”
“I’m fine. You two go eat. I want to stay by my child’s side.”
“Ah, Grandma, if you don’t eat, Mu-hyeok won’t be able to rest. Let’s go eat first.”
“Okay, I’ll eat and come back.”
“...Come back quickly.”
“Eat a lot and come back.”
Grandma was reluctantly led out of the room by Hyun-seong and Ming-shu.
A little later, Ming-shu came back alone and plopped down beside my bed.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Nope. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Ming-shu looked at the bandage on my head with a somber expression.
“I’m sorry. And thank you.”
“Ah, stop it. I’m the one who’s sorry. It’s because of me that you got involved with those guys. Don’t worry about it.”
“But still...”
“Ming-shu, Myung-shu. Aren’t we friends?”
“...”
“Alright. Go eat.”
Waving him off, Ming-shu stood up again.
“But your grandfather is quite something, it seems. I heard from Hyun-seong’s dad that the police station was completely turned upside down. I thought he was just a well-off person, but he’s more than that. What does he do?”
“Later. I’ll tell you slowly.”
“Got it. Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. Go eat and let me rest.”
“Alright~ I’ll eat with Grandma~”
Ming-shu left, and I was alone in the room.
Manager Ha is probably busy cleaning up the mess right now. He’ll take care of everything—the school, the police, and the prosecution—before coming to Seoul with me.
‘Was that why he insisted on hospitalization?’
I looked at the hospital ceiling, lost in thought.
* * *
A specialty restaurant in Busan.
In a private room isolated from the outside, three men were talking, putting the food aside.
“Prosecutor General.”
“Yes, Manager Ha.”
“Our chairman...”
Manager Ha deliberately left the sentence unfinished. Prosecutor General Yun Chang-ho swallowed hard.
The position of prosecutor general at the Busan District Prosecutors' Office was not a low rank in the prosecution hierarchy.
Yet, even Prosecutor General Yun was struggling in front of Manager Ha, who was just a subordinate of Chairman Cheon.
“Manager Ha, Prosecutor General Yun didn’t know. He’s not the kind of person who would do something like that knowingly. Please speak to the chairman on his behalf.”
Lawyer Moon Su-ho defended the prosecutor general.
Under Moon Su-ho’s gaze, Prosecutor General Yun bowed repeatedly to Manager Ha.
“I really didn’t know. I didn’t know the chairman’s grandson was in Busan, and I didn’t know he was involved with Chief Hong.”
Manager Ha, looking at the top of Prosecutor General Yun’s head, asked.
“What will you do about Chief Hong?”
“I’ve suspended him and will conduct an internal investigation.”
“The Supreme Prosecutors' Office will be sending someone down soon. Please cooperate. Under no circumstances should the young master’s name be mentioned. Understand?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
“I’ll consider my report on how you handle this matter, Prosecutor General Yun.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s eat.”
Only then did they pick up their utensils.
“By the way, how will you handle the teachers at the school? I heard some teachers were involved with Chief Hong.”
Manager Ha calmly ate while Prosecutor General Yun’s mind raced.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Ah, good. I trust you. Eat, Prosecutor General. You need to go to Seoul, right?”
“Yes, yes.”
* * *
During the week I was hospitalized, Grandma never left my side. Since it was a VIP room, she had no trouble living there, but...
Ming-shu and Hyun-seong visited the room every day after school, like clockwork. Even when Hyun-seong had practice, Ming-shu would come alone and tell me everything that happened at school.
“Hey! The bald eagle and the vice principal were suddenly taken away by the police. They got caught taking bribes. Haha, that guy’s face was so red and he was shouting; it felt so good, right?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, the principal couldn’t say anything and just watched. The school atmosphere is really bad. I heard the kids who had problems with you all dropped out. Did you know?”
“No.”
Manager Ha must have taken care of it.
“What about Chul-gu? Did he drop out too?”
“No... He just didn’t say anything. He was absent at first.”
“Good, that’s a relief.”
“When are you getting discharged?”
“Tomorrow? I’ll probably go to Seoul and come back next week. Take care of Grandma and visit often.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her.”
“Haha, our Grandma.”
We laughed at each other.
Now, the Ming-shu in my memory is no longer the one with a limp. That’s enough.
After laughing for a while, Manager Ha came to the hospital.
“I’ll discharge you tomorrow morning and take you directly to Pyeongchang-dong. We’ve already explained everything to Grandma. You don’t need to prepare anything. I’ll come to pick you up in the morning.”
“Yes. Thank you, Manager.”
“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”
He left after saying that and bowing.
“Man, that guy is really to the point. He’s almost like a machine.”
“He’s a good person.”
“Haha, without the bald eagle, school is so much more enjoyable. I’m so happy.”
“What about the snake?”
“The snake is always the same. He might become the student affairs head, though.”
“Oh?”
“Oh, what, can’t he become a bit nicer?”
“If it’s the snake, he’ll be very nice. Taking bribes is unavoidable, but he doesn’t hit you for no reason. You get hit because you deserve it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Model student Kim Mu-hyeok. You have it easy.”
The next day.
Early in the morning, I left the hospital with Manager Ha after completing the discharge procedures. The hospital director and doctors came to see us off, and the people around us were staring, which was a bit embarrassing.
“Thank you, Director. The chairman might contact you. See you next time.”
“Yes, thank you. See you next time, young master.”
The doctors bowed in unison. I bowed in return and got into Manager Ha’s car.
When we arrived at Grandfather’s house in Pyeongchang-dong, the housekeeper was nowhere to be seen, and only Grandfather was waiting. Chairman Cheon had a stern expression.
“Hello, Grandfather.”
“Hmm.”
As I approached, Grandfather gestured for me to sit.
“Sit down. Manager Ha, wait outside. Come in when I call you.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Manager Ha left, and only Grandfather and I were left in the living room.
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“Everything from the beginning to the end.”
“Well...”
I told the truth without adding any unnecessary details.
Chairman Cheon listened to me without changing his expression.
“They tried to force me, so I asked for your help.”
“Couldn’t you have avoided it? Why did you do it this way?”
“If they had targeted me, I would have done as you said. But when they used people around me, I knew that avoiding it wouldn’t solve everything. If I couldn’t avoid it, I had to crush them so they wouldn’t dare again. That’s how I’ve lived and how I will continue to live.”
“Hmm...”
“I don’t want the people around me to suffer because of me. Grandma, my friends, and even you... I want to protect the people I consider family.”
“Family...”
Grandfather looked at me with a complex expression.
“To protect them, I can ask for your help, and I can do even more if necessary. I’m sorry.”
“If I hadn’t helped you, what would you have done? Would you have just given up on your life?”
“...If our connection had ended there, it would have been the end. If you had the ability to help me but chose not to, you would no longer be part of my family.”
“...”
Chairman Cheon was silent for a long time. I met his gaze without looking away.
Then, Chairman Cheon suddenly laughed.
“Haha! You’re making my old age quite interesting. Right. A man should never back down. You should use every means available.”
What I said was true, but it also aligned with Chairman Cheon’s philosophy.
It seemed to have worked, as Chairman Cheon nodded repeatedly.
“If you can’t avoid it, crush them so they can’t come back. Never forget that. If you handle it half-heartedly, they’ll come back. If you can make them your own, do it thoroughly. If you can’t, destroy them completely. Well done. I’m pleased.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
“Manager Ha! Come in.”
Manager Ha, who had been waiting nearby, came in at the sound of Grandfather’s voice.
“How did you handle it?”
“Chief Hong is under internal investigation. It’s unlikely he’ll avoid arrest. He’s taken a lot of money since his public security days, and there are issues like torture and case manipulation. The Busan prosecutor general and police chief are waiting for your decision.”
“What about the teachers?”
“The vice principal and the student affairs head, who were involved with Chief Hong, have been arrested. They took a lot of bribes, so there were no issues. All the involved students have been made to drop out, and we’ve settled things with their parents.”
Chairman Cheon glanced at me.
“Are you satisfied?”
“Yes, but Grandfather, I have one request.”
“A request?”
“Can you leave the punishment of the prosecutor general and the police chief to me?”
“Why?”
“They’re probably not sleeping well. Instead of making a fuss over someone unrelated, wouldn’t it be better to forgive them and clear their debt?”
Chairman Cheon chuckled.
“There’s a big difference between me forgiving them and you asking me to forgive them. I’ll use this opportunity to make them my own.”
“Haha, you already know how to make people your own. Go ahead. But if you do it half-heartedly, it’s better not to do it at all. Understand?”
“Yes.”
Chairman Cheon looked at Manager Ha.
“Ming-hun, did you hear that? Handle it that way. Create a position for the prosecutor general, and for the police chief... he’s too low for me to meet personally. Leave it to Manager Ha.”
“Understood.”
“Hahaha. Thanks to my grandson, my old age is quite interesting. What else will you bring me? I’m looking forward to it.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
The Chairman Cheon in my memory was a completely different person. Whether this change is because I’ve changed or because he’s always been like this but I never saw it, I need to find out.
“Hahaha, interesting. Interesting. I thought my children had failed, but Mi-suk gave me an interesting child at the end.”
But I shouldn’t think it’s too easy. Chairman Cheon is a scary person...
I quietly observed the laughing Chairman Cheon, hiding my expression.
< Leave it to me. > End