The Genius Grandson of the Loan King - Chapter 13 (13/840)
< Twenty, First Experience. >
#13
Twenty, First Experience.
In Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, at Chairman Cheon's house.
Chairman Cheon was laughing so loudly that it seemed the living room would shake.
"Hahaha! Crazy bastard!"
"Sir Chairman, are you feeling good?"
"Did you not see that interview? That guy is just that guy."
"Young Master is also quite straightforward."
On the TV, Muhyuk's interview was playing.
Seeing Muhyuk's face, which was not only calm but also shameless, Secretary Ha shook his head.
"Hahaha! That's how a man should be. Yeah, that's right."
But it seemed that the interview perfectly matched Chairman Cheon's taste.
After laughing for a while, Chairman Cheon, with a smile on his face, asked:
"Right. Have you set up the meeting with the in-law? I told him I want to meet him alone, not with Muhyuk."
"Yes, but it's difficult for you to move alone... I think you should go down there, Sir Chairman."
"That won't be a problem."
"Then I'll prepare."
Chairman Cheon couldn't take his eyes off the TV, and his lips kept twitching.
"I felt so relieved when I talked to that old man from Il Sung Group today. He used to look down on us, saying we only know money and are ignorant. He boasted about how all his children went to Korean universities and famous foreign universities..."
"But those people are now coming here to borrow money from you, Sir Chairman. Even if they curse you behind your back, they still have to wait for hours to ask for your help."
When Secretary Ha rarely agreed, Chairman Cheon nodded with satisfaction.
"I didn't even finish primary school, and I just made money. My children weren't good at studying either. But Ji-soo and that guy are saving my face. Ji-soo was pretty good, right?"
"Yes, he went to Korea University. At that time, you gave him 1% of Il Sung Electronics as a gift, didn't you?"
"That's right, that's right."
The smile on Chairman Cheon's face gradually faded.
"How is the president-elect doing?"
"There's no particular movement yet. I heard they are preparing for the transition committee and selecting people. Two of your people have been assigned, but where should they be placed?"
"Two?"
"Yes, this government, even though it's the ruling party, has a different color from the military regime. So, we can't ask for too much..."
"Alright. I understand without you saying it. Two... Where do you think is good?"
After a moment of thought, Secretary Ha spoke.
"First, we need one in the economic division, and I think it's good to place one in the political division."
"Political?"
"Isn't the political division the largest? I heard they handle security and prosecution."
"Hmm."
After a short moment of thought, Chairman Cheon nodded.
"Do it that way. They will go directly to the Blue House, right?"
"Most likely. We plan to place a chief of the civil affairs office from our side."
While stroking his chin, Chairman Cheon thought about something and then brought up another topic.
"What are the two doing?"
"Well..."
After a moment of hesitation, Secretary Ha spoke.
"The second president is doing something without the first president knowing."
"Really? Is it a problem?"
"He's involved with gangsters, so it's a bit..."
"What? Gangsters?"
Chairman Cheon's brows furrowed.
"Aren't all the big organizations already under control?"
"Two organizations protected by the Cheongpung Association are secretly growing. They are disguised as companies and act like businessmen without causing violent incidents."
"What are they doing?"
"It seems they are involved in the slot machine business."
"Useless guy. All he does is run a gambling business?"
"But it's the first time he's done something separately from the first president. It seems he received help from his father-in-law."
Chairman Cheon clicked his tongue.
"He's probably just cleaning up after his in-law. It's not good to be involved in such things..."
"Is there a problem?"
"Keep a close eye on it."
"Yes."
After the conversation ended, a smile gradually spread across Chairman Cheon's face.
"No matter how I think about it, I really like Muhyuk. If he were my son, how great would it be?"
"..."
That day, Chairman Cheon called several places and was deeply immersed in boasting about his grandson.
"No... Our grandson, you know. Yes, the one who got a perfect score this time, Kim Muhyuk. He's my grandson..."
* * *
Even as the new year dawned, my daily life remained unchanged. I will start my real activities when I go to Seoul, but for now, I focus on spending time with my grandmother.
I left the house to go for my morning exercise.
How long had I been running? A car stopped next to me.
"Hey! Dong-sang!"
Turning my head, I saw Park Dong-soo's face, grinning as he lowered the window.
"Brother, aren't you going too far? I told you last time."
"Ha-ha! You haven't changed, have you?"
"Are you finally moving?"
Park Dong-soo nodded.
"It's time to move. I need to fill the gap left by Brother Sa-seong."
"Are you still calling him brother? You know better than anyone what happened when he was caught. If it's about gangster loyalty, I have nothing to say."
"Tsk, you crazy guy. Do you tell a gangster he's a gangster? This world is like that. It's important to have a reason. But we need to take care of Brother Sa-seong, who will be there for life. Isn't that right, guys?"
"Right, brother."
You're crazy.
"Whatever, do as you please. But after the change in government, you won't be able to openly use knives like before unless you have the government's protection."
"That's true, right?"
"Yes."
"Hey, Dong-sang. I heard you're studying? You're good at sports and studies, huh? I'm so envious."
I lightly ignored his nonsense.
"I'm telling you this because of the connection I saw at the hospital. It will be very different from before. My advice is to focus on legal business. You'll need to use violence, but for now, try to balance between legal and illegal activities. Loopholes are not illegal."
Park Dong-soo frowned.
"I don't know. I'm not smart enough to do that..."
"Ha-ha-ha. You don't need to do that yourself. Hire smart people, like lawyers. Create a legal company and do the rest... You know what I mean, right?"
"Hmm..."
"Start with Busan. Then, when you come to Seoul, I'll help you. Mutual aid, got it?"
"Hey, Dong-sang. What's your real identity?"
"Later... Start with Busan. I'll come to you in the future. See you then. Sir!"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha, I'm looking forward to it. Let's go, guys!"
I followed the moving car with my eyes.
When the car was out of sight, I started running again.
'Will he do well? I don't know if he can handle the Cheongpung Association's cleaners alone, but if I make a hidden knife, it will help.'
The sweat I had worked up dried quickly, perhaps due to the cold winter wind.
At the end of my exercise, Myung-soo and Hyun-seong were waiting.
"Hey! Why are you so late?"
"Sorry. I met someone I knew and talked for a bit."
"Who?"
"There is. Such a person."
"What? This guy?"
Myung-soo wiggled his pinky finger.
I grabbed his pinky and slightly bent it.
"Ah! Ah! Damn, it hurts! Stop it. I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"
Myung-soo, in pain, grabbed his finger and glared at me.
"Damn you."
"But why did you ask to meet here? What are you going to do?"
"Now we're adults, right? Twenty years old! Let's go to my dad's place and have some drinks."
I looked at Myung-soo, who was grinning, with a narrow eye.
"Already hooked."
"Hey, hey! I've been studying for three years. And even in college, I'll only study. We need to try this now. Isn't that right, Hyun-seong?"
"Hmm."
Hyun-seong didn't answer, but he seemed to be a bit hopeful.
"Ah... Alright, let's go. Go!"
"I told my dad. I was going to book a room, but I just got a table. It's our first night, so let's enjoy it properly."
"Hmm, hmm."
"Ah... You guys are still immature."
"Ha, Kim Muhyuk, you're putting on a show. Anyone would think you go there often. Let's go quickly!"
Myung-soo led the way, and Hyun-seong followed.
I laughed at the sight of the kid who usually picked on Myung-soo's words now obediently following.
Standing still, I watched as Myung-soo turned his head and shouted.
"Hey! Muhyuk! If you don't come quickly, we'll go without you!"
"Alright, I'm coming."
We eventually arrived at Arabian Night in Nam-dong, where Myung-soo's father was the manager.
"What? Myung-soo?"
The person managing the entrance at the door recognized Myung-soo.
"Brother! I'm coming in."
"Are you already old enough to come to such a place?"
"Yeah. I told my dad. Can I come in?"
"Sure, have fun. Don't cause any trouble."
We greeted the doorman and went down to the basement.
The music got louder as we went down, and my ears started to ring.
Thinking about it, I had never been to a nightclub before.
At that moment, a waiter with a name tag that read "Cheng Long" approached Myung-soo.
"Hey! Myung-soo!"
"Hehe. Brother, get us a good spot."
"Sure! Let's go. It's Myung-soo's first time, so we need to book a lot. You guys are coming too, right?"
We followed Cheng Long inside.
The music and the bright lights.
On the stage, men and women were dancing together.
"I can now go up there and dance. I used to just stand and watch when I came here."
Hyun-seong was rolling his eyes, looking around the club.
The chubby guy was flaring his nostrils, looking excited, which was quite cute.
We sat at the table we were assigned to, and even though Myung-soo didn't ask, the table was already covered with whiskey.
"Let's have a great time today!"
"Hmm."
"Take it easy, it's your first time... If you start causing trouble, I'll just leave you here."
"Wow! You heartless guy. Hyun-seong, let's die together!"
"Sure."
The music was so loud that we couldn't hear each other well, so our voices kept getting louder.
Myung-soo, who was excited, opened the whiskey and poured a glass for each of us.
Then, he suddenly raised his glass and shouted.
"Our friendship is eternal!"
Damn... This is so embarrassing.
"Eternal!"
Hyun-seong repeated it. I had no choice...
"....Eternal!"
I followed along.
"Let's drink the first glass straight."
"Isn't it strong?"
"It's fine."
The taste of the alcohol as it went down my throat was quite strong.
This was the first time I drank whiskey in this life...
'...Is this a fake?'
It tasted like it was mixed with soju.
In my previous life, I drank a lot.
From expensive alcohol to soju, I drank every day with people, and the only things that grew were my drinking capacity and my belly.
I knew immediately when I took a sip. It was fake whiskey... Well, since it's Myung-soo's dad's place, let's just drink it.
"Wow! This is whiskey. How is it?"
"....It's okay."
"It's like water."
"Hey! This is expensive alcohol! Hyun-seong, you're enjoying this luxury because of me. Don't forget it when you go to Seoul."
As their conversation dragged on, I picked up a beer bottle.
I held the bottle and drank it straight.
'This is much better.'
A few rounds of drinks passed, and the party continued in a pleasant mood.
We booked some girls and even went up on stage to dance.
"I'm tired. Let's go home."
"Hey! Muhyuk. Why are you leaving alone? Let's play a bit more. Isn't that right, Hyun-seong?"
"Hmm... I agree with Myung-soo."
Because of their insistence to play a bit more, we booked a few more girls.
"How old are you? I don't play with kids, but this one is okay."
"Muhyuk? That guy is a talent, a talent."
"Your name is Muhyuk, right? Do you want to play with me?"
"No. I'm here to drink."
Cheng Long kept bringing girls.
Mostly, he sat them next to Myung-soo, but he kept showing interest in me.
"Let's go in. My grandma is waiting."
"One more booking, and then we'll go. Can't we?"
I sat back down, moved by Myung-soo's pleading eyes.
At that moment, a woman was led to our table by a waiter. She was the prettiest woman I had seen so far.
Myung-soo, who also seemed to like her, immediately poured her a glass and started talking.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-one. How about you?"
"Twenty."
Myung-soo raised his glass and said:
"Let's all have a drink. Meeting like this is a kind of fate."
"You look different from what I expected. Okay, let's drink."
He raised a beer bottle and clinked glasses with us.
While we were talking, a man came out of a corner room.
After looking around for a moment, he approached our table.