The Genius Grandson of the Loan King - Chapter 31 (31/840)
< The Crack in the Cheon Su-man Brothers? >
#31
The Crack in the Cheon Su-man Brothers?
"Let's settle things with Lee Sa-seong first."
At my words, the warm atmosphere of the drinking party froze instantly, like the Han River in the dead of winter.
The playful tone vanished from Park Dong-su's voice as his expression hardened.
"Brother, watch your words."
"I don't think I'm saying anything I shouldn't. Didn't I tell you from the beginning when I first passed you the information about the war on crime? I told you to keep it quiet and hide alone without telling Lee Sa-seong. What do you think the reason was? I believe this kind of thing will keep happening."
Park Dong-su's face, which had been stiff, now twisted.
"Shit. Who doesn't know that? Even a passing high school student knows. But you're the son of the boss I served. How can you do this?"
At his words, I couldn't help but laugh.
The quiet interior of the pojangmacha, where we were the only customers, filled with my laughter.
However, the atmosphere grew even heavier with my laughter.
Park Dong-su glared at me with a cold look.
"Are you... laughing right now?"
"You still think it's the era where gangsters talk about honor and loyalty. Everyone in the world knows that's just bullshit. Even a passing high school student knows, but you're the only one stuck in the past, aren't you?"
"Shut up!"
Park Dong-su shouted.
The face of the man sitting next to him, Lee Sang-geun, also hardened.
The smile on my face disappeared.
"...... If you don't do it, I will."
"Let's not go too far, brother."
"Too far?"
I looked at him with a disbelieving gaze.
Then Park Dong-su spoke with a voice filled with frustration.
"Yeah, let's not go too far. No matter how much we're gangsters! Even if we're the kind of gangsters who get beaten up by others! We still have honor. No matter how much the times change, I don't want to change."
"Really, you're so frustrating."
It seemed there was no point in continuing the conversation.
I put down my glass and stood up.
I gave cold looks to Park Dong-su and Lee Sang-geun, who were staring up at me.
"Let's pretend we never agreed to work together. I'll help you with this coup until it's resolved."
"Hey! Kim Mu-hyuk! Sit down."
Park Dong-su shouted loudly, clearly angry.
But I was even more angry.
"Ha~ Uncle, do you still see me as the high school student I was on the hospital rooftop? Do you want me to completely dismantle your organization? I could do it with just one phone call."
Park Dong-su was at a loss for words and stared at me.
A tense atmosphere settled between us.
"Have you learned nothing from this experience? Or are you just ignoring me?"
I thought that if we didn't resolve this properly, it would lead to nothing good.
I had come here with the intention of drawing a clear line.
Park Dong-su is a good person, but... he's too good, and that's the problem.
"Everything I've done so far has been out of goodwill towards you. What have you ever given me, or asked for my help? Why do you keep making me lose faith in you?"
"Hey... "
I cut off Park Dong-su's attempt to make an excuse firmly.
"I warned you clearly. Settle things with Lee Sa-seong this month. And by October at the latest, prepare to move to Seoul and contact me. If you don't settle things this month, I'll take care of it myself."
Park Dong-su looked up at me without a word.
"Ever since you had me stabbed by Byun Sung-ho, you can't live comfortably anymore. Whether what he did was true or not, that's not the point, you know?"
Park Dong-su's fist, which he had placed on the table, clenched tightly.
"See what happens to Byun Sung-ho tomorrow. Make a good decision. I want to work with you. It's October. If you don't finish things in Busan by then, it's really over between us."
"...... Mu-hyuk."
As the atmosphere turned hostile, I warned Lee Sang-geun, who was reaching for my ankle.
"Mr. Lee, be careful. This time, I'll let it slide, but don't think about pulling out a knife in front of me. If you do, I'll make you see the things you value most crumble."
I turned away coldly.
Neither Park Dong-su nor Lee Sang-geun said a word.
I looked back at them as I pushed aside the curtain at the entrance of the pojangmacha.
"If you resolve everything by October, I might call you 'brother' then."
With those final words, I left.
'Damn... '
As I walked to the car I had parked nearby, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.
I needed to draw a line, but...
I couldn't help feeling bitter.
I'll have to go drink with Myung-soo and Hyun-seong.
I got into the car to vent my frustration.
The sound of the car door slamming shut echoed.
* * *
After Kim Mu-hyuk left, the two men sat in silence for a long time, drinking.
"......"
Park Dong-su sighed, and Lee Sang-geun poured him some soju.
Park Dong-su drank the soju in one gulp and spoke with a complicated expression.
"Sang-geun."
"Yes, boss."
"That kid is really determined, isn't he? It's frustrating, but I can't get angry. Yeah, he's right. Shit, what have I ever done for him to save me from getting caught?"
"Boss... "
After speaking, Park Dong-su sat in silence with a dark expression for a while before slamming his glass on the table.
"Go see Boss Lee Sa-seong. Since you've never met him, it'll be easier to talk. Tell him to go and hide. I'll take care of his family and protect them. Got it? That's the best I can do for Boss."
"......"
Park Dong-su twisted his lips in pain.
"...... Now, you can't make a living just by using brute force. I know what Mu-hyuk means. I know... but shit, it's a mess. I have no money and no education, so I do this... but... "
"...... I think the same way."
"Yeah, in the end, it's a world that moves with money, isn't it? We have to adapt. After you meet Boss Lee Sa-seong, we'll clean up Busan and move to Seoul. We'll live a comfortable life there, without envy."
"...... Yes, boss."
Park Dong-su, who had been wearing a hazy expression, shook his head as if to clear it.
"Let's worry about the headache tomorrow. Let's just get drunk today. We have to get drunk to sleep well."
Park Dong-su raised his glass, and Lee Sang-geun held his glass with both hands, tapping the bottom of Park Dong-su's soju glass lightly.
In the middle of summer, the Jagalchi Market.
Outside, the place was noisy with people's singing and conversations, but inside the pojangmacha where the two men were, it was quiet, like a different world.
The next day, when Park Dong-su went to the office with a hangover, he heard that Byun Sung-ho had been found dead, having hanged himself in his cell at the detention center.
* * *
Seoul Detention Center.
In the lawyer's meeting room, Cheon Su-man was waiting for his brother.
A short while later.
Cheon Su-han, accompanied by a guard, entered the room and smiled happily when he saw his brother.
"Brother!"
"......"
Cheon Su-man sighed when he saw him.
"Mr. Park, can we talk privately?"
"Yes."
The man called "Mr. Park" gave a look to the guard, who then unlocked Cheon Su-han's handcuffs and left.
"Talk. I'll come back later."
Mr. Park bowed and left.
The door closed, and the lawyer's meeting room fell silent for a moment.
Cheon Su-man was the first to speak.
He pushed the lunch box he had brought from the hotel towards Cheon Su-han.
"Eat first. Is the detention center food edible?"
"Ha~ It's a mess. I'm in solitary confinement, and it's so cramped... The smell is terrible, and it's killing me."
Cheon Su-han sighed and quickly opened the lunch box.
"But even here, money can do a lot. I can secretly buy cigarettes, and the guards treat me nicely, so it's bearable."
Cheon Su-han stuffed his mouth with food and chewed. Cheon Su-man, who had been looking at him with a disapproving gaze, spoke.
"But, Su-han."
"Huh?"
Cheon Su-han looked up after eating for a while.
Cheon Su-man was looking at him with a blank expression.
"What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
Cheon Su-man continued to look at him silently.
Feeling the ominous atmosphere, Cheon Su-han tilted his head.
"What? Why? Talk."
"Why did you act without telling me? What were you planning with Mr. Kim, the congressman? And why is your name listed as the main culprit? What were you thinking?"
Cheon Su-han, who had started coughing as if he had choked on Cheon Su-man's words, drank some water.
"Ha~ I thought I was going to die. It's... Brother."
"Don't beat around the bush. Speak clearly. Can I trust you? Can I work with you?"
Cheon Su-han looked at Cheon Su-man with a dazed expression at his firm words.
"...... What have I done wrong? My in-laws said there's no one else they can trust and asked me to do it. Should I have refused? I couldn't tell anyone, so I couldn't tell you. Even if I did, is it right to treat me like a criminal when I'm in here? Have I ever disobeyed you?"
Cheon Su-han vented his frustration, feeling wronged.
But Cheon Su-man's expression didn't change at all.
"Is that all?"
"Then what? What else is there?"
"Just because Mr. Kim asked you, you acted without telling me? And it wasn't a small deal, but a transaction involving billions of won?"
"What can I do? I have to consider my father-in-law, my father, and now even my brother. And now I have to consider my non-existent nephew. What can I do?"
"You must have felt very disappointed."
"Of course I did. My father doesn't want to save me and just left me here. My brother came to see me and treated me like a criminal. Am I some kind of fool? Why is everyone picking on me?"
Cheon Su-han finally raised his voice. But Cheon Su-man spoke calmly.
"Brother said he would take care of things after his in-laws passed away. But how can I trust someone who secretly took money from someone else? Don't you think so, Su-han?"
"What?"
"I'll say this one last time. Don't do anything. Just wait and do what I tell you. I'll take care of things so you can live without any problems. Don't be greedy and act within your limits. Got it?"
"......"
"Think about it while you're in prison. If this happens again, I'll have to think differently about you. Let's not fight like the chaebols. Got it?"
After a long silence, Cheon Su-han finally lowered his head weakly.
"...... Got it. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have said this to you here. But I had to make it clear. We shouldn't hide things from each other. If you're disappointed with me, tell me anytime. I'll come often."
Cheon Su-man stood up, patted Cheon Su-han's shoulder a few times, and left the meeting room.
Different thoughts were swirling in their heads.
'Something's off. I need to keep an eye on him to prevent him from having any other ideas.'
'I'll just be used and discarded. I need to find a way out.'
To Kim Mu-hyuk, this was just a small act of revenge by putting him in prison, but it left a small spark between the Cheon Su-man brothers.
* * *
I had planned to return to Seoul with my friends, but I received a sudden call from my grandfather.
I went to Seoul a few days earlier alone.
As I drove on the highway, my mind was filled with various thoughts.
'In two weeks, the real-name financial system will be implemented.'
All stocks will plummet to their price limits.
As I thought about what I needed to do to prepare for the upcoming chaos, I realized I had arrived in Pyeongchang-dong.
"I'm back, Grandfather."
"You're early. Change your clothes and come out. We have somewhere to go."
"Somewhere? Where?"
"You'll see."
A short while later, I got into Grandfather's car and we set off.
"Is your in-law doing well?"
"Yes, he's healthy."
"That's good. Did you see your grandmother?"
"Yes!"
Grandfather looked at my face, which was beaming with a warm smile, with a somewhat bitter expression.
"Your in-law would have enjoyed coming to Seoul... "
"Maybe... even if he came to Seoul, he wouldn't have been able to stay. He's that kind of person. He's never left Busan, so a new environment might be too difficult for him. I didn't push him too hard."
"Hehe, it seems your face has brightened up after your trip to Busan. You look good."
With those words, Grandfather fell silent.
Was it my imagination, or did I sense a hint of bitterness and disappointment in his expression?
I couldn't put into words the gap I felt between the old man of the past and the grandfather of the present.
Finally, the car came to a stop.
We had arrived at the residence of the honorary chairman of Daehyun, the top chaebol in Korea and a symbol of Korean chaebol history.