The Genius Grandson of the Loan Shark King - Chapter 74 (74/840)
< Cheon Tae-san and Lee Yong-hyun. >
#74
Cheon Tae-san and Lee Yong-hyun.
Chairman Cheon and Lee Yong-hyun were smiling as if they were old friends meeting after a long time.
To those who didn't know the situation, it looked like a very ordinary scene.
"Shall we go in?"
"Sure."
Without much conversation, the two walked side by side.
Chairman Cheon, familiar with the layout of the mansion, walked confidently.
After a while, the two sent everyone else out and sat facing each other in the spacious living room.
Lee Yong-hyun was the first to speak.
"Chairman Cheon, what wind brought you here in person?"
Chairman Cheon didn't answer and put down the teacup he was holding.
"Why are you silent? You came here to say something, didn't you? We're not the kind of people who share tea like we used to."
Lee Yong-hyun shrugged playfully.
But Chairman Cheon's expression was stern.
His words were a declaration, a proclamation.
"Stop it. What you're trying to do now."
Chairman Cheon spoke as if he knew everything.
"What are you talking about?"
"What you're planning to do to my grandson. I understand that you were serious about finishing things with me back then."
"Hmm, Chairman Cheon. What are you talking about?"
Looking at Lee Yong-hyun, who was pretending not to know, Chairman Cheon's eyes seemed to see through everything.
"Even if you're crazy, do you think I'll just stand by and let you do it? Absolutely not."
The smile disappeared from Lee Yong-hyun's face.
"If anything happens to Mu-hyuk, I'll abandon everything and bring you down at that moment."
In contrast, Chairman Cheon twisted his lips, a smile that was hard to tell if it was mocking or self-deprecating.
"I know you're involved in my daughter's death. You also know why my sons turned out the way they did. It's all because of your greed. What more do you want?"
At this, the expressionless Lee Yong-hyun suddenly burst out laughing.
"Haha, because of my greed? Come on, Chairman Cheon. What did I gain from killing your daughter? You know that, right? I understand that you want to pass all the blame to me, but it was your children's greed."
Chairman Cheon's eyes shook violently.
Lee Yong-hyun smirked.
"You've always been like this. You're ruthless to everyone but weak for your family. Your children might not have known, but you were just pretending to be cold to raise them strong. Don't I know that?"
Lee Yong-hyun glanced at Chairman Cheon's trembling hands and pushed the teacup away.
"Yes, I did it. At the request of your son. Reason? Is that necessary? Well, even if it wasn't you, your children would become my pawns. Just for killing two people. You would do anything for money, wouldn't you? It's problematic to think I'm the cause of everything now."
Lee Yong-hyun continued without any change in emotion, as if talking about someone else.
"I originally planned to kill that son too. I couldn't leave any loose ends. But your son couldn't bring himself to kill his nephew. He didn't expect that the young one would come back as a hunting dog to tear out his own throat."
"You... "
Chairman Cheon's voice began to tremble.
But Lee Yong-hyun remained calm.
"Listen, Chairman Cheon. I'm Lee Yong-hyun. Do you think such threats will work on me? You can't do it. If you really wanted to, you would have used all your resources to fight me the moment you found out I ordered your daughter's death. In the end, you were too afraid, weren't you? Afraid of losing everything."
Lee Yong-hyun spoke as if he knew everything.
Having known each other for so long, they understood each other very well.
Lee Yong-hyun clicked his tongue at Chairman Cheon, who couldn't say a word.
"Yes, I planned to eliminate Kim Mu-hyuk. Actually, I didn't plan to do it immediately. I thought I'd wait until after you were gone. But you eliminated the servant I planted. I don't know how you found out. I've been preparing for over a decade, after you were gone. Kim Mu-hyuk ruined everything. Why should I keep him alive? Tell me."
Lee Yong-hyun poured tea into the empty cup while observing Chairman Cheon's face. Chairman Cheon was looking down.
"... Yes, you're right. I was afraid. Afraid of losing everything I've built. I held back even though I knew you killed my daughter."
Lee Yong-hyun nodded as if he expected this.
"I have nothing left to lose. Mu-hyuk is the only one left. I've abandoned my children and other grandchildren. Mu-hyuk is all I have left."
When Chairman Cheon raised his head, the trembling in his eyes was gone.
"But if you touch even him, what will happen? What do I have left to fear? Yes, I might not be able to beat you. But one thing is certain. You'll have to be prepared for significant losses. I'm the kind of person who would do anything for money. You know better than anyone what I'm capable of."
Lee Yong-hyun swallowed hard.
"There's no reason to keep him alive, then. Go ahead. Maybe you're a match for me now. If you're willing to give up everything. Will you try?"
Their gazes met in the air.
In the end, it was Lee Yong-hyun who spoke first.
"Ha... I understand. I'll keep him alive as long as you're alive, as I originally planned. But don't keep provoking me. Unlike you, I don't need to give up everything to bring you down. Don't forget that. I've been holding back because of our past connection."
He spoke as if he was backing down, but Lee Yong-hyun wasn't the type to back down easily.
"That's it. I consider this the end of what I owe you. If you keep eating away at my power... not only you, but your grandchildren will be in danger."
Lee Yong-hyun was under the impression that Chairman Cheon, not Kim Mu-hyuk, had orchestrated everything.
But Chairman Cheon didn't show it and just nodded.
He still needed to be a shield for Mu-hyuk.
"Then, I'll be going."
"Don't go yet. It's nice to reminisce after so long. We're having tea together."
"We've come too far to reminisce. If you hadn't coveted Myeong-dong, we might still be doing well, right?"
"If you had made a little compromise, it would have been fine."
Chairman Cheon, who was about to stand up, laughed bitterly.
"Nonsense! What kind of people are the Japanese? If you give them one, they'll ask for ten next. They're untrustworthy."
"Don't be stuck in the past. Even if you try to stop them, the loan market will belong to the Japanese. I plan to make it happen."
"It's not that I dislike the Japanese. I just don't want them in my territory. Don't even think about it until I'm in my grave."
Their conversation was going in different directions.
Chairman Cheon turned around, deciding that further conversation was pointless.
"The next time we meet will be at your funeral or mine. Take care."
As Chairman Cheon left the living room, Lee Yong-hyun's words followed him.
Manager Ha escorted Chairman Cheon to his car.
The car carrying Chairman Cheon quickly left Lee Yong-hyun's mansion.
"Are you okay?"
Manager Ha, who was driving, asked Chairman Cheon with concern.
"I'm fine. It's just tiring to go out after so long. I need some rest. Wake me up when we arrive."
"Understood."
Chairman Cheon closed his eyes, looking exhausted.
His first meeting with Lee Yong-hyun came to mind.
He fell asleep reminiscing about the past until they arrived in Pyeongchang-dong.
* * *
Gangnam, Seoul, was the most coveted area for organized crime.
With various entertainment venues in Yeoksam-dong and Seolleung, managing these places alone brought in a lot of money.
Until recently, the room salons managed by the Baekho faction were where Park Dong-su and Kim Mu-hyuk were sitting.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"I cooked everything, so if you can't eat this, you'll have to leave. Isn't that right?"
"Haha. Did you absorb the rest of the gang members?"
"Now that we need middle managers, I've filtered them appropriately. I accepted those who could be useful and retired those who couldn't."
"Don't let your guard down. This is a world where you can be betrayed at any moment."
"Hmm... How long do you think Su-hyung and our son will be in jail?"
"Yang Su-hyung and the action leaders will be out in a few years. But with the best lawyers, we can reduce their sentences. It will cost a lot, though."
"Thank you."
With Gangnam under his control, Park Dong-su had firmly established himself as a major figure in the underworld.
"Who will manage Yeongdeungpo?"
"I've entrusted it to Executive Lee. There's also the Far East Construction, and there aren't many reliable people."
"Don't just retire the well-known ones. Give them appropriate positions and manage them. They won't dare to act recklessly now. But no more threatening or extorting civilians."
Park Dong-su made a pained expression.
"The Gangnam kids have enough to eat, so they don't do that. But it's not easy in other areas. They need to eat to listen to me. You also banned drugs, right?"
"Absolutely not, drugs."
"Really? Just because we don't do it, will drugs disappear? Chinese gangs are already getting into the drug trade."
"Let them for now. We can use law enforcement to take them down. There's no organization big enough to challenge you now, right?"
"There is. The elders in Gangbuk, the Gwangju faction in Jeolla, and the Jagal faction in Daegu. With the three major Gangnam organizations gone, they could attack at any time."
"For now, there should be no war. If it happens again, the police and prosecutors won't be able to look the other way."
Thanks to the president's resolve and Prosecutor Yoon's efforts, most of the leaders of the three Gangnam organizations were arrested.
They were designated as leaders of criminal organizations, facing sentences from a minimum of seven years to a maximum of the death penalty.
However, the situation wasn't entirely positive. As Park Dong-su said, it was uncertain when other organizations might attack, especially since it would be easier for them to take on one person rather than the three Gangnam organizations.
"Let's properly unify Seoul this time."
"What?"
While talking with Andrew from the Genovese family in the U.S., I had this idea.
If we could divide interests and control them through negotiation like the Mafia, we could solve problems without drawing unnecessary attention.
"Let's unify Seoul into one organization through negotiation, not war. Even if the interests are distributed, all the power will be in Mr. Park's hands. It should be easy to convince the elders, right?"
No matter how much money the gangsters make, it's not a significant amount to me.
I'm not helping Park Dong-su just to get a small tribute. To achieve my goal of using him against the Yakuza, unnecessary conflicts must be minimized.
"Will you try it? Don't worry about the money."
"It won't be easy."
"We already have Busan, and if we reorganize Seoul, we'll control two major cities. The capital and the second-largest city. Once that happens, the other gangsters, weakened by the war on crime, won't dare challenge Mr. Park. He will naturally dominate the darkness of South Korea."
In a country with strong law enforcement, gangsters pretend to operate within legal boundaries.
They may use violence and intimidation when necessary, but they carefully navigate the line between legal and illegal.
A typical example is the Yakuza in Japan and the Mafia in the U.S.
While they can't escape the framework of violent organizations, they avoid open conflict due to government intervention.
In countries with weaker governments, powerful drug cartels exist, but that's because the government is weak. In a normal country, the government would try to manage violent organizations.
"I'll give it a try."
"You already have two territories in Seoul, right? The major organizations are the old elders in Gangbuk, right?"
"Their power isn't the issue. It's the network they've built over their lives and the respect they command among gangsters. We would win a war, but it would be a difficult one."
"Exactly. Try talking to them."
"Understood. I'll give it a shot."
The old elders in Gangbuk would likely accept it.
When the Yakuza and Gangnam joined forces to take over the Korean underworld, the Gangbuk elders joined them to preserve their positions.