< Negotiation (2) >
“Don’t you want to make a big profit by using Seoul City land as collateral?”
This is more important than my age.
A golden opportunity to grab a piece of the action!
“Hmm.”
Indeed. Perhaps because he smelled money, the Master licked his lips with his tongue.
But even in times like this, this gentleman doesn’t bite and just tries to see what happens.
“Where in Seoul is there any land that hasn’t gone up in value these days? Little boy, you don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of most of the land.”
“I guess so. But what if Taesung Construction and Wookwang Construction are rushing in and raising it?”
If that’s the case, then the story is different.
Gulp!
The Master’s voice rang loudly.
“Gangnam apartment sales boom? How much more will it increase? On the other hand, this is on a different level from real estate speculation that involves small amounts of money. The land in Seoul itself has become a stake.”
The master’s eyes sparkled.
It was the same for Secretary Kim.
“Subway Line 2 construction!”
“Is this a bid for subway line 2?”
I nodded.
“As Gangnam developed, a railway line connecting Gangnam and Gangbuk became necessary, and in order to build a major circular line in the Seoul metropolitan area that Subway Line 1 did not pass through, a large-scale construction project was planned with a total route distance of 48.8 km and an expected bid price of approximately 180 billion won.”
“······.”
“The subway is an important national facility that is free from the noise and dust generated by the railway, preserves the city’s ground functions and appearance, and also serves as a shelter from North Korean artillery fire and bombing.”
“······.”
“It is also a national project that the government is putting a lot of effort into promoting because it has many advantages such as speed, accuracy, safety, mass transportation, comfort, low pollution, and low cost, as well as dispersing the concentrated road traffic in downtown Seoul and reducing travel time.”
“······.”
“There will be an underground shopping mall where people can get food and emergency clothing, as well as amenities like drinking water and restrooms. This means that nearby businesses will come alive and the floating population will skyrocket.”
“······.”
The teacher looked at Secretary Kim again and pointed at me with that expression.
Then Secretary Kim answered with a sigh.
“I told you I’m seven years old.”
These guys have been really like this since a while ago!
Even if my age doesn’t matter now?
“For that reason, it is expected that land prices in metropolitan areas, especially near subway stations and areas where subways open, will skyrocket to unprecedented levels.”
I smiled brightly.
“Of course, at this point, if we only had inside information from the construction company in charge of the subway construction, we would know where the subway station is before others and be able to secure the land at a low price, right?”
If you are a master who has acquired a fortune by securing good land in advance, this would be information that you would want to look at.
That was the reason why high-ranking government officials and politicians were running around with their eyes rolled back.
‘In the past, during the development of Gangnam, high-ranking officials such as the Blue House security service used this method to raise political funds by making profits from the difference in market price and filling their own safes.’
I know that, Master knows that, Woo-kwang knows that, and Tae-seong knows that.
But the teacher pretended not to know and said,
“To be honest, I do want the land near the subway station. But if you’re going to take 8 million won of my life savings for that reason, it should have been you, not me, from Woo-kwang! Isn’t that right?”
If Woo-kwang takes charge of the subway construction, he will use inside information to sweep up the land near the subway station.
Secretary Kim snorted.
“Do you think that U-Gwang has reached a more advantageous position than our Taeseong?”
“Of course. Isn’t that true?”
“That’s impossible. Our Taeseong will take over the construction of Subway Line 2.”
“Wouldn’t it be hard? This time, Woo-kwang is one step ahead. I can hear all the news that he has properly grilled the high-ranking officials.”
Who will win the subway construction contract?
It is given directly by high-ranking officials who plan and promote urban development.
‘Woogwang is a typical company that grew through collusion between politics and business during the military regime. It tried to win construction contracts by bribing high-ranking government officials rather than through construction performance or the lowest bid price.’
Anyway, both the bid price and the bidding process will be conducted privately.
Nowadays, transparency in information disclosure is a given, and collusion between politics and business is rampant.
“If you want to stop Woo-Gwang from getting construction projects through bribery, you need a weapon that can match his power. This is it.”
I shook the folder from side to side.
It was a ledger that recorded in detail the amount of bribes given by Woo Gwang and the names of high-ranking officials who received illicit requests.
“Isn’t it true that the government is currently raising the banner of eradicating corruption among high-ranking public officials?”
The public’s view toward the government is not favorable.
After all, this is a government that seized power through a coup.
He was afraid that he would be disliked by the public, so he pretended to be very clean on the outside.
A government that does its job well and is honest, a government that revives the economy and works for the people.
The purge was part of that image packaging.
“What if His Excellency the President knows about this? Will he let Woo Kwang and the high-ranking officials who openly requested bribes that the government has banned go unpunished?”
It is an unconditional execution.
We will purge them in front of the people and make an example of them.
And then I’ll shout again.
A government that does its job well and is honest, a government that revives the economy and serves the people, does not tolerate corruption and is doing its best to root out irregularities.
“The one who actually gave the bribe was Woo-kwang, but the one who has this ledger is the one who has to accept the request.”
For example, it is said to be a weapon to threaten high-ranking officials and a leash to recruit high-ranking agents.
There is no knife more coveted in the world of the greats.
A sword that can cut off the heads of high-ranking officials who get in the way.
“The death list of high-ranking officials. Depending on how this is used, the results of construction bidding could change. What do you think?”
As the bait shook before his eyes, the master’s eyes also followed the files back and forth.
“You even brought a business card with you that allows you to ask Secretary Kim for a favor. What are you hesitating for?”
“Ahem!”
“It’s only eight million won. That’s not even the price of an apartment in Gangnam.”
“Huh, no way! The biggest problem still remains!”
The teacher spoke bluntly.
“Whether or not that bribery scheme is real! I’m not even sure about that, so why should I trust you and give you my money?”
“Then why don’t you check it out yourself?”
I leisurely reached out my hand toward the inside of the pawn shop.
“A phone call will do the trick.”
“Hmm!”
“The person who created this book of corruption is said to be an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency, Park Cheol-gu. Do you know him?”
“Okay. Excuse me for a moment.”
The master slammed the pawnshop’s iron bars shut.
Then he escaped through the passageway inside the pawn shop.
Secretary Kim smiled, rubbing his chin.
“Your Majesty, how about this?”
“······?”
“Sell that account book to Taesung. I’ll give you a generous 10 million won.”
Secretary Kim’s eyes would not leave the file.
I wondered why I coveted something whose authenticity had not yet been confirmed.
I realized the difference between me and my teacher.
‘It seems that Mr. Cheolgu got caught while doing background checks on me.’
Perhaps Secretary Kim had information that I didn’t know about.
So that’s why they’re so blatantly coveting this ledger.
“Even if you sell it to a pawn shop, it will eventually come to us. I intend to get it no matter what.”
He was probably picturing in his head how he could shake up the people who were tying him up with that bribe ledger.
I smiled brightly.
“I guess that depends on what you do.”
Originally, when there are many competitors, it is advantageous for the seller!
I just had to sit back and wait for the winner of this competition.
From the beginning, my goal was to secure the 18 million won that was short of the house contract.
‘Hey, Guardian Angel.’
Exactly.
[Why? Again? What? What’s going on?]
‘What you did earlier? Eavesdropping on the conversations of the concubines. Try that.’
[Oh, is this what you mean?]
The sound coming from inside the pawn shop was clear and distinct.
* * *
A secret room inside the pawn shop.
There was a man there who was organizing secret documents.
The master frowned and ordered.
“Call Jungjeong. If there’s an agent there named Park Cheol-gu, tell him to switch the call.”
“Yes, sir.”
After a while, the man hung up the phone.
“Sir, I heard that a Central Intelligence Agency agent named Park Cheol-gu has been taken to the basement of the serving room.”
“You were taken to the water torture room? Why?”
“They say he got caught while digging into Wookwang Construction.”
“Hmm!”
“We took him in because we had certain circumstances, but when we actually looked into it, the confidential documents were nowhere to be found. It seems like they were hidden away.”
The man handed the teacher a few documents he had been organizing.
“I just got the news. Woo-kwang is on the move right now. He’s mobilizing all his staff in the secretariat to meet with people from the newspapers and broadcasting stations.”
“Are you blocking it in advance so it doesn’t get leaked to the media?”
“The central government’s upper echelons have also moved. They say that central government agents have been dispatched in large numbers to arrest Park Cheol-gu’s acquaintances.”
The teacher listened to the man’s words as he handed over the documents.
“They hired contractors to overturn Park Cheol-gu’s house and begin forced evictions. They even set fire to the shantytown.”
“It’s a trick to burn everything down because it’s annoying.”
“I guess so. They hide it in their house or in the house next door. It’s better to get rid of it than to find it. The fire caused quite a few casualties, but the media is silent.”
“Hmm. You really baked and boiled it here and there.”
That was Woo-kwang’s specialty.
In addition to spreading bribes in all directions, he formed a strong network of connections here and there.
He had no hesitation in using school ties, regional ties, and blood ties, which are chronic diseases in the Republic of Korea.
“Oh, that’s the document that Woo-kwang is looking for. He says there’s a part that’s torn in the middle.”
“The torn part?”
“That’s all that came out when we searched Park Cheol-gu’s desk. It’s part of the slush fund that Woo Gwang gave to Assemblyman Choi Il-tae.”
“You’ll know when you check. Whether that’s the original written by that agent or not.”
The teacher slammed the documents he had received from the man down on the desk.
“Open the safe.”
“Yes, how much would you like me to give you?”
“18 million won in cash.”
My experience and insight speak for themselves.
That must be the original ledger that Woo-kwang and Jung-jeong are looking for.
* * *
The master came out of the inner passage of the pawn shop.
The closed iron bars were opened again.
The teacher’s hand popped out through the gap where the object was placed.
“It’s an 8 million won deal. I have to check the item first.”
“If you wish.”
I obediently handed over the ledger.
The teacher flipped through the pages, stopping at one point.
The paper was torn in large pieces.
At the very top of that page, the words ‘Rep. Choi Il-tae’ caught my eye.
widely.
The master covered the ledger.
“What a resourceful kid. Okay, I’ll buy this for eight million won. The watch, the business card, and this ledger, that’s a total of eighteen million won.”
He pushed a thick-looking paper bag towards me.
But I also just pushed the paper bag back towards the teacher.
“You’re being hasty. The negotiations aren’t over yet.”
< Negotiation (2) > End
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