< Negotiation (3) >
I grabbed the end of the file.
“I never said I was selling this ledger?”
“huh?”
“This is already the third time. I said it was worth eight million won. When did I say I would sell this for eight million won?”
One end of the file is held by the teacher, and the other end is held by me.
No one took their hands off.
“I told you there were two collateral items I prepared. A watch and a business card. Did you forget them again?”
“That, that······!”
“This means that there was no intention of taking collateral.”
The strength in the Master’s hands suddenly disappeared.
“But since I came here because I needed money, there’s no reason I shouldn’t sell this.”
I put the ledger on my side.
He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.
“For your information, the man over there asked for 10 million won.”
“······.”
This time, the teacher looked back at Secretary Kim instead of me.
Secretary Kim raised the corners of his lips as if he was very satisfied.
“Hey, what were you doing to the kid while I was away?”
“No trickery. I just offered a reasonable price.”
Secretary Kim smiled brightly.
“It’s up to the owner to decide whether or not to sell the items to the pawn shop, and Taesung is planning to buy the ledger. Is there a problem with that?”
“······.”
The teacher opened his mouth wide.
I clapped my hands.
“Okay, now we will begin the auction.”
“auction?”
“auction?”
I shrugged.
“There is only one item, but two people want it, so wouldn’t it be the cleanest to decide who owns it according to the logic of capitalism?”
“······.”
“Anyway, I was planning on buying this and keeping the original and selling the copies at a high price to competing subway construction bidders.”
“Oh my, my back alley. A customer is bidding against me in my pawn shop. How can that be possible!”
“Tae-seong is worth 10 million won, but what about Songolmae Pawnshop? Are you going to give up?”
“Who said I gave up? One thousand and fifty!”
The teacher shouted.
This ledger must have been something that even the teacher would not want to miss.
‘How many construction companies are drooling over subway construction? They could make several times their initial investment just by handing out copies. And figuring out where the subway stations will be built by joking around with them is a bonus.’
If you are a teacher with a keen eye for opportunity and are good at seizing opportunities, this would be an opportunity for windfall that you would never want to miss.
But Secretary Kim had no intention of backing down either.
“One thousand five hundred!”
Although many construction companies are eyeing the construction of Subway Line 2, Taesung and Wookwang are in a league of their own.
‘If we push out Woo Kwang, there will be no construction company that can compete with Tae Sung. Would Secretary Kim miss this golden opportunity?’
That can’t be true.
I understand that he has been Chairman Cha’s closest confidant for over twenty years.
I wonder if I’ll fall down easily because I don’t have any bullets.
“Profit! One thousand five hundred and fifty!”
“One thousand eight hundred!”
I raised my hand there.
“Then I’ll stop here.”
“Why! I’m willing to pay more? One thousand eight hundred and fifty!”
“Whether to sell or not is up to the owner of the item.”
“······.”
The teacher opened his mouth.
After a while, he burst into hearty laughter.
“No, you’re saying you’d refuse even if the guy who came to the pawn shop to borrow money with collateral offered you more money?”
“Oh, so that’s what I’m talking about. Could you please give me back the item you were trying to seize earlier?”
“······.”
I shrugged.
“The reason I came here was to cover the remaining 18 million won. But you’ve already raised all that money? Do you really need to take out collateral in this situation? Is it really necessary?”
“Heh heh heh.”
The teacher raised both hands as if he could not stop him.
“Okay, take it.”
The master had no choice but to obediently hand over the two items he had tried to seize as collateral earlier.
According to the rules of the pawnshop, the collateral becomes the pawnshop owner’s property only after the money and the collateral have been exchanged.
But I haven’t received the pawnshop’s money yet, so our deal is not done.
So the pawnbroker has to give me back my item.
‘thank god.’
I took my father’s watch and Secretary Kim’s business card as I had brought them.
‘You don’t have to sell your mother’s memories.’
This watch is the only thing of my father that my mother keeps.
Even though she lived in a small room in the shantytown of Kuro-dong and sold vegetables at the market, my mother never sold this watch.
I put it in a jewelry box and kept it carefully.
It’s obvious why people keep watches that look quite valuable instead of selling them.
‘Even if I kept it to prove that I am my father’s bloodline, it doesn’t change the fact that it is an object that holds precious memories of my mother.’
It bothered me that I had to sell all of my father’s things to buy a house.
I felt uneasy the whole time I was bringing this back from the inn.
But I couldn’t be more relieved that I was able to raise money without selling it.
‘If Secretary Kim hadn’t followed me, I wouldn’t have been able to solve the money problem so easily.’
You’re lucky.
‘Secretary Kim said she came to convey Chairman Cha’s business, but it would be obvious if there was something that would make the chairman’s closest secretary leave for hours.’
It must be because of me.
‘To report to Chairman Cha about my observations and conclusions. What’s the status of the sprouts?’
Whatever.
Thanks to Secretary Kim, I’ve benefited greatly, so that doesn’t really matter.
Swish.
I placed the pastry I bought on the way here on the pawn shop counter.
The teacher raised his monocle as if to ask, “What is this?”
“It’s a gift.”
“Huh, you might as well give me a bribe. Like that ledger you have tucked under your arm. Ahem!”
“A bribe is given in exchange for a favor. What would I ask of a pawn shop owner? Unless he borrows money by taking collateral.”
“······.”
“They say a gift is something you give from your heart without any expectations. So, you can accept this without any hidden intentions.”
I put my hands together and bowed my belly.
“Stay healthy. Next time I’ll come back with a better gift than cookies.”
Daughter.
I turned around and left the pawn shop.
Secretary Kim followed me silently.
I opened my mouth only after I left the building.
“This account is a bribe.”
Secretary Kim looked down at me with a strange look as she collected the ledger I handed her.
“Well, your highness, according to your dictionary, a bribe is something given in exchange for a favor. Didn’t I pay a reasonable price?”
“There was someone who wanted to raise the auction price, but you refused and only received 18 million won. That’s why it was considered a bribe.”
“······.”
Secretary Kim suddenly stopped walking.
“Besides, I’m in a losing business right now. I haven’t even received the money yet, and you’re giving me the ledgers. What could be a more reliable credit transaction than this?”
“······.”
“It’s my favor.”
This person is one of the closest associates of Taesung Group Chairman Cha, whom he trusts and cherishes.
It’s a good idea to stamp your eyelashes when you can.
As he said, there are times in life when you see dirty things, and you need a joker to pull out at those times.
“How much will Taesung’s stock price soar if it wins the subway line 2 construction contract? What will be the value of Taesung’s name that will be engraved in people’s minds?”
“······.”
“The estimated bid price for the subway line 2 construction project is about 180 billion won. Compared to that, the bribe ledger value of 18 million won is really cheap, cheap! This won’t even cover the bribe value that Woo-kwang gave.”
“······.”
“Give that ledger to Chairman Cha. You’ll get back more than what you paid me. This is a service.”
I winked one eye.
“That’s why it’s called a bribe.”
“ha ha ha!”
Secretary Kim burst into laughter for the first time.
“I will gratefully accept the bribe you have provided without hesitation.”
Of course.
This is all the oil that makes the world run smoothly.
What other lubricant is more effective than this?
“So, what I’m saying is, Agent Park Cheol-gu was dragged to the basement of the serving room. He’s the one who wrote this ledger.”
“yes.”
“Can you take it out for me, sir?”
Secretary Kim smiled brightly.
“Of course. There is no clear evidence that they dug into Woo Kwang Construction, so how could it be difficult?”
This is all thanks to me stealing the original.
The grim reaper gave a thumbs up from the side.
‘If Mr. Cheol-gu had gone around and threatened the political figures listed in the ledger, this wouldn’t have happened. Tsk tsk, you didn’t think of that, did you? What, you didn’t even make copies until now?’
Even a gentleman with good instincts has slow hands.
It’s a life-threatening situation, so what were you doing all this time to get taken away?
“Please.”
“Don’t worry. If Woo-kwang can do it, Tae-sung can do it too. Leave this to me.”
This is really sturdy.
As expected, Secretary Kim! The problem solver who takes care of Taesung Group’s dirty work!
“I will consider this as my favor to repay your kindness. Since you have received something, I should return the favor.”
Trust that sprouts through mutual respect!
Secretary Kim, you can now achieve your goal without having to use your business card.
As expected, pre-applying oil is the best.
“There isn’t much time left until my appointment with the chairman.”
Secretary Kim checked his watch and said.
“Please hurry up and finalize the house contract and then go to Taesung Hotel. I will guide you.”
* * *
The coffee shop on the second floor of Taesung Hotel was decorated in a luxurious European style.
A barista who studied abroad in Italy roasts coffee as soon as it is ordered, and a tea master who studied tea ceremony in Japan and returned from studying it brews tea in a ceramic set.
“I’ll have milk coffee, and would you like cocoa, Jeong-hyeok?”
“······.”
Cocoa Rani!
Cocoa in a place with such a nice coffee aroma!
It’s not British milk tea, it’s not double egg tea, and it’s not cocoa?
“By the way, how did you get that much money? You even brought back the watch you were pawning. How did you do it?”
“······Would you like some cocoa?”
I drank the cold water in gulps.
There’s no way to explain this?
In times like this, you should just shut your mouth and drink.
This means that even if it is sewage water or lye water, it is a time when you have to drink it.
“You didn’t force Secretary Kim to give you money, did you?”
“Am I a beggar? A robber? I really wasn’t.”
Secretary Kim, who was drinking espresso on the other side, nodded in agreement.
On Secretary Kim’s table there is only one copy of the ledger hidden in a paper bag.
Suddenly, Secretary Kim put down her teacup and jumped up.
“Mr. Chairman, are you here?”
Mr. Chairman?
I turned my head to where Secretary Kim was looking.
“Oh my, my precious baby!”
A man who had been running towards me with his arms wide open, laughing, hugged me tightly.
< Negotiation (3) > End
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