< Determination >
It’s definitely a very good method.
‘But if you’re an old man, you’re not the kind of person who would just hand me over the documents if I asked you to. But you can’t take them from me by force, either.’
There’s nothing I can do.
Should we go back a little further?
I looked straight into the old man’s eyes.
“Sir, the courage of the powerless is absurd. Do you want to stop forced eviction? Do you not want to see the people of the shantytown get hurt? Then you need to have enough power. If you don’t have the power right now, you can bring in someone who does.”
Mr. Cheolgu opened his eyes wide.
“To hit the bullseye, you have to shoot above it. If you want to stop Woo Kwang Construction, aim above it. Look at the line carefully.”
I hope you listen to my words and save your life.
“You should prepare for when something happens to you. Even rabbits dig holes in several directions.”
I decided to end the rambling here.
‘If you have a brain, you will figure out a way to survive.’
My sincerity and goodwill ended there.
But as we were talking, something suddenly occurred to me.
The words he said while torturing Mr. Cheol-gu keep lingering in my mind.
-Why did you, a kid who should be digging up spies, dig up Wookwang Construction for no reason?
-Do you know how many times you’ve caused me trouble?
– Hurry up and blow the whistle. Taesung Construction, right? It’s Taesung Construction, right?
-You clueless brat. That’s what I mean when I say Taesung Construction.
That guy must have been one of the people who got into trouble because the old man was digging around Wookwang Construction.
The upper line of the court intervened to cover the back of the light.
Here’s the problem.
‘Why is Woo-kwang targeting Tae-seong?’
It was strange.
What are you going to do by pointing out Taesung as the mastermind and extracting a false confession?
‘As far as I know, Woo-kwang and Tae-seong were related by marriage and helped each other out, so why is it such a mess now that they can’t get along?’
It definitely seems like there’s something hidden.
If not, why does that document shine so golden?
I’m dying of curiosity.
So I asked outright.
“What did you touch about Wookwang Construction, sir?”
“Involved in the subway construction bidding······. Damn, I stopped you again. That little devil is really······.”
Subway construction bidding?
Ha, I think I have a rough idea of how things are going.
Got it!
*
“Ma’am, I’m here.”
“Yes, Jeong-hyeok’s mom. Come quickly.”
The landlady welcomed Jeong-hyeok’s mother warmly.
“Why did you call me?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to use the coal boiler today.”
The grandmother said with an embarrassed face.
“Jeonghyeok’s mom knows what’s going on in this neighborhood these days. You never know when the demolition crews will show up and destroy everything. I’m really sorry, Jeonghyeok’s mom.”
This is all because of forced evictions.
Both Jeong-hyeok’s mother and the landlady knew that it would be difficult to replace the coal-fired boiler at a large cost.
“So, what I’m saying is, this is the deposit and this month’s rent. You need this to find a new place to move into.”
The landlady pushed a wad of cash around.
“I think the forced eviction will start soon. It would be better to take Jeong-hyeok and leave quickly before things get ugly.”
I was thinking of doing that anyway.
In the cardigan pocket was the housing lottery ticket that Jeong-hyeok had given me.
Jeonghyeok’s mother looked down at the wad of bills the landlady had given her.
“What are you going to do, ma’am?”
“I’ll just hold on until I can hold on.”
The landlady smiled bitterly.
“I thought it was time to leave without any regrets since I’d come this far. But it’s not as easy as I thought.”
“why?”
“It’s because I’m foolish. This house was built by the late Cheol-gu’s father. Maybe that’s why. My feet just wouldn’t move.”
The grandmother looked around the house with eyes filled with longing and said.
“Jeonghyeok’s mom is like that too?”
“yes?”
“I returned the deposit a month ago. It was the same then, and it is the same now. I feel like there’s another reason why I can’t just leave. Is it because of Jeong-hyeok’s father?”
Jeonghyeok’s mother was silent for a moment.
But soon he shook his head.
“No, that’s not true. He probably doesn’t even know I’m here.”
Jeonghyeok’s mother took the money
“I was thinking of going to the fortune teller anyway.”
“Good idea.”
The landlady held Jeong-hyeok’s mother’s hand tightly.
“Wherever you go, take care of yourself.”
“Thank you for everything.”
* * *
Mr. Cheolgu habitually took out a cigarette and lit it.
Maybe because it was in front of me, I couldn’t bring myself to light it and just scratched the back of my head several times.
I also kept my mouth shut and collected my thoughts.
‘Since Subway Line 1, which opened in 1974, was a great success, the government is ambitiously pushing forward with the construction of Line 2.’
Construction of Subway Line 2, a circular railway, passes through major hubs in Seoul.
For a major domestic construction company, it was something they rushed into with fire in their eyes.
‘It’s not just about winning a construction contract and increasing sales and performance. The land price will jump hundreds of times where Subway Line 2 passes.’
The entire land of Seoul was put up for sale.
A large board means that there is a large piece of flesh to bite into.
There must have been a number of high-ranking political figures involved.
‘The profit from buying and reselling the land around the subway station will be much greater than the construction itself. They will also be giving a lot of bribes to high-ranking officials in the government and government to get their stamp of approval.’
It was obvious why Woo-kwang was acting in a way that kept Tae-seong in check.
This was before the marriage between Taesung and Woogwang was formed.
‘In the past, it was Woo-kwang, not Tae-seong, who won the bid for subway line 2 construction.’
One day, just before the subway construction bid was to proceed, the president is said to have called in Taesung’s chairman and become very angry.
So, Taesung Construction’s game was over.
Its rival, Wookwang, won the bid for subway line 2 construction and purchased a large amount of land near the subway station, monopolizing the price difference.
‘If this involved not only Mr. Cheol-gu’s life but also his father’s, then it would be a different story.’
Honestly, I was going to repay my mother’s gratitude by giving her advice that would save my uncle’s life.
This guy is lucky.
Now that we know that our father is in charge of Taesung Construction, isn’t it difficult to just ignore this?
I whispered quietly.
“Sir, just in case, it would be a good idea to keep a copy of that document.”
“what?”
I looked around and spoke in a smaller voice.
“Who knows? Maybe a smuggled copy will save you in a pinch.”
To save Mr. Cheol-gu’s life and obtain a weapon to defeat his rival.
Is this another reason why I need to call my father as soon as possible?
“Jeonghyeok!”
My mother is calling me.
“Let’s pack quickly. We have to hurry if we want to reserve a room at the inn before it gets dark.”
I smiled brightly at Mr. Cheolgu.
“Just think of it as digging another rabbit hole. The more escape routes, the better.”
I turned my back without any hesitation and ran to my mother.
My mother was packing clothes into a large suitcase.
“Should we go to Bokdeukbang with Mom tomorrow? Let’s look at apartments.”
“yes!”
It was the answer I was waiting for.
“Have you decided where to move?”
“Well, as you said, I think Apgujeong-dong or Daechi-dong, or maybe Banpo-dong or Seocho-dong would be a good idea.”
It was an excellent choice.
A neighborhood in Gangnam where land prices are rising rapidly.
In the past, a lot of the real estate that I had been diligently collecting was concentrated there.
* * *
We entered a guesthouse in Myeongdong.
“Jeonghyeok, do you want to stay here and watch TV? I think Mom has to go out for a bit.”
Mother took her coin purse and notebook.
I know what’s written in that notebook.
A phone number with only one number written on it.
This must have been my mother’s business.
“Have a nice trip.”
That’s good. I have other things to do anyway.
My mother has made a big decision, and as her son, I must definitely support her.
“Mom will buy you something delicious when you come. So, you have to wait quietly?”
“Of course. Don’t worry and just do your work.”
Mother went out.
I lay down on the hot floor and looked up at the ceiling.
‘What should I call you? Guardian, Grim Reaper, King Yeomra’s bonus. Whatever it is, come out now.’
[Call me Guardian Angel.]
Indeed, the grim reaper rose up like a shadow.
This was exactly what I was looking for.
[How dare you speak informally to me. How arrogant of a mere human being.]
‘Then let’s have a conversation that includes that.’
[Is there anything we need to talk about?]
‘Of course it exists.’
There is one thing I deliberately left unsaid in front of King Yeomra.
So, let’s look at this properly from now on.
‘I’ve never heard of a Grim Reaper being a guardian for anyone in my life. They must be busy guiding people to the afterlife, so why would they assign such a high-level person as a guardian? Anyone can see that this is a waste of resources.’
[so?]
‘After the truth was revealed through the karma, I wondered why you were so sweet. Why did you become my guardian angel? I thought deeply about the reason.’
No matter how I look at it, it’s still strange.
‘Say it correctly. In my previous life, I was falsely accused of selling out my country, I was punished by heaven, and I lived a miserable life full of misfortunes. It was all because of you, wasn’t it?’
The grim reaper flinched greatly.
Oh my, you’ve been caught!
‘But you still can’t tolerate me speaking informally?’
[I’ll accept the informality.]
The suspicion has been solidified into confirmation.
‘If you promise to cooperate obediently as I wish in the future, I’m willing to cover it up without asking any questions.’
[I will actively cooperate. I will do my best.]
‘Okay. Then fly to the Taesung Group Chairman’s house right now. There’s something I need you to do there.’
[hmm?]
I smiled, poking my temple.
‘I’m talking about what you did to the landlady last time. Invading other people’s dreams.’
[I think I know who I should visit in my dreams.]
Even the grim reaper smiled.
[Have a nice trip.]
* * *
Jeonghyeok’s mother found a public phone booth at the entrance to the neighborhood.
“Phew······.”
She took a long time catching her breath while holding the payphone receiver.
My whole body trembled slightly with tension.
My palms kept getting sweaty, so I don’t know how many times I wiped them with a handkerchief.
Give up your turn to the person behind you while waiting in line once, twice, three times.
It was only after giving in to more than ten people that I was able to muster up the courage.
“Okay. I can do it. If it’s for Jeong-hyeok.”
There is nothing I wouldn’t do for my son’s future.
Willing to endure any humiliation that may come!
The will to endure even if the child is taken away!
Such determination could be seen in Jeonghyeok’s mother’s eyes.
Thump. Thump. Clang.
-hello?
A thick voice.
She knew very well whose voice this was.
“Oh, it’s been a while, Chairman Cha. I’m Lee Soo-jin. With your youngest son, Seong-jun······.”
-Oh! I was just waiting for your call.
“······?”
Jeonghyeok’s mother tilted her head.
Chairman Cha, famously nicknamed the Flame Bulldozer.
I called him, fully prepared to be struck by his fiery temper.
What is this warm welcome?
< Decision> End
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