Audi A6, a Local Tax Delinquent Vehicle
After removing the license plate of the delinquent vehicle fixed with bolts and nuts, I entered another apartment complex with Manager Shin.
“What’s this place?”
The apartment complex we drove into was National Rental Housing where people in difficult circumstances lived.
“That’s right. It’s a National Rental Housing apartment complex.”
Manager Shin began slowly circling the parking lot with an unconcerned expression.
“There are people who drive imported cars around apartments like this where basic livelihood security recipients mainly live, while defaulting on their taxes.”
Manager Shin explained the reason we’d driven to the rental apartment.
National Rental Housing is a place where the state provides rental apartments in the form of housing subsidies to people whose income falls far short of the median income or who have no dependents.
However, there were occasional cases where young people exploited loopholes in the system, residing in rental housing under their parents’ or grandparents’ names, and among them were those who habitually defaulted on automobile taxes while driving imported cars.
“Look over there. You see the Audi and the BMW next to it, right?”
“Yes, Manager.”
“The Audi has four cases of delinquency totaling 1.21 million won; the BMW has seven cases totaling 2.26 million won. Go remove their license plates.”
“Yes, Manager.”
Just as I was about to get out of the official vehicle following his order, Manager Shin’s phone rang loudly.
Ring-ring-ring ring-ring-ring—
Manager Shin checked the number on the screen and answered.
“Yes, Chief. This is Shin Jong-ho.”
Manager Shin continued the call with a serious expression for about a minute.
Judging by the conversation, there was no doubt it was a call from the city hall section chief.
“Yes. Understood, Chief. I’ll do that.”
After ending the call, Manager Shin Jong-ho spoke with a slightly serious expression.
“Gang Han, you know how to drive, right?”
“Yes, Manager. I have a license and I can drive. But why do you ask?”
“I got a call from the office. Because of a ministerial commendation award, they want me to come in right away and quickly write up a record of merits and a personal history statement. What should I do? I think I need to go back a bit early. What will you do? Want to return with me? Or will you remove the license plates from those two imported cars over there and come back?”
“It’s a ministerial commendation award, nothing less. You should hurry back. I’ll remove the license plates from those cars and come back.”
“Really, you can do that for me?”
Manager Shin looked troubled yet proud.
If it weren’t for the period of intensive license plate impoundment for delinquent vehicles, I could have just returned with him.
But right now, the ten sections of the city hall’s Financial Affairs Department were competing fiercely over license plate impoundments.
Furthermore, the chiefs of Delinquency Section 1 and Delinquency Section 2 had made a bet over this impoundment performance at a company dinner.
“Yes. Don’t worry and please hurry back. I’ll impound the license plates and take a taxi back.”
“No. You drive the official vehicle back, Gang Han. I’ll take a taxi.”
Manager Shin entrusted me with the official vehicle and left the apartment complex to catch a taxi.
“Gang Han, I’m really sorry. I’ll buy you a drink later. Don’t overdo it, just remove those two imported cars from earlier and come back quickly.”
“Don’t worry and please go.”
With a worried expression, Manager Shin looked back several times, then caught a taxi and returned to city hall.
Huuu—
Once Manager Shin left, a deep sigh heaved from the depths of my lungs.
It was nothing much. At most, I’d be removing imported car license plates.
I strode toward the Audi.
And crouched down in front of the license plate.
[98 Do 1812]
Facing the license plate, information about chronic delinquents that Manager Shin had sent before we left on this field trip flashed through my mind.
[Audi A6. Owner: Lee Geun-bae (Adult Arcade Owner). A vicious delinquent with many defaults and rough complaints. Caution advised—this is a person with a history of assaulting city hall civil servants.]
Among the delinquent profiles Manager Shin had sent, this vehicle had remained in my memory for a long time because of its unusual details and the part about openly assaulting a city hall official despite being a tax delinquent.
“So this is that car?”
Looking at the delinquent vehicle, the Audi A6, a hollow laugh escaped me.
It wasn’t a vehicle delinquent because of livelihood difficulties. He drove around in a German-made luxury car with no intention of paying taxes, and even assaulted the official in charge. Moreover, he lived in National Rental Housing through a scheme while driving an Audi?
If someone like this is left alone, how deprived would the sincere taxpayers who pay their taxes diligently feel?
As I sat in front of the license plate with such thoughts, trying to turn the bolts, a hoarse, bizarre screech like someone who’d swallowed a boiled gun barrel sounded from behind me.
“Hey. You there. Stop right there.”
I turned my head toward the source of the screech.
There, a man in a Missoni-style knit sweater holding a Louis Vuitton clutch was glaring at me.
“What are you?”
A man with a vicious face and his whole body decked out in luxury brands yelled violently.
“I’m an employee of the City Hall Tax Affairs Department.”
I stated my identity confidently.
Instantly, the man twisted his lips grotesquely.
“What? City Hall Tax Affairs? Ha… I swear. Have these bastards still not come to their senses? Last time some asshole from city hall got a flying kick while trying to remove my license plate and went flying out, and you still come waddling back? Are you guys hoping for a bribe or something?”
The man sneered at me, making a circle with his fingers.
Huu—
A sigh escaped me unconsciously.
Points accumulated every time I collected taxes.
I had been trying to save those points for later.
Regrettably, a situation where I had to use them had arrived.
Good. From now on, I’ll give this neighborhood thug a proper education.
Closing my eyes, I opened my status window.
Ding—
[Investing 700 points in Strength.]
[Investing 500 points in Agility.]
Collection System base points: 200.
500 reward points from the [Collection System] received upon final passing of the civil servant exam.
And 500 points received through [Achievement: Shattering Complacency].
I dumped the entirety of my 1,200 points—no different from my entire fortune—into Strength and Agility.
Lee Geun-bae was literally a bloody pig. To catch a neighborhood thug like Lee Geun-bae, whose belly fat jiggled and whose neck was folded into three layers of meat, I had no choice but to maximize my instantaneous strength and subdue him in one breath.
[Strength Lv 1 → Strength Lv 7]
[Strength level increases greatly.]
[Movement Speed Lv 1 → Movement Speed Lv 3]
[Agility increases greatly.]
[Overall muscle power expands.]
I can feel it. Considerable power is surging throughout my body.
The moment I invested the points and strengthened my Strength and Agility, the thug Lee Geun-bae who had been glaring at me waddled closer.
“What are you doing? Closing your eyes because you’re scared? This bastard is one funny son of a bitch.”
Lee Geun-bae, the adult arcade owner who had approached right in front of me, grabbed my collar.
“Consider yourself lucky, you bastard. Good thing you got caught before removing the license plate. If you’d ripped it off like that bastard from before, you’d be on your way to the afterlife. You understand me? Huh!”
Lee Geun-bae gripped my collar and strained to lift me up.
But…
Bureup—
A thick confusion settled in Lee Geun-bae’s eyes.
He had thought he could lift me easily because of my small stature, but I hadn’t budged an inch.
“Wh…what? What is this?”
I was holding Lee Geun-bae’s wrist, and instantly focused the strength of my grip.
Udududuk—
As I exerted force with my right hand, the sound of bones crunching came from Lee Geun-bae’s wrist.
At the same time, a sound like a pig being slaughtered burst from Lee Geun-bae’s mouth.
“Kuaaaack!”
His wrist broken, Lee Geun-bae staggered as strength left his legs, then raised his left fist and swung it at my face.
This time I grabbed the bastard’s left fist and bent it backward.
Using the special combat techniques I’d learned during my search unit days, combined with my expanded strength, the effect amplified twofold, threefold.
“Kkaddeudeudeuk…”
Lee Geun-bae made a sound like he was suffocating and thumped down to a sitting position.
I grabbed the hair of the bastard who’d fallen hard on his ass.
“Lee Geun-bae.”
I called his name in a low, commanding voice.
“Y…yes. Hyungnim.”
Unexpectedly, the word “Hyungnim” burst from Lee Geun-bae’s lips.
“Hyungnim?”
Typical thug.
Strong against the weak, servile before the strong.
“S…sorry. S…sir…n…no. O…Officer. Please forgive me just this once.”
“What?”
“E…everything. I…I was unconditionally wr…wrong.”
Hyenas are born knowing that lions and tigers are not their match.
With just two experiences, Lee Geun-bae realized he couldn’t defeat me with his own abilities.
“Everything?”
“Yes, sir. I did everything wrong. H…how much did you say the delinquent taxes were?”
“Four cases, 1.21 million won.”
“I…I’ll transfer the money right now.”
The bastard took out his phone from his clutch bag and immediately began the bank transfer.
“I just paid all the delinquent tax amounts. Th…that’s good, right? Now please…let go of my hair…”
Lee Geun-bae began pleading, his hair still in my grip.
Before I knew it, elderly residents living in the rental apartments began gathering around us one by one. Among them were people filming our scene with their phones.
“Lee Geun-bae.”
“Y…yes. Hyungnim…n…no, sir.”
“That junior officer Seo Ho-yeong whom you sent flying with a flying kick the other day. You remember?”
“Y…yes.”
“You said yourself that you did everything wrong, so you’ll restore everything from all the atrocities you committed. Understand?”
“Y…yes. I…I’ll do that.”
I let go of Lee Geun-bae’s hair.
Lee Geun-bae looked around with a humiliated face, then quickly returned to his Audi.
After Lee Geun-bae disappeared as if fleeing, I walked toward the BMW license plate next to his car to remove it.
At that moment, a grandmother watching the situation from across the way shouted urgently.
“Y…young man. Be…behind you!”
Looking where the grandmother pointed, Lee Geun-bae had taken out a jackknife from behind and was rushing to stab me.
Reflexively crouching my body, I used Lee Geun-bae’s charging momentum to hurl him straight over me.
Buuuung—
Lee Geun-bae traced a large arc through the air and crashed headlong toward his own Audi.
Kwaaang—
Kwajijik—
The bonnet of Lee Geun-bae’s beloved Audi A6 crumpled like tissue paper, and Lee Geun-bae collapsed foaming at the mouth without even letting out a short scream.
“Kkuh… S…sir… p…please… j…just spare my life…”
“Lee Geun-bae.”
“Y…yes, sir.”
“I’m going to report you to the police for obstruction of official duties, assault and battery, and attempted murder. Since you said yourself that you did everything wrong, eat prison food and reflect on your life.”
I politely asked the elderly person who had been filming me moments ago.
“Sir. I’m going to call the police now. When the police arrive, please submit the video you filmed as evidence.”
“Oh my, young man. Of course I’ll do that. I knew that bastard Geun-bae would cause an accident someday. Leaving his old grandmother alone, causing trouble every single day, running some arcade or pachinko place while extorting hard-earned money from the neighborhood common folks. That worthless bastard.”
“Well done, young man. It relieves all of us watching.”
Some grandmothers clapped for me, while others spat toward Lee Geun-bae.
Not long after, the police arrived.
But among the arriving police officers, I saw a very familiar face.
A muscular man with a body as huge as a bull and forearms that looked like they might burst.
It was Detective Ma Seok-do, who had studied with me at the library.
“Huh? Y…you?”
Just as I recognized him, Ma Seok-do recognized me right away as well.
“It’s been a while, Detective Ma Seok-do.”
I extended my hand to Ma Seok-do with a delighted expression.