It had already been several months since Mao Qin, the intelligence team leader of the Samhap Society, had entered Korea.
He had entered with tremendous ambition to conquer the Korean market.
He had come to Korea with the intention of even moving the Samhap Society's headquarters here if conditions were favorable.
To that extent, the Samhap Society was in a serious crisis.
Their existing businesses had all become unprofitable.
New businesses faced fierce competition.
Organization members had begun to leave.
If things continued this way, it was obvious the organization would collapse.
They needed money.
They needed money to rebuild the organization.
A solution to overcome the crisis was needed.
Mao Qin chose Korea as that solution.
No matter how much he thought about it, only Korea was an alternative.
There was no place with such high purchasing power and well-developed infrastructure like Korea.
On top of that, it was a drug-free nation.
He thought it was the best choice.
But there was no progress in his work.
Gang Palchun and Du Mansik, who were supposed to help him from the sidelines, couldn't be reached.
They seemed to have been eliminated.
Mao Qin had no choice but to start everything on his own.
He had to start from the very bottom.
All he had been given were two people to act as bodyguards and help with the work.
Lin Zawei and Xu Haiping were all he had.
That was all his uncle—no, the Chairman—could do to help Mao Qin.
But unlike his grand ambition to conquer Korea,
Mao Qin's range of activity was limited to Incheon Chinatown.
If he stepped even slightly outside of Chinatown, the police cracked down and sanctioned him.
They would turn a blind eye to you lot scuffling among yourselves inside Chinatown,
but they had sent a signal that they would come in immediately if things got even slightly big.
They had clearly sent a signal that they would absolutely not leave it alone if anyone got hurt or died.
He had no choice but to be careful.
It was inevitable in order to avoid getting caught.
On top of that, the Daehun Faction's influence was immense.
In the Korean underworld, it was a structure where doing anything without the Daehun Faction's permission was extremely difficult.
They had this world firmly in their grip.
Gang Palchun, the former Korean branch chief of the Samhap Society, hadn't been lying when he whined about how hard it was every time he opened his mouth.
It was truly not a good environment for activity.
And the Samhap Society's rock-bottom recognition also played a part.
Young kids didn't even know what the Samhap Society was,
and only slightly older people knew of it, but their reaction was “So what?”
In Korea, the Samhap Society was really nothing.
Its standing was completely different from the Samhap Society in Southeast Asia.
It was different from the Korea he had only seen through reports while sitting in a high-rise building in Hong Kong.
He could understand why the Samhap Society hadn't advanced into Korea until now.
Even in such an environment, Mao Qin did his best to distribute Disand.
It was a matter the Samhap Society's future depended on.
He had to lay the groundwork.
But Disand wasn't circulating as well as he had thought.
As expected, the biggest obstacle was the Daehun Faction.
The Daehun Faction had locked the drug market down tight.
Wherever drugs were distributed, they would know like ghosts and come make a mess of things,
burn the drugs, and take away the distributors.
That wasn't all.
Korea's public security system was also formidable.
Distributing drugs in Korea was something that required taking on very high risk.
The level of punishment was very high.
And they were going to work with people they were seeing for the first time?
Trusting only the name of the Samhap Society?
When they didn't even know if Mao Qin and his group were really from the Samhap Society?
Gang Palchun at least had connections and a foundation built up over a long time in this world.
He had distributed quietly through those connections.
But Mao Qin wasn't the same.
Mao Qin had no acquaintances and no foundation.
He had the title of the Samhap Society,
but in Korea, the title of Samhap Society was useless.
This couldn't go on.
He had to find another way.
Mao Qin began an emergency countermeasures meeting with Lin Zawei and Xu Haiping, who had followed him.
“What do we do? Any ideas?”
Mao Qin asked in a worried voice.
Mao Qin's confidence had been greatly shattered by the environment that was so different from what he had imagined in Hong Kong.
Lin Zawei, who was beside him, answered Mao Qin's concerns.
“How about we try lowering the Disand price a bit more?”
“The price?”
“If the price is lower, wouldn't it be easier to approach them? I think that's the only way right now.”
“Hmm...”
Mao Qin fell into thought.
The price wasn't even expensive right now.
Those crazy Chinese bastards are selling Ascend for 5 yuan (1,000 won).
What the Samhap Society makes is a knockoff, so it has to be cheaper than Ascend, and it's even hard to match Ascend's unit price.
China, which mass-produces hundreds of millions of units a day,
and the Samhap Society, which churns out tens of thousands a day from a single factory—their production unit prices couldn't be the same.
Add to that separate production facilities, labor costs, raw material costs, transportation costs, and even risk costs—the Disand business was better left undone.
But the hope that maybe it would be possible in the special market that was Korea had a hold on Mao Qin.
“I don't think the price is the problem...”
“That's right. I don't think the price is the issue. Living here, I've seen that in Korea, people will buy it even if it's not 1,000 won per unit but 5,000 or 10,000, if they need it.”
Xu Haiping, who was beside them, answered.
“I think so too. Then why isn't it selling?”
“I think the distribution problem is more serious than the price.”
Xu Haiping spoke his thoughts without reserve.
“Distribution?”
“Most of Asia is covered with our Samhap Society's distribution lines, isn't it? But not Korea. At most, only Chinatown.”
That's right.
The drugs definitely couldn't spread out.
“Then what do we do now? Should we give up like this?”
“It would be hard for us to create a distribution line. If necessary, we have to use existing routes.”
“How?”
“By connecting with other organizations.”
Mao Qin was slightly disappointed by Xu Haiping's answer.
They had done that as soon as they arrived.
“We already tried that. We requested collaborations with numerous organizations in the name of the Samhap Society, and we were all rejected.”
“I think the name Samhap Society might have been the problem.”
“Our name?”
“Yes. Having spent time in Korea, the name Samhap Society was completely useless. It's not the Samhap Society we have in mind. So how about we erase the name Samhap Society and pretend to be just a Chinese company while distributing the goods?”
Mao Qin took interest in Xu Haiping's idea.
“Then you're saying we disguise ourselves as doing business with an ordinary Chinese company, not the Samhap Society organization?”
“That's right.”
After all, Disand takes the form of candy.
And it's already a huge hit in China.
Couldn't we approach them saying we are the only ones who can sell a product that's hugely popular in China?
Couldn't we disguise it as a functional food that relieves fatigue or improves concentration?
A calculator started spinning in Mao Qin's head.
“Oh~ Xu Haiping, that sounds like a good idea. Let's proceed.”
“We'll draw up a list of organizations we can contact on our side.”
“Yes. Let's proceed as quickly as possible.”
******
“It hasn't spread as much as you think. It is being distributed within Chinatown, but that's a tricky place for us to step into, so we're leaving it alone. Instead, we're keeping it locked down from getting outside.”
“You had already figured it out?”
“Of course. If it's drugs, I'd get up and run even if I were sleeping.”
Surprised after seeing Ascend, I convened an emergency countermeasures meeting with Daehun, Geunsu, and Scott.
But unlike my surprise, Daehun and Geunsu had already figured out about that drug,
and though they couldn't block distribution inside Chinatown, they were doing their best to lock it down from spreading elsewhere.
I was grateful to Daehun anew.
He had been doing his best to stop drugs even where I wasn't.
He could earn several times—no, dozens of times—his current income by selling drugs,
yet rather than distributing drugs, he was placating other organizations and blocking them.
Daehun is working so hard to stop drugs,
while I'm making and selling them, so I have no face to show Daehun.
Not that it was easy to tell him I was the one making and spreading it.
Though I had made it to take over China, Daehun was suffering because of it.
Anyway, sorry was sorry.
“But who's smuggling that in? From Chinatown?”
“They say it's the Samhap Society.”
“Samhap Society? The one we know? Why would they?”
“How should I know?”
Daehun answered my stupid question.
“They probably chose Korea as their way to survive.”
Scott, who had been listening to the conversation, answered.
“The Samhap Society is looking for a way to survive? Why? Isn't the Samhap Society amazing? Couldn't they live well without doing this kind of drug peddling?”
I really didn't know.
I had only heard of something like the Samhap Society somewhere.
There were so many things to worry about without caring about the Samhap Society.
I didn't have the capacity to worry about those gangster bastards too.
“That's old news. Now they've shrunk tremendously. They were practically driven out of China, their main stage, due to crackdowns, and though they've moved to Southeast Asia, they're not what they used to be. Southeast Asia already has organizations that control it, so it's awkward to push in, and even if they try new businesses, the MZ generation has already started them all. As latecomers, the competition is fierce. I'd heard they were gradually declining, but I didn't know they had targeted Korea.”
Scott summarized briefly.
“The shrunken Samhap Society is entering the Korean market to survive? Bringing Disand?”
“That's how it looks.”
Look at these bastards.
They're struggling to survive so they're going to attack the Korean market?
These bastards are finished.
Whether it's Samhap Society or whatever, I don't care what they do or where,
but I can't let the Samhap Society dig into the foundation Daehun worked so hard to build.
If the Samhap Society comes in and sets up, Korea becomes a mess again.
It's the peace Daehun barely managed to create through effort.
I can't let peace be ruined because of those beggar-like bastards' rice bowls.
I think we have to stop them.
“Hmm... It's not Disand that's the problem, but the Samhap Society?”
Thinking about it, Disand wasn't the problem.
The Samhap Society had chosen Korea as their new market.
Even if Disand fails, there's a high possibility they'll push something else.
I think we need to prepare.
To do that, I needed to know what kind of bastards the Samhap Society were.
Information was needed.
“We need to find out more about the Samhap Society first. Scott.”
“Yes.”
“Ask Chen Zihao to compile some data on the Samhap Society.”
“Understood.”
“Tell him it's urgent, to handle it as top priority.”
“I'll contact him right away.”
Scott went out with his phone.
Daehun, hearing that, chimed in.
“We'll give you data too. We have compiled data as well.”
“Really? How did you gather data?”
“Just think of it as obtained by sacrificing someone's fur. Pfft.”
“Fur?”
Daehun couldn't hold back his laughter, perhaps because it was funny just thinking about it.
“What's so funny?”
“Hehe. There are things like that.”
“Got it.”
Just then, Geunsu received a phone call.
“Excuse me. I'll take a call.”
Geunsu began answering the phone with a serious expression.
After talking for a while, Geunsu quietly spoke.
“Some news just came in. It seems Chinese companies have recently sent out contacts asking to collaborate regarding that Disand.”
“What? Chinese companies? Which ones?”
“I'm not sure about the details yet. They say it's a candy that's hugely popular in China, something hard to get unless it's from them. They said they'd give us the Korean distribution rights and asked for a meeting.”
“Korean distribution rights...”
Something smells very fishy.
If they were a normal company,
and had obtained the rights to distribute a product that's hugely popular in China,
they would choose a large corporation or major distribution company as a partner, not gangsters.
For them to propose this to gangsters means there's a high possibility it's illegal.
There's a high possibility it's a disguise.
The Samhap Society is probably behind it.
Interesting.
I should see the face of whoever orchestrated this.
“Daehun.”
“Huh?”
“Let's take that collaboration.”
“Us? You want us to do that?”
“Yeah. If other guys take it, it's just more troublesome to control. It's better if we hold it and shake it ourselves.”
“You're right. That makes sense.”
“Then we should see their face?”
“Euheuheu. Yeah. Let's see their face.”
*******
Daehun Faction Chungcheong-do Training Center.
It was a place where one had to receive mandatory instruction in order to enter the Daehoon Faction.
A bald man knelt on the floor, his arms resting on the bed as he prayed.
He muttered something rapidly, even shedding tears.
After praying for a long while, the man finally rose slowly, as if his prayer had come to an end.
Strangely, not a single hair could be seen on his body.
No hair on his head, no eyebrows, no beard.
As though he had severed himself from the past.
His entire body was clean.
He was none other than Du Mansik, who had come as a special envoy of the Triad.
After being thoroughly beaten by the Daehoon Faction, he had ended up at the training center in Chungcheong-do.
As soon as he arrived, he had been out of his mind for quite some time, occupied with treatment.
They set the places that were broken,
stitched the places that were torn,
and he slept.
He did not wake even after sleeping for several days and nights.
The people here treated Du Mansik kindly.
Their voices were low and quiet, but warm, and their hands were gentle.
Their medical skills were also excellent.
His wounds healed without even leaving scars.
Above all, no one here pressed Du Mansik.
“There is no need to hurry.”
“You don’t have to do anything. Don’t be impatient.”
“Just rest. You’ve worked hard all this time.”
“If it hurts, say it hurts. If it’s hard, say it’s hard.”
He did not even pretend to listen.
Words like that were of no help at all in life.
The world was competition, and one had to be better than others.
And yet they told him only to rest.
He could not understand it.
When the bell rang, meals came, and he received treatment.
No one asked about his past, and no one spoke of his identity.
Instead, he heard the same story every day.
The world is difficult. It is filled with lies.
In this world full of confusion, the only person one can lean on and depend upon is Lord Daehoon.
Hearing such words made him let out a hollow laugh.
Du Mansik was a man who had been through everything.
They thought they could persuade him with a few sugary words like that?
Not a chance.
But several times a day, he heard the same story.
Even when he did not want to listen, it naturally entered his ears.
Then, at some point, those words lodged themselves in his heart.
They repeated on their own inside his head.
He read the biography of Seo Daehoon that they offered him.
Since he had plenty of time, he read it slowly.
He read it again and again.
He turned it over in his mind and read it countless times.
Only then did he see it.
The life Big Brother Daehoon had lived drew itself before his eyes.
He could not even dare to guess how full of hardship and suffering it must have been.
And yet, he could not help but be moved by the heart with which he embraced people in love.
Only then did he feel Big Brother Daehoon’s grand will.
He came to understand why he had to believe in and depend upon Big Brother Daehoon.
Du Mansik decided not to doubt.
He decided to accept it.
He decided to become part of the Daehoon Faction.
Though it would be difficult for him to face Big Brother Daehoon in person now, he thought it would be enough if he could become even the faintest bit of strength from very far away.
Hair began to grow again in the places that had been burned.
Du Mansik shaved it off himself.
He shaved his head.
He decided to live exactly as Lord Daehoon had made him.
That was Du Mansik’s own way of expressing loyalty.
And so, Du Mansik became a powerful follower of the Daehoon Faction.