Daeyeon Development, chairman’s office.
With nothing to do and nowhere to be, I came over to Daehun’s place from the morning like some idle layabout.
Daehun, half-buried in the sofa and drinking coffee, welcomed me.
“Come on in.”
“By the way, do you not work? I’ve never seen you working.”
Seeing Daehun looking even more like a layabout than me made me feel spiteful first thing in the morning.
I felt like teasing him for no reason.
“Work? This is my work. Lazing around.”
Daehun said it while taking a sip of the coffee on the table.
He didn’t look even remotely affected.
“Seriously?”
“What do I know? If they calculate load-bearing capacity and talk construction methods in front of me, you think I’d understand? I leave that to the guys who are good at it, and I just give awards to the ones who do well and praise them for a job well done. People should do what they’re good at.”
Oh~ He became chairman and got smart.
Daehun was right about that.
Work should be left to the experts.
Then there’s no problem.
There are exactly two cases where problems arise.
When non-experts like us butt in and force something that shouldn’t be possible to happen.
Or when the experts get greedy, start thinking crooked thoughts, and do something stupid.
That’s all.
If it’s not one of those, even if things don’t go well, at least they won’t fall apart.
Daehun was avoiding those two things well.
He didn’t force his way in,
and he was strengthening internal discipline so the employees couldn’t get any funny ideas.
It might be a method possible because he was a CEO from a gangster background,
but perhaps he could also be called the best kind of CEO.
So I was thinking of investing a little in this best CEO.
“By the way, Daehun. What businesses do you guys have?”
“Our businesses… There’s Daeyeon Development, a contract-services company, three small entertainment agencies, establishment management, and a liquor company because we’re trying to supply alcohol, stuff like that? Off the record, there’s a bit more.”
There was more than I’d expected.
Had he expanded like an octopus?
As expected of a conglomerate in the gangster world?
“That’s a lot.”
“It’s only a lot in number. They’re all more or less small-time…”
Daehun answered, sounding a little unsure of himself.
“Want to take an investment?”
“An investment?”
At my suggestion, Daehun looked at me as if to ask what kind of random nonsense I was saying.
“Yeah.”
“It’s not like we’re that short on money.”
Daehun answered lukewarmly.
He was probably worried about me.
I understood the situation.
Daehun knew I was doing well in the Philippines.
He knew I had major influence there, but he didn’t know exactly what I did.
Even I didn’t really know what I did, so it would be stranger if Daehun knew.
He probably just figured I was doing well since I had bodyguards and a private jet.
“Still, it’s good to have money.”
“That’s true, but we don’t really have anywhere to pour that much money into.”
Why does this bastard have no greed for money when he’s a gangster?
“Hmm…”
I thought for a moment, then spoke honestly.
“There’s something I want to do. I’d like you to help me with it. In return, I’ll make an investment.”
“Something you want to do? I’d help you with that even without an investment.”
“I want to invest while I’m at it.”
“So what is it you want to do? This thing you want to do.”
I organized my thoughts for a moment, then told Daehun.
“K-culture is incredibly popular in the Philippines right now.”
“Ah! I know that much from the news.”
“I was thinking, what if we set up an academy or educational institution to teach it?”
This was something I’d been thinking about for a long time.
Many children were growing up in Unity Town.
They were learning new things and challenging themselves to new lives.
I wanted to give them a new option called Korea, called K-culture.
“An academy?”
Daehun asked back, as if it was completely unexpected.
“You know too. I built a town in the Philippines for single-mother families.”
“Yeah. I know. We even collected child support for them.”
“I’d like those kids to come to Korea and receive training.”
“Hmm… That’s a little vague.”
Daehun rubbed his chin and fell into thought for a moment.
It was hard to figure out how to teach K-culture.
Wasn’t that something you didn’t teach, but just realized as you lived?
Daehun’s head grew complicated.
“No need to think of it as difficult. K-culture sounds grand, but if you break it down, there’s K-makeup, K-hair, K-nails, K-food, K-styling, K-culture, K-movies, K-dramas. It divides up like that, right? Just think of it as opening an academy.”
“Ah~ Just an academy?”
Daehun’s voice brightened as if he’d found a clear answer.
“It’s K-culture because we’re teaching it in Korea.”
“Wahaha. That’s true, isn’t it?”
Daehun laughed loudly.
Seeing that made me feel good for no reason too.
“Teachers, centers, all that can be handled slowly later. For now, we can secure a dormitory where the kids can stay, and for the training, we can partner with existing academies and send them there on consignment.”
“Oh~ That’s a good idea.”
“And you said you guys have entertainment agencies too. I don’t think it’ll be a loss at all.”
“That’s a good idea. I don’t know why I never thought of it.”
Daehun’s eyes changed.
He looked very interested.
“That’s because your environment is different. So we’re doing it?”
“Of course. I’m in.”
Daehun nodded.
“Then you’re taking the investment.”
“How much are you planning?”
Daehun asked.
I spread all ten fingers.
“Ten billion won? With that much… Hmm… I’ll have to add some money too.”
Daehun answered after looking as though he was calculating for a moment.
“Ten billion? What would we do with that?”
“Ten trillion. I’m going to invest ten trillion.”
“What? Ten trillion?”
Daehun’s mouth fell open.
Daehun could only stare at me in shock.
*******
A hotel in Yeongjongdo, Incheon.
The hotel where I had met Maoqin.
In the same place, I was meeting Zhang Tian.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Zhang Tian.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Alex.”
Zhang Tian greeted me as if he were a good person.
“Thank you for making time when you’re busy.”
“But what did you want to see me about?”
I went straight to the point.
I had no time to go around in circles or play power games.
As if he hadn’t expected me to say that, Zhang Tian froze slightly.
Why be surprised by something like this?
Honestly, wasn’t it obvious even without seeing him?
He’d come to ask us to withdraw the returned goods.
To ask if we couldn’t just accept them instead of returning them.
“Hmm… It seems there was a small problem with the goods supplied last time. I will apologize.”
“Thank you for understanding. Our standards are on the strict side. Korean consumers have very high standards, you see. But since you understand that, I feel relieved as well.”
Huh? He’s apologizing?
Strange.
This wasn’t the Triad I knew.
Had the world changed so much that even the Triads were changing?
“If there is a standard, it is only natural to meet it.”
Zhang Tian answered as if he were a great man of principle.
But what followed was shocking.
“So I’d like to change those standards a little. Preferably, the entire contract.”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
I was flustered.
Maybe because he was a boss, his scale was big.
He wasn’t asking us to accept this one shipment.
He was trying to change the standards altogether.
As expected, impressive.
The exam cutoff was sixty points, but instead of studying to score sixty, he was trying to lower the standard to forty. No, to thirty.
It was a plan worthy of a Triad boss.
He was trying to change the board.
I can’t meet your standards, so you meet mine.
Wonderful.
This was suddenly getting interesting.
“How? How do you want to change it?”
“I brought a new contract here.”
Zhang Tian took out a contract.
I slowly skimmed through it.
The legal team would review the details, but even at a glance, I could tell it was a mess.
All the toxic clauses we had set up and hidden had been reversed and placed against us instead.
Returns were not allowed without the other party’s consent, and advance payment had to be made.
Returns had to be raised in writing, and if forty-eight hours passed, inspection would be deemed complete, and so on.
It was packed full of more toxic clauses than I could count.
After reading the contract, I let out a hollow laugh.
“Ahaha. Do you think I’m going to agree to this?”
“Wouldn’t it be best for us to find common ground?”
“We have absolutely no reason to change the contract.”
I made my refusal clear.
“Are we not partners? Companions should survive together, no?”
Zhang Tian was still relaxed.
He seemed to believe I would sign this contract.
“Then pay the penalty, terminate the contract, and make a new one. Of course, not with that contract.”
I spoke while looking at the contract lying all alone on the table.
Zhang Tian’s eyes sharpened.
“Come now, let’s just do it. Isn’t it best when things are good for both sides?”
“No, there’s nothing good for us, so what exactly is good?”
I got slightly irritated.
If he was going to bring something to shove at me, he should at least bring something moderately reasonable.
But this was openly a contract telling us to go fuck ourselves, and he wanted me to sign it.
Still, Zhang Tian remained relaxed.
As if he had something to rely on.
“The Daehun Gang can receive quality goods, can it not? And make a great deal of money with them. That should be good enough.”
“That’s what I’m saying. That’s only possible when the goods you send are sound. Right now, they’re all defective. And you want us to sign a contract saying we’ll accept them blindly? Is that something a partner should say? I can play along with a joke if you keep it within reason.”
My voice rose slightly.
“A joke?”
“It is a joke. If you were seriously trying to do this, then the problem is even worse. If you really came here to change the contract, then honestly, I’m extremely disappointed. Whoa, whoa~ Don’t misunderstand. I’m disappointed in myself, not you. I’m so disappointed in myself for contacting a company this subpar without recognizing it.”
I could see anger on Zhang Tian’s face.
“I am a man who likes conversation, so I would like to finish this through conversation. But if our conversation continues to go astray, I may have to use somewhat rough methods.”
“Rough methods?”
“I don’t have the talent to explain such things in detail. Wouldn’t it be faster for you to experience it once?”
Zhang Tian smiled confidently.
“Hmm… Are you not the representative of Zhonglian Tongda Trading Co., Ltd.?”
“That is correct.”
“But the way you act is exactly like the chairman of the Triads.”
“Cough.”
Zhang Tian was flustered.
“That’s why I’m saying we should come to an agreement at a point that’s good for both of us. Smiling, pleasantly.”
Did he think he had the upper hand?
Did he think that in terms of strength, in terms of violence, he could wield the greatest power here?
After he mentioned solving things with violence, Zhang Tian’s expression became much more at ease.
It was as if he intended to get my seal on the contract by force if necessary.
“I have no intention of changing the contract.”
I stated it clearly.
“That is why I’m saying we should negotiate, isn’t it?”
Zhang Tian said with a completely relaxed expression.
At that sight, irritation surged up in me.
“Are all you fucking chinks like this by nature or what? Why can’t you understand what people are saying?”
“What?”
A vein bulged on Zhang Tian’s forehead in an instant.
“We already agreed on everything. We even wrote up the contract and signed it. Forty-two lawyers clung to this thing to draft it. But then you come here out of nowhere and demand we change the contract. You don’t even have a reason. Fuck. At least bring me a plausible excuse. What the hell is ‘pleasantly’? Shameless bastards.”
“Watch your mouth. Keep that up and you’ll be in big trouble.”
“You watch your actions. This isn’t Hong Kong where you run wild. It’s not Cambodia where you can do whatever you want.”
“Huh?”
“You think I played along with you without knowing you’re the chairman of the Triads?”
Zhang Tian’s eyes widened in shock.
“You knew?”
“You think I’d sign a contract without knowing something like that? You think I wouldn’t prepare that much?”
Zhang Tian was surprised for only a moment before immediately regaining his composure.
“Hahahaha. If you know me, then this conversation is even easier. Yes, I am the chairman of the Triads. So stamp it. That would be best for you. Or I could cut off your finger and stamp it for you that way.”
“Kekeke. I’ve heard that line somewhere before.”
“What?”
“I used to say that a lot when I threatened kids two years ago. You must be a bit behind the times. Study the trends a little.”
“You little shit, I let you talk and talk. Cut that bastard’s finger off and bring it to me.”
Zhang Tian ordered the bodyguards standing behind him.
At Zhang Tian’s command, his bodyguards moved.
As they did, Scott, who had been sitting in one corner, quietly stood up and blocked the way in front of me.
“Move.”
I said to Scott.
“It’s dangerous, boss.”
Scott answered, trying to look cool.
But honestly, he was in the way.
“You’re making this more uncomfortable. Move.”
At my words, Scott took a step to the side.
But he didn’t step back.
I took a gun out of my inventory and fired at the thighs of the men coming to subdue me.
Fwip. Fwip. Thunk.
The silenced gun made only faint sounds as the bullets pierced their thighs.
“Aaagh!”
The bodyguards let out short screams and collapsed to the floor before they could take even two steps.
The look on Jang Cheon’s face was a sight to behold.
He looked like he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.
Well, seeing a gun in Korea would be shocking.
“...A gun...”
“Fuck, did you think I came here without even something like this? You unprepared bastard.”
I gave the flustered Jang Cheon a piece of advice.
“And this isn’t the time for you to be bickering over a contract.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jang Cheon asked back with an expression that said he truly knew nothing.
“Your factories have all been raided.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Why are you asking me about your factories? Call and ask yourself.”
Jang Cheon looked at me suspiciously and picked up his phone.
Watching him, I recalled what had happened a couple of days ago.
.
.
.
“Hyungnim, it’s been a while.”
“Little brother, it has been a while. Have you been well?”
It was Chairman Wei Zhonglin, whom I hadn’t spoken to in some time.
“Yes. I’ve been well. Thank you for taking such good care of Geunsu’s honeymoon last time. My brother was really touched. He said Wei Zhonglin is the best!”
“Oh, come on. It wasn’t anything much. I’m just glad your brother liked it.”
Wei Zhonglin was pleased over something so minor.
“By the way, I called today because I have something a bit disappointing to say.”
“Disappointing? Did something happen?”
“To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed in you, hyungnim.”
“Disappointed?”
Wei Zhonglin sounded puzzled by the sudden word.
“Yes. Disappointed.”
“What do you mean? Explain it to me in detail. I need to know if I’m going to make an excuse.”
To Wei Zhonglin, I told the story of Desand.
“You know I trusted you, hyungnim, and gave China exclusive rights to Asand, don’t you?”
“Of course I know. And I’m grateful for it.”
“We keep getting inquiries from Japan, Russia, China, and Europe, but we’ve consistently kept our promise and only deal with China. Yet a large amount of Asand is being distributed in my country?”
“What? That can’t be. Do you know how strictly I control the factories?”
Wei Zhonglin spoke in a tone that said it was impossible.
“I wouldn’t know about that. I simply trusted you, hyungnim, but it feels like that trust is coming back as betrayal, so I’m extremely disappointed.”
At my forceful tone, Wei Zhonglin kept making excuses.
“No, no. The system can’t allow that. This is truly a misunderstanding.”
“Take a look at this.”
I sent him a photo.
It was a picture of the Desand that Mao Qin had brought to deliver last time.
Just from a rough photo, it would be hard to tell the difference.
“Hrk...”
Wei Zhonglin was shocked after checking the photo.
There was quite a large amount of Asand in Korea.
“For your reference, I took that photo myself. This is Incheon. I saw it and was shocked, so I confiscated and disposed of all of it, but I’m honestly very disappointed.”
Wei Zhonglin grew restless at the unexpected situation.
Probably because he was afraid I might get upset and stop exporting Asand.
Or he was anxious I might export not only to China, but to other countries as well.
“Little brother, could you wait just a little? I’ll look into it again right away and call you back.”
“But hyungnim.”
“Hm?”
“Are there Asand factories in Cambodia too?”
“Cambodia? We don’t have any there.”
“This cargo came over from Cambodia, though. Did it route through Cambodia?”
“Cambodia?”
As if something had occurred to him, Wei Zhonglin spoke urgently.
“Little brother. Wait just a moment. I’ll figure out the situation immediately and let you know.”
“Yes.”
Done.
That was enough.
Sure enough, the next day, he said they’d found a counterfeit factory and thanked me instead.
He said the Cambodian military and police, along with the MSS, would raid the factory in a joint operation.
The time they were raiding the factory was right now.
The factory was probably burning at this very moment.
Everyone involved would be captured and punished under Chinese law.
Of course, that shouldn’t be allowed, but China could do it.
No one was better than China at insisting on their own way.
.
.
.
I watched Jang Cheon in real time as he went beyond flustered and into utter panic.
Everything coming through the phone was probably nothing but grim news.
The factory was burning, the organization members were being dragged away,
and through the phone, he was hearing the collapse of the massive organization known as the Triad.
To that Jang Cheon, I asked quietly.
“Chairman. Do you still want to change the terms of the contract?”
“Huh?”
After briefly organizing his thoughts, Jang Cheon asked back.
“Was this from the very beginning?”
“Of course.”
“Ha... I was completely had.”
“I didn’t expect you to even get rid of the branch heads, Chairman.”
“Hahahahaha. Ahahahahaha. Kahahahahahaha.”
Jang Cheon began laughing like a madman.
“Ahahaha. This Jang Cheon has been completely had. I was had.”
“If you’re done laughing, let’s settle up.”
“Settle up?”
“It’d be too much of a waste to leave the Triad broken like this. Hand it over to me. I’ll pay you well.”
“The Triad is not something one sells.”
Jang Cheon preserved his final shred of pride.
“You’re right. The Triad isn’t something you sell. It’s something you take.”
At my words, Jang Cheon’s face turned deathly pale.