novelraw Chapter 112 : The Reason I Was Here Was Precisely That
Chapter 112 : The Reason I Was Here Was Precisely That
Chapter 112: The Reason I Was Here Was Precisely That
“I will leave this land.”
Yang Sobo’s low announcement swallowed all the tension that had been winding through the banquet hall in a single breath.
The issue of Wang So-gun’s restoration, which had been locked in sharp confrontation just moments ago, was pushed aside in an instant, as if it had never existed in the first place.
As everyone fell into silence, gripped by shock and disbelief, only one group remained unmoved.
They were the elders seated at the seat of honor. As if they had known all of this in advance, they merely tilted their teacups, observing the situation with hollow laughter.
‘So this was Yang Sobo’s real move. He granted these old tigers the honor of participating in the end of his era.’
Even if they had retired and withdrawn into the background, they were still old monsters who had once ruled entire regions. The sweetness of power and the memory of glory only grew sharper with age.
By propping up their final pride, he intended to adorn his own exit with honor and receive official recognition for the opening of a new era.
While I studied the faces of the leaders, the frozen banquet hall finally began to boil over.
“Leaving, you say?! What on earth do you mean by that, Da-in!”
The first to regain his senses was Jin Tae-gang of Gunsan. He sprang to his feet and raised his voice. His shout became the fuse.
“At a time when those government bastards are tightening a noose around our necks, you’re abandoning us and leaving? How can you be so irresponsible!”
“That’s right, Da-in. This is when you must hold the center. Please withdraw such a rash decision.”
Son Gye-san followed Jin Tae-gang’s words, adjusting his glasses. President Wang could not even bring himself to speak, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
Only Noh Deok-su glared at Yang Sobo with sharp eyes, as if trying to grasp his true intentions.
‘They’re all hiding their true feelings and putting on a show of hypocrisy.’
From Jin Tae-gang’s gaze, I read deep ambition. From Son Gye-san’s eyes, calculations of profit and loss that Yang Sobo’s vacant seat would bring.
And Noh Deok-su simply stared at Yang Sobo with a strange expression.
“What are you thinking?”
At last, Noh Deok-su opened his mouth. His tone was unexpectedly courteous.
Perhaps because the elders were present, instead of attacking Yang Sobo directly, he seemed to have chosen a method of pressing him on responsibility.
“Yang Sobo. Were you always such an irresponsible man? We may have had our differences, but to say you’ll just leave like this. What are the people who remain supposed to do?”
“There’s no need to hide your true feelings. Don’t you covet my seat?”
“What are you saying, Da-in.”
“That’s something you know better than I do.”
Yang Sobo let out a snort of laughter and tossed out the meaningful remark, then swept his gaze over the people again as he continued.
“The ignorant soldiers holding rifles have already marked me. They told me to hand over half my assets and leave, taking all the Chinese residents with me. But I have no intention of dragging you along by force. Still, my conclusion is that only if I leave can our Chinese community maintain even a semblance of continuity on this land.”
The leaders already knew the details of his private meeting with Assemblyman Han, but the others did not. For many, this was the first time hearing it. Naturally, the commotion in the banquet hall grew even fiercer.
At that moment, a man demanded roughly,
“What do you mean by that, Da-in! Are you saying the government directly told you to leave?”
“Yes. If I do not leave, they will tighten the noose around our necks even more. They cannot expel all of our compatriots. But by expelling the symbol that is me, they intend to issue a warning to our Chinese community.”
Yang Sobo rose from his seat. A cold anger settled into his voice.
“Telling us not to even think about resisting.”
The people’s reactions grew more heated. Grinding their teeth, their faces were a mix of rage and humiliation.
“How can there be such a law! What sin did we commit to be treated like this!”
“We can’t just take this lying down! All of us should go to Seoul…!”
The banquet hall filled with heated shouts, as if they might grab spears and rise up at any moment.
Then Yang Sobo slammed his palm down on the table.
Bang!
With that single dull sound, all the noise stopped as if it were a lie. Immediately after, Yang Sobo’s ice-cold voice cleaved through the hall.
“Foolish talk! Do you propose to strike rocks with eggs against those holding rifles? If you wish to destroy yourselves, then go ahead. But I have no intention of driving my people into a death trap.”
He sat back down and looked around at everyone present.
“I will leave. But I will not go empty-handed. Those comrades who follow me and start anew in a new land, I will take responsibility for them to the very end. I will protect their assets and provide them with a new place to settle.”
At his words, the gazes of several people wavered. Rather than losing everything they had in Korea, following Yang Sobo to seek new opportunities might be the wiser choice.
“But I cannot drag along those who wish to remain. Those who stay… will have to survive in their own way.”
The weight carried by the words ‘those who stay’ was immense. The banquet hall fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
Soon, Yang Sobo’s gaze quietly turned toward So-ryong and me, who were sitting still.
“So today, I intend to make my final arrangements in this place.”
He paused briefly. Everyone held their breath, waiting for his next words.
“I will hand over all of the businesses I possess to these two people here.”
His declaration struck the banquet hall with a shock even greater than before.
Not only Noh Deok-su, but even Jin Tae-gang and Son Gye-san looked back and forth between Yang Sobo and us with expressions of disbelief.
Yang Sobo paid no heed and wrapped an arm around So-ryong’s shoulder.
“The businesses that allow the Chinese community to continue on this land, and the network connecting our compatriots scattered across various regions, are more important than anything. I will hand all of that over to this child, So-ryong, the only bloodline of my younger brother Wang So-gun. This child will take my place as my successor.”
Soon after, his cold gaze turned toward me.
“But there are businesses that can no longer be done in the name of the Chinese community. Trading companies, hotels and entertainment establishments like gisaeng houses, and the currency-exchange organizations where underground black money flows. These… I will hand over to this child, Baek Min-woo.”
I met his gaze without changing my expression. Yang Sobo did not avert his eyes either.
‘So it ends up coming out like this.’
I lifted the teacup and took a sip of the tea that had gone cold. The bitterness lingering on the tip of my tongue instead cleared the tangled mess in my head.
‘You don’t fully trust me.’
It meant he intended to leave behind a leash of surveillance and control over me through So-ryong.
Wang So-gun’s restoration was the grand justification for all of this. By granting So-ryong legitimacy—not as the son of a traitor, but as the son of a victim—he ensured that no one would dare raise objections to So-ryong’s position as successor.
The crafty old fox never let go of the string tying his influence to this land, not even at the moment of his departure.
I covered my mouth with the teacup and let out a quiet laugh.
‘For now, I’ll play along with your plan. But I won’t be dragged around to the very end.’
At that moment, Noh Deok-su stepped forward.
“What do you mean by that! Who gave you the right to hand over the businesses as you please! Are they wholly yours? They were built with the blood and sweat of our compatriots…!”
“They’re my businesses. Are you saying they’re yours?”
Yang Sobo glared at Noh Deok-su with cold eyes. Noh Deok-su, in turn, glared right back at him.
“This is absurd. Is there even a single tenth of your stake mixed into my businesses? Are you saying I need your permission to settle my own affairs?”
“…….”
“Didn’t I ask you earlier? Whether you covet my seat.”
“What are you talking about! That’s not what I meant…!”
As Noh Deok-su was about to say something more, Jin Tae-gang stood up and spoke.
“Da-in. How you settle your businesses is indeed for you to decide. So-ryong, that child’s legitimacy can be determined later through proper confrontation. However….”
His gaze, deliberately trailing off mid-sentence, turned toward me.
“That man is not even one of our compatriots, is he?”
Jin Tae-gang’s sharp stare pierced into me. The gazes of other Chinese residents who agreed with his words also converged on me.
Riding on that attention, Jin Tae-gang spoke firmly.
“I believe he has no legitimacy whatsoever to inherit Da-in’s businesses.”
At Jin Tae-gang’s declaration, the other leaders also nodded in agreement. In the end, their attack turned toward me—the weakest link.
The unspoken pressure that they could not hand over the assets of the Chinese community to an outsider.
As expected, the arrow flew not at So-ryong, but back at me.
Receiving their stares, I slowly rose from my seat.
All eyes in the banquet hall focused on me once more. I first looked at Jin Tae-gang, who had drawn his blade toward me.
“Legitimacy, huh….”
I quietly repeated the word he had uttered. Then, as if to show him, I curled my lips into a smile and sneered.
“President Jin Tae-gang. What exactly is this legitimacy you speak of? Are you saying one must inherit the blood of the Chinese community? Fighting like dogs over something you can’t even possess—no wonder the Chinese community has been driven into a corner like this.”
A wide-area provocation. I openly trampled on every Chinese community member present in this hall.
“What did you say?”
“That crazy bastard!”
“Drag that bastard out right now!”
As expected, everyone present overreacted. I ignored their uproar and continued speaking.
“If legitimacy means bloodline, then yes, I clearly don’t qualify. But it seems none of you understand what matters most right now. This isn’t the time to worry about some petty businesses—it’s the survival of the Chinese community that’s at stake. Yet here you are, tearing at each other over Yang-sensei’s legacy. And even if you take it, can you really protect it? If you truly believe you can, then take it. I’ll relinquish it cleanly, right here.”
“…….”
When I pointed out their tendency to prioritize profit over survival, they clamped their mouths shut. Though my words carried mockery, there wasn’t a single lie in them, so their reaction was only natural.
I swept my gaze over them once, then stared straight at Jin Tae-gang, who had picked a fight with me.
“President Jin Tae-gang. Will you take it? Go on, say it. Shall I yield it to you?”
“…….”
“And yet, someone who can’t even properly manage a single business in Gunsan dares to talk about my legitimacy. Isn’t that a bit laughable?”
Jin Tae-gang ground his teeth and shot back.
“These are businesses built with the blood of our compatriots! Handing them over to an outsider…!”
“Wouldn’t it be better to protect them, even if it means handing them to an outsider? Or would you rather see them helplessly seized by the government?”
I paused and looked toward President Wang of Busan.
“President Wang. When Busan’s cash flow was cut off, was it the bloodline of the Chinese community that put dollars into your hands?”
President Wang couldn’t bring himself to meet my eyes and lowered his head. This time, I turned toward Son Gye-san of Daegu.
“President Son. Do you truly believe that only bloodline can open new paths? Or is it the power of money?”
Son Gye-san couldn’t answer rashly and merely wore an awkward expression behind his glasses.
“How frustrating. To be so fixated on what’s right in front of you that you can’t grasp Yang-sensei’s greater intent.”
Deliberately, conspicuously, I let out a deep sigh and glanced once at Yang Sobo before continuing.
“Yang-sensei is trying to protect all of you, even if it means leaving Korea. Do you think he wants to abandon all his foundations and depart for some distant foreign land? To leave once more, after settling here—this land that became home—can you even imagine how Yang-sensei feels….”
I intentionally left my sentence unfinished, hoping everyone gathered here would think it over for themselves.
As I did, I examined the faces of those present. People who believed they had put down roots in this land, yet were no more than duckweed, swaying helplessly whenever strong currents rose.
For people like that, it wasn’t difficult to make use of them if given appropriate compensation.
“I will make you a promise here. On my honor and my life, I will employ members of the Chinese community without discrimination in the businesses I operate.”
I paused again, letting the silence linger. I didn’t miss the faint glimmer of expectation blooming in eyes that had been filled only with anxiety and hostility.
“I have no great bloodline, no history to speak of. But I do have something that you do not.”
At last, I looked toward Yang Sobo, the man who had planned all of this. The crafty old man, who carried more than ten serpents in his belly, brazenly masked his face with a blank expression.
Locking eyes with him, I declared,
“Surviving before the government’s blade, and opening a path for you all to continue living on this land. That is why I am here. The fact that I am what you all need most right now—this is my one and only legitimacy.”