novelraw Chapter 51 : We Must Finish It for Good
Chapter 51 : We Must Finish It for Good
Chapter 51: We Must Finish It for Good
First, I figured I needed to deal with those noisy bastards before we could have a proper talk again.
“You bastard, today’s your funeral—”
Before Ma Du-cheol could even swing his knife, I was already closing the distance, diving straight into his chest.
Caught off guard by someone charging directly at him despite the knife, Ma Du-cheol reacted a beat too slow.
I didn’t miss that opening — I grabbed the wrist holding the knife and twisted it hard.
Clang!
With a sharp sound, the knife hit the ground.
Since it was the same wrist I’d already twisted once before, the doubled pain made him scream in agony.
“Gaaah!”
I sent a clean punch straight to his jaw. With a dull thud, Ma Du-cheol’s huge body toppled backward. He squirmed on the ground, groaning in pain and humiliation.
I kicked the fallen knife far away and started toward him —
That’s when Ma Du-cheol’s underlings, who had been knocked down earlier, staggered up again and tried to rush at me.
“You bastards!”
Before they could even reach me, Cheon Sang-do stepped in front of them.
“This fight’s between that young boss and your own boss. Who said you could butt in, huh?”
Then he started fighting them himself — his blows were rough but heavy, a far cry from the sly securities firm president he usually looked like.
It was the face of a man who had once ruled the loan shark market.
He grabbed each of the two men by the hair and crack! — smashed their heads together. With a loud thud, both went limp, fainting on the spot.
After taking the two down in an instant, Cheon Sang-do turned to us.
“Hey, Ma Du-cheol.”
He addressed the still-groaning man.
“I’m headin’ back to Myeong-dong, but if you crawl up like this again, one of us ain’t walkin’ away next time. Don’t take my words lightly.”
Cheon Sang-do spat on the ground, then looked at me with a crooked grin.
“Well, well! Our young boss here can fight too, huh? I thought you just had a good head on your shoulders.”
“Haha, well. It turned out that way. But is it really fine to leave him like this? Wouldn’t it be better to finish things properly…?”
“He might be rough, but he knows his limits. He’ll get the message.”
I looked down at Ma Du-cheol again. Hmph. A man who pulled a knife first — did he really know his limits?
I knew his kind too well.
Cheon Sang-do said he had boundaries, but that only held true when he believed he was above someone like Cheon Sang-do.
If Cheon Sang-do continued to rise, Ma Du-cheol would surely cause trouble sooner or later — out of jealousy, if nothing else.
“No. We need to finish this for good.”
With that, I stepped closer to Ma Du-cheol, grabbed his arm, and twisted it the opposite way.
“Gaaahhh!”
A sickening crack echoed through the alley as Ma Du-cheol’s scream of agony filled the air.
“Leave Myeong-dong. If you interfere with President Cheon’s business again, it won’t just be one arm next time.”
Overwhelmed by pain, Ma Du-cheol couldn’t even reply, only groaning helplessly. But I spoke coldly, ignoring him.
“Don’t exaggerate. I made sure it’ll heal clean if you go to the hospital.”
Cheon Sang-do looked between me and the foam-mouthed Ma Du-cheol, shaking his head.
“Damn… young boss, you’re real cold-blooded.”
“It’s better to make it clear once than to regret it later. Let’s head back now.”
“You’re not wrong. Hah, then shall we go finish that drink, huh? This time, somewhere a bit nicer.”
I shook my head.
“No, let’s call it a night. We’ll drink again soon.”
“Ah, what a shame…”
Cheon Sang-do smacked his lips, reluctant to part. I gave a faint smile and started walking first.
As I led the way, Cheon Sang-do soon came up beside me, walking close.
Because of what happened, it felt like the distance between us had grown much smaller. Ironically, I felt a bit grateful to Ma Du-cheol.
The next morning, I visited the secret office in Myeong-dong to finish the final cleanup.
Most of the furniture was packed up and stacked to one side, while Kang Cheol-min, Yoon Ji-seong, and Ma Dong-jin were burning the remaining documents, erasing every trace.
“Everyone, take a seat for a moment.”
At my call, the three stopped what they were doing and gathered around the table. I pulled out three envelopes I had prepared beforehand and set them on the table.
“You’ve all worked incredibly hard these past few months. Without your dedication, this operation could never have succeeded.”
They were originally people Yang Sobo had assigned to me, but now, they were fully mine.
And people like that deserved fair compensation.
I pushed an envelope to each of them — inside was a check for five million hwan.
“This is my personal reward for your efforts. Separate from your previous bonuses. Consider it a special success bonus for the entire operation.”
Kang Cheol-min, clearly itching to peek inside, made me chuckle.
“Go ahead, check the amount first.”
At my gesture, he opened his envelope first and took out the check.
When he saw the number — ₩5,000,000 — he stammered in disbelief.
“B-boss! T-this much…?”
Yoon Ji-seong, glancing at him, cautiously opened his own envelope and reacted much the same.
Only Ma Dong-jin didn’t open his — he just looked silently at me.
“I made sure it was divided evenly.”
I looked around at the three of them.
“And as of today, this office will be closed. Please finish the cleanup before the day’s over.”
“Closed?!”
Though I’d told them to organize things, they hadn’t expected I’d shut the place down entirely — Kang Cheol-min was the first to speak up.
“The aftermath this time is too big. We’ll need to lay low for a while. I’m planning to leave Seoul for some time myself.”
“You’re leaving Seoul?”
Yoon Ji-seong asked next.
I nodded and stood, pulling over an old chalkboard from the corner, then started writing down several names.
The team’s eyes followed the chalk. When I finished, I turned back to them.
“This incident has completely overturned Myeong-dong’s landscape. Old powers like Park Jeong-ho have fallen, and now a new fight will begin to fill those vacant seats. Especially with companies whose funding has dried up, the private loan market will grow abnormally large.”
I erased the names of Park Jeong-ho and a few other financiers who had suffered major losses. They too were swept up in this madness — they wouldn’t have power in Myeong-dong anymore.
“Currently, one-third of Myeong-dong’s loan market is controlled by the faction funded by Mr. Yang.”
On one side of the board, I wrote Yang Sobo’s name and circled it. Then, beside it, I added Dan Tae-geon, backed by Jeong Tae-soo.
“Also, Dan Tae-geon and the forces allied with him currently control another one-third.”
The remaining third was divided among various brokers, but now that they were gone, that portion was practically ownerless.
“President Cheon Sang-do will dissolve his securities firm and return to Myeong-dong. And this vacant space…”
I wrote Cheon Sang-do’s name beside those of Yang Sobo and Dan Tae-geon.
“…Cheon Sang-do must take control of it. That will be our next objective.”
Among us, Kang Cheol-min, who knew the workings of Myeong-dong best, voiced his concern.
“It won’t be easy, boss. President Cheon was forced out after losing the fight and only started that securities firm to flee. Even if he returns, can he really take that spot again? And… will Mr. Yang just sit back and watch?”
He had pointed out the most critical issue. Staring at Yang Sobo’s name, I replied quietly.
“I’ll handle that part. I’ll come to an agreement with Mr. Yang. I’ll persuade him.”
Due to the government’s policy against the Chinese-Korean community, Yang Sobo’s influence was bound to decline sharply soon. I couldn’t tell them that, so I simply said I’d come to an agreement.
I looked first at Kang Cheol-min and Yoon Ji-seong.
“You two will work under President Cheon Sang-do for a while. I’ve already spoken with him. Once he closes his securities firm and opens an office in Myeong-dong, you’ll join him then. Your abilities will be a great help there. Learn as much as you can from him. I’ll also provide a separate living allowance for you in addition to your salaries.”
“No, boss! You don’t need to do that. You’ve already given us more than enough…”
Both of them waved their hands, embarrassed, but I spoke firmly.
“There will come a time when both of you will have your own roles to play. What I gave earlier was a bonus for your hard work so far; the living allowance is to help you focus on learning more.”
The surest way to give my people unwavering trust was, after all, through money and tangible rewards. Finally, I turned to Ma Dong-jin.
“Mr. Ma Dong-jin. Don’t leave President Cheon’s side, not even for a moment. Think of it as learning everything about him — and protecting his safety.”
I trusted Ma Dong-jin’s diligence and precision. If anyone could learn everything from Cheon Sang-do, it would be him.
“Understood. But, boss, aren’t you coming with us?”
“No. This time, I’ll be moving alone.”
“Where are you headed?”
Ma Dong-jin sounded more worried about my safety than anything else.
“I plan to visit Busan for a bit — to personally recruit a very important person.”
“Someone you know in Busan?”
“An old acquaintance… but someone I absolutely want to bring to my side.”
Kang Hyeok. A comrade to repay my past debt and walk into the future with. I was determined to bring him back this time.
“While I’m gone, each of you should quietly fulfill your role where you are.”
Saying that, I carefully erased the names I had written on the board. Then I spoke firmly.
“When I return, we’ll begin moving to take over all of Myeong-dong.”
The three men’s eyes shone with anticipation.
The reason these men — once loyal to Yang Sobo — had become mine was simple. I had done the impossible, over and over again. Now they were eager to see what incredible thing I’d pull off next.
“Finish up here and get some rest. President Cheon will contact you when the time comes.”
Leaving those final words, I stepped out of the office. Outside, Lee Cheong-ho was waiting for me.
“Have you finished your business?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“The master is calling for you.”
“Really? You could’ve come inside to tell me.”
“I thought you might be in the middle of something important, so I waited out here.”
He was perceptive — I’d noticed that before. For a moment, I gauged him again, then smiled faintly.
“All right, let’s go. I actually have something to tell him too. But before that, I’d like to make a short stop. Will that be all right?”
“Will it take long?”
“I just need to meet someone and have a brief talk.”
After a moment’s thought, Lee Cheong-ho nodded slightly.
“All right. About an hour should be fine. May I accompany you?”
“Of course. We’re going to meet one old man.”
“Han Sang-hoon? What for?”
“Why else would I see him? To buy some dollars.”
I grinned at his puzzled expression and started walking toward the black market district.
A short while later, I found myself once again in the dim alleyways of Myeong-dong’s black market. Han Sang-hoon sat in his usual spot, calmly reading a newspaper.
When I approached, the two burly men who always stood guard by his side moved to block me — but when they recognized my face, they hesitated.
One of them leaned down and whispered something into Han Sang-hoon’s ear. Lowering his newspaper, he looked at me and gave a sly grin.
“Well, well. You’re back again. What interesting thing have you brought me this time?”
“What else would I come to see you for, sir? I need money.”
“The dollar rate’s gone up quite a bit lately. Are you sure about this?”
I nodded.
“Let’s change the location. The amount’s too large to discuss here, and too many eyes are watching.”
I was referring to the black market money changers peeking at us from the shadows — their stares had been fixed on me the whole time.
Han Sang-hoon narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across them. They quickly looked away, though greed and curiosity still gleamed in their eyes.
“Fine. There’s a café nearby I frequent. Let’s go there.”
Clicking his tongue lightly, Han Sang-hoon rose from his seat. Spotting Lee Cheong-ho standing quietly behind me, he chuckled.
“So, you’re tagging along with this youngster these days?”
“…For now, yes.”
Lee Cheong-ho answered curtly, all his usual smoothness gone — his demeanor was stiff and formal.
Han Sang-hoon gave me a strange look and said,
“Seems Mr. Yang holds you in high regard — if he sent Lee Cheong-ho to watch over you.”
“You know him? I only heard he works in the intelligence line.”
“Heh. You could call him Mr. Yang’s eyes and ears. They say every piece of information in Myeong-dong passes through his hands. Of course, that’s just a rumor — nothing certain.”
I glanced sideways at Lee Cheong-ho. His expression didn’t change one bit.
“Well, that’s not what’s important. Let’s go.”
Han Sang-hoon led the way, and soon we arrived at a worn-out café nearby. As we entered, the owner immediately recognized him and greeted him warmly.
“Oh my, sir! Welcome!”
“Let’s close up for today. I’ve got something important to discuss.”
“Yes, yes. Business was dead anyway.”
At a brief gesture from Han Sang-hoon, one of his men took out a thick envelope and handed it to the owner.
“Thank you as always, sir.”
“No, thank you for always helping me out.”
The owner quickly hung a sign on the door — Closed for the day — and disappeared inside.
We sat down at the innermost table.
“So, you’re looking to buy dollars?”
Han Sang-hoon got straight to the point.
“I heard the current rate is 1,400 hwan.”
“That was a few days ago. Today it’s already past 1,410.”
“Are there that many people buying dollars lately?”
“More than usual — strangely many.”
Rubbing his chin slowly, Han Sang-hoon gave me a sharp look.
“You wouldn’t happen to know something, would you?”
“No.”
At my firm reply, he studied me for a moment, then asked,
“Well, I doubt you’d tell me anyway… How much are you exchanging?”
“At a rate of 1,400 hwan — a total of 700 million hwan.”
“What? Seven hundred million?!”
Han Sang-hoon set down his teacup, utterly stunned.