novelraw Chapter 52 : Even the Remaining Businesses Won’t Be Safe
Chapter 52 : Even the Remaining Businesses Won’t Be Safe
Chapter 52: Even the Remaining Businesses Won’t Be Safe
Han Sang-hoon’s shocked reaction made me let out a small laugh. So this man could look like that.
“Really… you’re saying you’ll exchange the entire 700 million hwan?”
“Yes. If possible, by tomorrow.”
Han Sang-hoon didn’t answer right away. Watching him hesitate, I spoke as if regretful.
“If it’s too much trouble, I could always take my business elsewhere…”
This time, Han Sang-hoon chuckled. Meeting my gaze, he replied confidently,
“Ha ha, listen to this fellow. If I in Myeong-dong can’t handle that amount in a day, then no one else can.”
I knew that too. That was precisely why I had come to him, and no one else.
“So, is it possible?”
“It’s possible, but… even for me, exchanging that much into dollars in one day would be difficult.”
“How much can you manage tomorrow?”
After thinking for a moment, Han Sang-hoon answered,
“I can somehow manage up to 280 million hwan. But the rate will have to be 1,500 hwan per dollar. I’ll need to scramble around to gather enough cash, so I should at least earn that much for my trouble, don’t you think?”
Nearly a hundred hwan higher than the current rate. Narrowing my eyes, I looked at him.
“Hmm… that seems like quite a profit margin.”
“It can’t be helped. I told you, didn’t I? People are lining up these days just to get their hands on dollars.”
Even at 1,500 hwan, it was better to exchange now. Pretending to hesitate, I soon nodded.
“Fine. Let’s proceed with that tomorrow.”
“Hold on. Let me do some quick calculations.”
When Han Sang-hoon reached out his hand, the man standing behind him produced an abacus.
“It’s roughly 186,000 dollars. Do you really need to calculate it exactly?”
“Tsk. Of course, I can do that much in my head. But business should always be exact.”
Clicking his tongue, Han Sang-hoon began to flick the abacus beads with practiced precision. Before long, he announced,
“To be exact, it comes to 186,666 dollars.”
“In that case, let’s make it an even 186,700 dollars.”
“Good. We’ll do that.”
Handing the abacus back to his assistant, Han Sang-hoon asked,
“What will you do with the remaining 420 million hwan? It’ll be hard to convert all of that into dollars anytime soon.”
“Hmm…”
It would be best to convert everything into dollars, but I already had another plan in case that didn’t work out.
Forcing trades with other money changers could expose the source of my funds—or even my identity. That wasn’t a risk worth taking.
When I didn’t answer, Han Sang-hoon spoke again in a sly tone.
“If you don’t have another plan, how about military scrip?”
Military scrip. So this old fox finally revealed his true colors.
When I simply stared at him without replying, Han Sang-hoon added,
“Unlike dollars, I can provide as much of it as you want immediately. And it’s 100 hwan cheaper per unit. How about it? Tempted…”
But before he could finish, Han Sang-hoon tilted his head, noticing my expression. My flat, unamused gaze made him pause.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like the idea?”
“Mister.”
At the cold tone of my voice, Han Sang-hoon slightly furrowed his brow.
“I heard there were more than a few people in Myeong-dong who shed tears of blood last year because of that sudden military scrip replacement. And now you’re offering that to me? Isn’t that a bit… too obvious a trick?”
At my blunt remark, Han Sang-hoon’s face stiffened for a moment. But soon, he forced a laugh and said,
“Ha ha, seems there’s some misunderstanding. Last year’s incident was just a farce caused by a few bad actors distributing counterfeit scrip. The ones I handle all come directly from U.S. military bases. Perfectly legitimate. You could even say safer than dollars.”
The farce here is what you’re doing right now. Who does he take me for? I sneered inwardly at his excuse.
“That’s enough.”
I cut him off firmly, signaling I didn’t want to hear more.
“I don’t know what kind of person you think I am, but I have no intention of gambling with my own money. As agreed, we’ll exchange only 280 million hwan into dollars tomorrow. I’ll handle the rest on my own.”
When I refused so flatly, Han Sang-hoon didn’t bring up the military scrip again. For a moment, he seemed to glare at me, then smacked his lips in disappointment.
I rose from my seat.
“Then I’ll see you again tomorrow, Mister.”
After giving him a polite nod, I left the café without hesitation.
As I entered the dim alleyway, Lee Cheong-ho—who had been silent until now—finally spoke.
“May I ask why you’re suddenly trying to convert such a large sum into dollars?”
“They’re easier to store. Korean notes take up too much space.”
“That may be true… but that doesn’t fully explain it.”
So this was what they meant when they said he was Yang Sobo’s eyes and ears. The man was relentless whenever there was information to be gleaned.
“What other reason could there be? By the way, Mr. Lee, do you happen to know anyone who deals discreetly in gold bars or high-end antiques?”
“Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”
“I figured you’d know that kind of thing. As Mr. Yang’s chief of intelligence, I assume you have those kinds of connections.”
“…I don’t.”
Sure you don’t. A lie as plain as day. He just couldn’t tell me. I’d have to ask Yang Sobo directly.
“Understood. Let’s head back for now. I’ll ask Mr. Yang myself.”
Shortly after, I arrived at Yang Sobo’s mansion and immediately went to his study. As always, Zhang Wei stood like a wooden statue in front of the study.
Zhang Wei looked at me and said coldly.
“You're late.”
“I had to take care of something briefly and just returned.”
Zhang Wei’s gaze turned to Lee Cheong-ho, who stood at my side.
“I accompanied him because he said he was going to discuss currency exchange with Han Sang-hoon.”
“The master would have told you to bring him straight away.”
“My office work finished earlier than I thought, so I came first…”
“Why would you be the one to decide that?”
There was a heavy rebuke in Zhang Wei’s frosty voice.
Lee Cheong-ho pressed his lips together tightly. As if his pride had been wounded, his expression—previously expressionless—flushed red.
‘It seems Zhang Wei has some jealousy toward him,’ I thought.
I had no intention of watching their quarrel. I had much to say to Yang Sobo.
“I asked him. It was urgent.”
When I interrupted between the two, Zhang Wei glared at me and said,
“Nothing is more urgent than the master’s summons.”
“I told you before: I am not your servant.”
For a moment a killing intent radiated from Zhang Wei and swept over me. But I did not flinch; I met it calmly.
“Fine. Let him in.”
Just as Zhang Wei’s demeanor grew even fiercer, I heard Yang Sobo’s voice from inside. Zhang Wei reluctantly withdrew his hostility.
“Baek Min-woo. I also acknowledge your ability. But remember this: it is proper to answer the master’s summons immediately. Understood?”
“I said let him in!”
When Yang Sobo raised his voice again, Zhang Wei finally opened the door unwillingly. I glanced at Zhang Wei for a moment, then walked in as if nothing had happened.
Yang Sobo was standing by the window, silently watching the garden as darkness fell.
After the door closed, he was silent for a long time before slowly turning his body. His expression was different from usual.
There was not an ounce of friendliness; instead there was a sharp wariness and what seemed like a sense of betrayal.
“...You intend to send Cheon Sang-do back to the Myeong-dong loan shark market?”
Hearing his icy remark, I finally understood why Zhang Wei had been so sharp earlier.
“Yes. I personally recommended him to President Cheon.”
“That sounds like you’re stepping into my territory to compete with me.”
“Compete? How dare I be a rival to you?”
Yang Sobo said nothing. I continued calmly.
“I only want to secure the vacant place before other wolves fill it. It’s become practically a no-man’s land because of this incident.”
Yang Sobo’s cold eyes scanned me up and down.
“When did this start? Have you planned all of this from the beginning?”
“Yes. I expected that if the stock market collapsed, the loan shark market would inevitably be hit by a gale.”
“So you chose Cheon Sang-do as your partner from the start. Ha ha... I raised a tiger with my own hands.”
“That will not be bad for you either.”
“You call it not bad when someone covets my territory?”
“Yes.”
I did not back down and held his gaze. If I retreated here, he would swallow me whole.
“This military government will never allow the Chinese merchant funds to control the Republic of Korea’s economy. They have already put out several policies, and the intensity will only grow. Didn’t you anticipate that?”
Someone as adept at reading the currents as Yang Sobo could not be unaware of this.
That was why he had long ceased direct money play and moved behind the scenes as a financier.
But the Korean proxies he’d put forward would not be able to withstand the military government’s systematic pressure.
“So, Baek. You say you entering the Myeong-dong loan market is good for me?”
“I will not be working on the ground personally either. Most operations will be carried out through President Cheon. I will merely set the board and provide funds from the background, just as you used to.”
Yang Sobo studied me intently for a moment, then sighed softly. He moved closer and sat in his seat, signaling that he had lowered his guard.
“Sit down and tell me.”
When we sat facing each other, the tense atmosphere eased slightly. Yang Sobo toyed with his teacup and said,
“I understand your plan. But there is something you have overlooked. In Myeong-dong now, besides Cheon Sang-do whom you want to cultivate, hungry dogs waiting for a new owner are rampant. Especially...”
“You mean Dan Tae-geon, I suppose.”
“You know him.”
Yang Sobo’s gaze sharpened again. He set down his cup and spoke.
“That bastard has obtained a powerful backer in Jeong Tae-soo. No matter how clever you are or how capable Cheon Sang-do is, can you take on someone backed by state power?”
“That is why I need your help.”
I spoke firmly. He motioned lightly for me to say more.
“To check Dan Tae-geon, you must join hands with me. If you lose influence in Myeong-dong now, the first to try to occupy that vacancy will be Dan Tae-geon and Jeong Tae-soo. If they completely seize Myeong-dong, even your remaining businesses won’t be safe.”
Jeong Tae-soo, who had worked this operation with me, and Yang Sobo were now pointing knives at each other.
My words were not merely to persuade him; they were meant to remind him of cold reality.
His strength—being Chinese—was becoming his weakness. Yang Sobo knew that too.
“Trust me.”
I looked him directly in the eyes and said. For Yang Sobo, it was time for a new blade.
“I will be a new shield and sword for you—something Jeong Tae-soo and Dan Tae-geon cannot touch. Cheon Sang-do will be my proxy and, at the same time, an invisible string to maintain your influence in this turmoil. I am not trying to compete with you; I propose an unseen alliance suited to the new era. Have I ever once disappointed you?”
It had only been a few months. In that short time I had accomplished things no one else could.
Yang Sobo watched me in silence for a while.
After a moment, as if having made up his mind, he finally spoke.
“All right. I’ll trust your words. But for a while, stay away from Seoul. Dan Tae-geon—and others who take funds from me to play money—might attack you.”
“Even with your restraint?” I asked.
“To be honest, they are not blindly loyal to me like the Chinese. Even if I give orders, when their lifeline is at stake they will react sensitively. They are always ready to change sides to Jeong Tae-soo.”
I sighed softly as if regretful, but inwardly I agreed with Yang Sobo.
I already knew they would all eventually take Jeong Tae-soo’s side and betray Yang Sobo.
“As you said, I’ve heard Chairman Han’s anti-Chinese sentiments are growing... I should gradually reduce the money I had spread among them.”
“I was thinking of going down to Busan for a while anyway.”
“Busan? Is it about the matter you asked Noh Gi-tae to handle?”
“Yes. I intend to tidy up past ties and gain new people.”
“Tidying past ties and gaining new people...”
Yang Sobo repeated my words meaningfully, then nodded.
“That’s convenient. The plan for your brother’s trip to America has also taken shape. We’ll use the route through Busan port and via Hong Kong to smuggle him in. Since you’re going down to Busan, it would be good to meet the people involved in advance.”
At last, a concrete plan for Min-soo’s trip to America had emerged.
While I felt relieved, a corner of my heart grew heavy at the thought of sending the boy away.