novelraw Chapter 58 : Understood. I’ll Follow the Rules
Chapter 58 : Understood. I’ll Follow the Rules
Chapter 58: Understood. I’ll Follow the Rules
After a six-and-a-half-hour journey, I arrived at Busan Station.
The moment the train doors opened and I set foot on the platform, a wave of humid air, thick with the mixed scents of the salty sea and fish, washed over me.
It was a scent full of vitality—distinctly different from Seoul—unique to a port city.
Carrying only an old leather bag, I pushed through the crowd and stepped into the station square. At the appointed spot, a short but stout middle-aged man was waiting for me.
He wore a faded fedora, and the lines on his face told the story of a life weathered by time.
“Are you Mr. Baek Min-woo?”
Upon spotting me, he asked in slightly awkward Korean.
“Yes, I am. Were you sent by Mr. Yang?”
“That’s correct. My name is President Wang. This way, please.”
I followed him into an old, rugged taxicab.
The car pulled away from Busan Station and began winding its way through a maze of narrow roads. Our destination was Chinatown, located in Choryang.
The scenery outside the window was entirely different from Seoul’s. Makeshift shacks clung to the hillside, and every alley was cluttered with fishing nets and dried seafood.
The vibrancy of a port city was unmistakable, but so too were the traces of hardship left by refugees—etched deeply into every corner of the city.
Before long, a magnificent paifang (牌楼) painted in red and gold came into view—the entrance to Chinatown.
As I stepped out of the car, a foreign landscape unfolded before me.
Chinese restaurants and shops with red signs lined both sides of the street, while old stores and taverns bore weathered signs written in Cyrillic script.
“Please, follow me.”
I followed President Wang deeper into Chinatown.
Women dressed in qipaos hurried by, while fair-haired, blue-eyed descendants of Russians cast indifferent glances at my unfamiliar face.
Elderly Chinese men with queues sat by the roadside playing chess, and beside them, a burly Russian man played a mournful tune on an accordion.
It was a scene utterly alien to me, yet completely ordinary here.
“The Great One has prepared lodgings for you, Mr. Baek.”
President Wang led me to a three-story Chinese-style building deep within Chinatown.
A sign reading Deokhwa-ru hung above the entrance. Though it looked like an ordinary restaurant from the outside, I could tell immediately—it was the very heart of Busan’s Chinese community.
As soon as we arrived in front of Deokhwa-ru, every Chinese and Russian passerby turned to look at us. Their gazes brimmed with open wariness.
President Wang led me to the innermost room on the third floor.
“You’ll stay here while you’re in Busan. Meals are served downstairs on the first floor…”
He explained, in a businesslike tone, the rules I was expected to follow. Finally, he added a stern warning.
“This place is closed-off to outsiders. Don’t go wandering around carelessly.”
I nodded. No matter how influential Yang Sobo was as head of the Chinese community, that authority applied only in Seoul and Incheon.
Here in Busan, his influence was bound to be limited.
“The Great One requested it, so I took you in, but…”
His expression showed clear reluctance, and I understood why.
“Understood. I’ll follow the rules.”
“Then rest well.”
After President Wang left, I unpacked my things and picked up a file envelope placed on the table.
It contained the information he had prepared on the Yeongdo Gang.
I opened the envelope and began reading the documents inside.
The first page contained a concise summary of the organization.
As the name implied, the Yeongdo Gang was a large crime syndicate centered around Yeongdo in Busan. It controlled Jagalchi Market and the port area, boasting over fifty core members and the ability to mobilize more than two hundred people in times of need.
At its peak stood a man named “Goblin” Seo Man-cheol.
According to the file, he had risen to dominance over Busan’s docks with his bare fists shortly after Liberation.
The nickname “Goblin” came from his ruthless efficiency—once he marked a target, he was said to deal with them like a ghost.
The next page detailed their financial network—sprawled like a spider’s web.
Protection fees extorted from every merchant in Jagalchi Market, profits from controlling the dockworkers’ union, and even smuggling operations bringing goods from Japan.
They were parasites feeding on the lifeblood of the port city.
The document also included detailed profiles of the organization’s key figures.
Seo Man-cheol’s right-hand man and chief enforcer was “Brown Bear” Choi Dae-ho, while the gang’s finances and loan shark operations were managed by “Abacus” Kim Yong-su, their strategist.
These were no mere street thugs. They had brains, muscle, and money—a truly organized crime syndicate.
“Very systematic.”
Most of Seoul’s gangs had been crushed under the military government, but Busan’s gangs had only grown stronger under the city’s unique circumstances.
Their political connections told the rest of the story:
[Police: Deep ties with certain officers in the Busan Central Police Department’s Criminal Division. Protected through regular bribes. Allied with several officers of the Busan Port Command. Collaborate in diverting military supplies and smuggling operations.]
Beyond the police—to the military itself. Their roots ran far deeper into Busan than I had imagined.
“This won’t be easy.”
I took out the documents that Noh Gi-tae had given me.
Comparing them with the ones prepared by President Wang, I reviewed my plan.
[Maintains good relations with both Chinatown’s Chinese community and the Russian Mafia.]
That information hadn’t appeared in President Wang’s report. Whether he had deliberately omitted it or truly didn’t know, I couldn’t tell.
‘If the Great One sent him as my guide, he must be somewhat trustworthy…’
Still, I’d have to keep an eye on him. After putting all the papers back in my bag, I threw myself onto the bed.
Fatigue from the long journey soon lulled me into sleep.
That same night, the night Baek Min-woo arrived in Busan.
At Pier 4 of Busan Harbor, shrouded in pitch-black darkness. Normally, the air would be filled with the clamor of unloading work and the shouts of dockworkers, but tonight, the pier was eerily silent.
Heavily armed military police patrolled the area, sealing it off completely.
Only the dim lights flickering through the sea fog gave the place an ominous air.
Creaaak—! Thud!
A heavy freighter from Shimonoseki, Japan, quietly docked at the pier.
As soon as the ship stopped, dozens of military trucks pierced through the darkness and lined up alongside it.
“All personnel, disembark! Move the cargo quickly. No talking.”
At the sharp command of the military police captain, strong-built soldiers began unloading in perfect order.
Each carried a wooden crate of unknown contents.
There were no markings on the boxes, but judging by their weight, the soldiers’ strained faces said enough.
“What the hell’s in these things to cause such a fuss…?”
“Shh! Keep quiet. The higher-ups said it’s something very important.”
“Right. As long as we do the job we’re told to, that’s all that matters.”
The soldiers had no idea what it was they were transporting.
They simply followed the secret orders from their superiors, silently loading wooden crates disguised as special military supplies onto army trucks.
Only a handful of people in the entire nation knew that those crates were filled with new banknotes that would overturn the fate of the Republic of Korea in just one day.
Even Kang Byung-woo and Jeong Tae-soo were nothing more than blind men before this massive secret.
From one side of the dock, a man stood watching the entire scene unfold with a cold, expressionless face hidden in the shadows.
He was General Yoo Shin-hyuk, Chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction’s Finance Committee.
He was the true architect and commander of this currency reform.
‘Within the margin of error. Everything’s proceeding according to plan.’
He silently rolled the fountain pen in his hand, calculating the next phase in his head.
It was a military operation—one that involved the nation’s entire economy.
An operation to eradicate the corrupt funds hidden underground, cut off the flow of Chinese capital, and secure the finances of a new republic.
This was the greatest operation of his life.
After watching the cargo trucks speed toward Seoul once all unloading was complete, he quietly climbed into a military jeep.
Inside the jeep sat a secure direct-line telephone. The moment he picked up the receiver, the signal rang only once.
“Your Excellency, all the cargo has just arrived at Busan Port and is now being transported to Seoul. Everything is proceeding without issue according to plan.”
Good. I’m counting on you. Was there any interference from the other side?
“Not yet. Both Director Kang Byung-woo and Deputy Director Jeong Tae-soo seem too preoccupied with cleaning up the securities market to pay attention to this matter.”
Still, you must inform them soon. Everything is ready, so focus on completing the transport safely. If this operation succeeds, you will become the new cornerstone of our nation’s economy.
“Yes, Your Excellency. I’ll depart right away.”
With a firm voice, Yoo Shin-hyuk’s eyes gleamed in the darkness.
Kang Byung-woo frowned in disbelief as he read the urgent report just sent from the Busan Branch to the KCIA Director’s Office.
“A large volume of unidentified special military supplies entered through Busan Port? Guarded heavily by armed military police? What the hell is this? There’s no way a movement of military supplies could happen without my knowledge!”
Every piece of information in the Republic had to pass through him—especially anything related to the military.
Yet such a massive transport operation had been carried out completely outside his intelligence network. Rage surged through him, mixed with a chilling sense of dread.
“Who’s in charge of this! Connect me to the Busan Port Commanding Officer immediately! Right now!”
At Kang’s furious order, his aide hastily made the call, but every reply was the same.
They said it was a direct order from the top, that the security clearance was at the highest level, and that access was strictly forbidden.
“Those sons of bitches dare—!”
They had the nerve to block information with such absurd excuses. Kang slammed his fist on the desk in fury.
Yet beneath the anger, a deep unease took hold of him.
“They’re trying to brush this off as orders from the top… could it be a coup…?”
He had tried to keep all intelligence in his grasp precisely to prevent any potential disasters like this.
“Track the transport route of those special military supplies immediately. Drop all other operations and focus everything on this—”
Just then, the red direct-line telephone on his desk began to ring loudly. That phone could only ring from one man.
“...Yes, Your Excellency. This is Kang Byung-woo.”
Director Kang, come to me at once. We have something to discuss.
At that moment, Kang instinctively realized that this matter was related to Chairman Han.
“Yes, Your Excellency. I’ll depart immediately.”
Kang Byung-woo set down the receiver, grabbed his coat, and left the office.
At the same time, Jeong Tae-soo also received a report in the KCIA First Deputy Director’s office about unusual movements at Busan Port through his information network.
When his subordinate finished the report, Jeong stroked his chin and fell into thought.
“A top-secret transport operation mobilizing even the military police…? And Director Kang Byung-woo doesn’t know about it?”
“Yes, Deputy Director. According to our checks, no one in Director Kang’s line knew anything about this operation.”
“Hmm… this is interesting.”
There was only one person in this country who could carry out an operation of this scale while evading Kang Byung-woo’s notice.
‘The aftermath of the securities turmoil hasn’t even been cleared up yet… What on earth are they plotting now?’
Jeong’s instincts tingled. He resolved to activate every intel channel to uncover the truth behind this secret operation.
The moment he parted his lips, the direct-line phone on his desk began to ring loudly as well.
“...Yes, Your Excellency. This is Jeong Tae-soo.”
Deputy Director Jeong. Come to me at once. I’ve called Director Kang as well.
Jeong’s eyes flashed coldly as he set down the receiver. His expression was full of interest. Soon a cold smile slid across his mouth, concealing his true intent like a snake armored in scales.
The first night in Busan passed in a deep sleep.
When morning came I barely got my wits about me and went down to the first floor.
The dining room was already bustling. The kitchen smelled of savory frying oil, and from one side a large bamboo steamer was sending up billows of hot steam.
President Wang spotted me and led me to a quiet seat inside. A moment later, a woman who appeared to be his wife brought out warm tea and breakfast.
I scooped some steaming porridge with my spoon and, without much thought, asked,
“I’m thinking of going out for a bit today… Do you have someone who could act as a guide?”
“Of course. I’ll have someone accompany you.”
President Wang answered briefly.
Other Chinese merchants eating in the restaurant glanced at me curiously.
A mysterious man staying on the third floor of Deokhwalu.
They seemed very curious about who I was, but perhaps because of President Wang’s presence, no one dared speak to me.
After finishing breakfast, President Wang brought over a scrawny child who looked barely past ten.
The child wore dirt-streaked, shabby clothes, but his eyes were lively and bold. I alternately looked at the child and at President Wang, and, unable to hide my astonishment, said,
“Um… Isn’t he too young?”
“He’s grown up!”
Before I could finish, the brat shouted back defiantly.
I frowned at President Wang.
“I asked for someone to guide me, not to babysit.”
“Teacher Baek, at this age we all earn our keep.”
Despite my complaint, President Wang simply answered serenely.
“This boy’s name is Aseong. He may be young, but there’s no one around these alleys and over on the Yeongdo side who knows the area better than him. You can trust him.”
At President Wang’s introduction, the kid named Aseong stuck his chest out proudly.
“I’ve got this place locked down. Give me an address and I’ll find it right away.”