novelraw Chapter 88 : Please Make Your Position Clear
Chapter 88 : Please Make Your Position Clear
Chapter 88: Please Make Your Position Clear
It was only before the sun rose that I managed to escape from the Head of the Sea Whale’s base and return to Deokhwa-ru.
When I carefully opened the door and went in, Min-soo was already awake, leaning his back against the wall while hugging a pillow.
It looked like he had waited for me all night.
“Why didn’t you sleep more?”
“I just woke up.”
I went over and sat beside Min-soo. Even in the darkness, the anxiety written on his face was clearly visible.
After quietly sharing our body heat for a while, I softly opened my mouth.
“Are you scared?”
Min-soo had to leave familiar Korean soil and head to a foreign country where the language barely worked.
Even for fully grown adults, it wouldn’t be easy. For Min-soo, who was only fourteen, it was only natural to be even more frightening.
I understood well enough his desire not to show it in front of me.
At my question, Min-soo didn’t answer. He only hugged the pillow tighter.
Without saying anything, I leaned my back against the wall as well and looked in the same direction as Min-soo.
Beyond the window, dawn was faintly breaking. How much time passed in silence like that? Min-soo finally spoke in a very small voice.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“Can I… do well?”
His voice trembled thinly. Within it were fear of the unknown world and anxiety that he might disappoint his brother’s expectations.
I gently patted Min-soo’s head.
“What does doing well or not even matter? You just need to stay healthy. Don’t get sick, eat your meals properly, sleep well. If you do that, everything will be fine eventually.”
“But still, alone without you, hyung…….”
“I’ll visit often.”
It was limited, but little by little, permission was being granted to travel abroad through various methods.
“So don’t worry. You’re not alone.”
At my words, Min-soo stayed silent for a while. Then he buried his face deeply into the pillow.
Very faintly, I heard the sound of him sniffling.
I didn’t say anything more. I simply patted his small shoulders until he calmed down.
From that day on, during the few remaining days before Min-soo left, I put everything else aside and spent my time solely with him. Kang Hyeok and Aseong also joined us as we went around Busan’s famous spots.
For the first time, we rode a cruise ship and saw Oryukdo, and from atop the steep cliffs of Taejongdae, we looked down at the wide-open sea.
At Songdo Beach, he was fascinated as he rode a cable car he had never seen in his life, and at the International Market, we bought street food and laughed and chatted endlessly.
As time passed, Min-soo changed rapidly.
At first, the kid who used to shy away and hide only behind me was now holding Aseong’s hand and running ahead on his own.
The two children, though different in nationality and in the environments they had grown up in, quickly became close as if they were lifelong friends.
Watching that sight, a new plan began to sprout in my heart.
‘Aseong…… what if I send that kid together with Min-soo?’
Aseong was sharp and had strong survival skills. His adaptability to unfamiliar environments was also excellent.
If Aseong went with him, Min-soo would be able to settle down much faster and more stably in America.
After finishing dinner, I sent Kang Hyeok back to the hospital and returned to Deokhwa-ru with Aseong and Min-soo.
But the atmosphere in the restaurant was strange.
The heavy silence that had settled over Deokhwa-ru these past few days was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was filled with noisy chatter and laughter, like a festival day.
“What’s all this commotion?”
As I went inside with a puzzled look, President Wang greeted me with a broad smile on his face.
“Teacher Baek! You’re here! We have very good news!”
“What happened?”
“All the merchants who were taken away have just been released!”
“All of them were released?”
“Yes. They do have to hand over half their property to the government, but…… what matters is that they were released.”
Something had happened without my knowing.
“Everyone was released?”
“Yes. All of them.”
“That’s a relief. No wonder it’s so noisy, like a celebration.”
“Yes. Would you like to join us?”
“No. I should go up and get some rest.”
“Yes. Then please rest.”
At a glance, I saw Aseong mixed in among the people, laughing and chatting. Lee Cheong-ho was also there, drinking, and when he spotted me, he stood up from his seat.
Min-soo was looking at that scene with envious eyes.
“Do you want to play with Aseong and then come up?”
“No, hyung. Let’s go up.”
After sending Min-soo into the room, I called Ma Dong-jin from the room next door.
Lee Cheong-ho, Ma Dong-jin, and I gathered in one place. I first asked Lee Cheong-ho, who had been mingling downstairs.
“What happened? Releasing everyone all of a sudden. I heard that you failed in negotiations with Chairman Han.”
Lee Cheong-ho spoke with a hardened expression, as if he couldn’t understand it himself. Deep confusion was embedded in his voice.
“I also came down because the first floor suddenly became noisy and asked around.”
“……”
“It is true that you donated two billion hwan to the state. But that had nothing to do with the merchants’ release. It was, quite literally, extortion. Chairman Han took the money and made no promises whatsoever.”
Anger toward Chairman Han seeped into his voice. Lee Cheong-ho continued, frowning.
“It’s the same in Seoul. The manhunt for Han Sang-hoon has been halted, and most of the merchants, including Elder Hwang, were released on the condition that they hand over half their property. To release people they personally arrested only now…… I truly can’t make sense of it.”
“Elder Hwang was released too? And the manhunt for Han Sang-hoon was stopped?”
Kang Byung-woo’s sword dance had ended in vain. He was now no different from a toothless tiger. But the reason for it was unclear.
“Yes. I’m not sure whether Elder Hwang actually handed over half his property, but the other money changers and merchants were released after signing pledges to surrender their assets. And it’s true that the warrant for the old man was canceled. All of the old man’s subordinates were released as well.”
“What on earth is this…… Have you contacted President Cheon Sang-do?”
I asked Ma Dong-jin, who had been listening to our conversation beside us.
“Yes. I contacted him as soon as I heard the news.”
“What did he say? Were the money changers who dealt with President Cheon released as well?”
“Fortunately, they were released.”
“Then the danger is gone.”
“Yes. President Cheon’s voice sounded bright.”
My head grew complicated. Everything was moving abruptly.
The intensive crackdown on the black market was already something unexpected, but to release the people they caught so easily?
I closed my eyes for a moment and began fitting together the pieces in my head. When all the puzzles clicked into place, a single picture emerged.
There was only one person in this country who could ignore Director Kang and make a decision like this.
“So Chairman Han planned from the start to sacrifice Kang Byung-woo.”
I muttered to myself with a low groan. At my words, the two men’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean by that?”
At Lee Cheong-ho’s question, I told him my reasoning.
“Chairman Han intended to discard Kang Byung-woo from the very beginning. What he needed wasn’t the blade called Kang Byung-woo, but the slashing that blade would carry out.”
No matter how much of a military government it was, it couldn’t completely eradicate the black market. The more it cracked down, the deeper the black market slipped into the shadows.
“Instead of destroying the black market, the plan was to clamp it down with powerful shackles and place it under state control. After instilling fear through Kang Byung-woo’s ruthless crackdowns, Chairman Han appeared like a benevolent savior and opened a way out for the merchants. Of course, in exchange for a toll equal to half their assets.”
I could glimpse Chairman Han’s boldness and cruelty in how he thoroughly used and then cut off even his own hands and feet. It was a variable I hadn’t experienced in my previous life, but I couldn’t help but admire it.
Lee Cheong-ho and Ma Dong-jin stared at me, having lost their words.
“Even now, look. They came out after writing pledges to hand over half their property, yet everyone looks happy, don’t they?”
It was no different from having the wealth they had built over a lifetime stolen away. Even if it had been money earned while crossing the line between illegal and legal.
They were about to have it forcibly taken, yet just the fact that they had come out alive had them drinking and throwing a feast.
“Subduing Mr. Yang followed the same logic. By forcing the ruler of the Chinese community to his knees, he branded into everyone who the real power ruling this land was. From now on, is there anyone among the Chinese who could oppose or challenge the government’s policies?”
Chairman Han would know as well. Even if he told Yang Sobo to take all the Chinese and leave, not all of them would actually go.
Yang Sobo was an example. By driving out the man with the greatest influence among the Chinese, he delivered a message to the entire community.
“Did news of your meeting with Chairman Han spread through the Chinese community?”
“No. Only a few of my closest aides know. Including me, only four people know that he told us to leave Korea.”
“Four people, huh……. Then the rumor will spread quickly.”
Lee Cheong-ho couldn’t refute it. From that reaction, I was able to discern one more fact.
“Seems like there’s quite a bit of discontent inside.”
“……”
Lee Cheong-ho still avoided answering, but it looked like there was a lot of noise internally.
“For now, we need to find out what’s going on. The KCIA isn’t an organization so soft that it would release people it arrested this easily.”
I would have to meet Oh Chung-seong once more.
“Mr. Ma Dong-jin, please stop the currency exchange work for now. Let’s watch the situation.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“For now, go back and get some rest. I need to rest as well.”
After sending the two of them away, I sank into thought alone.
‘I need to return to Seoul as quickly as possible.’
After sending Min-soo off, I had to go straight back to Seoul and move fast.
Yang Sobo told me to lie low for the time being, but now wasn’t the time to keep my head down.
The next day, I contacted Oh Chung-seong and set up a meeting. The meeting place was a shabby teahouse in a back alley of Jungang-dong.
A place where a musty mold stench mixed with the smell of cheap coffee. A gloomy place like this was perfect for sharing secrets.
I arrived first and took a seat, and not long after, Oh Chung-seong entered with a stiff expression.
He appeared exactly on time, but his face was steeped in deep fatigue, as if he hadn’t slept all night.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No. I just arrived as well.”
When he sat across from me, the teahouse owner brought over glasses of water. I gestured to her and ordered two cups of ssanghwa tea.
“I’m sorry to call such a busy man out.”
“It’s fine.”
His voice was stiff, but within it lingered a wariness he was forcibly suppressing. I didn’t bother beating around the bush and went straight to the point.
“When we last met, you acted as if you would severely punish every merchant you arrested, yet overnight you released them all. Since when did the KCIA’s movements become so light?”
At my question, Oh Chung-seong’s brow twitched. He hesitated, as if choosing his words.
“It was a decision from above.”
“From above……. You mean Director Kang Byung-woo?”
“……”
“Or do you mean someone even higher than that?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Oh Chung-seong was firm. How long would that attitude last, I wondered. I stared straight at him and spoke.
“Section Chief Oh. The reason I came to you instead of Deputy Director Noh Gi-tae to ask these questions…… is because I’m giving you an opportunity.”
I pointed out what he had done.
“Section Chief. You tried to monitor me by using Jin Tae-rim.”
For a moment, Oh Chung-seong’s gaze sank coldly.
Just then, the owner brought the two cups of ssanghwa tea and set them on the table. Once she disappeared, I continued.
“I took a risk and told you that the Counterintelligence Unit was targeting the KCIA. Yet you tried to stab me in the back. That’s quite disappointing.”
“There seems to be some misunderstanding. I merely…….”
“A misunderstanding?”
I cut him off with a cold voice.
“You threatened Jin Tae-rim’s family and told him to listen, watch, and report what my objective was, what I wanted, and why I was releasing him. Or else he wouldn’t be safe. How can that possibly be a misunderstanding?”
“…….”
“Section Chief. The power structure of the KCIA is going to be reorganized. Director Kang brought in people from the police to fill the KCIA’s mid-level and working lines. Lee Do-hyeon will probably try to fill the KCIA with people from the Counterintelligence Unit. In that chaos, will there be a place for you?”
As my words continued, his body stiffened more and more. I leaned forward and whispered in a voice only he could hear.
“The only rope you can cling to is Deputy Director Noh Gi-tae. But even Deputy Director Noh will find it burdensome at first. Lee Do-hyeon is a man with a different disposition from Director Kang.”
I knew Lee Do-hyeon well. He was someone who sometimes joined hands with Jeong Tae-soo and at other times became his enemy in power struggles.
“Make your position clear. Will you keep reading the room and acting like a bat, only to be abandoned by both sides? The choice is yours.”
“I’m just…….”
“Section Chief. I need you. And there will come a time when you need me as well. The world changes quickly.”
Oh Chung-seong swallowed dryly. After saying this much, if he still didn’t understand, that would make him a complete fool. I stood up from my seat without hesitation.
“If I walk out of here today, there will never be another time when I meet you again.”
I placed a single 100-won bill on the table for the tea and turned around.
“Wait!”
Just before I left the teahouse, Oh Chung-seong stopped me.