Midday Guest Chapter 21

The temporary office set up on the second floor was reminiscent of an office that had seen at least a decade pass. The wall paint had turned yellow with the stains of time, the window film was tattered, and things like a black leather sofa and a cherry wood desk—roughly picked up from a nearby furniture store—came together to create that very atmosphere.

Cha Seokjoo stared at the banner hanging on the wall.

[Symbol No. 1 | Cheongun Construction]

A New Future for Yonggung-ri

Cheongun Construction Will Surely Create It

“Director, you’ve arrived.”

“What is this, this tacky placard?”

“It was sent from headquarters.”

“Headquarters?”

“Yes, Director.”

Oh Taesik answered as he stood up awkwardly. The person beside him stood as well. Clad in a suit and tie and holding a briefcase, he cut the figure of a textbook office worker.

“It’s been a long time, Director.”

“Hm?”

“Have you been well in the meantime?”

“Why are you here? What about headquarters?”

Kim Seungkwon, Cha Seokjoo’s direct secretary and lawyer, cleared his throat once.

“The Chairman told me to come down.”

“The old man must be getting old. Seeing as he sent you all the way down for an affair of this level.”

“He was very worried. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, of course.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m glad to hear that, then.”

“It’s just an incident. Nothing major.”

“May I report back that the case is closed?”

“Do that.”

Cha Seokjoo flopped down onto the sofa. Oh Taesik and Kim Seungkwon watched him as they took seats across from Cha Seokjoo. Oh Taesik quietly poured the alcohol, and Cha Seokjoo asked a question.

“What about headquarters? Any issues?”

“It’s not quite an issue, but… there is news that Taesan Construction has decided to participate in the Yonggung-ri redevelopment bidding war.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought they’d take a little money and back out.”

Kim Seungkwon, sitting opposite, held out a tablet containing a report. Cha Seokjoo rested his chin on the armrest and stared at the tablet. As he gazed intently at the screen, his lips parted and a low voice flowed out.

“Did Taesan have the leeway to build a premium resort of this scale? There are issues with unpaid construction costs, and they even sold off their headquarters to secure liquidity.”

“That is precisely why they seem to be staking their very life on this project. That is also how word reached our ears that they were attempting to purchase land through illegal routes.”

“So they’re going to see this through to the end.”

“It seems it’s the only option they have left.”

Kim Seungkwon continued as he took back the tablet being handed over.

“Shall we begin the buyouts?”

Cha Seokjoo tilted his glass. Ahead of the Yonggung-ri redevelopment bidding war, Cheongun and Taesan were already fighting a quiet war. To ensure that things like the lowest-price bid and the rewards returning to the residents of Yonggung-ri could be finalized at a reasonable level.

To do that, knowing the cards the opponent held was the priority, and they had each reached a point where they had sent spies into the other’s organization. It was only a short while ago that searching for a spy hidden within Cheongun led them as far as the Haeundang in Yonggung-ri.

It was a period of calm after having turned the organization upside down. A few pieces of prepared reward data regarding Yonggung-ri had leaked, but it wasn’t vital information.

Afterward, as a result of interrogating the assailant, several pieces of information were obtained. That Taesan was secretly buying up land in Yonggung-ri and that there was a small organization acting on their behalf.

Transactions taking place over land in a redevelopment area were a common occurrence, but this time the scale was unusual.

‘The mill owner—it wasn’t suicide.’

Those were the words of a green, young kid, but there was something suspicious about them that made it hard to ignore.

Cha Seokjoo’s gaze shifted toward the placard. The mill owner’s fatal accident, mobile poker games, the redevelopment issue of a rural village. Having connected the unfolding situation, Cha Seokjoo set down his glass and looked back at Oh Taesik and Ma Haeyoung.

“Any movement from Sunwoo Finance’s side?”

“The office lights are out and there’s no sign of them.”

“Hiding their tails and lying low, are they…”

“Pardon?”

Oh Taesik asked back blankly. Cha Seokjoo said, “Have a drink,” and poured alcohol into Oh Taesik’s glass with a glug-glug-glug. He withdrew the bottle only just before the glass overflowed and spoke to Kim Seungkwon.

“Let’s hold on the buyouts for a moment.”

“Are you saying we should just let Taesan take over the vicinity?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re going to watch longer?”

Cha Seokjoo’s gaze deepened. In the silence that briefly followed, Kim Seungkwon secretly swallowed dryly. Even though they had been together a long time, Cha Seokjoo remained a difficult presence whose inner thoughts were impossible to know.

“Since the other side is rushing in desperately, it’s only right that we balance it out.”

“Then the Yonggung-ri redevelopment project…”

“Report to the old man that I’ll be a bit more cautious. If he says anything, tell him it was my request.”

“Understood.”

Cha Seokjoo took out a cigarette and put it to his lips. Kim Seungkwon quickly lit it for him and bowed his head.

“How shall we proceed with Plan B?”

“We have to block the funding source first. If the company is in that state, there’s bound to be an organization colluding with Taesan and providing back-alley money… I definitely smell something.”

“Did you find something?”

Cha Seokjoo replied to Kim Seungkwon’s question with a fleeting “Mmm,” then turned his gaze to Oh Taesik.

“Taesik.”

“Yes, Director.”

“The guy we caught at Haeundang. Is he dead?”

“His head is still attached for now.”

“Release him.”

“He’s a guy we went through trouble to catch, is it alright to just let him go?”

“He’s bait.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying we aren’t just letting him go.”

Cha Seokjoo downed his drink with a relaxed face, showing no sign of anxiety.

“And. Who said to just send him away?”

“Then…”

“Even if we’re sending him off, we have to make him pay the proper price before he goes.”

“How much should I get out of him?”

“Just decide on your own.”

“Understood!”

Kim Seungkwon quietly turned his gaze away. No matter how much of a veteran one was, he hadn’t expected someone to be this composed while handling a business deal worth trillions of won.

Perhaps that difference was why Cha Seokjoo was in that seat and he was in this one. Kim Seungkwon muttered to himself as he packed the tablet back into his briefcase. There was much to do; it seemed he would have to return to Seoul immediately.

☼

An office located in downtown Yonggung-ri.

A man looking down after prying through the blinds installed on the second-floor window bit his lip. The mill located on the corner of the intersection was surrounded by police line, and a forensic team had arrived and was examining the interior.

“…Fuck.”

To think he was a prisoner once again as soon as he thought he had escaped Cha Seokjoo’s grasp.

Jang Munyeol, the Haeundang assailant who had returned to the old sofa, let out a groan. Between the swollen eyes and the pain from the orbital fracture, even breathing was agonizing.

His throat was parched. He tried to grab the whiskey glass on the coffee table, but his hand slipped. The cup fell to the floor, rolled away, and went under the dusty sofa.

One of the subordinates waiting against the wall quickly placed a new cup down and moved away.

Jang Munyeol lifted his trembling hand and flipped it back and forth. The shape of his left hand, wrapped tightly in bandages, felt foreign, so he checked it several times over. From the pinky to the middle finger, it was a hollow void.

His fingers were cut off as the price for getting caught while infiltrating Cheongun.

He couldn’t get reattachment surgery, but even so, this was a satisfactory ending.

At least his throat wasn’t slit. It was better to be in this world even if one had to roll in a field of dog dung. He didn’t want to die yet. Especially if it were at the hands of Cha Seokjoo, who was second to none when it came to cruelty.

Still, it hurt like hell. Even pouring in handfuls of painkillers rumored to be strong was useless.

He clutched his wrist and looked at the person opposite him. Even without any swollen parts, his complexion was just as rotten, as if his insides were festering.

Jang Munyeol watched Mr. Kim Sunwoo’s reaction before speaking.

“Hyung-nim, did you see outside?”

“They’ve been like that for days, how could I not know?”

“Even some forensic team or whatever showed up. If we get caught like this…”

The look in Kim Sunwoo’s eyes as he glared at Jang Munyeol flashed fiercely.

Overwhelmed by the pressure, Jang Munyeol clutched his bandaged wrist, stepped back, and gave a ninety-degree bow, saying, “I’m sorry, hyung-nim.” His face, looking at the floor, was distorted with anger, but there was no other choice.

“Munyeol.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

“Don’t feel too wronged. The world is a shitty place to begin with.”

Ever since forming the organization and establishing a moneylending business to start collecting, this was the first time he had faced such a crisis.

The life of Kim Sunwoo—who had been lending money to the elderly farmers or nearby shops and taking a modest profit—changed completely upon meeting a representative from the Taesan Group.

‘How much longer are you going to live handling pennies in the countryside? Our CEO Kim should also snatch up a proper position now. Don’t you think?’

‘I wonder what business a group like Taesan has with people like us to be doing this.’

‘Actually, we’re thinking of building a country club in Yonggung-ri.’

‘So you’re land buyers. You want to pick it up at a cheap price before the shovels hit the ground?’

‘Our CEO Kim. I like that you’re quick to understand.’

‘This is a neighborhood where old people live, and Cheongun has already taken hold of the foundation, so it won’t be easy for you.’

‘That’s why we’re looking for someone to help us. Someone who knows the geography of this village well and knows every single person in town.’