Ma Seok-dae stepped into the cabin where Noh Ik-seon was being held.
"You've arrived, Manager.\"
Instead of answering, he gave a slight nod.
"Where's President Noh?"
"He's in the room. Should I bring him out?"
"I'll go in myself."
"Understood, Manager."
"Lawyer, please review the contract and standby."
Ma Seok-dae instructed the lawyer who had come with him.
Lawyer Hong Ik-hyun nodded slightly and opened his briefcase while sitting on the sofa in the living room.
Seeing this, Ma Seok-dae signaled to his subordinate.
"Let's go."
The subordinate opened the door to the room where Noh Ik-seon was trapped, and Ma Seok-dae entered first.
Noh Ik-seon, sitting on the bed and smoking, extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray upon seeing Ma Seok-dae and jumped to his feet.
His wrinkled hands trembled, clearly revealing his fear of the situation.
"Manager Ma, please spare me."
"Sit down."
Unlike Noh Ik-seon's trembling voice, Ma Seok-dae's tone was chillingly calm.
Noh Ik-seon found himself unable to respond and sat back on the bed.
After a moment of staring at Noh Ik-seon, Ma Seok-dae took a wooden chair offered by his subordinate and placed it in front of the bed, then sat down.
"Manager Ma…"
"Only answer my questions. From now on, if you speak without my permission, you'll die.\"
"…"
Under the cold threat, Noh Ik-seon clamped his mouth shut.
"What on earth were you thinking? If the boss gives you a chance, shouldn't you just do what you're told? You could've lived a good life in that position forever."
"Manager Ma, please spare me."
"Whether I spare you or not depends on how you respond. So tell me the truth to my questions. I don't want to torture you in a place like this that isn't a battlefield.\"
Under Ma Seok-dae's frigid gaze, Noh Ik-seon swallowed hard.
Although Noh Ik-seon had never faced Ma Seok-dae, he was painfully aware of how terrifying Ha Myung-hoon, a loyal follower of Chairman Cheon, was.
Because of that, he feared Ma Seok-dae, who watched over Pyeongchang-dong in his wake.
"Why did you do it?"
"Uh… I didn't want to let it go to waste. Chairman Cheon had been understanding about our side ventures. But after President Kim Mu-hyeok took over, he insised we hand over all such businesses to Heavenly Group, and I just couldn't let it go."
At those words, Ma Seok-dae scoffed.
Noh Ik-seon was desperately rationalizing what he had done.
"Then you should have persuaded the boss."
"…He's not someone who can be easily persuaded."
"He's someone who listens better than anyone else."
"That only applies to you, Manager. Do you really think he cares about someone like us?"
"You must not have given him enough reason to trust you."
For a while after that, Ma Seok-dae continued his questioning, while Noh Ik-seon answered promptly, although nervously.
Ma Seok-dae checked his watch and began to massage the back of his neck. It was time to wrap things up.
"Alright, let's cut to the chase. How did you make that money? Other bosses say you invested the largest amount."
"…It's all the money I've saved up until now."
At that, Ma Seok-dae nodded slightly before suddenly pressing Noh Ik-seon's face down with his palm, forcing him onto the bed.
He then grabbed Noh Ik-seon's left pinky and bent it backwards.
With a bone-cracking sound, the finger was completely broken backward.
"Ah! Ugh, ugh!"
With Ma Seok-dae's large hand pressing down on his face, Noh Ik-seon couldn't even scream properly.
"I believe I asked you to tell the truth."
With his mouth covered, Noh Ik-seon blinked rapidly, signaling.
Seeing the signal, Ma Seok-dae lifted his hand from Noh Ik-seon's face and spoke.
"Next, it's two fingers."
"Ugh… Ugh…"
Unable to even hold the broken finger, Noh Ik-seon could only weep with tears streaming down his face.
"I'll ask you again. Where did that money come from? I noticed you have a larger amount in your safe than what you received from other bosses. Whose money is that?"
"…"
When he didn't respond immediately, Ma Seok-dae seized Noh Ik-seon's ring and middle fingers and twisted them.
Once more, the sound of breaking bones echoed throughout the room.
"Aaaagh!!"
Unable to bear the pain anymore, Noh Ik-seon cried out loudly and clutched his hands, but touching his broken fingers only brought him agony.
"Don't try to think too hard; just answer my questions. Didn't you ask to be spared?"
"Ah, ah!"
With tears streaming down his face, Noh Ik-seon nodded vigorously.
"If you don't want to answer, don't. I still have plenty of fingers left. And if fingers aren't enough, I've got toes too, so don't worry.\"
A chilling smile crept across Ma Seok-dae's face, causing Noh Ik-seon to flinch.
"I'll ask you again. Where does the money come from?"
"…It's… money invested from China."
"China?"
"Y-yes."
"How did you even get investment from China? Are you telling me that you are actually receiving money from Chinese investors to play games in Korea? That's insane!"
Ma Seok-dae growled in a low voice, but Noh Ik-seon simply averted his eyes and shut his mouth.
"…"
"You know well what we had to do to maintain our position in the loan shark market, right? Countless people bled, and a person named Dong-soo, who the boss held dear, was also killed. And now you're saying you've handed over our money to foreigners? And you still dare to call yourself human?"
Kim Mu-hyeok had done everythinghe could to protect South Korea's loan business from Japanese funds.
Thanks to that, the loan shark market in Korea hadn't fallen to Japan.
Yet, here was Noh Ik-seon, trying to pass it into the hands of Chinese investors.
"How long did you think you could hide this? Surely you couldn't have thought you were invincible? You're not that stupid, are you? If you were, you wouldn't have lasted this long in your position."
Ma Seok-dae knew that Noh Ik-seon was not that foolish.
"Who's the person you teamed up with?"
"Uh…"
"Looks like you want to feel the pain again."
Under Ma Seok-dae's icy stare, Noh Ik-seon trembled and spoke frantically.
"I'll tell you everything! So…"
"Just say it.\"
"I got found out too early. If I had more time, even the boss wouldn't have been able to stop me."
"What do you mean?"
"Just as I said. Once the owner of Heavenly Group changed, even the boss wouldn't have been able to do anything alone."
As Noh Ik-seon began to spill shocking stories, Ma Seok-dae sat there with a stiffened expression, absorbing every word.
"That's everything I know."
"You mad bastard."
"It was just too sweet of a deal. They said they'd give me the entire loan shark market. I've said everything, so please spare my life."
Ma Seok-dae gazed at Noh Ik-seon with contempt.
"Forfeit all your assets. I'll spare your life."
"What…"
"If you don't care about your life, then don't give it up."
Ma Seok-dae stood up and spoke to the subordinate standing behind him.
"Get this guy's pinky treated, and once that's done, Lawyer Hong should come in and take all the signatures on the transfer documents."
"Yes, Manager."
Ma Seok-dae left the room to report to Kim Mu-hyeok.
"Once you've got all the signatures, send Lawyer Hong back. After that, make sure to break that bastard's legs…"
At the end of Ma Seok-dae's cold gaze was a cage filled with dozens of starving hunting dogs.
"Toss him in as dog food."
* * *
"Boss, what the hell…"
Yoo Sung-jin stuttered in shock. It was the first time he had seen this side of the man.
"Just as I said. President Noh Ik-seon has received money from China, and the one who connected him is Director Kang Jun-woo."
Yoo Sung-jin remained speechless, his face turning pale.
"Noh Ik-seon doesn't even know the detailed plan. The owner of Heavenly Group is Kang Jun-woo, and the loan shark market belongs to Noh Ik-seon. Behind it all is a Chinese guy. That's all Noh Ik-seon knows."
I lifted the pitcher and poured some tea into the cup.
Although the pu-erh tea had already gone cold, it was still drinkable.
I sipped slowly, waiting for Yoo Sung-jin to sort out his thoughts.
"So it's saying that Director Kang is turning against me. Now I understand the questions you asked me earlier."
"That's why I asked. However, it's strange that you don't seem to have any emotional response to the news about President Noh's capture."
Yoo Sung-jin grimaced, clearly distressed.
"He's always been hard to read. He doesn't show his emotions easily. Which is why I entrusted him with the fight against the Chinese organization…"
"It seems having many interactions with them through frequent battles has turned against us. If they manage to recruit Kang Jun-woo, it gives them an advantage in the fights."
Yoo Sung-jin sighed deeply as if contemplating something.
"Now that I think about it, there have been many suspicious points. Like when they managed to find our members' lodgings to attack, or disappearing before Ji-soo arrived, instances of that have happened quite a bit."
"Did you never think that someone could be leaking information? If that happens too often, it's suspicious."
"I'm sorry."
It felt like I was receiving more apologies than usual from this man today. I shook my head slightly.
"No, I'm not saying you should be apologizing. You should have noticed something unusual."
"I only thought it was strange and asked Kang Jun-woo to check if there were moles inside. But it ended up being handing the fish to the cat. Ha…"
Yoo Sung-jin exhaled another deep sigh.
"Who could he be colluding with? Do you have any suspects?"
"I don't know. I'll have to investigate now. He wouldn't dare to oppose me on his own. Some of the directors are likely already recruited."
"Anyone who knows my existence wouldn't easily act against me. Kang Jun-woo probably recruited people who didn't know me at all."
Our gazes shifted to Chu Dong-bin, who was in front of us.
"I haven't received any offers. If I had, I would've told the chairman."
Yoo Sung-jin nodded.
"Right, Dong-bin, you wouldn't betray me."
"I think Kang Director knows that too, so he didn't approach me as well."
"That's possible."
"Are you suspecting me?"
Chu Dong-bin appeared aggrieved, while Yoo Sung-jin looked at him with a small smile.
"Dong-bin, you wouldn't do that. So I trust you."
Yoo Sung-jin seemed to trust Chu Dong-bin, who had been dishonorably discharged for assaulting a sergeant.
"But why did you assault a sergeant in the army?"
"…"
"Haha, that guy had a female sergeant in his company, and I heard he sexually harassed her during a company dinner. I couldn't hold myself back and hit him, so how could I stay in the army? Although they didn't blow it out of proportions, they just decided to let me go."
Feeling this may have been an embarrassing past, Chu Dong-bin wore an awkward smile and said nothing more.
"You did the right thing, hitting a guy like that. Nice job."
The conversation briefly veered off track but soon returned to the original topic.
"So what will we do? Shall I handle it?"
"No. This is our organization's affair, so I'll handle it myself."
I nodded.
"Then I'll wait, trusting you, Chairman Yoo. And please take someone else for the upcoming meeting with China. That meeting might be a trap to target the chairman."
"Ah… You're right. It could very well be. The sudden request to meet matches too many pieces.\"
"Then wrap things up quickly. If we waste time, the chairman will be at a disadvantage. I'm afraid he will be very disappointed."
If he was pushed around by his subordinates, Yoo Sung-jin would no longer be useful.
Understanding my gaze, Yoo Sung-jin nodded stiffly.
While checking the crude oil prices on the computer in my study, I heard a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Manager Ma opened the door and stepped inside.
"They have entered through Incheon Airport."
"How many are there?"
I tore my gaze from the monitor and stood up to ask.
"There are a total of five of them."
"The National Intelligence Service must be keeping an eye on them too."
The Vice Chairman of the Black Dragon Society had arrived in the country.
Before Heavenly Group reached into the drug trade, the Black Dragon Society supplied over half of the domestic drug distribution.
Thanks to that, both the National Intelligence Service and the police were aware of the Black Dragon Society's existence.
When the Chinese organizations in the country and Heavenly Group were rumored to be going to war, it was enough for the police, the prosecutors' office, and even the NIS to provide significant assistance from the shadows.
"Have a seat."
I sat down on the sofa and extended my hand to Manager Ma.
"Hand over the documents regarding the Vice Chairman."
Manager Ma, sitting beside me, handed over a folder.
Inside was a wealth of detailed information including an organizational chart of the Black Dragon Society and photos.
"Hmm… Hao Xun? He looks young."
"That person is the Vice Chairman. Detailed personal information is on the back. He's thirty-seven years old—a young man who rose to the position of Vice Chairman at such an age."
"Seems like he's quite capable."
"They say he has exceptional intelligence. Over half of the Black Dragon Society's profits reportedly pass through him. He's involved in drugs, prostitution, gambling, and even organ trafficking."
As I turned the page as Manager Ma said, everything about him was detailed.
It seemed he had discovered more than I would have expected thanks to his extensive public activities.
"He's a member of the Communist Party? Also, from the Communist Youth League?"
"Yes. It appears that even though he's entered the country, the NIS hasn't been able to capture him. Nothing has been proven criminally, just mere suspicions, and there's not a shred of evidence linking him to any crime."
The Chinese Communist Youth League. Often abbreviated as 'CYL.'
It was one of the three major factions within the Communist Party of China. Hu Jintao, the next expected chairman, is a notable member of the CYL.
Because of this, the CYL is one of the closest groups to power.
"A Vice Chairman of the Black Dragon Society from the CYL…"
"Is it possible that funds from the Black Dragon Society are flowing into the CYL? I instructed to investigate further."
"That might be the case. However, accurately tracking the flow of funds requires precision, and given China's secrecy, I doubt it will be easy."
After that remark, I quietly read the investigative materials on the Black Dragon Society for a while.
Suddenly sensing something strange, I looked up.
"What kind of person is the Chairman? There's hardly any information here."
"There's hardly any information available. What's here is what the NIS has managed to gather. Most of the organization's operations are handled directly by Hao Xun, so no one knows the Chairman's face."
"So, Hao Xun is practically the boss, then."
"That's the impression you can obtain."
I tossed the stack of documents onto the table, feeling a bit unsettled.
"A person like that just enters Korea without any preparation? Only bringing four others with him? Is he fearless, or just overly confident?"
"He seems to have some trust in something or someone."
"Or perhaps this meeting is a trap as expected. Are we keeping watch?"
Just as Manager Ma nodded, the sound of a phone ringing echoed from his inner pocket.
"I'm sorry."
"No worries. Go ahead and answer it."
Manager Ma turned away to take the call.
"…Got it. Report back."
After listening for some time, he furrowed his brow slightly.
"Really? Understood. Don't lose sight of the destination and report whenever they move."
After hanging up, Manager Ma turned back to me.
"It seems we have a team tailing the Chinese guys?"
"That's correct. However, their actions are strange. They've gone to the Chinese embassy instead of heading to a hotel."
"The embassy?"
"Yes. Since it's a place where listening devices cannot be installed, I told them to wait outside for now."
The first step of the Vice Chairman of the Black Dragon Society in Korea is to visit the Chinese embassy… It certainly reeks of something fishy.
"Isn't the Chinese embassy located in Myeong-dong?"
The thought of the Chinese embassy being in my area, Myeong-dong, came to mind.
"So, the meeting place with Chairman Yoo and the Chinese is now switched to the Myeong-dong Hotel?"
"Yes. The boss ordered it. When I notified them about the change of venue, they accepted it."
I stroked my chin, lost in thought for a moment.
"A young Vice Chairman of the Black Dragon Society who's seized Tianjin. I really want to see what kind of person he is."
Setting everything else aside, the most intriguing part was that he's effectively running a criminal organization at not even forty years old.
"Contact Chairman Yoo."
"Understood."
Manager Ma picked up the phone next to him. The call connected quickly.
"This is Pyeongchang-dong. The boss wants to speak to you. …Please hold."
Taking the receiver handed to me, I heard Yoo Sung-jin's voice coming through, which was calm.
― Did you call for me, boss?
"How is the operation to identify the traitor going?"
― …I'm sorry.
"I wasn't asking for an apology to Chairman Yoo, just curious about how it's progressing. There seem to be many apologies lately."
― Huh… I thought that if I turned my gaze outward, I could suppress the discontent internally. But that war only sowed larger discontent.
It was natural that creating an external enemy would ease internal dissatisfaction.
But it appeared that the prolonged conflict was increasing the organization members' grievances.
"Sounds like you're getting complacent."
― Embarrassingly, that's correct. It seems that the better treatment given to you and Dong-soo may have backfired.
"Does that mean it'll take longer to finalize?"
As I asked casually, Yoo Sung-jin's voice dropped even lower.
― No. We've identified three directors. We plan to clean up everything after this meeting with the Black Dragon Society.
"What will you do with Director Kang Jun-woo when you meet at the Myeong-dong Hotel?"
― If I immediately exclude him from everything, it seems he'll attack directly, so we're letting him continue to fulfill his duties for now. However, he has been excluded from this meeting. Instead, he will focus on monitoring activity in Chinatown.
Excluding him just for this event? I couldn't help but voice my dissatisfaction with Yoon Chang-ho's handling.
"Why not just eliminate him right away? This is all getting too complicated."
― I intend to weed out every last vestige of internal dissatisfaction with this opportunity. I'm waiting to do just that. I will wrap things up soon and contact you.
Yoo Sung-jin's voice carried a dangerous undertone over the receiver. That was exactly the attitude I wanted from him.
"Understood. I'll keep an eye on things."
― Thank you. I won't disappoint you again.
"That's the right mindset. Oh, Chairman Yoo. I plan to attend tomorrow's meeting with the Black Dragon Society in Myeong-dong as well."
― You'll be there in person? Boss?
"Yes. I want to see that person's face."
― …It might be dangerous, boss. We still don't know what kind of thoughts he has or what schemes may lie behind it.
I found it somewhat amusing how concerned he sounded.
It's been a while since someone worried about me to this extent.
"Chairman Yoo, you're worrying too much. There's no need to be so cautious. It's Myeong-dong Hotel. Do you really think anyone would dare harm me there?"
― That's true, but…
"I'll lock down the hotel myself, so don't you fret. I'm just planning to observe from the shadows. Treat me like just another attendant who's with you. I'll see you tomorrow."
After wrapping up the call with Yoo Sung-jin, I placed the receiver back.
"Might it be dangerous?"
Today, I was getting a lot of worry. I smiled broadly at Manager Ma's concerned question.
"Am I going to get myself in trouble?"
"No."
When I jokingly asked back, Manager Ma shook his head with a stiff expression.
In any case, he was too serious to tease. I shrugged and continued speaking.
"That's fine. Starting now, clear out all the guests at the Myeong-dong Hotel, and have Manager Ma's staff fill the place entirely. The moment Hao Xun arrives at the hotel, Myeong-dong Hotel will be sealed off. Make sure to notify the central police station in advance, instructing them not to dispatch under any circumstances. If they receive a report, just have them fake an arrival."
"Yes, I will do that."
"Go prepare."
Manager Ma, with his head bowed, closed the study door as he left.
I took time to slowly sort through my thoughts in the quiet study.
* * *
"Boss, Chairman Yoo has arrived."
"Really? Then it's about time we head out."
The next day, Yoo Sung-jin visited the Myeong-dong office to head to Myeong-dong Hotel together.
He stepped out of the building and walked towards the vehicle he was in.
I stopped him as he was about to open the car door.
"Be cautious from here on out."
"Understood. Please get in."
Nodding, I climbed into Yoo Sung-jin's car.
Our car slowly made its way towards Myeong-dong Hotel.
"There are fewer personnel than expected."
"Most of them are stationed around Myeong-dong Hotel, ready to deploy at a moment's notice. I've prepared them with the organization members I've been with since the old days, not the ones from Director Kang Jun-woo's side. I've already discussed everything with Manager Ma."
Manager Ma sat in the passenger seat, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
"Then I can relax. I just need to trust Chairman Yoo."
"Sure, boss."
I smiled, giving Yoo Sung-jin a light pat on the shoulder. His shoulders had tensed up.
"By the way, did you meet a person named Wang Wei yesterday?"
"Yes, I met him last night."
"What were their demands? They wouldn't try to mediate without knowing anything, would they?"
Someone trying to mediate a war between criminal organizations wouldn't be ignorant of the situation.
After pondering for a moment, Yoo Sung-jin promptly replied.
"They said they would cease domestic drug distribution. Instead, they're asking for the rights to circulate drugs that enter Korea and make their way to Japan. In return, they said they'd pay us a certain sum of money."
"That's surprisingly humble."
"Right, he told Wang Wei that, but I'm not sure if that's the truth. Currently, it seems other criminal groups are eyeing Korea, besides the Black Dragon Society."
It seems Yoo Sung-jin thinks of Wang Wei as a friend and trusts him deeply.
Hopefully, Wang Wei sees Yoo Sung-jin as a friend too.
"Is Wang Wei reliable?"
"I consider him a friend. He probably thinks of me as a friend too."
"I hope that's the case."
"Yeah?"
"Nothing. We should be arriving soon."
As we conversed, we arrived at Myeong-dong Hotel.
"From now on, I'm Yoo Sung-jin's attendant. I will get out first. Please take your time getting out."
Manager Ma and I got out of the car first. Manager Ma opened the car door for Yoo Sung-jin.
Yoo Sung-jin stepped out, entering Myeong-dong Hotel with his subordinates who came in another vehicle.
Manager Ma and I followed closely behind, entering the hotel as well.
We reached the hotel restaurant, the agreed meeting place, and took our seats.
Manager Ma and I chose a spot behind the table where Chairman Yoo would sit.
I leaned over and quietly asked Manager Ma beside me.
"You said they stayed at this hotel yesterday, right?"
"Yes, they booked a suite."
Nodding slightly, I turned my attention back to the restaurant door.
Before long, the door to the restaurant opened and five men walked in.
The first man walking toward us was Hao Xun, the one I had seen in the photo.
Yoo Sung-jin rose from his seat and walked over to him.
In the tense atmosphere, the two faced each other. The restaurant was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The first to speak between Yoo Sung-jin and Hao Xun was Hao Xun.
"Nice to meet you, Chairman Yoo Sung-jin. I am Hao Xun."
Hao Xun greeted first in Chinese, as if it were only natural.
"I'm Yoo Sung-jin, Vice Chairman of the Black Dragon Society. Welcome to Korea."
Yoo Sung-jin extended his hand as he spoke.
To my surprise, despite not being fluent, Yoo Sung-jin managed to speak comprehensible Chinese, surprising Hao Xun slightly.
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