Chương 13: Chapter 13: First Experience at Twenty
Chairman Cheon's house in Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno District, Seoul
Chairman Cheon was laughing so loudly it seemed the living room might shake apart.
"Hahaha! That crazy bastard!"
"Are you in a good mood, Chairman?"
"Did you see that interview? He's really something else."
"Young Master is quite direct, isn't he?"
The TV was playing Mu-hyeok's interview.
Chief Ha shook his head at Mu-hyeok's calm, almost shameless expression.
"Hahaha! That's how a real man should be!"
The interview seemed to suit Chairman Cheon's taste perfectly.
After laughing for a while, Chairman Cheon asked with a smile still on his face,
"So, did you set up the appointment with my in-law? Did you tell him I want to meet just the two of us, without Mu-hyeok?"
"Yes, but it might be difficult for him to travel alone… I think you'll need to go down there, Chairman."
"That's not a problem."
"Then I'll make the preparations."
Chairman Cheon couldn't take his eyes off the TV, his lips twitching with amusement.
"You know, I had a chat with that old man from Il-seong Group today. It felt so ggood. He used to look down on me, calling us an uneducated family who only cared about money. He bragged about all his kids going to Korea University and famous foreign universities…"
"Those same people come here to borrow money from you, don't they, Chairman? Corporate presidents might badmouth you behind your back, but they still wait for hours to ask for your help."
Chief Ha rarely chimed in like this, but when he did, Chairman Cheon nodded with satisfaction.
"I never even finished elementary school. I just went out and made money. Maybe that's why my kids weren't too bright either. But Ji-soo and that boy, they're saving my face. Ji-soo was pretty good too, wasn't she?"
"Yes, she got into Korea University. You gave her 1% of Il-sung Electronics stocks as a gift back then, didn't you?"
"That's right, I did."
The smile had faded from Chairman Cheon's face.
"Any news on the President-elect?"
"No major movements yet. I heard they're working on personnel selection for the transition committee. Two of your people have been allocated. Which positions should we aim for?"
"Two?"
"Yes. This government, even though it's the ruling party, isn't too different from the military regime. So asking for too much…"
"Alright, I get it. Two, huh… What do you think?"
Chief Ha pondered for a moment before speaking.
"We definitely need one in the economic division. I think it would be good to put one in political affairs."
"Political affairs?"
"Political affairs is likely to be the largest division, isn't it? I heard they'll be handling public safety and prosecution matters."
"Hmm."
After a brief consideration, Chairman Cheon nodded.
"Do it that way. They'll go straight into the Blue House, right?"
"That's likely to be the case. We plan to place our person as the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs."
Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Chairman Cheon changed the subject.
"What are those two up to?"
"Well…"
Chief Ha hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"We've found out that the second president is doing something behind the first president's back."
"Oh? Anything problematic?"
"He's involved with some gangsters, so it's a bit…"
"What? Gangsters?"
Chairman Cheon's brow furrowed.
"Weren't all the big organizations rounded up?"
"Two organizations under Cheongpung Group's protection have been quietly growing their influence. They're disguising themselves as businesses, avoiding violent incidents and acting like entrepreneurs."
"What are they doing?"
"It looks like they've gotten into the slot machine business."
"That fool. Is gambling all he can come up with?"
"But it's the first time he's done something separate from the first president, isn't it? It seems he received help from his father-in-law."
Chairman Cheon clicked his tongue.
"He's probably just doing his father-in-law's dirty work. Getting involved in such things won't do him any good…"
"Will it be a problem?"
"Keep a close eye on it."
"Yes, sir."
After the conversation ended, Chairman Cheon sat quietly for a while before a smile spread across his face again.
"The more I think about it, the more I like Mu-hyeok. If only he were my son instead of my grandson, how great would that be?"
"…"
That day, Chairman Cheon called various people, thoroughly enjoying bragging about his grandson.
"You know… my grandson… That's right, Kim Mu-hyeok, the one who got a erfect score. He's my grandson…"
* * *
Even with the new year, my daily life remained unchanged. I'd start my real moves once I went up to Seoul, but for now, I focused on spending time with Grandma.
I left the house for my morning exercise.
How long had I been running? A car pulled up beside me.
"Hey! Little bro!"
I turned my head to see Park Dong-su's grinning face as he lowered the window.
"…Isn't 'little bro' going too far? I've told you before."
"Haha! You haven't changed a bit!"
"Are you starting to make moves now?"
Park Dong-su nodded.
"It's about time I started moving. I've got to fill the gap left by Big Bro Sa-seong, don't I?"
"You're still calling him 'Big Bro'? You know better than anyone how he got caught. If it's about gangster loyalty or something, I've got nothing to say."
"Hey, you crazy bastard. Are you calling a gangster a gangster to his face? Yeah, that's how this world works. Image is important, you know. Still, we've got to support our Big Bro Sa-seong while he's in there for life, right boys?"
"That's right, boss."
You've got to be kidding me.
"Well, do what you want. But once the administration changes, you won't be able to openly use violence like before. Not unless you have the government's protection."
"I guess so, huh?"
"Yeah."
"So, little bro, I hear you're quite the student? Good at fighting and studying. Man, I'm jealous."
I lightly brushed off his nonsense.
"I'm only telling you this because of our chance meeting at the hospital, but things will be very different from before. If I can offer some advice, focus on legal businesses. You'll need to use violence sometimes, but try to walk the line between legal and illegal as much as possible. Bending the law isn't the same as breaking it."
Park Dong-su furrowed his brow.
"I don't know… I'm not smart enough for that kind of thing…"
"Haha, you don't need to do it yourself. Hire someone smart – a lawyer or whatever. Set up a legal company, and then behind the scenes… well, you're the expert, so I don't need to spell it out, right?"
"Hmm…"
"Start by taking over Busan. If you do that, I'll help you expand to Seoul later. You know, mutual benefits."
"Hey, little bro, what's your real deal?"
"Later… For now, focus on taking over Busan. I'll come find you when the time's right. See you around, uncle!"
"Hahaha! I'll look forward to it. Let's go, boys!"
I watched the car drive away.
Once the car was out of sight, I started running again.
'He should do well, right? I'm not sure if he can handle the Cheongpung Group's cleaners on his own, but if I create my own hidden blade, it should be helpful.'
The winter wind quickly dried the sweat I'd shed.
Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong were waiting at the end point of my workout.
"Hey! Why are you so late?"
"Sorry, I ran into someone I know and talked for a bit."
"Who?"
"Just someone."
"What? Is it this?"
Myeong-su wiggled his pinky finger.
I grabbed that pinky and twisted it slightly.
"Ow! Ow! You bastard, that hurts! Stop it! I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"
Myeong-su glared at me, clutching his finger in pain.
"…Rotten punk."
"But why did you want to meet here? What's the plan?"
"We're adults now, right? Twenty years old! Let's go drink at my dad's place."
I narrowed my eyes at the grinning Myeong-su.
"…Already hooked, huh?"
"Hey, hey! We've been studying non-stop for three years, right? And we're going to study like crazy in college too. We should enjoy ourselves while we can, don't you think, Hyeon-seong?"
"Mm."
Though he didn't answer, Hyeon-seong also seemed a bit excited.
"Sigh… Alright, let's go."
"I already told my dad. I was going to book a room, but I just reserved a table instead. We should do this right for our first night out."
"Mm, mm."
"Sigh… You immature guys."
"Hey, look at Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes Kim Mu-hyeok. Anyone would thinkyou go out all the time. Come on, let's go!"
Myeong-su took the lead, with Hyeon-seong following behind.
I couldn't help but laugh seeing Hyeon-seong, who usually only argued with Myeong-su, now docilely following him.
As I stood still, watching them, Myeong-su turned his head and shouted,
"Hey! Mu-hyeok! If you don't hurry up, we're leaving without you!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."
Eventually, we arrived at Arabian Night in Nampo-dong.
It was the nightclub where Myeong-su's father was the manager.
"What? Myeong-su?"
The person managing entry at the entrance recognized Myeong-su.
"Hey bro! I'm going in."
"…Are you already old enough to come to places like this?"
"Yeah, I told Dad. We're going in, okay?"
"Alright, have fun. And don't cause any trouble."
After greeting the bouncer, we went down to the basement.
As we descended, the loud music made my ears throb.
Come to think of it, I've never been to a nightclub before in this life.
Just then, a waiter with a nametag that read 'Seong-ryong' approached Myeong-su.
"Oh! Myeong-su!"
"Hehe, bro, get us a good spot."
"Oh yeah~ Let's go. It's Myeong-su's first time, so we've got to hook him up good. You guys follow too."
We followed Seong-ryong's lead inside.
The music and bright lights…
On the stage, men and women were dancing together.
"Now I can finally get up there and dance too. I've been coming here sometimes, but I could only stand and watch."
Hyeon-seong was rolling his eyes around, surveying the club.
The bear-like guy looked cute, flaring his nostrils in excitement.
As soon as we sat down at our guided seats, whiskey was already laid out on the table without us even ordering, probably because Myeong-su was the manager's son.
"Let's drink and party hard tonight!"
"Mm."
"Take it easy, it's your first time… If you act up, I'm just going to leave you and go home."
"Wow! You heartless bastard. Hyeon-seong, let's drink ourselves to death, just the two of us!"
"Okay."
The music was so loud that it was hard to hear each other. So our voices kept getting louder.
The excited Myeong-su poured whiskey and handed out glasses.
Then he suddenly raised his glass and shouted,
"Our friendship is eternal!"
Shit… This is so embarrassing.
"Eternal!"
Hyeon-seong followed suit. I had no choice but…
"…Eternal!"
I shouted along too.
"Let's try the first shot straight, no mixer."
"Won't it be strong?"
"It's fine."
The taste of alcohol going down my throat was quite strong.
The taste of whiskey, for the first time in this life…
'…It's fake.'
It tasted like they'd mixed soju into the whiskey.
In my previous life, I drank an insane amount.
From expensive liquors to soju, I drank every day meeting people, and all I gained was alcohol tolerance and a beer belly.
I knew it was fake whiskey the moment it touched my lips… Well, it's Myeong-su's dad's place, so let's just drink it anyway.
"Ugh! This is real whiskey! How is it?"
"…It's okay."
"It's like water."
"Hey! This is expensive stuff! Hyeon-seong, you're living the high life thanks to me. Don't forget this when you go to Seoul."
As their conversation dragged on, I opened a beer bottle by myself.
I chugged it straight from the bottle.
'This tastes much better.'
After a few rounds of drinks, the pleasant drinking session continued.
We got some girls to join us and even went out to dance on the stage.
"I'm tired. Let's go home now."
"Hey! Mu-hyeok, why are you trying to leave by yourself? Let's play a bit more. Right, Hyeon-seong?"
"Mm… I agree with Myeong-su."
Because of those two who wanted to stay longer, we had a few more rounds with girls joining us.
"How old are you guys? I don't hang out with kids, but you seem alright."
"Mu-hyeok? That guy's a celebrity, a celebrity."
"So your name is Mu-hyeok? Want to hang out with noona?"
"No thanks, I'm here to drink."
Seong-ryong kept bringing women over.
He mainly seated them next to Myeong-su, but they kept showing interest in me.
"Sigh… Let's go home now. Grandma's waiting."
"Can't we do one more round of girls? Please?"
Seeing Myeong-su's desperate eyes, I sat back down.
Just then, a woman was led to our table by a waiter. She was the prettiest of all the women we'd seen so far.
Myeong-su seemed to like her too, immediately pouring her a drink and striking up a conversation.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-one. How old are you?"
"Twenty."
Myeong-su raised his glass and said,
"Let's all have a drink together. Meeting like this must be fate."
"You're more manly than you look. Alright, let's drink."
I clinked my beer bottle against their glasses.
While we were chatting for a while, a man came out of a corner room.
After looking around for a moment, the man approached our table.
"Hey! What's going on here?"
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực