4
# Chapter 4
After leaving the bidding booth, Jin-oh immediately approached one of the auction staff members and handed over the document envelope. Inside were the bid form and a check containing the deposit.
The minimum sale price was 32 million won.
The amount Jin-oh had written on the bid form was 32.55 million won, only slightly higher than the minimum.
Since it was an obviously problematic property burdened with a lien, there was bound to be no competition. There was no reason to recklessly write down a higher amount.
Not long afterward, the bailiff’s heavy voice echoed through the courtroom over the microphone.
“Case number 202X-4587, semi-basement unit of a multi-family residence. Single bidder. Highest bidder, Mr. Kim Jin-oh. Please come forward.”
In an instant, the atmosphere inside the murmuring auction courtroom subtly changed.
The experienced investors who had been rifling through their documents and the brokers dressed in suits all turned their eyes toward Jin-oh’s back as he walked forward.
“Hah, that young guy actually went for that property.”
“He must be a rookie who doesn’t even know what a lien is. He saw that picture covered in red lacquer and still went in.”
“Tsk, tsk. He just threw away thirty million won of his hard-earned money into a sewer. He’ll get exhausted fighting the eviction lawsuit and eventually give up his deposit.”
The blatant laughter and clicking of tongues coming from behind him were filled with ridicule.
They were convinced that the inexperienced young man had stepped on a landmine without knowing what he was doing.
But Jin-oh’s expression was completely calm.
As he stepped onto the platform and accepted his receipt, a transparent hologram shone clearly in his eyes, something that none of the people sitting in the back of the courtroom could see.
[Detailed Information: False construction payment claim fabricated through collusion between the previous owner and the interior contractor]
[Decisive Evidence: Forged tax invoice dated April 12, 202X, with an altered date, and rebate transaction records through a borrowed-name account]
[Evidence Location: Transaction records of the previous owner’s borrowed-name account at Kookmin Bank (8273-****). Immediately provable upon obtaining the transaction history]
It was a cheap scheme designed to deliberately drive down the auction price and then secretly buy the property back at a bargain through an acquaintance or a front man.
The ugly truth and decisive weakness behind the scheme were laid bare before Jin-oh’s eyes.
Jin-oh took his receipt and left the courtroom without looking back.
The sympathetic gazes pouring toward him from behind merely seemed amusing.
The most accurate information was capital in itself.
The misconceptions of others were actually serving as an excellent shield for Jin-oh.
---
After the auction ended, the procedures for paying the remaining balance in full and officially transferring ownership proceeded swiftly.
Now holding all the legal rights to the property, Jin-oh immediately headed toward the property he had won at auction.
After climbing a steep hill, he arrived in front of the old villa.
He descended about half a floor down a staircase that smelled of stale mold, and a tightly closed iron door appeared before him.
The door was covered with ominous words painted messily in red lacquer.
‘Lien being exercised. Unauthorized entry will result in criminal charges and a claim for damages.’
It was a frightening sight that would make an ordinary person turn around before even touching the doorknob.
But Jin-oh didn’t even blink.
He clenched his fist and struck the iron door hard.
“I know you’re in there, so open the door.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A presence immediately stirred behind the silent door.
Heavy footsteps approached, followed by the metallic sound of a lock scraping.
The door opened halfway.
The disgusting smell of cigarettes mixed with the odor of undercooked ramen rushed out.
A burly man with elaborate tattoos wrapped around his forearm stuck his head through the gap.
“What do you want? Can’t you read?”
The man furrowed his brow and gestured toward the red lacquered words with his chin.
Inside the living room, two other men with similarly intimidating appearances were sprawled around, glaring at Jin-oh menacingly.
“I’m the new owner of the house. I’m here to begin the eviction procedure.”
At Jin-oh’s calm response, the corner of the man’s mouth twisted upward.
He opened the door completely and crossed his arms.
“Oh, so you’re the sucker who won the auction? Listen carefully. We’re owed fifty million won for the interior construction work here. Until you deposit the entire amount in cash, we’re not taking a single step out of this house. So get out of here while you still have your bones intact.”
The other men inside also stood up and slowly approached the entrance.
The oppressive presence of three large men in such a confined space was considerable.
The atmosphere was so vicious that it seemed a fist could fly at any moment.
Yet Jin-oh remained languid and indifferent from beginning to end.
He opened his bag, pulled out a pristine document envelope, and casually tossed it onto the old shoe cabinet beside the entrance.
“What’s that?”
“A certified letter and a criminal complaint.”
At those words, the men’s eyebrows twitched.
Jin-oh continued speaking clearly toward the men whose expressions had stiffened.
“I know everything about the setup between the previous owner, Mr. Choi, and the interior contractor, Mr. Kim. Fifty million won? That tax invoice issued on April 12, 202X? The issuance date was an entire month different from the actual construction date. And the payment went into Mr. Kim’s borrowed-name account before eighty percent of it was transferred back to Mr. Choi as a rebate.”
“You! Where the hell did you hear that bullshit...!”
The composure instantly vanished from the tattooed man’s face.
His vicious expression became one of bewilderment, and his lips began to tremble slightly.
Jin-oh casually shrugged and continued.
“Whether it’s bullshit or not will become obvious as soon as we go to the police station and pull the transaction records from the borrowed-name account. Interference with an auction and attempted fraud. Oh, and since you three helped maintain possession of the property, you can add aggravated trespassing and obstruction of business as well. Have you prepared enough money to pay the settlement?”
There was no rise or fall in Jin-oh’s voice.
He wasn’t angry or shouting.
He was simply listing the facts calmly, but the weight of his words pierced sharply into the men’s hearts.
“Get out immediately. I’ll give you thirty minutes. If you’re still here after that, I’ll have the lawyer waiting outside file the complaint immediately and call the police.”
“H-Hey, we were just asked by Mr. Kim to watch the house for a few days...”
“Twenty-nine minutes left.”
Jin-oh glanced at his wristwatch and cut him off curtly.
The men’s eyes shook as they realized that they had been completely caught.
They were nothing more than thugs who had originally been paid a little money to intimidate anyone who came near the property.
Now that they were facing the genuine possibility of going to prison, their shallow courage disappeared in an instant.
“Shit. Of all the luck...”
The tattooed man cursed and urgently waved at the men behind him.
“Hey, hurry up and pack your stuff. We’re leaving.”
“Boss, should we contact Mr. Kim...?”
“You idiot, is that what matters right now? He says the police are coming!”
The men hurriedly gathered their scattered clothes and cigarette butts before rushing out of the entrance as though they were being chased.
Their backs as they ran up the stairs, desperately avoiding Jin-oh, looked pitifully different from the intimidating attitude they had displayed moments earlier.
The whole thing was over in less than ten minutes.
After the men left and silence descended upon the semi-basement house, Jin-oh slowly stepped inside.
He stood in the middle of the living room, where garbage was scattered across the floor, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Once again, a dazzling silver hologram appeared before his eyes.
[Key Advantage: Designation as a small-scale housing redevelopment district confirmed within one year]
[Expected Compensation and Value of New Construction Allocation Rights: At least 300 million won]
This old, foul-smelling space would soon transform into a golden egg worth hundreds of millions of won.
Jin-oh quietly stared at the silver letters floating in the air before rolling up his shirt sleeves.
“First, I should open the windows and clean this place up.”