My Land Is a Money Cushion (1)

"Go ahead, then. We're in the same boat now — though I'd rather you didn't use the word favor."

Moon Sung-il smiled as he said it, but there were thorns buried in the words. He seemed to have concluded that I was still keeping him at arm's length.

He was half right, half wrong.

Most of my wariness toward him had already crumbled away. What kept me from treating him with complete ease was simple: I needed a little distance to keep my judgment objective.

There's a reason treasure-hunt movies always end the same way, isn't there? The crew finds the treasure, and then the story turns into a knife-fight between former partners.

I had no intention of letting things come to that.

Three hundred billion won. That was my share of the payout. Any human being would waver at a number like that.

And there was no telling what people would do.

I gave a casual shrug and answered.

"We may be sailing the same ship, but we each have our own role to play. And this time, Mr. Moon, you're going to have to win someone over."

"Win someone over?"

"Yes. I need you to win over the man in charge of the facilities corporation that maintains the Namsan Octagonal Pavilion."

That was all I said, yet the two lamps in Moon Sung-il's eyes flickered alight as if someone had thrown a switch. Sharp, quick-witted man that he was, he'd clearly guessed at the kind of event I was planning.

Moon Sung-il swallowed dryly.

"What exactly do you intend to do with the facilities chief?"

"Make him launch a full-scale renovation project on the pavilion."

"And? Is that where the Jinryeonggun treasure you mentioned last time is buried?"

I wished I could simply say yes. Instead, I swallowed the answer.

The pirate hoard hidden at Hwacheon Chilseongru had been uncovered when Abe dissolved its barrier. But the treasure beneath the Namsan Octagonal Pavilion was sealed by divine power, and no one on earth could find it.

'Only one who possesses divine power can break that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seal.'

And that someone was me. The problem was that my ability hadn't fully bloomed yet.

That was why I couldn't say it.

Jinryeonggun, Yi Yu-in — I knew exactly where the traitors' treasure lay buried, and I couldn't lay my hands on it, because my power was still lacking. Did I really need to put that into words?

The entire reason Moon Sung-il looked at me with reverence and threw himself into whatever I proposed was my ability. Until I could wield divine power freely, I had to keep my mouth shut about what lay beneath the pavilion.

Even if he'd already caught on, I needed to hold the reins — to make it plain that the timing of retrieving it rested on my will alone.

Only then would I be the one staging the event.

"That's as far as I can go for now."

When I made it clear I wouldn't say another word, Moon Sung-il nodded without protest.

"Understood. If that's your judgment, Mr. Kim, I'm sure you have your reasons."

The restraint paid off immediately. Because I hadn't admitted that I couldn't unearth the treasure yet, his faith in my ability remained untouched.

"I trust your judgment, Mr. Kim."

Moon Sung-il went on, wearing his boundless confidence in me openly.

"I'll approach the facilities chief who manages the Octagonal Pavilion myself. All he has to do is obey my word — that's the idea, yes?"

"Exactly."

Just then the housekeeper brought in the coffee. Since I'd skipped breakfast, a sandwich and a salad were set out on the table as well.

"Let's go over the contract while you have your coffee," Moon Sung-il said. "I drafted it after discussing things with Big Madam yesterday. We've put it all in writing — the appraisal method for the gold hoard, the timing and procedure of transfer, and how the payment in Bitcoin will be made."

I sipped my coffee and studied the contract.

Every step was spelled out, from the appraisal of the gold, to its delivery to Big Madam, to the receipt of payment. If even one stage hit a snag, the entire agreement would collapse — that was the design, since it would spare us any legal dispute down the line.

The Bitcoin, to be received under Big Madam's gallery's name, would be split down the middle: half for me, the remaining half divided evenly between Moon Sung-il and Lee Ho-young.

I looked up from the papers at Moon Sung-il.

"It just occurred to me — shouldn't Representative Lee Ho-young also get a look at this contract?"

"I emailed him a copy yesterday. He confirmed it right away and gave the okay."

"Really? It sounds like he's staying in Japan for quite a while."

Ho-young was in Japan at that very moment.

Inside the Imari porcelain, an ancient letter had been discovered — and after it was found, a young child had begun behaving strangely and died. The man who'd found the letter was the child's grandfather, Sato Genji.

A professor and scholar, Sato Genji was a collateral descendant of Yi Sam-pyeong, the Joseon potter whose blood flowed in a Japanese lineage. He had reached out to Ho-young, saying he wanted to track down Korean cultural artifacts scattered across Japan and bring them home. Through all of that, he and Ho-young had grown close.

'So that's why he's in Japan — to comfort Sato Genji in his grief over his granddaughter's death, and to make sure the vengeful spirit can't harm him.'

A letter written in blood would have carried a vengeful ghost within it. That ghost was what had killed the child.

They'd sealed the letter away like a talisman, but that alone was nothing to feel safe about.

So I had consulted Abe and passed along his advice.

That was the errand Ho-young was in Japan carrying out right now.

'Judging by how long he's been gone, though, things can't be going smoothly.'

Sure enough, Moon Sung-il spoke in a voice gone heavy.

"We've brought in several shamans to shield Sato Genji from the spirit. But appeasing it — that seems to be beyond any of them."

"So there's no one who can speak with the ghost."

"Exactly. And you're so busy these days, Mr. Kim…"

The look in his eyes made it plain enough: he was hoping I'd solve the problem for them. I could feel how much he worried about Ho-young.

I took another sip of coffee before speaking.

"Abe, the onmyoji who found the pirate treasure near Hwacheon Chilseongru, refuses to return to Japan until he has his revenge on Cho Eun-sun."

At my words, Moon Sung-il glanced up at the space above my head, then hunched his shoulders.

"I-is that so. Well — today, Seongdo Construction will be handed over to the prosecutors after the corruption in their Gangdong redevelopment project comes to light. I understand it's already in the morning news."

"Yes, I saw the news."

I also gave Moon Sung-il a brief rundown of SD Financial and Cho Eun-sun of Boram Loan — including the fact that SD Financial had put the land and buildings of Ugok 5-ri up for auction, and that the Pyeongcheong County governor was now investigating whether the land acquisition process had been legal.

"Once I drag Cho Eun-sun down into hell and make her suffer something far worse than death, Abe will go back to Japan. And I made him a promise."

"What kind?"

"That I'd take him there myself."

When I'd first said it, my plan had been to drop Abe off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at Incheon Airport and have him tail a Japanese tourist home. Back then he was nothing more than a Japanese ghost to me — the very onmyoji ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had laid the barrier over Ugok 5-ri — and frankly, I had no desire to help him.

'I thought he was in league with the bad ones, after all.'

But once I learned that wasn't true, my thinking changed.

"When his revenge on Cho Eun-sun is finished, I want to take Abe to Japan myself."

Abe must have been moved, because tears were dripping down behind me.

'That's because you're the one making me three hundred billion won. Don't get so worked up about it.'

I sent the thought Abe's way and turned to Moon Sung-il.

"If we move up the reckoning with Cho Eun-sun, my trip to Japan moves up with it. And while I'm over there anyway, I might even settle the Sato Genji matter. That would spare Representative Lee all the hardship."

"Then I'll launch an investigation into Cho Eun-sun at once. And I'll put her behind bars."

This was precisely why I had never asked Moon Sung-il to investigate her until now.

"Throwing Cho Eun-sun in prison won't count as revenge. And that woman is a shaman who keeps lesser spirits bound to her body."

Behind bars, she would use the criminals around her to work something even more vile. Cho Eun-sun was a social evil that had to be erased entirely.

But I had no wish to dirty my own hands either — which was why I'd arranged the board so that Seongdo Construction and SD Financial would collapse on their own.

When her own hands and feet went to prison and got severed off one by one, Cho Eun-sun would know it was no coincidence.

And then she would come looking for me.

I looked at Moon Sung-il.

"Please prepare a few things for the day Cho Eun-sun comes to me. And this time, I won't be using the word favor."

"Of course. That's only right."

Moon Sung-il wet his dry lips and continued.

"Just say the word. I'll do anything."

"Gather the victims of Boram Loan. Families torn apart — some of them will have lost someone to suicide. The more victims we gather, the better."

"Why do you need them?"

Told not to send her to prison despite the mountain of crimes, then asked to round up victims instead, Moon Sung-il looked mildly baffled.

"It isn't only the dead who carry grudges. The resentment of the living is never a light thing."

"Yes… I suppose that's true."

Moon Sung-il nodded slowly.

I let out a small laugh.

"You may look forward to seeing exactly what kind of suffering I plan to give Cho Eun-sun — the kind worse than death. Well then."

"Mr. Kim — forgive me, but I'm worried about you. Let me assign a couple of my bodyguards to you. Please."

Moon Sung-il was clearly too nervous to let me go off alone. He didn't know I possessed superhuman strength, which was why he fussed.

I met Moon Sung-il's eyes.

"Don't use the word please with me. You're only doing this because you're worried."

Relieved, Moon Sung-il nodded.

"Yes. Understood."

And so, with the bodyguard Moon Sung-il had assigned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me in tow, I headed for the department store.

"Oh! Look, over there! It's Ugok's Yard!"

"It's Seo Jinwoo's friend!"

"He's even more handsome in person. So cool."

The moment I stepped into the department store, people recognized me.

Seo Jinwoo had introduced me on two live streams, and thanks to that I'd hit 300,000 subscribers and 200,000 followers.

I'd been to Namsan and Samcheong-dong yesterday without feeling any of my new fame, but today was different. Not just the shoppers — even the sales clerks lit up at the sight of me.

"Could I bother you for a selfie?"

There was no refusing someone who asked so shyly, so I posed for a photo — and then it began.

"Me too, please!"

"Oppa, me too!"

A crowd of high school girls swarmed in. Awkward didn't begin to cover it — but every one of them was a potential future customer.

Since it all helped spread the name of Ugok's Yard, Ugok 1-ri, and Pyeongcheong County beyond, I cheerfully agreed to every selfie.

By the time I'd bought my parents' gifts and made it down to the underground parking lot, lunchtime was long gone. If I stopped by my parents' place and then drove down to Ugok 1-ri, night would have already fallen by the time I arrived.

Still, it had been fun. It felt almost surreal to have someone recognize me everywhere I went.

And then.

Sssshhh. Abe radiated a fierce, burning resentment, spilling out a chill that made the air go cold.

Abe swept past me and planted himself in front of the Mercedes.

Sitting in the back seat was a white-haired woman.

Cho Eun-sun.