Expansion (20): The New Stronghold
After receiving Director Ha's proposal, I figured he must have something in mind and left it to him. The next day, he sent over an address and a password. Cheol-min and I headed to the location and found ourselves in a neighborhood of standalone houses in Oksu-dong. It struck me as odd that there were no cars parked along the way up.
When we arrived and entered the password, the gate swung open. Inside was the kind of mansion you only see in movies or dramas. The garden was meticulously landscaped, the house stood three stories tall, and there was even an underground garage. The front door used the same code. Once inside, we stepped into a living room with an antique feel, probably reflecting the previous owner's taste. A chandelier hung from the ceiling.
It took Cheol-min and me twenty minutes just to walk through the place. Not that men have much interest in touring houses, but even a quick look around took that long. The first floor held the master bedroom with its own bathroom, the living room, a large kitchen, and an attached utility room. The second floor had three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The third floor had two bedrooms and one bathroom, with one room set up as a study.
As we came back down from the third floor, something caught my eye beside the kitchen—a large utility room. My instincts told me there was more to it. "Cheol-min, move that stuff out of the way."
After clearing the shelves blocking the wall, I pushed against the unit. It rolled aside on hidden wheels, revealing a staircase leading down. We ducked and descended into a space that felt familiar. Bongdam. Inside were drainage systems, a bathroom, shower facilities, and a bed. No signs of recent use, and no external escape route. It was clearly built as a wartime shelter.
"If we stock it with food and water, someone could last a month down here."
"Indeed. Even the bunkers in South Korea are built with style. Back home, we were lucky if we had a decent dirt wall."
Cheol-min was trying hard not to slip into dialect, though the effort sounded awkward. Still, I wished he would drop the word "South Korea." We finished our inspection, locked up, and I contacted Director Ha.
The next day, I headed down to the welfare center with Cheol-min so I could introduce him. Director Ha and Director Jo were already waiting in the parking lot. Both looked thinner than before—clearly the stress had taken its toll. I made a mental note to send them some herbal tonics.
"Have you been well? This is my younger brother who'll be working with us from now on."
"Lee Cheol-min, sir."
"Haha, solid build. Good to see."
"I've been hoping the boss would get a personal aide. This is perfect."
After exchanging greetings, we walked toward the welfare center building, chatting about this and that. I noticed workers clearing the grounds.
"What's that for?"
"Living quarters. Once the kids move down here, I thought the upper dorms could be repurposed for the security team."
"There still isn't enough space."
"We'll give private rooms to the older ones. The upper facility will be remodeled once construction here is finished."
He had a point. When I was growing up, there were only about ten kids. Now the security team alone was that size. I had been too careless. From what I heard, the security team was still living in containers.
"Please take good care of them. Last time I saw them, Deputy Chief and his team seemed highly capable."
"Understood."
We entered the conference room, had tea, and caught up on recent events and health matters before I asked about the reorganization plan I had requested. Director Jo made a quick call. Five minutes later, employee Seong arrived and began setting up the projector.
Our organization had come a long way. Not long ago, we were still passing around hard copies.
"Following your instructions, sir, we focused on promoting existing personnel rather than bringing in outsiders."
The plan called for promoting the remaining deputy-level staff under Director Seon to full employee status, splitting the sales division into three departments, and elevating the three deputy directors to department heads.
"I thought a bit of internal competition might be healthy, so we made it official."
"If competition gets too intense, the executives will step in, but we'll allow smaller rivalries."
"After working alongside you, sir, I believe keeping the lines separate and somewhat unaware of each other is more practical."
He was right. If everyone started thinking of themselves as family, the connections would become too obvious—and we could all be taken down at once.
"We ranked them by seniority into Sales Department 1 through 3, with personnel decisions handled according to each line's authority."
"The deputy ranks will see the biggest changes. There will be plenty of section chief positions opening up, so that shouldn't be an issue, but we'll have each deputy director conduct one more round of verification."
In summary, the new structure would be one executive director, three department heads, nine deputy directors, twenty-seven section chiefs, and eighty-one deputies. Entry-level employees would be capped at nine per policy.
"Given our line of work, company-wide retreats are difficult, but please prepare a bonus plan for the survivors as a form of consolation."
"Also, make sure the security team and production lines are taken care of. When I visited Cheonan last time, the work looked rough."
"How did the prison matter turn out?"
"That deputy friend of yours has real talent. He moved about a hundred grams in a single week."
At some point, dealing in kilograms had become routine, yet a hundred grams a week was still considered substantial for a street-level dealer.
"The product itself was solid. Keep him motivated without pushing too hard, promote him, and increase his volume and limits."
"If he has reliable people, having him recommend them could work too."
"Understood."
Director Ha moved on to the next item. "Sir, this is the security team expansion plan you mentioned last time."
"Three teams?"
"Yes. The welfare center space is limited, and Deputy Chief's team still carries too much of a military vibe."
"Eun-seong's team will stay here, handling security and deliveries. We'll promote Deputy Chief to team leader and send him out."
"Do it. Since Team Leader Lee in the Philippines isn't coming back, promote Chief Kim, add two deputy chiefs under her, and expand to eleven members. That should work."
"Squad tactics would be feasible as well."
When I asked where they would be stationed, Director Ha revealed the bigger picture.
"There's a survival experience facility about twenty minutes from here. The land is around ten thousand pyeong, mostly forest. Even if active soldiers run it, it won't raise suspicion, and gunfire won't be an issue. We secured it for this very reason."
"They say the location keeps customers away."
"Many of the elderly residents nearby have passed, so surrounding plots are also available. We plan to buy those too. For us, a remote location is actually preferable."
"Proceed."
After settling matters for the sales division and security team, I asked about the remaining staff. Director Ha shared a few more updates.
"The police officer from Sinan you mentioned last time has resigned and joined us. The pay is better, and since it's his hometown, the old-boy network still works in his favor."
His reason for leaving the force was straightforward—money. Doubling his salary had been enough to bring him over immediately. There was another island five minutes from the Sinan farm that we had purchased and were preparing. With shipments coming in from Pakistan and output from four farms, supply shouldn't be a problem. When I questioned the need for further expansion, he seemed confident.
"The section chief there is working on opium, though the quality is still lacking. It's usable as raw material but not ready for sale as the finished product."
"Once the technique improves, he wants to supply Yeongcheon as well."
For a moment, I pictured pink maid outfits and quickly refocused. When I asked about the Haman Factory, he reported steady progress. All permits had been approved, and scrap metal and recyclables were already arriving. Because the site was large, Park Min-cheol and his wife alone wouldn't suffice, so additional personnel would be needed. I approved it without hesitation.
"Let's head out, Cheol-min. Grab the items from the car and come with me to the security team. We should at least say hello."
As we left the welfare center and climbed the path toward the hill behind it, Cheol-min spoke up.
"Hyung, the energy here is no joke."
I gave him a questioning look.
"There's a guy who looks at land next door to me. I picked up a few things from him."
"The mountain formation, the location, and the energy flowing out of it are all strong."
His explanation, though secondhand, sounded plausible.
"Those three peaks over there block the north wind from this spot, and the valley channels the energy right through here."
"It could pool, but there's what looks like a lake that lets the energy flow out along the waterway."
While the two of us discussed feng shui, the security team came into view, standing guard just like last time. It felt like only yesterday that the sniper rifle had startled me; now it barely registered.
"Cheol-min, do you see it?"
"The hill on the right, sir?"
"You noticed already. Hard to miss when they're radiating that much killing intent."