Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: The Bait is Taken
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Chapter 51
Hae-myung Construction was a legitimate business established by the Hae-seong faction, a local gangster group in Busan, backed by various sponsors. It was a company with a solid reputation in its own right.
The work at Hae-myung Construction was straightforward.
First, they used force to drive out the people that Seo-jin Construction wanted removed. They were the so-called hired thugs.
Then, they arranged day laborers to send to the construction sites so Seo-jin Construction could hire them as cheaply as possible.
They were essentially subcontractors who snapped up the land that Seo-jin wanted to buy as quickly as possible.
In short, Hae-myung Construction was Busan's version of Seo-jin Construction.
As long as they stuck with Seo-jin Construction like now, Hae-myung's future would be a smooth, endless highway.
But Hae-myung Construction's president, Park Jung-gi, felt dissatisfaction instead of contentment.
‘This is bullshit… what the hell.’
It wasn't Seoul, but for a Busan gangster, it was a respectable life.
Still, he couldn't suppress the creeping dissatisfaction and greed.
He wasn't a puppy; he couldn't keep living off scraps thrown to him forever.
This Jaesong-dong project was started to become an equal human being, not a dog.
He poured as much money as possible into the Ministry of Land and the Land Corporation.
Around the time that seed money was drying up, he even connected with the secretary's brother-in-law.
Now, he planned to start the project on equal footing with Seo-jin Construction.
But suddenly, 500 pyeong vanished into thin air.
And in less than ten days, at that.
Land hoarding.
A 500-pyeong land hoard, no less.
Sizzle-!
Park Jung-gi stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up.
Two people he absolutely had to meet were at a nearby sashimi restaurant right now.
One was Seo-jin Construction's president, Min Seung-su.
The other was Kim Jin-taek, a former secretary gearing up to run for National Assembly member.
These two had come down to Busan in the middle of the night.
They must have heard somewhere that the project wasn't going smoothly.
‘No one I can trust, goddamn it.’
Someone must have planted a mole in the organization.
Rage boiled up, but he was still the underling for now.
‘Should've handled it before it reached those bastards' ears….’
Park Jung-gi clicked his tongue.
Before it got to the ears of those power-trippers, he'd whipped his men into action to resolve this.
But they hadn't even brought the guy in, let alone found his contact info.
They'd gotten a woman's contact through real estate agents—some employee—but she wouldn't pick up their calls at all.
In the end, they'd just wasted time and lost 500 pyeong.
In this situation, he didn't really want to meet the two, but what choice did he have?
He had to report the situation to plan the next steps.
He had to go now.
"Hyuk-su. Get the car ready."
Park Jung-gi ordered the subordinate standing beside him and left the office.
At that moment.
"President."
One of his men burst through the door in a panic.
"What?"
"We got the contact for that land hoarding bastard!"
"What?"
"That fucker was going around real estate offices handing out business cards with just his name and number. The Kim guy we deal with called right away. Should we grab him now?"
Park Jung-gi clutched his forehead as he looked at the excited subordinate.
"Grab him? What, are we gangsters or something?"
"I'm sorry!!"
The subordinate bowed deeply in shock at Park Jung-gi's roar.
After fuming for a moment, Park Jung-gi gave an order to his company's number two, Jeong Hyuk-su.
"Who spends 9 billion on land hoarding?"
"Either a lunatic or someone extraordinary."
Park Jung-gi stroked his chin at Jeong Hyuk-su's response.
"Yeah. Whoever it is, they're no ordinary guy. Bring him in quietly."
***
Lee Dae-hyuk, who had gone around ten real estate offices handing out business cards with just his name and number.
He was now killing time at a coffee shop with Kim Mi-jin.
"Having sashimi and then coffee by the sea… feels like a happy day."
"You've worked hard this past week."
"Work like this is fun anyway. But eating good food alone and staying in nice places… I feel a little guilty toward my husband and daughter."
Kim Mi-jin fiddled with her coffee cup and gave an embarrassed smile.
Seeing that smile, Lee Dae-hyuk felt a pang of envy.
Back when he was Kim Geon-woo, and even now.
He'd never managed to build an ordinary family.
He'd been in love, sure, but bigger things got in the way, so he kept putting off marriage until he died.
‘This time, I'll live a little differently.’
After this revenge was over, he wanted to live happily.
Like Kim Mi-jin—build a family, enjoy friendships and bonds with those around him.
But for that, first, the gangsters had to bite the bait he'd laid with the land hoarding.
Right now, he was waiting for contact from the gangsters.
Lee Dae-hyuk glanced at the clock on the coffee shop wall.
Nine in the evening.
‘They should be coming around now….’
He was a former gangster himself.
He knew their habits well.
Most gangsters running construction companies had deep ties with real estate agents.
The agents would send tenants to the buildings the gangsters built or provide needed info.
The gangsters would back them up and lend muscle when trouble arose.
Like evicting tenants who wouldn't leave after their lease ended.
Or chasing out deadbeats who acted like kings without paying rent.
In that process, the real estate agents and gangsters exchanged kickbacks.
‘The ecosystem here's probably the same.’
Of course, most real estate agents were honest and clean, but there were rotten ones among them.
So, before contact from the gangsters came, he had to send Kim Mi-jin to the hotel.
"Rest well at the hotel tonight. Tomorrow, Manager Yoon will come down personally and escort you back to Seoul."
Hearing Lee Dae-hyuk, Kim Mi-jin scratched her cheek with her right index finger.
"You trust Kim Min-gyu's team more than the security team?"
Kim Mi-jin knew why Lee Dae-hyuk had come down leaving Yoon Tae-ho and the security team behind.
Yoon Tae-ho and the security team were on standby in Seoul, while Kim Min-gyu and his men were handling close protection now.
"What we've done so far and what we will do—I don't care if it reaches their ears. But timing matters."
There were surely ears for Park Ji-sook and Lee Dae-hwan in Yoon Tae-ho's team.
And if, through that mole, this land hoarding became official knowledge?
The media would point fingers, calling it speculation by a chaebol heir.
Hell, police or prosecutors might even launch an investigation.
"It's not illegal, but it wouldn't make things easier moving forward. If I had a bit more power, we could laugh it off… but right now, we have to be extra careful."
Until he gained power, when it was time to lay low, he had to flatten himself completely.
Kim Mi-jin mulled over Lee Dae-hyuk's answer before continuing.
"You're an amazing person, Young Master, but seeing you like this… it's a bit bittersweet."
From Kim Mi-jin's perspective, Lee Dae-hyuk's obsession with revenge was heartbreaking.
But she knew not to upset him now, so she changed the subject.
"You came down for the company outing, right? Is it okay to be out like this?"
"It's fine. This is more necessary than hanging out with the employees."
"Still, you should spend time with them… No one you like among them?"
At Kim Mi-jin's cautious question, Lee Dae-hyuk shook his head firmly.
"There are people I want to befriend. And some I want to assign work to later. That's it."
"…That's it, huh."
Kim Mi-jin frowned at Lee Dae-hyuk's response.
Of course, work is work at the company.
But are people machines?
"Personally, I feel a bit sorry about your company life, Young Master. You're just working now, and you'll do the same at the company."
"……."
"What seems trivial at the time becomes precious memories later…."
Booze, the sea, colleagues.
Wasted time turns into memories.
The kind of memories Lee Dae-hyuk lacked.
"……."
Lee Dae-hyuk read Kim Mi-jin's mind.
Like a mom or a big sister worrying about him.
But he was a realist.
"I'll make memories after I finish my homework. And spending time like this with you is already a memory for me."
"……."
Kim Mi-jin couldn't continue at Lee Dae-hyuk's sincerity.
‘Our Young Master has grown up. Sniff….’
Lee Dae-hyuk smiled softly at the emotional Kim Mi-jin, whose eyes were tearing up, then turned his head.
Vrrr-!
It was the vibration of the phone on the table.
‘Unknown number?’
Lee Dae-hyuk's eyes gleamed as he checked the caller ID.
"Hello?"
As Lee Dae-hyuk answered, a raspy man's voice came through the phone.
- This is Hae-myung Construction. Is this Lee Dae-hyuk?
A triumphant smile spread across Lee Dae-hyuk's lips.
Finally, his target had bitten the bait.
"Yes. This is Lee Dae-hyuk."
- Can you talk?
"No. I'm busy right now."
Click-!
Lee Dae-hyuk hung up before the other could say anything.
Surprised by his action, Kim Mi-jin asked.
"Hae-myung Construction, right? Hanging up like that…."
"It works now."
Lee Dae-hyuk wore a smug expression.
He and Hae-myung Construction would wage fierce psychological warfare from here on.
To gain the upper hand in that war, sometimes he had to be rude like this.
About 30 seconds passed.
Vrrr-!
His phone vibrated again.
Instead of answering, Lee Dae-hyuk looked at Kim Mi-jin and said.
"Now, Noona, head to the hotel. Rest up and meet Manager Yoon tomorrow."
"You're going to meet them alone?"
"Better than both of us getting in danger."
Kim Mi-jin had no rebuttal to Lee Dae-hyuk's words.
She'd looked into Hae-myung Construction herself.
With contacts in the police and lawyers, getting info on their past wasn't hard.
"It could be dangerous."
"Who am I?"
"Pardon?"
"A chaebol third-gen, chaebol third-gen. Even idiots who aren't crazy won't touch the son of Daehan Group."
"……."
Even at Lee Dae-hyuk's joking, Kim Mi-jin didn't relax her stiff expression.
Leaving him alone made her uneasy.
But if danger struck, she'd be no help.
Worse, she'd be a burden.
She had to go now.
"Let's have breakfast together tomorrow morning, all three of us. Got it?"
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded and continued.
"See you tomorrow."
.
.
.
Even after Kim Mi-jin left, Hae-myung Construction called once more.
But Lee Dae-hyuk still didn't answer.
In these one-sided deals, you had to make the other side sweat first.
After another ten minutes or so.
Vrrr-!!!
On the third call.
Lee Dae-hyuk picked up.
"Hello. This is Lee Dae-hyuk."
- This is Hae-myung Construction President Park Jung-gi.
Hostility seeped from the middle-aged man's icy voice.
He was suppressing his anger as much as possible.
Sneering, Lee Dae-hyuk continued.
"Nice to meet you, President. What brings you to call?"
- I need that Jaesong-dong land, that's why. Let's cut to the chase. You still in Busan?
"Yes. In Busan."
- Can we meet now? I'll send a car to you.
Lee Dae-hyuk snorted at Park Jung-gi's offer.
They were the desperate ones, not him.
Yet they were summoning him?
‘This guy's still not reading the situation.’
"In deals, doesn't the urgent side come to the other? I'll see you at the Prand Coffee Shop on the first floor of Jaseong Hotel."
- What?
"I'll wait 30 minutes."
Smirk-!!
With a meaningful smile.
Click-!!
Lee Dae-hyuk hung up the phone.