9. Doksahoe Is No More
9. Doksahoe Is No More
Right after it ended, Shingen sent Eom Pil-gu and his members to the hospital under the Doksahoe first.
Most probably ended up with broken limbs, but in Eom Pil-gu's case, he needed precise treatment.
'Now, the problem is what business to change to...'
The business Doksahoe mainly engaged in was drug trafficking and illegal stimulant sales.
In the underworld, their products were quite well-received, and there were many who received supplies periodically.
I must cut ties with them completely, but if that happens, Doksahoe will become a target of the underworld scum.
'There shouldn't be any particular problem.'
However, Shingen wasn't afraid at all.
If the underworld ones attack the changed Doksahoe, it would just be a matter of cutting off all the roots of those threats.
Shingen had power beyond imagination, and with such power, he wasn't afraid.
In a world that runs on the logic of power, the only thing reliable is power itself.
'If I have overwhelming force and determination, there's nothing I can't break.'
Other factors might be important, but what's needed to crush something is force and determination.
Arriving at the top-floor office of the building, Shingen immediately began rummaging through the documents hidden by the Doksahoe chairman.
Document processing really didn't suit his aptitude, but with no one around now, he had no choice but to handle it himself.
'I've secured the drug trade list, so I can just hand it over, and I should dispose of all the stimulant factories.'
If I borrow the Association's hand for a while, I should be able to handle it all easily.
With my power small now, I had no choice but to somehow milk the Association.
After roughly checking the documents, he pushed the bookshelf located in a corner of the room to the side.
Then, as the bookshelf slid aside, the large safe behind it revealed itself.
'As expected, it was there.'
As Choi A-young had said, he had prepared a safe in the office.
Usually, those who earn money tend to keep their assets in the closest place, so in a way, it's natural.
Kwagak!
Grabbing the safe door with his hand and pulling, the door was torn off as is, revealing the gold and bundles of bills inside.
'At the very least, it must be close to hundreds of billions.'
The safe filled with gold ingots and checks was literally a treasure trove.
'How should I carry this?'
The problem is, I don't know how to carry it all at once.
'...Hmm, what's this?'
While pondering for a while, there was a strange object in a corner of the safe.
It was a small safe.
To be precise, it should be called a miniature safe.
Picking up the safe the size of a palm first, he opened the closed door.
Huuuung!
Upon opening the door, what appeared was endless darkness.
Carefully turning the opened safe towards the large safe containing gold ingots and checks, in an instant, the small safe devoured them all.
As the gold ingots and checks all went into the small safe like a vacuum cleaner sucking up dust, Shingen couldn't help but be surprised.
'...It's a subspace in the shape of a safe.'
It hasn't been long since he returned to Earth, but during that time, Shingen studied the developed world's culture.
One of the most memorable among them is the subspace.
He knew that it ignores physical laws and can hold numerous items in a small space, but seeing it in person was the first time.
'It seems he planned to put everything in the subspace and run away if things went wrong.'
He prepared meticulously, but due to deeply rooted arrogance, he died.
Even if he had run away with his tail between his legs, he would have died anyway.
Anyway, obtaining the subspace is a big gain.
I can just store items like gold ingots and checks in the subspace and take them out when needed.
'Then, I should start the proper remodeling now.'
Repair the damaged building and give it a new makeover.
It was a problem that had to be completed before starting the business in earnest.
A few days later, Eom Pil-gu and his subordinate members returned after completing all treatments.
I heard they used all the recovery medicines stockpiled at the hospital to quickly pull themselves together and return.
Thanks to that, the hospital billed for the medicine costs, and Shingen directly sent money, ending the small incident.
The returned guys were immediately put into the building repair work.
Since most of them were guys who had worked on-site, rolling in the trenches, their work was as swift and efficient as experts'.
If it continues like this, the work should be finished before long.
Meanwhile, Shingen called Eom Pil-gu and Choi A-young to the office and held a meeting.
The meeting content was what business to push forward with from now on.
"First off, no illegal stuff. I mean the drug trafficking and such that Doksahoe originally did."
"I understand. But nothing suitable for business comes to mind."
"Right. Honestly, how much do we have in our heads that a good business idea would pop up quickly?"
Both of them groaned as they pondered, but no proper business ideas came to mind.
"All I've ever done is smash things to bits, so I'm completely useless when it comes to this stuff!"
"Still, we have to come up with something. A business entity is essential to maintain the organization."
While Shingen and A-young were bickering, Eom Pil-gu looked awkwardly at them from between, then cautiously raised his hand.
"Um, Chairman-nim?"
"What is it?"
"Does the business have to have zero illegal elements? A good idea just came to me, and I was wondering..."
Seeing him speak cautiously in a way that didn't suit his large frame, Shingen pondered for a moment before replying.
"Let's hear it first. Of course, if it's not a proper business idea, it won't be adopted."
"Understood."
Ahem.
After clearing his throat a few times, he put on a rather serious expression.
"As you know, the Doksahoe was primarily involved in drug smuggling and stimulant sales. Conflicts arose during that process, and handling them fell to the organization members and executives."
"......"
"What if we used those members to get involved in conflicts between other organizations and start a mercenary business? We would lend out our organization's manpower for a price."
Shingen, who had been quietly listening to Eom Pil-gu's words, sank into thought for a while.
'A mercenary business... it's certainly a legal domain, but... if handled poorly, it could easily step into illegality.'
Moreover, since its foundation involves killing people, if mishandled, it could get entangled in legal disputes.
However, if established stably, it could yield massive profits from numerous conflicts between organizations.
Profits as enormous as those from drug or stimulant businesses.
'It would also be good for expanding our influence beyond Korea to other countries.'
Mercenaries don't distinguish borders.
They are people who will go anywhere for a price if they are needed.
"Hmm..."
As the period of silence grew longer, Eom Pil-gu felt his anxiety gradually increasing.
"...If it doesn't appeal to you, I can immediately devise another method—"
"No, the mercenary business sounds good."
"Really...?"
At Shingen's words, Eom Pil-gu's eyes widened as he asked again.
"Yeah. There's a risk of getting involved in illegal activities if we're careless, but if we draw the line well, we can reap huge profits. Plus, who else but mercenaries can expand worldwide without borders?"
"Expanding worldwide means..."
"Compared to the U.S. or China, Korea's landmass is small, so naturally, the mercenary market here would be limited too."
"......"
Eom Pil-gu instantly understood what Shingen was getting at.
"So you're aiming for a mercenary business not limited to this country... but one that's global in scale."
"There are many conflicts between organizations in Korea too, but the more work there is, the better."
Shingen had set his goal very high.
This is a world where you get devoured if you lack power.
Although he possessed power that no one dared to covet, he lacked authority and influence, so to gain them, he had to expand his business as much as possible.
'I originally thought about living an ordinary life while taking care of my family... but that wouldn't be fun.'
A peaceful daily life isn't bad.
It's just that what Shingen was accustomed to wasn't a peaceful daily life, but life-and-death bloodbaths.
It was a habit ingrained over a long time resurfacing.
Shingen turned his head toward Choi A-young, who had been listening intently to him.
"What do you think?"
"Me, me?"
"Yeah. You've been sitting there like a mute who's eaten honey since earlier. Let's hear your opinion too."
She probably couldn't find the right timing to join the conversation, but her opinion was also important.
After all, she was his only blood relative and younger sister with whom he would lead the organization together.
"I think it's fine... it's not completely illegal, and mercenary companies exist overseas too."
"Then it's decided."
Shingen stood up from his seat and looked down at the two.
"From now on, our main source of income will be the mercenary business. However, our current members' capabilities are severely lacking, so train them and continue to search for talent."
"...Then what will our organization's name be?"
After the discussion about the business idea concluded, Eom Pil-gu asked.
"Either way, since we're entering the market with a new business, we inevitably won't be able to use the name Doksahoe."
"Don't worry about that. I have a name prepared."
Shingen hadn't particularly worried about the organization's name.
He already had one decided from the beginning.
"The organization's name will be the Red Lotus Society. It carries the meaning of spreading like a flame."
Its other name is Gurenkai.
The name of the organization he had spent his entire life in.