Returning Laden with Gold
JK Credit Info Credit Team.
The credit team had a few ironclad rules they absolutely had to follow when heading out on collections. The one Section Chief Seo obsessed over most was the interim report. Back then, public payphones were the only reliable way to communicate. Naturally, everyone carried coins for fieldwork and called in right on schedule. It was one of Section Chief Seo's hard-earned tips for keeping tabs on his team—treating them like his own kids to make sure they were safe.
But today was different. Way different. There hadn't been a single call from Deputy Manager Oh, who had taken the new hire Min-ho out with him. No news is good news, sure, but no call by this hour? That wasn't good at all.
Section Chief Seo set down his pen while reviewing some paperwork. He checked the time, then turned to Deputy Manager Choi. "Hey, still no call from Oh?"
"Yes, sir. Nothing yet."
"I called them myself this morning and drilled it into their heads, and now nothing by this time? What the hell?"
"You know Seong-deok's good about calling in. No need to worry—he'll ring soon."
"Put it straight through to me when he does."
"Got it, sir."
Section Chief Seo mulled it over, chewing on his thoughts. With Deputy Manager Oh's trauma and the rookie Min-ho in tow, he'd never expected them to actually collect from Sopansik anyway. Just confirm if the guy was still alive and kicking in Myeongmok-dong, and that'd be that. They should've been back in the office ages ago.
Then a snippet flashed through his mind—Min-ho's offhand remark about bringing back the money. What if they'd gotten into some accident? Unease started to creep in.
Deputy Manager Choi shifted in his seat, gauging the boss's mood. Of course, it was to cover for his one and only colleague from the same batch, Oh Seong-deok. 'Why hasn't this guy called? Making me look bad—gotta lay some groundwork so he gets yelled at less later.'
Choi sidled up to Section Chief Seo and tossed out a feeler. "Sir, as you know, I've been to Myeongmok-dong with Seong-deok plenty of times."
"Yeah, yeah, you two handled that beat."
"The payphone there is pretty far out."
"Isn't there a phone booth right nearby? I thought there was one."
"Sure, but Sopansik's place is a good fifteen-minute walk from the bus stop. Probably why."
Section Chief Seo, who'd seen it all in his time, wasn't buying Choi's play. "Oh's got it lucky, having a buddy like you."
"No, sir."
"It's just those deadbeat types—you never know what they'll pull. Don't sweat it."
"Right, of course. I'll hold down the fort here, so go grab lunch without a worry."
"Yeah, good—need someone to man the phone. Thanks for the trouble, Choi."
"Yes, sir. Enjoy your meal."
As the credit team's head honcho, he couldn't let on how antsy he was. But inside, he was burning up. He finished a lunch he barely tasted, not even sure where it went down. Back at the office, no call from Oh as expected. Instead, Choi stared at the phone like he could bore a hole through it, face tight with nerves.
"Choi, any call?"
"Uh... no, sir. Still nothing."
"You pick up the receiver and check the line?"
"Phone's fine. I even called other departments—no issues."
"Something's off here..."
A little late was forgivable, but they'd blown past check-in by three hours now. Something was definitely wrong.
"No, Oh wouldn't drop the ball like this. There must be a mix-up."
"Sir, maybe wait a bit longer?"
"Three hours? Whatever happened would've blown up by now."
Choi tried to think positive, but a three-hour blackout? Unthinkable. Finally, Section Chief Seo shrugged on his jacket from the chair back, prepping to head out.
"Guess I gotta go check myself. Can't risk sending the rookie out and jinxing my luck. Need to make sure my guys are okay."
Choi jumped up to stop him, throwing on his own coat in a panic. "If there was an accident, wouldn't the cops call first?"
"Fair point, but I'm too jittery to sit tight."
"Then let me go, sir. I know Sopansik's place like the back of my hand—could find it blindfolded."
"Yeah, go verify and call back ASAP. Time's critical—grab a taxi straight there."
"On it, sir."
"Hell, if they're just goofing off at a sauna, I'd call it a win..."
"I'll head out now."
Just as Choi bolted for the door, it creaked open—and in walked Min-ho and Oh.
Choi was just as worked up. "Hey, why no call?"
He let out a huge sigh of relief and reported right away. "Sir, Seong-deok and Min-ho are back."
To Section Chief Seo, his team was like family. Seeing them safe, he skipped the warm welcome and barked instead. "Why the hell no call? You think about the folks waiting here? Say something at least!"
Oh stared back like he'd lost his marbles, dazed. "Sorry, sir... I was so shocked, it slipped my mind."
"Like you'd squeeze a dime from that Sopansik bum anyway. What a waste of effort—what's the point?"
"N-no, sir, it's not that."
Min-ho's superhuman hustle had blown Oh's mind—especially seeing gold bars for the first time ever. No wonder he was half out of it. Pale-faced, pupils dilated, Oh stammered, "S-sir..."
"You look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?"
"You won't believe it, but..."
"You trying to burst my ulcer? Spill it!"
"We... collected Sopansik's full debt."
Oh reported the straight truth, no exaggeration. Section Chief Seo let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity, and the rest of the team chimed in.
-Hey, Oh, you lying to the boss right now?
-Get real—should've just apologized for being late.
-I gave up on that guy ages ago. How'd you two pull it off? We chased him for years—no one got even a ten-thousand-won bill.
The reaction was predictable. Section Chief Seo cocked his head, staring Oh down, figuring it was just a slip of the tongue.
"Not mad about the delay. Just worried what happened to you two."
"It's true, sir. Wanna see?"
Oh pointed at the bag Min-ho was carrying. Section Chief Seo couldn't fathom Min-ho hauling in cash. "Oh, you think a bag like that holds over 120 million won?"
"Anyone else, no. But Min-ho? Yeah. Even if you said bean paste was shit, I'd buy it."
"You messing with me?"
Section Chief Seo's anger was revving up again, gradient-style. Min-ho doused it by plunking the bag on the boss's desk. A heavy thunk—not like cash. A metallic clang echoed through the office, the kind you rarely hear.
Min-ho started his report. "Sopansik's total debt: 120 million won, collected in kind. That's all."
The team shot up from their seats as his words landed. No one could trust their ears. They crowded around Min-ho, half-disbelieving.
Even Section Chief Seo had to tilt his head. Min-ho didn't joke about work. And a rookie pulling a prank on him? No way. Sensing something huge, he asked calmly, "You're saying Sopansik's money is in that bag?"
"Yes, sir. Weighed it precisely on a scale."
"Did I hear that right...?"
"Spot on. Brought it for verification. Legal team gets it shortly."
All eyes locked on the bag. Section Chief Seo approached slowly, unzipping it.
It swung open. Fifteen 1kg gold bars gleamed inside.
Min-ho's word was gospel. Section Chief Seo was speechless in the surreal moment. The team froze like they'd stepped into a freezer, then whipped around to gawk at Min-ho.
-That's gold.
-From Sopansik?
-Am I dreaming?
Kang Du-seong, the tax office, prosecutors—no one had pulled this off. A rookie at JK Credit Info did. Unprecedented in company history.
Section Chief Seo, who'd never heard of anything like it, rubbed his eyes, double-checked the bars, then grilled Min-ho. "H-how did this happen?"
"Found his hidden gold."
"Sopansik had gold bars?"
"Stashed in the bathroom wall."
Still reeling, Section Chief Seo repeated himself. Min-ho gave a full rundown of the Myeongmok-dong saga, ten minutes straight.
"So you smashed the wall and pulled them out?"
"Yes. Legal team staff witnessed it too."
A debt no one cracked for years. Rookie Min-ho delivered—big time. A mega win. Even cool-headed Section Chief Seo couldn't hide his shock, stammering, "How'd you know the gold was there?"
"Sopansik kept glancing at the bathroom during our talk. Sat with his back to it, guarding it."
"And you tore down the wall on that?"
"Yes. Knocked with my fist—hollow sound. That's when I knew. There's more."
Min-ho pulled out Sopansik's docs, crammed with dense notes from his analysis.
"Checked the embezzlement: about 1.5 billion gone. Funneled to real estate. Focused on the cash remainder."
"So you bet on that slim chance?"
"Yes."
"Unbelievable..."
Section Chief Seo could only stick out his tongue at the audacity. No gold, he'd call bullshit—but the docs and bars sat right there. He'd pegged Min-ho as special from his filing days, but this smashed expectations.
Once he got the lay of the land, Section Chief Seo grinned like he'd won the world. He bear-hugged his golden boy Min-ho, patting his back nonstop.
"Never met a rookie like you in my life."
"Thank you, sir."
"Manager Im, Manager Hwang—what're you waiting for? Hug our Min-ho!"
"Hell yeah, honor of a lifetime."
The team mobbed Min-ho with hugs, jumping like kids and hollering.
-New guy's the real deal!
-Thought they were full of it earlier.
-Mega hit. Ultra mega!
Lawyer Choi Jong-hoon from legal pushed open the rowdy credit team door. Min-ho had won them over in days. Choi smiled warmly at the scene, then said to Section Chief Seo, "Sorry to kill the vibe. I'll come back later."
"Nah, heard the whole story from Min-ho. Great work."
"Min-ho did it all. Here for the seized goods—checked them?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Legal handles seized assets. I'll report to the president and process."
Choi grabbed the gold-filled bag and headed to the president's office. Section Chief Seo, still blissed out, ruffled Min-ho's hair with a satisfied grin. "Where else you find luck like this? Right, Manager Im?"
"Damn straight. Thanks to Min-ho, I can breathe easy for a while."
"Alright, then..."
Section Chief Seo started to speak when Min-ho's stomach let out a loud gurgle.
"Whoops, my bad—I should've noticed. Our Min-ho skipped lunch, huh?"
"Timing was off. I'll grab something quick downstairs."
"No need. Special day like this calls for something good."
He whipped out his wallet without hesitation. "Hit the grill joint across the street. Stuff yourselves, sauna after, crash hard. You too, Oh."
"Got it, sir. Be right back."
In the hallway, Min-ho handed Oh the cash from Section Chief Seo. "Gonna hit legal quick. Go ahead—I'll catch up."
"You not hungry? Where to?"
"Be fast. Right behind you."
"Cool. You know the meat place up front? Get it grilling—hurry up."
"Yes, sir."
After chatting with Oh, Min-ho tailed Lawyer Choi straight to the president's office.