Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Five local gang leaders, who had grown their influence based on their hometowns, and four nationwide gang leaders, who expanded their power regardless of region, sat around a large round table.
No one spoke carelessly—they could barely even ask a simple greeting without tension. A single mistake could bring unforeseeable consequences.
It was an atmosphere thick with fear, where nerves were razor-sharp. They only exchanged glances, trying to read each other’s intentions.
Ten years ago, two gangs at this very table had split apart after speaking out of turn. One wrong word could get you beaten senseless, like a dog in the heat of summer, until you were a wreck carried off to the hospital. Dying would have been preferable; no one wanted to show such weakness in front of other leaders and their subordinates.
“When’s he coming?”
“Feels like it’s already a few minutes past…”
Wi Jeong-bong and Won Ki-taek spoke cautiously. Even trivial words required alertness.
“He’s here.”
Ma Cheon-deuk looked toward the entrance, sensing someone approaching. A man limped forward.
As he appeared, everyone rose and bowed their heads. Wi Jeong-bong and Won Ki-taek stared at him in surprise.
“Hello.”
“Long time no see.”
…
“You’re all here already… why the surprise?”
The man plopped into the empty seat. Kim Du-chil, the senior-most figure at the table, had arrived.
“Didn’t disappear, huh? I heard you were kidnapped…”
“Why? Surprised I’m unharmed?”
“No… it’s not that…”
“Du-chil hyung! How did this happen?”
[Bang!]
Ignoring Ma Cheon-deuk’s words, Kim Du-chil slammed scrolls and envelopes onto the table.
“From today, I’m the right hand of the boss. I’ll deliver his orders.”
“What? What does that mean…”
“He entrusted me with everything. If I fail, I’ll have my eyes gouged out—but that’s not important. Anyway…”
“Why would he do that?”
He couldn’t admit that he’d begged for a chance instead of killing them.
“It’s a chance he’s giving us. You all know what happened ten years ago… if the boss stepped in again, we’d be dead.”
Everyone nodded at Kim Du-chil’s words.
“First! Who here is distributing drugs?”
…Everyone avoided eye contact.
“You’re all pretending we don’t know each other? If this continues, I’ll report it to the boss.”
“We’re not dealing drugs… we handle other things.”
“Let’s just call it all drugs for convenience. Either way, stop it.”
“Hyung! That’s a lot of money… how can we survive without it?”
“Handle it! I’m just passing the message. What good is money if you die? Here, take a copy with your name.”
Kim Du-chil handed out envelopes to each person.
“Why even these…”
Wi Jeong-bong laughed and opened his envelope, turning pale.
“What… is this?”
“You’ll see for yourself…”
Ma Cheon-deuk opened his envelope; his eyes widened like baseballs. Every crime he had committed was documented. Especially the drug cases: detailed records of transactions, supply chains, processing, and distribution, with photos.
“When… did this happen…”
“Handle it yourselves. I stopped the boss from cutting you with a blade personally.”
“A blade…?”
“The boss is thorough… hmm…”
Waiting for silence, Kim Du-chil continued.
“Next, who’s been hired for murder or kidnapping?”
No one raised a hand.
“That’s embarrassing… that’s what small-time thug agencies handle now.”
Kim Du-chil smirked.
“If something like that happens in your jurisdiction, the local person in charge will be cut down.”
“But we didn’t do it… why are we responsible?”
“If you hold a region, you must take responsibility.”
“And nationwide gangs… we’re nationwide.”
“They’ll judge based on your hometown and main operating region.”
“What about freelancers?”
“Freelancers are responsible too.”
“We’re not the police…”
Hwang Dong-seok, the Daejeon regional leader, fell silent under Kim Du-chil’s icy gaze.
“However, if you bring solid evidence of murders or kidnappings you were hired for, you’ll get double the payment.”
“Now that’s worth it.”
The mood shifted.
“Loan sharking above legal interest rates, gambling over 100 million won, anything that inconveniences ordinary people… caught doing these, they’ll slice off your fingers.”
“Du-chil hyung, if you list everything like that… we’d be just businesspeople, not gangsters….”
“Exactly. If you want to die, that’s your choice. The boss is watching our every move. If you get caught, our people will deal with it before the boss even notices.”
“Hyung! Are you saying we’ll have a bloodbath again? Didn’t we make peace?”
“If you don’t, I’ll die first. Do you think this is for fun?”
Kim Du-chil’s face turned crimson.
“Anyway, stay cautious for now. If the boss himself were here… some of you would already be dead.”
Recalling the events ten years ago sent shivers down their spines. Half of those who disappeared are still unaccounted for. Kim Du-chil himself had barely escaped. It was a massacre beyond ordinary gang wars.
Everyone nodded, accepting their fate as eternal subordinates.
Go Yoon-seok looked at the files. Photos showed two men with beaten faces, sitting in nothing but their underwear, hands raised.
‘Client: No Mira. Target: Oh Se-eun. Fee: 50 million won. Kidnap, rape, assault requested.’
It wasn’t outright murder, but the crime was horrifying for a young girl.
Another file, prepared by Kim Du-chil:
‘Client: Hyo-yeon Group Secretary Office. Target: Gi-sung IT, Team Leader Jeong Jin-woo. Fee: 50 million won. Kidnap, 6+ week fractures, assault requested.’
Probably ordered by Kim Gwang-deok, asking his secretaries to rough him up without knowing his true identity.
Go Yoon-seok flipped through another file:
‘Client: Ham Ho-seok. Target: Gi-sung IT, Team Leader Jeong Jin-woo. Fee: 20 million won. Multiple fractures requested.’
“How dare they…”
There were two attacks ordered against Jeong Jin-woo.
He sent a message to Kim Du-chil and transferred money to his account, threatening to crush the clients if they dared try again. There were nearly ten other similar requests.
To target Oh Se-eun and Jeong Jin-woo? He was furious.
He had worked with Jeong Jin-woo for three years and understood the man. The son of Jeong In-seok, who had saved his life, and like a son to Go Yoon-seok himself.
“Haah…”
He slumped into his chair, staring into space. Memories from twenty years ago resurfaced.
The gang battles in a village deep southeast of Mexico City, where people died daily from gunshots. Go Yoon-seok, a global mining company executive, and his six-month-pregnant wife were isolated there.
The rival gang had surrounded the village, cutting off all communication and supplies. Even the locals were starving. Water was nearly impossible to find.
It felt like his blood was drying up. Gunfights erupted in the streets constantly, and people he saw moments ago were killed and left in the streets, devoured by animals.
He survived, but his wife was in extreme danger.
On the seventh day, during a torrential night rain, Jeong In-seok came to rescue them, bloodied and wielding only a machete.
He fought his way through the gang’s encirclement. Two gang members blocking the path were killed without hesitation. When they reached the river, others noticed and pursued.
They hurried into a small motorboat. Following Jeong In-seok’s instructions, Go Yoon-seok and his wife lay on the floor to survive, while Jeong In-seok was almost destroyed. Yet they made it out alive.
Jeong In-seok spent six months hospitalized afterward.
When asked why he risked his life for strangers, he said:
‘I liked you… I wanted you by my side.’
An absurdly simple answer.
It was the person who had saved his wife and unborn child. Go Yoon-seok had no choice.
Back then, stranded in the village, he had prayed desperately to survive. Jeong In-seok appeared like an angel in his eyes, though soaked in blood and wielding a machete, more like a demon from hell.
Since then, they had faced countless similar ordeals worldwide—South Africa, Congo, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Australia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brazil. Ordinary people couldn’t imagine such experiences.
Only later did Go Yoon-seok understand why Jeong In-seok wanted him. The man needed an international law expert to run global companies—someone loyal, someone to build immense wealth together.
“I miss those days.”
Go Yoon-seok muttered quietly. They had lived as if today were their last day, recklessly, without thinking of tomorrow.
To Go Yoon-seok, Jeong In-seok seemed a crazy person—reckless, dangerous, yet somehow accomplishing the impossible. Tasks that would take a year done in a month, deals made with mortal risk, yet all achieved successfully.
“Don’t worry about your son. I’ll protect him.”
A necklace of blue stone, a precious gift from Jeong In-seok. He had hinted at something unknown connected to it, saying to open it after retirement. Go Yoon-seok had yet to do so, fearing damage to the valuable relic. Perhaps he would one day, when the time comes.
Retirement was still far away.