The Source of Funds (2)
"Smash it all to pieces!!!"
At the shout of the late-30s 'Lieutenant Colonel' leading the charge, soldiers in uniform began sprinting toward the theater where Oh Jeongsu and Kim Panseok were located, their expressions murderous. Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud! The sound of military boots shook the earth. Every single soldier was brandishing a steel pipe or a metal baseball bat; the sight of hundreds of soldiers charging toward the theater was, in a word, terrifying.
"H-hey. W-what are you doing... Aaaargh!"
Kim Panseok had mustered some non-existent courage at the news that his livelihood was being smashed, but what he got in return were the boots of the soldiers. It wasn't that they were targeting him specifically, but because he had blocked their path, he was knocked down and trampled under the feet of the charging soldiers. Naturally, Oh Jeongsu was horrified at the sight. Leaving Kim Panseok behind—who was still being trampled—Oh Jeongsu hurriedly tried to flee the scene.
At the Major's shout echoing from afar, Oh Jeongsu felt as if his heart were about to jump out of his throat. 'Wait, catch me? Why?' A one-second mental freeze. And by the second second, Oh Jeongsu realized why the soldiers were trying to catch him. 'I've been found out!'
Oh Jeongsu running toward his car and the sound of soldiers smashing the theater happened almost simultaneously. The brutal sounds of destruction filled his ears, punctuated by Kim Panseok's screams. But Oh Jeongsu was so terrified he couldn't even pay attention to that.
"Damn! Dammit!"
Like in a horror movie, Oh Jeongsu fumbled his car keys, which delayed his entry. Even after climbing into the driver's seat, he dropped the keys on the floor while trying to start the engine, giving the soldiers time to surround the vehicle.
With the words, a steel pipe swung toward the windshield. There was a clang as the pipe bounced off, but the crackle of the windshield spider-webbing was a visible reality. "A-aaargh!" Oh Jeongsu slammed on the accelerator, and thanks to that, the soldier who had been smashing the windshield rolled over the hood and slid off the back of the car due to the law of acceleration.
Vroom! The fierce sound of Oh Jeongsu's getaway echoed.
The chase between the man desperately trying to escape and those desperately trying to catch him had begun.
Oh Jeongsu survived. His escape, which had seemed absolutely impossible, was a success. He managed to break through the pursuit of countless soldiers and was heading to a pre-arranged meeting spot to contact Ryu Cheon. In the 80s, when mobile phones didn't exist, the method of contacting Ryu Cheon was to designate a place and time in advance, and if he didn't show up by the appointed time, change to the next location. It might seem crude, but for someone whose government surveillance was loose, it was an incredibly efficient method. Therefore, Oh Jeongsu decided to go to the meeting spot early and wait for a few days.
However, this was only possible because of artificial luck. Oh Jeongsu himself didn't know it, but the biggest reason he was able to escape was that Yoon-gi had mobilized all his subordinates to create an escape route for him. Of course, he didn't intervene openly; it was an indirect intervention, such as a truck suddenly passing by after Oh Jeongsu's car had passed, so the soldiers just lamented their bad luck and didn't suspect the circumstances. As a result, Oh Jeongsu's vehicle, driving through the quiet suburbs, was able to head toward its destination smoothly. Until now.
Pssssst! Suddenly, air began to leak from a tire, and the vehicle began to shake violently. But this was only the beginning. Before long, air leaked from all four tires, and Oh Jeongsu stepped on the brake without realizing it. If someone had been chasing him from behind, he would have kept his foot on the accelerator even if it meant pushing the car. But the fact that there was no one around induced a sense of relief in Oh Jeongsu.
Screech! He finally brought the car to a stop. Oh Jeongsu got out of the car, looked at the tires, and sighed. "Damn it... The roads here must be a mess."
In the 2010s, roads were paved almost everywhere, and tire performance was good, so flat tires were rare. But in the 80s, there were many unpaved roads, and the condition of many places was so poor that it was hard to even call them roads, so flat tires were a common occurrence. It wasn't for nothing that people who lived through that era were good at changing tires. 'Can't be helped. I have no choice but to walk.'
He couldn't be sure, but it was about a half-day's walk from here to the meeting spot. Since there was no one around, there was no way to ask for help, and since he was running away alone, he didn't have a driver to send on errands. The only remaining method was to meet Ryu Cheon and ask for help. Therefore, Oh Jeongsu began walking down the dirt road with an expression full of annoyance.
That moment.
Thwip! With a faint popping sound, a syringe stuck into Oh Jeongsu's buttock. An anesthetic dart meant for animals. Of course, because the dosage was adjusted, he wouldn't die, but Oh Jeongsu was instantly anesthetized and even passed out.
Rustle, rustle. Only then did the snipers rise from the nearby bushes. And Yoon-gi and Colson, also wearing camouflage, stood up as well.
"Couldn't we have just let that guy get caught by the Korean soldiers?"
At Colson's words, Yoon-gi smirked and shook his head. "If he gets caught, the reason for Ryu Cheon to appear at the meeting spot disappears."
Surprisingly, Yoon-gi had already identified Ryu Cheon's name. The reason was none other than Choi Deok-bae. Yoon-gi had Choi Deok-bae approach Oh Jeongsu at the debate and asked him to find out who was backing Oh Jeongsu. Thanks to that, when Ryu Cheon and Oh Jeongsu met after the debate, Choi Deok-bae was able to make contact with Ryu Cheon and learn several things.
"Ah, I suppose that's true. Then what are you going to do now? Imprison him? Or are you thinking of handing him over to JD or JSD? You asked me to catch him without him noticing that we were the ones who did it, so I caught him with a sniper anesthetic dart, but you must have a reason, right?"
Yoon-gi changed his smile to a serious expression and nodded. "Actually, if Oh Jeongsu had just been a stooge for another chaebol, I would have handed him over to JSD. No, JD wouldn't have been this angry in the first place."
"Because he's a spy for China?"
"Oh Jeongsu is practically a stooge, not a spy. It is absolutely impossible for me to fight against China right now. If so, there is something I must do. I'll use Oh Jeongsu for a different purpose, though."
"Then, are you going to hand him over to JD or JSD as I just said?"
Yoon-gi shook his head with an expression that was half-serious and half-smiling. "No, I'm thinking of handing him over to N."
The villa where Yoon-gi had spent two months with Merrill. Yoon-gi and N were meeting there. Normally, they could have used a high-end restaurant where the wealthy meet for entertainment. Such places strictly enforced the order in which users left their rooms to maintain secrecy. However, fearing information leakage through parked vehicles or entrance doors, Yoon-gi had invited N to his own villa entirely. He even met N in person.
"Thank you so much for coming like this."
Toward Yoon-gi, who was smiling softly, N nodded back with a somewhat stiff smile. "Yes, I didn't know you would invite me separately like this, but what did you call me for?"
Externally, the actual owner of YK Department Store was Yoon-gi. However, Yoon-gi was still a minor, and it was known that Choi Ki-hyun was the one actually controlling things from behind the scenes. Therefore, the relationship between N and Yoon-gi was, at best, that of an uncle and nephew, and in reality, it was more accurate to see them as a neighbor's uncle and a student next door. For now, anyway.
"Normally, I should have arranged a seat at a high-end restaurant, but I had to tell you something really important, so I had you come like this. I apologize for that."
"Apologize... but where is the Chairman...?"
N naturally thought that Choi Ki-hyun had made the appointment with him, and began to look around the inside of the villa slowly. Hair parted, small eyes, a large nose, and thin lips. His appearance, which looked somewhat gentle yet stubborn, seemed to prove his personality. In fact, unlike JD, N was calm and a good listener.
"The one who invited you today, Assemblyman, is not my grandfather, but me."
"Hmm...?"
Until last year, N had been in charge of a ministerial position classified as a dead-end job, but now in 1985, he had been elected as a national constituency assemblyman and was serving as a representative member of the Democratic Justice Party. In short, a representative member of the ruling party. He was a powerhouse among powerhouses, but in the 5th Republic run by JD, N's situation was not very good. Even now, JD barely allowed him to appear on TV. They were certainly close friends, but in a situation where the '3 Heos'—the real powers of this era—and JSD were firmly in place, the seat N could occupy was nothing short of shabby. In fact, although N was evaluated as JD's successor, there was a modern analysis that JD had chosen N as his successor to become the kingmaker because the 3 Heos and JSD could not run for president.
Of course, Yoon-gi didn't invite N because he knew such detailed circumstances. All Yoon-gi knew was that N was JD's successor, and the rest was his own judgment based on the current situation.
"Yoon-gi, you invited me personally...?"
N, sitting in the seat of honor, looked puzzled. 'Of course it would be strange. He would know himself that if it were a request for him, it would be faster to go to JSD.' As Yoon-gi thought, N was in a bit of confusion. Therefore, Yoon-gi did not miss the timing and immediately threw a large bait to the fish named N.
"I currently have Oh Jeongsu in custody."
"W-what?"
N was surprised and stood up from his seat. It was understandable, as Oh Jeongsu was currently a top-priority wanted criminal whom JD had strongly ordered to be caught at all costs. He couldn't believe that someone had caught such a person and hadn't reported it. However, N was not a fool, and furthermore, he was a person who knew how to listen to others, so he carefully asked, inducing Yoon-gi to speak.
"Why are you telling me that now?"
N, sitting down and trying to speak calmly even if forced. However, Yoon-gi, too, entered into a tense tightrope walk rather than answering N's words.
"Do you happen to know why I am telling you this, Assemblyman?"
This was a clear test. Therefore, N felt uncomfortable, but he decided to listen to the end anyway. Listening to others was the driving force that had brought N to this day and time.
"I'm curious about that too... If you caught Oh Jeongsu, isn't it normal to offer him to JD or JSD? But the reason you're telling me that story... honestly, I don't know."
A thought that crossed N's mind. It was that Yoon-gi was trying to make a connection with him. But this was naturally dismissed. He couldn't think of any reason why the YK side, which already had a tight connection with JSD, would try to make a connection with him. Even though he was a former minister and a ruling party representative, he was in a situation where he wasn't even the 3rd, no, not even the 5th most powerful person. In such a situation, why would they try to connect with him? However, because of that, Yoon-gi's words shattered N's imagination.
"I am thinking of handing Oh Jeongsu over to you, N."