Opportunity Requires Ability to Be Used Properly (3)
"Brother, can you even imagine us working in an office?" Oh Jeongsu smirked as he looked at his underlings, and they couldn't hide their own laughter. Their usual line of work involved extorting money from weak merchants or stirring up trouble to squeeze out a profit; they were as far from "working" as one could get.
"This job is a big one. If it goes well, I can give you enough to cover your living expenses for a year without breaking a sweat."
At the mention of a year's worth of living expenses, the look in Oh Jeongsu's eyes shifted. Until just a moment ago, he had dismissed the man as a joke, but he realized that this rich pushover in front of him was actually trying to request something serious.
"So, you have a job for us?"
Seeing the subtle change in Oh Jeongsu's gaze, Choi Cheolmin nodded. "Yeah. I can't tell you the details yet, but if you get hired at the construction office I point out and start working there, I'll give you orders later. If you pull that off properly, I'll make sure you walk away with a hefty share. How long are you going to keep roaming the streets collecting protection money? Wouldn't you rather be running a room salon with at least fifty seats?"
Although he lacked formal education, Oh Jeongsu had survived by his wits, running a gang without ever crossing the local mob bosses. Because of this, he instinctively sensed that this job was a much bigger deal than he had initially thought.
"So we just need to get hired and work there?"
"That's what I'm saying. Just work there quietly. It might take some time, but I'll make sure you're compensated properly. Have I ever treated you guys poorly?"
Hearing this, Oh Jeongsu broke into a sly grin and bowed his head toward Choi Cheolmin. "Hehehe, we know better than anyone how well you treat us, Brother. But if the timeline gets too long, you'll need to grease our palms every now and then, right? We aren't exactly the type to stick to one place for a long time, are we?"
Choi Cheolmin hesitated for a moment before nodding. 'Money can be managed somehow. Cheol-gyu said he'd help, too.' With the result provided by his broken calculator, Choi Cheolmin felt his plan was perfect.
"Once a month. How's that?"
"Brother, that's too much. You should at least do it once a week."
After some back-and-forth, the two compromised on once every fifteen days and shook hands.
"You have to do this well. It's a really important job."
"Of course. Isn't handling jobs our specialty?"
Even as he received the tip about which construction office to infiltrate, Oh Jeongsu had no idea how difficult it actually was to get hired at such a place.
"People came looking for work?"
Kim Jeongseon, who had been reading the morning local paper to gauge the regional situation, set the paper down and looked at the Planning Director, Yoo Jinhee.
"Yes. What should we do?"
"Director Yoo, did you put up a 'Help Wanted' sign out front?"
Director Yoo Jinhee, whose head was as shiny as a billiard ball due to his family genetics, was in his early forties and was the cream of the crop among the staff Kim Jeongseon had brought in. While he had enough autonomy to act on his own, he had certainly never put up a 'Help Wanted' sign in front of the office.
"No, sir."
"Then why are they coming here asking for jobs?"
"Well, it's a common occurrence. Should I send them away?"
"No, let them in first. If they're willing to swallow their pride and go around looking for work, they might have some potential, don't you think?"
The office Kim Jeongseon was currently running with Yoon-gi's support consisted of six people, including himself. There was the President, Kim Jeongseon, two directors, one assistant under each director, and an accountant. They weren't exactly desperate for manpower, but it was worth hiring someone decent in preparation for the future.
"Oh, President! Thank you! We were really desperate for work!"
Oh Jeongsu and his three underlings swarmed into the office and bowed toward Kim Jeongseon.
"You young fellows have great determination. Going around looking for work from this early in the morning."
"We were working at another construction office, but it went bankrupt, and now we're all out on the street. We're confident when it comes to construction, so please, hire us. We'll accept whatever monthly salary you give us."
In the 70s—no, even up until the 90s—the concept of "accepting whatever is given" was quite strong. Furthermore, saying this when applying for a job was a great way to win favor with the boss, so those desperate for work often used this line. Of course, it was also quite common for them to face the reality of a near-zero paycheck a month later and have to take responsibility for their own words.
"I should pay you for the work you do. Especially if you've worked at other offices before. Sit down for now."
As Kim Jeongseon offered them seats, the four men, including Oh Jeongsu, squeezed themselves onto the waiting-room sofa, which had very little cushioning.
"Right, what are your names?"
"My name is Oh Jeongsu."
"Ho-ho, your last name is the same as mine?"
"It seems we have a connection, sir."
"Indeed we do. Hahahaha!"
Up to this point, the atmosphere seemed genuinely good, and it felt as if Oh Jeongsu's undercover infiltration would go smoothly.
"Let's see... where do you live?"
"Yes, we all live in this neighborhood. We're all very close."
"Then commuting should be easy."
"Working overtime or on weekends is no problem at all."
"Yes, that's a great spirit."
After identifying the names of the others, Kim Jeongseon moved on to the real interview.
"So, what kind of work did you do at your previous office?"
For a moment, Oh Jeongsu was at a loss for words.
"Uh, that is..."
The concept of a 'construction office' in Oh Jeongsu's mind was what people called 'manual labor.' However, the construction office Kim Jeongseon ran was a company that secured projects through bidding and design, then hired construction workers to execute the work. In other words, the possibility of Oh Jeongsu getting hired here was infinitely low.
"Hm? Did you do something special?"
"No, it's not that... we just did a bit of everything."
As soon as Kim Jeongseon heard that answer, he knew for certain that they were not experienced workers.
"Have you guys ever actually worked at a construction office?"
"Yes, yes! Of course! The construction wouldn't even happen if it weren't for us. Look at our bodies. We're a match made in heaven for construction!"
"Ugh."
Kim Jeongseon stood up from the reception area, sat back at his desk, and spat out, "Get out. Do you think this is a temp agency?"
"President! We can really do a good job. It's true we lied about working at a construction office, but please, just teach us the work. If you just feed us, we'll work like dogs."
"I don't need you! Do you think this is a school? Do you think I have the luxury to teach you if you don't know the skills?"
"President!"
"I said get out!"
For a moment, one of Oh Jeongsu's gang members seemed ready to snap, but Oh Jeongsu quickly calmed him down and spoke politely, as if he had no choice.
"Is there really nothing we can do? Even just one of us..."
"I said no. If you want manual labor, go to the dawn market. If you go there, you can work at construction sites as much as you want. If you do that, maybe later you'll be able to work at our sites, too."
"We're really capable... one last time... is it really impossible?"
"I said no."
Kim Jeongseon didn't even look at Oh Jeongsu anymore.
"I apologize. Then, if we happen to see each other again, I'll look forward to working with you."
Although Oh Jeongsu left politely, Kim Jeongseon had already lost all interest in him.
Outside in the chilly air, when Oh Jeongsu stopped walking once they were far enough from the office, one of his gang members flared up.
"Brother, should we just trash that office? How dare they treat you like that!"
In an instant, with a sound like a brick hitting a wall, the back of the underling's head was slammed down until it nearly touched the ground.
"Whoa, look at how hard this guy's head is. Hey, is there any profit in us trashing that office? We need to establish a relationship with them somehow, don't we? When they start construction, we just need to go to the labor market and infiltrate the site somehow. Until then, we have to act like polite guys. Do you want to ruin everything?"
"S-sorry, Brother."
Watching his underling rub the back of his head and bow, Oh Jeongsu decided he needed to meet Choi Cheolmin again.
"Brother, we need to know the specific situation if we're going to infiltrate."
At Oh Jeongsu's words, Choi Cheolmin fell into deep thought with a 'Hmm' sound.
"I thought it was just a place that used manual labor since you told us to get hired there, but it turns out it's a place that requires professional knowledge. Do you know how embarrassed we were? But I think we can infiltrate when they hire workers later, but I need to know the exact situation to move at the right time. Brother, don't you trust me? I'm really hurt."
Moved by Oh Jeongsu's emotional appeal, Choi Cheolmin eventually spilled high-level information he should have kept hidden.
"My nephew is planning to do some construction at Cheonggyecheon soon. When that construction starts, I want you to disrupt it by any means necessary. Not just delaying it, but either tearing the project apart completely or making sure there's a problem with the building later on."
The moment he heard that, Oh Jeongsu was convinced he had to take this job.
'If I just get a written agreement from this pushover right before the work starts, I could squeeze a massive amount of money out of him.'
No matter how capable Oh Jeongsu was, tearing a construction project apart completely was difficult. However, if they infiltrated as workers, they could ensure that a few years after the building was completed, it would come crashing down due to the effects of shoddy construction.
"Now the plan is starting to take shape. Brother, don't worry. Once the construction starts, this younger brother of yours will handle it very thoroughly."
Choi Cheolmin, completely unaware of Oh Jeongsu's true intentions, just nodded.
"Yeah, just do it well. If things go well, I'll reward you properly."
"Since we'll be active once the construction starts, you don't have to worry about that 'greasing' we talked about earlier. You're in a tough spot these days, too, Brother."
"R-really?"
"Of course. Who am I? I'm your brother, aren't I?"
"T-thank you. Thank you! I'll make sure to set you up with a room salon with over 50 seats later."
Oh Jeongsu smiled grimly over the shoulder of Choi Cheolmin, who was hugging him tightly.
'50 seats? Forget that. I'll make sure you give me at least ten room salons with 500 seats each.'
January 1978. It had been two months since the secret meeting between Choi Cheolmin and Oh Jeongsu, but the Samwoo Group remained peaceful. Yoon-gi's construction hadn't started yet.
However, Yoon-gi sensed that it was time to take another step.
'It's time to build connections with the New Military Regime.'
Next autumn, P would die. To utilize the power of JD, who would take power after P, he had to establish connections in advance. Establishing connections after a successful coup would be hundreds of times harder than building them now.
Of course, with the power of his maternal grandfather, Brigadier General Colson, and the recently interacted Guster, JD wouldn't dare interfere with his business, but Yoon-gi was looking further ahead.
'I don't just want to avoid interference; I need to receive special treatment. Before I enter university, the Samwoo Group must be within the top 60 of the business world at the very least.'
As far as Yoon-gi remembered, the IMF crisis would hit in 1997, a few years after he graduated from university. To become a company that the government would help by pouring in tax money, being around 100th place like now wouldn't cut it.
'60th place upon entry, at least 40th place upon graduation!'
Regardless of whether it was achievable, Yoon-gi set a minimum threshold in his heart.
'I could ask my grandfather or Guster to contact the New Military Regime, but it's too much of a waste to use those bullets now.'
He couldn't use Ryu Geun-tae, either. It was obvious that the military's Hana-hoe, which he needed to contact now, wouldn't look kindly upon Ryu Geun-tae.
'A capable person who will move for me as long as I guarantee them profit.'
Yoon-gi thought of one person who fit the criteria.