Chapter 15: The End of Three Years: Graduation Day

Busan Yeongnak Park Columbarium 2

This is where my mother and father are enshrined.

It’s been a long time since I’ve visited this place. In my previous life, I never had the chance to come here.

I can’t even remember their faces.

I only know my parents from photographs. In those pictures, they were always smiling.

The late Kim Jin-ho

The late Cheon Mi-suk

Their names were inscribed there.

I didn’t cry.

Now that I think about it, there were some suspicious circumstances surrounding my parents’ deaths.

It was treated as a simple robbery case… but the culprit was never caught. It’s still an unsolved case.

This time, I’m determined to investigate it thoroughly.

‘Mom, Dad, I promise to live a proper life this time around. Please watch over me from heaven. I’ll definitely uncover the truth about your deaths.’

Beside me, Grandma was wiping away her tears.

My poor Grandma, who had lost her only son before her time.

I hugged her.

“What are you doing?”

“Just stay still, Grandma.”

The struggle between Grandma trying to break free and me trying to keep hugging her ended with my victory.

Still holding Grandma, I looked at my parents’ photos again.

“Grandma, please live a long life.”

“Oh my, my child. I have to at least see you get married before I go.”

“Okay.”

By the time we left the columbarium, the evening sun was already setting.

“Let’s grab dinner before heading home today.”

“Why?”

“I just want to treat you to something delicious. Come on, let’s go, Grandma!”

Holding Grandma’s hand tightly, I walked slowly, matching her pace.

The sun was setting above our heads.

I felt a mix of pride and emptiness.

There were only a few days left before I’d move to Seoul for university.

One day, Chairman Cheon came to our house in Busan looking for Grandma.

When they said they wanted to talk privately, I reluctantly went outside.

“Chief Ha, what do you think they’re talking about that made them send me out?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Hmm.”

“The fact that the Chairman personally came to Busan means he’s acknowledging you as family. It can’t be bad, can it?”

“I guess so?”

“Yes.”

Chief Ha didn’t say anything more after that.

* * *

“I apologize for coming to see you so late, Mother-in-law.”

Chairman Cheon bowed his head to Jo Kyung-ja.

Jo Kyung-ja waved her hands, not knowing what to do.

“Oh my, sir, you don’t need to do this for me. Just our Mu-hyeok…”

“Aren’t you the one who raised Mu-hyeok all this time? In the past, your son and my daughter… they ran away together, and I forgot about it. But now, let’s keep in touch.”

“Yes…”

As Jo Kyung-ja turned her head to wipe her eyes at the mention of her son and daughter-in-law, Chairman Cheon waited quietly.

“Why don’t you come to Seoul with us, Mother-in-law?”

“I’m planning to stay here. I don’t know much about reading, and I don’t have the confidence to live in a place where I don’t know anyone.”

“I see.”

“Mu-hyeok asked me to go with him, but I said no. I told him I can’t read well. I’ll live here until I die.”

“Sigh… Then I’ll make sure you live comfortably here.”

“Oh my! Sir, please don’t worry about me. I can manage on my own.”

After that, they continued to talk about Mu-hyeok for quite a while.

* * *

The front gate opened, and Grandfather came out.

“Go inside now. But when are you going to tell me about the bet reward?”

“I’ll tell you when I get to Seoul.”

“Alright. I talked with your grandmother, and she’s very worried about you. Go inside and take good care of her. I’ll see you in Seoul.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

Chief Ha opened the back door for Chairman Cheon to get in.

Even after the car door closed, Chairman Cheon lowered the back window and asked again.

“Can I look forward to hearing what your wish is?”

“Yes.”

The door closed, and the car started moving. When the car was no longer in sight, I went inside.

Grandma’s eyes were slightly red.

“Grandma! What did you talk about?”

“Nothing much. We just talked about your future.”

“Then why are your eyes red? Did you cry?”

Grandma wiped her eyes.

“It’s nothing…”

“What? What did he say?”

“…”

“Come on, tell me what he said.”

After my persistent urging, Grandma’s eyes finally welled up with tears again.

Grandma took the tissue I offered and spoke between sobs.

“…He talked about your father. He said he feels sorry because he opposed their relationship back then, and that might have led to their deaths. When I heard that… I thought about your father and mother… What’s the use of saying this now… But I guess if they can live well together in heaven now, that’s enough.”

“…”

It was the first time I confronted the pain that had been lodged in Grandma’s heart all this time.

I pulled Grandma close and hugged her tightly.

Grandma, who had been crying, finally broke down and sobbed with her shoulders shaking.

“Grandma, let me go now. I’ll be your child now, not just your grandson. I’ll be your child.”

I just held Grandma tightly and stayed still.

After a while, Grandma seemed to calm down and pulled away from me.

“When did you grow up so much, my child?”

“Grandma, I’ve been taller than you since middle school, remember?”

“That’s right. You’ve really grown up well.”

A few days later

Before heading to Seoul, I went to a nearby restaurant with Park Dong-su, who had come to visit our house.

“What’s this? You said you’d treat me to a nice place.”

“Let’s just eat here, uncle.”

“Damn, you’re still being difficult even when offering to treat.”

Despite grumbling, Park Dong-su sat down.

Park Dong-su’s brothers took seats around our table.

“Auntie! What’s good here?”

His voice was loud.

“Uncle, the braised angler fish is delicious here.”

“Really? Give us one large braised angler fish! And a bottle of soju! You guys order whatever you want.”

“Yes, boss.”

As soon as the waitress brought the soju, Park Dong-su opened the bottle.

He poured about half a bottle into a beer glass, not a shot glass.

“Let’s have a cool drink, shall we?”

What’s with pouring half a bottle of soju at once?

“Sigh… Alright, just for the first round.”

“Oh! That’s my man!”

We clinked glasses and downed the shots.

“Ah! That’s the taste!”

Park Dong-su’s exclamation and my lack of reaction made for an interesting contrast.

“Wow! Look at this kid’s unchanging expression. You must be good at drinking?”

“I don’t drink.”

“Hahaha, alright. But really, what’s your deal? You’ve got all this information, you’re good at studying, and you can fight well too.”

“I’m just Kim Mu-hyeok, a 20-year-old soonto-be university student.”

“Ah, this kid is really no fun. Auntie! Two more bottles of soju!”

As he tried to pour soju into the beer glass again, I stopped him and held out a shot glass.

Park Dong-su looked at my face and chuckled, then filled the shot glass to the brim. Then he filled his own beer glass about halfway again and held it out.

“So, what should I do now?”

“How did you handle the nightclub situation?”

“That guy might be a bit slow, but he’s a loyal friend, so I sent him to manage the Bossudong area. We left it alone because there was no one to handle it, but thanks to you, we’ve got someone now.”

Park Dong-su grinned, saying it was a win-win situation.

“So, are you managing Nampo-dong now? All of it?”

“Well… Nampo-dong, Yeongdo, Bosu-dong… We’ve pretty much taken control of the entire Jung-gu area. It was originally our territory anyway, and most of the troublemakers have been locked up, so there weren’t any big fights. What should I do next?”

Park Dong-su asked while pouring more soju.

“First, find a lawyer. Then set up a legal service company. Use that to launder your operations.”

“And?”

“For now, focus on completely taking over Busan. And absolutely don’t get caught by the authorities. Someone of your status must have some connections with the police or prosecutors, right? Grease their palms generously and manage those relationships well.”

“Is that enough?”

“Is taking over Busan easy?”

At that, Park Dong-su smirked.

“Most of them are locked up, only small fry are left. A year should be enough.”

I decided to trust his confidence.

“Once you’ve taken over, absolutely don’t touch drugs. Drug enforcement is going to get much stricter soon. The pressure will be incomparable to before, so even with connections, it’ll be tough. Slowly work on moving from the shadows to the light.”

“Huh? Move to the light?”

Park Dong-su let out a hollow laugh.

“We’re not the kind of people who can move into the light. If I move into the light, someone like me will emerge from the shadows and try to take me down. Then it’s war all over again.”

“Hahaha, uncle, I’m not saying to move into the light recklessly. I’m saying to put on the appearance of being in the light. If a gangster isn’t going to do gangster things and wants to do legal work, why be a gangster in the first place?”

“What?”

I drank the soju Park Dong-su had poured and continued.

“The Seoul gangsters have already started corporatizing. Busan needs to get on that quickly too, or you’ll end up getting swallowed by the Seoul guys later. I’m sure you have your own communication channels among gangsters, so you must have heard the news… First, focus on corporatizing. That’s the priority. Take over Busan, and after that, we’ll work on expanding to Seoul separately.”

Park Dong-su poured soju into his beer glass again and downed it in one go.

“Hah, listening to you talk, I feel like I’m being completely taken in. So, you’re saying take over Busan and then come to Seoul? And then work with you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Damn, I don’t know if this is the right thing to do.”

Just then, the waitress brought the braised angler fish to the table.

The steaming hot braised angler fish.

“Auntie! Two more bottles of soju!”

Park Dong-su grabbed the soju and gulped down half a bottle again.

“Damn, I don’t know why, but I feel like I can trust you even though we’ve only met a few times. Alright, I’ll trust you and give it a try.”

“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”

I raised my glass first and clinked it with Park Dong-su’s. He chuckled.

“So, how do I contact you when you’re in Seoul? Got a pager?”

“I’ll probably buy a mobile phone when I get to Seoul. I’ll contact you then. I’ll leave my contact info with Myeong-su’s father. Oh, and please take care of Arabian Nights. It’s my friend’s father’s place, so don’t put any fake liquor in there.”

He glared at me with narrowed eyes.

“You bastard, do you think I’m some petty thug? Don’t worry about that. I’ve already told the boys not to cause any trouble.”

“Thank you.”

“But a mobile phone? Isn’t that really expensive?”

“They’re still too big to carry around comfortably. But I heard Il-sung will start selling ones that are somewhat portable soon, so I’m thinking of getting one of those.”

“Hmm… Maybe I should get one too?”

“It would be convenient if you had one.”

Park Dong-su, deep in thought, poured more soju.

“I wanted to treat you to some good liquor, but since you said no, we’ll stick with this for now. Next time, let’s have a proper drink, alright?”

“Hahaha, when you expand to Seoul, we’ll have a proper drink then.”

“Alright, I’m trusting you and giving this a shot.”

“If you ever have any real difficulties, please contact me. If it’s something I can handle, I’ll take care of it for you. But my existence must never be exposed, you understand, right?”

“I get it. Now, let’s have one last drink! Cheers!”

The sound of clinking glasses and our laughter filled the restaurant.

“By the way, uncle, don’t call me your little brother. It makes me look old too.”

“What’s with ‘uncle’! Call me big brother!”

We couldn’t reach an agreement on the naming issue until we parted ways.

Between drinking the alcohol Myeong-su’s father treated me to and spending quality time with Grandma, graduation day approached.

Graduation day

The banner that had been hanging at the school gate for so long was finally taken down.

[Congratulations! Dongsung Technical High School 3rd year Kim Mu-hyeok, Perfect Score on te National Aptitude Test! National Top Student!]

Every time I saw that, my face would burn so much that I almost didn’t want to come to school.

As I sat in the auditorium listening to the principal’s boring speech, the graduation ceremony ended as quickly as it began, making the three years seem insignificant.

Since I didn’t have many friends, I took pictures with Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong. Grandma and Prosecutor Yoon Chang-ho, who came to the graduation ceremony, were also there.

“Congratulations on your graduation, Mu-hyeok. Now you’re my junior at school, and in the same department too.”

“Yes, didn’t I tell you back then? That I’d soon be greeting you as my senior at Korea University.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. Those words have come true. I have another appointment, so I need to leave now. Let’s meet before you come up to Seoul.”

“Yes, I’ll visit you before I come to Seoul, senior.”

“I like the sound of ‘senior’.”

The prosecutor patted my shoulder and left.

I called over a few friends who were awkwardly hovering around me and took a group photo.

As I was about to leave the school gate with Grandma, accompanied by Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong’s parents, suddenly a loud voice came from the distance.

“Hey! Little bro! Congratulations on your graduation!”

In the distance, I saw Park Dong-su waving his hand out of a car window.

“Do you know him?”

“No, let’s hurry and go eat.”

I quickened my pace with Grandma.

But Park Dong-su was quite persistent.

“Hey, little bro! It’s me, Park Dong-su!”

Ah… can I really trust this guy?