Chapter 23: Chief Ha’s True Face

An abandoned factory on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province

“Ugh… ugh!”

A man tied to a chair groaned, looking around through the flickering incandescent lights.

Suddenly, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling turned on, illuminating the factory.

Squinting against the brightness, Hammer recognized the figure approaching from afar.

Chief Ha was entering.

Hammer desperately shook his body, but he couldn’t move a finger, no matter how he’d been tied up.

Even Hammer, who had been through thick and thin in Myeong-dong’s loan shark market, was starting to lose color.

Thud. Thud.

Chief Ha arrived in front of the tied-up Yu Ji-gang and looked down at him expressionlessly.

“Ugh…”

Hammer groaned, shaking his head, trying to say something.

Chief Ha spoke.

“Mr. Yoo, what were you thinking? No matter how I look at it, I can’t understand. Since I’ve been under the Chairman, there’s never been anything like this, has there?”

“Ugh… ugh!”

Chief Ha removed the tape covering his mouth.

As soon as the tape was gone, Hammer shouted.

“You bastard! Hey! Chief Ha! You think you can do this to me and get away with it? Huh?”

But his voice was trembling so much he couldn’t hide it.

“Mr. Yoo, don’t you understand the situation?”

Belatedly looking around, Yu Ji-gang was startled to see the men standing behind him like a folding screen.

“…Chief Ha, let’s talk this out, okay? We can resolve this through dialogue, right? The Chairman and I have worked together for years, let’s talk it out, okay? Chief Ha!”

Chief Ha picked up a hammer that had fallen carelessly on the floor.

Yu Ji-gang immediately recognized the hammer. It was the one he always carried with him.

A mocking smile appeared on Chief Ha’s lips as he twirled the hammer in his hand.

“Ah, dialogue, you say? Alright. What was it you said? The history and living witness of Myeong-dong’s loan shark market?”

Whoosh. Whoosh.

As the hammer cut through the air, Yu Ji-gang’s face turned pale, and he began to plead in a trembling voice.

“Chief Ha, I’ll hand over everything, the bank account and all. Let’s just end it here, please.”

“You said you were going to hit the young master’s head with this hammer, didn’t you? You didn’t think you’d get away with that, did you?”

“That, that was just a test for the young master. I wasn’t really going to hit him. How could I do that to the Chairman’s grandson? Right? It’s true, believe me!”

“Is that so? I thought maybe an old man like you was in a hurry to go.”

Creak! Rumble.

The closed factory door opened, and two men entered carrying a large drum.

Yu Ji-gang’s face turned blue. That’s when the smile disappeared from Chief Ha’s face.

“Who ordered you?”

“What? Who ordered what? I was just trying to test the young master myself. Really.”

Chief Ha silently looked to the side.

The men approached and grabbed Hammer’s arms, which were fixed to the chair.

“Mr. Yoo, think carefully and answer. Who ordered you?”

Yu Ji-gang didn’t answer.

Whack!

The hammer swung silently, striking Yu Ji-gang’s finger. With the sound of flesh being crushed, blood splattered everywhere.

“Argh! Aaaaargh!”

Yu Ji-gang thrashed about wildly.

His little finger was crushed, revealing the bone.

“Who ordered you?”

“Or-ordered… no one…”

Whack!

“Aaaaargh!”

This time it was the ring finger.

Then the middle finger, index finger…

In an instant, all his fingers were a mess. Blood mixed into Yu Ji-gang’s breathing.

Chief Ha in front, the men holding him, and those standing behind all watched Yu Ji-gang crumble with impassive, almost numb expressions.

“Mr. Yoo, you should save your right hand fingers. This is your last chance. I won’t give you another opportunity.”

Chief Ha reached out and lifted the limp head of Yu Ji-gang. His eyes were unfocused.

“Who gave the order?”

“…”

When there was no answer, the men, following Chief Ha’s gaze, grabbed the other wrist.

Yu Ji-gang shuddered and suddenly came to his senses.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Please stop…”

“Speak.”

“Di-Director Cheon Su-man… he asked me to test… That’s right, Director Cheon asked me to. It was Director Cheon who ordered it. It wasn’t me…”

Yu Ji-gang kept emphasizing Director Cheon Su-man.

Chief Ha, who had been staring at his face blankly, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, put it in Yu Ji-gang’s mouth, and then lit one for himself.

“Have a smoke. See how much better it is when you listen the first time?”

Yu Ji-gang couldn’t even properly drag on the cigarette in his mouth. The cigarette hanging in the air trembled along with his lips.

“Where’s the bank account?”

“In the office safe…”

“Is everything there? What about the account the Chairman entrusted separately?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

As Chief Ha raised the hammer again, Yu Ji-gang convulsed and spoke.

“That… that’s also in the office safe…”

Chief Ha took a key out of his pocket and waved it in front of him.

“Is this the right key?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“I’m going to the office now to get it. If there’s even a single won missing…”

“There isn’t, there isn’t.”

Yu Ji-gang nodded and shook his head vigorously with empty eyes.

Chief Ha dropped his cigarette on the floor and stood up.

“Patch him up roughly and give him a cigarette if he wants one. I’ll be back, so keep a good watch on him.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Receiving the men’s greetings, Chief Ha left the factory.

* * *

Chairman Cheon’s expression was indifferent, as if it was natural for Chief Ha to have retrieved the bank account.

“Where’s that guy Ji-gang?”

“For now…”

Chief Ha trailed off, looking at me.

Grandfather glanced at me and urged him on.

“It’s fine. Mu-hyeok should know too. How his grandfather has survived until now.”

“For now, we’ve taken him to an abandoned factory.”

“Hmm… Is he badly hurt?”

“Just a few fingers turned to powder. He talked quickly, so we stopped there.”

Surprise appeared on my face.

In both my previous life and this one, I had never seen this side of Chief Ha.

Chief Ha had always shown only the appearance of a secretary by grandfather’s side, and even after death, he had acted as a secretary by my side.

Seeing my expression, grandfather laughed and said,

“Hahaha, are you surprised, boy?”

“Ah, no, not at all.”

“The loan shark business can’t always be resolved with words. With all that’s happened while amassing that money, you shouldn’t be surprised by just this much.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Chief Ha asked Chairman Cheon,

“How should we handle this?”

“Hmm… He has worked by my side for a long time…”

After pondering for a moment, grandfather asked me,

“Mu-hyeok, what do you think? What should we do?”

What is the correct answer to grandfather’s question?

The answer grandfather wants is…

After organizing my thoughts a bit, I said,

“Let’s make him retire. It seems our relationship has already become irreparable. But if we leave him in that position, he might become a future problem. Keeping such a person close… I don’t think it’s right.”

Grandfather smiled, seemingly pleased with the answer.

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Yes.”

After thinking for a moment, Chairman Cheon said to Chief Ha,

“Well… Retire him. Leave him enough to live on, recover all the money I gave him, and collect all the bonds too. And… if he resists or seems to have other thoughts, handle it as you see fit.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After giving instructions, grandfather looked at me and said,

“Mu-hyeok, you can go now. Are you attending school diligently?”

“Yes, I’m focusing on my school life too.”

“Good. Even if you don’t take the bar exam, treat the people you meet at university well. Korea University students will all be running this country later, understand?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, go rest.”

I bowed and left the study.

I picked up my car keys to go to school.

* * *

After Mu-hyeok left the study, Chairman Cheon and Chief Ha continued their conversation.

“Who was behind this?”

“It was Director Cheon Su-man, sir. He said he asked to test the young master, and that other directors agreed too. But it seems a bit suspicious to say he only trusted Director Cheon Su-man.”

“Is that so?”

“He seems to have gone too far, thinking he’s been with you the longest, Chairman.”

“Hmm…”

“Shouldn’t we at least give him a warning? If something happens to the young master…”

“Something happen? Watch your words.”

As Chairman Cheon’s expression hardened, Chief Ha immediately bowed his head.

“I apologize. I overstepped.”

“…The Cheongpung Group might be involved too. Find out properly before retiring him.”

“Yes. Then what about the first son?”

“Never mind. I’ll handle the first son myself. From now on, keep a close eye on the Economic Planning Board’s movements. Is the Chief Economic Secretary saying anything? I have an odd feeling. And quickly proceed with the account cleanup operation.”

“Yes. The Blue House is currently focusing all its efforts on eradicating Hanahoe, they say. But what about the secret accounts? Should we clean those up too?”

“I’ll entrust that to Mu-hyeok, so keep that in mind.”

“Yes.”

After sending Chief Ha out, Chairman Cheon muttered to himself with a tired look,

“What should I do with that Su-man…”

Though he was colder than anyone to others, Chairman Cheon was also just a father, infinitely weak to his own blood.

* * *

As I entered the lecture hall for class, I felt people’s gazes on me.

I’m still not used to this.

“Mu-hyeok! Over here! Here!”

Seeing Myeong-su calling me with his hand raised, a smile finally spread across my face.

“What kind of person do you think the professor is?”

“Who? Professor Shin?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know, but I hear his students all hold high positions in the courts and prosecutor’s office.”

“Hmm…”

“Are you preparing for the bar exam?”

“Yeah, I’ve started studying. Sigh… Where is my youth going! Is this because of you?”

Just as Myeong-su finished grumbling, the lecture hall door opened and an old man with white hair entered.

After looking around at us, the first thing he said was…

“Do you all know what Article 1, Clause 1 of our Constitution is?”

Someone raised their hand and said,

“The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic.”

“Then what’s Clause 2?”

“Uh… that’s…”

As the student who had raised his hand scratched the back of his head, the old professor said,

“The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea resides in the people, and all state authority emanates from the people.”

The atmosphere in the lecture hall became heavy.

The students were staring intently at the professor’s mouth.

“No matter what position you hold in law after graduating university and passing the bar exam – prosecutor, lawyer, judge… always keep Article 1, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution in your hearts. A legal professional who forgets this is no legal professional at all.”

“Yes!”

Thanks to the students’ energetic and lively voices, a smile bloomed on the professor’s face too.

“Hohoho, freshmen are always so full of energy. I’m sorry for starting the first class with such heavy words.”

“Not at all!”

The lecture hall was filled with the students’ laughter.

“Come to think of it, this year’s top student got a perfect score, right? Where are they?”

Ah! Why!

The gazes of the students in the lecture hall turned towards me.

Following their gazes, the professor’s eyes also looked at me.

“Kim Mu-hyeok? Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“So, why did you enter the law department? What do you plan to do in the future? Prosecutor? Judge? Or lawyer?”

I was at a loss for words at the professor’s sudden question.

But because of my classmates waiting with curious eyes for my answer, I had no choice but to respond.

“I haven’t thought about my career path yet. I plan to think about whether the legal profession is right for me while attending school.”

“Oh ho, this year’s top student is quite an interesting one.”

The lecture hall once again became a sea of laughter.

“Since it’s the first class, why don’t you all briefly introduce yourselves? It would be good to know your classmates before the welcome party, right? Well then, let’s start with our top student since he’s already standing.”

Once again, everyone’s attention, including the professor’s, turned to me.

“Hello, I’m Kim Mu-hyeok. I’m pleased to mee you all in this first class…”

By the time all the students finished their self-introductions, the first class was over.

As I was about to leave the lecture hall, a few people approached and spoke to me.

But none of the people I was targeting approached.

The Korea University Class of ’93 is called the golden class.

I chose the law department with the intention of making some of the people who will rise to key positions in the Supreme Court, Prosecutor’s Office, and Ministry of Justice in the future my own people in advance.

After exchanging a few words with the students who approached me, I left the lecture hall and was walking with Myeong-su when someone called out to me.

“Kim Mu-hyeok!”

Turning my head at the voice calling me, I saw Cheon Ji-soo, Cheon Su-man’s daughter, approaching me.

“I have something to talk to you about. Do you have time?”

Myeong-su was dumbstruck at the sight of Cheon Ji-soo’s face, and the surrounding students were also whispering, looking back and forth between me and Cheon Ji-soo.

“What is it?”

“Let’s go somewhere quiet to talk.”

My cousin sister, whom I hadn’t exchanged a word with at the previous family gathering.

Cheon Ji-soo was more cunning than anyone I knew.

A nine-tailed fox hiding a knife behind her beauty and smile.