Episode 173
“Wow, you actually found them?” Kim Min-sik’s eyes gleamed as he spoke to Assemblyman Oh Young-soo on the phone. “You’ve worked hard.”
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It wasn’t easy. Fortunately, one of my contacts had connections.
He had asked the assemblyman to identify the speculators who had triggered the market crash, and after a vague initial response, he had arranged a meeting in just two days.
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They’re available tomorrow evening. How about you?
“I’m available anytime. I’ll clear my schedule. Thank you.”
He hung up the phone, smiling. “Good, good.”
He was excited, eager to punish those who had dared to cross Baek In-hwi.
“I have to tell him the good news.” He felt like a child eager for praise, his heart pounding as he called Baek In-hwi.
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Hello.
“Sir, it’s Kim Min-sik!” he said excitedly. “I found them!”
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What? What are you talking about?
“The speculators who triggered the crash! I found them!”
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Really? Baek In-hwi sounded genuinely surprised.
“Yes! Here’s what happened…”
“Oh, is that so?”
Kim Min-sik had turned a chance encounter into an opportunity. As expected.
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We’re the biggest player in the IT sector now, aren’t we? I’ll pretend to cooperate with them and then crush them.
“Hahaha, excellent work, Mr. President. As expected.”
I nodded. “It’s good to have someone I can trust. You’re my right-hand man. Excellent.”
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Thank you, sir. I’ll make them pay.
I was smiling, imagining their downfall, when a thought suddenly occurred to me. “Do you know anything about them? Who are they?”
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I haven’t met them yet, so I don’t know the details.
“Is that so?”
Speculators usually had connections to organized crime or had their own underlings to handle their dirty work.
They would undoubtedly seek revenge against Kim Min-sik, and their methods might involve violence.
I had assigned some heihaizi to protect him, but not many.
“We have to take precautions. They won’t let this go.”
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You’ve provided me with bodyguards, sir.
“There are only a dozen of them. Do you think they’ll care when they’re blinded by revenge? We have to consider your family’s safety as well.”
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… He was silent for a moment, and then said in a choked voice, – You’re… you’re thinking about my family? I’m touched.
“Of course. Your family is my family.”
The Baek In-hwi squad, which had been growing steadily, now had over 1,000 members. It was a much larger and more organized force compared to the 300 or so members of the Park Sol squad, which operated in the open.
Except for the 50 or so core members who knew my true identity, the rest were organized into small cells, knowing only their direct superiors. Even if one cell was exposed, the rest would be safe. It was a typical underground organization structure. All they knew was that they had been given a new identity and an opportunity.
“I’ll send you 100 men.”
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A h-hundred, sir? His voice was filled with surprise.
I smiled. “You need that many for 24/7 close protection, with rotating shifts. And only one of them knows my true identity, so be careful what you say around them.”
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Thank you, sir. I’ll do anything for you.
“Is there anyone else you need protection for? Relatives? Friends?”
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Don’t worry about that, sir. My parents are deceased. Relatives? I don’t care if they’re kidnapped or killed. And I don’t have any friends.
His bitter tone suggested a painful past. I nodded. “I understand.”
I had also cut ties with my own relatives.
They had treated me like dirt when I was poor, but now they were clinging to me like leeches, hoping to benefit from my success. I no longer considered them family.
“I’ll send 100 men to protect your family. Money is important, but safety comes first.”
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Thank you, sir.
“It’s nothing. You’re my face, my representative. I can send a thousand men if necessary, so don’t hesitate to ask.”
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You can count on me, sir! I’ll show them what a mad dog can do!
The next day, Kim Min-sik met with five middle-aged men.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kim Min-sik.”
One of the men, smiling, said, “The pleasure is all ours. I’m Hwang Gil-soo. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“It’s nothing. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” He sat down and asked excitedly, “Are you all from the same group?”
“No, we’re more like an information sharing network,” Hwang Gil-soo replied, shaking his head.
“I see. So you’re the ones who triggered the market decline,” Kim Min-sik said.
“That’s right. I was already planning to do it, but Chunha Group’s announcement gave us the perfect opportunity.”
Kim Min-sik burst out laughing. “That’s amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed watching Park Sol apologize at the press conference.”
“Haha, it was nothing.”
“And I made a fortune thanks to the crash. I should thank you.” He stood up and bowed deeply.
“You don’t have to do that. We didn’t do it for your gratitude.”
“But I’m still grateful.”
“Haha, well, it’s fate that brought us together. Let’s have a drink and talk.”
They filled their glasses, and Hwang Gil-soo raised his glass. “To new partnerships! Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
After taking a sip, he said, “Joongang Investment Corporation seems to be doing well these days.”
“Doing well? We’re just trying to recover our principal.” Important information slipped out, and Hwang Gil-soo’s eyes gleamed. “Really?”
“Yes, we invested all our surplus funds in IT, but there are problems elsewhere, so we’re selling our shares to raise cash.”
“So the decline will end soon.”
Kim Min-sik said nonchalantly, “We don’t have that much influence over the market.”
“You’re being modest. Who else can control the IT sector like Joongang Investment Corporation? You can make the price go up or down as you please.”
Hwang Gil-soo leaned closer. “Isn’t that right?”
“Haha, you’re giving me too much credit.”
“Too much credit? You’re being too modest. Hahaha.”
Hwang Gil-soo, after praising Joongang Investment Corporation for a while, narrowed his eyes. “Knowing that the decline will end soon is enough for me. The stock market is all about information warfare.”
“That’s right. Information is key.”
“So…” he said with a smile. “How about joining our group, CEO Kim?”
Kim Min-sik, delighted that things were going according to plan, feigned surprise. “Me?”
“Yes, we might not be as big as Joongang Investment Group, but we have our own influence. Together, we can control the IT market.”
“This is so sudden…”
“You won’t regret it. I have connections in politics and finance, and the others also have their own areas of expertise. Together, we can achieve anything.”
Kim Min-sik said with a thoughtful expression, “It’s a tempting offer…”
“There are countless opportunities for profit if we join forces and manipulate the market. Options, futures… it’s easy money.”
He said after pretending to ponder the offer, “I’ll have to ask my boss, but I’m sure he’ll agree. He’s given me full authority.”
Hwang Gil-soo’s eyes gleamed. “Your boss… the one they talk about…?”
“Hehe, he’s a powerful figure. But this changes our plans. I was planning to withdraw our investments and then slowly reinvest, but with such reliable partners…” He looked at them with a trusting expression. “…I might have to propose additional investment.”
“Additional investment? You just said you were short on funds.”
“That’s just Joongang Investment. My boss has unlimited resources. I’ll suggest he invest another 10 trillion won.”
The men stirred at his words. “Another 10 trillion won?”
“Yes, I’ll tell him we can double it to 20 trillion won. We have a proven track record.”
“I’ve heard the rumors, but this is amazing. Can you tell us who he is?”
Kim Min-sik suddenly became serious. “That’s classified information. A top secret known only to me within the group, even in all of Korea. If that’s a condition for joining your group, I’ll have to decline.”
Hwang Gil-soo waved his hands hastily. “No, no, I was just curious. Of course, it’s confidential.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll discuss it with my boss. I’m sure he’ll agree.”
With an additional 10 trillion won from Kim Min-sik’s boss, they would be unstoppable. Their faces lit up.
“We can control the entire market then.”
“Exactly.”
“Welcome to the group, CEO Kim,” Hwang Gil-soo said, smiling.
“I’m not officially a member yet, but… thank you for the warm welcome.”
As they were celebrating, a man at the far end of the table suddenly slammed his hand down and said with a grim expression, “Are you all insane?! I told you yesterday, I’m against this! I’m against working with Joongang Investment!”
Kim Min-sik looked at Hwang Gil-soo. “Who’s that?”
“I apologize, he’s one of our members, but he’s been acting strangely since yesterday…”
The man interrupted him, his face contorted in anger. “Are you all blinded by greed?! It’s Kim Min-sik! The mad dog! Has anyone ever benefited from working with him?! Of course, the combination of his money and our information would be ideal, but it’s still Kim Min-sik! The man who destroyed countless companies, even Daehoo Group! The man who even turned against his own partner, Park Sol of Chunha Group! He could easily betray us, give us false information, and then dump his shares on us!”
Kim Min-sik flinched at his accurate assessment but quickly regained his composure. “Do you really think I would do that?”
Hwang Gil-soo said hastily, “He’s just excited. He lost a lot of money on Daehoo shares, so he has a grudge…”
The man interrupted him angrily. “Do you think that’s why I’m against this?! Losing and winning in the stock market is normal! I don’t trust him! It’s Kim Min-sik! There’s a reason people say you’re guaranteed to lose money if you work with him!”
Kim Min-sik said calmly, listening to his rant, “So you’re against me because of those rumors?”
“I’m against it. I’m leaving this group if you join.”
Kim Min-sik smiled. “Is that so? Good.”
“What?”
“Mr. Hwang.”
“Y-yes?”
“I’m not joining if he stays. Choose.”
“Th-that…”
“And what’s his name?”
Hwang Gil-soo hesitated and then said, “B-Bae Sang-yong.”
“Mr. Bae Sang-yong.” Kim Min-sik smirked, looking at him. “You shouldn’t be so openly hostile. It makes people wary.”
“What?”
“You’re dead, whether I join or not.” He smiled brightly. “I never forgive those who show their teeth at me.”
He enjoyed Bae Sang-yong’s increasingly pale face. “I’ll hunt you down and ruin you. I’m trying to be a nice person, but the world won’t let me. Did you hear that? You’re going to die.”