Episode 162
The chairman of the Korea Used Car Association gritted his teeth as he watched a Chunha Used Cars commercial on TV. “Trustworthy Chunha Used Cars? Are you saying we’re not trustworthy?”
He had worked hard to build the used car market, enduring insults from the public and ridicule from other gangs.
Used cars had been considered a low-status business, beneath the dignity of organized crime. Other gangs had only recently entered the market, lured by the increasing profits.
And then, just as the market was booming thanks to the “recycle and reuse” campaign during the IMF crisis, Chunha Used Cars had appeared out of nowhere.
“Those bastards.”
Backed by their parent company’s vast resources, they were disrupting the market and destroying the ecosystem he had carefully cultivated.
He turned off the TV and muttered, “At least things will calm down after the fourth recruitment drive. I wonder who the traitors will be this time.”
He had hoped there wouldn’t be any more defections from the director-level companies, but it was wishful thinking.
They were all greedy bastards, willing to do anything for money.
“If only I knew in advance… I could stop them…”
He had already mobilized all his men in preparation for a conflict.
If he knew who the traitors were, he could make an example of them with the help of the loyal directors and their gangs, and although there would be some resentment, he could contain the situation.
As he was pondering this, his phone rang.
“Hello?”
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Greetings, is this the chairman of the Korea Used Car Association?
“Yes, it is. Who is this?”
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Are you interested in the list of applicants for the fourth Chunha Used Cars recruitment drive?
He was startled. “The application list?”
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Yes, I happened to acquire it. Are you interested in buying it?
A seller offering the application list at such a perfect time? It was too good to be true.
He said with a serious expression, “Who are you?”
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Does it matter?
“How did you acquire it?”
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That doesn’t matter either.
“You expect me to believe that Chunha Used Cars leaked such sensitive information at this time?”
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You’re asking the wrong questions. So you don’t need it? I thought it would be mutually beneficial.
The chairman was a veteran gangster with decades of experience in schemes and conspiracies. There were no coincidences, and anyone offering a favor at such a time was suspicious.
This man met all the criteria for suspicion.
“I’ll ask you again. Who are you?”
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Hmm, you keep asking the same question. This is going nowhere. I’ll be waiting at the Starbucks across from Singil Station. Bring money if you’re interested. Goodbye.
“Hey! Hey!”
The man hung up, and the chairman, clenching his phone tightly, shouted,
“Director Lee!”
His right-hand man rushed in. “What is it, sir?”
He ripped off his tie. “Gather the men! We’re going to Singil Station!”
He arrived at the Starbucks with his men and called the man.
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Hello?
“I’m at Starbucks. I brought the money. Hand over the list.”
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Hehehe… The man chuckled. – You expect me to appear with all your thugs around?
The chairman, realizing he was being watched, scanned his surroundings. “They’re just my bodyguards. Where are you?”
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Never mind. I value my life. I left it at the counter. Goodbye.
The man hung up again, and the chairman, losing his temper, shouted, “That bastard is playing games with me!”
The other customers in the Starbucks looked at him nervously. He looked like a gangster.
“Find anyone suspicious!”
Director Lee said cautiously, “Do you have a description…?”
“I don’t know! Just bring anyone who looks suspicious!”
“Y-yes, sir.”
He stormed towards the counter and then shouted at the other customers, who were staring at him, “What are you looking at?!”
He approached the barista. “Did a suspicious man leave anything here?”
The terrified barista hurriedly retrieved a briefcase from under the counter. “He said to give this to the chairman…”
“I’m the chairman. Give it to me.”
He snatched the briefcase, opened it roughly, and saw a stack of papers inside. His eyes widened as he looked through them.
“This is… insane.”
The papers contained a list of all the applicants for the fourth recruitment drive, neatly organized by company sales.
There were 25,000 applicants, and the top ten were all director-level companies.
They were traitors.
He had expected many defectors, but not this many.
Director Lee, seeing his trembling hands, asked cautiously, “Are you alright, sir?”
“So many… traitors…”
“Should we mobilize the men? You said you wanted to make an example of them.”
“…” He shook his head, his face grim. “No, we’ll bury this.”
“What?”
“There are too many. This will cause a civil war within the association. It’s better to… to just let them go and reorganize.” He gathered the papers with trembling hands. “If this is real and it gets out… no! Keep this a secret! Absolutely confidential!”
“So you’re letting the traitors go?”
“It’s the best option.”
Just then, his phone rang. It was Director Kim, one of his allies.
He took a deep breath and answered the phone, trying to sound calm. “Hello, Director Kim, what is it?”
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Chairman, I have some incredible news!
He suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. “What news?”
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I acquired the list of applicants for the fourth recruitment drive! We know who the traitors are!
“The l-list?”
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Yes! We can finally purge the traitors and restore order within the association!
He stumbled, his voice trembling. “Is it true?”
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Yes, a man approached me, claiming he had acquired it by chance, and offered to sell it to me.
It was the same offer he had received. He said in a daze, “It’s a trap.”
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What?
“It’s Chunha Used Cars’ trap.”
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What are you talking about? Director Kim, excited, continued bragging about his achievement. – So I…
“Director Kim, let’s hang up for now. And don’t reveal the list to anyone until we’ve discussed it. Understand?”
He hung up and slumped onto his chair. “What am I going to do…?”
His phone started ringing again.
They were all his allies.
He didn’t answer, but he knew why they were calling.
“Those Chunha bastards…”
The association was in chaos.
The chairman’s efforts to contain the situation and dismiss the leaked list as a trap were futile.
The list was real, and the traitors, their identities exposed, no longer tried to hide. They formed their own faction, and with the support of the dealers who had already defected, their numbers rivaled the chairman’s.
As Chunha Used Cars issued a public apology for the “leak” and announced another fourth recruitment drive, the “traitor” faction openly expressed their support for Chunha, ignoring the association.
And then CEO Choi, ostensibly one of the chairman’s allies, demanded punishment for the traitors. “What are we, if we let the traitors go unpunished? A gang without honor is doomed! We have to punish them!”
The chairman said wearily, “Let’s just let them go. They’re leaving anyway. We can reorganize and move on.”
“So you’re going to let those shameless bastards get away with it?”
“And what are you going to do? Start a war?”
CEO Choi said with a determined expression, “If we have to.”
The chairman said incredulously, “Do you think this is the 1980s? If we start a gang war, the police will intervene. Do you want to go to prison?”
He was right, but many directors agreed with CEO Choi. “But we can’t just do nothing… It’s embarrassing… We have to do something…”
“What if they attack us first?”
The chairman shook his head. “That won’t happen. They don’t want a war either. Let’s just let them go and strengthen our own ranks.”
“Almost half of the 30 directors have betrayed us! If they all join Chunha Used Cars, we’ll lose control of the market!”
The chairman finally exploded. “Enough! Are you questioning my authority?!” He glared at the directors. “We have to be patient. If we act rashly, we’ll fall into Chunha Used Cars’ trap.”
CEO Choi sat down and thought,
‘Just a little more pressure, and he’ll break.’ He had been instructed by Park Sol to instigate a war between the association and the “traitors.”
But the chairman was surprisingly stubborn.
‘I have no choice. I have to use the last resort.’ He secretly texted his subordinate under the table.
About ten minutes later, his subordinate rushed in.
“Boss!”
CEO Choi, feigning surprise, said, “What’s with the commotion? There are other people here.”
“It’s not important! Our guys were attacked! Two of them!”
“What?!” He put on an angry expression. “Where?! Who did it?!”
“They said it was one of the traitor gangs…”
The directors started murmuring, and CEO Choi slammed his fist on the table. “Those bastards! See? I told you! They’re looking down on us! I can’t take this anymore! If the association won’t do anything, we’ll handle it ourselves!”
The chairman said urgently, “Calm down and let’s discuss this rationally…”
“We have to retaliate!”
“That’s right!”
And no one noticed CEO Choi’s smirk.