Free Web Novel“He’s still in Las Vegas, gambling like a damn fool?”
I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
His father just lost control of the company and got kicked out of the chairman seat, and the guy who caused it all is off playing in a casino?
“Yes. We’ve confirmed his current location. He hasn’t even stepped outside the hotel.”
“Didn’t he go there with his mother? That’s what I remember.”
“That’s the weird part. Apparently, that woman’s tangled up with some white guy...”
At this point, Kim Seonghak was starting to seem almost pitiful.
I shook my head and sighed.
“What’s Seonghak’s next move?”
“He filed for an injunction with the court, claiming procedural issues. But thanks to the groundwork we laid, it’ll definitely be dismissed.”
“Well, I expected that. Anything else?”
“He visited Chairman Kim Seonghyuk. I don’t know what was said, but people say his expression when he came out was a sight to behold.”
Whether he begged or raged, I could only imagine.
But the Kim Seonghyuk I knew was a man so blinded by revenge that nothing else mattered to him.
Even when I said we’d have to hand over both Hyeonhwa Life and Hyeonhwa Card, he didn’t hesitate for a second.
“Let’s start by tracking Kim Hyunjik’s gambling funds. Find out how the money got to the U.S. and report it to me.”
“Yes, I’ve already given the order.”
“We can start surfacing Kim Seonghak’s personal corruption too. I’ll handle that myself, so don’t worry about it.”
Chief Ma was already overworked—he could’ve used two more bodies. Everything seemed to land on his plate.
“Actually, I was thinking of hiring a personal secretary.”
For once, Chief Ma’s typically expressionless face widened in genuine surprise.
“A... secretary?”
“Oh—don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I’m unhappy with you. It’s just... there’s too much work.”
“But...”
There were so many sensitive tasks that it was difficult to bring anyone in to replace him.
“Just think about it for now.”
“Understood.”
“I don’t have anything on my schedule today, right?”
“You haven’t mentioned anything specific.”
“Then I guess I’ll grab dinner with my friends. Postpone anything non-urgent until tomorrow.”
After sending Chief Ma out, I called Myungsoo and Hyunseong and made plans to meet them in the evening.
‘Hyunseong’s going to need something new to work on soon.’
All the Japanese-backed loan firms had pulled out, and every bit of their empty space had been claimed by Myeongdong.
Some small loan offices had trickled into the market, but they weren’t worth worrying about.
After aggressive nationwide marketing, over 90% of Korea’s loan market was now under Myeongdong Capital’s umbrella.
We had completely secured our footing. No need to worry about latecomers anymore.
The same old samgyeopsal place we used to frequent after getting into college.
Fancy restaurants didn’t feel right with these guys.
Other than renting out the whole place to avoid the crowds, nothing had changed.
The grimy signboard, the grease-stained ventilation fans. I slid open the aluminum door and walked inside.
There were no other customers—Myungsoo and Hyunseong were already seated, grilling meat and sipping drinks.
“You’re here.”
Myungsoo waved at me. Hyunseong glanced over without a word.
I’d told Chief Ma and the rest of the security to wait outside.
“You already started, huh?”
“Man, you’re the one who was late.”
The round iron table. Samgyeopsal was sizzling over the charcoal in the middle.
“Sit your ass down before the meat burns.”
I took a seat on a round stool with no backrest.
“I thought you’d dropped your dialect, but I guess not.”
“I’m just with you two. Who cares? I don’t need to be formal.”
That was what I liked about Myungsoo.
No matter how much I changed or what position I held, he hadn’t changed from the very first time we met.
“Ha, even this place hasn’t changed.”
Myungsoo looked around and smiled nostalgically.
“We’re the ones who’ve changed,” Hyunseong said heavily.
I nodded.
“Hyunseong’s right. We’ve changed. But let’s not let our friendship change.”
Myungsoo chuckled, poured soju into a beer glass, and handed it to me. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
“We’re late, so first one’s a shot. After that, it’s soju-beer bombs. Cool?”
I took the glass and drank it down in one go.
The strong scent of soju burned down my throat and flared in my nose.
“It’s been a while since I had soju.”
“Well, yeah. Our high-and-mighty Muhyuk probably only drinks the expensive stuff. Meanwhile, your friend’s stuck doing overtime every damn day.”
He grumbled as he mixed us another round.
“How’s Seoul treating you?”
“Same old shit. Everything in dramas is a damn lie. There’s no time to even breathe, let alone drink.”
I had Myungsoo transferred from Busan to Seoul to build his political career.
I’d done it before Prosecutor Yoon’s retirement.
“Crazy bastard.”
“Screw you. I’m serious.”
I laughed as Myungsoo and Hyunseong bickered.
“What are you laughing at?”
Myungsoo scowled and tossed grilled meat onto both mine and Hyunseong’s plates.
We drank and laughed for a long time.
“Hyunseong, isn’t there something you want to do?”
“Me?”
“I think it’s time you moved on from Myeongdong. It’s all stabilized now, and I trust that Kim can handle it. You’ve worked hard helping me. So tell me what you really want to do.”
When Hyunseong didn’t answer, Myungsoo glanced between us and said bluntly,
“You told me what it was, didn’t you?”
“Hey!”
Hyunseong’s voice jumped.
“This bastard keeps dropping hints. You’re annoying as hell.”
But Myungsoo didn’t back down.
“I didn’t drop any hints.”
“Then just say it. You told me, so why not Muhyuk?”
Hyunseong opened his mouth, then shut it again.
Myungsoo clicked his tongue and drank his soju-beer.
“Let’s not walk on eggshells around each other. I mean, yeah, he’s not like us anymore. But seriously, it’s still Kim Muhyuk. You think he’s gonna ditch us? Am I wrong?”
As we get older, friends like this become harder to find.
Myungsoo and Hyunseong were those people for me.
The ones who could say what no one else dared to.
Frustrated, Hyunseong downed a full glass of soju.
The only sound was the faint sizzle of meat, like distant rain.
“...I’m still thinking it over. I don’t know if it’s right.”
Finally, Hyunseong spoke.
“Working in Myeongdong made me realize just how much I didn’t know. I started reading books on my own.”
“You studied? Damn, I never thought I’d see Park Hyunseong crack a book.”
“...The government’s all about pushing venture support lately. I thought it might be worth investing in that space.”
“You want to start a venture capital firm?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s what you’re talking about.”
Maybe he hadn’t fully researched it yet, but I understood right away.
It was like the venture capital boom happening in the U.S.—invest in startups, reap profits when they go public, or help them grow together. It was the core of the upcoming IT bubble.
“Good. Go for it. I’ll fund it. You pick the staff and the companies to invest in. If I get involved, then it’s not yours anymore. And that defeats the purpose.”
“...”
“What? You said you wanted to do it. If you studied, then I know you’re serious.”
“What if I fail?”
“In the U.S., even if one out of ten ventures succeeds, it’s considered a jackpot. Don’t worry. Just try it.”
Sending Hyunseong to Myeongdong had been the right call.
The guy who only knew how to fight... was now grasping the core of something much bigger.
I was genuinely curious to see what kind of companies he’d pick.
“I’ll help with the setup. Ownership: you get 51%, I take 29%, Myungsoo 20%.”
“Oh? Me too?”
“The more Hyunseong grows the company, the more benefit we both get. Even if it fails, I don’t care. It’s not a big deal.”
“There you go. See? If you’d just talked to him, this would’ve been settled already. Instead, you were stressing out on your own.”
“...Tch.”
“That damn bear.”
Hyunseong didn’t respond right away.
Maybe he was still unsure—or maybe he was worried it’d be a burden on me.
“You worked in Myeongdong, right? You know that a couple failures won’t even make a dent.”
There was no way Hyunseong didn’t know how much wealth I really had after handling all that paperwork.
“Don’t feel pressured. This is me investing in you.”
“Damn it... fine.”
Myungsoo, already mixing more drinks, handed us each a glass and raised his own.
“To Hyunseong’s new beginning!”
...That was the last thing I remembered.
“Ugh... I’m dying.”
When I checked the clock, it was already past noon. I could still taste the soju on my breath.
I called out to Chief Ma quietly.
“What time did it end?”
“You finished at 4 a.m.”
“That late? Damn. And the others?”
“I escorted them home.”
I downed the ice water he handed me, then recalled the conversation from last night before everything went fuzzy.
‘HS Venture Capital. Let’s go with that.’
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Chief Ma, we need to set up a corporation.”
I instructed him to begin preparations for the VC firm.
“Start with capital of 10 billion won. For now, list you and me as the founders. We’ll change that later. Put Hyunseong down as the CEO.”
Then I called Myungsoo.
“You awake?”
—“What time is it?”
He sounded groggy.
“Three o’clock.”
—“Shit! It’s that late already?”
“If you’ve sobered up, let’s meet.”
—“Again?”
“Thinking back on yesterday, we only talked about Hyunseong’s job. It’s time you made a name for yourself too.”
—“Alright.”
As I arrived near Myungsoo’s officetel, he called again.
—“Where are you?”
“Right outside your place.”
—“Come up. Time to show off my skills.”
The door was already open.
“You’re here? Sit down.”
When I came in, he had soybean sprout soup and rice ready on the table.
“You’re this busy and still cooking?”
“I’m sick of eating out.”
He used to only cook instant noodles...
His face said more than his words ever could.
We started eating and got into the real conversation.
“So, you’re saying I should arrest Kim Seonghak? A former chaebol chairman?”
“He’s not a chairman anymore.”
“Yeah, I know that much but... someone like me can’t exactly pull that off.”
“We’ll say it started as a tip-off investigation. I’ll handle the higher-ups. You need to start prepping now if you’re going to run for the general election next year.”
“...Politics, huh.”
Myungsoo rubbed his forehead like it already gave him a headache.
“Hyeonhwa will send over the materials. Embezzlement, slush funds—you’ll have all the dirt. Just review it and issue the summons.”
Kim Seonghyuk was already targeting the secretaries who used to manage Seonghak’s slush funds.
Now that the throne had changed, and they’d lost their backing overnight, they were turning on him to survive. All the things that had never appeared in the official ledgers were now spilling out of their mouths.
“And... drag Kim Hyunjik back to Korea too.”
I still had to see that bastard’s face for myself.
