Free Web NovelAfter the meeting with Kim Byungwoo, Han Kyungyeong immediately announced his appointment as Chairman of Joongwoo Group. Dreamhigh Investment would retain ownership, but all management responsibilities were handed over to Kim Byungwoo.
Han Kyungyeong’s statement was welcomed with open arms by the Blue House and political circles alike.
No matter how friendly he was to Korea, he was still foreign capital.
A few days later, on the day of Kim Byungwoo’s inauguration as chairman—
He briefly spoke about the path Joongwoo Group should follow and his personal aspirations, ending the ceremony quickly.
And that same day, I went down to Busan to see Grandma.
“Grandma!”
I opened the door and called out, and she came rushing out from the kitchen. The house was filled with the smell of delicious food—she must’ve been cooking since dawn.
The house I hadn’t visited in quite a while still felt as comfortable as always.
After we ate, I sat across from her in the living room and snatched the tray of apples she brought out, insisting on peeling them myself.
“How’s your work going?”
“It’s the same as always. Constantly hectic.”
“What about the in-laws?”
“Her health keeps getting worse.”
“That’s tough... Muhyuk, make sure you take care of her. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
Grandma stabbed a slice of apple with a fork and held it out to me.
I took it and chewed as I asked,
“How about you? You doing okay?”
“Nothing to worry about. Don’t concern yourself with me.”
“If I don’t worry about you, who will?”
We chatted for a long time about how things had been lately, and then Grandma cautiously spoke up.
“So, um... Muhyuk.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you remember the grandma who used to sell things at the market with me?”
“Who?”
“You know, Grandma Sunja. Don’t you remember? When you were little, she used to always buy you treats.”
It was such an old memory that I couldn’t recall it right away.
“Not really... Why?”
“Well...”
She hesitated.
“What’s going on? Why’d you stop talking?”
“It’s just... they say Sunja’s granddaughter was caught with drugs or something like that, but that kid’s not like that. She’s such a sweet girl...”
“Did you ask Hyunseong’s father?”
“I did. But he said there’s no evidence except Seonghee’s statement. She’s in prison now. I visited her recently... Sunja’s beside herself.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“I shouldn’t have brought it up, with how busy you are.”
“I’ll be in Busan for a few days.”
I asked Grandma for more details, but even she didn’t know much.
So I arranged to meet Hyunseong’s father at a nearby barbecue place to ask him directly.
“Well, look who it is—Muhyuk!”
“Father, you’re here?”
“Ha! Sit, sit. Why are you getting up like that?”
As he entered the restaurant and took his seat, he called out.
“Ajumma! Bring us another shot glass!”
The middle-aged woman brought over the glass with a smile.
“Ah, it’s Chief Park.”
“Still running your shop without flies swarming it? If any come buzzing around, let me know, okay?”
Since being promoted to Senior Inspector last year and becoming head of Investigations, Hyunseong’s father hadn’t been going out to the field much—his belly had grown noticeably.
“Here, have a drink.”
“Yes, sir.”
“So, about Grandma Sunja?”
“She didn’t really know much.”
Pouring the drink, he let out a long sigh.
“I know Seonghee a bit too. It’s a complicated case. She was caught at the airport trying to smuggle meth into the country. According to her, she was asked to do it while returning from a trip to Taiwan... There’s no evidence except her testimony, so she ended up arrested.”
“Taiwan?” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
“Yeah. She was caught at Gimpo Airport, so it wasn’t even our jurisdiction. You think I wouldn’t have gone up there with Sunja and your grandma otherwise? But the amount was massive—five kilograms. Hidden inside a green tea gift set. Surprised she didn’t get caught at the Taiwan airport.”
He downed his shot in frustration.
Bringing five kilos of meth into the country would definitely lead to a prison sentence.
Now that I thought about it, I vaguely remembered seeing this on the news.
“Was a domestic organization involved?”
“No idea. Seonghee didn’t seem to know anything. She said they promised her some money if she delivered it... Naive or stupid, who knows.”
“Was there a trial already?”
“No, she’s still in pretrial detention.”
“Any lawyer?”
“Sunja’s got no money. She raised Seonghee alone, and now she’s using a public defender. But you know how that goes.”
He clicked his tongue and shook his head.
It was clear this had been weighing on him.
“Sunja lives for Seonghee—it’s a tragedy. And I can’t even do anything to help. I told Myungsoo, at least.”
“I’ll look into it properly.”
He nodded at my words.
As the pork belly grilled and we drank soju, we chatted about this and that.
“Heard you told Myungsoo to go into politics?”
“Yes.”
“That little punk? What politics? Forget it.”
“You and Myungsoo’s dad underestimate him too much.”
“It’s not that. Have you seen the state of politicians lately? It’s terrifying to imagine he’d end up like them.”
“He’ll do well. I’ll support him.”
“Myungsoo’s dad’s been worried.”
“His dad?”
“Running that nightclub, you know he hasn’t exactly done everything by the book. He’s afraid he’ll be a burden to Myungsoo’s future... All parents feel the same, I suppose.”
He hadn’t heard this directly, but maybe it was something only a fellow parent could understand.
“I’ll go visit him.”
“Do that. Everything else going fine for you?”
“Yeah. Nothing serious.”
“Well, you’ve always managed on your own. It was Myungsoo and Hyunseong that were the problem. Who knows what they’d be doing if not for you.”
I escorted the tipsy Chief home and headed back.
“Chief, contact Geukseong and ask them where domestic drug distribution is taking place. They should already be tracking it.”
“Yes, sir.”
I spent a few more days in Busan with Grandma before heading back to Seoul.
There was a lot to do.
“Drugs in Korea are tightly controlled in Seoul by a Taiwanese Triad group called Zhoulianbang. The Busan side is dominated by the Japanese.”
“And Geukseong?”
“They’re not involved in distribution—because of your orders. But they don’t interfere with drug circulation in entertainment venues. They say stopping that would kill the business.”
I nodded slowly.
That was within expectations.
“Bring in Chairman Lee.”
“Yes, boss.”
Two hours later, Lee Sanggeun arrived at the Myeongdong office.
“President, you called?”
“Welcome.”
He now looked much more like the man I used to know—cold and razor-sharp, like a finely honed blade.
A boss in every sense.
“You’ve settled in nicely.”
“Thanks to you.”
Geukseong Construction had aggressively expanded under its first boss, Park Dongsu, through acquisitions.
Under Lee Sanggeun, its growth accelerated during the financial crisis.
Most of the business had now been legitimized—enough to be called a mid-sized company, if not a conglomerate.
Construction, distribution, entertainment... officially legal businesses, though they were still heavily involved in illegal activities.
“Any internal issues?”
“No major conflict, thanks to good distribution of profits.”
“That’s good. I called you in because I have a question. How many foreign crime groups have entered Korea so far?”
“China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam are # Nоvеlight # the main ones.”
“Are they large?”
He thought for a moment, then replied clearly.
“Chinese groups are active in Guro and Incheon. Taiwanese in Dongdaemun. Filipinos and Vietnamese are in southern Gyeonggi Province.”
“No conflicts?”
“Not with us. The Chinese groups are a bit unfriendly in Incheon, but other than that, no overlap.”
No overlap in business?
Then foreign organizations must be making all their profit from drug distribution.
“Then how are they making money?”
“They mostly target their own nationals, or take cuts from wages. Some run clubs and bars, but on a small scale. Still, their main income is from drugs.”
So they’re exploiting their own people working in Korea... I felt my brow furrow involuntarily.
Noticing my expression, Lee Sanggeun tensed.
“Absolute scum.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you. According to reports, the group is called Zhoulianbang?”
“Yes. One of the top Triads in Taiwan. And as far as we know, they’re the only Taiwanese group currently operating in Korea.”
Something about this stinks.
“They haven’t approached us?”
“They did back when Brother Dongsu was around. Tried to get us to work with them on drug distribution. But you’d already forbidden drugs, so we turned them down. Haven’t heard from them since.”
“Still got their contact?”
“Yes.”
“Can I meet them?”
Lee Sanggeun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You want to meet them personally?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“...It’s not that, but with all due respect, they’re not worth your time. None of their members in Korea are high-level figures.”
“Is that so?”
If there was no one with real authority, then there was no need to meet.
“Then contact the Korean rep. Ask them about the meth smuggling case at Gimpo Airport. Tell them to cough up whoever’s responsible. If they don’t want to talk, we can force it, right?”
“Yes. There aren’t many Taiwanese operatives in Korea. And they mostly work with Koreans. I believe they have around 50 people total.”
Smaller than I expected.
“And they’ve locked down the drug trade with just that?”
“Yes. And they don’t take all the profits themselves. They pass second-tier distribution to other groups and split the profits.”
“With the Chinese groups?”
“Yes. The Chinese groups are big, and they’re not just one—they’re several.”
Their countries aren’t exactly friendly, but their gangs are?
“Even if they fought here, it would do more harm than good. The Taiwanese handle initial distribution, then pass it to the Chinese. And the drugs shipped into Korea get smuggled into Japan through Busan by the yakuza.”
“The yakuza haven’t fully pulled out?”
“Most have. But the Taiwanese only hand off drugs to them—small-scale operation.”
“...All right. Handle what I’ve given you first. Thanks for your time.”
“Of course. I’ll see you soon.”
Maybe this could get more interesting than I thought.
“Chief, ask Director Lee Chanjong about the Taiwanese Triads. Also dig into Zhoulianbang specifically. I’m sure the NIS has a file on them.”
“Yes, boss.”
Getting Jo Seonghee off with a suspended sentence, as Grandma asked, wouldn’t be difficult.
But I planned to use this opportunity to learn more about the foreign crime syndicates operating in Korea.
