Free Web Novel“Boss, I have a report for you.”
On the way back to the Myeongdong office after the detention center visit, Chief Ma spoke quietly.
“I looked into the Zhuliánbāng.”
“And? What did you find?”
“Taiwan has far stronger collusion between the business world, politics, and organized crime than Hong Kong or Japan. You could say there’s practically no boundary.”
“I thought Taiwan had good public safety?”
I’d heard that Taiwan’s public safety was on par with Korea’s.
Chief Ma nodded.
“On an international scale, it’s pretty good. But whenever there are occasional disputes between gangs, someone always ends up dead. Thanks to the political powers coexisting with the mobs, things just get swept under the rug without serious consequences.”
We arrived at the Myeongdong office and I was able to hear more in detail.
“Some of their top leadership are even disguised as members of parliament. They're openly active in politics.”
“Now that makes sense. How else could that much meth have left Taiwan without a hitch?”
Most likely an airport security officer colluding with the black society knowingly let it through.
“They’re also deeply involved with the business sector. Taiwan doesn’t have as many chaebols as we do, but most influential businesspeople there are connected to the black society.”
At this point, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Taiwan was practically run by the underworld.
“There’s no public backlash?”
“They tend to be lenient toward civilians, apparently.”
“What groups are bigger than Zhuliánbāng?”
“The Zhuliánbāng, the Sìhǎibāng, and the Tiāndàomèng are the three biggest. Their power is more or less equal.”
If they’re evenly matched, then all-out war probably doesn’t happen often.
Especially with three major factions, they’d be too wary of the third profiting from a conflict between the other two. So none of them would be eager to make the first move.
“If we were to rank them, it’d be Zhuliánbāng, Sìhǎibāng, and then Tiāndàomèng. Zhuliánbāng and Tiāndàomèng don’t get along.”
Zhuliánbāng and Sìhǎibāng had originally fled to Taiwan along with warlord factions after being ousted from mainland China. Both had existed since the 1950s.
In contrast, Tiāndàomèng was formed by defectors from the Zhuliánbāng.
Most of the rare turf wars happened between those two.
“Zhuliánbāng handles drug distribution to Korea and Japan, right?”
“Yes.”
“And the other groups just leave them be?”
From a gang’s perspective, there’s nothing more profitable than drugs.
Conflicts between syndicates almost always revolve around drug trafficking—fighting over territory and distribution channels.
Just look at the drug cartels of Colombia and Mexico, or Asia’s Triads and Yakuza.
“Zhuliánbāng’s been around the longest, so they have the most connections with Japan. Their distribution network is solid. But since inspections on Taiwanese cargo and passengers have gotten stricter, they’ve started routing shipments through Korea. While they’re at it, they’re also selling here.”
“Is it the Yamaguchi-gumi?”
“Zhuliánbāng doesn’t deal with them. They’re connected to the Inagawa-kai instead.”
“Then it must be the Inagawa-kai operating in Busan. Yamaguchi was kicked out of Korea anyway.”
“Yes.”
So removing the Yamaguchi-gumi from Korea came back around like this, huh?
We couldn’t stop the flow of drugs entirely.
Maybe it would be better to manage the trade under Lee Sanggeun’s oversight, keeping it controlled. That thought began creeping in.
“Let’s see how Lee Sanggeun handles this. We’ll decide after that.”
“Yes.”
There’s already too much to do—and yet more shit keeps piling up.
I swallowed a sigh.
“Where has HS invested so far?”
“For now, one game company and a search portal that just spun off from Ilseong’s internal venture.”
“Which ones?”
“TJ Soft and Chorok.com.”
1999 was the peak of Korea’s internet expansion.
Even during the IMF crisis, the Kim Hakgwon administration pushed hard for national broadband access.
Since private companies would’ve delayed service to low-population areas, the government stepped in and connected local government offices nationwide.
Both Korea Telecom and Hanaro Telecom followed suit, helping expand the infrastructure.
“TJ Soft and Chorok.com, huh.”
I chuckled.
For someone who was worried they’d bomb, the investments turned out spot-on.
Back then, they couldn’t compete with Next—well-known for its mail and café services—but Chorok.com would eventually grow into Korea’s number one portal. And TJ Soft would dominate the domestic online game market with its title Blood Alliance.
“Nice picks. Keep watching them. What about that woman, Kang Mijin?”
“She’s working well with President Park. I heard she pushed hard for this investment.”
“Sounds like she’s competent.”
“She doesn’t get along well with the other employees.”
“That can’t be helped. That’s a problem Hyunseong will have to handle. I should meet him sometime soon.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed Hyunseong.
After a few rings, he picked up immediately.
“Hey, Hyunseong. You busy?”
— I’m good.
“Let’s grab dinner tonight.”
— Sure. Send me the location.
A short, to-the-point call.
Chief Ma quietly left to book a restaurant. Left alone, I started going over all the things I had to do.
‘Gotta help with founding the new party for Yoon Changho, finish prepping Myungsoo’s debut, monitor China and Russia, keep an eye on the U.S., and now Taiwan too...’
As I counted them one by one, I realized there was seriously too much on my plate.
The most urgent tasks were Grandma’s request and Yoon Changho’s new political party.
‘All this investment and hiring is supposed to make my life easier, but it’s only getting harder.’
The April by-election ended in a loss for the Conservative Party.
It was practically a mini general election, with many seats in play—and the Progressive Party won over 70% of them.
Most likely, public support reflected Kim Hakgwon’s handling of the IMF crisis.
The Conservative Party was being torn apart by internal division.
‘Can I make Yoon Changho president?’
This wasn’t about preserving the future I remembered.
It was about making the future myself.
I didn’t dwell on it long. The decision came quickly.
‘Let’s do it.’
Once the thought settled, the sun was already setting outside the window.
“Boss, it’s time.”
Chief Ma returned at just the right moment, and I stood up from my seat.
With so many bodyguards now, moving around had become a hassle.
Unless we rented out an entire restaurant, we had to meet in secure, private venues with no chance of leaks.
“We’ve checked everything inside.”
“Thanks. You and the security team eat outside. I’ll talk with Hyunseong alone.”
I entered the reserved room. Not long after, Hyunseong arrived.
“You’re here?” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
“Yeah.”
He took off his suit jacket and sat down.
It was no longer strange seeing him in a suit instead of a judo or workout uniform.
“What about Mijin?”
“She already left for the day.”
“How is she?”
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“Working with her.”
“She’s fine. Works hard. Always prepares more than what I ask.”
“That’s good.”
The door opened, and the food we’d ordered came in.
“Let’s eat first.”
We opened a bottle of soju and started on the sashimi and seafood.
“Want a drink?”
“Sure.”
We each had a shot and continued the conversation.
“Decided which companies to invest in?”
“I picked two and already wired the funds. Still looking for more. There are way more companies looking for investment than I expected.”
I nodded at his words.
IT companies and startups were popping up like mushrooms after the rain. Founders were scrambling to get funding.
There were serious investors like Hyunseong—but also scammers planning to list on KOSDAQ, cash out, and disappear. It was chaos.
Casually, I asked him,
“So how’d you even hear about TJ Soft and Chorok.com?”
“Mijin recommended them. I already knew about TJ Soft. I met with Chorok.com recently and decided after that.”
“Mijin, huh?”
“...”
This dumb bear is calling a woman by her name?
I narrowed my eyes and looked at his face.
“What the hell, Park Hyunseong?”
“She said it felt awkward to keep speaking formally at work, so she asked me to talk casually...”
“And you just said, ‘Sure, okay’? You?”
“...Did you know about TJ Soft and Chorok.com beforehand?”
Trying to dodge the question like that?
I laughed internally and let it go.
“Yeah. Thought they were solid picks.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
“Why? Were you worried?”
“Not really, but just in case. If you know them, then they must be good.”
“You’re doing well. How are the other employees?”
Hyunseong put down his chopsticks and grumbled.
“Having someone with experience makes things more organized, but Mijin doesn’t really get along with the rest.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Not sure what to do about it.”
He’s definitely falling for Kang Mijin.
“You knew that’d happen when you hired her. But how did the others find out? Didn’t we tell her to keep it quiet?”
“She just said it herself during the company dinner.”
“She’s really honest, huh.”
It takes a lot of courage to confess your weaknesses—especially if that weakness is a lifelong trauma.
“I’ve been thinking about it. Whether this can really work long-term.”
“What does Mijin say?”
“She said she expected it and doesn’t care. But it’s a bitter reality.”
I poured him another drink and filled my own glass too.
“You still visit your dad?”
“Not often, but yeah. I drop by now and then. Leave some money in his commissary.”
“Yeah?”
Hyunseong didn’t want to talk about it further and changed the subject.
“TJ Soft postponed their KOSDAQ listing. They were going to go public to raise more money, but now that they’ve got us backing them, they’re holding off for now.”
“What about your stake?”
“I invested 2 billion won and got 25% equity.”
25%—a damn good deal.
Their game had already launched. It hadn’t blown up yet, but soon, PC cafés across Korea would be split between StarCraft and TJ Soft’s Blood Alliance.
“And Chorok.com?”
“2 billion for 30%. They don’t seem interested in more investment because of management control. The founder’s got a solid mindset.”
That’d be Lee Jinhyuk, the founder of Chorok.com. He’d eventually grow the company through mergers by giving up equity, yet remain CEO thanks to his competence.
“Nice. Looks like I don’t need to worry. This really is your calling, huh?”
“Wouldn’t have started any of this if it weren’t for you. Once you start investing, you realize 1 or 2 billion isn’t even that much.”
“Well, yeah. There are so many people out there with great ideas but no money to start. Go find those companies and back them.”
Chorok.com would be critical for controlling public opinion.
Eventually, portals like Next and Chorok.com would become even more powerful than newspapers like Koryeo Daily.
We dropped the business talk and started chatting.
“Oh right—did you hear about Myungsoo? He’s got a girlfriend now. An announcer, apparently.”
“Really?”
“Met her through someone. Said he fell for her at first sight and went all in.”
“Damn. Good for him, dating an announcer.”
Guess he felt more comfortable around Hyunseong than me.
He never mentioned that to me.
“What about you? Still not dating?”
“Me? Not really thinking about it right now.”
“Why not? You should meet someone nice. Grandma’s hoping for it too.”
“Look who’s talking. What about you? Is it Mijin?”
“...”
No answer.
Look at this punk.
