Free Web NovelInstead of whining, Lee Sanggeun answered calmly.
“It’s fine. I see it as growing pains we’re enduring to step out into the light.”
“Is that so?”
Lee Sanggeun was fundamentally different from Park Dongsu.
Park Dongsu was not the type to devise schemes—he was a man who would throw himself in first and think later. By contrast, Lee Sanggeun acted with meticulous planning to achieve his goals.
Already cold by nature, after Park Dongsu’s death he had become even more ruthless, willing to use any means necessary.
“Chairman Lee, you’re quite an interesting person, aren’t you? To think of using this incident to completely strip away the strength of the opposing faction inside the organization. You’re definitely not like Brother Dongsu.”
When I spoke with a smile, Lee Sanggeun just moved his lips, unsure how to reply. fгeewebnovёl.com
He was no ordinary man. Even without my help, he had lobbied prosecutors and police on his own.
To thoroughly suppress the power of the Gangbuk elders within the organization, he handed over their files to the prosecution.
The prosecutors, needing evidence to directly arrest Lee Sanggeun, faced political burdens if they wanted to continue the investigation, so they accepted his proposal.
The Gangbuk elders rose to the very top of the police’s list of monitored organized crime figures.
It was a good chance to trap them. In the media too, their names—known for decades as old guard figures of organized crime—were prime prey.
Lee Sanggeun had turned a crisis into an opportunity and uprooted the seeds of internal strife.
“I enjoyed watching. I was curious to see how Chairman Lee would move. You acted even more interestingly than I expected. I liked it.”
In the end, within Geukseong Group, most of the direct lines of the Gangbuk elders fell into the hands of the prosecution.
But even the direct line of the Dongsu faction, passed on from Park Dongsu to Lee Sanggeun, did not escape unscathed.
“Let’s begin settling things. I think I’ll be needing your help, Chairman Lee.”
“Understood.”
“Give Manager Ma the list of members we need to pull out from those arrested. I’ll take care of getting them out.”
A staff member entered with coffee, interrupting the talk for a moment.
I took a sip, then gestured to the still-stiff Lee Sanggeun, who only then moved.
“I’ll have the prosecutors wrap up the investigation by next week. But someone must take responsibility. The scale’s too big to quietly bury. Just push all the blame onto the elders, like you planned.”
“You already knew everything, sir.”
Holding his coffee cup, Lee Sanggeun wore a bitter expression. He suddenly thought of Park Dongsu.
Things hadn’t felt like this back when Park Dongsu was alive. I set the cup down and clasped my hands.
“After Brother Dongsu’s death—even if you suppress them once—they’re gangsters by nature. Give them room and they’ll try to bite your throat like wolves. This is the perfect chance to deal with them. And you’re not the type to just let it pass, are you?”
If things had truly gone so far that even Lee Sanggeun was about to be taken down, I would have stepped in to resolve it.
Losing him over something like this would have been a waste.
But Lee Sanggeun had proven his own ability without my help. That meant I needed to back him firmly.
“Once this is over, take Joongwoo Construction from Geukseong Group. Absorbing it will instantly boost Geukseong Construction’s contract ranking up to second place.”
“What?”
At my words, Lee Sanggeun’s eyes went wide.
Even with all of Geukseong Group’s subsidiaries combined, Joongwoo Construction’s capital was greater.
To the small boa constrictor that was Geukseong, Joongwoo was a massive elephant. His surprise was natural.
“And among the direct line of the Dongsu faction, is there anyone loyal to you?”
“You mean Brother Dongsu’s direct men?”
I nodded. After a moment of thought, Lee Sanggeun gave one name.
“Executive Director Yoo Seongjin can be trusted.”
“Yoo Seongjin?”
It was the first time I’d heard the name, so I asked again. Lee Sanggeun nodded and explained.
“Yes. He was released last year, so you wouldn’t know him. He was well respected in the Dongsu faction. I heard the reason he went to prison was because he took the fall in place of Brother Dongsu.”
“So there was such a man.”
“Brother Dongsu intended to entrust Busan entirely to him once he was out. After release, he came to me. I liked him, so I kept him close.”
I thought I knew everyone from the Dongsu faction, but this was the first time hearing his name. I had to keep asking.
“Can he be trusted? Are you certain?”
“If you weren’t behind me, he could challenge my position at any time. Unlike me, he’s of Brother Dongsu’s direct line, and with his long years in the organization, he’s recognized in the hierarchy.”
I rubbed my chin at Lee Sanggeun’s answer. For him to potentially rival Sanggeun’s firmly established position—that wasn’t easy. The condition was that I wasn’t backing Sanggeun, but still. That I hadn’t known such a man existed.
“Of course, since Brother Dongsu named me his successor, he won’t act against me. That’s what we both concluded in our talks. But why do you ask, sir?”
“Strip Geukseong of every business straddling legality and illegality. Turn it into a pure civil engineering and construction group so prosecutors and police won’t touch it.”
The very reason Geukseong Group was attacked this time was because, behind its facade as a construction firm, it crossed the line between legal and illegal.
“You mean splitting it?”
“Entertainment, private casinos, nightlife, distribution—hand them all off to others. You, Chairman Lee, focus solely on construction.”
Lee Sanggeun hesitated, unable to readily accept my proposal.
“Why? You dislike it?”
“If it’s an order, I’ll comply. But if I do, my influence will shrink considerably. It’s different keeping them under me versus handing them away entirely.”
I didn’t like him adding conditions to my order. It wasn’t the time to indulge a capable man whining.
“Isn’t one of Geukseong’s two factions already mostly cleaned up? And you’re still uneasy? For you to be this kind of man—I must have misjudged you.”
The smile Sanggeun had worn since entering vanished. Crossing my legs, I looked at him with a chilling gaze.
Startled by the sudden change, Lee Sanggeun swallowed dryly.
“Brother Dongsu has been gone a long while. Yet you still haven’t completely taken control. Even after playing factions against each other to settle things, you’re still lacking?”
“No. I’ll do it as you say.”
At my cold tone, he bowed his head quickly.
“This is my gift to you. Once you merge with Joongwoo Construction, not even the government will be able to touch you—whether I’m helping or not.”
“I was shortsighted.”
This mess had erupted because a gangster group had swallowed another.
Since I needed Lee Sanggeun for much more in the future, I could give him this much.
I waved lightly, dismissing him.
“Go. Come back tomorrow with Yoo Seongjin. I’ll judge for myself.”
“Yes, sir.”
He rose, bowed again, and left. After he was gone, I called for Manager Ma.
“Do you know someone named Yoo Seongjin?”
“You mean the Executive Director of Geukseong Group?”
When I nodded, Manager Ma spoke.
“I heard he was released last year.”
“What kind of man is he?”
“I don’t know details. Shall I find out?”
Apparently he wasn’t in our intelligence network. Since I’d be meeting him tomorrow anyway, I didn’t need to.
“No. He’ll come with Lee Sanggeun tomorrow. I’ll know when I ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) see him.”
If Park Dongsu had been ready to entrust Busan to him, I was curious.
The next day, Lee Sanggeun came to the Myeongdong office with a large-framed man.
Bowing, he introduced him.
“Sir, this is Executive Director Yoo Seongjin.”
“Greetings! I’m Yoo Seongjin!”
Yoo Seongjin bent ninety degrees at the waist and shouted loudly.
It had been a long time since I’d received such a greeting, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Straightforward. Sit down.”
We sat facing each other. Fresh out of prison or not, his bearing was sharp.
“You’re Executive Director Yoo Seongjin?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you know me?”
“Brother Dongsu spoke of you several times.”
“President Park Dongsu?”
So he’d heard of me from Park Dongsu—that meant Dongsu trusted him deeply.
“What did President Park say about me?”
“······May I speak frankly?”
Seeing him hesitate and watch my reaction, I chuckled.
“What did he say that makes you so cautious? Just say it as you heard it.”
I wondered what exactly Park Dongsu had said about me. I recalled that day on the hospital rooftop when we first met.
“The first time he mentioned you was ten years ago. He said he’d met a fascinating kid.”
Yoo Seongjin recited every word he’d heard from Park Dongsu, without skipping a single piece.
“······And the last time he came to me, he seemed ready to die for revenge for Suhyeong. I couldn’t stop him. If I’d been outside, I would have done the same.”
I stayed silent, listening.
Park Dongsu’s final words echoed in my ears—that he’d carry the burden himself, and that I should live doing whatever I wanted.
“At that time, the last thing he told me about you was this: that the little brat the size of a bean had become a great man he now looked up to. And that if I ever met you, I should never get on your bad side.”
In Yoo Seongjin’s tone, Park Dongsu’s shadow was vivid. The steadfast, unchanging Dongsu came alive in my mind.
“And now, here I am, called before you. It’s an honor, President Kim Muhyuk.”
Suddenly Yoo Seongjin rose again and bowed deeply.
From his speech and actions, I could already sense the kind of man he was. And I understood why Lee Sanggeun wanted him at his side.
“That’s enough. Sit.”
He sat back down. Straightforward, deeply loyal to Park Dongsu—but unpredictable, too. That made him resemble Dongsu even more.
“But never again stand or move in front of me without permission.” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
As expected, Manager Ma, standing behind me, had already stepped forward to block him.
When Sanggeun came alone, he’d left me space, but with a stranger present, he remained by my side.
“Forgive me. It was a mistake.”
Yoo Seongjin bowed low, almost banging his head on the table, while Manager Ma glared down at him with a deadly stare.
“Stand down, Manager. It’s fine.”
“Yes, boss.”
I waved him back. Even as he returned to his post, he kept his eyes fixed on Yoo Seongjin.
“I can roughly tell what kind of man you are. Since when did you work with President Park?”
“I’ve known him since I was young. Park Dongsu, Yoo Seongjin, and Yang Soohyeong—we three were inseparable in Yeongdo. Later, all of us came under Brother Saseong.”
“But President Park never once mentioned you to me.”
Why hadn’t Park Dongsu ever told me about Yoo Seongjin? That question had lingered in my mind ever since hearing his name yesterday from Sanggeun.
“That’s probably because I was considering leaving the organization.”
“Leaving? But after your release, you went straight to Chairman Lee.”
Nodding, Yoo Seongjin spoke, no longer hesitant but solemn.
“My presence was a burden to Brother Sanggeun. After Brother Dongsu’s death, people suddenly began coming to me. From other factions, and even from the Dongsu faction itself.”
Perhaps Sanggeun already knew all this, because he remained calm at the mention of his name.
I didn’t need to hear it to know what those people had said.
They must have tried to stir trouble, saying Yoo Seongjin was the true heir of Park Dongsu, trying to use him to spark division.
“Even if I declared retirement, they wouldn’t have left me alone. My own people wouldn’t have either. If they felt the slightest dissatisfaction with Brother Sanggeun, they would’ve come to me.”
If that continued, Sanggeun would have had no choice but to kill Yoo Seongjin.
Since the day Park Dongsu died, only two paths had lain before Yoo Seongjin:
Either go under Sanggeun, or oppose him to take his place.
“Brother Dongsu told me: his successor is Sanggeun. And that if I wanted to retire, he wouldn’t stop me. But he also said that if I did, others wouldn’t leave me be.”
So Park Dongsu had foreseen what would happen after his death. He had tied up loose ends before leaving the world.
“I believed the man Brother Dongsu chose, the man he acknowledged, shouldn’t suffer because of me. That’s why I went to Brother Sanggeun.”
As he said that, Yoo Seongjin met my eyes with an unwavering gaze.
The more I spoke with him, the more I liked the man.
