Free Web NovelAn abandoned factory on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
“Mmmph, mmph! Mmm!”
Under the flickering incandescent light, a man tied to a chair groaned and looked around in panic.
Then, a fluorescent light on the ceiling turned on, flooding the factory with harsh brightness.
Squinting under the glare, Sledgehammer recognized the approaching silhouette.
It was Manager Ha.
Yoo Jigang thrashed desperately in his seat. But however they had restrained him, he couldn’t even twitch a finger.
Even someone like Sledgehammer, who had seen it all in the Myeongdong loan shark scene, was starting to turn pale.
Step, step.
Manager Ha arrived in front of the bound Yoo Jigang and looked down at him with an expressionless face.
“Mm! Mmmph!”
Yoo Jigang groaned, shaking his head to speak.
Manager Ha opened his mouth.
“President Yoo. What were you thinking? No matter how I consider it, I can’t understand. Since I began working under the Chairman, nothing like this has ever happened.”
“Mm, mm... mmph!”
Manager Ha peeled the tape from his mouth.
As soon as the tape was removed, Sledgehammer exploded in a shout.
“You bastard! Hey! Ha Myeonghun! Do you think you’ll get away with this? Huh?!”
But his voice was unmistakably trembling.
“President Yoo, do you still not understand your situation?”
Finally taking in his surroundings, Yoo Jigang spotted the men standing behind him like a screen and froze.
“M-M-Manager Ha. L-let’s talk, okay? We can resolve this with a conversation, right? Haven’t the Chairman and I worked together for years? Let’s just talk, okay? Come on, Ha Myeonghun!”
Manager Ha picked up a hammer that had been lying on the ground.
Yoo Jigang recognized it immediately. It was his own hammer, the one he always kept in his coat.
As Manager Ha spun the hammer in his hand, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
“Ah, a conversation? Fine. What was it you said again? That this hammer is the living history of the Myeongdong loan shark scene?”
Whoosh. Whoosh.
The sound of the hammer slicing through the air made Yoo Jigang’s face go white as he began to plead in a trembling voice.
“Manager Ha. T-the accounts and everything—I’ll hand them over. Let’s stop here. Please.”
“You tried to bring that hammer down on the Young Master’s head. Did you really think you’d get away with that?”
“I-It was just a test! I wasn’t really going to hit him! Do you think I’d actually harm the Chairman’s grandson? Come on, it’s true! You have to believe me!”
“Is that so? I thought maybe an old man like you was in a hurry to die.”
Creeeeak. Rattle.
The factory door opened, and two men walked in, carrying a large drum.
Yoo Jigang’s face turned deathly pale. The smile vanished from Manager Ha’s face as well.
“Who put you up to this?”
“W-What? No one! I just wanted to test the Young Master! That’s all. I swear!”
Manager Ha didn’t respond. He turned to look at the men beside him.
They stepped forward and grabbed Yoo Jigang’s arms, which were bound to the chair.
“President Yoo. Think carefully before answering. Who gave the order?”
Yoo Jigang stayed silent.
Thud!
The hammer came down silently, smashing one of his fingers. With the sound of crushed flesh, blood splattered in all directions.
“Aaagh! AAAAAGH!”
Yoo Jigang thrashed wildly in agony.
His pinky was crushed to pulp, the bone exposed.
“Who gave the order?”
“N-No one—”
Thud!
“AAAAAAAAGH!”
This time, it was the ring finger. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Then the middle finger. Then the index finger...
It didn’t take long for his hand to become a ruined mess. Blood colored his every breath.
Manager Ha, the men holding Yoo Jigang, and even the ones standing in the background, all looked on with expressions beyond indifferent—almost vacant.
“President Yoo, don’t you want to keep your right hand? This is your last chance. I won’t ask again.”
Manager Ha reached out and lifted Yoo Jigang’s limp head. His eyes were unfocused.
“Who gave the order?”
“......”
With no answer, the men grabbed his other wrist.
Yoo Jigang shuddered and snapped back to his senses.
“I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Please, stop...!”
“Speak.”
“P-President Cheon Sooman told me to test him... Yeah, it was President Cheon Sooman. He asked me to. It wasn’t me...”
He kept repeating Cheon Sooman’s name over and over.
Manager Ha looked down at him for a while, then took out a cigarette, lit it, and placed it in Yoo Jigang’s mouth. Then he lit one for himself.
“Have a smoke. See? Wouldn’t it have been better to talk from the start?”
Yoo Jigang couldn’t even draw properly on the cigarette. It trembled in his lips, dangling in midair.
“Where are the accounts?”
“In... in the office safe...”
“They’re all there? What about the slush fund the Chairman entrusted to you?”
“......”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
When Manager Ha raised the hammer again, Yoo Jigang flinched violently and cried out,
“T-That’s in the safe too...”
Manager Ha pulled a key from his pocket and dangled it in front of Yoo Jigang.
“Is this the right one?”
“Y-Yeah. That’s it.”
“I’m going to your office to get them now. If even one won is missing—”
“It’s all there! I swear!”
Nodding furiously with empty eyes, Yoo Jigang’s head wobbled up and down, then side to side.
Manager Ha flicked his cigarette to the floor and stood up.
“Patch him up a bit. If he wants a smoke, give him one. I’ll be back—keep watch.”
“Yes, sir.”
Receiving bows from the men, Manager Ha left the factory.
* * *
Chairman Cheon wore a disinterested expression, as if retrieving the accounts was only natural.
“Where’s that bastard Jigang now?”
“Well...”
Manager Ha hesitated while glancing at me.
Grandfather shot me a brief look and urged him to speak.
“Go on. Muhyuk should know. He needs to understand how I’ve survived this long.”
“He’s currently being held at an abandoned factory.”
“Hm... is he badly hurt?”
“Just a few fingers crushed. He confessed right after that, so we stopped there.”
Shock showed on my face.
In both my past and present lives, I had never seen this side of Manager Ha.
He had always played the loyal secretary beside Grandfather, and even after death, he had stayed by my side in that same role.
Seeing my expression, Grandfather chuckled.
“Hahaha. Surprised, are you?”
“N-No, sir.”
“This loan shark business can’t always be settled with words. You’ve no idea how many things I’ve endured collecting that money. If this much scares you, you’ve got no place here.”
“I understand.”
Manager Ha then asked the Chairman,
“What should we do with him?”
“Well... he’s worked with me a long time...”
After a pause, Grandfather turned to me.
“What do you think, Muhyuk? What would you like me to do?”
What was the correct answer?
What answer was Grandfather expecting?
After a moment to collect my thoughts, I said,
“Let him retire. I think the relationship between us has already broken beyond repair. If we leave him where he is, he might become a future threat. I don’t think it’s wise to keep someone like that close.”
Grandfather smiled, seemingly ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) satisfied.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
After a short silence, Chairman Cheon told Manager Ha,
“Then... retire him. Leave him enough to live on, reclaim all the money I gave him, recover the bonds too. And... if he resists or seems to be planning anything—handle it however you see fit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then, turning to me, Grandfather said,
“That’s enough for you today, Muhyuk. How’s school?”
“Good. I’m staying on top of everything.”
“Good. Even if you don’t take the bar exam, treat the people you meet in college well. If you’re at Korea National University, those people will one day run this country. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Go get some rest.”
After saying my goodbyes, I left the study.
I grabbed my car keys and headed out for class.
* * *
After I left the study, Grandfather and Manager Ha continued talking.
“Who’s behind this?”
“It was President Cheon Sooman. He told him to test the Young Master. Apparently, the other presidents agreed. But... relying on just Cheon Sooman’s word seems a little suspicious.”
“Is that so?”
“I think he got carried away, believing he had the longest history with you.”
“Hm...”
“Shouldn’t we at least issue a warning? If this keeps up, the Young Master might get seriously hurt...”
“Hurt? Watch your mouth.”
The Chairman’s face hardened, and Manager Ha immediately bowed his head.
“My apologies. I overstepped.”
“...There’s a chance Cheongpunghoe is moving behind the scenes. Look into that before we force retirement.”
“Yes. Then what about the eldest brother?”
“Forget it. I’ll handle him. From now on, keep a close eye on the Economic Planning Board. The senior secretary hasn’t said anything strange, has he? I’m getting a weird feeling. And get moving on sorting those accounts.”
“Yes. The Blue House is currently focused entirely on purging Hanahoe. What should we do about the secret accounts? Should those be sorted as well?”
“Leave that to Muhyuk.”
“Yes, sir.”
After sending Manager Ha out, Chairman Cheon muttered wearily to himself.
“What am I supposed to do with that bastard Sooman...”
He was colder than anyone to outsiders, but when it came to his own blood, Chairman Cheon was still just a father—soft and reluctant.
* * *
When I entered the lecture hall for class, I felt everyone’s eyes on me.
Still couldn’t get used to it.
“Muhyuk! Over here!”
Seeing Myungsoo waving at me finally brought a smile to my face.
“I wonder what kind of professor we’ve got?”
“Who? Professor Shin?”
“Yeah.”
“No clue. But I heard his students hold high positions in the courts and prosecution.”
“Hm...”
“Have you started studying for the bar?”
“Yeah. Started already. Sigh... Where is my youth going? And it’s all your fault!”
Just as Myungsoo finished grumbling, the classroom door opened and an elderly man with white hair walked in.
After glancing around the room, his first words were:
“Do you all know Article 1, Clause 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea?”
Someone raised their hand.
“The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic.”
“And Clause 2?”
“Uh... that’s...”
The student scratched the back of his head, and the professor supplied the answer.
“Sovereignty resides in the people, and all power comes from the people.”
The classroom grew solemn.
All eyes were fixed on the professor.
“Whether you become prosecutors, judges, or attorneys after graduating and passing the bar, always keep Article 1, Clauses 1 and 2 in your hearts. Anyone who forgets them is not worthy of being a legal professional.”
“Yes, sir!”
Perhaps energized by the students’ spirited reply, the professor smiled warmly.
“Hoho. Freshmen are always full of energy. Sorry for the heavy start to our first class.”
“Not at all, sir!”
Laughter filled the lecture hall.
“Come to think of it, this year’s top scorer had a perfect score, right? Where is that student?”
Ah, no...
All eyes in the room turned toward me.
And the professor’s gaze followed.
“Kim Muhyuk? Is that you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Why did you choose to study law? What do you plan to do? Prosecutor? Judge? Lawyer?”
Caught off guard, I hesitated.
But with everyone watching in curiosity, I had no choice but to answer.
“I haven’t decided on a path yet. I plan to figure it out while attending school.”
“Ho, the top scorer is quite the unusual one.”
Laughter again rippled through the room.
“Well, it’s our first class. Let’s have some brief introductions. Might be useful before the welcome party. Since you’re already standing, let’s start with our top scorer.”
Everyone, including the professor, turned their eyes back to me.
“Hello. I’m Kim Muhyuk. I’m happy to meet you all for our first class...”
After everyone finished their introductions, the first class came to a close.
As I left the lecture hall, a few people came to talk to me.
But none of the people I had my eye on approached.
The Class of ’93 at Korea National University was called the “Golden Generation.”
Many would one day rise to senior positions in the Supreme Court, the Prosecutors’ Office, and the Ministry of Justice.
I had chosen the law department with the goal of turning a few of them into “my people” before that happened.
After chatting with a few of the students who approached, I was walking with Myungsoo when someone called my name.
“Kim Muhyuk!”
Turning toward the voice, I saw Cheon Jisoo—Cheon Sooman’s daughter—approaching me.
“I’ve got something to say. Do you have time?”
Myungsoo was frozen stiff at the sight of her, and nearby students began whispering as they looked between the two of us.
“What is it?”
“Let’s go somewhere quiet and talk.”
At the last family gathering, we hadn’t exchanged a single word.
My cousin, Cheon Jisoo—more dangerous than anyone I knew.
A gumiho in human form, hiding blades behind beauty and a smile.
< The True Face of Manager Ha > End.
