Genius Grandson Of The Loan Shark King

Choi Sunman’s mouth hung open, as if in shock.

A man who had trampled countless others to seize power through a coup.

Even after retirement—when one might assume his influence had faded—he still held enormous sway.

All that arrogance, soaked in the glory of his titles and fame, drained from his eyes.

He must never have imagined that anyone would dare to threaten him.

“Do not cling to any regrets anymore. The influence you still hold—and everyone connected to you—will be driven away from power. Think of it as penance, and live the rest of your days as though you were already dead.”

I checked the time on my wristwatch as I waited for his answer.

Even rotten fish have a bit of flesh left, and they say even a fallen rich man lives comfortably for three years.

Once seized, power never fades easily.

And it’s human nature to hate letting it go.

“All your subordinates will be cut off. Whether generals in the military, politicians in the Assembly, or chairmen in the business world—those who served you and enjoyed wealth and authority will either resign or end up in prison.”

Once I cut off all his limbs, he would be nothing more than a powerless old man in a backroom. Whatever he tried, he wouldn’t be able to do anything anymore.

After a long silence, Choi Sunman finally spoke.

“Daigo Tadashige dead, Daedonghoe destroyed... and you’re saying the one who did it is standing right in front of me? Ha ha...”

A powerless laugh escaped his lips.

“And you expect me to believe it was that easy? I didn’t hear wrong, did I?”

“You heard right.”

There was a trace of lingering regret in his voice.

“If such a thing truly happens, then I’ll step down cleanly.”

What trick was this? His voice was almost relieved as he continued.

“If you’ve done that, then maybe you really can make this country strong. To have crushed Daedonghoe... that’s something even the U.S. and Japanese governments couldn’t do.”

“...”

I watched his eyes to see what he was truly thinking.

“No need to look at me like that. When a soldier loses a war, he steps down. I was just unlucky.”

“Luck? What luck are you talking about? You underestimated me, Mr. President. You always called me just a loan shark, didn’t you? I’ve been preparing for this long before I came to meet you. I was ready to remove Japan’s Daedonghoe, Heaven’s Church, and every last one of your remaining subordinates. You thought you could beat me with luck alone?”

To be honest, we were on different levels entirely. His influence was limited to South Korea, while mine reached across all of East Asia.

And unlike him, I never underestimated my enemies. I had carefully prepared to eliminate every one of them, while he, drunk on the glory of the past, came to me empty-handed.

Of course, his move to have Se Shin Daily prepare an exposé about me wasn’t a bad idea—but could that article even be published now?

I had already stopped it. With the public’s attention fixed on Heaven’s Church, all of their planned special reports had been frozen.

“No amount of luck would have saved you. Fortune only favors those who prepare. That is your limit—and your downfall.”

“...”

“You came ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ to face me with no preparation. The outcome was decided before we even met.”

“You... you’re a cruel man.”

And now he tries to look pitiful.

“You, of all people, know what happens to those who lose the fight. That’s how you maintained power yourself, didn’t you?”

“Heh... heh heh.”

At my blunt words, he gave a hollow laugh before speaking again.

“What exactly do you want me to do, then? Stop my campaign announcement? Block the merger between the Centrist and Progressive parties?”

Even now, he was desperately clinging to his last bit of influence. I couldn’t help but smirk. The old man really didn’t know when to quit.

“I told you—do nothing. There’s nothing left for you to do, so why keep trying? Just stay still.”

“...”

“If you move carelessly, you’ll only tighten the noose around your own neck. Surely you don’t think you’ve already paid for all your sins? I could send you back to prison anytime I wish. Just know that I’m not doing it now only to avoid unnecessary chaos.”

Unfortunately, there were still plenty of people who supported Choi Sunman. ƒrēewebnovel.com

When he was arrested on charges of insurrection and sentenced to death, his supporters had staged protests in front of the courthouse.

The court, swayed by public sentiment, had commuted his sentence to life imprisonment on appeal.

Even then, he hadn’t served long. Not long after, he was pardoned under the excuse of “national reconciliation.”

The whole thing had been a play—every act staged for his absolution.

“Refrain from making any political statements. Don’t meet anyone for advice. Disappear from the public eye. This is your final warning.”

“You must really despise me. You never even suffered at my hands directly...”

“You’re stating the obvious. Because of you, I had to take the long way around when there was a shorter path. I don’t show mercy to losers. Even if you do nothing, those who lived off your name and clung to your shadow will vanish.”

Half-hearted mercy only causes trouble later. When removing obstacles, I always make sure they’re gone for good.

“If you plan to keep fighting, then go ahead. But I’ll say this again—I don’t run, and I don’t fear you.”

“...”

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and glanced at the screen.

[Operation complete.]

The best words I’d heard all day. I smiled faintly and slipped the phone back in.

It was about time to end this. Maybe one last question before I left.

“Mr. President, may I ask you one thing? Pure curiosity, nothing more.”

He looked puzzled. Fair enough—being questioned with a smile by the same man who’d just threatened him was bound to be confusing.

“Curiosity? Go ahead.”

“Why did you help Ilseong Group?”

“Ilseong Group? Why bring that up now?”

His expression grew darker with confusion.

“You know what I mean. You know I’ve been squeezing Ilseong dry. If you hadn’t stepped in to help them, they would have been torn apart and left as a second-rate company by year’s end.”

“I know well the feud between you and Chairman Seo Yonggeon. But if Ilseong falls, so does our economy. That’s something I couldn’t allow.”

I sighed quietly. Do people who lie all their lives lose the ability to tell the truth, even at the end?

“Mr. President, let’s be honest for once. The national economy? What’s that to you now? If you hadn’t protected Ilseong Group, perhaps you and I might have met under better terms.”

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but I didn’t give him the chance.

“I know you supported Chairman Seo Yonggeon even during your presidency. I get that—you received slush funds from him. But this time, you helped him without taking anything in return. Why? I truly can’t figure it out.”

“Is that really important?”

“No. Not anymore. It hardly matters now. If you don’t want to answer, don’t.”

You can’t turn back the past anyway. It was just a question born of curiosity. freewebnovёl.ƈom

He didn’t seem inclined to answer, so I nodded slightly and tossed one last grenade.

“Daigo Tadashige is dead.”

“What? Tell me more.”

I had no intention of wasting my breath to satisfy his curiosity.

“You’ll find out tomorrow. I’ve given you my warning. The next time we meet, either you or I will be dead.”

With that, I stood. There was nothing left to say.

“I’ll take my leave.”

I bowed slightly, then raised my head again to see his bewildered expression.

“Wait, Mr. Kim—”

He called out in confusion, but I turned away.

As I reached for the doorknob, Jang Minhyuk reached out, as if to grab my shoulder.

I slapped his hand away roughly. Turning, I looked him straight in the eye and spoke in a chilling tone.

“Do not ever reach for me from behind.”

The murderous glint in my eyes froze him solid.

Without waiting for a reply, I opened the door and left.

On my way back alone, I ran into Madam Han Heeja.

When she saw me, she smiled warmly.

“Leaving already?”

I gave her a polite nod. No reason to bare my fangs at someone who knew nothing.

“Yes. I’ve finished my business.”

“You’re Mr. Kim Muhyuk, right? What could a young man like you have talked about with my husband, who’s practically halfway into his grave?”

Even for someone who disliked small talk, her bluntness caught me off guard.

She lightly brushed my shoulder and continued casually.

“Hoho, next time, have a proper talk with me too. It’s too late tonight, but that’s all right, isn’t it?”

Watching her cover her mouth and laugh softly, I answered,

“...Yes. Contact me when you have time. I’ll be going now.”

Definitely the kind of woman you don’t want to get entangled with. Before she could say anything else, I quickly left the house.

As I stepped outside the gate, Ma, my chief aide, came running up.

“Boss.”

“Let’s go.”

I spoke wearily, and Ma opened the car door for me.

The moment I sat down, I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.

I felt him turn toward me from the passenger seat.

I opened my eyes and smiled faintly at his curious expression.

“He called me in without any preparation. Thought I was just some rich loan shark—that was Choi Sunman’s fatal mistake. He ignored my power, assumed I’d bow if pressured. Which made things easier, honestly.”

Even men of power share the same delusion—Choi Sunman was no different.

After I summarized what had happened inside, Ma finally let out a small smile.

“Withdraw the people we placed around Choi Sunman’s family.”

“Are you sure? We don’t know what he might still try to pull.”

Not a wrong concern. But he no longer had the means to cause trouble. I shook my head slightly.

“He’s not that foolish. With all his limbs cut off, and knowing Daigo Tadashige is dead, he’ll realize he can’t move the military anymore. Still, just in case, I’ll meet with Kim Hakgwon tomorrow and dismiss every general connected to him.”

“Understood. Then I’ll inform the teams to start everything we prepared.”

“Do that. I’m exhausted—I’ll rest.”

I spoke lightly, but truthfully, I had been tense the entire time.

It had been almost too easy to make him yield. That meant I couldn’t afford to relax.

To clear my mind, I closed my eyes—and soon fell asleep.

* * *

The terrorist attack in Japan made headlines in Korea the next morning.

All the major Yakuza bosses across the country had been killed at once.

But that was a story from across the sea—little more than gossip.

In Korea, something far more shocking broke.

Heaven’s Church was exposed in the Koryo Daily for murder and sexual crimes.

The three-page special feature, written by a former Se Shin Daily journalist, was styled as an internal whistleblower’s confession.

A journalist from Se Shin Daily, owned by Heaven’s Church itself, had begun the article with a statement of conscience—stirring the people’s outrage.

It wasn’t just murder—the crimes had been committed by Han Hyunjin, the eldest son of Heaven’s Church’s president, Han Sungjin.

And as news spread that multiple riot officers had been injured while arresting him, public opinion turned fiercely against Heaven’s Church.

“At least Prosecutor Jeong Taehun handled it well.”

“He seems competent.”

“Apparently he’d been sidelined because of his background, but he clearly has backbone. I didn’t think he’d actually use his firearm, even though I told him he could.”

Using a gun in Korea wasn’t simple.

The memory of police and soldiers shooting civilians still lingered. Even with justification, it always caused problems.

But Jeong Taehun had carried out my orders faithfully.

“He deserves proper backing. His origins may be an issue, but we can solve that by connecting him to Oh Hyunwoo’s faction.”

When we arrived at the Blue House, I folded the newspaper I’d been reading.

Passing through the familiar main gate, I headed for the main building, where the President’s office was located.

When I opened the door, Kim Hakgwon sat alone, looking anxious.

“What on earth are you doing?”

That was the first thing he said when he saw me.