Chapter 147: Home Ground (2)
As Jeong Ki-ho was being dragged to the police station, Go Chang-beom received a phone call.
[We’ve taken the appropriate measures, but are you sure about this? It seems like this guy could cause trouble down the line. We can send a warning, but beyond that, things will get messy.]
“That’s more than enough. If anyone tries to hold us accountable for this, tell them that Myungjin Construction will take full responsibility for their future. Especially with the Chief, he must be feeling the pressure from this situation, but no matter the outcome, Myungjin Construction won’t forget his help. And honestly, doesn’t it bother you to see outsiders from Seoul causing trouble here in Daesan?”
[Haha, yes, it does. Who do they think they are, stirring up trouble in our town? Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. By the way, how’s the chairman? He used to drop by the station for drinks, but I haven’t seen him in a while.]
“The chairman…”
The person on the other end was the police chief of Daesan.
He hadn’t been this friendly before Go Chang-beom secured his position as the successor, defeating his brother Go Chang-seok. Since then, the chief’s attitude had shifted completely, and now they exchanged small talk regularly. This allowed Go Chang-beom to comfortably make personal requests, like the one today.
After another ten minutes of chit-chat, the call ended.
In the end, it was just a request to look the other way, and Go Chang-beom stared out of his office window with a conflicted expression.
“What a messed-up world.”
A few months ago.
When Kim Hyun-seong was preparing to go to Seoul, he had asked Go Chang-beom to ensure the safety of his family while he was gone. At the time, Go had thought Hyun-seong was being overly cautious. No matter how powerful the group Hyun-seong wanted to bring down was, he couldn’t imagine they would stoop so low as to target someone’s family.
But now, it had become a reality.
Not only had he confirmed that Jeong Ki-ho was tailing them, but there were also others lurking around, gathering information about Kim Hyun-seong.
‘They must have come all the way here just to take Hyun-seong down.’
It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Go Chang-beom wasn’t exactly a model citizen himself, but he had never done something as low as targeting someone’s family. He had never been involved in school bullying either. His long record of violent incidents was just a result of turf wars with other delinquents. While he was no saint, even he thought the actions of those after Kim Hyun-seong crossed a line.
As he had told the police chief, there wasn’t much more they could do.
There were powers backing these people that even Daesan’s police couldn’t ignore. Today’s action was meant as a warning. With the entire town now aware and on alert, these outsiders wouldn’t be able to act recklessly without the consequences reaching all the way to Seoul.
For now, this was the extent of their response.
Next was the following step.
Kim Hyun-seong had warned him not only about his family’s safety but also of another impending danger.
Go Chang-beom called his secretary.
“Tell the staff to get ‘it’ ready.”
[Understood.]
* * *
As expected, Jeong Ki-ho was eventually released.
Golden Circle lawyers swarmed the police station, and there was little more the officers could do.
As soon as he was out, Jeong called Park Hyung-joon.
“…The situation went like this.”
[So, they were prepared for us?]
“There’s no other way to explain it. The police are stationed at the school during drop-off and pick-up times, and a local youth association is constantly patrolling the neighborhood under the guise of keeping the peace. We could try to cause trouble and get to Kim Hyun-seong’s family, but as you know, if it’s proven that our actions were deliberate, it’ll be difficult to clean up the mess. And if Kim Hyun-seong is this prepared, there’s a high chance this will backfire.”
[Who is Kim Hyun-seong anyway? The guys we sent to investigate say that just mentioning his name brings out hostility from the locals. How does a kid who’s not even a local bigwig have that kind of influence?]
“It seems that Go Chang-beom’s victory in the succession battle at Myungjin Construction played a big role. You know how these rural areas stick together and push out outsiders. From their perspective, our intentions aren’t welcome. That’s why I suggest we take care of Go Chang-beom first. If we remove him, Kim Hyun-seong will lose his support network. The people currently protecting his family are likely Go Chang-beom’s men.”
[Alright, deal with Go Chang-beom as planned.]
“Understood.”
Jeong lit a cigarette.
He was relieved that he wasn’t being blamed for the situation, but at the same time, anger boiled inside him. Every time the pain in his bruised face flared up, his hatred for Kim Hyun-seong burned hotter.
“And while we’re at it, how about targeting Kim Hyun-jin again? With such tight surveillance outside of school, we can resort to the usual Golden Circle tactics. If we approach him through the lens of ‘school violence,’ where intent is harder to prove, it’ll surely mess with Hyun-seong mentally.”
[Got people who can handle that?]
“I’ll contact some local brokers.”
[Leave it to you.]
“Thank you!”
Jeong replied loudly, taking a long drag of his cigarette as a smile spread across his face.
“Hyun-seong, you messed with the wrong person.”
* * *
Minors are naive.
Or, more accurately, immature and reckless.
No matter what backing they have, flash a wad of cash in front of them, and they won’t think about the consequences—they’ll take the job.
Or so Jeong Ki-ho thought.
However.
[…You want us to go after Kim Hyun-jin? Sorry, but no one in this school would even consider that. You do realize Kim Hyun-jin’s older brother is the infamous Kim Hyun-seong, right? The rabid dog of Cheonil High? Someone already tried messing with him before and got completely wrecked for it. No one here is stupid enough to try that again.]
Jeong had received contact information for some students who supposedly ran the scene at Daesan Science High. But when he broached the topic, the conversation ended abruptly with the student practically running away in fear. This gave Jeong a sinking feeling. Golden Circle assignments typically worked best when they came from within the school, but with reactions like that, he’d have to broaden his search.
He started reaching out.
He contacted students from schools not connected to Daesan, Cheonil High, or Daesung Mirae High, but the responses were even more shocking.
[Oh, it’s you. The guy poking around Daesan? Look, I don’t know what your deal is, but the word is out. Anyone who takes a job messing with Kim Hyun-jin is dead meat. We’ve been warned that anyone involved will get crushed by the kids at Cheonil. So, do us all a favor and fuck off.]
[You’re offering 3,000? Wow, big spender. But if I end up with a broken arm or worse, that’s not enough. Unless you’re offering a hundred million, don’t even call me.]
[You really don’t get it, do you? Haven’t you heard the rumors about Kim Hyun-seong? That guy’s insane. Anyone who’s crossed him has ended up either in the hospital or sent to juvie. Who in their right mind would take that risk for some quick cash? In Daesan, Kim Hyun-seong is in a league of his own.]
Jeong made calls for days.
But not a single one.
Not a single response was favorable.
After his bold words to Park Hyung-joon, the growing hopelessness of the situation made Jeong stare blankly at his phone, his face grim.
“What the hell kind of school is this kid going to?”
It seemed.
The plan to stir things up from inside the school was dead before it even started.
* * *
That evening.
Park Hyung-joon received Jeong’s report.
[I apologize. No one in Daesan is willing to take the job. I’ve even reached out to surrounding schools, but Kim Hyun-seong’s reputation is so fearsome that no one’s willing to touch this. Even offering inflated sums hasn’t changed their minds. Frankly, it seems impossible to handle this locally. Perhaps we should bring in some kids from Seoul…]
“No, leave it. Sending a bunch of kids from Seoul would draw too much attention. Just stand by for now.”
[Understood.]
Click.
The call ended.
Park didn’t reprimand or explode with anger.
He had expected this.
Investigating Kim Hyun-seong had made it clear that the kid was something special. With a story like his, conquering Daesan, it was unlikely that targeting Kim Hyun-jin through school violence would work. Still, Park couldn’t help but be impressed. Even adults would struggle to instill this kind of fear in a community, but Kim Hyun-seong had done it.
So, naturally.
There was only one option left.
‘We’ll have to dismantle the support system that’s propping him up.’
This plan wouldn’t be difficult.
It would be much more devastating to go after those in power than to target an individual.
If Go Chang-beom, on the cusp of cementing his position as chairman, faced what was coming tomorrow, he would be forced into a tough decision.
Would he cut ties with Kim Hyun-seong to save himself?
Or would he fall alongside him?
‘Either way, this will be a disaster for Myungjin Construction. Even the mere suggestion of Golden Circle involvement would be catastrophic.’
Tomorrow was going to be interesting.
By then, they would have made some real progress.
* * *
The next morning.
Myungjin Construction was in chaos from the moment the day began.
“We’re with the National Tax Service.”
“Everyone, stop what you’re doing immediately. If anyone attempts to destroy any documents or data, it will be considered clear evidence of tax evasion, and they will be held accountable. Gather everything—leave no stone unturned.”
A swarm of officials flooded the company’s headquarters.
Countless vehicles had pulled up in front of the building as NTS officials stormed in, confiscating everything from computers to handwritten files. Employees tried in vain to stop them, but the officials brushed them off with clear determination to leave nothing behind.
They even barged into Go Chang-beom’s office.
As they disconnected his computer, Go calmly watched the scene unfold, much to the surprise of the officials.
“Incredible. You can bring down an entire company in a single day, huh?”
“Mr. Go Chang-beom, let’s get one thing straight. It’s not that we’re taking down your company because we’re ‘incredible.’ This is happening because Myungjin Construction’s corruption is undeniable. If your company had been paying taxes properly, we wouldn’t be here.”
“If you say so.”
“…What?”
Jung Se-hoon, the lead official from the NTS, frowned.
He didn’t understand Go’s reaction.
The NTS had moved in under orders from the Golden Circle, launching a comprehensive audit of Myungjin Construction. It was an unmitigated disaster for any company. Even if Myungjin’s operations were clean, no large company could withstand a thorough investigation without some dirt turning up. It was common knowledge that when the NTS wanted to find something, they always did.
And in this case, they had already found signs of corruption.
Construction was an industry rife with loopholes, and they had already discovered evidence of Myungjin funneling large amounts of money into unknown accounts. It was clear how the company had secured its stronghold in Daesan—not by being a squeaky-clean operation, but by distributing dirty money to grease the right palms.
But despite this.
Go Chang-beom remained unbothered.
‘Is he slow to realize what’s happening because he’s just a high school graduate? Well, it won’t be long before he figures it out. He’ll soon understand what an NTS investigation really means.’
Jung smirked.
After clearing out the office, he gave the order.
“Let’s go.”
The swarm of officials quickly filed out of the office as fast as they had entered.
Go Chang-beom’s cold gaze followed them as they left.
