PHUW 104

Not long ago, after the story of a man who lost everything and died after gambling on yutnori aired on TV, the crackdown got harsher and money dried up. He thought maybe he should get into the villa king business like everyone else. First, he needed money to open a real estate office, so he went around diligently collecting unpaid debts. Among them was that idiot Jang.

After a home visit or two, the man begged that he would somehow get the money together, but then disappeared. He didn’t answer calls. With no choice, Ducheol went for a second home visit.

The fat pig, living off his father’s blood, wept and begged him to spare Jang, thinking Ducheol had already done something to him. Coaxing and pressing, he asked what had happened. And then he heard something unexpected.

It felt like things were turning strange.

‘So you’re saying your father took that phone and tried to scrape up money with it, but got beaten half to death, then some young lawyer came by and offered to cover treatment and compensation?’

The fat pig said yes. Maybe he had been beaten by some rich punk. Could that phone have belonged to the punk?

‘Do you know who the phone belongs to?’

When Ducheol asked, the pig fired up his computer and showed him photos. Picture after picture of a handsome delinquent posing with every bit of swagger. He had downloaded all the photos off the phone’s original owner. The reason was obvious without asking. To run online scams, or to flash that pretty face around on the internet.

According to him, Jang had actually thrown the first punch. He also showed the business card of the lawyer who came by.

Solsoop. A law firm he had heard of in passing while running his yutnori house and going in and out of police stations. The cops and prosecutors openly called them “pine caterpillars.” If you brushed against them even a little, you’d get stung hard. Word was the owner of the pine grove raising those caterpillars was Hyeonsan. The smell of money was strong. So was the smell of blood.

At least if the compensation came through, he figured he could collect the debt. His mood improved a little. He took all the photos from the pig. After snapping a picture of the lawyer’s business card, he handed it back and even gave the pig twenty thousand won, telling him to buy jjajangmyeon. He patted him, told him to call once the compensation came, and left the house.

He then went to the hospital where Jang was said to be admitted. Two men in black suits stood by the ward door. There, he saw a detective being pushed out coldly.

Waiting outside, he approached the detective, saying he was the victim Jang’s close younger brother. He said Jang’s only son was so shaken he couldn’t even eat, so he had come to ask on his behalf. It wasn’t exactly a lie, so he didn’t feel guilty.

‘Buy me a drink then.’

The man, who introduced himself as Detective Park Seokgi, immediately asked for a drink. Ducheol knew right away what kind he was. That worked out well.

Over lunch and drinks, he got the details.

The assailant was a man who had been working construction nearby, but turned out to be the nephew of Hyeonsan’s chairwoman, now vice chairman. On top of that, he claimed to be the guardian of the victim Jang had wronged, which was an odd story. What lunatic in this day and age picked someone up off the street and cherished them like that? It wasn’t even some lively young girl. As the nephew of the Hyeonsan chairwoman, he could have reeled in any number of pretty, well-built women.

‘There are plenty of men who like men, you know.’

Park then mentioned an acquaintance who ran a shelter for the homeless nearby.

According to him, the victim who had lost his memory and had nowhere to go was introduced to that shelter. A few days later, the assailant suddenly appeared at dawn and smashed the face of that acquaintance.

‘The bastard’s crazy. Do you think it’s easy to crack a man’s skull with bare fists? How are people supposed to sleep at night with a psychopath like that running around?’

Ducheol thought they’d press charges for assault immediately, but Kim Jeongwook surprisingly shook his head. And then Park talked about Solsoop.

‘That young lawyer, tsk. How can someone act like that. Those pine caterpillar bastards twisted it so the beaten man became the assailant. From what I heard, it wasn’t even much of a lay. These days kids are brazen, you know. Plenty lure someone in, then cry harassment, erase their face, and fleece some poor sap.’

Solsoop offered treatment and compensation, but threatened that if there was even a mention of the Hyeonsan punk, Kim Jeongwook wouldn’t be left standing. They collected statements of violence and harassment through the homeless, then audited the facility and shut it down for failing standards.

Kim Jeongwook feared he might die on the operating table. When Detective Park scoffed that no one dies from nose or cheekbone surgery in this day and age, Kim snapped back that even a cop should know medical accidents could be faked. So he took Solsoop’s compensation and shut his mouth completely. Above all, he couldn’t let his wife learn about a sexual assault case.

‘It’s always the rich bastards. They all need to be swept away.’

Park, sounding aggrieved, cursed the pine caterpillars and their master as he downed soju. That was when Ducheol knew this wasn’t something to involve himself in. There was money in the air, but the smell of blood was stronger. Money could always be made again, but a life was only one.

But he needed to keep tabs on Jang, so they exchanged numbers. Park went back after stuffing himself. He was clearly drunk-driving.

That evening he met up with his house-running hyung and dongsaeng, had pork belly and soju, and shared the story about Jang. It was perfect material for bar talk. When he said he’d be able to collect soon, the other two were in good spirits. They were in the middle of discussing how to secure other unpaid debts and where and how to bring in someone with a real estate broker’s license.

A call came in from an unknown number. He picked up. The man’s voice was smooth, the kind he only used for business. He said he’d gotten his number through a contact at the police station where Detective Park worked.

‘Yes, and you are?’

–Ah, I didn’t say. This is Manager Cha Iltaek from Hongil Trading.

‘Alright. What do you want?’

–If you’re interested, how about making some real money.

‘How much is real money.’

When he answered, the other two fell silent. They exchanged glances and watched. Lee Ducheol also traded a look with his partners.

–How much… let’s see. About… one hundred million?

‘One hundred million?’

That was the perfect seed money for a new venture. As soon as he repeated “one hundred million,” the other two went wild with hand signals, demanding to know what was being said. The brains of the group, Ducheol, raised a finger to his lips and listened closely to the call.

The demand from this so-called Manager Cha of Hongil Trading was simple. Find out the location of the goods that Ahn Haeri and his friend had run off with. Just the location, nothing else. When asked what the goods were, he said they were important for the company’s business credibility, but the items themselves were ordinary.

‘Three boxes of manicure.’

‘Manicure? That nail polish for women’s fingernails?’

The hyung’s asked and Ducheol nodded.

‘The customer who ordered it must be a big client. If they cut ties with a company they don’t trust, it becomes a matter of life and death for them.’

‘Why not just buy some somewhere else and hand it over. So many crazy bastards around.’

The dongsaeng, who always said the dumbest things, scoffed.

‘It has to be that exact product. You think they haven’t tried that themselves?’

‘Look at that Hyeonsan Vice Chairman bastard. Pretty boys aren’t rare. When rich bastards flip out, there’s no end to the crap they pull. It’s just to screw someone over.’

They all agreed that young troublemakers these days were impossible to deal with.

‘Anyway, they want you to talk to Ahn Haeri, that victim? But what kind of name is Ahn Haeri.’

‘That’s it. Since I’m practically Jang’s younger brother, they want me to approach as the offender’s family and talk to him.’

Jang was both offender and victim. Apology, some other excuse, anything would do to make contact. But it wasn’t easy. From how even a detective had been thrown out, it was clear they’d be treated worse. Even after bringing expensive fruit, he couldn’t get near the ward. He ended up staking out in front of the hospital.

‘Should’ve known from when Detective Park got tossed out.’

Ducheol grumbled. The so-called Hyeonsan Vice Chairman didn’t seem busy, camping in the hospital all day, only leaving once a day to visit a local animal hospital. Jang hadn’t only beaten that kid. Apparently there was a dog too. The dongsaeng pretended to buy dog treats to snoop and came back wide-eyed.

‘It’s not a dog, it’s a calf. A calf with teeth. Ferocious too. Won’t even eat unless its owner feeds it, so that Hyeonsan bastard comes every day. It’s famous in the neighborhood.’

‘With a dog like that, how do you even get a word in after discharge?’

Sure enough, they couldn’t. Not after discharge either. They never even saw the dog. They didn’t even see Ahn Haeri. Wrapped up and hidden like treasure, he was hauled off to Seoul.

–So, Mister, how long do we have to wait?

‘How are we supposed to approach a critical patient? Through a lawyer and guards? We haven’t even seen a hair. And after discharge, we don’t even know where he went.’

–Figure it out. If you can’t, back out. We’ll handle it.

‘No, no, Manager. You’re in such a rush. Just wait a little longer.’

The guy was telling them to back off. Why give up the chance at a hundred million so easily. Thinking of another way, he studied the photos the fat pig had handed over. There was one taken in front of a motorcycle repair shop, posing smugly. A shop sign in the background caught his eye.

Gwanrim Motors.

A search showed it was on the outskirts of Seoul. He called and asked if they knew ahn Haeri. The boss started cursing with every animal he could name, dogs, birds, sheep, and more.