Chapter 9: Decision

‘But that uncle isn’t the type to just hand over those documents even if I ask. And I can’t exactly force him to give them up either.’

No helping it.

‘Maybe it’s time to take a longer route?’

I looked straight into the uncle’s eyes.

“Uncle, they say courage without power is just recklessness. You want to stop the forced demolition? You don’t want to see the people in the shantytown get hurt? Then you need to have the power for it. If you don’t have it now, then bring in someone who does.”

Cheolgu’s eyes widened.

“To hit the bullseye, you have to aim a bit higher. If you want to stop Ukwang Construction, you should aim above them. Watch the lines closely.”

I hoped he would take my words to heart and save himself.

“Just in case something happens to you, you should be prepared. Even a rabbit digs several tunnels for escape.”

I decided to end my meddling here.

‘If he has a brain, he’ll find a way to survive.’

That was as far as my sincerity and goodwill would go.

But as I spoke, something nagged at me.

The words spoken by the guy who tortured Cheolgu kept echoing in my mind.

[Why the hell were you poking around Ukwang Construction when you’re supposed to be tracking spies!]

[Do you know how many people you’ve put in trouble?]

[Spit out the mastermind already. It’s Taeseong Construction, right? I know it is.]

[Dense bastard. I told you, it’s Taeseong Construction.]

That guy must have been one of those who got in trouble because Uncle was investigating Ukwang Construction.

A higher-up in the Central Intelligence Service intervened to cover up for Ukwang.

Here’s the problem.

‘Why is Ukwang targeting Taeseong?’

Strange.

‘Why go so far as to force a false confession and point the finger at Taeseong as the mastermind?’

‘As far as I know, Ukwang and Taeseong were connected by marriage and used to help each other. Why are they at each other’s throats now?’

There was clearly something being hidden.

If not, why would those documents shine so golden?

I’m dying of curiosity.

So I asked directly.

“Uncle, what exactly did you touch at Ukwang Construction?”

“The subway construction bid…………. Damn, you tricked me again. What a little rascal, really……..”

The subway construction bid?

Ha, now I think I see how things are going.

I’ve got it!

“Ma’am, I’m home.”

“Ah, Jeonghyeok’s mom. Come in.”

Owner Granny greeted Jeonghyeok’s mother warmly.

“What did you call me for?”

“It seems we won’t be able to use the coal boiler today.”

Granny spoke with an embarrassed face.

“You know what’s been going on in this neighborhood lately. We never know when the Demolition Crew will storm in and smash everything up. I’m truly sorry, Jeonghyeok’s mom.”

All because of the forced demolition.

Both Jeonghyeok’s mom and Owner Granny knew it was hard to invest a lot of money to replace the coal boiler right now.

“So, here. This is the deposit and this month’s rent. At least with this, you can look for a place to move to.”

Owner Granny pushed over a bundle of cash.

“The forced demolition will probably start soon. It’s best to leave with Jeonghyeok before things get rough.”

That was the plan anyway.

In her cardigan pocket, Jeonghyeok’s mother had the Housing Lottery Ticket that Jeonghyeok had given her.

She gazed at the bundle of bills Granny handed her.

“What about you, ma’am?”

“I’ll stay as long as I can hold out.”

Owner Granny gave a bitter smile.

“I thought that when it came to this, I’d be able to leave without regrets. But it’s not as easy as I thought.”

“Why not?”

“Because of attachment. This house was built by Cheolgu’s father with his own hands. Maybe that’s why. I just can’t bring myself to leave.”

Granny looked around the house with eyes full of longing.

“Are you the same, Jeonghyeok’s mom?”

“Huh?”

“I gave your deposit back a month ago too, remember? Even then, and now— It feels like there’s another reason you just can’t leave. Is it because of Jeonghyeok’s father?”

Jeonghyeok’s mom was silent for a moment.

But soon, she shook her head.

“It’s not that. He probably doesn’t even know I’m here.”

She collected the money.

“I was thinking of stopping by the Bokdeokbang anyway.”

“Good idea.”

Owner Granny clasped Jeonghyeok’s mother’s hands tightly.

“Wherever you go, be well.”

“Thank you for everything.”

Cheolgu uncle habitually pulled out a cigarette.

Maybe because I was there, he couldn’t bring himself to light it and just scratched the back of his head several times.

I also stayed quiet, organizing my thoughts.

‘Since Line 1 of the subway, which opened in ‘74, was a huge success, the government must be ambitiously pushing for Line 2 now.’

The circular Line 2 subway construction passes through key points in Seoul City.

For big domestic construction companies, this was an opportunity not to be missed.

‘It’s not just about landing the project and making sales. The land prices where Line 2 passes will skyrocket hundreds of times over.’

The land of Seoul City itself was the pot.

The bigger the game, the bigger the stakes.

High-ranking officials in politics and government were surely involved.

‘The profit from buying up and reselling land around the subway stations will be far greater than the construction contract itself. They’ll spread a lot of bribe money and win favor with the officials.’

It was now obvious why Ukwang was trying to keep Taeseong in check and playing games.

This was before Taeseong and Ukwang were tied by marriage.

‘Back then, it was Ukwang, not Taeseong, who won the Line 2 subway construction.’

Right before the subway bid began, the President called in Taeseong’s chairman and scolded him harshly.

And so, Taeseong Construction was knocked out of the game.

Their rival, Ukwang, won the Line 2 contract and snapped up huge plots of land around the stations, raking in all the profit.

‘If Cheolgu uncle’s and my father’s lives are entangled in this, then it’s a whole different story.’

Honestly, I intended to repay saving my mother’s life by giving Uncle advice that would save his.

This uncle is lucky.

Now that I know my father is in charge of Taeseong Construction, I can’t just ignore this.

I whispered slyly.

“Uncle, just in case, you should make a copy of those documents and keep it somewhere else.”

“What?”

I glanced around and spoke even more quietly.

“You never know. Thanks to a secret copy stashed away, a lifeline might come down in a crisis.”

Both to save Cheolgu uncle and to have a weapon against the rival.

Now I had yet another reason to call Father as soon as possible.

“Jeonghyeok!”

Mother was calling me.

“Hurry up and pack. We need to get a room at the Boarding House before it gets dark.”

I grinned at Cheolgu uncle.

“Just think of it as digging another rabbit hole. The more escape routes, the better.”

Without any hesitation, I turned and ran to my mother.

She was packing clothes into a large suitcase.

“Should we go to the Bokdeokbang together tomorrow, Mom? To look at apartments.”

“Yes!”

That was the answer I’d been waiting for.

“Have you decided where to move?”

“Hm, like you said— maybe Apgujeong-dong, or Daechidong, or maybe Banpo-dong or Seocho-dong.”

Excellent choices.

In Gangnam, those are the areas with skyrocketing land prices.

Back in my previous life, most of the real estate I scraped together was concentrated in those areas.

We went into a Boarding House in Myeongdong.

“Jeonghyeok, do you want to watch TV here? I need to step out for a bit.”

Mom grabbed her coin purse and notebook.

I knew what was written in that notebook.

A single phone number.

That was Mom’s purpose now.

“See you soon.”

Good. I had something to do myself anyway.

Mom had made a big decision, so as her son, I had to give her solid support.

“I’ll bring something tasty when I come back, so wait here patiently, okay?”

“Of course. Don’t worry, go ahead.”

Mom left.

I lay down sprawled on the warm floor, staring at the ceiling.

‘What should I call you? Suhosin, Grim Reaper, Yama’s extra gift. Whatever you are, come out right now.’

[Call me Suhosin.]

As expected, the Grim Reaper slid up like a shadow.

This was my business.

[How dare you speak informally to me. You’re just a mere human, so arrogant.]

‘Well, include that in our conversation.’

[Is there anything left to say between us?]

‘Of course there is.’

There was one thing I purposely didn’t argue about in front of Yama.

So now, let’s settle it properly.

‘I’ve never heard of a Grim Reaper serving as someone’s Suhosin. Aren’t you busy enough guiding souls to the underworld? Assigning such a high-level spirit as a guardian—doesn’t that seem like a waste of resources?’

[So?]

‘Ever since my past was revealed through Karma Mirror, I wondered why you were so nervous. Why did you become my Suhosin? I thought long and hard about it.’

No matter how I looked at it, something was off.

Spill it. That accusation that I sold out my country in my past life, the divine punishment, all the rotten luck—wasn’t all that your doing?

The Grim Reaper flinched hard.

Aha, caught you!

‘Still think you can object to me speaking informally?’

[I’ll accept your informal speech.]

My suspicion became certainty.

‘If you promise to cooperate with me from now on, I’m willing to let it go without further questions.’

[I’ll actively cooperate. I’ll do my best.]

‘Good. Then fly to the Taeseong Group Chairman’s house right now. There’s something I need you to do.’

[Hmm?]

I tapped my temple and grinned.

‘Remember what you did to Owner Granny last time? Invading someone’s dream?’

[I think I know whose dream I have to visit this time.]

The Grim Reaper grinned too.

[I’ll be back.]

Jeonghyeok’s mother found the public phone booth at the edge of the neighborhood.

“Whew…….”

She held the receiver for a long time, steadying her breath.

Her whole body trembled with nerves.

Her palms kept sweating, so she had to wipe them several times with her handkerchief.

She gave up her turn to those in line behind her—once, twice, three times.

Only after giving way to over ten people did she finally summon the courage.

“Alright. I can do this. For Jeonghyeok.”

There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for her son’s future.

She was determined to endure any humiliation.

Even if she had to lose her child, she would bear it.

Her eyes reflected that resolve.

Ring, ring. Click.

[Hello?]

A deep, strong voice.

She knew exactly whose voice it was.

“It’s… it’s been a while, President Cha. This is Lee Sujin. About your youngest son, Seongjun….!!”

-Oh! I was waiting for your call.

“……?”

Jeonghyeok’s mother tilted her head.

President Cha, famed for his nickname ‘Fire Bulldozer.’

She’d steeled herself for a verbal beating from his notorious temper.

But what was this enthusiastic welcome?