Chapter 92: Wu Gwang

“Secretary Kim, it’s still too soon to visit Grandfather. Let’s talk about that again once we have solid evidence.”

I hopped down from the sofa.

“Mere suspicions aren’t enough. We need definite proof, and a thoroughly organized acquisition plan. Let’s report it all together, perfectly prepared.”

“Excellent.”

“That’s your job, Secretary Kim, and the decision is Grandfather’s.”

“Absolutely right.”

Secretary Kim lifted the corners of his mouth in a smile.

I slid Secretary Kim’s business card across to him.

“I’m going to recover Wu Gwang’s weakness. I hope you’ll join me, Secretary Kim.”

“Of course. But please, put this away.”

Secretary Kim pushed his business card back toward me.

“This is a grand plan for Taesung’s future; it’s only right that I help. There’s no need to call it a favor.”

It felt like I’d gained a thousand reinforcements.

‘At the very least, Secretary Kim should know exactly how much I contributed to this.’

I was planning to claim my own credit in front of Grandfather.

‘An eight-year-old like me speaking up for himself isn’t half as convincing as Secretary Kim testifying for me. From a credibility standpoint, it’s overwhelming.’

Grandfather was known to reward merit.

‘I have to show that my role and contribution in swallowing up Wu Gwang’s affiliate was decisive.’

Just sitting back and expecting rewards is freeloading, but if you’re rewarded according to merit, that’s fair play.

I have to take care of my own share!

That’s why I’d gone out of my way to find Secretary Kim.

“Secretary Kim, how many minutes do you need?”

“Excuse me?”

“Distribute the remaining company tasks among the secretaries, and assign the Bulkwang-dong Gasoline investigation to Yoo Jong-tae.”

“In that case, please wait just one minute.”

As expected of Secretary Kim!

This is truly reassuring!

---

The place the Grim Reaper led us to was the Texas Village in Mia-ri.

This was one of Seoul’s three biggest red-light districts, along with Cheongnyangni and Cheonho-dong.

Formed in the 1960s when brothel workers from Jongno 3-ga flocked here after that area was shut down, it flourished through the ‘90s before starting to decline after the 2004 Special Act on Prevention of Prostitution.

So now, it’s still a city that never sleeps!

“Oppa, come to our place. We’ll take good care of you.”

“There are lots of pretty girls. How about a drink tonight?”

Glitzy neon signs, shops lined up in rows.

Bar girls waved and smiled as they solicited customers.

‘This used to be managed by Namsan Leech. I wonder who runs it now?’

True to his womanizing ways, Namsan Leech had a tight grip here and became a powerful underworld figure.

He ran not just the three major brothel districts of Seoul but also several high-end membership clubs in Gangnam and Cheongdam.

‘Tsk, this just isn’t my style.’

Secretary Kim was frowning just as much as I was.

“This really isn’t a place Young Master should visit.”

“I just need to find the item Bulkwang-dong Gasoline left. After that, I’ll leave right away. Secretary Kim and the Taesung Group security gentlemen can enjoy themselves if they wish.”

The Taesung Group security guards jumped in shock.

“Goodness, Young Master! Please don’t say things like that elsewhere!”

“You misunderstand! We’re not here to have fun, we’re working!”

Only the rookie guard standing at the very back mumbled quietly.

“It’s almost quitting time anyway. Since we’re already here… cough!”

Before he could finish, his seniors dragged him off into an alley.

As the sounds of a beating began, Secretary Kim grabbed my hand and hurried along.

“It was the Mia-ri Flower Inn, wasn’t it?”

This was the place the Grim Reaper said Bulkwang-dong Gasoline’s girlfriend was staying.

[Over there. That ghost at the inn tipped me off.]

The Grim Reaper pointed with his finger.

[That Bulkwang-dong Gasoline guy came here a few days ago, passed a note to his girlfriend, and asked her to watch his back.]

Ding-dong. Ding-dong.

Clack, clack.

“The front door is locked.”

“No windows, and there’s nobody inside.”

“What should we do?”

The Taesung Group guards reported in.

Secretary Kim gave a casual order.

“Open it.”

“Young Master, please wait. I’ll fetch a sledgehammer.”

“Step back, it could be dangerous. I’ll kick down the— Young Master, what are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m picking the lock.”

I used the wire and hairpin I kept in my coin purse to work on the lock.

“Where did you even get those?”

Where else?

I brought them from when I used to open the basement safe at the Hannam-dong house.

‘The locks in this era are so crude, it’s child’s play. I made a decent pocket money doing this as a kid, you know?’

Once you’ve worked in a pawnshop, opening locked safes becomes nothing.

I got the hang of it and could open anything—safes, doors, bottle caps… Done!

“Wow, Young Master. So you’re not only good at opening bottles, but doors too!”

“Bottles too?”

“Yes, Secretary Kim. Remember last time, Young Master opened a wine bottle with a jackknife.”

“With a jackknife? You mean a corked one?”

“It was the most artistic bottle opening I’ve ever seen.”

“Is that even possible?”

“It was amazing. Like a circus act. Just a flick—pop! A snap—done!”

Secretary Kim looked at me with heated admiration.

I grinned as I opened the front door.

“Thanks to this, we didn’t attract any neighbors’ attention. That’s what matters.”

I had to clear my throat.

“Is picking the lock what’s important now? Since the door’s open, the real task is to find and recover whatever Bulkwang-dong Gasoline hid inside.”

“Agreed.”

The Taesung Group security guards strode inside the house ahead of us.

“Young Master, please stand back.”

“We’re about to tear the place apart. You could get hurt.”

The guards stomped in and began tossing the place violently.

“Isn’t this a bit excessive?”

“Have you ever seen a thief search a house quietly?”

“If you’re a thief, you check the wardrobe, chests, and bedding cabinet first, naturally.”

Secretary Kim gave a cold chuckle.

“It’s not like we were invited. We’ll ransack it quickly, grab the item, and leave.”

Well, that is the rule of thievery.

‘But there’s no need to make things so hard or messy.’

I glanced around the house.

‘Found it!’

There was a spot shining with a golden gleam.

I opened the lid of the rice jar, plunged my arm in, and swirled it around.

My hand found a rustling black plastic bag.

Inside was a sheet of paper scrawled with terrible handwriting.

‘A handwritten statement by Bulkwang-dong Gasoline!’

I jumped up.

“Secretary Kim, look at this! I found it!”

“So quickly?”

Secretary Kim’s eyes grew wide in surprise.

“How did you find it so fast?”

“…Treasure hunt?”

“…”

What? Why? What!

It’s true I found a treasure!

Can’t exactly say I saw a golden glow coming from over there.

No way to explain it.

“Looks like we found the item, so let’s withdraw.”

“Yes!”

---

Secretary Kim sat beside me in the back seat of the car.

“Young Master, your hunch was correct. The weakness Bulkwang-dong Gasoline held over Wu Gwang: he instigated the arson at Wu Gwang Chemical.”

Bulkwang-dong Gasoline had hidden three sheets of paper in his girlfriend’s rice jar.

“This is a statement about the secret order. It says he approached a Taesung Chemical worker named Kim Gap-yong, and tried to use a loan shark debt to get him to set fire to the chemical plant. But the guy quit at the last minute, so the plan went awry.”

Which meant they could summon Kim Gap-yong to testify about this.

Secretary Kim turned to the next sheet.

“This one is an explanation of how flammable materials were brought into Wu Gwang Chemical. Apparently, an order was placed with Hyeonmu Chemical in Wu Gwang Chemical’s name. It’s quite detailed.”

Taesung Chemical sometimes procured raw materials from Hyeonmu Chemical.

“Since Hyeonmu Chemical is involved, we can uncover the truth by investigating them too.”

“But this might prove Bulkwang-dong Gasoline’s crime, not serve as definitive evidence that Wu Gwang ordered the arson.”

“That’s why Bulkwang-dong Gasoline decided to blackmail Wu Gwang. He didn’t want to go down alone.”

Secretary Kim handed over the next page.

Secretary Kim furrowed his brow.

“He’s certainly trying to link Wu Gwang to the case, but who knows if there’s actually evidence about the mastermind. Hard to tell if he’s bluffing or not.”

“Doesn’t matter if it’s a bluff, right?”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s just for blackmail. All that matters is that Wu Gwang gets scared.”

Why did Bulkwang-dong Gasoline entrust this to his girlfriend?

Because he was afraid he’d be blamed alone and eliminated.

That was the real reason Wu Gwang had gone to such lengths to get Bulkwang-dong Gasoline out of the interrogation center.

Wu Gwang had a lot to lose, and if the press and Blue House got involved, with police and prosecutors swarming in, it would be a disaster.

“This was also included. Wu Gwang Construction Secretary Choi’s business card. Looks like the letter was to be sent here.”

The business card was a murky, dirty color.

How did Bulkwang-dong Gasoline even get this?

Would someone really give their business card when ordering arson? That’s just asking to be caught as an accomplice.

‘They say a rabbit digs many escape holes.’

I thought he’d leave the decisive evidence at his girlfriend’s, but the guy was even craftier than that.

“What are the odds a mere loan shark would get a business card from Wu Gwang Construction’s top secretary?”

“Almost zero. So the authorities would find it suspicious, but it’s not solid proof of the crime.”

“But if Wu Gwang got this, he’d feel pretty uneasy, wouldn’t he?”

That’s the core and essence of blackmail.

That’s why it worked.

“Wu Gwang has a lot, so he has a lot to lose. If someone digs into this, whether it’s true or not, it’s a headache for him.”

That was why Wu Gwang panicked and yanked Bulkwang-dong Gasoline out of the Seobinggo torture cell.

“Then let’s use that blackmail ourselves.”

“Excuse me?”

“What if this letter and business card were sent not to Secretary Choi, but somewhere else?”

“Young Master, don’t tell me…!”

“Send it to Chairman Kim of Wu Gwang.”

“…!”

Secretary Kim’s jaw dropped.

“Do you think Chairman Kim of Wu Gwang will just let this go?”

“Y-young Master!”

“Because of the Wu Gwang Chemical fire, he was summoned to the Blue House, suffered public humiliation, lost more than a billion won in damages, had to pay unplanned life insurance and compensation, the labor union is restless, and Wu Gwang’s stock price is plunging, right?”

Secretary Kim’s eyes shook like an earthquake.

“This is about Wu Gwang’s own order to commit arson. Chairman Kim will lose his mind and go after the traitor, don’t you think?”

Borrowed knife murder (借刀殺人).

This is my favorite tactic.

“True or not, it doesn’t matter as long as it works for blackmail, right?”

Wu Gwang Sinking Stratagem (沈沒之計) phase one. Start.