Chapter 114: Recruitment or Reckoning

Yoo Jong-tae placed the box of documents on my desk.

Thud.

It was heavy.

Yoo Jong-tae grinned in satisfaction.

“As you ordered, I’ve thoroughly dug into the backgrounds of Taesung Construction’s former executives.”

He then wiped his forehead in an exaggerated gesture.

“I even sneaked into Secretary Kim’s study to grab those secret slush fund ledgers while investigating these bastards. And that’s not all! I went around hunting down some back-alley fixers…”

Blatantly fishing for praise!

“These bastards not only obsess over illicit money, but their private lives are filthy beyond words. Not only do they demand drinking parties with women at business gatherings, they’ve got mistresses and illegitimate children…”

With his hands propping up his chin on my desk, Yoo Jong-tae reported without pause.

With those twinkling eyes, he reminded me of a big, eager dog panting at its master.

“How is it? Did I do well? Do you like it? Satisfied?”

“You worked hard.”

I took out three strawberry candies from my coin purse, which I’d been saving for my father.

Receiving the three candies in his palm, Yoo Jong-tae put on a touched expression and called out, “Young maaaaster~” with a laugh, only to immediately turn serious.

“The more I dug, the worse it got. Their hidden dealings and private lives are so dirty, I just can’t stand it.”

“Really? I actually love how dirty both their back pockets and their private lives are.”

“Pardon? Why? Don’t tell me, Young Master, are you drawn to bad guys?”

“I’m the type who enjoys running bad guys ragged.”

I bantered idly with Yoo Jong-tae as I leafed through the documents.

“Hm, they were actively involved in money laundering through the construction company too?”

“Yeah, those guys, maybe to keep their backs covered, got entangled with all sorts of dirty politicians.”

It’s long been known that construction companies are a prime industry for laundering political funds and other shady money.

‘The bigger the scale of the project, the greater the difference between actual costs and the numbers on the surface.’

With apartments and shopping complexes, at least you can estimate how much went in.

But what about invisible civil engineering work?

How would the average person know how much it costs to fix a river, build a road, lay sewer pipes, or construct a railway? How would they ever catch the corruption?

‘Taesung Construction was one of the biggest names in the country.’

The money involved in construction is on a whole other scale.

Once real estate’s involved, ten million won is just the starting unit.

“They put an incompetent CEO up as a figurehead and the executives slyly took the big money.”

“With politicians watching their backs, they must’ve done whatever they pleased.”

No wonder Grandpa said the fortune he handed to me from squeezing Taesung Construction’s executives was nothing to scoff at!

I couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

“Young Master, what should we do?”

Yoo Jong-tae slid the documents aside as he spoke.

“Shall I round up every last one of these guys, families and all, or…?”

His eyes turned cold.

“Or shall we leave the cleanup to the professionals, sparing you the dirty work?”

“Even trash can be recycled if you sort it properly.”

I slid a prepared piece of paper across to Yoo Jong-tae.

“Let’s keep to the process. No jumping straight to kidnapping, threats, or dumping bodies.”

“What’s this?”

“A recruitment proposal.”

“You’d offer a recruitment deal to someone who’s caused harm to Taesung Construction? They ought to thank you just for sparing them jail time!”

“If someone comes of their own free will and promises to work hard, shouldn’t we at least consider it?”

“You’re too kind, Young Master. Even giving these trash a chance to repent…”

“There’s a difference between those who come willingly and those who are dragged in by force. Don’t treat them the same.”

I said it flatly.

“Don’t come at me with talk of fairness and equality. Naturally, I’ll look after my own people first.”

It’s hard enough to protect myself in this world. I should at least take care of my own!

“Just remember, I, Yoo Jong-tae, am your loyal Number Two, Young Master!”

Yoo Jong-tae winked with a flourish, still hyping himself up.

“Then, should I enclose their dirty ledgers with the recruitment proposals, like Secretary Kim did?”

“You think they’re politicians? Why would I show my hand to guys who have nothing?”

I snorted.

“If any of them still act like they’re executives, don’t hold back. Break their pride.”

“I will faithfully carry out your orders and deliver these recruitment proposals immediately.”

There was a crafty look on his face.

***

Yoo Jong-tae and the 5th Security Team of Taesung Group set out to track down Taesung Construction’s former executives.

‘This must be Oh Jung-seop, the one who embezzled the most because he was the most capable.’

Former Executive Director Oh Jung-seop of Taesung Construction snatched up the recruitment proposal Yoo Jong-tae offered and crumpled it up, throwing it to the floor.

“What do you take me for! You call this a recruitment offer?”

Even after stomping on the crumpled proposal with his shoes, his anger didn’t subside.

“A measly manager’s salary? Hey! You expect me to work for this? I’m Oh Jung-seop!”

The former executive director Oh Jung-seop was fuming.

“And it’s not even Taesung! Where? JH Investment Company? You dare throw some no-name backwater company at me?”

“Better than being unemployed, isn’t it?”

“Why does a puny investment firm like this expect me to devote myself to Taesung? This is a joke.”

Oh Jung-seop glared and gritted his teeth at Yoo Jong-tae.

“Why is a Taesung Group bodyguard delivering some investment firm’s job offer? Aren’t you the real traitor here?”

“Oh? If you’re no traitor, why did you loot Taesung Construction’s safe?”

Yoo Jong-tae smirked.

“Word is you’ve been working hard to wine and dine every politician and HR director you can find, but none of them have made you an offer yet. Doesn’t that say it all?”

“Hey! What did you just say?”

“Still think you’re an executive? If not for Chairman Cha, you’d never have sat in that seat. You’re a jobless bum who only avoided prison by Chairman Cha’s grace. That’s what I’ve heard.”

“Hey! Yoo Jong-tae!”

“Yes, Mr. Oh Jung-seop?”

“What? M-Mr. Oh Jung-seop? Mr. Oh Jung-seop?!”

Oh Jung-seop’s face turned red and blue as he yelled.

Not that I cared.

“Why do you think, even after all your desperate lobbying, you haven’t landed a single decent position?”

“Shut up!”

“You think you can land a cushy job in this field after getting on Chairman Cha’s bad side? Dream on.”

“Yoo Jong-tae!”

“Yes, Mr. Oh Jung-seop?”

Oh Jung-seop clenched his fists, his body shaking with anger.

Yoo Jong-tae grinned mockingly and snorted.

“I wonder if you know what Executive Lee from Hyunmu Construction said after your drinking session yesterday?”

“Executive Lee?”

His face betrayed a hint of curiosity.

Yoo Jong-tae’s gaze grew even colder as he watched.

“He said he’d never hire a useless guy, and definitely not one he couldn’t trust.”

Oh Jung-seop’s face twisted with rage, while Yoo Jong-tae casually picked his ear.

“Frankly, I get it. Everyone knows how much you stole at Taesung Construction. Who in their right mind would risk making a guy with such a dirty past an executive?”

“You bastard…!”

“Oh, you sure have gotten good with your hands. But now you’re just a broken kite with no skill, no backing, nothing. Maybe it’s time you reined yourself in.”

“…Yoo Jong-tae!”

Oh Jung-seop trembled as he bit his lip.

“Just wait. The day will come when I pay back this humiliation.”

“Still got that temper and pride, I see. Let’s meet again soon. The recruitment offer still stands.”

Yoo Jong-tae brushed off his suit jacket.

“You’ve got three days. Nine o’clock in the evening is the deadline. Consider it carefully until then.”

“I have no interest!”

“Oh, no conscience and now no thoughts either.”

Yoo Jong-tae tapped the crumpled proposal with the tip of his shoe.

The balled-up paper slid across the floor, stopping in front of Oh Jung-seop.

“If you’ve got no manners, at least have some civic sense. Trash goes in the trash can. Or do you not even know that?”

***

During the next three days, about seven phone calls came in.

‘You’d think they’d be curious what work they might do for Taesung.’

Their brazen, high-handed questions were all about the same.

-There’s a zero missing from the salary you quoted. Check again.

-Why isn’t there mention of a company car or foreign car? Check again.

-Hey, I’ve got nothing to say to you. Put me through to the president. Now!

-It’s obvious this is a start-up. The negotiations are a mess. You call this a company? Tsk.

The three-day deadline passed.

‘Their executive pride must still be through the roof.’

No helping it.

“Looks like we’ll have to begin interviews at Cheonggye Mountain.”

I rose from my seat.

“Is everything ready?”

The hour of reckoning.

Yoo Jong-tae, who’d been running around busily for today, grinned triumphantly.

“Of course. By now, the targets should all be wrapped up and loaded into the van.”

“Good. Any problems?”

“Hm, if I had to pick, the pit was an issue.”

“What about the pit?”

“It’s midwinter, the ground’s frozen solid. The shovel wouldn’t go in.”

Frozen ground is as hard as rock—digging isn’t easy.

“Ah, if that’s all, you should’ve told me sooner.”

I clicked my tongue.

“You just strip them, tie them to a tree trunk, and douse them with buckets of cold water.”

Whether you’re buried up to your neck in frozen ground or doused in freezing water in the middle of winter, it’s all the same—pure torment.

“Ah, why didn’t I think of that? As expected of our Young Master!”

Yoo Jong-tae smacked his forehead with a look of realization.

“But thanks to the three-day grace period you gave them, there was no real problem.”

Oh? Digging thirty-two pits in frozen ground in the dead of winter wasn’t a problem?

I was suddenly curious.

“So how did you manage it?”

“You’ll understand when you see it for yourself.”

Yoo Jong-tae puffed out his chest with pride.

“I’m Yoo Jong-tae! Solving something like that easily is what makes me your right hand, Young Master!”

Confident, aren’t you?

Just what did you do?

There weren’t even that many Taesung Construction executives.

‘Once we made the dirty ledger, we caught a few big fish by accident, so while we were at it, I tossed a few more into the threat pile.’

Repeating the same threat twenty-one times like a private tutor is a pain.

Since they’re all just as dirty, I decided to round them up and threaten them together. End of story!

“Young Master, is this how you’re going to your first meeting?”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“Yes. Your dress code is not appropriate for the TPO.”

What? Why? What!

What’s so bad about how I look?

Yoo Jong-tae looked me up and down, clearly dissatisfied.

“There’s no second chance at a first impression. If you’re planning to openly threaten the executives, you shouldn’t be wearing corduroy pants and a loud floral shirt.”

Well, I’m only eight years old.

Since Taesung Construction’s executives would likely look down on me for my age, I’d made a special effort to stand out.

“And what’s with that chunky gold necklace and all those rings on your fingers?”

What? Why? What!

All our people dress like this!

Even the Bulkwang-dong gas dealer and the minions dressed similarly—it’s not like I’m out of fashion!

“For this, you need a suit, sharp dress shoes, and a black long coat with a fox fur collar! Floral shirt, confiscated. Gold accessories, confiscated. That part-down haircut and the Dongdong-guri perm, confiscated.”

A suit, sharp shoes, and a black long coat.

Now that I think about it, there is a sort of standard look in the business.

Compared to our people who go around in flashy aloha shirts with shoulder bags and loads of gold, the real gangsters wore black suits as a group, with sashimi knives or hand axes at their waists.

“Then I’ll just wear a hand axe on my belt.”

“Hand axe, confiscated. Jackknife, confiscated. All that scary stuff, confiscated.”

“….”

“What would you get your hands dirty for, Young Master? Leave it to me.”

Yoo Jong-tae pounded his chest.

“Trust in me, Yoo Jong-tae! You won’t regret it.”

Shall I trust Yoo Jong-tae’s skill this once?

‘If I really hate it, I can just quit. I can always change clothes, and a hat’ll cover my hair anyway.’

I nodded.

At that, three Taesung Group security guards quickly rushed over and joined us.