Chapter 54: Golden Documents

Chairman Kim limped toward President Kim of Ugwang Construction.

Every step he took with his cane felt heavy.

But Chairman Kim’s voice weighed even heavier.

“Chairman Cha said he only intended to take the child in and send the mother away. But in the midst of that, someone pulled some tricks—so my brother turned his back, and even decided to call off the marriage to my daughter.”

Chairman Kim’s gaze stabbed like a blade.

“Why did you do it?”

President Kim of Ugwang Construction kept his mouth shut.

Instead, he racked his brains for an excuse that might get him through this safely.

“Don’t give me nonsense. Just tell me the truth. What does this have to do with you?”

How much should he say?

His lips wouldn’t open easily.

“What about making the Japanese technical advisor return to Japan? Why did they say they’d never deal with Ugwang again?”

“That’s… Taesung did something in the middle…”

“What tricks?”

Once again, he was left speechless.

He was sure Taesung had pulled some stunt with the Japanese, but…

He had suspicions, but no evidence.

“It was just a misunderstanding…”

“What misunderstanding?”

There was no way President Kim of Ugwang Construction could answer that.

He hadn’t even managed to talk to the Japanese.

“What about last night’s year-end party? The cold glares from the political and government figures sent to Ugwang?”

“That was…”

“Do you even know how many people called me to complain?”

“I’m sorry. That’s something I’ll explain later…”

“You mean you can’t even explain this properly.”

Chairman Kim pulled his tie loose.

“You ruined my daughter’s marriage, ruined my relations with key officials, ruined the technical agreement, and now it looks like you’ve ruined the Subway Line 2 project, too.”

Chairman Kim began to wind his loosened tie around his fist.

“You can’t even give a proper explanation, just rolling your eyes looking for excuses. Am I supposed to let you off?”

Chairman Kim clenched the fist wrapped in his tie.

President Kim of Ugwang Construction, terrified, stepped back.

“I—I can explain!”

“Shut up.”

“These are all minor issues! The bidding for the Subway Line 2 project hasn’t even started yet—!”

Whack!

Chairman Kim’s punch snapped President Kim’s head to the side.

Chairman Kim grabbed him by the collar and rained down punches.

Whack! Thud! Smack!

Blood splattered, saliva sprayed, and the dull sound echoed.

President Kim, instead of fighting back, flopped face down on the floor.

“I’ll make sure Ugwang wins the Subway Line 2 project! You know me, I always deliver results no matter what!”

Chairman Kim’s fist stopped in midair.

President Kim shouted desperately.

“No matter what happens along the way, if I can prove myself with results, that’s what matters, isn’t it? As long as the business goes well, everything else can be fixed!”

Chairman Kim’s icy glare stabbed into the back of President Kim’s head.

“A subway crossing Seoul! An 180 billion won project! Dangle the subway stations and land development rights, and no political or government figure can turn their back on Ugwang!”

President Kim shouted like he was coughing up blood.

“I’ll prove it with ability, I’ll take responsibility for the results! Hold me accountable only if I completely fail! Just trust me with Subway Line 2!”

A heavy silence fell.

Even their breathing seemed weighted, and the ticking of the wall clock grated on their nerves.

“You want me to just trust you blindly after you’ve messed up this badly?”

The voice was cold as ice.

“Yesterday, you couldn’t even tell up from down, and you’re still out of your mind.”

This time, Chairman Kim undid his leather belt.

President Kim went pale.

“The ultimate decision-maker for Subway Line 2 is Mayor Gu! He’s also the one responsible for supervision!”

The hand that had raised the belt high stopped in midair.

President Kim shouted urgently.

“No matter what the others say, even if Taesung turns away, even if the marriage is broken off, even if investments flood into Taesung, nothing is decided yet! The one who decides is Mayor Gu! If he chooses Ugwang, the game’s over!”

President Kim spoke faster and faster.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win over Mayor Gu! There’s still more than two weeks left until the bidding for Subway Line 2, so it’s too soon to give up! It’s not over until it’s over!”

Crash!

Chairman Kim flung his belt, shattering the flowerpot by the window.

Shards of white porcelain and clumps of soil scattered everywhere.

“Get out.”

“Th—thank you, hyungnim!”

“Chief Song, drag this bastard out, now.”

“Yes, Chairman!”

Ugwang Group security closed in on the president of Ugwang Construction.

“I’ll go out on my own—ugh! Let go, you bastards! Urgh!”

President Kim was dragged out, feet scraping.

Bang!

The door to the chairman’s office slammed shut.

Once the Ugwang Group security let go, President Kim stumbled, then collapsed to the floor.

“Goddamn it.”

A curse escaped him.

He clenched his teeth, fists tightening on their own.

Secretary Choi, waiting outside, rushed over in alarm and handed him a handkerchief.

“Sir, you’re bleeding…!”

“Damn it!”

President Kim wiped the blood away roughly with the handkerchief.

His lips were split and his nose wouldn’t stop bleeding.

“No matter what, I have to win the Subway Line 2 project. Otherwise, I’ll be the first to go down.”

He could imagine exactly how his older brother would react if he failed to secure the project.

That fear was why he’d worked so hard to bribe and pressure high-ranking officials.

“I never intended to beat Taesung with pure ability. But having ability isn’t the only way to win a project. The world runs on the logic of strength and weakness. If need be, I’ll just crush them with force.”

President Kim stood up abruptly and strode off.

Secretary Choi hurried after him, asking anxiously.

“Sir, what do you plan to do?”

“We’re going to City Hall.”

“City Hall?”

“I need to see Mayor Gu. If I can bring him over to our side, I have nothing to fear.”

“But you haven’t been able to win over Mayor Gu with bribes and pressure so far. Do you really think it’s possible now?”

“I heard Mayor Gu is under huge stress lately over the route change for Subway Line 2. He hates the route proposed by former Mayor Yang Taek-seok and wants to scrap the whole plan. That’s the gap we need to exploit.”

His urgency quickened his steps.

“Let’s present ourselves as the construction firm that shares Mayor Gu’s vision. We need to show we can work together, dream together, and look in the same direction.”

“A joint partnership?”

“If an experienced contractor gets involved from the route planning stage, it’ll cut down on mistakes and share the political burden. For a politically ambitious mayor, that’s got to be tempting.”

President Kim clenched his fist.

“Honestly, it’s fine even if we don’t win him over right away. We’ve got a last resort.”

He had a card up his sleeve.

Rustle.

Trailing after President Kim and Secretary Choi was something like a dark, transparent smoke.

Ever since the year-end party ended, he’d been under close surveillance by order.

This was Cha Junghyuk’s hidden card, his ace in the hole.

---

I watched the scene sent by the Reaper with keen interest.

Sprawled on the bed at Hyeonmu Hotel, I thought to myself.

‘Hmm, the president of Ugwang Construction clearly has something he’s counting on. What could it be? If he says he can secure the subway project even without Mayor Gu…’

I had a hunch.

‘It’s got to be the Taesung Chemical fire incident.’

That accident killed 23 people and sent 166 to the hospital.

Outraged by the loss of life and property, the President summoned Grandfather to the Blue House.

Afterward, Grandfather had to make a public apology and contributed 3 billion won of his own money to establish the Taesung Foundation.

He stepped down as chairman to reflect, and the Subway Line 2 project went to Ugwang.

Rustle.

I took out a small, neatly folded paper from my coin pouch.

It was a statement written in Cheolgu’s own handwriting.

Even now, it gleamed with a golden light—no ordinary paper, that’s for sure.

‘Hey, Guardian Spirit.’

[……What?]

‘Can you look into the suspects listed here for the Taesung Chemical case?’

[You want me to tail that sly, despicable bastard too?]

‘Can’t let him slip away, either.’

[How’s your conscience doing? You keep this up, and I’m going to work myself to death…]

‘Oh, so even a Reaper can die from overwork? That’s news to me.’

[…I’ll be back.]

The Reaper vanished without a sound.

Lounging in bed all day made me grin for no reason.

Never had my mind and body felt so at ease.

Breakfast at the buffet, lunch at the hotel’s Japanese restaurant, dinner at the Western restaurant.

“This is a real hotel staycation. Man, this is great.”

There’s no life more carefree than that of an idle bum.

Being a child is wonderful for reasons like this.

I don’t have to get up for work when everyone else does.

With my parents around, I never have to worry about meals.

No fighting over money, no knife fights, turf wars, or battles for power that risk your life.

“All a kid has to do is eat, sleep, and play—what’s not to love?”

Honestly, when I was younger, all I wanted was to grow up and be an adult.

A kid can only earn as much as an ant’s tear.

‘In the back alleys, life was harsh for kids without protectors.’

I’d sell gum, pickpocket, beg, or at least keep watch for bullies and gangsters.

I had no home, so I’d sleep at subway stations or parks, and in winter, sneak into boiler rooms or warehouses, running away when caught.

‘If you didn’t beg for kindness, you couldn’t survive. My childhood was wretched and filthy, day after day.’

Just remembering those times made me shudder.

I never wanted to go through something that horrible again.

‘But now things are different. My parents are alive, I eat and sleep in a hotel, and while Mom gets a massage, I just lounge around.’

No one beats me for being lazy!

Wow, this is heaven itself!

Such a life was unimaginable in the back alleys.

‘Still, things got a little better when I ended up with my Master.’

What did Master say when he saw me rummaging through the trash for food?

-Tsk tsk, those eyes are hopeless. Are you really about to eat bread that’s clearly been laced with rat poison? Come with me.

-At least learn some reading and arithmetic at elementary school if you want to be useful. Why waste such a sharp mind?

Thanks to him, I got to attend elementary school, even if late.

Master slipped someone a bribe and got me a fake family register.

Back then, the registration system wasn’t fully established, so there were lots of loopholes.

Civil servants wrote everything by hand, and many people were left out.

Jump!

I stood up from my seat.

I was only having all these useless thoughts because my body felt so comfortable.

Some cold air should clear my head.

“A walk is just the thing for a change of pace!”

The Hyeonmu Hotel garden was beautifully decorated with a Christmas tree, and the paths and landscaping were all well-kept—a pretty sight.

When I saw it last night, I’d wanted to take a stroll in the bright daylight, too.

I put on my coat and went down to the first floor.

‘Huh…?’

I was startled to see a familiar face walking into the hotel lobby.

‘Master!’

He was supposed to be at the pawnshop—what was he doing here at this hour?

‘…Huh?’

From the paper bag Master was carrying, golden light was shining brilliantly.