CH21 | MCT

Acquiring a Mine (1)

“Hehehe, the Pohang Steel president has an exceptional taste in liquor. This whiskey is absolutely divine. Kaah!”

Hol-jjook threw his arms up in victory over the bottle of whiskey he had received from the Pohang Steel president.

If he had reacted like that back in the president’s office, Park Tae-jong would have been quite pleased.

Well, he had burst into hearty laughter—just for a different reason.

“You happy just because of some good liquor?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be? I did a little research on the way here, and turns out there’s a famous makgeolli place in Pohang. No way I could just pass that up.”

Clink!

Hol-jjook pulled out two bottles of makgeolli from his waistband.

“When did you even buy those?”

“There’s always time for makgeolli.”

“…”

In the blink of an eye, Hol-jjook downed some makgeolli, shuddering with delight.

“Kaah, this hits the spot. Is it the water? The craftsmanship? The sashimi is amazing, the gukbap is fantastic, and even the soju tastes sweeter here.”

Before anyone knew it, he was already pulling out snacks to go with the drinks.

The soju was just a bonus.

“You held back just fine earlier.”

“Well, we’re off duty now! Hehehe. Come on, sit down. Drink. Eat.”

Munching on the snacks, Hol-jjook kept marvelling at the taste of his drinks.

There was no stopping him.

“Hol-jjook, we’re done with everything here.”

“Then should we leave for Seoul early tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we have to drink all we want tonight. All night long!”

“…”

***

The early morning bus ride back to Seoul felt lighthearted.

And the steps toward home felt even lighter.

Tae-soo handed Hol-jjook a paper envelope.

“Here, take this.”

“What’s this for?”

"Take it to your grandmother."

“You even got something for my granny?”

“Of course. She’s your grandmother, isn’t she?”

“…Thanks.”

Just as Hol-jjook accepted the envelope and turned away—

‘Wait a minute… Wasn’t this around the time his grandmother passed? Or was it a few years later?’

Tae-soo searched his memories.

Back when his family was thrown into chaos because of loan sharks… When their house got demolished for redevelopment…

Everyone in the neighbourhood was forced to scatter.

Hol-jjook, who had been living with his grandmother, had to move elsewhere, too.

‘When we reunited after fleeing in the middle of the night, his grandmother was already gone.’

How she passed away, Tae-soo never knew.

Any time the topic came up, Hol-jjook would shut down completely and leave the room.

Since they had lost contact while running for their lives, Tae-soo hadn’t even been there for the funeral.

‘Was it old age? What happened that changed him so much?’

Hol-jjook had lost his parents early in the war and was raised by his grandmother alone.

After she was gone, he had no one—until he and Tae-soo joined Cheongil Group together.

But the once cheerful, mischievous Hol-jjook had stopped smiling.

The guy who used to joke around and run his mouth all the time had completely clammed up.

“Hol-jjook.”

“Huh?”

Hol-jjook, who had been walking ahead, turned back.

Tae-soo quickly ran up to him.

“Hol-jjook, take your grandmother to the hospital for a check-up.”

“My granny? Why?”

“She’s getting older. Just take her for a health check-up.”

Tae-soo reached into his pocket.

Then, he shoved all the money he had straight into Hol-jjook’s pocket.

“Hey, what the—?”

“Just do it. Let me know if you need more.”

“Hey, Kang Tae-soo.”

“I don’t care if you call it meddling. Just do it. She needs to stay with you for a long time.”

Hol-jjook stared at Tae-soo for a long moment.

Then, at last, he nodded.

“…Thanks. For thinking about my granny. I’ll make sure to take her to the hospital.”

With that, Hol-jjook turned and headed home.

‘This time, I’ll be the one to stay by his side.’

Tae-soo silently watched his friend’s back as he walked away.

Hol-jjook hummed a tune as he made his way home.

***

"Tae-soo, you’re back!"

As always, his mother came rushing out, barefoot.

Right behind her, his father followed at a more measured pace, his expression calm and composed.

“I’m home.”

Tae-soo handed his mother a large paper bag.

“Oh my, what’s all this?”

“Some local specialities from Pohang.”

“Oh my goodness, is this rock seaweed?”

“They were selling it at the market.”

He had gone to Jukdo Market with Hol-jjook.

Hol-jjook had eagerly tagged along, lured by the thought of fresh seafood sliced on the spot and a shot of soju to go with it.

As Tae-soo stepped inside, he suddenly realized just how different their home looked.

Stacks of packed boxes filled the living room.

“What’s all this?”

“We packed up for the move.”

Ah, so the demolition day was coming up soon.

With everything going on, he hadn’t been around to help with the packing.

“Have you decided on the new place?”

“Of course.”

“Where is it?”

“A place you know well. Sangdong, Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province.”

“…What?”

Tae-soo’s eyes widened in shock.

“Why are we moving all the way to Gangwon-do?”

Tae-soo’s parents exchanged a brief glance and smiled.

Then, they both turned to him with beaming faces.

“We’re leaving this house anyway, so we might as well help out with your work and live nearby.”

“That’s right. The abandoned mine is old, so there’s probably a lot that needs fixing, right? Your father’s good at building houses. I’ll lend a hand.”

“And you know my cooking skills, don’t you? I’ll take care of the meals for the workers. How about that?”

Tae-soo didn’t know how to respond.

“But… it’s going to be hard on you.”

“Oh, nonsense. Families help each other.”

“Exactly. Our sons are working so hard far from home—how can we sleep at night not knowing if they’re eating well? I need to be there to make sure.”

It seemed like their minds were already made up.

Tae-soo had no choice but to nod.

Honestly, the thought of being apart from his parents made him feel a little reluctant too.

“I’ll get you an apartment next time, just like I promised before.”

“No need for an apartment. As long as the family’s together, that’s home.”

“Your father’s right.”

Just then—

“Uh… Tae-soo hyung.”

A cautious voice called him from outside the gate.

When he turned around, he saw the boy who had been with Han-soo.

“What’s up? Did Han-soo send you?”

“Yes, he asked me to deliver a message.”

“What is it?”

“He said to come to the mine in Gangwon-do. He’s found a place that meets your conditions.”

He’s found a place that meets our conditions?

That meant they had discovered a mine worth acquiring.

Everything was falling into place!

It was great news.

As Tae-soo prepared to leave immediately, the boy quickly stopped him.

“The intercity buses to Gangwon-do have stopped running for the night. Han-soo knew that, so he told me to buy a ticket for the first bus in the morning.”

That was unexpected.

“Oh? Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. Han-soo hyung prepared it in advance. Here, take it.”

The boy handed Tae-soo the ticket.

That Han-soo—so meticulous.

Buying a ticket for the earliest bus must mean he wanted Tae-soo to hurry.

‘Why the rush? Did someone else set their sights on the mine?’

Otherwise, there would be no reason for such urgency.

Han-soo would have already used the 20 million won budget to negotiate and secure the deal.

Something unexpected must have happened.

"Thanks a lot for delivering the message. And for the ticket too. You’ve done a great job."

Tae-soo reached into his pocket, intending to give the boy some money for the bus fare and a small tip for his trouble.

‘Ah, right… I already gave everything to Hol-jjook for his grandmother’s hospital fees.’

Just then, Tae-soo’s mother reached into her own pocket and handed the boy some money instead.

With a warm smile, she said, "You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Stay and have a meal with us."

"Ah, no, it's fine! I’m not hungry at all."

Growl.

His stomach betrayed him.

Tae-soo’s mother gently took the boy’s arm and led him inside.

"We just got some fresh seaweed. Sit tight for a bit."

***

August 1, 1972

In front of the limestone mine owned by Daeyang Cement, Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do

Tae-soo and Hol-jjook scanned their surroundings.

"Where the hell is Han-soo?"

A voice called out from a distance.

"So it was you, Yong-sik hyung."

Han-soo was approaching them.

"What, you don’t see me here?"

"Do you think I’m blind? I only sent one bus ticket, but two of you showed up. That’s why I was surprised."

Hol-jjook smirked knowingly and puffed out his chest.

With his skinny frame, it barely made a difference.

"Ahem! I’ve decided to work with Tae-soo. He says he can’t trust anyone else to watch his back."

Han-soo narrowed his eyes.

"Hyung, what the hell did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on. You’ve been doing just fine on your own. You’re holding your own at work, people respect you—so why would you suddenly quit and join us? What’s so special about this place?"

"Because I’m here."

"..."

Han-soo shook his head.

There was no getting through that ridiculous confidence.

Hol-jjook took a good look around the limestone mine and let out a whistle.

"This place is pretty big. The facilities, the workers—everything looks decent."

On their way in, they had seen workers gathered in small groups, taking a break in the shade.

It was lunchtime, and the mine seemed busy.

There were more miners than expected, and the tools they carried looked well-maintained.

Tae-soo also examined the limestone mine and nodded in agreement.

"This mine is right next to ours, but the facilities here are on a completely different level. Even the village they’ve built as worker housing is quite large. Looks like this place is running smoothly."

"You're right. This is a well-established mine. Not only is the limestone mining operation going strong, but the cement factory they run alongside it is also doing well."

Tae-soo was dumbfounded.

Han-soo didn’t seem to be joking, judging by his serious expression.

But then, why had he gone to the trouble of getting a bus ticket in the middle of the night just to bring him here?

"If this is a limestone mine, it doesn’t even meet the first condition I set."

The first condition: The mine must have molybdenum refining facilities.

Limestone and molybdenum mines require completely different refining processes.

Molybdenum uses froth flotation for processing, while limestone is simply quarried, crushed, and sold as is.

"Besides, there’s no way 20 million won would be enough to buy this place."

The second condition: The mine must be on the verge of bankruptcy.

From what Han-soo had just said, and from what Tae-soo had seen, this was a well-run and profitable mine and factory.

"That only leaves the third condition."

The third condition: There must be a large number of skilled workers available.

On the way in, Tae-soo noticed the mine had plenty of experienced labourers.

But Han-soo shook his head.

"If that were the case, I wouldn’t have brought you all the way here. This place actually meets all three conditions."

"Huh?"

"The mine owner tried to develop a gold mine... and failed."

"No way! That’s perfect!"

What were the chances of stumbling upon such a situation?

Tae-soo grinned from ear to ear.

Han-soo's eyes flickered with intrigue.

"Did he just put all the pieces together the moment I mentioned gold mining? Unbelievable. This guy’s a monster."

Time and again, Tae-soo never failed to impress him.

He had already admitted before that his older brother was remarkable, but every time, Tae-soo still managed to surprise him.

"They say a needle hidden in a pouch will always poke through. He must’ve worked so hard to keep his abilities hidden all this time."

Han-soo recalled how Tae-soo had recently declared he wouldn’t hold back anymore.

Without realizing it, a smile spread across his face.

This confident version of Tae-soo... he liked it.

"Wait, what the hell are you guys talking about? Can someone explain it to me?"

Only Hol-jjook was left standing there, completely lost.

"Tae-soo, you explain. Just a moment ago, you said only the third condition was met, right?"

But now, the situation has changed.

When the gold mining venture collapsed...