CH11 | MCT

A Moonlit Night in July

The sun had set, and darkness had fallen.

Through the small, worn-out windows of the shantytown houses, warm lights flickered from within.

Tae-soo found himself smiling without realizing it.

It was such a familiar and comforting sight.

“Mother, we’re home.”

His mother was the first to rush out.

“Oh my, my boys are back! You must have had a tough day. Did everything go well?”

Tae-soo handed her a few bags of snacks he had bought on the way.

“What’s all this?”

“Just some snacks for you.”

“You don’t have money to spare. You should’ve bought yourself something nice instead.”

“I have enough to buy my mother some snacks.”

His mother had always loved sweets—cookies, candy, anything.

But she rarely indulged, always saying it was too expensive, too much of a waste, and that she’d rather spend that money feeding her children something good.

The thought that he had never properly bought his mother the snacks she liked had weighed on Tae-soo’s heart for a long time.

Now, as she opened the bags and smiled brightly, he felt a pang of regret.

If I had known this would make her so happy, I would have done it sooner.

“You must be hungry. How about I make some pancakes for you, Tae-soo?”

“That sounds great.”

“You still love kimchi pancakes, right?”

His mouth watered at the thought.

His mother’s cooking was the best in town.

It had been forty years since he last had her kimchi pancakes.

“I’ll make some scallion pancakes for Han-soo too.”

“Sounds perfect.”

His mother disappeared into the kitchen.

His father came out next, smiling warmly at Tae-soo.

Tae-soo walked up to him and handed him something.

A pack of five Cheong-ja cigarettes.

His father’s face lit up with joy.

“Oh, you didn’t have to get me these. Cheong-ja is expensive.”

“I wasn’t going to buy them at first, thinking of your health. But it bothered me that you were always borrowing smokes from your friends. Share them.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

He held the cigarettes like they were the most precious thing in the world.

Then, after digging around in his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette butt—half-smoked, saved for later.

For a moment, he hesitated, wondering if he should keep it.

Then, with a determined look, he tossed it away.

“Let’s see how my son’s cigarettes taste.”

“Father, do you smoke often?”

“No, not much. It’s money, after all.”

“How often do you smoke?”

“I barely smoke one cigarette a day.”

Working labor jobs, the workers likely shared a cigarette after meals, taking puffs together.

Tae-soo could easily imagine his father sneaking in, hesitantly joining them, carefully gauging their reactions as he took a puff.

“If I make a lot of money, I’ll buy you some mild foreign cigarettes.”

“Foreign cigarettes? Those are expensive! Don’t bother—Cheong-ja is already a luxury.”

His father waved his hand dismissively but couldn't help smacking his lips at the sight of the fresh cigarette pack.

For the first time, Tae-soo lit a cigarette for his father.

The flickering matchlight illuminated his father’s face, and in that glow, he seemed to smile brightly.

Soon, the thick smoke spread in the air, curling into the night sky.

“Did you find anything in the mine?”

“Molybdenum. They say it's a war mineral.”

“Not gold?”

His father’s eyes widened in shock.

“But Chun-sik swore there was gold there… He was crying over it.”

“There’s no gold. He was scammed.”

“I see… I see.”

A complicated emotion clouded his father’s eyes.

It was because of Oh Chun-sik.

No matter what had happened, he had been his closest friend for forty years.

Blinded by greed, he had made a terrible mistake.

“What will you do now?”

“What else? There’s molybdenum, so I have to mine it and sell it.”

“That’s going to take a lot of money.”

“The money issue will be resolved soon.”

His father lowered his head, sighing deeply.

“I feel ashamed… A father who can’t even contribute a single penny. I’m sorry.”

“As long as we’re debt-free, that’s more than enough. It’s fine.”

His father gazed at his eldest son, taking him in.

A quiet sense of pride spread across his face.

“You did well. You worked hard.”

With just those few words, the exhaustion melted away from Tae-soo’s body.

***

The door opened, and Kang Han-soo walked in after washing up.

He quickly spread out Tae-soo’s bedding along with his own.

Tae-soo was momentarily stunned by the unexpected gesture.

“Wow, you even set up my bedding? Thanks.”

“Why are you thanking me for something so small? Other brothers do this kind of thing all the time.”

I don’t know how other siblings live.

But right now, this moment makes me happy, and I’m grateful.

Tae-soo grinned.

“Alright then, let’s see how my little brother’s setup feels.”

He flopped onto the bedding.

“Nice. Haha.”

“Is it really something to be that happy about?”

"Then, of course, it's great. My little brother went out of his way for me—how could I not be happy? If you did this every day, I’d have no more wishes left."

Tae-soo beamed with a big grin, making it impossible for Han-soo to scold him properly.

Instead, Han-soo just smirked.

“Han-soo, I need you to scout the entire mining district over the next few days and find a place that meets my conditions.”

“Conditions?”

• The mine must have facilities capable of refining molybdenum.
  

• It must be struggling financially.
  

• It should have a large number of skilled miners.
  

Han-soo frowned in confusion.

“Why do we need to find a place like that? The money problem is solved, so all that’s left is mining and selling the molybdenum.”

“If a mine is on the verge of collapse, I’ll just buy it outright. Let’s take care of all these annoying problems in one go.”

Tae-soo flashed a confident smile.

“We need all these things anyway. If we can acquire them at a bargain price, wouldn’t that be a jackpot?”

Han-soo pondered the idea.

If they could find a place that met those conditions, they could secure refining facilities and skilled workers all at once—at a fraction of the cost.

“That means we wouldn’t even need the full 20 million won… And if we take over an entire mine on top of that…”

It was worth trying.

If they pulled it off, it would be a massive win.

“Got it. I’ll send people out to scout every mine.”

Han-soo nodded in agreement.

“We're starting from the bottom anyway, so getting everything in one move is ideal.”

Even as a shoeshiner in the marketplace, Han-soo had a network of informants and played the role of a fixer.

Gathering intel was his specialty, and he had a knack for handling tricky situations.

Tae-soo trusted him.

“Good. For now, I’ll leave everything related to the mines in your hands. Money will come in after August 3rd, so consider that our budget.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“I need to find buyers for the molybdenum.”

“Don’t tell me… Pohang? The one you asked me about before?”

“Yeah.”

Tae-soo planned to head to Pohang first.

Park Tae-jong of Pohang Steel—Chiongil Group’s Han Cheong-ho’s biggest rival.

And one of President Park Jeong-hwan’s closest aides.

He was the man Tae-soo needed to see. It was time to sell molybdenum—properly.

“I’m turning off the light.”

This time, Tae-soo pulled the switch hanging from the ceiling.

The moment the room went dark, Han-soo swung his pillow.

Whap!

“Oh? You dodged?”

“You’re pretty quick yourself.”

And so, another playful battle between brothers unfolded in the dark.

Just as he was about to lie down, a voice called from outside.

“Tae-soo!”

Stepping outside, he saw Holjjugi grinning under the bright moonlight, holding a jug of makgeolli.

That booze-loving guy hadn’t changed a bit.

“What are you doing here at this hour?”

“It’s too hot to sleep, and I was craving a drink.”

It was late July.

The kind of heat where sweat trickled down your back even if you just sat still.

Tae-soo smacked his lips.

“Curfew ended a long time ago.”

“It’s just a few fences to hop, and I’m home. No big deal.”

Holjjugi plopped onto the wooden bench and took a long gulp straight from the spout of the jug.

“Khh—” He exhaled in satisfaction before handing the jug over.

Tae-soo took a swig.

It had been a while since he drank from one of these old yellow aluminum kettles.

“How is it? Amazing, right?”

“Khh—perfect. This is damn good. Whose makgeolli is this?”

“The lady from the gukbap place down the street.”

It was the same gukbap restaurant where his mother did odd jobs.

That woman couldn’t cook to save her life.

“That lady again? Did she make my mother brew this for her? She treats her like a servant, making her do all sorts of things.”

“Well, your mother’s cooking is the best around here. Thanks to her, the gukbap lady is making a killing.”

Tae-soo handed the jug back to Holjjugi.

Holjjugi gladly accepted it, taking another swig before mumbling,

“Why the sudden mood shift? You look like someone just ruined your drink. This makgeolli is seriously good.”

“It goes down smooth, but I’m not feeling great. I saw my mother’s hands today—they’re all cracked and swollen.”

“Wow, our Tae-soo finally grew up. You better succeed fast and pay her back.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Oh? You’re serious this time?”

“Yeah.”

They sat side by side on the bench as a warm night breeze blew past.

Tae-soo found himself enjoying this moment.

“A drink with a good friend—can’t complain.”

“Right? Too bad we don’t have any snacks.”

“Actually, my mother made some pancakes earlier. There should be a few left.”

Tae-soo rummaged through the kitchen and brought out some cold kimchi pancakes and scallion pancakes.

Holjjugi let out a hearty laugh.

“Khh—this is perfect! Nothing goes better with makgeolli than pancakes!”

“Good?”

“Of course! Do you even have to ask? Your mother made it! Damn, how does it taste so good even when it’s cold? Your mom’s cooking skills are top-tier!”

Grinning, Holjjugi shoveled the pancakes into his mouth.

His cheerful energy was contagious, and Tae-soo couldn’t help but smile too.

“You eat so much, yet you never gain weight. You’re still skinny as a twig.”

“You think maintaining these muscles is easy? This is a full-time job, man.”

“Muscles? Please. All I see are bones. I think we need more food. Should I cook some ramen?”

“Ramen?”

Holjjugi's eyes sparkled as he swallowed his saliva.

Then, suddenly, he shook his head firmly.

"Nah, makgeolli goes with pajeon. Ramen is for soju."

"Ramen as drinking food? It’s more of a meal."

"You have no idea. Raw ramen is a beer snack."

"Whatever. Just eat the pancakes."

Holjjugi and Tae-soo continued their drinking session on the wooden bench in the summer night air.

"I heard you got yourself a mine?"

"Yeah."

"You’re really gonna do it?"

"Of course."

"It’s gonna be tough. You sure about this?"

"Wanna help?"

"What can I even do? Forget it."

The jug of makgeolli emptied in no time.

Holjjugi slung an arm around Tae-soo’s shoulder.

"How about one more jug?"

"Get lost, you drunk."

"But we still have food left."

"It’s late. Go home."

Tae-soo got up first, gathering the dishes and tidying up.

Holjjugi stared longingly at the empty jug, his eyes full of regret.

"Just one more jug."

"This is the perfect stopping point."

"Come on, I know your drinking limit. And you’re not delivering rice anymore, right? You can drink all you want and sleep in."

"I have to wake up early. I’m heading out to sell the molybdenum from the mine. Want to come? Then we can drink more."

"Tch, why would I go there? Fine, I’ll leave."

Holjjugi trudged toward the gate, empty jug in hand, shoulders slumped as he gazed wistfully at the container.

Tae-soo chuckled at the familiar sight of his friend’s back.

"Working with Holjjugi was fun. There’s no one I trust more than that guy."

"Holjjugi, want to come down to Pohang with me tomorrow?"

"Nope. Why would I go there?"

"Fresh sashimi by the beach, with soju. Maybe even some gwamegi."

"I’M IN!"

Look at him.

The mere mention of alcohol and his eyes were practically glowing.

Still holding the empty jug, Holjjugi finally headed home.

Left alone on the bench, Tae-soo absentmindedly fiddled with a stack of papers.

He had asked Han-soo to dig up some information in advance.

"They call him the NIS’s ice pick, and damn, he really does have a talent for sniffing out dirt and going after a target relentlessly."

Tae-soo had only given Han-soo a subtle hint about who and what to investigate, but he hadn’t expected results this thorough.

"Now, I’ve got the perfect bait to reel in Pohang Steel’s president."

He was already looking forward to tomorrow.