CH4 | MCT

100,000 Won (3)

Kang Han-soo had been well-known for a long time.

"A kid who shines shoes at the market running a crew and acting as a fixer? They say he’s pretty capable and resourceful."

Of course, no matter how skilled he was, the gap between him and a top loan shark like Song Jin-gu was vast.

But kids like Kang Han-soo usually had their future carved out for them.

Either they’d end up as back-alley thugs—or loan sharks themselves.

That was why Song Jin-gu had been keeping an eye on him, considering whether to recruit him.

And now, it turned out there was another skilled guy running with Kang Han-soo.

Someone whose identity was still a mystery.

Smack!

"Hoo."

The guy who had been beating Oh Chun-sik to a pulp finally straightened his back, letting out a breath of satisfaction.

Tae-soo dusted off his clothes, which had been grabbed and pulled by the pathetic bastard.

"Now you get it, don’t you? You clean up your own shit. Why the hell were you splashing it on my father? You shit-stained bastard."

As he straightened up, he threw in an extra kick.

Even as he walked away, anger flared up again, making him turn back to land a few more brutal kicks.

He aimed for spots that didn’t look serious but hurt like hell.

"Damn. That guy’s vicious."

"He’s more relentless than most loan sharks I know."

Eventually, Oh Chun-sik collapsed, trembling like a poisoned frog.

Song Jin-gu, watching the scene, gave a small nod.

"He’s no ordinary punk. Tae-soo, was it?"

Tae-soo strode up to Song Jin-gu, holding out the club he had taken earlier.

"Returning this."

A guy who hands back a weapon to its owner after a fight?

It was absurd.

Was this politeness or just pure insanity?

"What the hell are you?"

"I already told you. A creditor. Why do you keep asking the same thing?"

Once again, like a frog flicking out its tongue, the promissory note appeared.

This time, Tae-soo shoved it right in front of Song Jin-gu’s nose, barely giving him time to read it before tapping a specific spot at the bottom.

"Debtor Oh Chun-sik. You confirm the seal?"

And just like that, the note disappeared again.

"Debtor Oh Chun-sik. His seal is legit, right?"

Again, the note flickered in and out of sight.

"Let me take a proper look, damn it!"

"It’s a valuable document. Gotta handle it with care."

Song Jin-gu’s face twisted in irritation.

"Listen, kid. You—"

"Since the promissory note is verified, let’s move on to repayment."

Tae-soo cut him off bluntly.

Then he turned to Kang Han-soo, who had been standing in the corner, silently observing everything.

"Take our father and head home first."

"What about you?"

"Debt matters need to be settled first. Right?"

Tae-soo pulled out the promissory note again, flicking it playfully before tucking it away.

"Let’s just get this over with and collect what’s owed."

"I like that. But there’s an order to things, isn’t there?"

"The first one to grab the money wins. What kind of nonsense are you talking about? This isn’t your first time dealing with this kind of business."

"Hah… What a cocky little bastard."

"Let’s not waste time between pros."

"Pros?"

After five years of being harassed by loan sharks, you naturally pick up a thing or two.

Of course, the ones who had tormented Tae-soo and his family back then weren’t these guys.

They had likely sold off the promissory note to other lenders when they saw no chance of getting their money back.

But loan sharks were all the same.

"I'm Song Jin-gu, the Hyena of Myeong-dong. Where are you from? Yeongdeungpo? Mapo? Jongno?"

"Let’s just say Yeongdeungpo."

Their home was going to be demolished soon anyway. Who knew where they’d move next?

Tae-soo walked past Song Jin-gu, casually scanning the house as he went.

"Let’s see."

"Hah—are you seriously making an estimate right in front of me?"

"Just taking a look. It’s not like it'll wear down from being looked at."

Tae-soo ignored him and continued his inspection.

‘Damn. This is a rich man's house.’

The place was well-furnished with quality appliances.

A radio, a telephone, and even a television in the 1970s? That was impressive.

A modern sofa, a dining table, even a piano—just looking at it all made Tae-soo’s blood boil.

"Living in luxury like this, and yet he tried to swindle us out of a mere 100,000 won?"

To them, 100,000 won wasn’t even worth a single television set.

But for Tae-soo’s family, it was the compensation for the house they had lost.

‘The more I look, the more pissed off I get.’

Tae-soo took a deep breath.

"I’ll go for whatever smells like money."

Might as well put his special ability to good use.

As soon as he focused, the scent of money began wafting from all around him.

For a moment, the familiar smell was almost pleasant.

‘Damn it, there’s money everywhere.’

Of course. A rich man's house.

But even money had different grades.

If he was going to take something, he might as well go for the big one.

‘This smell… cheap. This one too. And this. And this. All cheap.’

Nothing that truly caught his interest.

"Anything with a red tag is already ours."

Two of Song Jin-gu’s men rushed over, pulling red stickers from their pockets and slapping them onto the appliances at random.

Tae-soo barely spared them a glance as he walked past.

"Not interested in that."

"…What?"

Song Jin-gu’s expression turned curious.

Without hesitation, Tae-soo made his way into the master bedroom.

"Oh."

Now this was a real money scent.

Thick.

Overwhelmingly thick.

Then, he spotted a pile of documents neatly set aside on the desk.

Song Jin-gu exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke as he approached, growling,

"Land deeds, house deeds—don’t touch those. Lay a finger on them, and you’ll be leaving in pieces."

"Relax. Just taking a look. It’s not like they'll wear down from being looked at… Geez, you’re fussy."

Tae-soo casually flipped through the land and house deeds, skimming them before handing them off—one by one—to Song Jin-gu’s men.

"Huh? H-Hey?!"

Song Jin-gu’s subordinate found himself awkwardly clutching the land deed, looking between Tae-soo and the documents in his arms.

His face openly displayed a single thought: Is this bastard crazy?

But Tae-soo didn’t even spare him a glance.

‘The land deed is definitely tempting. But I know there’s something even better hidden here.’

Song Jin-gu, already looking like a thug, twisted his face into an even nastier scowl.

"I warned you. I told you we’re taking those."

"Go ahead."

"You’re really just handing over the land and house deeds?"

"I told you—I’m not interested. How many times are you gonna ask?"

"Hah—"

Then, something caught Tae-soo’s eye.

"Found it."

The moment he recognized it, the scent of money became overwhelming.

Sweet. Euphoric. Almost enough to make him dizzy.

This was it.

"I’ll take this one."

Song Jin-gu burst out laughing.

"Pfft! And here I thought you’d picked something good."

The document in Tae-soo’s hands was a mining rights certificate.

"That thing’s worthless. A shut-down mine from the Japanese occupation. They already dug it dry and ran off. There’s nothing left."

"A shut-down mine?"

His heartbeat pounded.

Tae-soo’s pupils trembled with excitement.

‘No way… Is this the molybdenum mine that made Oh Chun-sik filthy rich?’

His lips curled into a grin.

Oh Chun-sik had made a fortune off that molybdenum mine.

With that money, he had gone on to acquire multiple mining businesses, becoming the top mining tycoon in South Korea within a decade.

‘Of course, that was before I joined Cheongil Group and tore it all down.’

But by then, his parents were already gone.

He still remembered standing in front of their graves with his younger brother, Han-soo, sobbing as they finally took revenge on Oh Chun-sik.

"I never thought I’d come across that shut-down mine in a place like this."

"Hah… You did hear me say that mine is worthless, right?"

"Of course."

Tae-soo nodded, looking perfectly satisfied.

"This is the one I want."

Song Jin-gu narrowed his eyes.

"You don’t trust what I’m saying?"

"I trust you."

Tae-soo grinned.

"So, yeah. This one."

"You really don’t listen, huh? Hey, Jjak-gwi."

"Yes, boss! You called?"

A man with a mangled ear responded loudly.

"How much was this abandoned mine worth?"

"You mean the amount that old man got scammed for?"

"Not that. The actual price."

"Oh, that? Barely anything. Around 100,000 won?"

100,000 won.

Even considering the cost of living, that was absurdly cheap for a mine.

"100,000 won? Even the price is perfect."

The amount written on the loan agreement was also 100,000 won.

Couldn't be better.

"Jjak-gwi, you sure about that valuation?"

"Of course! It was so dirt cheap that it’s been bouncing around gambling dens for the past 15 years."

"You hear that?"

Tae-soo gave a big thumbs-up.

"Great explanation. You’ve got a real talent for breaking things down. But yeah, I’ll take this."

Then, he swiftly grabbed the mining rights certificate.

Song Jin-gu and Jjak-gwi exchanged exasperated looks.

"You’re still choosing that?"

"How many times do I have to say it?"

"Look, kid. I’m not scamming you here. I’m telling you the truth."

"I know. And I’m still taking it. End of discussion."

"Hah… This crazy bastard."

Song Jin-gu and Jjak-gwi closed their eyes and sighed.

Kang Han-soo finally lost his patience and yelled,

"They’re telling the truth! Put that down and pick something that’s actually worth money!"

"And I said, I’ll take this."

"Are you stupid?! Why don’t you get it?!"

Their father, furious, smacked Han-soo on the back.

"You disrespectful brat! Did you just call your own brother stupid?!"

Song Jin-gu chuckled.

"So, you’re Kang Han-soo’s older brother?"

"That’s right."

"The worthless older brother he always complained about? Leech. Deadweight. Useless bum. Waste of oxygen."

"······."

Yeah. Back then, those were exactly the kinds of names people called him.

Back when he was young and reckless, he didn’t know any better.

"You’re really gonna take that, even when your ‘brilliant’ little brother is telling you not to?"

"How many times do I have to say it? Ugh, this is taking way too long for a measly 100,000-won debt."

Out of nowhere, Song Jin-gu scratched his ear.

"How much?"

"100,000 won."

"100,000 won?"

"100,000 won."

"From the way you’re acting, I thought you owed at least 10 million. You’re telling me it’s really just 100,000?"

"Are you gonna keep asking the same question?"

"······."

"You know what? Let’s be generous and waive the interest. Since this is a direct deal and all."

"······."

Once again, the loan document appeared right in front of Song Jin-gu’s nose.

Just long enough for him to confirm the amount before it disappeared again.

The number was clear as day—100,000 won.

"You saw it, right?"

Song Jin-gu was dumbfounded.

"Let me take a proper look at that damn loan document."

"Not happening."

"Why? I thought you said looking at it won’t make it disappear."

"Let’s be real. This is money we’re talking about. Would you just hand over a loan document to another loan shark?"

Of course not. No way in hell.

Song Jin-gu shut his mouth.

"I’ll take this and leave. We’re good now, yeah?"

The mining rights certificate smoothly followed the loan document into Tae-soo’s pocket.

The loan sharks all wrinkled their brows at the same time.

"This guy’s crazy."

"Not just crazy. Insane."

"Stubborn as hell. Won’t listen to a damn thing."

Song Jin-gu let out a chuckle.

"Fine. Do whatever you want. Like I care."

"Got it!"

Tae-soo cheered inwardly.

Song Jin-gu waved them off like he was shooing away flies.

"You heard that, Dad? Let’s go. We’re outta here."

At Tae-soo’s gesture, Kang Han-soo grabbed their father’s arm and led him toward the front door.

"Chun-sik…"

Their father glanced at his friend with a conflicted expression.

And that’s when it happened.

The moment "mining rights" were mentioned, Oh Chun-sik, who had been dazed and chuckling in disbelief, suddenly snapped to attention.

"NO! Not the mine! Anything but that! That’s mine! I won’t give it up!"

With a loud yell, Oh Chun-sik lunged at Tae-soo.

"Give it back!"

"Oi, grab that bastard."

The loan sharks caught him in an instant.

Oh Chun-sik thrashed and screamed.

"You think you can just snatch my mine? For a measly 100,000 won?! You think you can steal it just like that?!"

Tae-soo shrugged.

"As you can see, that’s exactly what’s happening. Now, just sign it."

"Like hell I will!"

Song Jin-gu answered for him.

"It’s not up to you. It’s up to the creditor. Who told you to take out a loan? Who told you to borrow money? Who told you to not pay it back?"

He turned to his men and shouted,

"Alright, boys. Stamp it and wrap this up."

"Yes, boss."

"Let me go!"

Oh Chun-sik fought desperately, but the loan sharks forced his seal onto the documents.

He screamed in despair.

"Not the mine! I spent everything I had to buy that! Everything!"

Tae-soo glanced at his father, who stood by the entrance, shifting uncomfortably.

"My father paid a much bigger price than you."

100,000 won.

For some, it was just a month’s salary.

For them, it was the compensation they received for selling their home.

His father had handed it over, trusting a friend.

Only to have it come back as a cheap, scummy loan document.

The price of 40 years of friendship.

The price of his father’s life, tangled in a joint guarantee that led to his downfall.

"The connection between you and my father—ends here."

Tae-soo tore the loan document apart right in front of Oh Chun-sik’s eyes.

Riiip. Riiip. Rip.

Shredded so finely that no one could ever piece it back together.

Then—whoosh.

Tae-soo scattered the pieces into the air.

Like snowflakes, the remnants of the debt fluttered down.

Oh Chun-sik stared blankly and muttered,

"My mine…"

The dream he had bet everything on—shattered and scattered into the void.

"A 100,000-won mine? I’ll take it."

With that, Tae-soo turned and walked out of the house.

The scent of money still clung to the mining rights certificate in his pocket.

"Cleanly wrapped up. No more run-ins with loan sharks, finally."

He had gone through enough trouble hiding from them to avoid giving them any leverage.

And now, with that damned joint guarantee debt gone—

"I’m free."

Damn, that felt good.