CH39 | MCT

Three-Cushion Shot in One Go (1)

Han Cheong-ho's study door was firmly shut.

Standing outside, Secretary Song clenched his eyes shut.

The sounds of objects breaking continued to pour out from beyond the door.

Crash!

Bang! Thud!

Clatter!

After a while, silence finally settled over the study.

"Come in."

Carefully, Secretary Song opened the door and stepped inside.

As expected, the study was a complete mess.

Han Cheong-ho handed the golf club he had been holding to Secretary Song.

"Replace everything in here."

"Understood."

"What about the background check?"

"Clean."

Han Cheong-ho stroked his chin.

"Clean? Are you sure?"

"Yes. There is no evidence of any grudges between Kang Tae-soo and the executives of Cheongil Group."

Han Cheong-ho stared out the window for a moment.

"Isn't that strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"There must be a reason he's acting like this. What could it be?"

"I don't know."

"Yeah, I can't figure it out either."

Han Cheong-ho fell silent, lost in thought.

After a moment, he spoke again.

"Could it be because of Il-kwon?"

Considering his son's behavior, it wouldn’t be surprising if he'd made enemies without even realizing it.

The problem was that most people who held grudges against Il-kwon didn’t stay in one piece for long.

Han Cheong-ho smirked.

"Doesn’t really matter. That arrogant bastard needs to pay for showing off in front of me."

He let out a low chuckle.

"Once he's off to the Middle East, he won’t be back for at least three years. Samwon Construction didn’t flee for no reason, after all."

No one could have imagined that the great Han Cheong-ho would resort to throwing around bribes just to sever ties.

"Let's see if the mine stays intact for the three years you’ll be gone."

Before that arrogant bastard leaves for the Middle East, I should send him a little parting gift.

I can’t just let him off the hook for three years.

* * *

Tae-soo’s mother gasped in shock.

"You’re going to the Middle East?"

"Yes."

"But why? How did you end up going all the way to such a far-off place?"

"I landed a contract for a road construction project in the Middle East. I’ll be earning a lot of foreign currency this time."

"But aren’t you already making good money from the mine? Do you really have to go?"

"I don’t have enough funds to build the apartment complex."

His mother looked distraught with worry.

His father, seemingly craving a cigarette, fumbled at his chest pocket.

"Mother, please don’t worry too much," Tae-soo said, clasping her hands firmly.

"I’ve received plenty of support. I’ll be back soon."

"Do you really have to go this far? I don’t see why an apartment is worth all this..."

"The President personally requested it. It would’ve been difficult to refuse."

"What? The President?"

His father’s eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropping.

He leaned in closer, urging Tae-soo for details.

"How on earth did you meet the President? Tell me everything."

"Well, you know about the school I’ve been building in Pohang, right? Because of that..."

Tae-soo kept his explanation brief, leaving out the tangled web of political and business interests behind the deal.

Each time he spoke, his father clapped his hands in excitement.

"The chairman of Geumsan Group? The chairman of Cheongil Group? The President’s Chief of Staff and even the Head of Security? They all recommended you?"

"Yes."

"What in the world! Our Tae-soo being recognized by such powerful people! This is a great honor for our family! Ha-ha-ha!"

His father beamed with pride, unable to contain his excitement.

‘In reality, they were just offloading a troublesome burden onto me.’

But for his parents, it was nothing short of incredible.

After all, they had never once met a chaebol chairman in person, let alone had an audience with the President and his inner circle.

Just knowing that their son had spoken with such high-ranking officials filled them with immeasurable joy.

"This is truly an honor! If that’s the case, you must do everything in your power to meet their expectations!"

Tae-soo’s father eagerly rolled up his sleeves.

"Should I head to the Middle East and lend a hand with the shoveling?"

"No, Father. You need to stay here and look after the mine and Mother while I’m gone."

"Alright, you can count on me. I’ll protect this mine well in your absence. And, of course, my wife, too."

Tae-soo’s mother nodded in agreement.

"That’s right. A man should take on great tasks and associate with great people. Tae-soo, take care of yourself and come back safely."

"Yes, I’ll finish the project quickly and return soon."

"I’ll stay here and prepare hearty meals for the miners, thinking of it as feeding my own son."

"Just take it easy, Mother. There are many miners to feed, so don’t overwork yourself and strain your health."

Tae-soo’s mother suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.

The boy who used to waste his youth fooling around had become so mature.

"My son… When did you grow up so much? You’ve truly become an adult."

"Then, I’ll be off now."

Tae-soo rose from his seat.

There were still plenty of matters to settle before his departure for the Middle East.

* * *

Tae-soo’s office.

A group of people had already gathered, waiting for him to arrive.

BANG!

The moment Tae-soo stepped inside, everyone jumped up, cheering and clapping enthusiastically.

👏👏👏

Faced with such an unexpected welcome, Tae-soo let out a small chuckle.

"What’s with all of you all of a sudden?"

Hol-jjook (skinny guy) laughed heartily.

"I heard you secured the Middle East construction contract! Who would've thought Tae-yang Construction would expand into international projects? Tae-soo, you’re amazing!"

Choi Il-gu, once a limestone mine owner and now the general manager of the entire mining operation, joined in the celebration.

"Even Samwon Construction couldn’t pull it off, but now our boss is leading the project? Wow, you’re building a highway overseas!"

The accounting manager’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Boss, can I go with you to the Middle East? You know I’m the best when it comes to handling receipts and expense reports!"

Tae-soo let out a dry chuckle.

"I haven’t even said a word about it yet, but you all seem to know everything already. Who on earth leaked this classified information?"

"It was me."

A man standing in the corner quietly raised his hand.

It was Park Cheol-wan, the vice president of Tae-yang Construction and son of Park Tae-jong.

As soon as he heard the news from his father, he had immediately called the mine.

"It was such exciting news that I thought the Tae-yang Mining family should hear it first… Did I do something wrong?"

"…Well, it’s not exactly a mistake."

Tae-soo awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"I just don’t know if this deserves such an enthusiastic celebration."

From one side of the room, a group of muscular miners burst into hearty laughter.

They were the same miners who had given the vice president of Cheongil Chemicals a rough time with their pickaxes when he last visited.

These men had been sent by Park Tae-jong at Tae-soo’s request during the molybdenum contract negotiations.

At the time, Tae-soo had admitted that he wasn’t strong enough to protect the mine on his own and had asked for help. Park Tae-jong had answered that call.

"Thanks to you all, I’ve been able to safeguard the mine. I’ll be counting on you in the future as well."

The miners waved off his gratitude.

Tae-soo grinned.

"Let’s sort out who will go to the Middle East and who will stay, then discuss the responsibilities for those remaining."

Everyone gathered to strategize for the future.

Tae-soo turned to the former limestone mine owner, now the general manager.

"The departure process will be simplified as much as possible. Please post recruitment notices nationwide—we need to gather as many workers as we can."

"Understood. I also know several contracting companies that can help. You go ahead and check out the site first. I’ll make sure to send a large workforce over within a few days."

They went over the finer details, making decisions on various logistical matters.

"We’ll also take a few experienced cement factory workers and veteran miners from the limestone operation."

After an hour-long meeting, the plans were set.

"We’ll lay roads, divide city blocks, design apartments, build schools, and construct commercial districts. We’re heading to the Middle East to turn all of this into reality."

Everyone exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Tae-soo’s vision had now become their shared mission.

"I’ll come back with the funds to build those apartments."

With a broad smile, Tae-soo addressed the team.

"I trust you all to keep things running smoothly here while I’m gone. I’ll be leaving for Seoul early tomorrow morning and will return as soon as possible."

At that moment, Hol-jjook suddenly sprang to his feet.

"Tae-soo, take me with you!"

Tae-soo turned to look at his best friend.

"Hol-jjook, what about your grandmother? She’s getting on in years."

"If I don’t go, who’s going to watch your back?"

Hol-jjook shook his head firmly.

"Are you really going to break our promise? We always said, ‘Kang Tae-soo and Hol-jjook stick together until the very end.’ That wasn’t just talk, was it?"

"Yong-sik…"

"You always call my name when you’re in a tough spot." Hol-jjook smirked.

"Didn’t I tell you not to call me that? I hate it. We agreed, didn’t we?"

Hol-jjook despised his given name.

He said it was because his mother—the one who abandoned him right after his father passed away—used to call him that.

"Hol-jjook."

"What time are we leaving?"

"My friend."

"Hey, don’t even try to stop me. The moment I heard the news from Pohang, I packed my bags already."

Hol-jjook didn’t avert his gaze. He didn’t smile either.

Tae-soo let out a small chuckle.

"…Are you sure? You don’t like being away from your grandmother."

"She pushed me to go."

"Your grandmother did?"

Hol-jjook nodded.

"She said, ‘A man who looks out for his friend’s family first, even after making money, is a man worth sticking with for life.’"

"That’s just common decency…"

"She also said, ‘A good friend is someone who stands by you through thick and thin.’"

"Hol-jjook…"

"I promised I’d always have your back, whether in good times or bad."

Hol-jjook finally cracked a grin.

"And I keep my promises. I’m going to the Middle East with you, no matter what."

"Are you serious?"

"You can try leaving without me. But then I’ll just track you down."

Tae-soo chuckled again.

"Then I guess I better hurry up and finish the construction so your grandma won’t worry too much. Looks like I have another reason to speed things up."

"So, I’m coming with you, right?"

"Yeah."

Only then did Hol-jjook’s face light up with a satisfied smile.

"Are we really parting ways just like this, without a farewell party? C’mon, man, you know times like this call for a drink!"

Tae-soo had been wondering when the subject of alcohol would come up.

"Alright then, let’s do it. We can’t send off the people who traveled all the way from Pohang without at least a proper drink."

As if waiting for those very words, people suddenly pulled out bottles of alcohol they had hidden behind their backs.

The finance manager quickly passed around glasses.

In no time, a farewell banquet was in full swing.

Then—

Knock, knock.

A sudden knock at the office door.

The lively crowd fell silent, all eyes turning toward the door.

"Who is it?"

"I’m coming in."

The door swung open, and Song Jin-gu stepped in—only to freeze in shock.

"Whoa! Why’s everyone gathered here so late at night?"

The crowd responded in unison.

"It’s a farewell party!"

"A farewell party for the boss!"

"Perfect timing. I was planning to introduce you to everyone anyway," Tae-soo said as he pulled Song Jin-gu forward.

"You all know him well, right? He’s the one traveling back and forth from Seoul just to buy up land for our apartment project."

"Of course, we know him!"

"He’s been coming here almost every week. How could we not?"

Tae-soo grinned.

"Since you’re already here, might as well join us for a drink."

"Yeah, take a seat!"

Before Song Jin-gu could protest, the crowd swarmed him, grabbing his arms and pulling him toward the sofa.

Caught off guard, he stumbled and plopped down at the edge of the couch.

"Here, have a drink!"

"No questions, no excuses—bottoms up!"

"We don’t do small sips here—one shot!"

Before he knew it, Song Jin-gu had downed a shot of soju in one gulp.

With a grimace, he handed a document to Tae-soo.

Tae-soo’s eyes lit up.

"How much land did you manage to buy this time?"

But Song Jin-gu shook his head.

"It’s not land documents. The old man sent this. He said it’s something you need to settle before leaving for the Middle East."

Tae-soo’s expression hardened as he read the document.

"This is…"

His teeth clenched.

Why is everything happening at once?

It’s as if people thought he was leaving for ten years instead of just a short trip.

"I’m only going to the Middle East to mediate a Bedouin dispute and secure work for the laborers. I’ll be back in no time!"

But everyone was making such a fuss.

"I need to settle this with Jang Mal-dong in person."

And there was another reason.

There was something I absolutely needed to obtain before leaving.

Something only Jang Mal-dong could provide at this moment.

"Tomorrow, I’m heading to Myeong-dong first."