CH113 | VOC

Oh Jin-mo went to his regular small gold refinery the next day.

“Mr. Lee, I’m here.”

“Oh, Mr. Oh. The usual?” the refinery owner asked, rubbing his fingers together with a smile.

Oh Jin-mo’s voice was still laced with doubt. “The usual, yes.”

“You seem hesitant today. Something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong…”

The refinery owner, seeing his hesitation, asked, “What is it?”

“It’s nothing. Just fire up the furnace. I have something to melt down myself.”

“You’re going to do it yourself?”

It wasn’t unusual for black market gold dealers to melt down their gold themselves and just outsource the refining process for confidentiality reasons, so the owner didn’t think much of it.

“Sure.”

As the furnace heated up, Oh Jin-mo kept glancing at the object he was holding, sighing.

“You’re really acting strange today. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

The refinery owner, trying to distract him, said,

“Did you hear the rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“Chunha Trading is looking for a new regular supplier.”

Oh Jin-mo’s eyes widened.

“What? Chunha Trading?”

“Yeah, they handle a huge amount of gold. I heard they’re going to choose through a bidding process. They’re planning to trade over 500kg annually. Whoever gets the contract will be set for life.”

The refinery owner continued, oblivious to Oh Jin-mo’s wavering eyes,

“The commission alone would be hundreds of millions of won per year. You’ll never have to worry about money again. Chunha Trading isn’t going anywhere, is it?”

Although not as large as the chaebols, Chunha Trading was a dominant force in the industry, with its vast financial resources and scale.

Like the electronic scrap business, all of Chunha Trading’s businesses required more than just money to succeed.

Many investors had tried and failed to enter these specialized industries.

No one believed Chunha Trading’s dominance would crumble easily.

“…When did you hear this rumor?”

“Yesterday.”

Oh Jin-mo’s eyes wavered. “Is it true?”

The refinery owner thought for a moment. “I’d say 80%.”

Oh Jin-mo’s heart raced. He had been doing business with this refinery owner for years and knew that he was well-connected.

Refiners and goldsmiths were the most sensitive to rumors and trends in the gold industry.

There were thousands, if not tens of thousands, of gold retailers and wholesalers, but only a few hundred refiners and goldsmiths who dealt with them.

Naturally, the quality of information they received was different.

And this refinery owner was a veteran of the Myeongdong gold market with 20 years of experience. His 80% estimate was closer to 99%.

“Mr. Oh, the furnace is ready. Go ahead.”

Oh Jin-mo hesitated, glancing at the object in his hands, and then said with a determined expression,

“Mr. Lee, I’m sorry. I’ll pay for the fuel, but I’m not melting anything down today.”

* * *

“So, it’s easy to spread rumors if you have connections with refineries and goldsmiths. Especially since this refinery owner is a regular client of ours, we asked him to tell everyone who visits.”

Maru said with a sigh,

“Isn’t this too roundabout? Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?”

“It’s for our own good. It would be simple if we approached them directly. But we have to think about the consequences. Do you want to fight the trading companies head-on? It’s better to have someone else expose the scheme, and we can just play the victim. Of course, we can’t be completely passive, but it’s better than being at the forefront.”

“So you chose Oh Jin-mo?”

I said, my eyes gleaming,

“He’s greedy but also cautious. He’s the perfect whistleblower in this situation.”

“What if he had decided to melt down the gold bar despite the rumors?”

“Human greed is limitless. Why did he want to melt it down in the first place? Because he knew he couldn’t handle the consequences. He’s not stupid. If he had tried to blackmail the trading companies, he would have been crushed.”

“But he changed his mind just because of a rumor?”

I shook my head.

“The reward is different. You’ve lost your sense of money, but being a regular gold supplier for Chunha Trading means a guaranteed annual income of at least 100 million won. A stable income is much more valuable than a one-time windfall. Imagine if it were us a few years ago. Wouldn’t it be worth risking your life for?”

Just four years ago, Maru and I were earning 50,000 won a day as laborers.

100 million won was an unimaginable sum. And a guaranteed annual income?

Maru hesitated and then said,

“It’s… tempting.”

“And he’s holding a powerful card. He would be inhuman if he wasn’t tempted.”

“But he could have just chickened out and melted it down.”

“Of course, that’s always a possibility. People are unpredictable.”

I wasn’t a god.

I just planned for every contingency.

“I had already planted heihaizi to follow him. If he had melted it down, they would have raided the refinery.”

The loyal and silent heihaizi who didn’t speak Korean were useful.

My Park Sol squad had over 100 members now.

30 were working with Baek In-hwi, 10 were running errands for me in Korea, and the rest were working as middle managers in China.

Recruiting the heihaizi had been a stroke of genius.

My phone rang.

“Hello.”

[Laoban (Boss).]

It was one of the heihaizi I had assigned to Oh Jin-mo.

“So, what happened?”

He didn’t melt it down. He’s on his way back to his office.

* * *

I smiled.

“Welcome, I’m Park Sol.”

The man who shook my hand was Oh Jin-mo, the one who had bought the Taegeukgi gold bar.

“I’m Oh Jin-mo.”

He had contacted us the day after returning to his office, his face grim.

I feigned ignorance and had him brought to my office. He looked nervous.

“What brings you here? The security guard said you have important information about gold.”

He glanced at Maru, who was standing behind me like a bodyguard. “Can we talk privately? It’s sensitive information.”

“Hmm.” I pretended to consider it. “Maru, can you excuse us for a moment?”

“Yes, sir.”

Maru left, and I smiled. “Now, tell me what you know.”

Oh Jin-mo swallowed nervously. “Before that, I need to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?”

“Is it true that Chunha Trading is looking for a new regular supplier?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Word travels fast. Yes, it’s true.”

His face brightened. “I knew it.”

“Is your information related to that?”

He looked around the office and said, “There’s a rumor circulating among gold dealers. Have you heard about it?”

“A rumor? What kind of rumor?”

He said nervously, “The gold collection campaign is a scam.”

I feigned ignorance. “A scam? What are you talking about?”

“The trading companies are colluding with overseas companies and using the gold collected from the public for a VAT refund scheme.”

He explained everything he knew, and I listened with a serious expression.

“That’s… that’s impossible.”

“It’s true.”

“I can’t believe it…”

He nodded. “Of course, it’s hard to believe. But I have proof. You donated a Taegeukgi gold bar to the gold collection campaign recently, didn’t you?”

“Yes… Don’t tell me…”

“Yes.” He said with a grim expression, “It’s back in Korea, in my possession.”

“This is…”

* * *

I visited his office and held up the gold bar. “The Taegeukgi gold bar. This is the one I donated a week ago. It should have been sold overseas and melted down. Why is it…”

Oh Jin-mo, fidgeting nervously, took the gold bar back. “A-anyway, you’ve confirmed it, right?”

He had initially refused to show it to me, but I had insisted on seeing proof.

I said angrily, “I donated it for a good cause, and this is how it’s being used?”

I closed my eyes and then said to the nervous Oh Jin-mo, “So, Mr. Oh, what do you want?”

He clutched the gold bar. “F-first of all, this is my property. I bought it.”

He was afraid I would take it back, claiming ownership. I said quietly, “I acknowledge that. I don’t cling to things I’ve given away.”

“I want to sell it back to Chunha Trading. And…”

He gulped. “I want to be your regular gold supplier.”

I looked at him coldly. “You know how much money is involved, right?”

“O-of course, but this is evidence of the trading companies’ fraud! I’m just a small-time dealer, but Chunha Trading can use this effectively. Value is relative. It’s a good deal.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Unless I was the one who had planned this.

“I see. Acquiring the Taegeukgi gold bar and a regular gold supply contract. Is that all?”

His face brightened, thinking I had agreed.

“Y-yes, for now.”

“For now?”

I clicked my tongue inwardly at his hesitation but maintained a neutral expression. “Anything else?”

He seemed surprised by the question and then said, “And… silver too, if possible.”

Silver, although less valuable than gold, was also a precious metal used in electronics due to its high conductivity. And Chunha Trading, which produced 500 kg of gold annually, also produced a significant amount of silver.

“Silver too? Anything else?”

“And… and… um…”

He was like a kid in a candy store, listing all his demands.

From requesting scholarships for his children through the Park Sol Foundation to asking for a car, he seemed like he was about to ask me to buy him a house.

“Anything else?”

He seemed slightly embarrassed, seeing me patiently listening to his demands, and said,

“Th-that’s all, I think.”

“Alright, I accept all your conditions.”

His face lit up. He had hit the jackpot. His gamble had paid off.

I looked at the ecstatic Oh Jin-mo and said,

“But.”

“But?”

I smirked.

“You have to be a witness for this Taegeukgi gold bar.”

His face turned pale.

Why had he wanted to melt it down in the first place?

To avoid getting involved in this mess.

He had come to Chunha Trading out of greed, hoping to sell the evidence and be done with it, not to become a key player in a potentially dangerous situation.

“I-I can’t do that! Why me?!”

“You’re the one who found it. We need to establish the chain of custody for the evidence to be effective. And a witness is the best way to do that.”

He shook his head frantically.

“I can’t! I’m a black market gold dealer! I’ve seen people get ruined for less! Chunha Trading is a large company, you can handle it, but I can’t!”

“What do you think we’re going to do?”

He hesitated and then said, “You’ll make a deal with the trading companies, won’t you?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not interested in a deal. I’m going to expose them.”

He looked at me as if I was crazy. “Are you insane? Expose them? With me as a witness? Absolutely not! Just forget about it. I’ll melt it down. Please leave!”

I smiled as he tried to push me away.

“The moment you showed this to me, there was no turning back. The exposure is inevitable. I’m already angry and offended.”

“I don’t care! Just leave!”

“Then the trading companies will investigate. They’ll have to defend themselves.”

I pointed my finger. “The shell company.”

I lowered my finger slightly. “The employees who stole the gold.”

And then I pointed at him. “And you.”

I said to the pale-faced Oh Jin-mo, “It’s only a matter of time before you’re exposed.”

He finally realized the gravity of the situation and looked devastated.

“Do you think they’ll let you get away with this?”

“C-CEO Park…”

He said with a pleading expression, “Please don’t do this. I just wanted to make some money. I didn’t want to cause any trouble. I just want to live a quiet life. Please, I beg you.”

He had assumed he could get away with it because the trading companies would try to cover it up, and he wasn’t the only one involved.

But my plan was different.

He was the dealer who had found the key evidence in the VAT refund scheme.

Once the scheme was exposed, the trading companies wouldn’t let him go. They would hunt him down, trying to find flaws in his story and discredit him.

I patted his shoulder gently.

“But don’t worry. If you do as I say, you’ll be safe. You’ll even gain public recognition and make a lot of money.”

I whispered in his ear, “The exposure is inevitable now that the evidence is out. And the best defense is a good offense.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Let me give you an example. If a stalker is following you, would you hide in an alley or go to a crowded street?”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“Where would you go?”

He said hesitantly, “A crowded street?”

“Correct. And the more people around you, the better, right?”

I smiled.

“Make the public your allies. Heroes aren’t born, they’re made. I’ll help you.”