CH16 | MCT

Recruiting Talent (1)

Tae-soo answered calmly.

"I’ll build a school."

"Wouldn’t a hospital or a shopping center be more profitable?"

"I know."

"You can still change your mind."

"No need."

Park Tae-jong looked at him, puzzled.

"Any particular reason?"

"Not really. If I’m going to build something, I’d rather contribute to educating the future leaders of this country."

"Hahaha!"

Park Tae-jong burst into hearty laughter.

The more he spoke with Tae-soo, the more he liked him.

"Good, very good. I’ll entrust you with the elementary, middle, and high schools—all of them."

"Thank you."

Originally, Park Tae-jong had intended to subcontract only one school.

But before he knew it, he had handed over the entire set.

Something about this young man reassured him—he felt confident Tae-soo would do a great job.

"With this, our debt is settled."

"Agreed."

Once again, Park Tae-jong found himself impressed by Tae-soo’s unwavering demeanor.

No groveling, no hesitation—just steady confidence.

"The company you’re starting… it’s called Taeyang Construction, correct?"

"That’s right."

"Taeyang Construction, huh. I’ll give you a little gift to help you get started quickly. Hold on a moment."

Park Tae-jong picked up the phone and made a call.

"This is Park Tae-jong from Pohang Steel. Vice Minister Park, I need a favor. It’s about a company called Taeyang Construction…"

Skinny tilted his head in confusion.

‘What’s going on? He’s been calling some high-ranking official since earlier.’

He turned to Tae-soo, suspecting he might know something.

Sure enough, Tae-soo was grinning widely.

‘Vice Minister Park… that must be Park Kwang-deok from the Ministry of Construction.’

Without saying a word, Tae-soo took a sip of whiskey.

Meanwhile, Skinny craned his neck, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"We need to build employee facilities for Pohang Steel. Yes, that’s right. The steel mill construction, which His Excellency is so eager to complete, has picked up pace. Put in a good word and get things moving quickly."

Tae-soo’s smile deepened.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. Take care."

Park Tae-jong set the phone down, nodding in satisfaction.

"The necessary arrangements for your company’s establishment will be handled soon."

"Thank you. I was already waiting since things were getting delayed, but thanks to you, it’s all sorted now. I appreciate the gift."

Park Tae-jong grinned.

"Then let’s consider this as Manager Kim’s share."

"Sounds good."

With this, the debt for putting a leash on that Japanese mongrel was repaid through the construction subcontract.

It was a small favor, settling the debt for saving Manager Kim.

Skinny glanced at Park Tae-jong, whistling inwardly.

‘Power really is something else. He’s got incredible backing.’

The construction subcontract was drawn up in an instant.

This time, it wasn’t Tae-soo but Park Tae-jong who drafted the contract.

"I’ll have the down payment ready by tomorrow. The remaining payments will be made based on progress milestones."

"Understood. However, I won’t accept promissory notes. I’d prefer cash, if possible."

"How about a short-term, one-month promissory note?"

"As you can see, the business is still in its early stages, and cash flow is tight. I’d appreciate your consideration."

"Fine, but just this once. However, gathering cash will take some time, so give me a few days. Let’s meet again on Monday. How does that sound?"

"Agreed."

As Park Tae-jong finalized the contract, Tae-soo lightly tapped the special terms section of the document.

"You should include a payment guarantee. If you’re short on funds, I can introduce you to someone who can help."

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"Have you ever heard of the big shots in Myeong-dong?"

Park Tae-jong burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! You know Jang Mal-dong? You really are something else!"

Tae-jong laughed heartily.

"I used to borrow from Jang Mal-dong’s private loans, but for some reason, he suddenly started recalling all his funds. So, I switched lenders a few days ago."

Tae-soo knew exactly why Jang Mal-dong was scrambling to collect his money.

It was because of the 8.3 Private Loan Freeze Policy, the very information Tae-soo had passed along.

"Then, are you borrowing from Choi Moo-ryong now?"

"I had no choice but to."

"Ah, that’s a relief."

Tae-soo smirked.

‘Choi Moo-ryong has no idea about the upcoming loan freeze. The more he lends out now, the more trouble he’s in. He’s heading straight for bankruptcy.’

He recalled Jang Mal-dong’s panicked face from a few days ago.

And under him, Song Jin-gu, the Myeong-dong hyena, must be scrambling desperately.

"If you don’t want to provide a payment guarantee, at least write an IOU."

"Tsk, I’d rather not write an IOU, so I’ll just bring in a guarantor."

Park Tae-jong smirked knowingly.

"My guarantor is quite an important figure. Are you sure you can handle it?"

A guarantor for Park Tae-jong?

Could it be that person?

No way. Not for something like this.

Park Tae-jong watched Tae-soo’s face and grinned.

"You're a sharp one. You’ve already figured it out, haven’t you?"

Tae-soo chuckled.

"Don’t try to brush me off. I won’t believe it until you bring them in yourself."

"He'll be visiting the refinery soon for an inspection. You’ll meet him then."

Wait. Seriously?

"His Excellency will likely find you quite interesting as well."

Out of nowhere, President Park Jung-hwan had entered the conversation.

***

The midsummer sun blazed overhead.

After leaving the Pohang Steel construction site, they had been walking for quite some time.

Up ahead, a bus stop came into view.

Thud.

As soon as he collapsed onto the bench, the tension drained from his body.

The more he thought about what had just happened, the more Skinny found himself letting out an incredulous laugh.

"Ha... Hahaha. This is ridiculous."

"What is?"

"Think about it. We came all the way from Seoul to Pohang to sell molybdenum, right? But now, we’re about to start building a school! Hahaha!"

Honestly, I didn’t see that coming either.

We came here to make an impression, but we ended up signing an actual contract instead.

"By the way, what does molybdenum even look like? And your boss—how does he agree to buy something without even seeing it?"

Skinny kept chuckling to himself.

"Hahaha… Seriously, at first, the guy looked at us like we were spies. But then, suddenly, it’s like he couldn’t give us enough. Didn’t even ask questions—just handed everything over. Hahaha!"

He had a point.

Tae-soo couldn't help but smile as well.

"Yeah, even I didn’t expect things to turn out like this."

Securing a school construction contract was definitely not in his original plan.

"He must’ve really taken a liking to you."

"You think business is based on personal feelings?"

"Of course! Why else would he hand you such a big project? Business is still about people, after all."

Surprisingly, Skinny had hit the nail on the head.

‘That’s right. People often forget that business is ultimately about people.’

Why else would companies entertain clients with alcohol and bribes?

When relationships are built, favors flow more freely.

That’s just human nature.

Back when Tae-soo was at Cheong-il Group, there was one thing he never did—bribery.

‘That was Han Il-kwon’s specialty.’

Drinking with women, handing out bribes, blackmailing, and roughing people up.

All the shady, dirty work—Han Il-kwon excelled at it.

He just wasn’t great at actually running a business.

But in his own way, the guy was a survivor.

And because of that, Tae-soo had been completely blindsided by him.

"Tae-soo, you won’t have a choice either, will you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You’ll have to do what everyone else does—bribes, girls, expensive drinks—just to land contracts, right?"

Skinny’s voice carried a bitter tone as he looked at Tae-soo.

Of course, Tae-soo, the former Chief Secretary of Cheong-il Group, understood exactly what he meant.

"If necessary, I won’t shy away from using any means available."

For once, Skinny looked genuinely disappointed.

Still, he nodded, knowing full well that the world wasn’t kind to those who played fair.

‘If I’m going up against Han Il-kwon, I can’t afford to limit myself. I can’t tie my own hands.’

But that doesn’t mean I have to become like him.

Using every tool at my disposal doesn’t mean I have to stoop to depravity.

"But I’ll never become an animal, taking the easy way out by sinking into filth."

"Huh?"

"Becoming a devil just to catch a devil… that’s just plain stupid. In the end, isn’t all of this for the sake of happiness?"

Holt-jjuk (Skinny) lifted his head.

Tae-soo was smiling.

"I don’t want to succeed at the cost of embarrassing the people I want to protect. I can make it without resorting to that kind of filth. I have the skills for it."

The ability to sniff out money—this time, he’d use it not for Cheong-il Group, but for himself.

Tae-soo met Holt-jjuk’s gaze head-on.

"But if anyone lays a hand on my people, I’ll strike back with everything I’ve got. That… I won’t forgive."

A memory surfaced—Han Il-kwon, smirking as he boasted about how he had killed Tae-soo’s family and friends.

The way he laughed, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Tae-soo should have punched that face at least once.

‘This time, I won’t let him touch a single one of my people. And I’ll make sure he gets back more than he ever gave. Just wait, Han Il-kwon…’

A fire blazed in Tae-soo’s eyes.

Feeling an unexpected heat rise in his chest, Holt-jjuk turned his head away.

"Jeez, look at you. Such a passionate young man."

"What? Do I suddenly look cool to you?"

Both of them burst into laughter at the same time.

"Haaah… It’s too damn hot. Tae-soo, seriously, this heat is unbearable."

"It’s late July. What do you expect?"

Flap, flap.

Tae-soo pulled out a molybdenum test report and started fanning himself with it.

‘We need a car. We need air conditioning. This is miserable.’

In moments like these, he missed the 21st century—cars with cool, refreshing AC.

But in 1972, even if you had a car, you had to roll down the windows to cool off.

Manually, with one of those cranky window handles.

"When’s the bus coming?"

"Tae-soo, let’s hit the beach. We came all the way from Seoul to Pohang—we can’t leave without taking a dip in the ocean. C’mon!"

Tae-soo had already planned to return to Seoul after collecting the down payment from Park Tae-jong.

And there were still a few days left until Monday.

"Fine."

"Yes! YES! Let’s go! And let’s get some alcohol too! Hahaha!"

Just then—

Vrrrroom. Vrrrroom. Screeeech.

A sturdy jeep pulled up in front of them.

A young man, about Tae-soo’s age, sat behind the wheel.

"Are you Kang Tae-soo?"

"Yes, who are you?"

The young man stepped out of the car.

Though he had a slight build, he carried himself with a gentle and intellectual air that made him instantly likable.

His round silver-framed glasses suited his neatly pressed suit, giving him a composed and polished look.

"My father asked me to escort you."

"Your father…?"

"He said you were just with him. The president of Pohang Steel."

"Ah."

Park Tae-jong’s son gave a warm smile.

"First, on behalf of the Pohang Steel family, I’d like to express my gratitude."

"I don’t see why I’d deserve any thanks."

"I heard you provided a leash to tame a certain Japanese mongrel. Apparently, it cured three years' worth of stomach ulcers overnight. Everyone’s thrilled."

"I’m glad it helped."

Park Cheol-wan bowed politely.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. It’s a pleasure to meet you—Park Cheol-wan. Please, get in."

"I’m Kang Tae-soo. In that case, I won’t refuse."

"Oh, I’m Kim Yong-shik—"

Before Holt-jjuk could finish introducing himself, the two had already climbed into the car.

Sighing, Holt-jjuk scrambled in after them.

As the jeep drove off, Tae-soo found himself digging through his memory.

"Park Cheol-wan... I swear I’ve heard that name so many times when I was younger. Who was he?"

Back when Tae-soo first started his career, the name had been everywhere.

But then, after a tragic accident a few years later, he never heard it again.

“That was… thirty, maybe forty years ago. My memory is fuzzy, but… ah!”

Like a bolt of lightning, a realization struck him.

"The mastermind of Cheong-il Construction! A genius in real estate development and site selection!"

A man renowned for his uncanny ability to spot potential—someone so brilliant that Han Cheong-ho himself had gone through three rounds of persuasion to finally recruit him.

And now, here he was—standing before Tae-soo in this very moment.