CH7 | MCT

Molybdenum Mine, and Brothers (3)

Tae-soo spoke calmly.

"We extract as much molybdenum as possible in the shortest time. Sell it at the highest price. That’s the goal."

Han-soo listened in silence.

Tae-soo was confident.

"This mine won’t be in operation for long."

"Why not?"

"Molybdenum is a national strategic resource. It’s strictly regulated and could be seized by the government at any time."

In fact, Oh Chun-sik had his molybdenum mine taken by the state.

That was Tae-soo’s doing—after he joined Cheongil Group.

Officially, it was confiscated under the pretense of securing a strategic mineral.

Oh Chun-sik’s mine was absorbed into Daewoon Tungsten, a state-run enterprise.

"So, we take the money we earn from the mine and reinvest it into another industry—construction. We’re going to build apartments in Gangnam."

"You’re developing Gangnam?"

"Yeah."

"And you came up with this?"

Han-soo’s gaze flickered.

Surprise. Confusion. Doubt. Admiration.

His expression barely changed, but Tae-soo caught it.

Grinning, Tae-soo said, "You think I’m just talking? Give it some time—I’ll make it real."

Han-soo’s eyes widened slightly at his brother’s unwavering confidence.

"Han-soo, let’s do this right."

Tae-soo extended his hand first.

Han-soo stared at it.

"Han-soo, let’s not make our parents suffer anymore. Mom was crying."

"Are you serious?"

"I don’t want to see another ridiculous mess like this over a measly 100,000 won."

"Dammit. That’s not fair when you put it like that."

Han-soo straightened his posture.

His expression remained cold, but his eyes burned with intensity.

"So the ice-cold bastard can actually fire up, huh?"

Tae-soo smirked.

Han-soo took his hand.

"Fine. Don’t forget what you just said. You swore on our parents."

"I won’t."

It had been a long time.

Since they’d shaken hands like this.

For the first time in ages, Han-soo let out a small chuckle.

It actually felt… good.

"Damn, you’re sharp as ever. Like a needle."

"And why do you keep calling me that?"

"Shh. Don’t ask. You’ll get hurt if you know."

"..."

"It’s true."

Back in the day, everyone was terrified of being dragged up to Namsan. No one dared to talk about it.

"Oh? Kang Han-soo. Why does it feel like you’re gripping my hand tighter?"

"It’s just your imagination."

Didn’t feel like it.

Their hands trembled slightly.

Before they knew it, the two brothers were smiling—gritting their teeth—as what started as a handshake turned into a low-key arm-wrestling match.

"There’s a lot to do. And as you can see, the conditions are terrible."

Tae-soo gestured toward the old facilities.

Everything here had been abandoned for over thirty years.

"We’ve got outdated equipment, harsh conditions, low wages, zero track record in mining, and a young mine owner. We’ve pretty much hit the jackpot for worst-case scenarios."

"Then let’s just sell it. Problem solved."

"Come on, we have to at least try. We struck molybdenum. I’m telling you, I’ll make you rich. Just trust me this once."

"Stubborn as ever."

The brothers put their heads together and started discussing how to run the mine.

"Han-soo, I’m going to start a company."

"A mineral export trading company?"

"That, and more. I was about to hire a contractor to build housing for the miners, but it’d be a waste."

"Then why not go all in and establish a construction company too?"

"Good idea. I’ll handle all the company setup details."

Mining and construction.

Running both at the same time.

‘Right now, our main business is mining, but in the future, construction will be our real focus.’

Cheongil Apartments in Daechi-dong—the project that propelled Cheongil Group into the ranks of Korea’s top conglomerates!

That’s what they would build and sell first.

Using the money they earned from molybdenum!

Tae-soo’s determination burned brighter.

They could do this.

They would do this.

"Let’s name the company Taeyang. Taeyang Trading, Taeyang Construction, Taeyang Mining."

"Does the name mean something?"

"A fortune teller said that if I work with soil, I’ll become a man as great as the sun."

"..."

"And honestly, I’m too lazy to come up with different names, so I’m just using Taeyang for everything. Works, right?"

"..."

Han-soo was dumbfounded, but he nodded.

A name wasn’t that important, after all.

'Han-soo, actually... your child’s fetal name was Taeyang.'

Han-soo’s child never got to see the world.

They had died together in their mother’s womb when Han-soo and his wife passed away.

'I always wanted to call your child’s name at least once. In our past lives, I was supposed to be their uncle, but I never got the chance.'

Tae-soo silently repeated the name in his heart, a name he could never say out loud.

Issues like molybdenum refining facilities, recruiting miners and setting wages, securing transport equipment, and heavy machinery—

Once they put their heads together, everything quickly fell into place.

They worked in perfect sync.

Nothing felt difficult.

At this point, it was almost exhilarating.

'I can’t believe working with Kang Tae-soo is actually exciting.'

Even Han-soo found the thought ridiculous.

But regardless of what his mind said, the deep satisfaction swelling in his chest proved it to be true.

"Han-soo, you did well."

"We planned out almost everything in under an hour? That’s insane."

The more he spoke, the more astonished he became.

"Wait… were you hiding your skills on purpose?"

"Why would I do something that stupid?"

"Then have I just… never noticed?"

"Bingo. You never noticed. I’ve always been amazing; you were just late to the party."

"..."

Han-soo sighed.

'He’s too damn skilled. How does he handle things so effortlessly? Like some veteran who's spent years in this industry.'

Han-soo knew better than anyone that wasn’t possible.

After all, they had lived under the same roof.

'What the hell is going on? There’s no way Kang Tae-soo was ever this capable.'

Han-soo swallowed the words rising in his throat.

Instead, he straightened his face.

"There’s still one major problem. Once we solve this, everything for the mine will be set."

"The money."

"Yeah. We need at least 20 million won."

"Hmm."

This was the real challenge.

Even considering inflation—where the 2020 equivalent would be about thirty times higher—this was a huge amount of money.

Without capital, all their plans were useless.

"Mines, in particular, require an enormous amount of initial investment."

"We're trying to make money, but we can't make money because we have no money."

"That's how it is with everything."

The brothers stood in silence, gazing at the mine.

"Han-soo, be honest with me this time. How were you planning to solve the money problem?"

"I was going to look for investors."

"From who?"

"Anyone willing. I was going to try everything I could."

For the first time, Han-soo showed weakness when it came to money.

'That’s unexpected. I always thought he was full of confidence.'

Tae-soo looked at Han-soo with quiet admiration.

'For his age, he’s doing more than enough. Actually, he’s really something, isn't he?'

Unaware of Tae-soo’s thoughts, Han-soo let out a sigh.

In the end, it was all about money.

Money, money, money.

Han-soo sighed again.

"Even with a molybdenum mine right in front of us, we can’t extract anything without capital."

"Han-soo, think of it the other way around. If we solve the money problem, we’ll be making a fortune from this mine."

Tae-soo sounded completely confident.

"Kang Tae-soo, there’s no way we’re getting a loan from a bank in our situation. And we don’t have any wealthy acquaintances to borrow from."

"That’s true."

"We don’t even have any real estate to put up as collateral."

"I know. Our house is about to be demolished, too."

Banks at this time had impossibly high standards for lending money.

Honestly, even in 2020, it would have been the same.

With no assets and no stable job, borrowing a large sum was nearly impossible.

Giving up on the bank was the only logical choice.

Tae-soo absentmindedly toyed with the mine’s ownership certificate in his pocket.

Han-soo’s voice grew quieter.

"There’s no way. This is beyond me. Let’s just sell the mine."

Clap.

Tae-soo clapped his hands.

"Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll handle the money problem. Done."

"What?"

"I said I’ll take care of the money. That’s the only issue stopping us from running the molybdenum mine, right?"

"What the hell are you talking about? How in the world are you going to—"

Tae-soo casually rested his hand on Han-soo’s shoulder.

"Just trust me, little brother."

"Uh, wait… Why does this feel like a headlock? Ugh!"

"You’re imagining things."

It definitely wasn’t his imagination.

He was actually suffocating!

Once again, the brothers found themselves wrestling, their "friendly shoulder hug" turning into a full-blown headlock.

On the long bus ride to Seoul, neither of them spoke first.

Han-soo was burning with anxiety.

"Unbelievable. How can he be snoring at a time like this?"

Tae-soo had made a bold claim, but without knowing his plan, Han-soo couldn’t help but worry.

Finally, when they arrived in Seoul, Han-soo couldn’t hold back any longer.

"So what exactly is your plan?"

"What else? Solve the money problem."

"Gambling, pimping, kidnapping, murder, robbery, fraud, forgery… Which one is it?"

"…"

Tae-soo was speechless.

"Why are all the things that come to your mind illegal? Is it that hard to trust your brother?"

"Well, I don’t see any legal way for you to get that kind of money. You shouldn’t be so confident."

"Let’s go."

"Go where?"

"To solve the money problem."

"Right now? This instant?"

Tae-soo strode forward with determination, forcing Han-soo to hurry after him.

Tae-soo glanced around.

"Taxi!"

Han-soo sighed and grabbed his wrist.

"Taxis are expensive. The bus is still running."

"…Fine, we’ll take the bus."

Han-soo didn’t let up on the nagging.

In the 1970s, Myeong-dong was one of the most developed areas in Seoul.

For instance, unlike other parts of the city, tall buildings lined the streets.

The roads were packed with cars, and the shops were bustling with people.

Even in this high-priced district, there stood a grand mansion.

A towering stone wall stretched like a fortress, and an imposing iron gate loomed over the entrance.

It was a mansion built to flaunt wealth.

"Impressive. Even more extravagant than I expected."

Tae-soo murmured in admiration.

Seeing the mansion, Han-soo felt a glimmer of hope.

"Do you think someone this rich would invest in us?"

"Hmm."

"How did you even get to know a guy like this?"

"Well… I’ve only heard about him."

They say he’s the richest man in the country right now, but in just two weeks, he’ll lose everything overnight.

So while his reputation was well-known, Tae-soo had never actually seen him in person.

Bang, bang, bang.

"Anyone home?"

Tae-soo called out loudly.

A moment later, someone appeared.

"Who’s there?"

"I’m Kang Tae-soo. I’m here to see Song Jingu."

"Song Jingu? Ah, wait a moment."

Han-soo furrowed his brows.

"Song Jingu? That name sounds familiar."

"Of course, it does. You didn’t just hear about him—you met him."

A face flashed through Han-soo’s mind like lightning.

The man who had introduced himself as Myeong-dong’s Hyena, Song Jingu.

Han-soo’s eyes widened in shock.

"Wait, Song Jingu? The guy from Uncle Chunsik’s house?"

"That’s right."

"Why the hell are we looking for a loan shark?"

"If you're visiting a loan shark, there’s only one reason—money."

"What?!"

"A loan is still money."

Han-soo was appalled.

"Are you out of your mind? The annual interest rate on a private loan is a whopping 50%!"

"Do you have a better option?"

With a bitter expression, Tae-soo looked up at the sky.

"Never thought I'd willingly walk into a loan shark's house... But there's no other choice."

Han-soo spoke urgently.

"Let’s not take out a loan. I’ll search every corner of Seoul for an investor. If that doesn’t work, I’ll look nationwide."

"How long will that take? A year? Two? That’s too late."

Tae-soo placed a firm hand on Han-soo’s shoulder.

Once again, he flashed a confident grin.

"Just trust me. No matter what kind of nonsense I spout, just sit back and watch."

"Kang Tae-soo!"

"I swear I’ll walk out of here today with an IOU from the loan shark."

"What?"

Han-soo was dumbfounded.

He wasn’t even sure if he had heard that right.

"This crazy bastard... That’s not how it works!"

Wasn’t that the opposite of what he meant?

How does someone borrowing money manage to get the loan shark to hand over an IOU instead?