Chapter 59
Chapter 59: Bitter Graduation Album (1)
In my childhood from a past life.
My mother always served my rice in a heaping mound.
Far too much for a young child to eat.
"Mother, why do you always give me so much rice?"
"So our Seon grows up big and strong."
Mother answered with a broad smile.
"Still, it's too much."
"Eat your rice first."
I stuffed my mouth full of rice, cheeks puffed out on both sides, chewing away.
Watching me, Mother said,
"Human relationships are all like this, you know."
"What are you talking about?"
"When you wish to win someone's heart, fill their vessel until it overflows. If it's a water glass, pour more in when it's already brimming to the top."
"But then that glass will spill."
"That's the secret. If that person's vessel is upright and sturdy, in that very moment they become entirely yours."
I chewed my rice and swallowed, tilting my head to one side.
"What about people whose vessels are crooked and soft?"
"Then you just smash them."
"……Pardon?"
Mother broke into a warm smile and stroked my head.
"You may not understand now, but someday, when the opportunity comes, give it a try."
* * *
For the Korean beef to be sent to Mother's house as Baekya's food, I arranged a regular delivery contract with a cattle ranch near her home.
Fresh, quality meat — two kilograms delivered every day.
"My, what a devoted child."
"I appreciate your help, Sir."
"Of course. By the way, everyone in the household must really love meat."
"So it seems."
Good grief. A money-eating ghost, that one.
Next, I headed to the Black Market.
I was looking to find a decent craftsman who could work with White Night Black Wolf's hide, fangs, and claws.
As I approached the Black Market, I spotted a poster for Super Climber K.
"Ah, Chief Han."
Maybe I should turn on the secret phone for once.
The moment I powered it on, a call came in immediately.
Ring—.
"Hello?"
"Oh, honestly! Why won't you ever answer? You've had your phone off for days!"
Chief Han's sharp voice rang through.
"It seems you called the moment my phone turned on."
"What?"
"So you get notified when my power comes back on?"
"Ah, no, that's not—"
"That's precisely why I keep my phone off, Chief Han."
"Ah, that… I'm sorry."
A deflated voice.
She had come in full of spirit, but the tide had turned in an instant.
"I won't be using this phone to contact you anymore."
"W-wait! Mr. Anonymous Hero! Mr. Chivalrous Hero!"
Maybe I pushed too hard? There's an enormous amount of money I need to collect.
My heart felt uneasy even as I played the strong hand.
But I had already taken the step. Straight ahead.
"As for this phone—"
"Money! You still need to collect your money!"
"……"
"I'm sorry."
"As long as you know."
Phew. What a relief.
"I'll swap it for a truly clean secret phone with absolutely nothing installed on it."
"I don't trust that."
"Please trust me just this once. Okay? I really mean it. You're welcome to inspect it if you're suspicious."
Her desperate voice.
I arranged to meet with her.
"Please wait just thirty minutes. Shall we meet at the same café as before?"
"Come to the Black Market warehouse. I was heading there anyway."
While waiting for her, I stepped into a shop.
The same place where I had sold the Blue Dragon Gate's spear.
I was already in disguise, wearing my familiar half-face Human Skin Mask.
The beard looked like it might fall off at any moment, so I had put on a mask over it as well.
"Oh my, you're back again."
The shop owner spotted me and greeted me warmly.
Recognizing me even through the mask.
Quite the skilled merchant, no doubt.
"Hello. Do you have anything good?"
"I do! You're in luck today, sir."
She went into the back and came out with something unexpectedly extraordinary.
"A Human Skin Mask!"
And it was a male one, no less.
Age approximately mid-thirties. Just right for me to wear.
It looked slightly worn, which was actually better.
That made it more natural.
"How much?"
"One and a half billion."
"That's too expensive."
"Come on! Do you know how hard it is to get your hands on a Human Skin Mask? Even the great Gukmubon only has a few of them."
"Let's say one billion. It's worn, isn't it."
"One point four billion!"
After haggling, I purchased it for one billion two hundred and fifty million won.
The price of an entire house.
"An enormous sum, but surely worth every bit of it."
Humming a cheerful tune.
I arrived in front of the warehouse where I had arranged to meet Chief Han.
Screee—.
I opened the warehouse door.
Inside I could see boxes full of Purple Mist Grass along with several other medicinal herbs.
Chief Han came rushing over breathlessly.
"Mr. Chivalrous Hero!"
"You're late. You said thirty minutes."
"Ah, the traffic was terrible…… I'm sorry."
Chivalrous Hero — quite an excessive title.
I gave a light nod and gestured toward the herbs.
"There are no herbs with their roots, I see."
"I'm working hard to find them."
"That must be difficult."
"I'm also trying to get the stock the pharmaceutical companies are holding."
"That won't be easy."
"I know. It's for the nation's good — why won't they listen."
She scratched her head.
"It sounds like the persuasion isn't going well."
"Some of them are fairly cooperative, but there's one major company that's the problem."
"Which one?"
"Miraejegwa."
"Hmm."
"It's a large corporation — the chairman of the pharmaceutical companies' association. Since Miraejegwa is flatly opposing it, the smaller companies are all just watching to see what happens."
"……"
As my expression stiffened subtly, Chief Han added:
"Miraejegwa is a subsidiary of the Mirae Group conglomerate, but it suddenly started growing rapidly."
"Sounds like someone is backing them."
"Yes."
"Who?"
"The Bell Tower Sect."
The Bell Tower Sect again.
The Baekgyeong Choi brothers and Chairman Choi had also been connected to the Bell Tower Sect.
"I heard that the Bell Tower Sect's leader, the Bell Tower Heavenly King, is a major shareholder of Miraejegwa. Likely under a borrowed name. The Bell Tower Sect has been supplying medicinal herbs and supporting climbers, and that's what drove Miraejegwa's rapid growth."
"The Bell Tower Sect had that much power?"
"They used to be ranked last among the Five Great Sects, but now they're threatening the Red Dragon Gate. Even Gate Master Lee Won-ryong can barely hold his head up in front of the Bell Tower Heavenly King, they say."
"Remarkable."
The Bell Tower Sect.
For some reason it gave me the feeling of the sinister demonic cults from the Gangho of my past life.
The Blood Cult, the Apostate Cult, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
All worthless scum, every one of them.
"The followers worship that fake Bell Tower Heavenly King like a god. People who would die before paying taxes voluntarily hand over the items and treasures they obtain climbing the Murim Tower."
"All Demonic Cults are like that."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind."
She leaned her back against the warehouse wall and spoke.
"There are rumors of an extraordinary master within the Bell Tower Sect."
"A master of Ice Energy?"
"Ha, as expected…… You really know everything, Mr. Chivalrous Hero."
She looked stunned.
The Baekgyeong Chairman Choi.
The traces of Ice Energy that had been left on him came to mind.
"The term Chivalrous Hero is excessive."
"Then tell me your name."
"We agreed not to ask."
"Then what should I call you? Hero? Chivalrous One? Oppa?"
That last one was a joke, surely, but a bit much.
"Just call me…… Elder."
"You don't quite seem old enough to be called an Elder. There are plenty of popular actors well into their fifties."
"Fifty is plenty old enough to be an Elder."
"And if you're handsome, you're still an Oppa."
"That's enough of that."
"Yes."
The image of men in their fifties that I knew and the men in their fifties here felt quite different.
In Gangho, men in their fifties were elders with long beards.
I rummaged through the herbs for a moment, then clapped my hands clean.
"At any rate, please deal with that Bell Tow—…… I mean, the Bell Tower Sect—"
"Pfft!"
"Why are you laughing?"
"Ah, I just thought — even the perfect hero makes slips of the tongue."
"I am human, after all."
Swish.
I picked up a shopping bag I had set aside in the corner beforehand and held it out to her.
"What's this?"
"Something you left behind. I kept meaning to give it back."
She opened it and her eyes went wide.
"This is my Human Skin Mask?!"
The Human Skin Mask she had thrown off in Jang Masayoshi's penthouse in Japan.
I had kept it.
Truthfully, it was my first time seeing an intact Human Skin Mask here, so I had thought about trying it on myself.
But it was made for a woman, so there was nothing I could do.
The face size fit, but the difference in build was obvious.
Masters of Bone-Shrinking Arts are said to be able to alter even their apparent gender, but I had not reached that level.
Since I couldn't use it, returning it to her seemed right.
I had also happened to acquire something far better.
"Thank you."
She hugged the shopping bag to her chest.
Somehow it seemed as though her vessel was on the verge of brimming over.
She pulled a new secret phone from her pocket.
"This……"
I stared at the phone for a moment, then took it and put it in my pocket.
Then I took out the old secret phone I had been using and stomped it to pieces underfoot.
Crunch!
"……"
She was sharp enough to understand what I meant.
She bit her lip and apologized again.
"I'm sorry. You really can trust the new secret phone."
"Trust is important between people."
"I know. I apologize once more."
She bowed ninety degrees at the waist.
Her tone had become considerably more deferential as well.
I could feel the sincerity.
"Thanks to your help, the survival rate of our Gukmubon climbers on the fourteenth floor has risen to over ninety percent."
"That's a relief."
"Starting next week, I plan to sell the Chivalrous Hero's Secret Medicine — the Purple Haze Dust Poison, that is — through the Five Great Sects as the main channel. Excluding the Bell Tower Sect and the Red Dragon Gate, of course."
"Understood."
Knowing the value of the Chivalrous Hero's Secret Medicine better than anyone, they would bend their backs and come knocking of their own accord.
"These are a bank account book and card. I thought you might not trust it, so I set it up as a Swiss account — even our Gukmubon cannot trace it. Please use it without worry. There's no withdrawal limit either."
"I'll take you at your word."
"Thank you."
My words made her break into a full smile.
I checked the bankbook.
The account holder: KIM HYUBGAEK.
Account balance: 1,004 Swiss francs.
Pfft.
"Chief Han, you have quite a sense of humor."
"Being all business would be no fun."
Even the corners of my mouth curled upward.
"I chose the name on my own. Is that alright?"
I gave a nod.
"This one is my gift."
I held out to her a long object wrapped in cloth.
"This is……?"
"Let's consider it a token of trust."
I tilted my hat slightly and stepped outside first.
"Kyaaah!"
A cry of delight rang out from inside the warehouse.
She'd like it, I was sure.
It was the Blue Dragon Spear, after all.
【Chief Han sees the Blue Dragon Spear and cries out that it is a masterpiece. +2,000 Happiness】
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—.
Her vessel filled and overflowed.
Glad you like it.
Safe travels, I hope.
"As long as you don't get hurt, things stay easier for me."
* * *
A week passed, and just as Chief Han had said, money began flowing into the Swiss account.
She must have linked account notifications to the secret phone, because I found out right away.
-386,264.95 francs have been deposited.
-510,441.58 francs have been deposited.
Three hundred million and five hundred million won, respectively.
Likely sample payments.
As contract payments, even the first transaction alone was on the scale of three to five billion.
"Phew. This is… nerve-wracking."
Beyond those funds, I also received word that the title transfer for the building the Baekgyeong Choi brothers had promised was now complete.
"Managing it myself will be difficult, so I'd appreciate it if Baekgyeong handled the leasing."
"Yes, Senior. I'll give instructions to keep it fully occupied."
"We'll make sure the deposit and rent come in on time without fail."
"Take twenty percent of the income as a management fee."
"Come now, what's a management fee between us."
The brothers refused outright.
I accepted their goodwill.
An enormous sum of money kept piling up.
I also arranged two safe houses under borrowed names, as I had planned.
I paid the deposit plus a full year's rent in advance.
When I added even more on top of what the landlords were asking, they stood there with cash-filled shopping bags and mouths hanging wide open.
I also moved three refrigerators from my Cheongdam apartment to each safe house.
Mother had started visiting my place from time to time, and it bothered me to keep one room locked.
Looking at the Onon Grass, now grown considerably, I felt a warm contentment.
Just then — ding-dong!
A notification came in on my phone.
Danggun Market.
A comment had been posted on the listing where I was looking to buy Kim Tae-yang's graduation album.
It was a post I had put up to find the album in order to identify Tae-yang's assailant.
Not wanting to rely solely on Kang Hae-san, I intended to go through the photos one by one and see if anything came to mind.
【Kim Tae-yang urges you to check it quickly. +1 Happiness】
I opened the chat window immediately.
-Can we do the deal today?
-Where shall we meet?
I sent a reply right away.
That evening.
Exit 4 of Gangnam Station.
A woman in a tracksuit and a cap called out my Danggun Market username and approached me.
"SUN?"
"Yes. Hello."
"Here's the album."
She held out the album she was carrying.
Myeongmun High School, Class of 20XX Graduation Album.
Flipping through it quickly, I spotted Kang Hae-san and Bae Do-ik.
Right where I thought.
There were no phone numbers or addresses in the album.
Only photos and names.
Tae-yang must have been excited — my heart started pounding fiercely again.
The woman tilted her head as she watched me looking through the album.
"Here is one million won."
I held out a cash envelope.
She didn't even look inside the envelope — she just kept staring at my face.
She asked,
"But why are you looking for a graduation album? Spending a million won on it."
"There's something I need to check."
"Ah…… I see."
This time I asked her:
"Why are you selling your graduation album?"
"Hm? Oh, I don't know. No good memories in it, and I need the money."
"Are you a graduate of Myeongmun High School?"
"Yes. And you, SUN?"
"Not me."
I withdrew before graduating, so I never did graduate.
The real reason I was looking for the album.
It was partly to confirm the photos, but there was something bigger behind it.
If she was a graduate, she might remember me.
In that case, I planned to ask her directly.
【Kim Tae-yang says not to ask. +1 Happiness】
No thanks.
【Kim Tae-yang says it's embarrassing. +1 Happiness】
That's your problem.
"By any chance…… Don't you remember me?"
"Hm?"
"I'm Kim Tae-yang."
"……"
【Kim Tae-yang begins trembling with a 'just you wait' look. +1 Happiness】
Heh. Not even slightly scary, you.
She made a face like she was on the edge of recognizing me.
No choice then. Time for the secret weapon.
"Samcheolli……"
"Oh, Kim Tae-yang!"
As expected — a sad nickname, but a surefire one.
"I thought your face looked familiar somehow! Nice to meet you again."
"……"
The casual speech hitting like a wall.
"Tae-yang, do you remember me?"
"Ah, ah…… Haha."
I tried to flip through the album to check, when she slapped it shut.
"Hey! Don't look at old photos. I'm Im Ye-rin! We were in the same class, first year!"
Hm.
It seemed like things were working out.