Chapter 33
"Did actual gangsters come and ask for money?"
He asked the moment he got in the car, brushing snow from his shoes. His voice was sharp, urgent.
"Why? Sounds like a lie?"
Mu-gyeong took off his leather gloves and buckled his seatbelt.
"They asked, so I gave it."
"Was it the Gworeum-dong guys?"
Mu-gyeong shrugged and slowly turned the steering wheel. If it really was the Gworeum-dong gang, then maybe Guppping had already made his move and was trying to get to Mu-gyeong through them. Judging by Guppping’s reaction earlier, it didn’t seem like they’d discussed collecting rent yet. So what the hell was going on?
"How should I know? Do gangsters walk around with name tags? That guy looks like a gangster, and that guy’s a thug too, far as I can tell."
He gestured at Choi-geun and one of the other workers smoking outside and snickered.
"So you’re saying the gang Gu Madam’s connected with is the Gworeum-dong crew?"
"...Yeah. They’ve got a tight grip on the neighborhood, and since they’re close with Guppping, they’ve been backing the house. They stall the cops when they show up, clean up messes when there’s trouble. If they’re prowling around under the excuse of collecting fees, it probably means something’s already in motion."
"Is that so?"