How a Salaryman Became an Underworld Boss

Chairman Park Yeongil gave me assignments once or twice a week. At first, he simply asked me to buy food from restaurants around Seoul. But as time passed, the requests grew increasingly complicated. He would ask me to bring local specialties or unusual items from regions far outside the capital. Naturally, there were many times when his requests struck me as absurd, but I never argued. I couldn’t explain it, but I had a persistent feeling that doing things this way was right. Of course, the generous compensation played no small part either.

Time passed, and before I knew it, mid-December had arrived.

As soon as I woke up one morning, I anxiously looked out the window. For once, the weather forecast had been completely accurate. The world outside had been buried beneath a thick blanket of snow. Delivering food on a motorcycle on days like this was practically suicidal.

“Haa... Today’s ruined.”

After getting out of bed, I gathered the clothes scattered around the room and tossed them into the laundry basket. Then I quickly washed up and pulled on my down jacket. During spring, summer, and autumn, I usually did my laundry in the washing machine inside my tiny studio apartment, but in the harsh winter, I often used the laundromat. It was much cheaper that way.

After arriving, I dropped some coins into the machine and started the wash. Since washing and drying took a full hour, I decided to spend the time at home.

Slurp—

After quickly finishing some ramyeon and instant rice, I was about to wash the dishes when my phone rang. Looking at the screen, I saw Park Yeongil’s name.

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Jiham, are you busy today?”

At some point, Park Yeongil had switched to speaking casually with me. Honestly, I felt awkward when someone so much older spoke formally, so I didn’t mind. Chief Secretary Kang Inhan, however, remained as polite and formal as ever.

“The snow’s too heavy, so I’m planning to take the day off and do some laundry and cleaning.”

“People aren’t machines. Everyone needs to rest sometimes. If you’re free, come over around lunchtime.”

Hope immediately blossomed in my heart. If Chairman Park was looking for me, then he must have some sort of assignment.

“What would you like me to bring?”

“You can come empty-handed today.”

The hope vanished and disappointment took its place.

But of course, I couldn’t let Park Yeongil see it.

“Are you sure?”

“Today is the anniversary of my birth. I simply want to have lunch with you.”

“Chairman, I sincerely wish you a happy birthday.”

“Hahaha. Thank you. See you at lunch.”

Click.

After hanging up, I fell into thought.

Since I knew it was Park Yeongil’s birthday, showing up empty-handed would be incredibly rude.

“What should I give him?”

The moment Park Yeongil hung up, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan asked in confusion,

“Chairman, why did you tell Cha Jiham it was your birthday?”

“I want to see what he’ll do.”

“But you specifically told him to come empty-handed.”

“If he actually comes empty-handed, then he fails.”

Anxiety began to gnaw at Kang Inhan. From what he had observed so far, Cha Jiham wasn’t particularly flexible. If he failed, they’d have to start all over again and search for someone else. The real problem, however, was that the standards set by Chairman Park were so bizarre that nobody had ever managed to pass.

“If you reject Cha Jiham, we might never find someone capable of continuing your work.”

“Then I’ll keep looking until I die. And don’t you dare give him any hints.”

“Of course not...”

Caught red-handed, Kang Inhan stammered slightly.

“Tsk, tsk. Secretary Kang, you really need to learn to hide your emotions better.”

“Ahem. I’ll remember that, Chairman.”

“Heh-heh-heh. I can’t wait to see what kind of gift Jiham has prepared for me.”

Ding-dong.

While they were talking, the doorbell rang. Kang Inhan practically leaped toward the intercom monitor. Seeing Cha Jiham on the screen, relief flooded his voice.

“Chairman, Cha Jiham is carrying an enormous bag.”

“See? That means he bought me a birthday gift.”

“I think so as well.”

“Haha. Let him in.”

Click!

The gate opened, and Kang Inhan appeared.

“Secretary Kang? What are you doing here?”

I had visited the Chairman’s mansion more than twenty times, but Kang Inhan had personally greeted me only twice.

“The Chairman ordered me to receive you.”

“Ah, I see.”

“By the way, didn’t the Chairman tell you to come empty-handed?”

“How could I come to someone’s birthday empty-handed?”

“Haha. True enough. Come in.”

Following Kang Inhan inside, I was warmly welcomed by Park Yeongil.

I bowed respectfully and offered him the bag.

“Chairman, happy birthday.”

“I told you to come empty-handed. What’s all this?”

Despite his grumbling, the corners of Park Yeongil’s lips rose.

’Heh-heh. Is he really that happy about the gift?’

“It’s a birthday present.”

As he accepted the bag, Park Yeongil was visibly surprised by its weight. Setting it on the table, he peered inside.

Everything was wrapped in silk cloth, making it impossible to see.

“Jiham, what’s inside?”

“I think it’d be better if you opened it yourself.”

Burning with curiosity, Park Yeongil untied the knot.

“What in the world?!”

He was genuinely shocked.

And I understood perfectly why.

The gift was a bottle containing fifty-year-old wild mountain ginseng liquor.

“The ginseng inside the glass bottle was personally dug up by my grandfather in the mountains around Taebaek. It’s completely wild.”

“I don’t even know if I should accept something so valuable.”

“My grandfather always said that if I ever met someone worthy of gratitude, I should give it without hesitation.”

“Very well. Please convey my sincere thanks to your grandfather.”

“I certainly will.”

Park Yeongil accepted my answer and handed the bottle to Kang Inhan, who carried it away.

Watching him leave, Park Yeongil asked with curiosity,

“Jiham, why were you keeping something this precious?”

The truth was that my grandfather had given it to me as a wedding gift, saying that drinking it would guarantee a son. If I told him that, Park Yeongil would never accept it.

’Sometimes a white lie is necessary.’

“My grandfather told me to give it to someone I deeply respected. I simply hadn’t found the right person until now.”

“I don’t know if it’s proper for me to accept such a thing for free. How about I buy it from you?”

“Absolutely not. I gave it to you as a birthday present.”

“Jiham, why are you so stubborn?”

“Because what’s right should remain right.”

At that moment, Kang Inhan returned and sat down.

Apparently, he had overheard their conversation.

“Chairman, if you buy that liquor, the test is automatically invalid.”

“Ahem!”

Park Yeongil coughed awkwardly.

“Jiham, would you mind if we delayed lunch a bit?”

“Not at all. I had a late breakfast.”

“Good. Then listen carefully.”

“I’m listening.”

“The truth is, I had a purpose, and I’ve been testing you all this time.”

“...What?!”

The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.

The thought had never once crossed my mind that Park Yeongil had been testing me.

“I understand your shock. We’ll discuss my reasons another day.”

“...Not now?”

“Unfortunately, you haven’t completely finished the test yet.”

Instead of anger, a wave of sadness washed over me.

Only then did I realize how much joy my time with Park Yeongil had brought me. In my monotonous life, he had become a ray of light.

“I see...”

Park Yeongil immediately sensed that the conversation had gone in the wrong direction. Jiham’s voice had completely sunk.

“You haven’t failed. There’s only one final stage left.”

“Ah, then I misunderstood.”

Within seconds, my voice returned to normal.

“I gave you those strange tasks to test your perseverance, honesty, responsibility, and resourcefulness. Fortunately, you easily cleared the standards I set.”

“I never realized I was being tested, but it’s nice to hear I passed.”

“Therefore, I’ve decided not to give you those kinds of assignments anymore.”

The tasks from Park Yeongil had brought me a great deal of money. And tasting all kinds of delicious food wasn’t bad either.

Now he was saying it was over.

Honestly, I felt regret.

“I understand.”

“Are you disappointed because you won’t be making money from my assignments anymore?”

“I won’t deny it.”

“Hahahahaha!”

My honest answer delighted Park Yeongil, and his booming laughter echoed through the room.

After calming down, he asked,

“You seem unusually obsessed with money compared to others. Why?”

In truth, Park Yeongil already knew exactly why Cha Jiham worked so hard to earn money. But he deliberately pretended not to know.

“Because I’m the head of my family.”

“But your grandfather is still alive.”

“My grandfather is already over eighty-five years old. At his age, even working the fields is difficult.”

“I see. I heard you have a younger sister. What is she doing now?”

That struck me as strange.

I’d never once mentioned having a sister in front of Park Yeongil.

I wanted to ask how he knew, but now wasn’t the time.

“She was in an accident at the beginning of the year. The driver fled, and she spent a long time in the hospital. She was only discharged recently.”

“So you don’t have to struggle with hospital bills anymore.”

“That’s true, but I’m still desperately short on money.”

“Why?”

“I need to find a place where my sister and I can live together. And living expenses don’t disappear.”

“Your sister’s a student?”

“Yes. She’s a fourth-year business administration student at Seoul National University.”

A proud smile naturally spread across my face.

“She sounds like a genius.”

“I completely agree with you, Chairman.”

At that moment, Kang Inhan, whose curiosity had been piqued, joined the conversation.

“Cha Jiham, how exactly did your sister get into that accident?”

“She was working as a private tutor. Late at night, after finishing work, she was crossing at a crosswalk when a sports car ran a red light and hit her.”

“My goodness... There were no cameras or witnesses?”

“There weren’t any cameras nearby, but there were two witnesses. They told the police it was a red sports car that hit her and fled immediately. Unfortunately, they couldn’t see the license plate.”

“I see. And what happened after that?”

“The police came to the hospital, questioned my sister, and since then we’ve heard absolutely nothing.”

At that moment, Park Yeongil, who had listened quietly until now, spoke in a stern voice.

“Secretary Kang, investigate everything thoroughly.”

“Yes, Chairman. I’ll handle it.”

Kang Inhan’s answer came without the slightest hesitation.