Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“No one will even want to touch them.”

That was what garbage debt meant in this world.

The end.

A debt everyone had already given up on.

Manager Park stared at the envelopes for a moment and lowered the corners of his mouth.

There was more than skepticism in his expression.

It held the weight and cruelty of this world.

And perhaps a little resignation.

He knew from experience that these were the worst kinds of debts.

The truly impossible ones.

Every loan shark eventually met debts like these.

Jo Sun-ja smiled softly as if she had expected his answer.

The scent of tea slowed the conversation for a moment.

In the brief silence, she slowly put down her cup.

Then rested her hand on the envelopes again.

She quietly looked up at Manager Park.

One eyebrow rose slightly.

“What if Taesan collects all three?”

The room grew heavy again.

Manager Park stopped breathing for a moment.

Surprise and disbelief crossed his face.

Then he let out a laugh as if the idea itself was absurd.

But hidden inside that laugh was a strange expectation toward Kang Taesan.

And maybe some lingering hope.

There was even a quiet respect that had grown without him noticing.

“If that happens, Madam, you should hand over the office and everything else.”

He smiled briefly and added,

“Then he really must be your grandson.”

Before he even finished, Jo Sun-ja burst into loud laughter for the first time in a long while.

Even Manager Park looked surprised.

Her laughter carried years of exhaustion and a sudden release of excitement.

Manager Park felt warmth in one corner of his chest as he listened.

Her voice flowed gently through the laughter.

“Won’t you feel disappointed, Manager Park?”

There was teasing in the question.

But also sincerity.

And an old affection built over many years.

Manager Park smiled briefly.

He looked down at the envelopes again.

For a moment, he remembered himself decades ago, standing inside this room as a young man for the first time.

A quiet silence filled the room.

Then he firmly shook his head.

“No, Madam.”

He paused.

“I’m not someone who uses his head. I’m someone who uses his fists.”

Jo Sun-ja narrowed her eyes.

She stared at Manager Park for a long time as if trying to carve his face into her memory.

He didn’t avoid her gaze.

The wrinkles on their faces.

The decades hidden behind them.

Only the two of them understood the meaning of that silence.

Manager Park looked back at her.

Gratitude.

Friendship.

Loyalty.

Things they had never openly said were all contained in that brief exchange of looks.

The next morning.

The private lending office.

“Taesan, come in here.”

I carefully opened the door and entered.

Jo Sun-ja sat with a stiff expression.

She pushed three envelopes toward me.

“Three debts. Every one of them is garbage.”

I picked up one envelope and opened it carefully.

Every page I turned gave me a worse feeling.

Then I saw the name on the first page and paused.

I didn’t know it.

I had never seen the person before.

I slowly read the background information and several dozen lines summarizing the case.

I had no choice but to imagine what kind of person this debtor was using only the information on paper.

As I read each line, I ran simulations in my head.

She wants me to collect this?

I stared at Jo Sun-ja.

This was a test.

Garbage debt that could break anyone.

The line that separated a real loan shark from an amateur.

For a long time, I couldn’t say anything.

Even the air inside the room seemed to stop while waiting for my answer.

The distant sound of passing cars outside sounded strangely clear.

My heart began beating a little faster.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“I just need to solve these?”

Jo Sun-ja nodded without emotion.

“Try.”

I swallowed a short sigh.

I couldn’t let her see everything I was thinking.

“You’re giving these to me because you already think they’re impossible to collect, aren’t you?”

Something like a smile briefly moved across Jo Sun-ja’s face.

“Are you going to give up before trying?”

I asked directly without smiling.

“If I solve them, I still get thirty percent commission, right?”

Jo Sun-ja smiled softly.

“Yes. Thirty percent.”

I held the envelopes and lightly shook my head.

“You’re handing them to me because they’re garbage debts you think can’t be collected.”

I took a breath and continued.

“For something like this, I think fifty percent is fair.”

This time Jo Sun-ja laughed properly.

“Fine, Taesan.”

She stopped laughing and spoke.

“I knew you’d say that.”

After a short pause, she continued.

“If you solve them, take fifty percent.”

I walked through the hallway holding the three envelopes.

The sound of the office door closing behind me followed heavily.

Manager Park stood at the end of the corridor with his arms crossed.

His shadow looked larger beneath the dim light.

I walked toward him.

“Manager Park, let’s handle this together like last time.”

My voice was low.

“Sorry, Taesan. My schedule is full this week.”

His answer was firm.

So this really is a test.

I had to collect those impossible debts using only my own strength and my ability.

“Understood.”

I immediately returned to my desk and called Uncle Kim Dong-su.

“Uncle, please come up to the office right now.”

Thirty minutes later, a door opened at the far end of the hallway.

Kim Dong-su slowly approached.

“Taesan, Lin started work at the sewing factory in Guro today.”

His voice carried worry and uneasiness.

I read his expression.

Protectiveness toward Lin.

And a subtle sense of responsibility.

The moment I saw his face, a thought crossed my mind.

With someone as beautiful as Lin entering that factory, the male workers will definitely hit on her. No wonder Uncle looks like that.

But something more important came first.

I held out the envelopes.

“Uncle, do you know any former convicts who served time for following or harming a spouse because of extreme jealousy?”

Kim Dong-su thought for a moment.

Then looked at me.

“Yes. I know one.”

The moment I heard that, I stood up.

“Are you going somewhere?”

I smiled.

“We start with surveillance, Uncle.”

Then I added,

“And that person you mentioned. Contact them right away.”

Uncle nodded with a serious expression.

“Yes. I’ll call them immediately, Taesan.”

He pulled out his phone.

While he searched for the number, I let out a short breath and opened the door.

One hour later.

Yeongdeungpo.

I pushed open the door of a shabby coffee shop.

A heavy bell rang softly.

Cigarette smoke mixed with the strong smell of coffee.

I slowly walked inside while quickly scanning the room.

Someone sat in the corner by the window.

A small ashtray and a half-empty coffee cup sat on the table.

I approached slowly and studied the person’s atmosphere.

The “stalker” Kim Dong-su introduced was unexpectedly a young woman.

Sharp features.

Piercing eyes.

Thick eyebrows.

Neatly styled hair.

There was a subtle confidence behind her appearance.

She slowly raised her gaze toward me.

Then stood and approached first.

“Are you Taesan?”

I gave a short nod and looked at her.

[Kim Su-jeong]

Current Assets: 50 million won
(Rental deposit)

Current Loans: 30 million won
(Settlement payment to ex-husband)

Repayment Ability: Below 35%

Monthly Repayable Amount: Below 500,000 won

Trustworthiness: 75%

Settlement payment to her ex-husband?

No idea what that was about.

Anyway, whenever I met someone, the first thing I checked was their financial information.

“I heard everything from Dong-su oppa.”

She spoke naturally.

“Sit down.”

Her voice was firm.

I paused briefly before smiling and sitting.

Then I handed her my business card and a small envelope.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect a woman to show up.”

I hesitated slightly before adding,

“If you help me, I’ll compensate you properly.”

My fingertips trembled slightly as I handed her the card.

She glanced at the business card, accepted the envelope, and shook her head.

“I don’t need payment.”

She smiled lightly.

“If Dong-su oppa asked me, I have to help.”

A short laugh passed between us.

There was a brief silence, but it felt more like a strange sense of similarity than awkwardness.

A little later, the coffee shop door opened again.

The owner of a private investigation office walked inside.

His tie was crooked.

His face carried an entire day’s exhaustion.

He repeatedly rolled his shoulders and looked around.

When our eyes met, he bowed slightly.

Then he slowly approached our table.

“Client, I came as soon as I received the call.”

“Sit down. This case is a little complicated.”

I handed him the first envelope.

“This man is a malicious debtor.”

I paused.

The agency owner slowly studied my face.

When I felt I had his full attention, I continued.

“I don’t know how he’s hiding his assets right now.”

His eyes quietly moved toward the envelope.

“He acts completely broke, but there’s a high chance he has hidden assets somewhere.”

I took another breath.

My voice became firmer.

“He may be using family members, a mistress, or other people around him.”

The agency owner gave a short nod.

Then he reached out and picked up the envelope.

“I want you to track his living area, movements, and financial flow as quickly and accurately as possible.”

I added with emphasis,

“If you identify a pattern, report it immediately.”

The agency owner began reviewing the material.

He quickly scanned several photographs and documents.

Then he looked up.

“Debtors like this usually move assets into the names of family members or mistresses.”

He looked at the woman beside him and added,

“Actual movement tracking will be much faster if she handles it.”

The woman accepted the envelope without answering.

She calmly unfolded the documents.

Experience showed in her expressionless face.

Her eyes moved over the pages and trembled slightly.

A heavy silence followed.

I carefully watched every small change in her expression.

Soon, she quietly spoke.

“I’ll tell you immediately once I identify his movement pattern.”

Her voice was low.

But there was strength behind it.

She raised her eyes from the documents and looked directly at me.