I Became the Loan Shark Queen’s Grandson!
Chapter 23
“I’ve heard everything. From now on, you need to fulfill your responsibilities as a debtor.”
I spoke firmly.
Han Mi-suk nodded.
Her fingertips trembled lightly.
“From now on, on the tenth of every month, at the same time, you will pay the same amount. One hundred thousand won.”
“Every month... on the tenth?”
It was only a short question.
But her voice shook.
“Yes.”
“You mean keeping the promise matters more than the amount?”
“Exactly. Even if the amount is small, keeping it consistently creates trust.”
Han Mi-suk closed her eyes briefly and opened them again.
“Yes... I understand. I’ve kept the date until now... so I’ll keep doing it.”
“Good. Now the second thing.”
“There’s... something else?”
Her shoulders hunched further.
“You need to prepare every document related to your husband.”
“Documents...? What do you need?”
“A copy of the resident registration, family registry records, medical diagnosis, hospitalization and discharge records, and the insurance policy. Everything. Don’t leave anything out.”
“That much...?”
“Yes. Without records, we can’t begin anything.”
“...All right. I’ll prepare them.”
Beside me, Kim Dong-su quietly wrote down notes.
“Once they’re ready, you can fax them or bring them directly.”
“Understood. I’ll start with the documents.”
“Is there anyone from your side of the family who can help?”
“No.”
“No one?”
“No. After my husband became sick, everyone stopped contacting us.”
“What about his family?”
“They live in Pangyo.”
“Pangyo?”
“Yes. It’s still countryside now, but they’re considered influential landowners there.”
“Have they helped?”
“No. Living expenses, hospital fees, interest... I handled everything myself.”
I gave a short nod.
There was no need to ask more.
“Understood. You only need to keep two things.”
“The date... and the documents.”
“Correct.”
“Yes... one hundred thousand won on the tenth of every month. And all the documents. I’ll prepare everything. I’m sorry... and thank you.”
“Just keep your promises. I’ll take responsibility for the rest.”
“Thank you so much... sob...”
I stood.
Then spoke firmly.
“The date. The documents. Two things. Don’t forget them.”
“...Yes.”
Inheritance.
Documents.
Dates.
I think there’s a way.
And if there wasn’t?
Then I would create one.
We left Han Mi-suk’s home in northern Seoul.
The documents in my bag weren’t physically heavy.
But my heart felt weighed down.
Cold wind brushed across my face.
Even so, my mind remained trapped in the atmosphere of the room we had just left.
Uncle Kim Dong-su quietly matched my pace beside me.
“Taesan, that family... it leaves a bad feeling.”
His voice came out low and long.
There was pity in his eyes.
His steps were heavy.
The tips of his shoes kept scraping the ground.
I answered without turning.
“Uncle, it’s not that I don’t understand people whose lives were destroyed by debt. I feel sorry for them too.”
I took a breath and continued.
“But money problems aren’t solved through emotion. If we forgive everything because we feel sorry for them, we don’t get paid. And if we never get paid, we eventually collapse too.”
Even as I said it, one side of my chest felt heavy.
But my reasoning grew firmer.
Uncle silently continued walking.
I lowered my voice.
“That’s why I’m going to separate emotion from calculation. I can sympathize with someone. But the calculation still needs to stay cold.”
Uncle walked silently for a while.
Then nodded.
Bitterness remained on his face.
The wrinkles around his eyes deepened.
His inner conflict showed clearly.
The moment we got into the car, I took out the envelope again.
The husband’s condition.
The medical records.
And the words influential Pangyo family kept circling inside my head.
Even while old buildings passed outside the window, I was already imagining maps of Pangyo farmland.
There were no highways or apartment complexes on those maps yet.
But I could already see the future.
“Uncle.”
“Yes.”
“Can you check the husband’s family? I think that’s the key to solving this debt.”
I tapped the envelope.
“If the husband dies, inheritance begins. Once inheritance begins, the land in Pangyo will definitely come up. We need to structure things before that happens.”
My fingertips tapping the documents sounded like I was already touching the future game board.
Uncle nodded.
“That land might look like worthless farmland now, but you’re saying the entire situation will eventually change.”
I answered firmly.
“Exactly. Ten or twenty years from now, it’ll be completely different. Knowing that future in advance and preparing for it is how money is made. That’s why we need to move now.”
My voice carried something stronger than calculation.
Certainty.
Uncle glanced at me from the side.
“So ultimately, we’re going to use the Pangyo land as collateral and recover the principal.”
I nodded.
“That’s right. Right now, the land might look almost worthless. But eventually, the money will come from the land.”
I continued.
“If you only judge this debt based on the debtor’s repayment ability, it’s an impossible garbage debt. But widen the view a little, and we can connect the husband’s future inheritance share with his family’s land. That’s what I’m going to use.”
The words garbage debt made the air inside the car feel colder.
Uncle listened with a serious expression.
“So you’re creating a structure that collects the money while still saving the person.”
I nodded.
“Yes. Exactly.”
Uncle answered firmly.
“Understood. I’ll use my old prison connections to look into Pangyo’s property registry network.”
“Yes. Please.”
I closed my eyes and reorganized the numbers.
[Han Mi-suk]
·
Assets: 0 won
·
·
Debt: 120 million won
·
·
Monthly Repayable Amount: 100,000 won
·
·
Trustworthiness: 97%
·
I suppose I’ll have to pull her out of hell.
Saying people always came before money was nonsense.
But since money was ultimately made through people, you needed to turn people into your allies first.
A coffee shop in Yeongdeungpo.
An old Korean song played quietly through the speakers.
Cigarette smoke drifted faintly through the air.
The melody from the old record player made the atmosphere feel even heavier.
I took out the envelope and spread the documents and photographs across the table.
“The debtor is Han Mi-suk. Zero assets. One hundred twenty million won in debt. Her husband is bedridden, while his family in Pangyo are influential landowners.”
I tapped the papers with my fingertips.
“But his family hasn’t provided even one won of support. Normally, that doesn’t make sense. It’s not because they’re poor. They own thousands of pyeong of land in Pangyo. There must be another reason.”
Everyone inside the room briefly lowered their heads in thought.
The investigation agency owner glanced at the documents and nodded.
“Normally, if your child ends up like that, even if you hate him, you at least pay some of the medical expenses.”
He crushed his cigarette into the ashtray.
“But they cut him off completely. There’s definitely something going on.”
The cigarette hissed briefly.
A cold smell spread through the room.
At that moment, Kim So-jeong tapped the photograph with her finger.
“The reason is simple.”
Her fingertip sounded strangely cold against the photograph.
I looked at her.
Kim So-jeong smiled briefly.
Then her expression immediately hardened.
“What if the sick husband isn’t the legal wife’s biological son? What if he’s the child of a mistress? Then the family already doesn’t consider him one of their own.”
It was only a short sentence.
But the atmosphere immediately chilled.
Uncle’s eyes widened.
Kim So-jeong lowered her voice.
“People become cold when someone wasn’t born from their own body. There’s a reason people say even a stone Buddha turns its back on a mistress’s child.”
Uncle’s shoulders flinched.
His lips trembled.
I quietly listened.
Kim So-jeong continued calmly.
“Think about the situation further. Let’s say the husband dies while lying in that bed. Eventually, he could receive part of his father’s inheritance.”
She pushed the documents across the table.
“The problem is that after the husband dies, that inheritance could pass directly to the daughter-in-law.”
The sound of the folder sliding made Uncle lower his head.
He muttered,
“If the daughter-in-law is still young... she could remarry.”
Kim So-jeong gave a short, mocking laugh.
“Exactly. From the family’s perspective, that means their property goes to a woman who doesn’t share a single drop of their blood. There’s no guarantee the inheritance will remain connected to the family after they give it away.”
Her laugh was brief.
But it removed all warmth from the room.
I tapped the table while organizing my thoughts.
Her words are cold, but the logic is accurate.
It perfectly explains why they haven’t given him even one won.
My tapping became more regular.
The sound of my decision becoming firmer.
Kim So-jeong narrowed her eyes.
“People are cold by nature. Someone who doesn’t share your blood can be treated worse than a stranger. I learned that painfully before I went to prison.”
She gave a faint smile.
Then immediately hardened it.
“Even if you catch the husband you loved with another woman, in the end, the only people left are blood relatives. If the husband himself is a mistress’s child, the legal wife’s side of the family will turn their backs even more completely.”
As she finished, her eyes froze like stone.
Uncle sighed quietly.
“Then... Han Mi-suk’s husband really could be the son of a mistress.”
Kim So-jeong nodded.
“It’s highly likely. Otherwise, there’s no reason a wealthy Pangyo family would completely cut him off.”
Her expression hardened.
“He wasn’t born from that woman’s body. That’s why she ignores the medical costs, living expenses, and debt.”
When she finished, Uncle’s hands trembled beneath the table.
I closed my eyes.
Then slowly opened them.
That’s possible.
It’s not because they lack money.
He may have been pushed outside the family from birth.
If that’s true, then this debt isn’t simply about money.
It’s a fight tied to a secret of birth.
Cold determination filled my chest.
The investigation agency owner crossed his arms.
“Boss, you should check the Pangyo family personally. Property records won’t tell you everything. Family relationships can look perfectly normal on paper while the real story is completely different.”
I nodded.
“You’re right. We need to check the husband’s family in Pangyo directly. Insurance. Inheritance. Land. And now the issue of his birth. Once all of that becomes connected, this stops being a simple debt collection and becomes a family conflict too.”
The room grew heavy after my words.
Kim So-jeong gave one final piece of advice.
“Taesan, don’t trust people too much. Everyone protects their own blood first. Everyone else can be abandoned at any time.”
Her gaze briefly pierced into my face.
It felt as cold as thin ice.
I smiled shortly.
“Thank you for the advice. We’ll get the answer after checking Pangyo ourselves.”
When money was involved...
People always became vicious.
