Meanwhile, at a traditional Korean restaurant in Gangseo-gu.
Councilman Bae Dongcheol was holding his phone and repeatedly bowing as though the person he was speaking to were sitting right in front of him.
"Yes, Chairman. Of course. Please don't worry. If you could just give me a little more time..."
The call was abruptly disconnected.
Dongcheol lowered his head in frustration.
There was nobody in Gangseo-gu who could make him bow like that.
But the person on the other end of the phone had enough influence to intimidate Dongcheol with nothing more than his voice.
He was someone who controlled the party's nomination process.
He was also aiming to become the party's secretary-general at the upcoming national convention.
Dongcheol had spent twenty years maintaining his position in Gangseo-gu.
He wanted to end his political career somewhere higher.
To accomplish that, he absolutely needed to secure the support of this influential figure within the party.
The man wanted to become secretary-general.
Dongcheol needed to make the greatest contribution to helping him secure that position.
If he managed that much, his own entry into the National Assembly would practically be guaranteed.
Yet the man had ended the call in irritation.
Because Dongcheol hadn't been of any use to him yet.
This won't do.
More than anyone, Dongcheol knew that sending him small amounts of money here and there wouldn't even begin to satisfy him.
Having watched the exchange, Jo Gapsu carefully filled Dongcheol's empty glass.
"Is he pressuring you again?"
"...Don't even ask. At my age, I still have to spend my time watching someone else's mood. Tsk."
Gapsu had never once asked who the man was.
His instincts told him that learning the person's identity would only put him in danger.
Dongcheol drained his full glass in one gulp before asking irritably,
"President Jo, how much money can you raise right now?"
Gapsu's snake-like eyes gleamed as he leaned forward.
"I have about five billion won in cash. Do you need more?"
"Tsk. Will that be enough? We're talking about a major undertaking. We need to make a contribution large enough to get his attention."
Gapsu's white eyebrows rose.
It seemed Dongcheol was preparing to embark on something completely different from anything they had done before.
Gapsu had learned through years of experience that the bigger the feast, the more crumbs there were to collect.
His mouth watered as he asked,
"By the way, when are you planning to announce the improvement project for the old district around Balsan Station?"
"Why are you suddenly asking about that?"
"Isn't that our source of money? Once the access road is opened, the land we bought in advance will increase in value several times over. That's also why I've been short of cash recently."
Dongcheol slowly swirled the liquor in his glass and shot Gapsu a sidelong glance.
"Shouldn't we get rid of the restaurant owner we visited at lunchtime first? If I make the announcement now, he'll have even more reason to refuse to leave. What will you do then?"
"Hahaha. Wouldn't that actually be better? Once the redevelopment is announced, we can make it look as though I'm voluntarily giving up the building for the good of the neighborhood so it can be turned into a road."
Dongcheol wanted to resolve the matter quickly too.
But there was something even more important.
He couldn't afford to appear incompetent.
If an unexpected complication led to a mistake, everything he had painstakingly built over the past five years could collapse overnight.
"This isn't the time to introduce unnecessary risks. I can't let that man see me running into financial trouble because I couldn't even deal with a single barbecue restaurant."
Gapsu's temples twitched.
Couldn't even deal with a single barbecue restaurant.
In other words, Dongcheol was saying that the delay in the announcement was ultimately Gapsu's fault.
"Ahem. I understand what you're saying, Councilman. I'll speed things up. All you need is for that property to be vacated, correct?"
"Exactly. It's not that I don't trust you, but this is something that requires great care. Don't misunderstand me."
"Understood. I'll get it done as quickly as possible."
Dongcheol slowly set down his glass and fell into thought.
I have to hurry.
If someone else filled that man's pockets first, it would all be over.
"If things really don't work out, let me know. I'll tell the district office to conduct an inspection. If they look into everything from fire safety to sanitation, the restaurant will almost certainly be suspended from operating. Would that be enough?"
Gapsu's face immediately brightened at Dongcheol's willingness to intervene.
"Oh, I'd certainly appreciate that! If nothing else works, I'll pretend to help the owner by offering him some compensation and then get him to leave. Hahaha."
Finally feeling reassured, Dongcheol filled Gapsu's glass for the first time that evening.
"You know I'm counting on you, don't you? I'm looking forward to your help this time too."
Gapsu quickly dropped to his knees to receive the drink, bowing repeatedly.
"Oh, there's no need to say that! Haven't I devoted my entire life to supporting you, Councilman? Hahaha!"
A thin, unpleasant smile appeared on Dongcheol's lips as he looked down at Gapsu's bowed head.
And beneath that lowered head, Gapsu was wearing the exact same smile.
Neither man had the slightest idea whom they were really up against.
Eight in the evening.
Gaon Charcoal Grill, Balsan Branch.
Oh Manbok sighed repeatedly as he looked around the empty restaurant.
The meat stored in the refrigerators, the spotless grills, and the side dishes glistening with freshness.
Everything was perfectly prepared.
There was just one problem.
The cargo truck that had been moving through the alley at lunchtime was still coming and going in the evening.
"Those bastards! Seriously!"
Manbok stood by the window and glared into the alley.
The man who had been moving goods in small batches during lunchtime was, for some reason, still making trips through the alley.
Worse, another cargo truck had joined him.
The two trucks were taking turns obstructing traffic.
It had become even more difficult for customers to reach the restaurant.
All this activity revolved around a single small shipping container sitting in the field.
Manbok couldn't understand what could possibly be going in and out of such a cramped space.
He could let customers enter whenever the road was briefly clear.
But then they would have trouble getting out again, and he couldn't knowingly put them in that position.
The men who had previously disrupted only his lunchtime service were now interfering with his evening business as well.
When Manbok finally lost his patience and went outside to confront them, the driver's response had been even more outrageous.
'I hear they're going to build several greenhouses and use them as warehouses. What are you going to do then? Shouldn't you start looking for another solution?'
It was enough to drive him insane.
If they built warehouses, it meant this interference would continue indefinitely.
The landlord, who had come to eat lunch with the city councilman, had repeated the same explanation as always.
He had rented out that land too, so he couldn't stop his tenant from transporting goods.
Whether the tenant used it as a field or a warehouse was none of his business.
Manbok could do nothing but sigh.
Eventually, he glanced at the clock and rose from his seat.
It was almost time for the day's only reservation to arrive.
Ring, ring.
He hurried to the counter and picked up the phone.
"Hello! Gaon Charcoal Grill, Balsan Branch!"
-Ah, hello. I'm the person who made a reservation for eight people at ten o'clock.
"Yes! Everything's ready for you. Are you on your way?"
-Well... The others said they couldn't find anywhere to park, so they've already left. We'll come some other time.
"Sir! If you come around through the alley behind the restaurant, there's a private parking lot..."
