Chapter 7

Chapter 7. Who's the Sucker? (2)

“...W-What are you talking about?”

The startled old man glared sharply at me.

“The waste-oil storage tank buried underground. Isn't that an unreported illegal facility? Looks like you buried it instead of removing it. Don't you know it's already ruptured and contaminating the soil?”

“...W-What are you talking about!?”

“You should know better than I do. It's spring, but not even a blade of grass grows there. Must've saved you a lot of trouble with weed removal.”

The old man's face shifted between red and blue.

“What nonsense are you spouting!? My factory is clean!”

“Really? Then should we report it to the district office right now and check? Are you confident?”

My voice turned cold.

The old man shut his mouth tightly.

As expected, the diary app's records were perfect.

“And even without that, the land has plenty of other problems. I checked the road. It's practically landlocked when it comes to constructing a new building.”

“What!? Landlocked? It's on the corner of a four-way intersection! What kind of trick are you trying to pull?”

This was the reason I had managed to push the value down to eight billion won three years ago.

I drew a thick red line over the road on the cadastral map.

“There's a section less than four meters wide. Do you know what that means? Heavy equipment needs to enter if you want to construct a new building, but access is impossible. Under the Building Act, you can't get approval for new construction.”

The broker's mouth dropped open.

“I-Is that really true?”

“What is this? Aren't you supposed to be the ghost of Mullae-dong real estate? You're brokering a property without even checking that? This is a serious brokerage failure. If a lawsuit happens later, are you going to take responsibility?”

One thing became clear.

The real estate old man wasn't an accomplice.

He was simply ignorant.

Apparently, experience and ability weren't necessarily proportional.

Still, I had no intention of being generous.

Now it was time to use one barbarian against another.

“What exactly were you planning to do? You've handled real estate in Mullae-dong your whole life. Don't tell me you don't understand how serious this is.”

The broker turned pale under my criticism and looked at the building owner.

“S-Sir. Is this true? New construction isn't possible? You never told me that.”

“N-No! That's... If we borrow some space from the neighboring building's yard...”

“But that place is...”

The broker stopped speaking.

It didn't matter.

I already knew what building was next door.

I knew exactly what they were trying not to say.

Three years ago, even after lowering the price to eight billion won, we had removed the Daeyoung Precision site from the fashion outlet candidates.

The reason was simple.

Unless we also acquired the neighboring Seongjin Logistics property, both sites were practically useless for redevelopment.

But now I had the diary app, which could show me future misfortune.

If Seongjin Logistics was going to block me again this time, the diary would have recorded something related to it.

“The factory next door is Seongjin Logistics, right? Aren't the owners basically enemies? I heard a deal that was almost complete once fell apart because that owner interfered.”

The elderly owner could barely breathe.

His mouth simply opened and closed.

A hidden bomb called a waste-oil tank.

A fatal defect preventing new construction.

And even the neighborhood's inside story, something only locals should know.

He must have felt as though I'd stripped him completely naked.

Time to finish this.

I suddenly rose from the sofa and warned them.

“A landlocked site with a hidden waste-oil tank. You tried to sell garbage like this for 12.5 billion won? This is fraud. I'm reporting it immediately.”

The real estate broker grabbed my right arm.

“W-Wait! Where are you going? Let's talk for a moment...”

The building owner grabbed my left.

“W-Wait! Just wait! I-I was wrong!”

Had these old men been eating nothing but healthy food?

They were surprisingly strong.

I slowly moved toward the exit with a smile they couldn't see.

The two men clung to me in a ridiculous way.

Then the building owner desperately began negotiating.

“Young man! Let's act like gentlemen! All right? Eight billion! How about eight billion?”

This was fun.

In less than an hour, I had made 4.5 billion won.

Though that still wasn't enough.

“Like gentlemen? Was the way you treated me gentlemanly?”

“...I-I was wrong. The truth is, 12.5 billion was an old asking price. I was planning to negotiate anyway. So please reconsider. Don't people say it's best when everyone walks away happy? I'll sell it for eight billion. Isn't that enough?”

I coldly shook off his hand.

These people still hadn't understood.

“Eight billion? That's the amount Seongun Group offered three years ago, isn't it?”

His mouth opened wider and wider.

“...H-How do you know that...?”

How would he react if he learned I was the person who had lowered the valuation because of the road-width problem?

Maybe an ambulance instead of an old Equus would come pick him up.

I didn't want to bother already busy emergency workers.

“Does it matter how I know? What matters is that I know why Seongun gave up.”

The price had dropped by 4.5 billion won in an instant.

But it was still far from what I wanted.

“You really have no shame. Seongun valued it at eight billion back when they didn't know the ground was full of waste oil. More accurately, that was before the neighboring factory interfered with the deal. Am I wrong?”

The old man's eyes shook violently.

The property had been valued at eight billion won because of the road-width issue.

Then the deal collapsed because of interference from Seongjin Logistics.

And now the waste-oil problem had been exposed too.

Unable to speak properly, the old man could only move his lips.

He finally seemed to understand.

I could see every card in his hand.

“Five billion won. Even that's generous. Once everything we discussed becomes public, nobody will pay more than five billion.”

“...”

The proud old man's head lowered weakly.

You brought this on yourself.

You tried to take 12.5 billion won and flee to the United States.

“Do you think that's too harsh? Between the inability to rebuild and the waste-oil contamination, knocking another three billion off seems like a reasonable compromise.”

“...I-It's not that, but... Could you give me one day to think?”

His intentions were obvious.

He had remembered Seongun Group.

Back then, Seongun hadn't known about the buried waste oil.

He probably thought he could still get more than the five billion I offered.

I hadn't planned to reveal this.

But apparently, he wasn't the type to give up easily.

“Are you thinking of contacting Seongun again? Maybe asking whether they'd pay six or seven billion?”

“...N-No, how in the world are you...?”

“If that's your plan, there's no need to call them. I'd be the one answering that call. My introduction is a little late.”

I opened my wallet and handed him my business card.

[Seongun Group
Commercial District Analysis Team
Manager Kang Jinhyeok]

The power of my business card in this situation was tremendous.

“I'm the one who valued the property three years ago. Do you still need more time?”

The final thread of hope snapped.

The old man collapsed onto the floor.

“No need to look for another buyer either. I'll personally spread the word about every problem with that land. Surely you weren't planning to hide those facts during the sale, were you? Seongun has considerable power. You may end up spending the rest of your life in prison.”

At the word "prison," the real estate broker stepped in and actively tried to persuade the owner.

“Sir, if problems like these become public, even five billion may be difficult. You need to make a decision. All right?”

As expected, the broker truly hadn't known about the waste oil.

That didn't mean I was going to be nice to him.

There were jobs where incompetence could hurt people.

Commercial district analysts like me were one example.

Real estate brokers were another.

“Would you like time to think? I can't promise what decision I'll make while you're thinking.”

The old man bit his lip hard enough for blood to appear.

Then he lowered his head.

It was over.

I had originally hoped to buy it for anything under eight billion.

But after discovering the waste oil, I had knocked another three billion off.

Would the building owner still leave for the United States as originally planned?

It would be wonderful if I could show him the property he sold for five billion becoming worth more than twenty billion before he left.

“Director, this is Deputy Manager Kim Seokhun.”

After being summoned, Seokhun cautiously opened the door to the director's office.

In his hands was the Mullae-dong 3-ga Commercial District Analysis Report with only the author's name changed.

“Come in. Sit down.”

Director Baek Kangjin.

He was one of the men who had built today's Seongun Group alongside the chairman.

A person fully qualified to serve as company president had instead taken charge of the Integrated Development Division.

The reason was simple.

A president needed to lead a company for a long time.

Kangjin was already close to retirement.

Instead of taking the president's seat himself, he had left it empty and focused solely on restoring the company.

His purpose was clear.

Seongun Development had drifted too far from the values pursued by the group.

He intended to return it to normal.

And for that to happen, the Integrated Development Division, one of Seongun Development's core divisions, had to change first.

That was why he had transferred the previous department heads to other affiliates and promoted deputy managers to team leaders.

But perhaps the problem was the position itself.

The new team leaders were proving equally disappointing.

They cared only about their own results.

They showed no concern for subordinates, subcontractors, or franchise owners.

It was completely contrary to the corporate value of mutual growth established by the chairman.

“I called you because there's something I want to hear about. The Étoile Bakery Sillim branch.”

Seokhun, who had assumed he was called because of the Mullae-dong report, flinched.

The Sillim branch was the place where Jinhyeok had caused trouble.

It was also a location Seokhun himself had analyzed.

“You mean the complaints that came in? We already handled that through a disciplinary committee.”

“I know. That's not what I'm asking. I simply found it strange that Étoile Bakery was placed in that kind of location in the first place.”

So it's finally here.

Seokhun briefly squeezed his eyes shut.

“According to the data, there was a lot of office-worker foot traffic, so it looked like a good location.”

“I'm not blaming you for analyzing the commercial district incorrectly. Anyone can make a mistake. What I'm talking about is what happened afterward. Normally it would be the Franchise Operations Team's responsibility, but that wasn't the case this time.”

Seokhun couldn't tell whether he was being criticized, so he quietly waited for the next words.

“What I learned from this incident is that even if something belongs to the Franchise Operations Team, better results can come when the Commercial District Analysis Team helps. It also shows responsibility by correcting one's own mistake.”

Realizing this wasn't a direct reprimand, Seokhun relaxed slightly and bowed his head.

“You're absolutely right, Director. If there is anything our team can assist with, we'll always help.”

“You should. Just because a task has left your hands doesn't mean it's no longer your responsibility. Of course, you also shouldn't ignore proper procedure like this time.”

“I'll remember that, Director. I'll also manage my team members more carefully.”

“That brings me to Manager Kang Jinhyeok. What kind of person is he?”

Realizing the target wasn't him but Kang Jinhyeok, Seokhun quietly let out a breath of relief.

Seokhun had spent his career watching his superiors closely.

He believed he understood the direction of the conversation.

The only thing that could become his fault was failing to properly manage his subordinate.

“His work ability isn't bad, but he's stubborn. Like in this case, he sometimes refuses to follow instructions. I'll manage him better.”

Kangjin's eyebrow twitched.

He had been leading the Integrated Development Division for a year.

Not once had Seokhun praised one of his subordinates.

The man always calculated only his own gains and losses.

There was no sign of the leadership expected from a team leader.

And Seokhun completely failed to understand the intention behind the question.

Kangjin found it frustrating that someone with this level of awareness had somehow climbed all the way to deputy manager.

“I'm asking why he did something like that even though he must have known he would suffer for it. A manager with ten years of experience should have expected at least that much.”

“...T-That is...”

Seokhun rapidly searched for an answer.

He needed to say what the director wanted to hear.

The director seemed to be criticizing Kang Jinhyeok's behavior.

To look like a proper team leader, Seokhun needed to act as though he would take responsibility for his subordinate's mistake.

“I think it's something like a habit or personality trait. He should always put the company first, but he has difficulty ignoring weaker people. I should have paid more attention. I'm sorry, Director.”

Once again, Seokhun had completely missed the point.

At that moment, Kangjin decided there was no value in continuing this conversation.

He would speak to Jinhyeok directly.

“...I understand. Let's stop talking about that. What's the report you're holding?”

“This is the Mullae-dong commercial district analysis report you requested.”

Glad to escape the uncomfortable subject, Seokhun handed it over.

[Mullae-dong 3-ga Commercial District Analysis Report]

The director's eyes narrowed as soon as he turned the first page.

After becoming interested in Kang Jinhyeok because of the Étoile incident, Kangjin had read one of Jinhyeok's old reports only a day earlier.

It was exactly the same.

“Did you write this report yourself, Deputy Manager Kim?”

“Yes, Director.”

“Haha... How interesting.”

“Is there a problem...?”

“No. I'll read this slowly later. Instead, would you call Manager Kang Jinhyeok for me?”

Cold sweat ran down Seokhun's back.

The moment he saw the Mullae-dong report, the director asked for Jinhyeok.

It was especially strange because for the past year, the director had spoken almost exclusively with department heads.

Did he find out? No, that can't be...

The Mullae-dong Commercial District Analysis Report had been written long before Baek Kangjin arrived as director.

There was no way he could know unless he had deliberately searched through old records.

Unable to hide his anxiety, Seokhun cautiously asked,

“May I ask what this is about?”

“I have a few questions regarding the Étoile incident. I think I need to hear directly from the person involved.”

The moment Seokhun heard it wasn't about the report, he celebrated internally.

The Étoile Sillim branch incident.

The case where Jinhyeok received a three-month pay cut.

Apparently, the director wanted to reprimand him.

“Understood, Director. He left early today, so I'll tell him to visit you first thing tomorrow morning.”

“No. I have outside business tomorrow. Tell him to come the morning after.”

“Understood, Director.”

Seokhun bowed ninety degrees and left the office feeling much lighter.

He had no idea that the Mullae-dong report originally written by Jinhyeok was already sitting inside Kangjin's drawer.

I had never imagined a day like this would come in my life.

A contract worth five billion won.

I walked out of the real estate office holding a contract I still couldn't quite believe.

I handed the remaining procedures over to a judicial scrivener I already knew.

He said everything could be finished within a day.

It felt refreshing.

I had become a building owner.

Something I'd never even dared to dream about.

Buying Seongjin Logistics wouldn't be easy.

But the diary app was still clean.

That meant future me would somehow find a solution.

Tomorrow's problems could be handled by tomorrow's me.

Today, I decided to enjoy what remained of today.

A modest little spending spree.

Instead of my usual neighborhood supermarket, I parked at a large department-style hypermarket.

The first place I visited was the electronics section.

I bought the newest smartwatch, something I had always dismissed as a luxury, strapped it onto my wrist, and connected it to the diary app.

Now, whenever a new diary entry appeared, my wrist would vibrate.

Next came something I had always wanted to try.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

Not the 50,000-won Black Label I occasionally drank.

The Blue Label cost a full 300,000 won.

For food, I picked assorted sushi.

Not discounted sushi covered in price stickers because it was nearing its disposal time.

Fresh sushi made moments ago.

The total was 750,000 won.

Nearly twice my monthly rent.

I paid without hesitation and went home.

“Ahhh... That's nice.”

The warmth of the strong liquor spread throughout my body.

This was a kind of relaxation I had never experienced before.

Even the stars, which had always seemed indifferent, felt as though they existed just for me.

What if this happiness had gone to Kim Seokhun instead?

I didn't know the later parts of the old diary entry.

But I probably wouldn't have been able to stay sane.

I had work tomorrow.

Even after taking the lottery and becoming a building owner, I still had no intention of quitting the company.

First, I would use Seongun's power to do everything I wanted.

I could slowly prepare my own business.

As long as I ignored Kim Seokhun, there was nobody else who could really bother me.

If I wasn't stressed, there was no need to quit immediately.

Was this the power of money?

Now that my wallet was full, the company I had once hated started feeling like an amusing playground.

I would do everything I wanted.

If they tried to stop me, I could simply leave.

I raised my mug of whisky toward the night sky from my still-low rooftop room.

Should I record a diary entry?

My personal emotional trash can.

A dark bamboo forest that had always been filled with curses, complaints, and hatred toward someone.

But today was different.

I pressed record.

For the first time in my life, I recorded happiness.

[Monday, March 9.

Today was the best day of my life.

I became a building owner.

Right now, it's only an old factory building, but I'll build my own tower there.

Life couldn't possibly get any better.

It was such a happy day that I feel like I'm going crazy.]

At that time, I had no idea what kind of result that small change in my behavior would create.

While I slept...

The diary app, having tasted happiness for the first time, began its first update.