Chapter 35: Is There Any Reason to Be Afraid?

If this was the Jeong Tae-soo I knew, he would not have refused my offer here.

Considering his ambition and pragmatic nature, the terms were perfectly acceptable.

During those few seconds he stared at me, I read how his expression shifted by the moment. He was surely doing countless calculations in his head.

“10%…….”

That single short sentence sent the tension in the room to its peak.

The presidents of the securities firms held their breath and waited for his next words.

“All right. I’ll do it. But don’t even think about doing anything else or stabbing me in the back.”

Jeong Tae-soo warned with a cold voice and a hard look that swept over the presidents.

“If I see even the slightest sign of that…… you’ll see me again in the underground interrogation room at Namsan.”

Despite the savage warning, the presidents’ faces brightened.

A sure profit in front of them seemed to be a stronger motivator than the uncertain promise of maintaining their licenses.

“I’ll have President Dan give you the detailed instructions.”

Jeong Tae-soo nodded toward Dan Tae-geon who sat beside him. Dan Tae-geon gave the presidents a light nod of acknowledgment.

“Prepare in advance. That’s all for today.”

At Jeong Tae-soo’s hand gesture, the presidents rose in unison. They bowed deeply and hurried out of the room.

After they left and silence returned to the room, Jeong Tae-soo’s icy gaze turned even more blatantly toward me.

Dan Tae-geon, who had stood silently by Jeong Tae-soo until now, pointed at me and raised his voice as if he had been waiting for the opportunity.

“You bastard! What on earth were you thinking to make such an offer!”

He used at least half-respectful speech in front of Yang Sobo, but when the audience was out of sight he openly showed hostility toward a subordinate, and I let out a hollow laugh.

Still the same. Weak to the strong and strong to the weak — a textbook example of bully behavior.

When I didn’t react, Dan Tae-geon grew more triumphant and raised his voice.

“10%? Do you know how big that sum is? Because of you, we’re about to hand over massive money that we didn’t have to. How are you going to take responsibility for this, huh?”

I lightly ignored Dan Tae-geon’s tantrum and kept my gaze fixed on Jeong Tae-soo, who was still seated in the place of honor.

My attention was only on him.

“Are you ignoring me? Not answering? You brat!”

Thinking I was showing him contempt, Dan Tae-geon’s face flushed a deep red.

He ramped up his shouting, but whatever he said, I didn’t even give him a glance.

Instead I asked Jeong Tae-soo a calm but sharp question.

“Why did you accept my offer?”

A faint, intrigued smile crossed Jeong Tae-soo’s lips at my question.

He behaved as if Dan Tae-geon didn’t exist and focused solely on the conversation with me.

“Well…… what do you think?”

“In my opinion, Deputy Manager, you seemed prepared to pay any price for the success of this operation. Perhaps you judged that the 10% I suggested was not a large sum compared to the price you were willing to pay.”

At my answer, Jeong Tae-soo’s gaze deepened for a moment. He stared at me in silence for a while.

“You’re a very interesting fellow. Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Is there any reason to be afraid?”

Jeong Tae-soo laughed softly. That laugh made the air in the room even colder.

“You’re insolent. I like that.”

Dan Tae-geon’s eyes widened at Jeong Tae-soo’s words.

“Why did I accept your bold proposal? Once you put that offer into words, there was no way for me not to accept.”

Jeong Tae-soo drained his glass at one gulp and his eyes shone dangerously.

“It was a cornered situation. If I had rejected that offer, who knows what those greedy bastards would’ve tried behind my back?”

Jeong Tae-soo rose from his seat and walked slowly toward me. His shadow fell over me.

“For the success of this operation, their active cooperation was essential. Of course, the carrot of maintaining their licenses might have been enough for them. But you stoked their greed properly. Why did you do that?”

He put a hand on my shoulder and asked in a low voice. He had a faint smile, but the subtle menace beneath it was unmistakable.

“You’re asking why I disturbed an already well-set trap.”

The moment his hand touched my shoulder, a chill ran through me.

A hatred that pierced to the bone boiled up, but I stared at his hand on my shoulder and suppressed my emotions as much as possible, then answered.

“I judged that promising a definite monetary reward would increase focus on the operation more than moving them with the bait of license maintenance. This operation involved huge sums and was dangerous. If they saw the money with their own eyes, it would be hard to predict how their greed might shake the plan. I proposed this to minimize unexpected variables.”

“Is that all of it? Or is there perhaps some personal grudge against me mixed in?”

“What do you mean……?”

“the Fly.”

An unexpected name slipped from Jeong Tae-soo’s mouth.

I froze for a moment. I had suspected he was investigating my background, but to what extent did he know?

“That was something I didn’t know about.”

Regardless of my reaction, Jeong Tae-soo merely gave my shoulder a light pat.

“So don’t misunderstand.”

His hypocritical words triggered a tide of memories.

That incident came back to me — Min-soo’s cold corpse, the hellish days in the forced labor camp, and finally the moment of betrayal when I was dying.

I barely suppressed the anger about to burst out and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If you don’t know, that’s fine. But do you know where your family is right now?”

…….

Jeong Tae-soo removed his hand from my shoulder and spoke coldly with the smile wiped away.

“I staked everything on this operation. And I’m prepared to pay any price to make it succeed. The 10% you offered? That’s pocket change compared to what I will gain.”

His eyes flashed with avarice.

“But remember this. If you had any other designs…… then not even Daein would be able to protect you.”

His voice was as cold as an ice block, but it actually cleared my head. As expected, Jeong Tae-soo was exactly the kind of man who deserved to be eradicated.

I rose from my seat. Despite Jeong Tae-soo’s chilling warning, my gaze did not waver in the slightest.

“I have no other designs. I am only doing what I must. The success of this operation is my only goal.”

“That will do.”

Jeong Tae-soo called Zhang Wei.

“Zhang Wei. Tell Master Yang exactly what I said. I will personally command this operation. I’ll overlook the fact that you attached this brat to be my watcher. But if either Master Yang or this brat crosses the agreed line…… then all promises with Master Yang will be void.”

“Yes. I will deliver it exactly as is.”

Zhang Wei answered without the slightest tremor.

“And as promised, Master Yang has prepared all the funds needed for this operation without fail, correct?”

“Yes. It will not be lacking in the least.”

Having confirmed everything one last time, Jeong Tae-soo nodded.

“Alright. I’ll be in touch.”

He no longer gave me a glance and turned first to leave the office.

As he passed by, Dan Tae-geon brushed my side and threw out a warning in a low voice that was barely audible.

“You brat. I’ll be watching you closely to see what tricks you’re hiding, so don’t even think about pulling anything stupid.”

Dan Tae-geon shot me a glare mixed with contempt and menace before hurrying after Jeong Tae-soo.

Pathetic to the end. I snorted inwardly at his last, desperate warning.

Only after they completely disappeared did Zhang Wei, who remained in the room, speak to me.

“Let’s go too.”

I left the safehouse together with Zhang Wei.

From early dawn, the front of the Korea Securities Exchange was literally packed with people. The streets were so crowded with those who had spent the night in line that there wasn’t even room to step.

Daegung stock’s capital increase—the first day of subscription had finally begun. Such a scene wasn’t limited to the Korea Securities Exchange alone.

In front of Hangang Securities, led by Park Jeong-ho, and the numerous large and small securities branches connected to it both directly and indirectly, crowds had also gathered from the crack of dawn, creating utter chaos.

“Open the doors! Open them!”

Even before the exchange and securities firms opened, the shouts of the excited crowd pierced through the morning air.

Their eyes burned not with fatigue from staying up all night, but with feverish greed and impatience for instant fortune.

The astonishing offer—an issue price of 14 hwan per share and an allocation of 3.5 new shares per existing share—had long since paralyzed their reason.

When the heavy doors of the exchange and securities firms finally opened, people flooded inside like water bursting through a broken dam.

They shoved, trampled, shouted, and sprinted toward the subscription counters—it was complete pandemonium.

There was no trace of order or courtesy. Only greed ruled them: the desire to grab an application form first and secure as many new shares as possible.

“Please maintain order! Coming earlier doesn’t mean you’ll get more shares!”

A staff member shouted, but no one listened.

“Daegung stock! Daegung subscription!”

“Don’t cut in line! I was here first!”

“Oh my, madam! Get a hold of yourself—you’ll drop the baby! How could you come all the way here carrying a child?”

The area in front of the counters turned into sheer bedlam in an instant.

Shouts, screams, pointing fingers, the smell of sweat, and the ragged breathing of the tangled mass of people filled the entire hall.

The employees were overwhelmed processing the avalanche of applications, while the guards were drenched in sweat trying to control the surging crowd.

Watching from a distance, I quietly turned away from the frenzy engulfing the Korea Securities Exchange.

My destination lay elsewhere.

I was heading to Mando Securities’ headquarters, located slightly away from the bustling city center.

As expected, unlike the exchange or other major securities firms, Mando Securities’ trading floor was surprisingly quiet.

Only a few employees occupied the counters, and there were hardly any clients waiting for consultation.

‘Naturally so—since they failed to secure the subscription-handling partnership.’

Smiling faintly in bitterness, I stepped into the firm.

A staff member greeted me with a curious expression.

“Hello, sir. This is Mando Securities. How may I assist you today?”

I smiled lightly at his friendly tone and replied, “I’d like to see President Cheon Sang-do.”

“The president? Do you have an appointment?”

“No, I don’t.”

The employee’s expression subtly changed at my answer. He hesitated briefly, then gave me a once-over from head to toe.

A faint trace of indifference and disdain surfaced in his gaze—probably because of my modest clothing.

“I’m sorry, but it’s difficult to see the president without an appointment.”

“Just tell him Baek Min-woo is here.”

I met his eyes directly as I spoke, without a hint of hesitation.

“If you don’t want to run into trouble later, I suggest you do as I say.”

Perhaps it was my confident attitude, or perhaps he sensed something in my eyes. After a brief hesitation, he spoke reluctantly.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll try to contact him.”

Not long after the employee stepped away, he returned running, his face now filled with urgency, and bowed deeply before me.

“M-my apologies, sir. The president says to come up immediately! If my earlier response offended you in any way…”

Beads of cold sweat had formed on the employee’s forehead.

“How could I be offended? You were just doing your job. Please, lead the way.”

“Y-yes, of course! This way, sir!”

Following the overly polite employee, I went up the stairs to the president’s office on the third floor. In front of the door, a neatly dressed secretary awaited us.

“Are you Mr. Baek Min-woo?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The secretary signaled to the employee, who bowed once more before hastily descending the stairs as if fleeing.

“He’s waiting for you inside.”

The secretary courteously opened the door.

As I stepped in, the door closed softly behind me.

Inside the spacious office, Cheon Sang-do sat behind a large desk, poring over a ledger.

At the sound of the door closing, he looked up. Upon recognizing me, he rose from his seat with a sly smile characteristic of him.

“Well now, this must be the young president himself. On a day as busy as this, what brings you to such a humble place like mine?”

His voice carried both genuine warmth and an unhidden curiosity.

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