Chapter 10

※?10 times

xx

"Tell me how to do it, why are you saying such nonsense?"

His words made me feel frustrated. Don't people usually understand when you explain it to this extent?

"Mr. Gangster… You really are a frustrating person, aren't you? In the Sungsan faction, you must hear the word 'frustrating' a lot, right? If you tell that person, whether it's the chairman or the businessman, that you couldn't meet me because I left after the evening study session, wouldn't that be enough?"

"Huh? That's what you meant?"

"Ugh…."

"You're telling me to lie?"

"So what if I do?"

"Hehe, I don't really like lying, you know."

"Do as you please, frustrating person! I really have to go now."

"Wait, wait!"

I looked at Kim Bu-jang with a frustrated expression.

"I'll just leave today, but we'll keep looking for you in our Sungsan faction. Even if it's not me, someone will come tomorrow."

"Then just say this. Your beloved youngest son tried to rape my friend's girlfriend on the church rooftop. If you still want to find me, treat your son or his father the same way."

As soon as I finished speaking, Kim Bu-jang frowned.

"Is that true?"

"Hmph, I guess he didn't tell you why he got beaten up, did he?"

"Hmm… I see. I'll try to sort it out from my end. Since you're worried about your mom, go home quickly. Oh, brat!"

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"About that martial art you learned. Can you learn it anywhere?"

"How would I know? I was dragged there against my will to learn it. Look it up yourself!"

I walked straight home without looking back, and Kim Bu-jang didn't try to stop me.

***

Martial Art…

When I was young, my great and glorious father was deeply immersed in Buddhism. I remember it was around the 4th grade of elementary school.

There was a temple called Golgulsa in the mountains of Gyeongju. My older brother was in college, my younger brother and sister were in middle school, so I was the only one who went down with my father during the summer and winter breaks. I was made to learn a martial art called Seonmudo, even though I didn't know anything about it.

My great and glorious father had his head shaved and was deeply immersed in Buddhist scriptures, and I, at a young age, learned Seonmudo. This might have been the reason why my stepmother lost all hope in my father.

I spent a whole year living and training in Seonmudo at Golgulsa, and after that, I went back to school. However, the summer and winter breaks in elementary school were quite long.

The start of the break was the start of hell, and the first day of school was the end of hell. This experience continued until middle school, and after about five years of training, I surpassed the skills of the monk who taught me Seonmudo.

I left the mountain, and my great and glorious father also came down at the same time.

He said that just being secluded in the mountains and reading Buddhist scriptures wasn't helpful, and he wanted to find a way to save sentient beings, so he chose to come down from the mountain.

My great and glorious father became a businessman by taking over my grandfather's business when I was in the third year of middle school, and I started learning various martial arts with Seonmudo as my foundation.

Every morning, I followed my great and glorious father to practice kendo, and after school, I went to a boxing gym. I once showed interest in other martial arts and visited various gyms, but I didn't find them particularly appealing.

***

The next day, as soon as I got to school, Geun-cheol was making a big fuss as if something huge had happened.

"Wow, damn…! I was almost scared to death just watching, but you, Min-woo, are really amazing! But why did those guys in suits come looking for you?"

"Jang Ha-joon…."

"What?"

"They came because of Jang Ha-joon."

Geun-cheol poked me in the side with his elbow.

"Hey! Tell me more! It's not just me; this is also related to Seok-hoon, right?"

"That's true, but in the end, I was the one who caught and beat up Jang Ha-joon, so they won't come after you guys."

"Is Jang Ha-joon a gangster?"

At Geun-cheol's words, I chuckled.

"His dad is a gangster. He's the boss of a well-known gang in Gangnam. One of the guys who came looking for me yesterday said I was f*cked."

"Damn… You're really f*cked… So what?"

"So what?"

"So what did that guy, the boss or whatever, say?"

"Hey, hey! Class is starting. I'll tell you later."

That evening, even after the evening study session ended, and the next day as well, the Sungsan faction guys didn't come to the school looking for me. Kim Bu-jang said he would try to sort it out from his end, and it seemed he did.

About ten days passed.

I had completely forgotten about the Sungsan faction and Kim Bu-jang and continued my hellish third-year high school life, going back and forth between school and home.

There was a slight change, though. After the school incident involving Ji-suk, I quit the after-school academy I had registered for on weekdays.

I didn't need the academy's help since I had a solid grasp of the concepts in each subject. Besides, the Ji-suk issue was naturally resolved, so I needed my own time after the evening study session.

Because of Ji-suk, I learned about the Sungsan faction, but in the end, Geun-cheol and Ji-suk didn't end up well.

As usual, I was walking home with Geun-cheol after the evening study session when someone I knew called out from an alley.

"Hey, brat…!"

Geun-cheol took a step back when he saw the person who came out of the alley, and I became cautious.

The person who came out of the alley was Kim Bu-jang.

"Is the guy called Chairman or something sending you to bring me to him again?"

"Half right, half wrong."

At his words, I tilted my head.

"Speak plainly. You're not giving a quiz or something…."

Kim Bu-jang glanced at Geun-cheol and then spoke to me.

"We need to talk quietly, just the two of us."

He nodded at Geun-cheol. I sent Geun-cheol off first, and he looked worriedly between me and Kim Bu-jang before leaving.

As soon as Geun-cheol's figure disappeared, Kim Bu-jang took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

"Sigh… Nothing goes as I want it to."

"Are you going to take me to Chairman Jang in the end?"

"No, I came here to prevent that from happening."

At his words, I felt that something big had happened. What could have happened….

Kim Bu-jang's expression also gave off a sense of unease.

"Tell me what happened…."

Kim Bu-jang smiled slightly at my words.

"Hehe, you finally look like a good student."

"Since you seem to be on my side…."

"Your words are getting shorter. Well, that's not important. It seems Chairman Jang has decided to take action. I explained everything about what Ha-joon did, but it didn't work. Oh, you said her name was Ji-suk? I went to confirm with her, and it turned out to be true."

"Of course. I don't like lying either."

"I like that. I'll escort you home first. It's best to inform your parents about this. Chairman Jang is a ruthless person."

"Is it okay to talk about the person you serve like that?"

"This incident has made the festering problem burst. It's for the best… I was looking for the right time to leave the organization…."

"To leave the organization, don't you need to cut off a few fingers?"

"Hahaha, you've watched too many movies. Since we run legal businesses, there's no such thing. Think of it as Kim Bu-jang, who works for Sungsan Construction, quitting his job."

Although he said that, his expression showed a sense of determination. But he quickly relaxed and tried to maintain a bright expression. After meeting him only twice, I felt that he was a righteous person. If he thought something was wrong, he would try to do the right thing no matter what.

Fortunately, the Sungsan faction guys didn't come looking for me until Kim Bu-jang and I arrived at my house.

"I'll let it go for today, but that's it. A fundamental solution is needed, and that's something I need to think about. You, brat, need to be careful. Don't act recklessly like you did to me, relying on your skills…."

"Mr. Kim, you don't know my real skills, do you?"

"Many of our guys like to use weapons. I'm telling you not to act recklessly."

I nodded, trying to reassure him.

"I understand. I'll do that…."

Then Kim Bu-jang took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, walking back the way he came. The last night of April 1992 passed like that.

As I opened the gate and walked through the yard, I felt that something was off about the house.

Usually, only the living room light was on, or sometimes my parents' bedroom light was on if they were still awake, but today, the light was on in my younger brother's room on the second floor. What could be going on….

When I opened the front door and went in, my great and glorious father and mother were sitting on the living room sofa with worried expressions, and my younger brother also looked concerned.

"You're a bit late today."

"Yes… But Mom, what's going on? Everyone is up so late…."

"Your aunt in America can't be reached."

"What? What happened to my aunt in America?"

"Apparently, there's chaos in L.A."

According to my mother, black people had started a riot in the Los Angeles area, and during this riot, they had shot guns in the Korean neighborhood where my aunt lived. The black people were looting the essential items and cash from our fellow Koreans, including my aunt, and the damage to the Korean residents in L.A. was significant. Since there was no contact, the situation was very worrying.

I tried to contact my older brother in Massachusetts to get information about the situation in L.A., but he also didn't know the details.

The next morning, my father, who couldn't just wait, sent my younger brother and me to school.

In this chaotic situation, I couldn't bring myself to tell them that I had caught and beaten up a guy who tried to rape a woman, and that this guy happened to be the youngest son of the boss of a gang in Gangnam, and that the boss was sending his men to get revenge on me.

I put on my school uniform and was about to leave when I saw my younger brother had already parked his car in front of the gate.

"I'll give you a ride. Get in!"

Unlike my sister, who had declared her independence from my father, my younger brother had acknowledged the difference between him and my older brother. My father had resolved all the conflicts with my younger brother and, as a graduation gift, gave him the luxury sedan he wanted. This was an implicit gesture of reconciliation, urging my sister to come back home, but she never did. The reason was probably that she couldn't easily give up the freedom she had outside the home. =============================※