Vol 6 Ch 12

After Father’s death, the person who had been closest to Kim Jaeyeon was neither me nor Jahan.

As Wagner held a black umbrella over me, he lowered it closer against the intensifying rain. I fixed my eyes on the entrance of the inn where many people came and went. On the way here, I had seen the wall I rebuilt last year—once again collapsed. Last year, too, someone had crashed into the wall with a motorcycle, and now again, a large sign hung at the gate urging the culprit to turn themselves in. It seemed someone held a grudge against the elderly landlord. The old man sat on the broken wall, glaring at passersby with blazing eyes, not recognizing me.

“You’ll get soaked.”

Wagner, contrary to his large frame, worried about mere rain. The rain falling in Macau was more fickle than Carmen, impossible to predict. Getting wet wasn’t a big deal anyway; even on the day Kwon Taeha came to repay his debt to me, I had been drenched through. What if I had refused his offer to board the ship back then? I might have been tortured into revealing the location of some WikiLeaks I didn’t even know about. Then again, would Kwon Taeha really have done that? A man described as petty and spiteful would have found some way to drag me aboard regardless.

What mattered to him at the time was whether I knew about WikiLeaks. If I didn’t, taking from me would have been easier; if I did, he would have wanted to buy it for an even greater price. That was why he had dangled an advance of two billion won before me, his debtor.

On the road to the house where the Max was moored. Why had Father chosen such a grotesque painting of falling shells? Was there truly any device of his without meaning……?

“You…… got a lover?”

“Me?”

Wagner pointed at himself with his index finger.

“Who else is here but you.”

“I do.”

“Really?”

It was surprising since he had never shown any sign of having a lover.

“German?”

“No, Asian.”

“Right, you like small ones.”

Wagner split his mouth into a grin.

“She’s got big breasts.”

Ha. Unbelievable. With the hand not holding the umbrella, Wagner pressed against his own chest, shaping it into a bulge.

“How long have you been seeing her?”

“Seven days.”

“Not long then.”

“Met on a holiday. Korean woman. Works in Macau.”

“Could you die in her place?”

Wagner tilted his head.

“Why?”

“I asked if you could die for her.”

“No! Don’t want to!”

His reply was so firm I had nothing to say. Maybe because of his image as a bodyguard, I expected him to at least think about it first.

“But why? I don’t understand Hawon’s question.”

“Forget it, let’s go in.”

Pulling aside the curtain, I entered Kangho Inn. Wagner shook the umbrella and quickly followed behind me. Perhaps because of what had happened before, he seemed to be conscious of the firearm hidden inside his suit.

Tangbang was nowhere to be seen, only a few men drinking heavily. I climbed the creaking wooden stairs and headed toward Tangbang’s office. The rickety steps seemed ready to collapse like the old man’s wall, especially where Wagner walked—each plank sagged down and sprang back up again.

Men in gray changpao stood guard in front of the office. I had seen their faces many times while working here, and they also recognized me. After disappearing inside for a minute or two, they came back out and gave a nod that I could enter. As I stepped toward the office, they blocked Wagner.

“It’s fine. I’ll be right out.”

I reassured Wagner there would be no problem.

“No.”

“It’s right in front anyway. If something happens, I’ll shout.”

Even as the door closed, Wagner still looked uneasy.

“Well! Look who it is. Isn’t this the great Cinderella.”

As I turned my body with my back to the door, Tangbang in a dark gray changpao greeted me with a cheerful wave. He took a teacup in hand and came around the desk, dropping onto the reception sofa.

“What? Upset? It’s not like I said anything wrong.”

The one who had seen Kim Jaeyeon the most often was Tangbang himself. I stepped closer, eyeing the embroidery on his China-collared robe. The dragon curled over his chest seemed about to ascend, its massive body tightly coiled.

“Thought you’d never come back again.”

His words brimmed with mockery. I ignored it and sat down on the sofa.

“I want to buy information.”

“Hah, information from me? What should I do—my nature’s twisted, makes me not want to sell you a thing.”

He set down the teacup he had been sipping.

“About Kim Jaeyeon.”

The corners of his eyes stretched into a sly smile.

“She…… Kim Jaeyeon was found dead.”

I kept my voice flat, free of emotion. Tangbang sniffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand, as if to say what did that have to do with him.

“She visited here until two years ago, didn’t she?”

“Hawon, you must be heartbroken.”

Perfectly empty words.

“When she was around twenty, she once came to find me. After that, I never saw her again. But you saw her every year. You said she looked impoverished.”

“That’s right. At first she didn’t, but later she got all shriveled and old-looking.”

“The last time she came, did she say anything?”

“Not at all. She’d come here, sign, and leave right away.”

“Cut the bluffing.”

Exhaling a puff of smoke, he shrugged his shoulders.

“You were after WikiLeaks too. If you keep this up, I’ll have no choice but to think you killed her.”

“Too much, Hawon. I was the one who didn’t snatch it midway.”

“You couldn’t, not with Kwon Taeha involved.”

Now that I had come this far, there was no reason to hide the truth of WikiLeaks.

“You know about the half WikiLeaks?”

Tangbang’s eyes gleamed strangely.

“Half?”

“The part of WikiLeaks I had—the really important content—was just a half.”

“By important, you mean…… STA and Tex?”

“Right.”

“Wow! Joo Sangkyung, Joo Sangkyung……”

Tangbang, chanting Father’s name, bit into his cigarette filter.

“If I help, how much will you give me?”

“How much do you need?”

“Hawon’s got money?”

“There’s someone who’ll pay.”

“And if I don’t need money?”

“Then help me for free.”

“Hahaha. There’s a limit to shamelessness.”

Click—Tangbang undid the button at his throat, loosening his changpao down to the collarbone. Leaning his head back against the sofa, he exhaled smoke, eyes rolling with the arrogance of an opium den master.

“Once, you had Jahan run an errand. You don’t usually send shop boys on errands.”

“Did I?”

From earlier, he had been evasive in his answers, dodging details.

“Want me to spell it out? Don’t you remember who the man was—the one you told Jahan to deliver Seungseol tea to?”

He lifted his head straight.

‘I checked it anyway. It really was tea. One of the cruise guests had begged for Seungseol tea—said they needed several, not just one. So I brought it. At the port, the ship was docked. They said boarding would start in a few days. Anyway, when I gave it to the crew, they checked everything and took it. Tangbang never makes us run errands with drugs. He says it’s more trouble if we get caught.’

That day, I had gotten angry at Jahan, and after boarding the Maxho, I urged Tangbang never to send Jahan on errands again.

“I remember it very well. It was Aeil Kwon.”

Tangbang swept his palm down from his nose to his lips.

“Strange, isn’t it? When I went to save Jeho, you said you didn’t know Aeil Kwon’s identity. But not long after, you were close enough to be exchanging seungseol tea.”

“So now you’re saying I joined hands with Tex’s vice president? That’s going too far. I’m nothing but a dog of power. What’s wrong with getting on the good side of people above me?”

“The ones who should’ve borne the real responsibility for the Pacific Container sinking weren’t your parents, but Baek Jaetak and Felix Kwon. What you’re saying now is nothing but wanting to look good in the eyes of your enemy’s child.”

Tangbang’s snake-like pupils seemed to cling even tighter.

“Hawon, the truth is I never really wanted revenge. Of course, I did want to kill that executive bastard who deceived us—desperately. And I actually succeeded. But as for my father, I didn’t really like him much either. Whatever the reason, he was an incompetent fool who tried to wipe out his whole family.”

“So you mean you’ll forgive those who drove your father into a corner?”

“Come on, no way. I just don’t have the desire to avenge him. It’s only for my own satisfaction. If it hadn’t been for that incident, I wouldn’t have rotted in Macau or killed people as casually as eating a meal. Let’s just say it’s compensation for the beautiful future I should have had.”

Tangbang offered me a cigarette as he went on.

“You understand, don’t you, Hawon?”

A beautiful future. Perhaps if I had grown up as the son of Daeyoung Heavy Industries, my life would have been as beautiful as he described. But I might also have become someone who felt no guilt over the blood and tears smeared on walls, someone who cut down countless lives in pursuit of company profits. At least, I don’t think that’s a beautiful life. And I have no attachment to a life I’ve never lived.

I refused his cigarette.

“Aeil Kwon… said he knew the whereabouts of Kim Jaeyeon.”

“Oh, really?”

He wasn’t the least bit flustered as he pulled the cigarette back.

“And after that… she was no longer of this world. What do you think that points to?”

“Probably that the vice president snatched away the card Kim Jaeyeon was holding?”

Tangbang exhaled a sigh as if lamenting and pressed hard on his temple.

“Ah, so that card must’ve been the other half. This is insane. Unless Joo Sangkyung  had gone mad, there’s no way he would have given that woman half. That’s impossible.”

“I don’t know for sure. My file was already broken, and I couldn’t even guess what form the file she had was in. What on earth did she want to tell me when she came to meet me…?”

“If I help you, will I get to see Tex fall?”

Tangbang spoke mockingly.

“If Tex collapses, Baek Jaetak will be hit as well. He’s a major shareholder in Baek Jaetak’s shipbuilding and marine enterprise. He holds 36.1% of the shares—maybe even more by now.”

In his long, narrow eyes, excitement was carefully tucked away, hidden. It was the same look I’d often seen at casino tables—the excitement of anticipating the chips he was about to rake in, convinced of his winning odds. Nothing is harder to conceal than adrenaline surging high.

“You were the closest to Kim Jaeyeon. At least once a year, you saw her.”

“I don’t know why Kim Jaeyeon came to you when you turned twenty, Hawon. But I do know this—because of that, your presence became prominent, and from then on, eyes began to watch you. Kim Jaeyeon practically took all the blame for WikiLeaks, but by seeking you out, she put you on the list of suspects, however implausibly. Of course, with no real grounds for suspicion, they never touched you.”

Those who knew at least roughly about WikiLeaks were Tangbang, Aeil Kwon, Baek Jaetak, and Felix Kwon. Kwon Taeha was a latecomer. If Father’s letter hadn’t reached Kwon Taeha, he would never have entered this fight. But the latecomer ended up with the biggest hint—and the cheat card that was me.

“So Aeil Kwon already knew about me?”

“I don’t know how much he knew, but he must have been aware of your existence.”

Aeil Kwon knew me not as Joo Hawon but as Louis. If he had known I was Joo Sangkyung ’s son, Joo Hawon, in that illegal gambling den… he wouldn’t have let me walk away. I had unknowingly avoided countless traps laid everywhere. Truly ironic.

“Hawon, are you curious about why Kim Jaeyeon died? Or do you want the complete WikiLeaks?”

Tangbang asked as if probing my thoughts.

“Both.”

“So you plan to hand it over to President Kwon?”

“I’ve already given him half.”

Tangbang bared his teeth in a grin. I could feel his contempt, treating me like a fool.

“How did you know Kim Jaeyeon had the other half?”

“It was written in my father’s diary. Inside WikiLeaks itself.”

“You seem to know Joo Sangkyung  less than I do. As if he’d really hand it to Kim Jaeyeon.”

Tangbang chuckled.

“Joo Sangkyung  didn’t trust anyone—not even his own son. And you think such a man would give half to Kim Jaeyeon? Hahaha. Even our watchdog would laugh at that.”

He clutched his belly, laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

“If she really had the other half, she would’ve sold it to President Kwon or the vice president for money. Do you know what kind of woman she was? She would’ve sold anything for money.”

Unable to hold back, I flung the cold tea straight into his face. Tangbang hissed and shook off the liquid. Even so, he licked up the droplets that continued to run down.

“Did she ever deserve to be insulted by you?”

It felt as though her agape love had been denied by this debauched man. That was the true insult. Love isn’t something to be scorned or belittled simply because it’s one we couldn’t practice.

“If she had truly been a stepmother who cared for you, she would never have gone to see you. Am I wrong?”

“She must have had her reasons.”

“Ah, don’t be like that. Where did all your venom go, Hawon? Do you want to romanticize the past? Did that woman dote on little Hawon so much? Did it feel genuine? Think carefully—how did you feel when you thought she ran away with all the money?”

At first, of course, I couldn’t believe it. She left only a note with the words “I’m sorry” and disappeared, so I thought there must have been some circumstances. But as time passed, I came to realize the truth. I wasn’t her real son, and she abandoned me in order to survive. That was only natural. Even my real mother had abandoned me—why would a stepmother stay by my side?

“You fool. She kicked up a fuss only to save her own neck. She took all the remaining fortune and left you with nothing but debt. Do you know what one of Joo Sangkyung ’s conditions was? To deliver letters to Kim Jaeyeon, who came every year. At first, I didn’t know what that meant. Maybe it was an information broker’s conscience? I held back for a few years, but eventually, curiosity got the better of me. When I dug, I found out—it was a secret bank account. Every year she signed, and every year she got the money. If she hadn’t been greedy for money, if she hadn’t come here, those letters would’ve gone straight to President Kwon from the beginning.”

“Do you expect me to believe you?”

“Of course~ I never say anything without proof. I’m an informant, remember?”

His composure made my teeth grind. Suddenly, Tangbang stood up and took down a frame painted with a phoenix. Everyone close to him knew there was a secret safe there. After entering the password and scanning his fingerprint, he pulled out a black, square box from inside. The box was locked, but he easily opened it and threw three envelopes onto the table. They were larger than normal envelopes—closer in size and thickness to greeting cards.

When I just stared at them silently, he opened one himself and pulled out the contents. Each contained numbers: [9018] [1601] [8940]. Inside the envelopes were three different bankbooks.

“Still think I’m lying?”

“……”

I looked down at the bankbooks in shock. I couldn’t be sure if the handwriting was really Father’s. All I saw were numbers.

“He was always a big spender. Do you really think he could have endured a beggar’s life?”

It felt as though I had been doused in cold water, not Tangbang.

From the suite to an ordinary room, and finally to a shabby inn—only then did she sell the wedding ring she had been wearing on her finger.

I remember how, after spending just one night at that shabby inn, she went straight to the pawnshop and sold the ring. There wasn’t the slightest hesitation.

‘I’ll be the perfect mother who can love Hawon completely. I’ll be someone who will never betray us.’

The only thing that never betrays isn’t human hearts—it’s money.

“Hawon, what is it that you really wanted to believe in?”

……

A love made only of pure crystal, one I had never received in my life.

Did I want to comfort myself by believing I had once been given such love?

A laugh slipped out. Someone like me, daring to wish for something so undeserved… I clenched both fists, pressed them against my eyes, then let go. Whatever her reason was for coming here—money or otherwise—it didn’t matter. I mourn her death.

“…Ha.”

“What?”

Tangbang shook the water from his damp hair.

“Kwon Taeha was right.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Her love for your father must have been genuine. But once she died, who cares? That was the truth.”

This was what Kwon Taeha had wanted to tell me. He too had doubted the diary entry that said Kim Jaeyeon had the other half. But because I blindly believed in her agape love, he hadn’t said it to me. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to shatter the sanctuary I unknowingly built around her.

As Tangbang poured more tea, I spoke.

“No matter the cost, I’ll pay you.”

“I don’t need payment. What I want isn’t that simple.”

“The downfall of Tex and Baek Jaetak?”

Tangbang quietly sipped his jasmine tea.

“That would be like an egg striking a rock.”

“Well, Hawon, maybe that depends on you.”

I don’t know. I don’t know why WikiLeaks became fragmented, nor where to find the missing half.

“Hawon, are you fully siding with President Kwon?”

I stopped for a moment on my way out. He shouted the question after me, but I gave no reply. Wagner followed right behind me as I went down the soaked wooden stairs. Pulling aside the curtain, I found that the rain had already stopped. Only occasional drops fell from the eaves of the Kangho Inn.