The Snake and the Rat

Hae Su was the daughter of a prostitute, born and raised in Sogol.

‘Still, this place was quiet and got cleared out quickly. Did you hear that Seoul and Paju were a total mess back then? Prostitutes protesting, getting beaten up… Phew, I am glad I did not have to see that.’

‘That is because the Cheongun Group stepped in and swept it all clean! Do you not know what happens in Yeocheon if you cross those guys?’

The Cheongun Group was not just some neighborhood gang involved in redevelopment interests.

‘You have to do as they say. Otherwise, they are the kind of b*stards who will snatch you up and kill you without anyone knowing. That is why the pimp sold the land without a single word of complaint. If he had held out, he might have been fished out of the Yeocheon sea as a corpse.’

Hae Su, who had lived like a ghost for fear of being caught and dragged back, knew nothing of what had happened in Yeocheon City.

It was a major event that anyone could find just by searching for a few articles.

[Government Grants First Approval for Domestic Casino to Private Company ‘Cheongun Group’]

[‘Cheongun’ to Handle Everything from Casino Land Construction to Hotel Business]

What rose atop the ruins was not simply an apartment complex or a residential-commercial district.

It was a casino.

At the time, there were other government-authorized casino tourist cities besides Gangwon Province and Jeju, but domestic entry was impossible except in Gangwon Province.

However, the government granted the business rights for a domestic-entry casino to a private company for the first time, and that casino was to be built in Yeocheon City.

As a result, the one who bought up Sogol—the so-called gold mine of Yeocheon—was the Cheongun Group, which had secured those business rights.

And from then until now, there was one thing Hae Su had been speculating about, even if she was not certain.

‘What are you doing? You asked me to save you.’

The man who had held out his palm with a low, elegant voice, as if telling her to take it.

‘I will save you.’

‘Run as far as you can.’

The man who had tucked her into his jacket with a gentle touch.

She thought that the person who helped her escape Sogol might be connected to that very Cheongun Group.

“……”

Hae Su sat blankly for a moment, her gaze fixed on the screen as the light flickered and then brightened.

Eventually.

“This is the current organizational chart of the Cheongun Gang and the Cheongun Group.”

An organizational chart, neatly organized for quick understanding, came into view.

“Lee Ja Cheong still maintains a dictatorship, and below him, Lee Ja Cheong’s younger sister, Lee Ja Yun, holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Cheongun Group. Go Je Won, the former action leader, is the CEO of Blue Cloud and has been focusing on overseas management for the past two years.”

The explanation from Superintendent Jeong, which she had been missing while caught in her thoughts, pierced her ears.

“Blue Cloud is one of the primary targets of this operation. It has been confirmed that there were connections with political circles six years ago when they obtained the casino operation permit. Furthermore, similar circumstances have been detected regarding the Busan City casino, which is scheduled to be announced soon.”

The faces supporting that explanation appeared on the screen.

They were people frequently seen on the news.

From government officials to high-profile National Assembly members.

“As soon as Headquarters finishes reorganizing the team, we will approach the political figures. Team 1, you just need to focus on the Cheongun Gang. Ah, it would be better to describe this as a special cooperation situation.”

However, there was only one person who caught Hae Su’s eye before any of the politicians.

Hae Su narrowed her round eyes and buried herself deep in the back of her chair, yet she did not withdraw her gaze from that one spot.

There was not a single photograph that captured that face clearly, yet she was certain.

‘You are pretty. It does not suit a sh*thole like this.’

The nameless man who had once been like salvation to her.

The moment she speculated he might be involved with Cheongun was finally being proven.

Groans of pain leaked from the lips of the slumped men.

The footsteps walking across the floor, messy with the blood they had spilled, gradually slowed down.

The dark pupils, scanning the interior slowly with hands shoved into pockets, narrowed.

“Do Guk… no, I mean, Pres… President Lee……”

As the man kneeling against a backdrop of broken machinery spoke in a trembling voice, the other’s lips curled up into a wide smile.

To someone who did not know him, it was a smile that might seem charming, but to the man, it was a murderous smile that instilled the fear of death.

Leaning forward slightly, he furrowed one eyebrow.

“You should have known when to stop. Your face is a mess. Your family will be upset if they see this.”

At the scolding words, the burly men standing around all shouted “I am sorry!” in unison.

However, Do Guk believed that if someone deserved to be hit, getting hit was only natural.

He did not have a shred of intention to take a side.

Meanwhile.

“Are you okay?”

He asked quite tenderly, spreading a brighter smile on his lips.

The man, even more terrified by that superior smile, prostrated himself.

“Pres, President Lee! Pl, please let me off just this once. This, this is really the fi, first time! Truly, truly… I swear to heaven……”

“Our President Park, were you not Buddhist? Did you convert?”

When Do Guk cut off the useless oath, President Park’s face turned pale.

Do Guk looked at him with pathetic eyes.

Stroking his slightly furrowed forehead, he said softly.

“It is the first time you got caught, but it seems you are not thinking about all the times I turned a blind eye.”

“……”

“Ah. Did you really think I did not know?”

Seeing that he could not counter, it seemed he really had thought so.

He was incredibly dim-witted, despite knowing what kind of place Cheongun was.

“I… I… was wrong… I made a mistake.”

President Park, who used to boast about being a maternal relative of Lee Ja Cheong despite being practically a stranger, was now trembling in a pitiful state.

“Indeed. Why did you do it, when you are someone who should know what happens if you get caught playing games?”

Cheongun had received approval from the government for legal casino operations and built a complex resort called Blue Cloud.

However, the casino business through Blue Cloud was just the tip of the iceberg.

The Cheongun Gang had established Mak-sas all over the country, conducting legal and illegal activities simultaneously.

TL Note: Mak-sa usually means ‘barracks’ or a ‘temporary hut,’ but in this context, it refers to an illegal gambling den.

Most Mak-sas were managed directly by gang members, but in rare cases, relatives were given the right to operate them. This Warehouse No. 3 was such a place.

Because of that, they were given more leeway than other dens, but if there was one thing that was absolutely never tolerated, it was personal greed.

He had known for a long time that President Park was secretly skimming off part of the tribute money.

The problem was that because he pretended not to know, the man lost his sense of boundaries and became bold.

He had embezzled 3 billion won in this quarter alone.

Despite that, he was now rubbing his palms together, begging for forgiveness for what he had done.

“Ju, just once! I am begging you like this, okay? To, to the Great-Uncle… no, to the Chairman, I will……”

“President Park.”

“……”

“Do you think I came here for no reason?”

In an instant, the smile vanished from Do Guk’s face.

If it had been a trivial matter, it would have been enough to have the boys below him handle it.

But this was a task Lee Ja Cheong had personally assigned to Do Guk.

That measly 3 billion won. One could think it didn’t matter if it was gone, but just as a pet dog needs discipline lest it loses its manners from being spoiled, training was necessary.

“……”

Sensing the threat, President Park grabbed Do Guk’s pant leg with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face.

“From now on, never again… th, this kind of thing will never……!”

Do Guk, letting out a dry chuckle at the pathetic words, lightly shook off his caught right leg.

It was not even a strong movement, but President Park, whose body had already lost all strength, tumbled to the side.

“You are wrinkling them.”

At the cold voice, President Park’s wet eyes shook violently.

Approaching the man who was looking up with wide eyes, Do Guk tilted his head.

“The b*stards who say ‘never again’ from now on… they always turn out to be habitual offenders.”

“No, I, I really… Aaaah!”

A scream erupted from President Park’s mouth as he tried to continue through his tears.

“Aaargh!”

Do Guk stepped on the man’s hand that was resting on the floor and murmured low, as if talking to himself.

“I suppose I have to make it so you cannot use your fingers for you to stop playing those kinds of games.”

“Aaa, agh! Yo, you…!”

As President Park writhed in bone-crushing pain and grabbed the pant leg again, Do Guk, looking down at the sight, wrinkled his nose and lifted his chin.

“I told you, you are wrinkling them.”

Clicking his tongue, he shook off the hand clutching his leg.

He scanned the air and then looked behind him.

His subordinate, Chi Oh, sensing what he wanted without a word, stepped forward and handed him a cigarette.

As soon as the long white cigarette was lit, the tip burned red.

As his hollowed cheeks returned to normal, a cloud of gray smoke scattered.