Chapter 7
It is almost driven to the end of the handle.
After leaving it as it was, I turned my head.
The beggars were staring at me with eyes full of fear. I ignored them.
“Who is the vice branch leader?”
A man raised his trembling hand.
“It’s… me…”
“Name.”
“Jang… Jang Seok.”
“Jang Jangseok?”
“No. It’s Jang Seok.”
“Jang Seok, huh… You’re the branch leader from today.”
“… Me…?”
“The former branch leader is dead, so naturally, the vice branch leader should become the branch leader, right?”
“Right…”
I walked over to him, and Jang Seok, who was trembling, stepped backward and bumped into the bookshelf. With no place left to go, his expression turned to despair.
I smiled and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve risen.”
“… Pardon?”
“Congratulations on becoming the branch leader. So, let me ask you, who do you think is the real owner of this Seolap?”
“… Do you want an honest answer?”
I nodded, and Jang Seok spoke of something that everyone knew but no one dared to speak about.
“… The great Seoljungcheon of the Everlasting Snow Palace.”
My father, and the lord of the Snow Palace.
The Ice Emperor, Seoljungcheon.
“… Clearly, the owner of Seolap is Seoljungcheon, but the real owner is the branch master of the Seolap Bunta, I think.”
Jang Seok’s words were correct.
The owner of Seolap is not me, but my father.
I was only entrusted with the authority to manage it.
So, I could consider myself the owner, or not.
I am somewhere in between, but claiming to be the owner wasn’t a problem.
This was my place to manage, and the commander and the operational manager could be the same.
“Good answer.”
“… Thank you.”
“At least you seem better than that dead bug over there.”
“… I also thank you for that.”
“So, what will you do with my money?”
Jang Seok, swallowing hard, began speaking as if he had already thought it through.
“First… we will rob the place of the deceased Chewiegae.”
“But will all the money still be there?”
“… Probably not. Everyone knows that Chewiegae paid money to the higher-ups of the opening… So, even if some remains, it will only be a part of it.”
“So what about the missing money?”
Jang Seok was a quick-witted man.
Turning a crisis into an opportunity is undoubtedly a hard thing to do, yet some try it anyway.
Jang Seok was the same.
“We are the Open. We will provide the information power to the Great Man.”
“The Great Man…”
“… If you don’t like the title…”
“It’s not that I don’t like it. So, you plan to deduct the remaining amount with that information?”
“… Yes. Normally, we charge for information, but we won’t charge the full amount. We’ll lower the price by around half, or at least a third, and use that to deduct the amount.”
I liked that answer.
I patted his shoulder and spoke.
“Since you’ve become branch leader, I’ll give you a gift.”
“… Whatever it is, I will accept it with gratitude.”
“Write a detailed report about everything that happened here today and send it up.”
“… Pardon?”
“Don’t make excuses by fitting the situation to your liking.”
“…”
“I broke the bones of the Ikyeolgae, killed that nameless beggar, and also killed Chewiegae. Surely a beggar from the opening will be sent here to investigate, so when he arrives, report it in detail as it is and send it to me.”
“Yes… I understand.”
I turned and walked away. The beggars that were gathered moved aside. I walked to the entrance and then turned my head as if I had forgotten something.
“When you bring the prepared money to the Seolap Bunta, I would like you to bring some information that might tempt me as well.”
“… I will try to prepare that.”
Just as I was about to return to the Bunta.
Jang Seok, swallowing hard, spoke while holding a power token.
“Take care.”
Such courtesy.
Those who steal from others should at least have some sense and manners.
I resumed walking.
