The Regressed Vault Keeper Took It All

Chapter 25: The World Has Changed a Lot in Just Two Days

The evening after the announcement of the paid-in capital increase shook the market, I once again visited the annex of Hansanru as promised.

The three securities company presidents had already gathered and were waiting for me, but not a single glass of liquor was placed before them.

“In just two days, the world has changed a lot.”

As I spoke first, the three swallowed dryly.

“In just two days, Daegung stock, which was 25 hwan, soared to 35 hwan. Do you still think the price I suggested is unreasonable?”

The news that one could be allotted 3.5 new shares per one actual stock certificate at such an extraordinary price poured fuel onto the frenzy of the market.

Sellers had vanished, and only buyers overflowed, so the price had no choice but to skyrocket.

The trading volume of the past two days alone had set an unprecedented record, easily surpassing the cumulative volume before that.

The first to respond to my words was Cheon Sang-do.

“Ahtta, we already finished talking among ourselves. President Yang’s Gyeongin Securities takes 40%, our Mando takes 30%, and President Ma’s Daeryuk Securities takes 30%. We decided to split this game cleanly between the three of us.”

So he was outright admitting to collusion. Well, I had led them there, but I hadn’t expected them to be so blatant.

“You’re speaking quite proudly about collusion.”

When I said it with a sneer, Cheon Sang-do replied with a sly smile.

“Heo heo. You gave us two whole days, and in the end, wasn’t it to hear this exact answer?”

“Think what you will. So then, what about the price?”

The three once again exchanged glances. This time it was Yang Bong-gi who spoke.

“42 hwan per share. No more. Honestly, this price is already our limit.”

“That’s right! We’re entering this with blood-curdling hearts already! And let’s be frank—who else could buy up such a massive volume all at once? Even you would find it difficult, wouldn’t you?”

Ma Jin-woo added pressure alongside Yang Bong-gi, a desperate struggle not to lose initiative.

42 hwan.

That matched exactly with the bottom line I had set internally.

Of course, there was potential for prices to climb higher, but with over 16 million shares, securing stable disposal at this moment was best.

This was incomparable to KEPCO stock in sheer volume.

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

But I still spoke with composure.

“Do you think I came to you because I had no one else to sell this volume to?”

“Then go sell it elsewhere! Who’s stopping you!”

Veins bulging, Ma Jin-woo once again lashed out aggressively.

At that sight, I stifled a laugh inside.

‘They divided roles clearly. Yang Bong-gi decides, Cheon Sang-do adjusts the mood, and Ma Jin-woo takes the heat.’

Sure enough, just as I expected, Yang Bong-gi restrained Ma Jin-woo and continued.

“President Ma, control yourself. Now listen, young man. We’re not exactly in a leisurely situation either. Honestly speaking, how much more do you want?”

“Just one hwan more.”

I tossed out my final offer.

“43 hwan per share. At exactly that price, I’ll distribute according to the percentages you agreed upon.”

Given the sheer size of the volume, even a difference of one hwan per share meant a staggering increase in the total they’d have to pay.

Especially for Yang Bong-gi, who would be receiving the largest share, a groan slipped from his lips.

“You’ll be allotted 3.5 new shares for every one actual stock certificate. Think carefully if spending just one hwan more per share is truly a loss.”

The three exchanged glances one last time. Finally, Cheon Sang-do let out a subtle smile and nodded.

“Alright then. And we’ll pay in advance. So, can we make the deal right now?”

For a moment, seeing how readily they agreed, I wondered if I should have pushed for a higher price. But I quickly steadied myself.

Greed was dangerous.

Sometimes one had to endure for the sake of greater fruits later.

“That’s possible. As long as the payment is confirmed.”

“Then let’s head out at once!”

Yang Bong-gi leapt up eagerly, grabbing his coat.

“What are you waiting for? Not coming? Let’s hurry up!”

Even Ma Jin-woo rushed me.

It seemed they had already prepared the money.

Their impatience was written all over their faces.

I nodded and rose.

Cheon Sang-do asked with a friendly grin.

“Did you drive here yourself? Or do you want to ride with us?”

“No. We also came prepared.”

We left Hansanru and headed to our respective cars.

“Follow us closely, young man.”

I got into our car with Ma Dong-jin.

Once inside, he asked anxiously.

“Can we trust them? There’s a possibility it’s a trap.”

“What choice do we have? Trap or not, we have to go where the money is to make the deal.”

I answered indifferently while gazing out the window.

“Where are the actual stock certificates stored?”

“They’re securely kept in a warehouse near the U.S. Army base in Ichon-dong.”

While we talked, the presidents’ cars departed first.

Our car followed into the darkness.

The road felt strangely familiar. Well, the safest place now was there, so perhaps it was inevitable.

After about twenty minutes along the Han River, we arrived at the warehouse district in Ichon-dong.

In the darkness, cars halted in front of a warehouse.

When Ma Dong-jin and I got out, the three presidents were waiting.

Without a word, they went to the warehouse and unlocked three padlocks with their respective keys.

The iron door swung open, and when the lights came on, twenty black steel trunks lay in the center of the empty warehouse.

“Each trunk holds exactly fifty thousand bills of a thousand-hwan note. Counting them gave us quite a headache.”

Though Cheon Sang-do’s tone was light, the sheer weight of the one billion hwan in those twenty trunks pressed heavily upon the air inside the warehouse.

Their desperation in mobilizing such cash in so short a time was palpable.

Without a word, I signaled to Ma Dong-jin with my eyes.

He began opening trunks at random, checking bundles of cash.

He deftly undid the straps, flipped through bills with practiced hands, and even examined for counterfeit.

Only the sound of money being counted echoed through the silence.

The three presidents swallowed hard, eyes fixed solely on his hands.

By the time Ma Dong-jin began checking the third trunk, Cheon Sang-do finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Ahtta, young man! Do you truly not trust us at all? You think we’d play tricks here of all places? Stop fussing and let’s get on with it already!”

With his characteristic slick tone, Cheon Sang-do scolded.

I smiled gently and countered with ease.

“President, isn’t there a saying to tap even a stone bridge before crossing? Especially in a deal where this much money changes hands, being cautious can’t hurt. Unless… is there something on your conscience?”

“Heo heo, conscience? Nonsense! Truly, that’s not it! I’m just getting impatient because it’s taking too long.”

Even amid the subtle contest of nerves, Ma Dong-jin silently continued his checks, and at last he nodded.

“The amount is correct.”

At his low words, a glimmer of relief crossed the presidents’ faces.

“Bring the trucks to load the money, along with all the actual stock certificates.”

At my instruction, Ma Dong-jin approached cautiously and asked.

“Will you be alright staying here alone? We can’t predict what they might do.”

“If they had any such intent, they wouldn’t have so readily shown the money first. What they’re relying on isn’t me—it’s the person behind me. Go on.”

Only then did Ma Dong-jin stop asking and silently left the warehouse.

He disappeared, and as if waiting for that moment, Ma Jin-woo approached me, tapped my shoulder, and asked with a threatening glare.

“Don’t even think about playing tricks. Even if dirt gets in our eyes, your schemes won’t work on us.”

“Tricks?”

I chuckled lightly as I replied.

“You already looked into who’s standing behind me, haven’t you? That’s why you brought me to a place with this much cash, isn’t it?”

“I was meaning to ask you anyway. Just what is your relationship with old Yang Sobo?”

This time, Yang Bong-gi stepped closer and asked seriously.

“I’m merely staying at Mr. Yang’s residence for a while. This deal has nothing to do with him.”

“You think we’ll just believe that?”

“Whether you believe me or not is your choice.”

I shrugged indifferently.

Their suspicious gazes pierced sharply, but I had no obligation to ease their doubts.

“More importantly, shouldn’t we start organizing things now? I’m not taking all that money with me, so wouldn’t it be easier if we divide it beforehand? How shall we set the fee? It is an off-market deal, after all.”

“Still, shouldn’t you give at least 1%? We went through a lot of trouble moving this much money.”

Cheon Sang-do cut in slyly.

“President Cheon, 1% for an off-market deal without even a middleman? That’s excessive.”

“Eh! That much is only right. Otherwise, what profit do we make?”

Clearly, they intended to line their own pockets under the excuse of a fee. But I wasn’t about to yield so easily.

“0.5%. I won’t give more than that.”

“Ahtta, listen to this man! You’re making a massive profit and still want to cut it down? Isn’t that too much?”

“Judging by the money you prepared, you must have been expecting around 45 hwan per share. Since we settled at 43 hwan, the margin you’re pocketing is already substantial. Isn’t that enough?”

At my point, Cheon Sang-do shut his mouth like a clam. Raising one corner of my mouth, I asked.

“You agree to 0.5%, don’t you?”

“Ahtta, what a scary man. Alright then! Let’s do it that way!”

In the end, Cheon Sang-do backed down. From the start, he had likely only been probing, with nothing to lose.

“Good. Then, from the total transaction amount of 712,343,331 hwan, subtracting the 0.5% fee, my share comes to 708,742,809 hwan.”

I opened the nearest trunk and pulled out eighty-seven bundles of 100,000 hwan each.

“That’s 8.7 million hwan.”

Then I took out one more bundle, counted out forty-two notes, and put the rest back in the trunk.

“42,000 hwan. I’ll omit the remaining 809 hwan.”

Cheon Sang-do shook his head with a drained expression.

“Ruthless, ruthless. You even squeeze out 42,000 hwan.”

“Ha ha, calculations must be precise.”

I sat on top of the trunk and said,

“Now all that’s left is to wait.”

How much time passed? From outside the warehouse, the sound of many footsteps and low voices reached us.

Soon after, the heavy iron door opened again, and Ma Dong-jin entered with several sturdy men carrying heavy wooden crates in their hands.

“We brought them all.”

“Move them in.”

At my command, Ma Dong-jin signaled to the men.

They moved swiftly in unison, stacking the wooden crates neatly along the warehouse wall.

Even with several men working, it took a while due to the sheer volume.

“One hundred sixty-seven crates in total. One hundred thousand shares per crate, with the remainder in the last crate.”

This was also my first time seeing such a massive amount of actual stock certificates.

The smell of old paper and ink wafting from the crates stirred a strange excitement in me.

“Now, it’s time for you presidents to check them yourselves.”

The three eagerly each chose a crate and began prying them open.

They spent quite a while carefully verifying the condition and quantity of the certificates.

Lacking time to check every crate, they opened a few more at random and, after confirming, finally exchanged glances.

Closing his crate, Yang Bong-gi spoke at last.

“As far as we can tell, these are not counterfeit shares. Take the money.”

With Yang Bong-gi’s approval, the deal was finally sealed.

“Load fourteen trunks and that bundle onto the truck. You brought the bags, right?”

Ma Dong-jin nodded and, together with the men standing by, began loading the trunks filled with cash onto the waiting truck.

“It was a good deal.”

Meanwhile, I extended my hand to the three.

After shaking hands with each of them, I left the warehouse.

“How boring. I thought you’d at least try some tricks.”

The deal ended more uneventfully than expected.

I cast a glance back at the brightly lit warehouse, then turned away.

“Send the others back. Let’s just the two of us go together.”

I quietly instructed Ma Dong-jin.

After dismissing his men, the two of us headed to a small secret office in Myeong-dong that we had prepared in advance.

Only Ma Dong-jin and I knew of this place’s existence.

Inside, a bare space appeared without even a sofa.

Just an old desk and chair, and in the corner, a steel bed.

The only striking feature in the bleak room was a thick iron door on one wall, tightly fastened with several padlocks.

I pulled a heavy bundle of keys from my pocket and began unlocking the padlocks one by one.

“Alright, let’s move them.”

Ma Dong-jin and I began carrying the cash-filled trunks from the truck inside.

Each trunk was heavy in itself.

After several trips, hauling them in left my whole body drenched in sweat.

“Wow… this is no ordinary work.”

Only after pushing the final trunk into the vault did I collapse onto the floor, gasping for breath.

Even the iron-strong Ma Dong-jin wiped the sweat beading on his forehead, unable to hide his fatigue.

We shut the iron door again and carefully locked every padlock.

After fastening the last one, I asked Ma Dong-jin,

“I didn’t expect you to prepare a bed here. Are you going to sleep here?”

“Yes. I’ll guard this place for the time being.”

From now on, Ma Dong-jin would be the guardian of this secret vault.

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands.”

“Don’t worry.”

Seven hundred million hwan.

My chest swelled with excitement at the fact that I had successfully completed a deal of such unimaginable scale.

Leaving one last request with Ma Dong-jin to watch over the place, I headed toward Yang Sobo’s mansion with lightened steps.

But at the front gate, I ran into an unexpected figure.

A man with a chilling, unreadable gaze who seemed to have been about to leave the mansion. I never thought I’d meet him here.

‘…Jeong Tae-soo.’

The very man who had driven me to death. My heart sank with an icy chill.