Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 7

7. Molavden Mine, and Brothers (3)

Tae-soo said calmly.

“Extract as much molybdenum as possible in the shortest amount of time. Sell it well at a high price. That’s the goal.”

Han-soo listened quietly.

Tae-soo was confident.

“The molybdenum mine probably won’t be operating for long.”

“Why?”

“Molybdenum is a national strategic mineral, so management will be strict, and there’s a risk of it being taken away by the state.”

In fact, Oh Chun-shik had his molybdenum mine seized by the government.

It was Tae-soo’s work that got it into Cheongil Group.

But nominally, it was taken away under the pretext of being a national strategic mineral.

Oh Chun-shik’s molybdenum mine was absorbed into Daeun Heavy Stone, a state-owned enterprise.

“Therefore, we plan to use the money earned from the mine to develop other key industries. Namely, the construction business. We’re going to build apartments in Gangnam.”

“Develop Gangnam?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re thinking of this?”

Kang Han-soo’s gaze trembled slightly.

Surprise, embarrassment, doubt, admiration, awe.

It’s still barely noticeable unless you look closely.

Tae-soo grinned.

“Do you think I’m just thinking about it? Just wait a little. I’ll make it all a reality.”

Han-soo’s eyes widened slightly at his brother’s confident look.

“Han-soo, let’s do this right.”

Tae-soo reached out his hand first.

Han-soo stared silently at the hand Tae-soo offered.

“Han-soo, let’s not make our parents suffer anymore. Mom was crying.”

“Are you serious?”

“I don’t want to see this kind of farce happen again over a mere 100,000 won.”

“Damn it. That’s a foul way to put it.”

Han-soo straightened his posture.

Unlike his cold expression, his eyes burned hotter than lava.

‘To think that a guy who always seems so cold can burn like this.’

Tae-soo chuckled.

Han-soo grabbed his hand in return.

“Okay, don’t forget what you just said. It’s a promise on our parents.”

“Of course.”

It’s been a while.

Since I’ve shaken hands with my brother like this.

Han-soo, who had been wearing a cold expression, ended up chuckling.

It feels pretty good.

“Geez, you’re so prickly. It’s like you’re a needle.”

“Why do you keep calling me a needle?”

“Shh, don’t ask. You’ll get hurt if you know.”

“······.”

It’s true.

In the old days, everyone was afraid of being dragged to Namsan [a location infamous for government interrogations and potential torture during that era], so they kept quiet.

“Oh, Kang Han-soo. It seems like your grip is getting stronger?”

“You’re imagining things.”

It doesn’t seem like I’m imagining things?

Trembling.

Before they knew it, the two brothers were smiling and clenching their teeth, engaging in an arm wrestling match disguised as a handshake.

* * *

“There’s a lot to do. As you can see, the conditions are the worst.”

Tae-soo pointed to the old facilities.

The facilities abandoned here are all over 30 years old.

“We have outdated facilities, a poor environment, low pay, no results in mine development, and even a young mine owner. We have all the worst conditions.”

“So, let’s sell it. It’ll be easier.”

“Still, we have to give it a shot. Molybdenum came out. This brother will put you on a pile of money. Trust your brother.”

“You stubborn fool.”

Tae-soo and Han-soo put their heads together and began to discuss mine operations.

“Han-soo, we need to create a company.”

“A trading company specializing in mineral exports?”

“There’s more. It’s a waste to commission a construction company to build a dormitory for the miners.”

“Then, why not establish a construction company while you’re at it?”

“Good, I’ll take care of all the matters related to the establishment of the company.”

Mining and construction.

Operating two things at once.

‘Currently, our main business is mining, but in the future, we plan to focus on construction.’

Cheongil Apartment in Daechi-dong, which raised Cheongil Group to the ranks of a conglomerate!

I’m going to build and sell that first.

With the money earned from mining molybdenum!

Tae-soo burned with enthusiasm.

I can do it.

I will definitely do it.

“Let’s name the company Taeyang. Taeyang Trading, Taeyang Construction, Taeyang Mine.”

“Does it have any meaning?”

“A shaman said that if I do a business that touches the earth, I’ll become a Taeyang-like figure [Taeyang means ‘sun’ in Korean, implying a powerful and radiant presence].”

“······.”

“It’s too much of a hassle to name them all, so I’ll unify them all as Taeyang. Is that okay?”

“······.”

Han-soo was dumbfounded, but he nodded.

What does the name matter?

‘Han-soo, in fact, your child’s nickname was Taeyang.’

Han-soo’s child could not come out into the world.

Because Han-soo and his wife died together in their mother’s womb when they died.

‘I wanted to call your child’s name someday. In the previous life, I was an uncle and never called it properly.’

Tae-soo repeated the name he couldn’t reveal in his heart.

Molybdenum smelting facility issues, miner recruitment and salary issues, from transportation equipment to heavy equipment.

After putting our heads together and discussing it, things quickly fell into place.

The rhythm matches well.

Nothing is blocked.

At this point, I’m in the mood to be excited.

‘I’m excited to work with Kang Tae-soo.’

It’s absurd even when I think about it myself.

But the fulfilling sense of accomplishment that fills my heart deeply proves it.

“Han-soo, you’ve worked hard.”

“You’ve almost finished the basic plan in less than an hour? No way.”

The more I talk, the more surprised I am.

“Were you hiding your abilities on purpose?”

“Why would I do such a stupid thing?”

“Or have I not recognized it until now?”

“You know it well. You haven’t recognized it until now. You’re the only one who doesn’t know how cool this brother is.”

“······.”

Han-soo sighed.

‘He’s too experienced. How does he handle things so easily? Like a veteran who’s been rolling around in this field.’

Han-soo, who lives in the same house, knows better than anyone that that can’t be true.

‘What the hell is going on? There’s no way Kang Tae-soo can be this capable.’

Han-soo swallowed the words that rose to his throat.

Instead, he became serious.

“The most important problem remains. If we solve this, we can meet all the requirements related to the mine.”

“The money problem.”

“Yes, we need at least 20 million won.”

“Hmm.”

This is the core of all problems.

Even considering the price level, which is about 1/30 of that in 2020, it is quite a large amount.

If there is no business fund, all these plans are useless.

“Mines, in particular, require a huge amount of initial business funds.”

“We’re doing this to make money, but we can’t make money because we don’t have money.”

“That’s how everything is.”

The brothers looked at the mine and were silent for a while.

“Han-soo, this time, tell me honestly too. How were you planning to solve the money problem?”

“I was thinking of getting an investment.”

“From whom?”

“From anyone. I have to do as much as I can.”

Han-soo showed a weak side when it came to money matters.

‘Unexpected. I thought that guy would always be confident.’

Tae-soo looked at Han-soo with admiring eyes.

‘It’s great that he’s doing this much at that age. Now that I see it, our Han-soo is really something?’

Without knowing what Tae-soo was thinking, Han-soo sighed.

In the end, money, money, money.

Money is the problem.

Han-soo sighed.

“If we don’t have money, we can’t mine even if there’s a molybdenum mine in front of us.”

“Han-soo, think of it the other way around. If we solve the money problem, we’ll make a fortune with the molybdenum mine.”

Tae-soo was confident.

“Kang Tae-soo, it’s impossible to get a loan from a bank in our situation. We don’t have anyone among our acquaintances who can lend us money either.”

“That’s right.”

“We don’t have any real estate to use as collateral.”

“I know. And our house is about to be demolished.”

The threshold of banks in this era was so high that it was very difficult to get a loan.

No, it’s the same even in 2020.

It’s hard to borrow a large sum of money without property or a decent job.

It’s right to give up on the bank.

Tae-soo quietly fiddled with the mine rights certificate in his arms.

Han-soo’s voice grew smaller.

“There’s no way. It’s beyond my ability. Let’s just sell the mine.”

Clap.

Tae-soo clapped his hands.

“There’s no choice. Then I’ll take care of the money problem. End.”

“What?”

“I’ll solve the money problem. If we solve that, the molybdenum mine problem is over. Isn’t it?”

“What are you saying now? What can you do about the money problem······.”

Tae-soo put his hand on Han-soo’s shoulder.

“Trust this brother.”

“Uh? It feels like you’re putting me in a headlock? Keuheuk!”

“You’re imagining things.”

It doesn’t seem like I’m imagining things?

I’m really suffocating!

This time, the brothers were tumbling over each other again because of a headlock disguised as a shoulder hug.

* * *

No one spoke first while taking the intercity bus to Seoul.

Han-soo was burning inside.

‘He’s so carefree. He’s even snoring in the middle of this.’

How could he have made such a big noise about solving the money problem?

It’s even more unsettling because I don’t know the plan.

Finally, when they arrived in Seoul, Han-soo, who couldn’t stand it any longer, broke the silence.

“What are you really going to do?”

“What do you mean what am I going to do? I have to solve the money problem.”

“Gambling, pimping, kidnapping, abduction, murder, robbery, fraud, forgery. Which one is it?”

“······.”

I was dumbfounded.

“Why is your head all about crime? Is it that hard to trust your brother?”

“There’s no way to get money right now. It’s not something to be loud about.”

“Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“To solve the money problem.”

“Now? Right now?”

Tae-soo strode ahead, and Kang Han-soo followed.

Tae-soo looked around.

“Taxi!”

Han-soo sighed and grabbed Tae-soo’s hand.

“Taxi fares are expensive. The bus is still running.”

“…Oh, I guess so.”

Nagging.

* * *

Myeongdong in the 1970s was one of the most developed places in Seoul.

As a simple example, unlike other areas of Seoul, there are many tall buildings.

Cars crowded the roads, and the stores lining the streets were crowded with people.

Even in Myeongdong, where land prices are expensive, there was a magnificent mansion.

A stone wall built like a fortress and a towering iron gate.

It was a mansion that fully flaunted its wealth.

“Amazing? It’s much more magnificent than I heard.”

Tae-soo admired quietly.

Han-soo felt hope when he saw the mansion.

“Will someone with this kind of mansion invest in us?”

“Hmm.”

“How did you get to know such a rich person?”

“Well, I’ve only heard about it.”

He’s said to be the richest man in Korea right now, but he’ll go bankrupt in an instant in two weeks.

Thanks to that, I’ve heard a lot about his fierce reputation, but I’ve never seen him with my own eyes.

Tang, tang, tang.

“Hello?”

Tae-soo shouted loudly.

After a while, someone came out.

“Who is it?”

“I’m Kang Tae-soo. I’ve come to find Song Jin-gu.”

“Song Jin-gu? Ah, please wait a moment.”

Han-soo frowned.

“Song Jin-gu? I’ve heard that name somewhere.”

“You must have just heard it? You’ve met him too.”

A face flashed through my head like lightning.

A person who introduced himself as Song Jin-gu, the Myeongdong Hyena.

Han-soo was surprised and widened his eyes.

“Song Jin-gu, the Myeongdong Hyena? Was he at Chun-shik’s uncle’s house?”

“That’s right.”

“What are you going to do by visiting a loan shark?”

“If you’ve come to a loan shark, there’s only one thing to do. Money.”

“What?”

“Debt is also money.”

Han-soo was shocked.

“Are you out of your mind? The annual interest rate on private loans is a whopping 50%.”

“Is there any other way?”

Tae-soo looked up at the sky with a bitter face.

“I never thought I’d come to a loan shark’s house on my own. There’s no choice.”

Han-soo said urgently.

“Let’s not use private loans. I’ll search all over Seoul for investors. If it doesn’t work in Seoul, I’ll search the whole country.”

“How long will it take? 1 year? 2 years? It’s too late.”

Tae-soo put his hand on Han-soo’s shoulder.

This time, he smiled confidently again.

“Trust your brother. Whatever nonsense I say, just watch.”

“Kang Tae-soo!”

“I’m going to get a promissory note from the loan shark today.”

“What?”

Han-soo was dumbfounded.

To the extent that I doubt whether the nonsense I just heard is proper nonsense.

‘This crazy bastard, really. Even so, that’s not right!’

Did he say it backwards?

How can someone who came to borrow money get a promissory note from a loan shark?