Chapter 54: Because Gold Never Loses Its Shine
Just after lunch, the alleyway had grown quiet.
We walked along a street lined with old, worn-out signs until we stopped in front of a shabby shop bearing a faded board that read, “Ilshin Gold & Silver Shop (日新金銀房).”
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary workshop that could collapse at any mont.
“Please wait here.”
Lee Cheong-ho said stiffly.
Wait? I looked at him curiously.
“Shouldn’t I go in with you?”
“No. We need permission first.”
He entered, opening the creaky door, and closed it carefully behind him.
I stood before the old shop, rubbing my chin slowly as I examined the traces of ti worn into the place.
This seed to be one of the people I had asked Yang Sobo to introduce to.
“Judging by the sign, it looks like a place that deals in precious tals… but I don’t recall any Ilshin Gold & Silver Shop existing.”
While I was staring at the sign, deep in thought, the door opened and Lee Cheong-ho ca back out.
“Go on in.”
I grabbed the doorknob to step inside, but Lee Cheong-ho remained rooted in place. Wasn’t he coming with ?
Perhaps reading my thoughts, he spoke first before I could ask.
“It’s proper etiquette to enter alone here. Old Master Hwang values such manners. I’ll wait outside.”
An unusual old man, I thought. But there was no need to offend him at our first eting, so I nodded and stepped inside.
The shop was dim, light barely filtering in. A few dusty silver spoons sat alone in an old wooden display case.
At a workbench in the back, an old man with a slightly stooped back was working on sothing under a small fla.
Even after I entered, he didn’t look up — just focused entirely on his work.
I waited silently for him to finish, glancing around again.
A chaotic ss that seed allergic to order, empty display cases with no goods inside — it hardly looked like a functioning store.
How long had it been? With a faint sizzle, the fla went out, and only then did he finally lift his head.
Through the magnifying lens, the old man’s eyes glead. His gaze shone clearly even in the dim light.
“What brings you here?”
His voice was barely above a whisper, yet each syllable was precise and clear.
“I’d like to buy so gold bars.”
“You’d like to buy so gold bars, hmm…”
Old Master Hwang regarded with interest before continuing.
“The Master told you to co to ?”
“Yes. When I ntioned I wanted to buy so precious tals, he recomnded you.”
“And do you even know who I am?”
“How could I?”
At my candid reply, Old Master Hwang burst into laughter.
“If the Master introduced to you, that ans he entrusted his authority to you. He’s never once introduced to anyone else.”
“What does that an…?”
Entrusted his authority? I couldn’t quite grasp what he ant. But the old man didn’t seem intent on explaining.
“You’ll find out soon enough. So, how much do you intend to buy?”
“I’d like to purchase roughly two hundred million hwan worth.”
“Two hundred million hwan, eh. Quite a lot.”
He stood up, glanced at the tightly shut door behind , and looked up and down.
“Are you Chinese?”
“No, I’m Korean.”
Old Master Hwang gave a small nod, then moved toward the worn wall behind his workbench and pushed at it with effort.
The wall turned out to be a door.
As a section opened, a staircase appeared, leading downward into the dark.
“Follow .”
I followed him down the narrow, steep stairs. Damp, cold air enveloped my whole body.
At the bottom stood a thick iron door.
Old Master Hwang inserted several keys, and when the heavy door swung open, a blinding golden glow spilled out from within.
It was a vault.
Shelves lined every wall, each stacked high with gold bars both large and small, piled like bricks.
Under the dim bulbs, the gold bars glead with such radiance that they seed to emit light of their own, exuding a mysterious and overwhelming aura.
I montarily forgot to breathe. Numbers on paper couldn’t compare to this — tangible, absolute value right before my eyes.
I stood there, lost in the splendor.
“Get a hold of yourself, young man.”
The old man’s quiet voice snapped back to reality.
“If you get too drunk on gold, you’ll never die of old age.”
His words pierced like an awl. I ca to my senses and looked at him.
“These are troubled tis — gold’s worth is gold’s worth. Even on the black market, you’ll need to pay at least 3,000 hwan per don.”
“Understood. Please prepare it at that rate — two hundred million hwan’s worth.”
“Good.”
Old Master Hwang deftly began taking out heavy 10-kilogram gold bars from the shelves.
He placed each bar on a worn yet precise-looking scale, checking the weight one by one.
With each bar added, the counterweights tilted heavily.
Finally, when all twenty-five bars were set, the scale pointed exactly to 250 kilograms.
“Well then, you’ve checked the goods. Now let’s see the money.”
I drew out a two-hundred-million-hwan check issued by Citizens Bank and handed it to him.
Old Master Hwang took out a magnifying glass, examined it closely, then nodded in satisfaction.
He gestured toward a pile of wooden crates in the corner of the vault with a grin.
“The crates are on the house.”
“Thank you.”
Together, we packed the gold bars into several sturdy wooden boxes. Each one weighed nearly as much as a grown man.
“If possible, head straight to the Korea Bank’s main branch. They’ve got private safety vaults in the basent — strong enough to survive air raids during the war. Their security’s the best in the country. I’ll write you a letter of recomndation under my na — it’ll be safer for both you and your gold.”
He even went as far as to recomnd a place for storage. But I shook my head.
“No. I plan to keep them elsewhere. Do you perhaps know of another place you’d recomnd?”
“Hmm… you’re staying at Master Yang’s residence, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That place is safe enough… but if you were planning to use it, you wouldn’t be asking this, would you?”
Of course, Yang Sobo’s mansion was secure.
But that wasn’t what I wanted right now. Even though only the two of us were present, I lowered my voice slightly.
“That’s why I wanted your advice, sir. Is there any place where I could store sothing of this value — safely, and out of the governnt’s reach?”
The aning behind out of the governnt’s reach wasn’t lost on Old Master Hwang. A faint smile crossed his lips.
“Heh, cautious one, aren’t you? So, you don’t even trust the authorities, eh?”
After pondering a mont, he opened an old desk drawer and took out a small key and a slip of paper.
“When you go to Myeong-dong, there’s an old Japanese-style property that’s now an abandoned house.
In its basent lies a secret vault the Japanese built during the war to hide their valuables.”
After saying that, the old man drew a simple map on the notepad, wrote down an address, and handed it to .
“Are you going to et Teacher Park today as well?”
“How did you know?”
“Heh, if Master Yang introduced you to , I figured he’d also have introduced you to that friend, Teacher Park.”
“What kind of person is Teacher Park?”
“Well… he’s like a bat. Hard to describe him any other way.”
“A bat?”
Was it all right for him to say that about soone connected to Yang Sobo? I looked at him with doubt, and Old Master Hwang grinned slyly.
“Once you et him, you’ll understand what I an. As it happens, Teacher Park is currently looking for a buyer on behalf of that house’s owner. If you tell him I sent you, he’ll understand.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After a brief bow, I turned toward the wooden boxes filled with gold bars. There was no way I could carry them alone.
“May I call for Lee Cheong-ho?”
It would be impossible for just the two of us — the old man and — to move them. Old Master Hwang, knowing this, nodded without hesitation.
I climbed the stairs and called in Lee Cheong-ho, who was waiting outside, and together we returned to the vault. The two of us carried all the wooden boxes filled with gold up to the surface.
The weight of gold was no joke. After a brief thought, I made a request to Old Master Hwang.
“May I use your phone for a mont?”
“As much as you like.”
I borrowed his phone and called Ma Dong-jin, who was guarding the office where my vault was. I told him to get a truck and co over.
While waiting for Ma Dong-jin, I talked with Old Master Hwang. The more we spoke, the more I sensed he had lived quite a turbulent life.
“You know sothing?”
His voice was calm, but the corners of his lips curled with a playful smirk.
“The reason I love gold is simple. Paper burns to ash, and even when nations fall and nas change…”
“Gold never loses its shine.”
“Exactly!”
When I finished his sentence, Old Master Hwang clapped his hands in delight.
“Don’t you find it dangerous, doing all this alone?”
“Why? Does an old man guarding a shop alone make you think otherwise?”
Of course, I knew there was more to what I saw. But not everyone in this world was like .
“I don’t trust people. Trust? That’s just a word you use when you’re getting a gold tooth made. I trust only the balance of a scale and human greed. That’s why I don’t keep anyone close.”
“Still…”
I glanced sideways at Lee Cheong-ho. If soone strong and solid like him ever harbored ill intent…
Old Master Hwang noticed my gaze and burst into hearty laughter.
“To do business with , one needs recomndations from a select few, including Master Yang. Otherwise, no one can even et . The only reason I was here today was because I got word yesterday that you were coming.”
The source of his confidence lay in his secrecy and his tightly controlled circle of trust. Now I finally understood why I’d never known of his existence in my past life.
Just then, the door opened and Ma Dong-jin entered.
“Please help move these.”
Ma Dong-jin and Lee Cheong-ho began carrying the wooden boxes outside. Since the alley was too narrow for a vehicle, it took quite so ti to move everything to the main road.
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Before I left, Old Master Hwang handed another note.
“Next ti, contact through this.”
“Is this where the Elder stays?”
“No. But there’s soone there who can relay ssages to . If you send word, you’ll receive a reply within two days.”
“I understand.”
He’d given a way to contact him directly — without going through Yang Sobo. It seed I’d made a favorable impression on him.
As I stepped out of the gold shop, the wooden door closed behind . Old Master Hwang must have shut it from inside.
I looked up at the faded sign, lost in thought. His words echoed in my mind — that I had inherited Master Yang’s authority.
What exactly did that an?
anwhile, Ma Dong-jin lifted the last box.
“The final one, boss.”
“Let’s go.”
Together with Ma Dong-jin and Lee Cheong-ho, I returned to the building where my vault was and carried the boxes inside.
“I’ll leave it to you, then.”
I asked Ma Dong-jin to guard the vault for the ti being, then left with Lee Cheong-ho.
“Where to next?”
“We’re going to et Teacher Park.”
“Hmm… Old Master Hwang and Teacher Park — are they both Master Yang’s people?”
“Does that matter?”
The sharp reply caught off guard. I glanced at Lee Cheong-ho, then answered casually.
“Just curious.”
“It’s ambiguous to call them Master Yang’s people. But yes, they do receive his support.”
“Are you uncomfortable that I’ve been introduced to them?”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, since yesterday, I can’t shake the feeling that your gaze toward hasn’t been particularly warm.”
Lee Cheong-ho didn’t respond. But I could guess what was going through his mind.
“Why? You think I might beco Yang Sobo’s successor? Do you really think that’s possible? That a Korean like could beco the leader of the Chinese community?”
“I have no reason to comnt on Master Yang’s decisions.”
He spoke firmly and walked ahead. His stiff back betrayed the conflict within.
Our next destination was Daeseong Real Estate, located in the heart of Myeong-dong’s bustling streets.
Unlike the flashy buildings nearby, the office was plain — almost shabby.
But as soon as we stepped inside, a man in his early forties sitting at a desk jumped up in surprise.
His hair was slicked back with pomade, his Western-style suit fit perfectly, and his shoes glead spotless.
“Oh my, Mr. Lee Cheong-ho!”
Teacher Park’s face lit up with an exaggerated smile as he hurried over to greet him.
“It’s been so long! I should’ve co out to welco you myself.”
He didn’t even glance at , his attention fully devoted to flattery toward Lee Cheong-ho.
Lee, accustod to such behavior, responded curtly.
“I’m just here briefly on the Master’s errand.”
“Ah, I see! The Master’s been well, I hope?”
“That’s not sothing you need to concern yourself with.”
Lee cut him off.
“I’m not the one here for business today — he is.”
He gestured toward , and only then did Park Jeong-su’s gaze turn my way.
His genial smile stayed in place, but behind the golden fras of his glasses, his eyes quickly assessed from head to toe — appraising my worth.
“It’s my first ti seeing you… You’ve brought quite a distinguished guest. I’m Park Jeong-su.”
“I’m Baek Min-woo.”
At first glance, he seed pleasant enough, but I didn’t like his eyes. He didn’t even try to hide the way he asured people’s value.
My first impression of him was anything but good.
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