Chapter 18

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Squeeze-Out
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Kim Kkotnim’s grandmother was holding out, claiming she couldn’t sell the land because of a grave within the 400-pyeong plot, but to Taeseo, that was nothing more than an excuse.

The old woman was simply digging in her heels over those 400 pyeong.

Namgyeong Development had already purchased all the land in the area except for the 400-pyeong plot owned by Kim Kkotnim’s grandmother.

If the act of buying a piece of land within a development site to sell it at an exorbitant price is called a “Property Holdout,” then its opposite is what’s known as “The Squeeze-Out.”

To resolve property holdouts, the law allows developers who have purchased 80% of a project site to file a sales claim for the remaining 20%, enabling them to forcibly buy the land. Simply put, it’s a compulsory acquisition of property.

However, this provision did not apply to the construction of private golf courses. That was why Namgyeong Development had submitted a plan to develop the golf course as a public sports facility, operated jointly with the local government, and had successfully obtained the development permit.

The Seongwu Township golf course would thus be operated as a public facility for several years after its development. Once the contract ended, Namgyeong Development would take over full operational control and develop it into a comprehensive resort.

The grounds for compulsory land acquisition had been established under the guise of a public project. If things went south, they could acquire Kim Kkotnim’s grandmother’s land for far less than the offered price of 100 per pyeong.

Nevertheless, the local government hoped that no residents would be harmed in the process, and any friction during development would only cause delays. That was why Taeseo was here.

“She’s going to all this trouble, even running to the town office at her age just to get a higher price for her land. It’s time to fight fire with fire.”

Separate from his aversion to getting his hands dirty, Taeseo was the right man for this job.

“The moment she realizes holding out isn’t an option will be her rude awakening.”

He had grown up watching and learning how to move people with money.

Every year, he had watched the negotiations between Namgyeong Group and its labor union with interest, growing up seeing how his father, Chairman Kwon, handled them.

Even though he had no interest in management, watching his father manage people had taught him how money moves people, and how it moves the world.

He could negotiate by offering a little more money, but if he took one step back, the other side would demand even more. A sluggish negotiation could easily stretch into two or three rounds.

At times, he found An Yuna’s situation unfortunate, and even the grandmother’s desperate struggle to get a higher price for her 400 pyeong of land seemed pitiful, but at the end of the day, those were their problems.

Taeseo had no intention of abandoning the alternative he had found—namely, using An Yuna’s uncle.

It would be more beneficial for them to accept a reasonable sum and walk away than to have their land forcibly taken.

Whose pocket that money ended up in and how it was spent was a matter for them to decide.

Now that he had found a weakness, it was time to latch onto it and not let go.

* * *

Once again, evening had passed and it was time for a meal. For Taeseo, who was living alone for the first time, the most troublesome part of his day was the three mealtimes.

At first, he tried cutting back to two meals a day, but for Taeseo, who was taller than most and had more muscle mass, resulting in a higher basal metabolic rate, skipping meals was not a proper solution.

“Ah, the lady from Seongwu Diner gave me some side dishes.”

At least today, he didn’t have to think too hard. It was because of the side dishes the owner of Seongwu Diner had given him.

After the incident with the recycled side dishes, he had seen the owner twice more and concluded that she wasn’t the type to play games with food.

In fact, seeing her roll up her sleeves to confront An Yuna’s uncle made her seem like a person of conscience.

The side dishes she brought as an apology, then, must have been properly made.

Taeseo took the containers out of the fridge. He first pulled out peppers dressed in barley soybean paste, freshly made stuffed cucumber kimchi, and steamed perilla leaves in soy sauce, followed by grilled short rib patties and pan-fried beef.

The food showed clear signs of care and effort. The neat arrangement in disposable containers, the color of the seasonings, and the presentation were all excellent.

Based on his return visit to Seongwu Diner, the food was flawless in taste, so all of this was bound to be delicious.

Suddenly, Taeseo stopped what he was doing.

“Ah… there’s no rice. I really need to stock up on some instant rice.”

Having eaten only meals prepared for him his entire life, he had never realized what a hassle it was to sort out his own food. He sighed, opened the front door, and went outside.

As he walked down the stairs to the first floor, he saw a bus stopping on the main road through the glass door.

Taeseo frowned upon seeing An Yuna get off. It was almost astonishing to him that she had gone to work and was now returning after having her head split open yesterday.

“She’s tough as nails.”

The stitched cut on her hairline wasn’t glaringly obvious, but having witnessed the assault and its aftermath, An Yuna looked particularly exhausted to Taeseo today.

He suddenly recalled the words of the Seongwu Diner owner.

‘Yesterday was nothing. He used to break her arm and cause a scene all the time. He only leaves her limbs alone now because she’s earning money. If you were to see her undressed, there probably isn’t a single part of her body that’s unscathed.’

If her words were true, An Yuna must have been constantly beaten by that uncle of hers. That would explain why she commuted to and from work as if it were nothing, even after getting her head busted open.

“None of my business.”

Just as he thought that and turned his gaze away, a dark figure from inside the convenience store started running toward An Yuna.

“An Yuna!”

From the staggering gait and the disheveled appearance of a vagrant, Taeseo instantly recognized who it was. It was An Yuna’s uncle.

The moment the bus pulled away, An Yuna’s uncle rushed toward her. Seeing him, An Yuna stood frozen in place, as if her feet were rooted to the spot.

“She should run, not just stand there like an idiot.”

Taeseo clicked his tongue and turned, walking toward An Yuna.

“Give me the PIN, you bitch. I said give me the fucking PIN!”

An Yuna shouted back at her money-grubbing uncle.

“It all went to the loan payment today, I swear!”

Though her face was filled with terror, she seemed to have no intention of running away. No, it looked as if she had nowhere to run.

“Don’t you lie to me!”

Her uncle once again raised his hand high above his head. Just as his coarse hand was about to strike An Yuna, Taeseo yelled out loudly.

“Landlord! Hey, Landlord!”

Calling her “Landlord” instead of An Yuna naturally drew the attention of both her and her uncle, whose hand was still raised, toward Taeseo.

Taeseo squared his broad shoulders and stepped in front of An Yuna. Standing before the two, he heaved agitated breaths, as if seething with rage. He looked like an animal in a nature documentary, posturing to establish dominance before a fight.

Taeseo glared at An Yuna with a fierce, angry expression.

“Ah, fuck. The air conditioner filter stinks, you know? It stinks!”

“What?”

An Yuna’s eyes went wide.

“How long has it been since you cleaned the air conditioner filter? The dust, hey! The dust is just!”

At Taeseo’s words, An Yuna widened her eyes as if it couldn’t be true and countered in a small voice.

“From the air conditioner…?”

In truth, the air conditioner filter was perfectly fine. But Taeseo acted like a nightmare customer determined to find fault.

“I mean, for fuck’s sake. You’re raking in 300,000 won a month for a shoebox of a room. If you’re going to manage the facilities like this, there’s no way I can live in this room!”

Standing next to An Yuna’s uncle, Taeseo shifted his weight to one leg and stared down at her menacingly. In response, her uncle clasped his hands behind his back and studied Taeseo’s expression.

Bullies like him, who preyed on the weak, were invariably weak in the face of the strong. Especially in front of people like Taeseo—young, large, and quick with harsh words.

And if that strong person also happened to be their source of income, they were one hundred percent certain to tuck their tail between their legs.

“Hey, young man, why are you talking so rough? What’s wrong with the air conditioner…?”

Was he worried Taeseo might move out over the smell? An Yuna’s uncle spoke up. A thick stench of alcohol wafted from him as he opened his mouth.

“You, the drunk old man, shut your mouth.”

Taeseo’s arrogant tone visibly flustered An Yuna’s uncle.

“I-I’m not some drunk old man, I’m this building’s—”

“This building’s what? Ah, fuck it, this is so annoying. Maybe I should just move out.”

The man’s eyes wavered at Taeseo’s words. After all, for someone who lived as the notorious town ruffian, Taeseo was probably the first person to ever confront him so directly.

Taeseo tore his gaze from the pathetic man and looked at An Yuna with even more menace.

“Hey, Landlord. Give me a refund for the remaining days.”