Chapter 72
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Min-Ho Kang came into Suk-Ho's bar . He was with a woman who was wearing glasses .
"Hey, Min-Ho . Do you remember Gun-Ho Goo?"
Min-Ho looked at Gun-Ho .
"Oh, Gun-Ho . It has been a while . "
Min-Ho extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake, but he didn't ask Gun-Ho what he was doing for a living .
Min-Ho was one of the popular kids in high school while Gun-Ho was an invisible boy who was always sitting at the back of the classroom . Gun-Ho in high school was a mediocre student in a poor family .
Whenever the students in the class chipped in to buy a snack or a meal, Gun-Ho would always go outside the classroom quietly because he didn't have money to contribute . He always felt small because of money .
"This is Eun-Mi Song . She is a magazine journalist . "
Min-Ho introduced the woman he came with to Suk-Ho .
"Are you coming from the protest against the Four Major Rivers Project again?"
"F*ckers! They are trying so hard to spend an astronomical amount of money to damage our environment . I am so worried about this country . "
Suk-Ho brought some beers with snacks made of cabbage and squid which Suk-Ho was so proud of .
After everyone drank their beers at least once, Min-Ho looked at Gun-Ho and said,
"Gun-Ho Goo! Are you still living in that townhouse in Juan Town in Incheon?"
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"Yeah, my parents are still there, but I live somewhere else . "
"Our family already left Incheon and moved to Dangsan Town . So, what do you do for a living?"
Suk-Ho who was sitting next to Gun-Ho answered for him .
"Gun-Ho had a Korean restaurant business in China . He came back to Korea not long ago, and he is now learning about auction . "
"Auction? That costs money . Do you have money for it?"
Min-Ho asked with a scornful look on his face .
"I don't have money but I thought it would be useful to know…"
Suk-Ho responded for Gun-Ho again while handing paper napkins to Min-Ho, Gun-Ho, and the lady whom Min-Ho was with .
"Auction is not just for people who have money for a direct investment . You can also get a job related to it if you know enough about it, right?"
"There are tons of con-artists in the auction field . They attract their victims with real estate development plan . "
Min-Ho said while wiping the beer foam off his mouth with a napkin .
The journalist lady showed her interest when she heard the word—real estate development plan .
"I covered the topic last year . It is true that there are many people just like Seondal* in the field .
"That's right . There are some as*holes spreading rumors that the land's price around the four major rivers would go up considerably . They have no idea what kind of disaster we could create and pass on to the next generation with that project . F*ck! Journalist Eun-Mi Song! Let's drink!"
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"Oh, by the way, did you go to college? What did you study?"
"Yeah, I went to a college in China—Zhejiang University . "
"China? Many unqualified kids who failed to be admitted to universities in Korea go to college in China . There was an incident with Korean international students in China not long ago . They rode motorcycles so loudly that Chinese local people complained . "
Gun-Ho smiled bitterly .
"Some do and some don't . There are way more Korean students who don't do that kind of things in China . There are very few students who ride a motorcycle there . "
"Really? What do you think of the Four Major Rivers Project?"
"Well, I'm not sure . I don't know much about it . "
The journalist lady started talking this time .
"We all have to pay attention to it . We have to prevent it from happening . It's not just damaging our environment; it will be a disaster . "
The journalist gulped her beer . She took out a cigarette and started smoking .
Suk-Ho left the table when customers came into the bar, to serve them . There were now three people at Gun-Ho's table .
Once they became a bit drunk, Min-Ho and Eun-Mi started singing a song quietly while clenching their fists . It sounded like some sort of a protest song .
"You don't know this song? Let's sing it together!"
Min-Ho asked Gun-Ho to sing along, but Gun-Ho just smiled without singing . Gun-Ho didn't know the song . Gun-Ho didn't spend time in a college campus and had no idea about a protest song .
When Gun-Ho came back to his office-tel, he thought about the Four Major Rivers Project .
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"The answer is up to whether Myung-Bak Lee would be elected or not . A wise man or an expert like Chairman Lee should know about it, but I can't figure it out . I am so stuck in my own thoughts . "
Gun-Ho closed his eyes .
"If Myung-Bak Lee ("MB") is elected, he will certainly start the Four Major Rivers Project . Real estate speculators are buying land in Yeoju City, Icheon City, and even in Chungju City . They seemed to bet on MB's election . "
Gun-Ho walked to the window and looked down the street . The street was busy with cars .
"I don't know whether the project will help control the flood, secure water resources for farming and industrial use, or if it will damage the environment . I am not an expert in the field . My involvement here is whether I could use this controversial event as my opportunity to make money . "
Gun-Ho decided to make a short trip to Yeoju City and Icheon City to just look around .
"Okay, let's go!"
Gun-Ho rented a Sonata and drove the Han Riverside road toward Misari from Yeongdeungpo District .
"Han River is quiet . It doesn't say anything . It's the people who make a fuss about the Four Major Rivers Project . "
Han River served as a water source for 10,000,000 citizens in Seoul and 12,500,000 citizens in Gyeonggi Province . It was flowing quietly and peacefully .
"This river flowed yesterday, and it will continuously be flowing tomorrow . "
Gun-Ho arrived at Yangsu Town after passing by Misari and going through Paldang Bridge .
"The scenery is amazing . Korea's nature is truly beautiful . "
Gun-Ho drove down to Yeoju City along the river . There were many realtors' offices along the road with a banner saying 'Land . ' There was another banner saying 'We welcome Four Major Rivers Project,' and another banner saying 'Absolutely No to Four Major Rivers Project . '
"I see a lot of luxurious cars parked in front of the realtors' offices . There are certainly people here who are loaded with funds that wanted to buy land here . "
Gun-Ho parked his car in front of a realtor's office . As soon as he parked the car, two men wearing a hat ran toward Gun-Ho .
"Did you come to see a land? Come to our office . "
"No, come to our office . "
The two men grabbed each of Gun-Ho's arms . Gun-Ho laughed and went to the office closest to him . In the realtor's office, a man in his 50s was explaining something to three women who were sitting on a chair . He was using a large map hanging on the wall; he was pointing at something on the map with a stick .
"Are you here to see a land?"
"Yes, I would just like to know the current price . "
"Why don't you join us and sit next to the lady over there? I will explain to you . "
One of the ladies moved to the side to give a space for Gun-Ho to sit .
"Have a seat . Manager Kim, please bring a cup of tea for this gentleman . "
Gun-Ho was sort of pushed to the seat and started listening to the man .
"This is the flow of the southern part of Han River . A weir will be built right here . This part is a greenbelt land and a military zone so no one can touch it . However, this part right here just came out on the market . "
The man said in a low voice,
"If you buy this land now, the price will go up twice once MB is elected as our president . In that respect, you people sitting here right now are very lucky . You don't need to think twice, just grab it . This is indeed the opportunity of a lifetime . "
Note*
Seondal – A famous swindler in Korea .