My Dad is Too Strong-Chapter 310

Chapter 310
Article 3, Clause 2 of the “Special Act on Monopoly Regulation and Fissure Utilization” (Prohibition of Abuse of Dominant Position) stated the following:
All individuals must utilize Fissures peacefully and fairly. No one may exercise monopolistic rights without the approval of the bureau responsible for managing said Fissures. Particularly, it is prohibited to unjustly interfere with others’ use of Fissures.
Cheol-Soo’s expression was grim as he read the legislation on the Ministry of Government Legislation’s website. Logging into the Fissure management system, he accessed the entry records of the C-rank orc Fissure in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu. The records showed numerous Hunters entering the Fissure, only to leave shortly after—a suspicious pattern.
“Chief, what should we have for lunch today?” Hyuk-Soo asked.
“Huh? O-oh, you guys decide. I’m fine with anything. I’m going to step out for some air.”
Cheol-Soo closed his laptop and stood up. His face looked pale, and his hand trembled as he retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his suit pocket. His demeanor as he left the office was noticeably different from usual.
After a moment of thought, Hyuk-Soo got up from his desk and then quickly followed him, calling out to Do-Jun as he passed, “I’ll be right back, Do-Jun. Something seems off about our chief.”
“Understood.”
As the door closed, Do-Jun approached Cheol-Soo’s desk and opened his laptop. The Fissure Management System interface appeared, showing the recent entry logs of the C-rank orc Fissure in Banpo-dong. He slowly scrolled through the most recent records.
***
Cheol-Soo smoked a cigarette on the rooftop of Seoul City Hall, trying to steady his trembling hands as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. His mind drifted back to the previous week when he visited Banpo-dong to investigate a ed “workshop” suspected of illegal activities.
Initially, he had no particular thoughts on the matter and saw it just as another routine enforcement task. If the was accurate and there really was an illegal workshop, he would issue a warning, and if they refused to comply, he would impose a fine or file a legal complaint. The operation was run by Shark Guild, a fairly well-known B-rank guild.
The Hunters of Shark Guild ignored his warning. Following standard procedure, Cheol-Soo issued a 5 million won fine as a first warning. It was a mild penalty, and the Hunters paid it the very next day. However, just as Cheol-Soo thought that everything was going normally, the real trouble started.
What should I do?
Cheol-Soo stared at a phone number on his smartphone and hesitated.
Then, the rooftop door opened with a metallic
clunk
, and another man stepped outside. Startled, Cheol-Soo quickly slipped his phone into his pocket and hurriedly resumed smoking. Hyuk-Soo approached him slowly.
“O-oh, Hyuk-Soo. You’re out here for some fresh air, too?” Cheol-Soo asked, acting as if he had just noticed him.
Hyuk-Soo nodded and stood beside him. “Chief, is something wrong?”
“W-what makes you think something’s wrong? I just needed a smoke break. Sitting in the office all day gets stuffy, you know.
Haha
.”
Cheol-Soo scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to appear nonchalant. But Hyuk-Soo, who had worked with him for years, recognized this as a telltale sign that he was lying.
Cheol-Soo asked, “What about you, Hyuk-Soo? Why did you come up here?”
“Same reason as you. Just needed some fresh air.”
“Yeah, the rooftop’s the best for that—Ouch!”
Cheol-Soo flinched when the burning cigarette filter touched his fingers. He dropped the cigarette butt, reached into the pack for another, but then paused, took a deep breath, and put the pack back in his pocket.
“I’m just going to... head back down,” he said.
***
Cheol-Soo arrived at the office of a National Assembly member in Seocho-gu, Seoul. It was almost 8 PM, but the office lights still shone brightly. The sign read “Assemblyman Ha Dae-Chul.”
Swallowing nervously, Cheol-Soo adjusted his tie before walking toward the door, where a man approached him.
“Are you Section Chief Kang Cheol-Soo?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Please wait a moment.”
The man, presumably an aide, knocked on the door of the assemblyman’s office.
A voice was heard from the other side of the door. “Let him in.”
Upon confirmation from the assemblyman, the aide opened the door and gestured for Cheol-Soo to enter.
A nameplate bearing the inscription “Ha Dae-Chul, National Assemblyman” sat on the desk. The man behind it had neatly combed gray hair slicked back with hair gel, and sharp, well-defined features. Wearing a warm smile, Ha Dae-Chul gestured toward the reception sofa. Cheol-Soo bowed slightly and took a seat. The aide then closed the door and departed.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ha Dae-Chul. Sorry to call you so suddenly. It’s already past office hours.”
“It’s no trouble at all, sir,” Cheol-Soo replied.
“You had dinner?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Good.”
Ha Dae-Chul naturally switched to informal speech. As a three-term lawmaker from the ruling party and a leading candidate for the next party leader, objecting to his tone was out of the question. In South Korea, his name was so famous that anyone who didn’t recognize it might as well be a spy.
“How long have you been a civil servant?” Ha Dae-Chul asked.
“This year marks my twentieth year.”
“Section Chiefs are... level five senior officers, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Well, then. You must’ve built up quite a bit of experience. You must know how the world works by now.”
Sliding a document across the table, Ha Dae-Chul pushed it toward Cheol-Soo. It was the first fine notice Cheol-Soo had issued to Shark Guild a few days earlier. The bottom of the notice bore a stamp indicating the fine had been paid.
“The Hunters from this guild approached me with this matter. They claimed they were fined because they were wrongly accused of operating an
illegal
workshop. Now, if they did something wrong, they should be punished, as we can see here. I agree with you on that, Chief.”
Cheol-Soo remained silent, unsure how to respond.
“But Shark Guild insists they were wrongly accused, and as an assemblyman, I can’t ignore their grievance. It’s my duty to help citizens who’ve suffered injustice, after all.”
Lighting a cigarette, Ha Dae-Chul took a long drag, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and fixed his gaze on Cheol-Soo.
“You know, when Hunters are out hunting in a Fissure, it’s easy for tempers to flare. Sometimes, people file complaints out of spite, claiming it’s a workshop. You understand that better than anyone, right? In such cases, you Fissure Management people should exercise a bit of leniency.”
There was no doubt about it—Ha Dae-Chul was backing Shark Guild. And now, he was putting pressure on Cheol-Soo.
“I trust you’ll make a wise decision, Section Chief Kang. I’d appreciate it if I didn’t have to deal with any more ‘unjust complaints’ from people like them in the future. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
As a Section Chief of the Fissure Management Division, Cheol-Soo had received his fair share of inappropriate requests from various places. He briefly closed his eyes, then slowly reached into his pocket and clenched his fist.
“I’m not sure I follow,” he said.
The response wasn’t what Ha Dae-Chul expected. His brow twitched slightly, and a faint smirk appeared on his lips. Silently, he pressed the burning cigarette into the ashtray, extinguishing it with a slow twist.
“You don’t follow, huh?” He repeated.
“As you mentioned, sir, there can be cases where people file unjust complaints. However, in those situations, the managing authority makes fair judgments without issuing penalties. That said, in the case of Shark Guild, they clearly violated the law. We conducted an on-site investigation based on the Fissure entry records and the complainants’ testimonies. During the investigation, I personally witnessed Shark Guild harassing other Hunters.”
“You witnessed it yourself?”
“Yes. Furthermore, if the same violation occurs again, I plan to immediately impose a second fine and the matter to the police.”
“Hmm, looks like I misjudged you. I expected more. Well, I suppose having a long career as a civil servant doesn’t mean you understand how the world works. You see, I’ve been in politics for twenty-five years. I’ve come across plenty of people like you—rigid, inflexible types who live by some lofty sense of justice. But you know what? People like that never last in politics. They all end up getting washed out.”
Ha Dae-Chul was a former prosecutor who passed the bar exam, entered politics as the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, and even rose to the position of Chief Presidential Secretary. Now a three-term assemblyman with an impressive career, he chuckled as he reminisced about his past.
“Do you have a family?” he asked Cheol-Soo.
“Why do you ask...?”
“I’m asking if you have a wife and kids to provide for.”
“I have a son and a daughter.”
“How old are they?”
“They’re both in elementary school.”
“Ah, so they’re at that age when they grow up fast. Sounds like you’ll need your job for a long time.”
Cheol-Soo frowned. “I don’t think I understand what you’re implying, sir.”
“
Hahaha
. Don’t look so grim. I’m just joking. You don’t think I’d actually get you fired, do you? Come on, it’s not like we’re living under a dictatorship. There are limits to what one can do. Besides, being a civil servant is a stable job with guaranteed status, thanks to the government.” Then, Ha Dae-Chul’s voice dropped, his tone turning cold. “But demoting a civil servant? That’s easy.”
“Excuse me? With all due respect, sir, I think you’re crossing a line.”
“Think I can’t do it?”
He could. Ha Dae-Chul had more than enough power to make it happen.
“Why are you going so far to shield Shark Guild?” Cheol-Soo asked.
“Shield them?”
“Are they a source of funding for you?”
“And what if they are?”
“Please end your affiliation with them.”
“Chief Kang.”
“Yes?”
Ha Dae-Chul stood up from his chair. Then, without warning, he slapped Cheol-Soo hard across the face. With a loud smack, Cheol-Soo’s head snapped to the side from the impact.
“How’s that? Does that wake you up a little?” Ha Dae-Chul asked.
Cheol-Soo stared at him in disbelief.
“Go ahead, me if you want. Tell them Ha Dae-Chul runs a shady operation using guilds as his personal cash cows. Come at me. I’ll take you on any time. Why don’t you call a news outlet right now? See what happens.”
Ha Dae-Chul sat back down, his breath still ragged with lingering anger.
“Get lost,” he snapped.
Slowly, Cheol-Soo stood up. He briefly bowed to Ha Dae-Chul, then opened the door and walked out.
Behind him, Ha Dae-Chul lit another cigarette.
“Cocky bastard,” he muttered.
***
With his shoulders slumped in defeat, Cheol-Soo trudged out of the assemblyman’s office. Then he heard a voice calling him.
“Chief.”
“Huh? Do-Jun? What are you doing here? Didn’t you go home?”
“I was meeting someone nearby.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.”
Do-Jun lifted his gaze, looking toward the second floor of the building where Ha Dae-Chul’s office was located.
“Do-Jun.”
“Yes, Chief?”
“Want to grab a drink with me?”
***
There were now four empty soju bottles on the table. Cheol-Soo drained the last of the soju in his glass, hiccupping as the alcohol took full effect.
“A person... a person should live with integrity, right? Without shame...” he said haltingly.
“You’re right, Chief.”
“Yeah? I’m not wrong, am I? A person should...”
His speech was slurred as his tongue refused to cooperate, but Do-Jun patiently listened without interrupting.
“But now... I don’t know anymore. Is this really the right thing? Maybe I’m just clinging to a meaningless belief...”
Cheol-Soo took out his smartphone. Staring at the screen, he opened the recording folder and looked at the most recent file—the conversation he had secretly recorded with Ha Dae-Chul. His thumb hovered over the “Delete” button. One tap and the recording would be gone forever.
Just as he was about to bring down his thumb, he collapsed forward. But he never hit the cold concrete floor; he remained suspended about a centimeter above it.
Without a word, Do-Jun straightened Cheol-Soo and settled him back into the chair. Then, he picked up the smartphone, tapped a couple of buttons, and transferred the recording to his own device.
“Excuse me, sir. We’ll grab the check, please,” he called out to the restaurant staff.
***
“Tomorrow’s schedule is all set, correct?” Ha Dae-Chul asked his aides.
“Yes, sir.”
“Fucking hell. Some little pest had to go and ruin my mood. All of you, head home. I’ll stay behind for a bit. Oh, and tell the driver to pick me up at my house by eight tomorrow.”
“How will you get home, sir?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Understood, sir.”
Once Ha Dae-Chul dismissed them, the aides quickly gathered their belongings and left without hesitation. With a boss as volatile as he was, they never knew when his temper might flare up, so it was always best to leave quickly when given the chance.