Red Mansion

In the outskirts of Seoul, there is a mansion where sunlight never reaches. The word “RED,” painted in bright red on the dark gray building wall, stood out even from afar. The place was gloomy, shabby, and isolated. A high iron fence encircled the building, as if drawing a line from the outside world. It is unknown whether outsiders built it or the mansion’s residents did.Even approaching the mansion, one could smell the musty odor emanating from the cracked and broken windows. The building, with broken cement dust flying around and exposed rebar visible everywhere, housed over 600 people and still stood fairly well.The mansion, consisting of three buildings facing each other in a U-shape, was connected by several skywalks. The units, lined up like a chicken coop, filled the floors densely. Every window in the corridor had iron bars attached to it. Although it vaguely resembled a prison, it was necessary for self-protection.Living in the mansion meant receiving no protection under the law, nor enjoying any rightful benefits. It was easy to give up since only people with something to hide, such as criminals and illegal immigrants, lived there.Violence and illegal activities were rampant, inevitable among the rough, uneducated residents. In such a chaotic and disorderly place, a strong leader was essential.The first to rise to the top was Mr. Kwon. After his reign, his twin brothers, blood relatives, took over following his death. When the twins turned their attention to other businesses, the one who took charge of Red Mansion was their youngest sibling, Kwon Chungrim.Kwon Chungrim visited Red Mansion exactly once every four days. Though he rarely moved personally, there was much to be done.He ensured there were no issues among the 300 households, lent money to those in need, and served as the main supplier of drugs, the primary source of income for Red Mansion. On the last day of every month, he collected residency fees from each household and shop. For a long time, under the control of Mr. Kwon and his sons, the residents of Red Mansion coexisted by following the rules.While the enforcers went around collecting the residency fees, Chungrim usually killed time in front of Store No. 3. He would prop his long legs on the cheap plastic table in the middle of the corridor, eating ice cream or chain-smoking.The reason Chungrim frequented Store No. 3 was because it was the closest to the back gate where he parked his car. At first, that was certainly the case.