Chapter 80
Are You Looking for Your Son?
In-hyuk finished his private meeting with Chairman Tae Gun-seung and exited the room.
Baek Si-hwan, who had been waiting, approached and spoke.
"Division director. The report on the TF measures for the Life, energy, and Heavy Industries divisions has just been uploaded to the cloud."
"They sent it faster than I expected. Let's head down and check it."
"And I was informed that invitations were sent for the 50th anniversary party of KQ Group."
"A party?"
"Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu of KQ Group apparently requested that both you and CEO Tae Ju-ha attend the event."
For a moment, the face of his son, Kang Do-young, flashed through his mind with a feeling of distaste.
"Did he say it's a must?"
"Yes. That's right."
At this, In-hyuk made a face full of annoyance.
"I suppose it's because of what happened last time."
"... Which incident are you referring to, sir?"
He was referring to the assassination attempt disguised as a car accident at Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu's autobiography release party.
Of course, Baek Si-hwan must have known about the incident, but it seemed he was deliberately pretending not to.
"Let's check the schedule first, then respond."
Ignoring Baek Si-hwan's question, In-hyuk got on the elevator.
As they were descending, the elevator stopped temporarily at the executive office floor.
When the door opened, Tae Seok-ho and his secretary, Reina Blackwood, were standing there. An awkward silence filled the brief moment.
"Aren't you getting on?"
When In-hyuk posed the question, Tae Seok-ho sighed through his nose and boarded the elevator.
"Did you just come from seeing the chairman?"
If he was coming from the upper floors, there was no other destination.
"He asked to see me briefly as soon as I arrived at work."
"Perhaps he called you up to praise you for being such a reliable division director."
"Well, something like that."
With that curt reply, silence reigned. Then Tae Seok-ho spoke first.
"So when the TF division is dissolved, will you return to Taeshin Asset Management?"
"That will be the case once the final arrangements are complete."
"A shame. If you stayed a little longer at head office, you'd be a huge help in many ways."
Hearing that, In-hyuk slightly turned his head.
"Do you really mean that?"
"... What do you mean?"
Ding—
Meanwhile, the elevator arrived at the floor where the TF division was located.
"I didn't think anyone would want to work with someone who turned down the EVP's offer. Still, I'm honored you think of me that way."
With that response, In-hyuk stepped out with Baek Si-hwan.
.
.
.
As the elevator doors closed, Tae Seok-ho let out a long sigh.
"He drives me crazy till the end. Are there really no issues with the share acquisition work on that side?"
The next question was directed at Reina, who was standing behind him.
"Thanks to the recent personnel changes in the TF division, the stock price is trending downward. We've been quietly accumulating shares, so there's nothing to worry about. We're also handling the proxy designation as discretely as possible."
This was about Tae Seok-ho securing a controlling stake in the Taeshin Group.
That needed to be fully prepared to avoid getting caught off guard in future developments.
"There's no movement with father's shares, right?"
"Judging by how steadfast he's been, I don't think he's preparing to pass the baton to anyone."
"That's strange. If personnel changes caused the stock to shake, you'd expect preparations for succession to stabilize things."
One of the main reasons for the current stock drop was Chairman Tae Gun-seung's age.
Despite being well over ninety, he still hadn't designated a clear successor, so shareholders and the board were naturally growing increasingly anxious.
After reaching the basement parking garage, the two got into a car surrounded by security guards.
Seated in the back, Tae Seok-ho still wore a troubled expression.
"Is dealing with Kang In-hyuk... still out of the question?"
"For now."
"Are you weighing me against him?"
Tae Seok-ho had also done his own research into Reina Blackwood.
Yet, aside from official records, she had no obvious flaws, and it was impossible to know who was backing her.
He could foresee a situation where he and the Taeshin Group would be at risk.
Reina, sitting beside him, smiled.
"Of course not."
"Isn't that pretty much telling me to trust you blindly? I'm not really in a position to demand more, but since we agreed to cooperate, shouldn't we show each other a few cards?"
It was a precautionary measure. In response, Reina hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I'll ask about it."
"... Please do."
* * *
KQ Group Chairman's office.
There, Jeon Hae-in, CEO of KQ Department Store and the mistress of the group, burst in.
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Kang Cheon-gyu, who was looking over some documents, didn't react to her shouting.
He simply removed the glasses perched on his nose and set them down quietly.
"If this is about Do-young, I'm sure I told you not to take things too far."
"Huh! Do-young is not some stranger, is he? He's your one and only son! Yet you keep sending him off to KQ Fabric, which isn't even a main subsidiary!"
A long sigh escaped Kang Cheon-gyu's lips.
"I sent him there to quietly work on a new business. Are you sure you know what he's been up to over there?"
Jeon Hae-in flinched slightly and then replied,
"I heard he diverted some funds for business purposes! But that happens when you're running things, doesn't it? Besides, you blocked some of his funds yourself!"
"Do you realize that money was KQ Fabric's budget for next year? Do you think a manufacturing business gets built overnight? If we start the new year with a budget hole, how are the employees supposed to make goods?"
Kang Cheon-gyu tried to hold back, but her shameless attitude was making him angry.
Still, Jeon Hae-in's excuses to protect Kang Do-young didn't stop there.
"It's just a subsidiary! I get that you care about the employees, but surely not more than your own son! Do you know what rumors are circulating inside head office right now?"
"That the position of the next group CEO will go to an executive or a professional manager rather than Do-young?"
Jeon Hae-in's expression grew cold.
"Don't tell me... you don't actually mean that, do you?"
"For someone who knows Do-young's capabilities better than anyone, do you really believe I'll hand the group to him blindly?"
"He's our only son!"
"Yes, the only one. But child is child, and work is work. You know full well what would happen if Do-young inherited this group."
They were going in circles. Even so, Jeon Hae-in would not back down.
"I didn't want to say this, but—KQ isn't just your company! My shares are in here! My father's Songhwa Distribution is in here too! So why do you keep talking as if you alone get to decide what happens to the KQ our son should inherit?"
35 years ago, KQ Distribution had absorbed Songhwa Distribution, which her father ran, in a merger that led to KQ's expansion.
During that process, Jeon Hae-in married Kang Cheon-gyu, gaining a share of KQ Distribution for herself.
"I'm sorry to say this, but I can't let KQ Distribution collapse. And neither will the other shareholders or board members accept Do-young."
"Do you really think I'll let things end up that way?"
"This isn't something you can change."
"I don't approve! So don't even think about doing anything rash!"
With her face twisted in anger, Jeon Hae-in stormed out of the chairman's office, slamming the door behind her.
Alone again, Kang Cheon-gyu let out another long sigh.
After sitting for a moment, he called his secretary, Noh Geun-cheol, on the intercom.
"There's still no news about that child... is there?"
Though only the two of them were present, he lowered his voice out of habit.
"The agency madam hired suddenly disappeared, so it's not easy to track any leads."
"So we may never find him?"
"We're still looking into it."
Kang Cheon-gyu fell silent.
The conversation a moment ago had been about searching for another son, born from Yoo Ji-young, with whom he once had feelings.
He had grown suspicious when Jeon Hae-in's behavior started to become abnormal.
At first, he thought Kang Do-young had gotten into trouble again and she was moving to cover it up, so he tried to investigate her activities, and in the process discovered the name Yoo Ji-young and a birth record.
It was a relationship cut off more than thirty years ago, but it happened to coincide with the time he and Yoo Ji-young had been seeing each other, so he couldn't ignore it.
"Surely, my wife hasn't already made a move...?"
"That, I'm not sure of..."
The detective agency that had linked Jeon Hae-in's movements and funds was Daemyung Detective Agency.
But as Noh Geun-cheol said, one day it suddenly closed its operations and every associated person vanished.
"Nothing else came up?"
At that query, Noh Geun-cheol hesitated before speaking.
"There's actually something I wanted to confirm before reporting..."
"What is it?"
"Some time ago, there was a break-in at Attorney Kim Myung-jun's residence and office."
Attorney Kim was Kang Cheon-gyu's personal legal advisor and will administrator.
Hearing this, only one possibility came to his mind.
"A break-in? Don't tell me... but why am I only hearing about this now?"
"It happened some time ago, apparently. But Attorney Kim was handling so many cases that he didn't immediately connect it to you. Only after seeking legal advice for something recently did it come to mind."
"Haah...!"
"I wasn't certain, so I wanted to double-check before reporting."
Given how things were escalating between Kang Cheon-gyu and Jeon Hae-in lately, it made sense to be cautious now as well.
"So you're saying it's not entirely impossible."
"At this point, yes. I'll keep checking and report if anything else comes up."
Kang Cheon-gyu let out another long sigh.
"Hoo... Let's do that. Oh, and what about the Pyo Jun-woo security guard incident? Still no suspects?"
"We're checking in with the police regularly, but there are no further developments so far. At this rate, it's likely to become an unsolved case."
That case was suspicious in many ways, but the truth remained elusive.
"Too many complicated matters at once."
"For now, I think your wife's situation should be your focus."
"Better reach out to the shareholders and set up a meeting with the directors too."
It was to ensure no shares changed hands. Noh Geun-cheol gave a slight nod and left.
Alone again, Kang Cheon-gyu, looking burned out, walked over to a table in the corner of his office and poured himself some whisky.
It wasn't for drinking during work hours—he just liked the aroma and kept it around to refresh himself sometimes.
But now, his glass trembled in his hands.
Bzzz—bzzz—
Just then, his phone, left on the desk, vibrated.
"... Hmmm?"
Kang Cheon-gyu's face hardened as he checked the message.
【Are you looking for Yoo Ji-young's son?】
It came from a caller with a hidden number. Kang Cheon-gyu stared intently, then quickly checked the next message.
【If you want to know who it is, let's meet. The price is one million dollars in USD. You must transfer it to the specified exchange and account.】
Attached was a photo of a document—Yoo Ji-young's birth record, which even Kang Cheon-gyu had found.
"How could they have this...?"
It was a paper that only those involved could have known about.
Yet with a hidden caller ID, he couldn't reply—he could only wait for the next instructions.
Soon after, the name of the exchange and an account number arrived.
【... Three days from now. If payment is not received by midnight on △△, you will not hear from us again.】
The price was a little over 1.3 billion won in Korean currency.
It wasn't an enormous sum for Kang Cheon-gyu, but whether the sender really knew about his son was anyone's guess.
Kang Cheon-gyu pressed the intercom again.
"Executive Director Noh. Come back in here, please."