Chapter 83
We Should Eat First
Jeon Hae-in, who had been staying by Kang Cheon-gyu's side, strode out of the party hall with rough steps.
She then went up to the guest room floor and entered one of the luxurious rooms prepared for party guests.
*Click―*
Her secretary, Lee Jung-tae, who had followed behind, checked that the door was shut.
At the same moment, Jeon Hae-in's irritation burst forth.
"What exactly were you doing in there?!"
"... I'm not sure what you mean."
Lee Jung-tae had been standing behind her all along.
Naturally, he would have heard the conversation a moment ago, yet he looked as if he didn't understand.
"You're asking because you really don't know?! Didn't you hear earlier? Chairman Kang went on about finding Kang In-hyuk's parents!"
The sudden situation left Jeon Hae-in bewildered.
On top of that, she couldn't easily overlook Kang Cheon-gyu's behavior.
Instinctively, she sensed there was a deeper meaning behind his actions.
"Are you saying that the chairman discovered who Kang In-hyuk is?"
"If not, why would he bring up something like that?!"
"But... we've erased all traces that could lead to Kang In-hyuk. Even the agency we hired took care of it a long time ago."
"What if Kang In-hyuk was the one who said something?"
"If that were the case, I doubt the conversation just now would have gone like it did. The chairman wouldn't have asked like that."
Jeon Hae-in gave a heavy sigh.
"If he's making a move to push Do-young aside and put Kang In-hyuk in that seat instead?"
"Would there have been any need to do that in front of madam? If anything, it would only make her more hostile and cautious, like now."
"That's true... then what is it?"
As her worries deepened, Lee Jung-tae quietly broke the silence again.
"At this point, it's hard to guess, so I'll look into it."
"Are you able to?"
"I'll start by checking for any unusual movements in Attorney Kim Myung-jun and Executive Director Noh Geun-cheol's whereabouts."
The two of them were closest to Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu.
If he had really discovered that Kang In-hyuk was his son, there would definitely be some reaction from those two as well.
"For now, that's the best we can do..."
"Then I'll put people on it right away."
With those words, Lee Jung-tae stepped back, pulling out his phone to send a message.
【Code KAME: Jeon Hae-in is reacting to Kang Cheon-gyu's overreaction. Situation in doubt. Requesting prompt orders and measures.】
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At the same time,
Kang Cheon-gyu, chairman of KQ Group, was having conversations with guests in the party hall.
During this, his secretary, Noh Geun-cheol, briefly stepped away and then quietly returned to whisper in his ear.
"Chairman."
"Excuse me for a moment."
The other businesspeople nodded understandingly at his request.
With that, Kang Cheon-gyu headed to a secluded corner with Noh Geun-cheol.
"Did you secure it without any issues?"
"Yes. I inconspicuously collected the champagne glass used by Director Kang In-hyuk and sent it to the lab. We'll conduct another analysis as soon as additional samples are secured."
"Be absolutely sure not to let any information leak until we have a definitive result."
Kang Cheon-gyu had already made a deal with an unidentified party.
Through that, he had received documents which included not only the claim that Kang In-hyuk was his son but also supporting evidence.
But that alone wasn't enough to be certain.
So, he decided to seize the opportunity of the KQ Group anniversary party to collect the samples needed for a paternity test.
"I'll keep that in mind. But if madam is really involved in this..."
Of course, as Noh Geun-cheol suggested, there was another problem. Jeon Hae-in also knew that Kang In-hyuk was his son.
"It's almost certain. If not, there'd be no reason for her to connect with somewhere like Daemyung Detective Agency."
"Then the traffic accident that happened to Director Kang In-hyuk..."
"You're probably right in your suspicions. That's why we need to be extra careful."
If the DNA test confirmed it, a new successor would appear for KQ Group—someone whose management skills couldn't even be compared to Kang Do-young's.
"I'll exercise the utmost caution."
"And increase the people attached to former CEO Jeon. There may be some reckless moves because of my conversation with Director Kang In-hyuk today."
Noh Geun-cheol nodded in affirmation.
"Understood. But, chairman, aren't you going to track down those who sold that information to you? If Director Kang In-hyuk... really is your son, they're bound to want something as well."
"It was transferred with cryptocurrency, so even if we ask for police support, catching them would be difficult. Besides, thinking about it, it's highly likely it was Daemyung, who's gone off the grid for now. Maybe former CEO Jeon, after a falling out, decided to sell me this information."
"Then, for now, I'll just focus on security."
"Right."
Finishing his conversation, Kang Cheon-gyu returned to mingle among the guests.
* * *
The KQ Group 50th Anniversary Party wrapped up smoothly.
The next morning, In-hyuk visited Hoam, a Korean set menu restaurant in Cheongdam neighborhood.
"I hope it wasn't too early for you?"
Stepping into the innermost room of the restaurant, In-hyuk smiled softly as he took a seat.
There was Jang Hyung-cheol, who had arrived earlier and was waiting for him.
"It's fine. I had something draining happen yesterday, so I needed to fill my stomach from breakfast onward."
"You mean... did you perhaps attend the KQ Group party yesterday?"
As someone also running a company, it was impossible for him not to know about such events.
"Well, yes."
"Someone known in Taeshin Asset Management as a parachute department manager attending the KQ Group's 50th anniversary... that's quite something."
"It's because I married into the Taeshin family."
"Do you think I know nothing just because I've always lived in the shadows? This is KQ we're talking about—not somewhere that invites just anyone. No matter the ties to a chaebol family, you can't even enter without an invitation."
Of course, In-hyuk knew this, but he pretended otherwise.
"They sent me an invitation because they owe me a bit. More importantly, how are things at Bridge?"
He was referring to AMK Bridge, a specialized credit finance company Jang Hyung-cheol had become CEO of after selling Chulsan Capital.
In reality, the only things that had changed were the company's name and the fact that the real owner was now AMK Partners; otherwise, its operations and role were just as before.
"Thanks to you, everything was sorted out nicely and it's running well. Most of the original clients are still with us, and the clients referred by AMK Partners are quite nice too."
"That's good to hear."
In-hyuk took a sip of the warm tea in front of him, and Jang Hyung-cheol's face filled with curiosity at the sight.
"Would you consider joining us? With your track record, AMK would offer you a pretty high position. Or rather... haven't they already made you an offer? I'd say it's more than enough."
His tone was half a question and half a statement.
"They did, but for now I have too much to do at Taeshin, so I turned it down. And you know I'm not exactly in a position to move so easily."
"You mean because you're Taeshin Group's son-in-law? Even so, it's not easy to restrict where you end up. You may actually be better off at another company than working where your wife is the boss."
In-hyuk replied with another smile.
"Are you suggesting I join AMK Bridge?"
"Oh, was I too blunt? I just feel you'd be more than capable of taking over as CEO."
This time, he let out a sigh.
"You haven't been CEO for long—already thinking of escaping?"
"What can I do if I have no desire to work?"
"Then just retire. If you're still going to keep an eye on things but only set up a puppet, it's not fair to anyone. You know very well what almost happened not long ago."
He was alluding to Han Jae-won, who had tried to sell off Chulsan Capital to another company and had ended up imprisoned as an economic criminal on various charges.
Had things gone wrong, the CEO seat could have ended up not with Jang Hyung-cheol, but someone else.
"Ahem―! True."
"If you're not planning to retire for good, you should hold on properly. Also, from what I've heard, vice CEO Heo Min-gyu is taking care of most of the actual business, right?"
"... Huh? Word has gotten out that far?"
"You know my informants. Besides, sometimes the second-best is better than the best. Trust Vice CEO Heo Min-gyu's abilities and leave things to him."
"You really are something."
At this, Jang Hyung-cheol finished his now-cold tea with a gulp.
"Phew. So, why did you want to meet today? Don't tell me you called me here to discuss your escape plans?"
As if he'd hit the mark, Jang Hyung-cheol's gaze drifted into the air.
"A-hem! Of course not! There's something important I wanted to discuss!"
"Please, go ahead."
Pressed by In-hyuk, he scratched his cheek with a finger.
"A rather suspicious loan inquiry came in, so I contacted you for advice."
With his words, a stack of documents landed on the table. Looking it over, In-hyuk let out a deep sigh.
"You have plenty of people to handle document review there. And, just so you remember, I'm not your employee at Bridge, I'm technically an outsider."
"But you're also my advisor. Isn't it thanks to you that things worked out so well?"
"Shouldn't advisors at least be paid for their work?"
"How much do you want? If you come on exclusively, I'll easily pay five times your current annual salary."
Jang Hyung-cheol had no idea of In-hyuk's real background—let alone how much money In-hyuk could make in a single hour, let alone a day.
Even now, a portion of each company's profits was constantly being channeled into his overseas shadow accounts.
"I'll take a look so long as you don't demand exclusivity."
"Won't consider it, then?"
"What I'm making now is more than enough."
"Tsk―! So stubborn."
Ignoring his muttering, In-hyuk's expression hardened as he read over the documents.
"It's a loan application from a company called Hwain Techon for five billion won for a new business venture."
"That's right. Their sales, profits, and management all look fine. But something about it feels off."
"You have a hunch?"
"What hunch does an old man have? Just an excess of caution."
"Still, it's odd you'd even show it to me based just on that."
Even as they talked, In-hyuk continued flipping through the papers.
"So, what do you think? If there are no problems, I'll tell the loan department to proceed quickly..."
"No. It's a good thing you waited."
Jang Hyung-cheol's eyes widened at this response.
"There's a problem? There shouldn't be anything here that would catch the eye on paper."
"As you said, the balance sheet alone looks fine."
"Just the balance sheet? Was there something in the other details?"
Taking a long breath, In-hyuk spoke again.
"There's a hole in the income from shipping fees."
"In what way?"
"For starters, the ship rental fees, BAF, and EBS—the adjustment figures don't quite line up by season. The wharf usage and port security fees also seem to include inaccurate numbers. If you add it up across the stated periods, a substantial amount is missing."
Technically, he was referring to the fuel surcharges that fluctuate with oil prices.
The average fuel capacity of a container ship is 5,500 to 13,000 tons.
Assuming a daily fuel cost of $120,000, that's about 170 million won spent per day.
For a trip from the Middle East to Korea, it would take 20–30 days; so at the maximum, the cost per trip would be about five billion won just for fuel.
"What's the total right now?"
In-hyuk did a rough calculation of the company's balance sheet, sales, fixed, and operating costs.
"If you sum up just last year and this year's documents... about 120 billion won is missing."
"That much? Wait! If that's only for two years..."
"If the embezzlement started earlier, we're talking about a massive sum."
At that, Jang Hyung-cheol's expression turned icy.
"So, hwain Techon hid this and tried to get a five billion won loan from us."
"We'll only know for sure with a proper investigation. Start by looking into the details I just mentioned. And there must be financial companies they previously borrowed from—so check what made them want to switch to AMK Bridge specifically."
Frustrated, Jang Hyung-cheol picked up a bottle of cold water rather than tea and chugged it down.
"Whew―! If I hadn't shown this to you, we'd have been in big trouble."
"You're the one who caught it, sir."
"But I still wouldn't have known what I was looking at. Anyway, I'll tell the loan department to review everything."
"Good luck."
"No, first things first—we should eat."
With the important conversation over, the two men placed their orders for breakfast.