Chapter 87
Cuckoo Chick
As the sun was setting.
Jeon Hae-in, the matriarch of KQ Group, was standing in the middle of the living room of her residence in Pyeongchang neighborhood, gasping for breath.
The surroundings were a mess, littered with household items she had just knocked over or thrown.
At that moment, security guard Lee Jung-tae, who had just entered the house, approached her with a worried look.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Smack―
The moment Lee Jung-tae came close, Jeon Hae-in's palm slapped his right cheek.
"Is that really what you want to say right now?"
"......"
Lee Jung-tae stood silently.
But that only made Jeon Hae-in even angrier.
"You knew, didn't you? That's why you've been gone the past few days, right?"
Just as she said, Lee Jung-tae had taken about a week off.
At the time, she was told it was for organizational matters, but thinking about the current situation, it was clear he had another motive.
"...... What do you mean by that?"
At his question, she threw a bundle of photos lying on a nearby table at him.
As a result, the corner of a photo lightly scraped his cheek as Lee Jung-tae turned his head.
The photos that fell to the floor like autumn leaves showed certain men being tailed and photographed.
Lee Jung-tae could recognize who those men were.
"So, you had people tailing those around Chairman Kang."
"Did you really think I'd just sit back and trust you completely?"
Lee Jung-tae picked up the photos and placed them back on the table.
"I was going to report this to you anyway."
The places the men in the photos had entered were hospitals and labs capable of genetic testing.
Jeon Hae-in couldn't not know what that meant.
"After everything had already happened?"
"I found out when it was already too late. That's why I wanted to prepare a countermeasure before bringing it up."
"You really think I'll believe that?!"
Jeon Hae-in judged that Lee Jung-tae had another agenda. Of course, she never trusted him completely, which is why she used someone else behind the scenes.
But she never imagined he would betray her regarding matters related to the heir's position.
At that moment, a chill appeared on Lee Jung-tae's face.
"Is there anything you can do right now, Ma'am?"
"... What?"
"As I mentioned earlier, they've already gone as far as a DNA test. That means the chairman must have already suspected that your son isn't his. At this point, he's probably gotten the results, too."
Until just now, Jeon Hae-in had been bubbling with irritation and anxiety.
It had been far too quiet on Kang Cheon-gyu's side, making her wonder what they were planning.
"So, what are you going to do now? Are you switching sides at this point?"
"I could do that."
"W-What...? You think I'll just stand by and let—!"
At that moment, Lee Jung-tae clamped her mouth shut with his palm.
Startled, Jeon Hae-in tried to pry his hand off, but he held too strongly for her to budge.
"What do you think you can really do to me? Oh, perhaps you can get some words in. But how do you think Chairman Kang will react when he finds out he's been raising a cuckoo chick for over thirty years?"
Jeon Hae-in turned pale as soon as she heard those words.
Lee Jung-tae then relaxed his grip and released her.
"H-How did you...?"
"Did you really think we approached you without knowing anything? You really are audacious. Just how bold do you have to be to try and make the son born from another man the heir of KQ Group?"
Jeon Hae-in's strength gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.
Pieces of the vase and glass, and splinters of wood she'd broken earlier, poked at her leg.
She was so shocked she couldn't even feel the pain.
"How... did you really find out?"
She had only met Kang Do-young's biological father by coincidence in the countryside and spent one night with him.
She learned she was pregnant only after marrying Kang Cheon-gyu.
At first, since there wasn't any issue with blood type, she naturally assumed it was Kang Cheon-gyu's child. But features that man had also appeared in Kang Do-young.
Specifically: a reddish birthmark, the size of two finger joints, on the inside of the left forearm.
At the time, the man had said that nearly all men in his family had inherited it.
Just to be sure, Jeon Hae-in got a genetic test, and when the result came out, it felt as if her world was collapsing.
"Is that really important now?"
"Do you know how hard I tried to hide that...?"
"There are no eternal secrets. Just like the truth about Kang In-hyuk actually being Kang Cheon-gyu's biological son will soon come to light."
Still collapsed on the floor, Jeon Hae-in bit her lip.
"And... are you going to throw me to Chairman Kang now?"
Lee Jung-tae showed a twisted smile.
"You still have plenty of uses, Ma'am. But now that you know your situation, you should refrain from unnecessary actions."
"So you're going to threaten me?"
"If you want to live out the rest of your life as the matriarch of KQ Group, you'd best listen to us."
To the very beginning, those behind Lee Jung-tae had his hands around Jeon Hae-in's throat.
Now that she realized this all too clearly, her fists, supporting her on the floor, trembled uncontrollably.
"What do you want from me, then? If you know the situation, there's nothing I can do!"
Because everything would be over once Kang Cheon-gyu found out about Kang In-hyuk being his real son.
"For now, hand over everything you have, Ma'am. Later, transfer your KQ Group shares with a power of attorney."
"... Don't tell me, you plan to offer all that to Kang In-hyuk?"
"If you think about KQ Group's future, isn't Kang In-hyuk better than your son? That would also make your shares worth several times more than they are now."
Even Jeon Hae-in could not deny Kang Do-young's shortcomings.
But the image of Kang In-hyuk and his biological mother Yoo Ji-young resurfaced in her mind.
Had Kang Cheon-gyu not broken up with her, he might have overturned the KQ Group and Songhwa Distribution merger.
That was more humiliating for Jeon Hae-in than anything else.
"For now, I'll do as you say..."
Murmuring, Jeon Hae-in walked over and sat down on the sofa. Her leg, pierced by glass and wood, was bleeding.
"I'll call someone to take care of the treatment and tidy things up."
"......"
Soon after, other security guards entered and cleaned up the living room.
In a little while, a doctor called from a nearby hospital examined Jeon Hae-in's wounds.
...
...
...
At the same time.
Baek Ji-woong, chairman of W&W Group, was sitting in his office when he received a message.
【Code KAME: Poaching of Jeon Hae-in complete. Kang Cheon-gyu's genetic test confirmed. Likely to approach Kang In-hyuk soon.】
After reading the contents, he nodded his head.
"So far, not bad."
At this mutter, Do Jung-geol spoke.
"It's strange how quiet things are on Kang Cheon-gyu's side even after learning that Kang In-hyuk is his son."
"That's because he isn't a fool. By now, he's probably trying to think of ways to hand the succession to Kang In-hyuk without causing problems."
"Makes sense, since even though it's clear Kang In-hyuk is Kang Cheon-gyu's son, he's still an illegitimate child, which could cause issues."
Baek Ji-woong let out a small sigh at his words.
"Plus, there's the relationship with Taeshin Group to consider. If things go wrong, the entire KQ distribution group could fall into Taeshin's hands."
In the end, the most important thing was what kind of thoughts Kang In-hyuk had about becoming KQ Group's successor.
"What do you expect will happen, chairman?"
"... Ideally, it'd be good if Tae Seok-ho took Taeshin, and Kang In-hyuk took KQ. But it's actually not such a bad move if Kang In-hyuk ends up taking both Taeshin and KQ. That could work to our advantage."
"But we still don't know what Kang In-hyuk is thinking, do we?"
Baek Ji-woong nodded up and down.
"That's why we'll have to check at the opportune moment whether he suits the organization."
At that, Do Jung-geol's face darkened.
"You're not saying... you'll recommend him to the organization, are you?"
"Hyottoko wasn't shy about butting in to recommend Tae Seok-ho for this game. Why shouldn't I?"
"But his disposition is unclear, so it's questionable whether the Organization would approve."
The highest priorities of the Organization were hypocrisy and egoism.
Their greed always put their own interests first in planning for the future.
"We'll see with time. So don't nag, just make sure there are no gaps in monitoring each movement."
"... Understood."
* * *
In-hyuk was sitting at his office desk as usual.
However, what he was checking on the computer wasn't Taeshin Asset Management business, but data on Hwain Techon that Go Mi-ah had sent him.
'As expected, they funneled funds by subcontracting to several shell companies. Faked all sorts of expenses as if actually spent. And these names...'
The shipping gap he had mentioned to Jang Hyung-cheol was only the tip of the iceberg.
The main axis was shell companies trading funds back and forth with real businesses.
【Brighton Solutions】
【Bluehaven Asset】
【Lexford Pacific】
【Silverwood Capital】
.
.
Several of these looked familiar even to In-hyuk.
"Come to think of it, this place was used here as well."
"What do you mean?"
As usual, Hong Yu-geon, who had been lounging on the sofa since morning, asked.
"I'm reviewing the documents I had Go Mi-ah put together last time. I think a major incident is about to break."
"Major? How major?"
"About two trillion won."
Hong Yu-geon jumped up at that, and Van Hester whipped his head around so fast it looked like his neck would break.
"What? Two trillion? That 'trillion' after billion?"
"Did you really have to count all the way up to that... Yes, that trillion. But why are you so shocked? The Chulsan Capital M&A case also broke the trillion mark before."
To be exact, it was 1.7 trillion won. Although this was a bigger 2 trillion won case, he didn't see why it was so surprising.
"That wasn't something that blew up. What's blowing up this time?"
"The company itself is going to blow. The amount that'll vanish is about two trillion."
"Who's going to swallow it up?"
"Exactly. But someone is trying to involve AMK Bridge in this."
In-hyuk stared daggers at his monitor, his gaze sharp.
Perhaps he was exuding a faint killing intent, because Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester looked at him, startled.
"W-Who dares mess with our boss's share?"
"WISE&WIRE Group."
Hong Yu-geon, sensing the mood, lowered his voice.
"Chairman Baek Ji-woong's side? Why would they?"
"For now, just circumstantial evidence."
In his previous life, In-hyuk had used shell companies to re-route funds while acquiring stakes after collapsing Taeshin Group.
And the person who had supplied those shell companies was Baek Si-hwan.
Among the shell company list connected to Hwain Techon, he had seen those names.
Which meant the current incident, and the WISE&WIRE Group backing Baek Si-hwan, were connected.
"What are you going to do with just circumstantial evidence? If AMK Bridge is wrapped up in this, it could be huge."
"It's not an issue just yet. I happened to catch it first and have put a stop to it for now."
"Then can't you just keep from getting involved?"
At first, In-hyuk had thought the same.
"But if W&W Group is involved, I can't just stand by."
As he answered, In-hyuk let out a sigh and broke into a faint smile.
To the sofa, Hong Yu-geon muttered quietly as he watched.
"What's with him... Is the boss crazy?"
Van Hester nodded.
Then In-hyuk said nonchalantly,
"I can hear you. And I can see you."
Bzzz― Bzzz―
Startled, as the two stiffened, In-hyuk's phone buzzed on his desk.
The display showed an unknown number.