Chapter 90
He Really Talks Well
In-hyuk let out a sigh and got into the car.
Inside, Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester, waiting for him, looked at him with bewildered expressions.
"Did something happen in there?"
To where the car was parked, they couldn't see the situation inside the residence.
"Kooou was hiding even deeper. They were was wiretapping Chairman Kang's house."
"Wiretapping? So?"
"I broke one of his arms and legs each, then caught him and handed him over. The police will come get him."
At In-hyuk's very matter-of-fact explanation, Hong Yu-geon's face filled with disbelief.
"You did it yourself?"
"I was standing near the front door, but he happened to try to escape that way."
"... You stood there on purpose, didn't you?"
Van Hester, in the passenger seat, nodded as if he had the same thought.
"Let's just get going."
As Hong Yu-geon started the engine, he voiced a question.
"Did you say 'again' just now? There was someone before?"
He had hired the Charybdis duo after the Pyo Jun-woo incident.
"Oh, that must've been before you guys joined. Pyo Jun-woo was someone who, under Jeon Hae-in's orders, tried to kill me and CEO Tae Ju-ha."
"So? What happened?"
"Well... he was found dead."
At that moment, Hong Yu-geon's eyes flashed beyond the rearview mirror.
"Did you handle it yourself?"
"If I said it was self-defense, would you believe me?"
"You're saying he tried to kill you first?"
"To be precise, it was 'they', plural."
In-hyuk calmly explained the situation back then—how he tracked down the fugitive Pyo Jun-woo, and what happened.
At the same time, Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester pieced the puzzle together.
"The record of Baek Si-hwan's shoulder injury that Mi-ah found before, did that happen at that time?"
"Seems so."
"Right. It matched exactly the spot where he was hit by the knife I threw."
The two both let out sighs.
"Like I said before, they're pretty dangerous guys. And fortunately, they still don't know about my identity or my real intentions."
"So what are you getting at?"
"I'm saying, since something you'd rather never experience could happen down the line, if you want to back out, you can. I'll make sure to give you plenty of severance, so don't worry."
He was giving them another chance.
That was how difficult things could get ahead—even more so than anything In-hyuk had experienced before.
"You're still not going to tell us what your true identity is, huh?"
"Is there really much to tell? You know pretty much everything already."
Once again, Hong Yu-geon looked at him via the rearview mirror with a baffled expression.
"I really don't get you... It's so frustrating, so frustrating—!"
Soon, as the car they'd been driving trickled onto the road, Hong Yu-geon rolled down the window and shouted outside.
It was always the same pattern.
And if you thought about In-hyuk's past actions, there was nothing unusual about it.
Of course, this was also the foundation that made things most advantageous for In-hyuk.
When he returned to the past, he started living not as his original self but as a namesake.
It made it hard for anyone to truly suspect him.
"So, you're not planning to back out?"
"Just pay me a lot!"
"That's not something you need to worry about."
Even now, funds kept flowing through AMK Partners into the Charybdis shell company set up under the two's names.
"You sure do talk well."
Bzzz—Bzzz—
At that moment, vibrations rang out from In-hyuk's pocket. A message had arrived via Ghost Link.
When he opened the app, messages that had come in during his previous talk with Kang Cheon-gyu were listed.
【PPO23: Investigating T Electronics on special assignment. And...】
【Raven: The point has moved.】
【Dorian: Things have started moving at the location you mentioned.】
【KQ4123: There was an incident at Chairman Kang's residence today. Kang In-hyuk paid a visit...】
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As he checked the content, the message from KQ4123 caught his eye.
The reason he was certain earlier that Oh Won-ho was Kooou or a spy was exactly because of this.
The person who sent this message was Choi Young-in, who'd worked on bug sweep detection with Oh Won-ho.
'He got caught by luck.'
If it hadn't been Choi Young-in, it could've been either of the two others or someone off duty who was Kooou.
That would have lowered the odds, making In-hyuk hesitate to bet everything.
He checked some other contents.
"This... just as expected, they're starting to move."
"Hm? What is?"
At Hong Yu-geon's question, In-hyuk shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. Just drive faster."
And so, the car continued barreling toward Seoul.
* * *
WISE&WIRE Group chairman's office.
Baek Ji-woong looked at Do Jung-geol, who was on the phone a bit of a distance away.
Not long after, Do Jung-geol set down the cellphone and approached carefully, his face dark.
"One of the agents we planted in KQ Group has been discovered."
"... What? Don't tell me, was it Lee Jung-tae?"
Lee Jung-tae, a close associate of Jeon Hae-in, was an important piece for applying pressure inside KQ Group.
"It was Oh Won-ho, a member of Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu's security team. His true identity was discovered along with a bugging device, and he was caught while trying to flee."
This time, Baek Ji-woong's expression soured.
"Oh Won-ho?"
"He's Intelligence Division, level 4."
"Ah... But how did they catch the bug?"
The bugging technology was improved from Russian intelligence, and UID had verified its real-world use.
It didn't require an external repeater, and could be controlled directly by the user, making it extremely unlikely to be detected by an insider.
"They say it was discovered by chance in the situation... but it needs further checking."
Some of the security guards beside Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu had been specifically recruited by Jeon Hae-in.
Through them, Lee Jung-tae was able to check the situation and report it.
"It's a similar pattern as last time."
He meant during the Pyo Jun-woo incident.
Do Jung-geol took a short pause before continuing.
"The one who caught the bug and Oh Won-ho... was Kang In-hyuk. He has considerable knowledge about bugging devices, and that's how they tracked him."
"Kang In-hyuk? Come to think of it, he was the one who subdued Pyo Jun-woo at the hospital, right?"
"That's correct. And it was reported at the time that Pyo Jun-woo was careless, but that may not have been the whole story."
"Took down a level 4 agent in one go, huh..."
"To be precise, his right elbow, shoulder, and knee were all smashed, so moving will be extremely difficult."
"That much damage?"
"He deliberately made it that way because he hadn't managed to stop him last time with Pyo Jun-woo. So, it'll be hard to retrieve Oh Won-ho right away."
Since the target couldn't move, there would be logistical difficulties with personnel or movement routes.
"Just dispose of him."
"Understood."
Even with the change in plan, Do Jung-geol answered without a flicker of emotion.
Baek Ji-woong let out a sigh.
"Have you figured out what was discussed between Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu and him? The timing and situation suggest something important was brought up."
"I was about to report on that. Kang In-hyuk revealed the paternity first."
Finally, something interesting had come up, and Baek Ji-woong's eyes gleamed.
"... And?"
"Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu directly said he would hand KQ Group over to Kang In-hyuk. But Kang In-hyuk refused."
"What? Refused? Is he insane?"
KQ Group is a massive distribution company with a market cap of about 12 trillion won.
Yet Kang In-hyuk refused to be its successor.
"There was some argument and persuasion, but Kang In-hyuk ultimately declared his refusal. However..."
"There's more?"
"He said he'd consider it after things inside were settled, which likely meant Jeon Hae-in and Kang Do-young."
"So, despite being an illegitimate child, he's not moving directly, but plans to secure even the main room in the end?"
At that, Do Jung-geol offered his own view.
"There are board members who secretly support Kang Do-young, and Jeon Hae-in holds significant shares, so wouldn't that be impossible?"
In the KQ Group situation, Kang In-hyuk becoming the next chairman was key.
But security mechanisms were essential—namely Jeon Hae-in, Kang Do-young, and their shareholdings.
"He's probably decided to toss aside the legitimate son and put the illegitimate son in the chair for the sake of the company."
"You mean he'll try whatever it takes."
"He's a decisive guy. Of course, as you say, it won't be easy—but it's not impossible."
In the end, things were not flowing as planned.
His head pounding, Baek Ji-woong asked Do Jung-geol,
"How are things on Reina's side?"
"She's still securing shares and letters of proxy to gain management control from Tae Seok-ho."
"Tae Seok-hyun's side seems to be quiet, though."
"They're dealing with a 300 billion won shortfall at Taeshin Next."
At that answer, a sly grin appeared on Baek Ji-woong's face.
"There's no end to the foolish and greedy pigs. Chairman Tae Gun-seung really went wild raising his children."
"Reina's side will soon expose the Taeshin Next situation, and at that opportunity try to secure shares of Taeshin Electronics too."
"It's getting fairly complicated."
Taeshin Group's share price had already wobbled from the personnel reform at the TF division last time. If an issue arose at Taeshin Electronics' subsidiaries as well, they'd have to brace for considerable damage.
"Even if it's for shareholding, I think it's an overreach."
Tae Seok-ho wanted to keep the Taeshin Group intact. But if he attacked without hesitation for shares, it could fracture already fragile alliances.
"Hyottoko's feet are to the fire, too. After messing up last time, he can't afford to make another mistake."
"Are you just going to sit and watch? If something goes wrong, the chairman will..."
In practice, Baek Ji-woong was the one responsible for the Taeshin Group matter.
Even if an elder like Hyottoko erred, the blame might be shifted to Ji-woong.
"In any case, I'll have to take as much as they've taken from our side."
* * *
【Taeshin Electronics, last year's estimated loss about 400 billion won?! Despite decent sales of phone SpaceU25 and tablet T14, a huge loss is believed to have come from the failed subsidiary project where operation funds were injected...】
【Taeshin Electronics, only its shell remains? This year's shortfall estimated at 500 billion won. Subsidiary business failed despite operation funds, and ultimately couldn't recover...】
【Is Taeshin Electronics okay? Taeshin Electronics, a key affiliate of Taeshin Group, filled a loss of 500 billion won at its subsidiary with headquarters funds, but...】
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Sudden news reports rocked not just Taeshin Electronics but the entire Taeshin Group.
At the same time, it had a huge impact on the share prices of Taeshin's main affiliates.
Meanwhile, W&W Group's Baek Ji-woong watched those developments with satisfaction from his office.
"I thought they'd hesitate, but they finally pulled the trigger. Hyottoko's share acquisition point was minus 8%, wasn't it?"
Do Jung-geol replied at his side.
"Since we really fanned the flames, we expect to see minus 12%. Our trading room will start buying at minus 7%, at the 68,000 won line."
"Even just setting the pace, we'll take half the profit."
【Taeshin Electronics – ▼72,100(KRW)】
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【Taeshin Electronics – ▼71,500(KRW)】
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【Taeshin Electronics – ▼69,100(KRW)】
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The target number was getting close.
Baek Ji-woong, eager to stab Hyottoko in the back, felt his anticipation rise.
"Hm?"
But suddenly, a change appeared on the Taeshin Electronics stock chart he'd been watching.
The graph, which should have kept falling, began to rise with red marks.
"What's going on? Did they realize our plan and get ahead of us?"
【Taeshin Electronics – △70,100(KRW)】
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【Taeshin Electronics – △71,500(KRW)】
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【Taeshin Electronics – △71,800(KRW)】
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"I'll check right away."
Do Jung-geol called the trading room.
As he did, Baek Ji-woong's eyes gleamed as he watched Taeshin Electronics' share price climb bit by bit.