Chapter 95
I Just Saw It
【Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea seize a Portuguese-flagged vessel; 5 Korean employees confirmed on board... The ship belongs to a company called Notex, and the pirates are known as the notorious 'Delta Scourge' in the Gulf, who released a Korean vessel last year...】
【Large vessel seized by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea; identified as armed robbers, with 5 Koreans on board as hostages... The government has yet to make an official announcement...】
【Texcellence military uniforms contract awarded! Having succeeded in the bid using the new material Polyrax, the company plans to produce everything from standard combat uniforms for soldiers to special suits that implement up to Level III ballistic protection as soft armor... The U. S. Department of Defense has also shown interest in this new material...】
【U. S.: Greenbyte Labs & AMK Velion succeed in power usage reduction tests, decreasing up to 55%. The product is designated as PowerForge X1 and will retain this name in future production...】
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Various articles were pouring out across portals and news agencies.
In particular, the case of pirates seizing a vessel in the Gulf of Guinea received huge attention since even Korean employees were among those taken hostage.
In-hyuk was reviewing those articles while waiting in front of the Taeshin Trading chairman's office.
He was called for a meeting by Chairman Tae Gun-seung, but there was another guest who had arrived before him.
Just then, the door opened, and executive vice president Jung Min-seop appeared.
In-hyuk rose from his seat and gave a slight bow.
"We've never been properly introduced. I'm Jung Min-seop."
"I'm Kang In-hyuk."
"I hope we get a chance to meet separately and have a good conversation sometime."
Jung Min-seop was best known as one of Tae Gun-seung's staunchest insiders—and for his dislike of the brothers Tae Seok-hyun and Tae Seok-ho.
It might seem contradictory, but it was because, more than anyone, he had Taeshin Group's interests at heart.
That's why he supported appointing a professional manager as the next chairman rather than handing it down through family succession.
"I'll be sure to stop by your office when I have time."
"I'd appreciate that."
The personnel restructuring In-hyuk carried out in the TF division was unpopular with most executives.
So Jung Min-seop's suggestion set him apart from others.
Once Jung Min-seop left, Song Tae-ho opened the door, allowing In-hyuk to enter.
"It seems you exchanged greetings with Director Jung outside."
"Yes, today was the first time we met privately."
Tae Gun-seung smiled lightly.
"He's a stubbornly upright fellow—one of the few who truly cares about Taeshin."
"I've heard as much. But what was the reason for calling me today?"
After all, he had received the contact suddenly this afternoon, without any set appointment.
"I want you to handle a job for me."
The tone was fairly polite.
In-hyuk let out a shallow sigh in response.
"Is it similar to the work I did for the TF division?"
"This is something different. I just need you to tidy up a company."
There was a strange nuance to the request.
"Tidying up? Isn't that something anyone could do, not necessarily me?"
"It's important, that's why."
Tae Gun-seung's expression carried a seriousness heavier than ever before.
In-hyuk didn't take this lightly. The word "company" brought something linked to his previous life to mind.
"If you're referring to the companies set aside for succession purposes, I must decline this time."
Both Tae Gun-seung and Song Tae-ho, standing a little behind him, now wore stony expressions.
"You knew? But how...?"
No one was supposed to know. Besides themselves and the lawyers and tax accountants involved, it was a hidden operation.
Of course, if not for his previous life, In-hyuk would have been no different from anyone else.
Back then, chairman Tae Gun-seung had already passed away.
Through his will, the authority over the succession companies passed to his eldest son Tae Seok-hyun, who entrusted the work to In-hyuk, trusting his handling of the paper companies—at least, so it seemed.
That arrangement turned into the sharpest blade, enabling Tae Seok-ho to seize the chairman's seat next.
Of course, he could not explain all this as fact.
"There were subtle indications during the TF division's re-audit. The amounts weren't large, and the company types and durations varied, so they wouldn't attract tax investigation. The trades themselves were real, making it hard to flag as a problem. But if there's only one owner and this has been going on for decades, the scale becomes different."
It must have been an accurate answer, as a sigh escaped Tae Gun-seung.
"Huh..."
"Any large corporation suffers headaches with succession. So I figured you started preparing as soon as you became chairman."
At that moment, Tae Gun-seung stared sharply at In-hyuk with cold eyes.
"Who else knows what you just said?"
The heavy mood extended from Song Tae-ho behind him as well.
"Are you thinking of dealing with those who know?"
"You realize how important this is."
In-hyuk let out a sigh with a hint of laughter.
"That data was partially collected and reviewed by me. Even if it was all gathered, it would be hard for other employees to figure out. Didn't you set it up that way, chairman?"
This time, Tae Gun-seung gave a wry chuckle.
"Ha. Yet you still uncovered it."
"It was just visible to me. Looking into it, the scale was large and the operation long-term, so naturally I thought you were behind it."
"Then, why didn't you say anything sooner?"
It had already been well over a month since the TF division ended.
He hadn't raised the matter, even when he later overturned Taeshin Electronics, so from Tae Gun-seung's perspective, it was only natural to find this odd.
"I didn't see any advantage to bringing it up first."
"Huh, advantage... I suppose so. Makes me embarrassed—shows how sensitively I reacted."
He was startled that of all people, In-hyuk had noticed what he thought was thoroughly concealed.
"I can understand your position, chairman."
"But you're still refusing?"
They returned to the original topic.
Earlier, In-hyuk had given a unhesitating and clear refusal.
"I have nothing to do with the Taeshin Group succession process."
"How can you say that? Your wife is part of the Taeshin family. You're family, too."
"But I'm not Taeshin blood."
At that answer, Tae Gun-seung studied In-hyuk for a moment before speaking.
"Are you thinking of divorcing Ju-ha?"
He got the sense that In-hyuk was drawing a line.
"I can't say the idea has never crossed my mind."
"Is Ju-ha then not to your liking? She may be the prettiest of all my granddaughters. Her temperament is fairly good—though maybe her lack of aegyo is a shortcoming. And she's now the CEO of Taeshin Asset Management—a subsidiary."
The unexpected comments made In-hyuk awkwardly scratch his brow with his thumb.
"That's not the issue."
"Hmmm! Even before, when I mentioned a directorship to Ju-ha and you for the future, you both seemed unenthusiastic. Don't tell me Ju-ha feels the same way?"
"It's similar."
At that, Tae Gun-seung sighed again.
"My goodness... If you're married, you should work on your bond. Was sending her to America for a year the problem?"
"It's not just because of that."
"Is there no way to fix this? Or maybe—you both keep thinking this way but haven't divorced, maybe because you're planning something?"
Although In-hyuk gave only a rough explanation, Tae Gun-seung interpreted it his own way.
"In any case, I must decline your earlier request."
"Then should I ask your uncle-in-law? Or your father-in-law, who stepped down because of you?"
He purposely emphasized "your".
"Well, that's up to you, chairman."
"Why do you think I asked you, anyway?"
This time, In-hyuk was curious.
"You have no immediate candidate and want to get things in order for now, aren't you?"
"Not wrong, but that's not all."
"I'm honestly not that interested."
Maybe upset by In-hyuk's indifference, Tae Gun-seung responded anxiously.
"I'm not getting any of the answers I expected. Strange..."
"Let someone from Taeshin handle Taeshin's affairs. I'm busy enough with my own responsibilities."
When In-hyuk's tone turned firm, Tae Gun-seung let out a deep sigh.
"Even if I grant you whatever you want?"
"How do you know what I want?"
"Whatever. This old man doesn't have long to live—what can't I grant?"
In-hyuk studied him.
Despite a deeply wrinkled face and being well into his nineties, in mobility he was more youthful than most of the executives beneath him.
"You really are intent on sending me to do this."
"That's what I intend."
In-hyuk ran his hand through his hair.
"When do you want me to go?"
He figured that if he refused, Tae Gun-seung would just keep pestering him.
Of course, he could always break things off completely after divorcing Tae Ju-ha.
But there were still issues he needed to resolve, making it hard to decide right now.
Meanwhile, Tae Gun-seung's smile grew deeper, as if he felt he'd won.
* * *
Tae Seok-ho received some news in his executive vice president's office.
"The chairman summoned Kang In-hyuk?"
"I heard he went into the chairman's office just now."
That was Reina Blackwood's reply, seated beside him.
Worry clouded Tae Seok-ho's face.
"What could it be about?"
"I haven't been able to hear beyond that yet."
He was worried that something like the TF division incident might happen again.
"After shaking up the group like that, what else could he be plotting..."
As he kept muttering, Reina answered with a sigh.
"I doubt anything will happen right away."
"Haven't you been giving me half-hearted answers since earlier? You're my secretary here, you know."
"Technically, we're partners. Of course, I'm also handling secretarial tasks without issue."
"Hoo. So, how much friendly stock have we secured? Is it going well? And why haven't you reported on the matters I mentioned last time?"
As he bombarded her with questions, Reina's brow furrowed slightly.
"At present, we have about 22% of the holding company Mulsan shares, including your portion."
"So there's at least 9% left to go?"
Companies rarely split shares cleanly in two; they're typically distributed among several factions.
One needed at least 31% to confront Tae Gun-seung.
As things stood, splits would naturally occur between Tae Gun-seung, Tae Seok-hyun, and Tae Seok-ho.
But with Tae Seok-hyun having stepped down as CEO of Taeshin Electronics, he would likely end up with less friendly stock than the others.
That was actually a positive for Tae Seok-ho.
"The rest will take a bit more time."
"How much?"
Even from Reina's standpoint, they should have secured more shares than the figure she'd just quoted.
But due to the unexpected interventions by Orbis Investment and Lumen Holdings, they'd lost too many shares—twice, in fact.
"The Organization says it'll take at least a month."
"And I'm just supposed to wait in the meantime? Who knows what'll happen by then."
Tae Seok-ho's frustration wasn't resolved.
It was simple—like how the TF division dug through Taeshin Electronics and unearthed information, maybe someone had found his weak points, too.
"We have our own plans, so please be patient. Also, regarding what you asked earlier... they want to meet with you soon."
"Really? When?"
"Sometime soon."
At that, Tae Seok-ho exhaled a small sigh of relief.
Of course, it wasn't a satisfying situation.
Even now, he was dying to know what kind of conversation his father, chairman Tae Gun-seung, and Kang In-hyuk were having in the chairman's office.