Chapter 96
Drifters
As night deepened, a luxurious vehicle entered the premises of a fishing spot on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province. Shortly after, Tae Seok-ho of Taeshin Trading and his secretary, Reina, got out of the car.
"If you head this way, you'll arrive."
"Do we really have to meet in a place like this?"
It was in the middle of a forest and, to the casual eye, clearly an abandoned spot with not even the faintest trace of light. Reina illuminated their path with her flashlight as she spoke.
"That's how cautious we have to be."
"What kind of person are we even meeting...?"
The ground was a mess, littered with debris and rough, uneven soil. The two of them passed through and entered a building tucked away in the corner of the fishing grounds.
"Are you here?"
A middle-aged man's voice rose out of the darkness, making Tae Seok-ho stop in surprise.
"... And who are you?"
At his question, a lantern was switched on from the side, brightening the surroundings.
Everyone squinted for a few moments at the sudden glare before slowly confirming each other's faces.
The man opposite was the first to extend his hand for a handshake and spoke.
"My name is Im Deok-chang."
"I am Tae Seok-ho. But, may I ask who you represent?"
Without knowing the other's identity, it was difficult to have a proper conversation.
"You may not believe me, but I work for a government agency."
"An agency...?"
As the executive vice president of the Taeshin Group, Tae Seok-ho was already familiar with most public officials in the capital region.
However, the man before him was completely unfamiliar, making him even more suspicious.
"I am with the National Intelligence Service. I serve as the third deputy director there."
"Is that so? Then is this woman also...?"
His gaze shifted to Reina at the same time. If she worked under him, it gave clues about her true affiliation.
"Ah, Reina isn't with my agency. She works for another organization."
"Then why is someone from the National Intelligence Service involved in saving me and doing all this? Don't tell me this whole operation isn't even run by the NIS, but another group?"
At that, Im Deok-chang set his lantern down and smiled.
"There are people acting with grand ambitions. Many businesses are involved as well. I'm sure Reina already explained the purpose to you."
At that moment, Tae Seok-ho recalled the words he heard from her when they first met.
[We act to stabilize wealth and power.]
Unconsciously, he nodded in understanding and replied.
"So that's why you offered to put me in line for the next owner of the Taeshin Group."
"Exactly. We want people who have both capability and ambition. Executive Vice President Tae, you're one of them."
The complexity of the current situation and the appearance of Im Deok-chang muddled Tae Seok-ho's thoughts.
Yet, he found himself certain about what he needed to do.
"So, you mean I'm essential to this plan for exclusive co-prosperity."
Those were also Reina's words from before.
"Hahaha—that's right. That's exactly it."
"But I'm not sure this warrants such a secretive meeting... Is there some special reason?"
Im Deok-chang did not wipe the smile from his face.
"As I mentioned, my position is a big part of it. If word got out that the third deputy director of the National Intelligence Service is meddling in corporate affairs, what do you think would happen?"
"It does make sense. It's not exactly a position where you can act openly."
"Thank you for understanding. In any case, there are other agencies and people involved in this besides myself. I simply act as an intermediary."
At those words, surprise flickered across Tae Seok-ho's features.
The third deputy director of the National Intelligence Service was deputy-minister level, just under the director.
For someone of such high rank to play a mediating, not leading, role was astonishing.
"How many people are involved in this?"
"I can't give you an exact number, but it's not a small group. There are even people working from abroad."
"That many?"
"However, just like us, they don't know who else is involved. Myself and a few others are the focal points, building business ties for what you called 'exclusive co-prosperity.'"
Tae Seok-ho nodded slowly before stopping.
"Judging by Reina and the security guards, you have no small amount of capable manpower... Is there some benefit for you in employing such people?"
"Some of the consortium's companies are included. If you rise to the role of chairman, you'll see the infrastructure for yourself."
"I suppose I won't know for sure until then. So, what should I call this group?"
"You mean a name?"
"A group this organized must have a name, surely?"
As the questions continued, Im Deok-chang thought briefly before responding.
"I'll tell you once you stand atop Taeshin."
His tone was firm.
Because of that, Tae Seok-ho couldn't press further and was left with only a look of regret on his face.
"In any case, I trust your questions are mostly answered. And one more thing—please keep what you know about us secret. I'm sure you understand why."
There was a veiled threat there. Tae Seok-ho understood it entirely, making it difficult to ask any more.
"... I'll keep that in mind."
With that, the lantern was extinguished. Darkness returned, and nothing could be seen.
Reina turned on her flashlight again, but Im Deok-chang had already vanished without a trace.
* * *
In-hyuk was, for the time being, away from Seoul and on his way to Texcellence in Cheongju, Chungbuk.
After the RSK acquisition and securing the military uniform bid, he was heading there to check the interim status.
While driving down the expressway, Hong Yu-geon, at the wheel, kept glancing at the rearview and side mirrors.
"We're being tailed."
"Oh, really?"
He casually looked back and saw two suspicious black vans and a sedan following.
He'd known from the start that there were tails—plus, their amateurish style made it obvious they weren't professionals.
Since Baek Si-hwan was in the passenger seat, a little acting was needed.
"What should we do? If things keep going this way, something's bound to happen."
At that, In-hyuk looked to Baek Si-hwan and asked,
"What do you suggest?"
Baek Si-hwan, who hadn't expected the question, hesitated.
"... Excuse me? You mean the tail?"
"You're my secretary and bodyguard, aren't you? Don't you have a manual for handling situations like this?"
"Well..."
But no solution came to Baek Si-hwan's mind.
Watching him, In-hyuk exhaled and addressed Hong Yu-geon.
"Let's turn off toward the factory. Take the route where it's as deserted as possible."
"Okay."
"What are you planning?"
Even at Baek Si-hwan's question, In-hyuk's expression was calm.
"We can't exactly drag them to a police station, can we? So, we'll handle it ourselves."
"Handle it?"
In the meantime, Hong Yu-geon turned off the highway and headed toward the factory road.
The area was rural, lined with scattered houses and wide fields.
"Deserted places around here must be..."
He checked the navigation and changed course. Soon, they entered a vacant lot near a mountain and parked.
The cars tailing them followed suit, recklessly speeding after them as if making it clear they were tailing.
"Director, what are we going to do?"
"First, let's figure out who they are and deal with it."
"With just us?"
The only security on hand were Hong Yu-geon, Van Hester, and Baek Si-hwan.
"If we're outnumbered, I'll lend a hand myself."
Meanwhile, from the opposing vehicles, rugged men got out holding various blunt weapons.
A quick count showed about sixteen—men with the look of street toughs.
"Well, is it even worth bothering the director? Just watch and call the cops if it gets out of hand."
Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester exchanged a glance, then stepped outside.
Baek Si-hwan, sitting in the backseat, couldn't help but follow after them.
The opposing men, once ready, rushed at them.
Puhf—Thwack—Puh-puhf—
In the cold winter air, a brawl broke out in an instant on the vacant lot.
"It really is a mess..."
But the problem was numbers—they only had three on In-hyuk's side against sixteen attackers.
True, each of them was felling foes quickly, but it was difficult to cover for stray enemies wielding weapons.
"Is this unavoidable?"
Eventually, In-hyuk called the police on his phone and got out of the car.
At that moment, a man in a black suit who'd crept around the back lunged with a sharp knife.
Shhk—Crack— Even though it was from his right blind spot, In-hyuk dodged-nimbly, twisted the man's arm, and snapped it upward.
"Argh!"
He'd subdued the attacker with a fast, decisive joint lock.
Three more slipped through and encircled In-hyuk, hesitating as they saw their comrade writhing in pain on the ground.
"Why are you just standing there? Weren't you here to kill me?"
"You bastard...!"
As the man straight in front yelled, the others joined the attack.
Despite the urgency, In-hyuk kept his composure.
His senses, sharpened by tension, made their every move seem slow.
Crack!—Crunch!—
Dodging an incoming attack by bending back, he grabbed and twisted the attacker's wrist, forcing a knife from his hand.
Using the foe's body as a shield, he dodged another knife from the left.
Wham, crunch, snap—
"Aagh!"
This time, he broke a wrist, an elbow, then a knee in sequence.
'So, am I being assessed as well—to see how I fight?'
He'd been feeling Baek Si-hwan's gaze all the while.
Deliberately, In-hyuk used only basic joint locks—never the TMT (Tactical Murder Techniques) he'd learned at UID.
Baek Si-hwan would know about those, considering he also belonged to UID.
That's why, even though In-hyuk tried hard not to betray himself, bits of TMT inevitably slipped into his movements.
WEE-OO, wEE-OO, wEE-OO—
After most of the attackers were handled, they heard police sirens some distance away.
"Phew—! Glad you stepped in, director, so it ended quickly."
"You're saying that because you couldn't finish them off yourselves."
"Hey, I don't have an extra pair of arms—of course we'd be outnumbered, right?"
Hong Yu-geon looked between Van Hester and Baek Si-hwan as if seeking agreement.
Van Hester just shrugged indifferently.
Shaking his head at the sight, In-hyuk straightened the wrinkles in his jacket and addressed Baek Si-hwan.
"When the police arrive, please explain the situation to them."
"Should I hand over the black box footage too?"
"Let Hong take what's necessary and send that over."
"Okay. Aren't you going to ask who's behind all this? Are you just leaving it to the police?"
It was the most important part.
Yet, In-hyuk hadn't so much as touched the attackers who now lay beaten—something that seemed odd.
"They're just drifters who can't even handle a knife. Whoever tried to kill me by hiring this many with such poor skills must be pretty desperate."
Baek Si-hwan asked, surprised,
"Do you have a suspect in mind?"
"More or less. But there won't be any obvious evidence to catch them. They'll have already severed the ties."
When In-hyuk gave no names, Baek Si-hwan's face took on a subtly bitter expression.
Meanwhile, the police arrived at the vacant lot, and Baek Si-hwan stepped forward as In-hyuk instructed.