Chapter 97
Are You an Office Worker?
【Division Director Kang In-hyuk of Taeshin, once again targeted for his life!? In an undisclosed location in Chungbuk, multiple assailants in vehicles tailed and attacked him... Fortunately, the assault was thwarted by Division Director Kang In-hyuk's security guard, but it remains uncertain if his safety can be ensured in the future...】
【A sudden ambush on Taeshin Group's Division Director Kang In-hyuk in an undisclosed location in Chungbuk! The assailants belonged to a violent gang, about 15 people in total... The police have announced that investigations are underway, suspecting they acted on commission.】
【△△ days since Gulf of Guinea pirates hijacked a container ship. The fate of five Korean staff remains unknown. Ship owner Notex expressed hope for a swift rescue...】
【To date, Delta Scourge, the Gulf of Guinea pirates who hijacked the container ship, have made no demands...】
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Kang Cheon-gyu, chairman of KQ Group, waited in his office with an expression full of anger for someone to arrive.
Before long, the door opened and his wife, Jeon Hae-in, who was also the CEO of KQ Department Store, stepped in.
"What are you trying to do right now? A sudden press conference?"
As expected, it was a visitor he had not wanted.
Kang Cheon-gyu's forehead bulged with veins.
"Do you really not know why I'm asking?"
At that, Jeon Hae-in flinched momentarily before continuing.
"... What do you mean?"
"You're really going to play dumb like this? Then I have nothing to say to you right now."
As he sighed deeply, the door was knocked and Noh Geun-cheol, his secretary, entered.
"Chairman. It's time for you to go downstairs. Everything is ready below."
"Alright, then."
At that moment, Jeon Hae-in quickly blocked his way.
"What on earth are you going to do?!"
"You'll understand when you see the press conference."
"Are you seriously doing this? If you're mistaken, KQ Group will be criticized by the public!"
Kang Cheon-gyu's steps halted for a moment.
"Criticized? Are you talking about what you did?"
"What did I do?"
Kang Cheon-gyu let out a sigh and brushed past her.
Jeon Hae-in, in a panic, blocked his path once more.
"What are you talking about!"
"Step aside."
"KQ Group only became what it is thanks to my father. How can I stand by and watch you destroy it?!"
"Well, you tell me. You already know what I'm about to do. Why do you say that will ruin the company?"
"That's..."
Unable to speak further, Jeon Hae-in gritted her teeth.
She knew perfectly well why Kang Cheon-gyu was doing this: he was about to announce that Kang In-hyuk was his illegitimate child.
And she herself could not explain, for an obvious reason.
It was she who had dispatched the assailants to kill Kang In-hyuk a few days ago.
If she admitted that she knew Kang In-hyuk was an illegitimate child, she would be confirming it herself.
At the same time, it would further diminish her son Kang Do-young's standing, so she kept her lips tightly sealed.
"If you have nothing to say, you may as well remain silent. We're leaving now."
As Kang Cheon-gyu walked away, he passed Lee Jung-tae, who stood a little distance behind her.
Led by his secretary and staff, he entered the first floor auditorium.
There, a crowd of journalists gathered in advance were already seated.
Click, click, click—
With Kang Cheon-gyu's entrance, the sound of camera shutters went wild.
As he turned on the microphone and tapped it lightly, the flashes and shutter sounds gradually subsided and the room grew still.
"Hello. I am Kang Cheon-gyu, CEO of KQ Distribution. You must be very curious as to why I suddenly called this press conference."
With that greeting, the atmosphere became even more tense.
"First, I want to begin by expressing my sincere apologies."
Kang Cheon-gyu stepped aside and bowed deeply, slowly straightening up afterward.
He then stood at the microphone, glancing over the journalists around him.
The reporters were so shocked by his immediate apology that even their breathing stopped for a moment.
"... I have a son who was born outside my marriage."
As soon as he announced the existence of an illegitimate child, the camera flashes blazed ecstatically once more.
Even so, Kang Cheon-gyu continued speaking without pause.
"For over 30 years, I lived without knowing of his existence, but I recently became aware of him, and I now wish to restore him to his rightful place, which is why I am making this announcement publicly."
"Does the person in question know about this?"
"What is his occupation?"
"Are you considering him as a successor besides Division Director Kang Do-young?"
"What does he do for a living?"
As curiosity grew, journalists began bombarding him with questions.
Thump, thump—
"Sorry, but I will take questions after I finish my statement."
With his heavy tone, the journalists could do nothing but lower their voices.
"No matter how I explain it, it will be difficult to see KQ Group or me in a positive light because of this personal matter. Yet, I have decided I cannot erase the existence of a son I found after 30 years solely for the peace of the Group. That's why I have decided to embrace everything and work even harder for KQ, and this is why I called you all here today."
Kang Cheon-gyu finished and looked around at the journalists.
"That is all I have to say. Now I will take your questions."
To then on, the journalists fired one question after another as if pulling a trigger.
"How old is your son and what is his occupation? Is he a public figure?"
"What was your relationship with his mother?"
"Are you considering him for the KQ Group's successor?"
"Why did you not know about him for 30 years?"
"How did you find him? How did you find out?"
Kang Cheon-gyu gripped the mic again.
"He is 34 years old this year, and his occupation is an office worker. And I can't say he isn't famous."
This was his way of admitting that his son was indeed a public figure.
At the same time, the journalists' eyes shone even brighter.
"Can you tell us his name?"
"Where does he work?"
Kang Cheon-gyu hesitated for a moment, then answered.
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At the same time, Tae Seok-ho was watching TV in his office.
The broadcast was covering the sudden announcement by Kang Cheon-gyu, chairman of KQ, that a press conference would be held.
"An illegitimate child for Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu? What the... And he's even holding a press conference?"
The existence of an illegitimate child is possibly the worst kind of owner risk for a conglomerate chairman.
Aside from the personal scandal, such an issue would inevitably cause turmoil over future succession and could impact the stock price.
The internal power struggle would intensify, leaving both the board and shareholders deeply displeased.
Yet Kang Cheon-gyu had decided to brave it and called a press conference.
Meanwhile, on the screen, journalists were bombarding him with questions.
[Are you considering him for KQ Group's successor?]
[How old is your son and what is his occupation? Is he a public figure?]
[How did you find him? How did you become aware?]
[What was your relationship with his mother?]
[Why did you not know for 30 years?]
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Kang Cheon-gyu's expression turned even more serious as he answered.
[My son's name is Kang In-hyuk. He is currently Division Director of M&A/PEF at Taeshin Asset Management. For further details, please refer to the interviews and press releases that will be distributed. As for issues that may arise in KQ Distribution, I will humbly accept them and do my utmost to resolve them. Though much time has passed, I am truly sorry for causing such a stir in this way, and I extend my sincerest apologies once more.]
With his final words, Kang Cheon-gyu stepped aside and bowed deeply to the camera.
Despite the continuing barrage of questions from reporters, the broadcast of the press conference came to an end, returning to the regular program.
Tae Seok-ho's hand trembled as he clutched the remote, eyes glued to the TV.
"... What? That Kang In-hyuk is Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu's son?"
His gaze shifted to Reina Blackwood, who was sitting across from him.
"Did you know about this over there?"
Reina, who had been smiling all along, showed no change in expression.
"I didn't know."
"And him?"
He was referring to Im Deok-chang, whom he had met personally just a while ago.
He knew his name now but was careful not to mention it, fearing a slip of the tongue.
"I just follow orders. I'm not curious about what, or how much, those above me know. Even if I knew, I couldn't divulge it carelessly."
Tae Seok-ho was struck again by her loyalty.
When he first learned of Im Deok-chang's affiliation, he assumed she, too, was with the National Intelligence Service, but learning otherwise was even more surprising.
This was because a powerful organization, whose name he still did not know, had fostered manpower both with extraordinary organizational skills and such loyalty.
But at the moment, the issue was Kang In-hyuk.
Bzzz— bzzz—
Just then, his wife Choi Tae-eun called.
Not only she, but numerous people involved in the management of the company were flooding him with messages and calls for confirmation.
"This is turning into a real headache..."
Kang In-hyuk, who had been derided as a son-in-law on the payroll and a parachuted department manager, was now revealed to also be the son of Kang Cheon-gyu, chairman of KQ Group, right in the middle of his career success.
"Now that I think about it, Kang Do-young was replaced because of Kang In-hyuk, too. Could it be... Did he know that his biological father was Kang Cheon-gyu? Was he aiming for this deliberately? No, that can't be... Truth is, the Taeshin Spintech matter was something father entrusted him with from the beginning."
As he muttered, Tae Seok-ho glanced back at Reina.
He recalled something she'd said to him in the past.
【That's a separate issue. We still haven't figured out who's really behind him.】
He distinctly remembered her mentioning this when she tried to deal with Kang In-hyuk using her own forces.
"So it was Kang Cheon-gyu who backed him? And that sudden change in him was because of that? She must have known this as well. That's why even though Kang In-hyuk was the biggest obstacle in the Taeshin Group succession, she allowed him to remain..."
Tae Seok-ho's calculations matched up in terms of cause and timing.
Of course, a big question remained. KQ Distribution alone could not support Kang In-hyuk's investment expertise.
Had that been possible, it would have been much easier for KQ, not just Limited to distribution, to directly partner with AMK Partners.
"I'll tell you this so you don't take any rash, problematic actions out of misunderstanding."
"What do you mean?"
"Kang In-hyuk has never acted with KQ Group behind him. Just as the press conference stated, Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu only recently learned that Kang In-hyuk is his biological son."
With his face set hard, Tae Seok-ho asked quietly:
"Then, Kang In-hyuk's backer... Is it someone completely different?"
"We're still looking into that as well. We're not even sure if there is one. So it's not as you think."
This only deepened the confusion.
"This is going to be a real mess."
"But the board and shareholders probably won't consider CEO Tae Ju-ha for the next successor role. No matter what they do, it will all be tied back to Kang In-hyuk, Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu's biological son."
"That does seem true."
Tae Seok-ho was quietly impressed.
Rather than disposing of Kang In-hyuk, this situation made it so CEO Tae Ju-ha would face backlash from shareholders and the board, which ironically included Kang In-hyuk as well.
"But this time, Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu moved much more hastily than I expected. Of course, someone must have provided the spark."
Tae Seok-ho quickly understood this.
The party behind the attack on Kang In-hyuk still remained unidentified.
But in that context, Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu's press conference revealed his true intention.
"Looking strictly at the situation, it's either his wife, CEO Jeon Hae-in, or his son Kang Do-young. But that guy is on a business trip abroad at this timing..."
A few days prior, Kang In-hyuk had departed for business with AMK Partners.
The timing was just too coincidental not to arouse suspicion.
Below the still-on TV, a news summary about the just-ended press conference began running again.