Chapter 118
What Confession!
【28 Cases of Prosecutorial Corruption Reported to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the Ministry of Justice! Regarding this, a total of 18 prosecutors whose real names have been revealed—2 sitting chief prosecutors, 5 department managers, 11 regular prosecutors... The reports included evidence of entrenched local corruption, abuse of power, concealment of investigations, receipt of solicitation money, and accompanying photos...】
【The Supreme Prosecutors' Office Received the Tip-Off on 28 Prosecutorial Corruption Cases First, yet Remains Silent? Moves First to Identify the Whistleblower's Identity... Whose Investigation Is This For?】
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It initially erupted around small internet media outlets and WeTube channels that typically handled only gossip.
Afterwards, major media outlets could no longer ignore the story and began picking it up one by one.
The world inevitably became noisy again, with no signs of quieting down.
"Hey... No, division director! Division director! Did you see this?"
Hong Yu-geon, who was sitting on the office couch reading an article on his phone, rushed over to In-hyuk in a fluster.
He was so surprised, he almost called In-hyuk by the wrong title.
"Oh, that? I already knew about it."
"Huh? You already knew?"
As Hong Yu-geon tilted his head in confusion, Van Hester also turned his gaze toward them.
"Don't tell me, you're the one who leaked it, division director?"
"That's right. It's spreading nicely, just as intended. With this, the prosecutors won't be able to keep quiet for a while."
Doubt blossomed on both their faces, and then Hong Yu-geon frowned as he asked,
"The article says the prosecutors are trying to identify the whistleblower. That means someone acted. Did you leak it directly? When?"
Since In-hyuk had been with Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester most of the time, he'd hardly had the time to do it himself.
"I had someone do it."
"Who... Wait, you mean Noah Vantrail?"
"That's right."
"Why her?"
"She's skilled. So I hired her freelance this time. And Noah surprisingly agreed without hesitation."
At that, Hong Yu-geon's face looked even more disgruntled.
"We're here too, you know."
"Can either of you perfectly disguise yourselves as someone else?"
"Well, that's..."
Hong Yu-geon was at a loss for words right from the first question and became speechless.
"Sometimes I need someone trustworthy who can quietly collect information or stand in for me. Trust matters."
"What about us?"
"You're both already recognizable."
"... Tch."
In-hyuk spoke again, watching as Hong Yu-geon clicked his tongue in resignation.
"Anyway, you'll be working together from now on. If you run into her, don't always bristle so much."
"What, do I look like someone who picks a fight every time I see her?"
"I'm saying it because I know you have your reasons."
Hong Yu-geon looked at In-hyuk in surprise.
"What? Did she tell you everything?"
In-hyuk was aware of the matter between the two.
However, he'd only learned about it while working with them in his previous life, not this one.
Naturally, he couldn't explain that, so he just shrugged his shoulders.
"How much did she tell you?"
"If you mean confessing to Noah while she was undercover during a mission... I just found out myself."
Hong Yu-geon's face instantly turned bright red.
"W-what? Confession?! What confession!"
"With your taste, it's possible. There's not much age difference between you, right? Aren't you two years older than her?"
"She's definitely not my type!"
His vehement denial only made it look more suspicious. In-hyuk smiled, deciding not to tease him further.
"All right. I'll accept that. Anyway, I only hired Noah because I need her, so don't cause unnecessary trouble."
"Tch..."
Bzzz— bzzz—
At that moment, a message came in via Ghost Link.
【Skinwalker: It's the people who came looking for the woman we tailed last time.】
The message came with photos attached.
The person Noah was assigned to monitor was Jung Yoon-ju, a deputy general manager at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
It wasn't possible to plant anyone with National Intelligence Service deputy general manager Im Deok-chang or W&W Group chairman Baek Ji-woong, since those places were so closed-off.
But Jung Yoon-ju's office could be entered by outsiders as long as they had an access card, making surveillance like this possible.
"Those are the people Jung Yoon-ju manages. Looks like there are some new faces besides those on the list I reported."
Hong Yu-geon, reviewing the contents next to In-hyuk, looked puzzled.
"How can you identify people so quickly like that?"
These details about prosecutorial corruption connected back to his previous life.
At the time, even as the head of Bluewall, In-hyuk hadn't been able to easily bring down Taeshin Group, a mainstay of Korea's economy.
He'd needed legal protection to cover up corporate crimes and had thoroughly dug up dirt on relevant prosecutors to secure their cooperation.
"Just the people with problematic records."
"What kind of information network are you using? At this point, you're putting the National Intelligence Service to shame."
"I don't lose out to them."
Despite having such power at the time, he hadn't been able to uncover the activities of the organization Kooou.
Now, in hindsight, it was obvious that Baek Si-hwan, who mainly handled Korean operations, had deliberately kept that hidden.
"That's some insane intelligence..."
"That's enough about that."
Bzzz— bzzz—
Then In-hyuk's phone vibrated again, this time with a call.
"I figured it was about time someone reached out."
The name displayed on the screen was Do Jung-geol, the secretary to W&W Group chairman Baek Ji-woong.
When he answered, Do Jung-geol's heavy voice came through.
[The chairman would like to meet with you. Are you available this evening?]
"I think I can be."
[Then I'll send you the time and location.]
In-hyuk finished the call and looked Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester in the eyes.
"Chairman Baek wants to see me."
"Chairman Baek of W&W? For what?"
"How should I know."
Soon after, a message arrived with the meeting time and place from Do Jung-geol.
Then, as In-hyuk sent something via Ghost Link to someone else, he muttered,
"Looks like it's about time for the other side to start moving too."
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The place they arrived after work was a high-end restaurant on the outskirts of Seoul.
As In-hyuk got out of the car, Do Jung-geol, who'd been waiting, approached.
"It's best if you go in alone."
Among those who got out with him was Baek Si-hwan.
In-hyuk turned to Baek Si-hwan and said,
"I'll be back, so please wait here."
"... Will you be all right?"
"There shouldn't be any issues."
He then glanced at Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester before following Do Jung-geol inside to a separate building at the restaurant.
Several rooms lined the hallway. The silence was so deep that only the creak of the floorboards echoed loudly.
Deep inside, Do Jung-geol opened a door.
Inside, WISE&WIRE Group chairman Baek Ji-woong had already arrived and stood to greet In-hyuk.
"Thank you for coming all this way. Ah, you must be hungry—bring out the food."
Baek Ji-woong caught Do Jung-geol's eye.
As if on cue, after a short wait, an assortment of Korean set menu dishes and entrees in brass bowls were brought to the table.
"The food here is excellent, that's why I often visit. Let's eat while we talk."
"Of course."
As the meal began, a short silence passed.
After about twenty minutes, when they had eaten a fair amount, In-hyuk noticed the chairman had lowered his chopsticks and spoke.
"I think we've eaten enough for now. Please, go ahead."
"I suppose I did little else but make Director Kang eat after bringing you here."
"Not at all."
Another brief silence settled, before Baek Ji-woong gazed at In-hyuk and spoke.
"I heard you had a tough time in Vladivostok?"
"I nearly died there."
"How did you manage to get all the way to Moscow, over 6,000 kilometers away, and make it back?"
In-hyuk rolled his eyes slightly and replied with a question.
"Did you ask me here just to hear about that?"
"I heard those after you used bombs and guns. You escaped from guys like that—wouldn't you be curious in my position?"
Baek Ji-woong was one of those involved behind the scenes. He'd gone out of his way to set up this meeting, clearly trying to feel things out.
"My security guard is ex-military—it helped me survive. But it seemed too risky to contact anyone there, so I used a broker and moved by train."
He recounted it as briefly as possible; it was all factual, so no one could get in trouble even if they tried to investigate.
"You must have had a rough time."
"My wife suffered more than I did."
He deliberately slipped in a familiar term to refer to Tae Ju-ha, making it sound more personal.
There was a subtle shift in Baek Ji-woong's demeanor before he opened his mouth again.
"To be honest, that's not the real reason I called you here. But before we get to that, I'd like to ask you one more thing, if that's all right."
"If it's something I can answer, of course."
"What are you planning to do about KQ Group? Frankly, that was my biggest question and the real reason I asked to see you. I wanted to hear your thoughts directly."
It was a well-known fact among Korea's business leaders that In-hyuk was chairman Kang Cheon-gyu's illegitimate son.
Articles about it kept surfacing, along with constant interview requests.
Of course, he'd refused all interviews, so most were just speculative pieces.
Normally, the owner's risk would have caused KQ Group's stock to fall, but with the downfall of the only heir Kang Do-young and In-hyuk's record at Taeshin Asset Management, shareholders saw it as a good sign.
The stock actually rebounded and climbed higher than before.
"I didn't expect W&W Group's chairman to be interested in KQ Group's matters."
"It's a competitor and I'm also a shareholder."
Unable to get the desired info through Baek Si-hwan, Baek Ji-woong had clearly come himself for answers.
"I actually turned down Chairman Kang Cheon-gyu's offer. Didn't you know?"
Baek Ji-woong gave a thin smile.
"I heard as much. What I'd like to know is why you refused."
In-hyuk hardened his expression for a moment.
"I didn't expect the chairman to take an interest in my personal affairs. But I'd rather not discuss that part. Frankly, I find it unpleasant."
Whether it was the aggressive atmosphere, Baek Ji-woong slightly backed down.
"Ah, I suppose I was too blunt."
"Please, just get to the real reason."
After a brief thought, Baek Ji-woong stared at In-hyuk.
"Have you ever met Gordon Grimes, the CEO of AMK Partners, directly?"
In-hyuk replied blandly, without any change in expression.
"No, I haven't."
"Then how did you establish business with AMK Partners?"
"They contacted me first. They set up a Korean branch, but it's more in name than substance—Norman McGrath, the branch manager, handles the overseas business. So, they asked me to handle mergers and acquisitions with Korean companies."
"Was it the Raisen Energy deal that caught their eye?"
That deal with AMK Partners had been a major investment led by In-hyuk as team leader at Taeshin Asset Management, and it drew a lot of attention as it was a move others couldn't have predicted.
It was In-hyuk's breakthrough.
"I'm told that was the reason. Thanks to that, I got to expand the M&A and PEF side of the business considerably."
Baek Ji-woong's eyes never left In-hyuk's.
"Then can you introduce me to CEO Gordon Grimes of AMK Partners? Or at least pass along my message?"
"Me?"
"As you know, AMK Partners' Organization never meets with anyone. Norman McGrath is an available contact, but even he's not easy."
AMK Partners had been beating Kooou to coveted acquisitions in a range of business fields.
With even Gordon Grimes making a public appearance in Hong Kong, Baek Ji-woong was getting desperate that he hadn't been able to secure a meeting.