Chapter 134 : There's Always the Option to Sell
There's Always the Option to Sell
In the restaurant, In-hyuk's seat was immediately to the left of chairman Tae Gun-seung.
From that position, he could faintly see Reina Blackwood's expression reflected in the glass.
Soon, Reina Blackwood quietly stepped outside with her cellphone in hand.
'Did she perhaps receive some news from those guys?'
It was because he had just received a message from Noah Vantrail right before dinner.
【Skinwalker: I found some guys that seem to be from Kooou. But I got caught while surveilling them so I had to pull out quickly and left some traces. They'll be a lot more cautious now.】
Along with the message, a photo had arrived. There were a total of eight people halfway up a red rocky mountain. In-hyuk recognized one of them.
'It was Li Weicheng from the MSS, wasn't it? But to think Kooou had managed to infiltrate that far...'
MSS (Ministry of State Security) referred to China's state intelligence agency.
In-hyuk had come to know of him while conducting operations related to China during his time with UID.
Now that Li Weicheng and the operatives had discovered signs of Noah, they would surely have notified someone.
After seeing Reina Blackwood's expression just now, he could make a guess.
On another note, he was honestly impressed by Kooou's infiltration prowess.
"Is there something bothering you, Mr. Kang?"
Chairman Tae Gun-seung, noticing In-hyuk's slightly stiff face, asked him.
"Oh, I guess I'm a little tense thinking about the big event we've been preparing for starting tomorrow."
As he gave a halfhearted excuse, Tae Gun-seung nodded.
"True. A company that might draw a new line in the history of electrical engineering is about to be established, and you're about to own a share in it, so it'd be strange if you weren't concerned."
The real reason, though, was the people targeting the lives of the Taeshin family.
But since he couldn't say that, In-hyuk just responded affirmatively.
"In practice, Greenbyte Labs and AMK Bridge will be running things, but since we have to be concerned from an external standpoint as well, I suppose it's even more so."
"Anyone might say you don't have much reason to complain."
Economic news outlets and experts were predicting Bellbyte Technology's future profits would be at least in the trillions of won.
Taeshin Asset Management had obtained shares in such a company simply by investing in one of the parent companies, Greenbyte Labs.
Because of this, companies that hadn't recognized the value of the then-small Greenbyte Labs and AMK Velion up close were now belatedly trying to get in line, but neither company was allowing any additional investment.
Meanwhile, In-hyuk made eye contact with Tae Seok-ho, who sat across from him.
Tae Seok-ho maintained a calm demeanor, but the corners of his lips curled up faintly.
'So he must know something about the plotting being done by Kooou.'
He had previously thought Reina Blackwood was controlling the information, but judging by his reaction now, Tae Seok-ho knew quite a bit.
"We're not that well-off. I'm just worried that envious types might try to stir something up."
Tae Gun-seung nodded in easy agreement.
"True, after all that's happened to us, I can see why you'd be concerned."
"Thank you for understanding."
With such conversation, their meal drew to a close.
Everyone was quite tired from the long flight, so they moved to the reserved rooms.
That was when Tae Seok-ho called to In-hyuk.
"Do you have a moment to talk?"
"... Of course."
"Come to my room."
In-hyuk followed him to a private unit situated about halfway down the hallway.
Tae Seok-ho sat on the living room sofa, inviting In-hyuk to take a seat as well.
"Thanks to you, everyone from the Taeshin family is going to gather, for once."
"I appreciate the compliment. But may I ask, why did you want to see me separately?"
Intent on not spending too long with him, In-hyuk tried to get straight to the point.
At this, Tae Seok-ho took a deep breath as he looked at In-hyuk.
"Recently, I found out why you went abroad with Ju-ha."
As he had anticipated this, In-hyuk kept a calm face.
"The chairman was very concerned about that, but you seem to be quite capable yourself, executive vice president."
"It wasn't too much noise, was it? But when I tracked things back from there, a lot of things surfaced."
"So, what is it that you want from me?"
After all, Tae Seok-ho couldn't have called him out just to confirm the facts.
"First... who was the one who received the proxy over the shares?"
"You weren't able to find out even that?"
"It's a shortcoming in my skill. So, who is it?"
At his persistent questioning, In-hyuk let out a sigh.
"Sorry, but that's difficult to answer."
"The chairman told you to keep it secret?"
"Something like that."
This time, it was Tae Seok-ho's turn to sigh.
"Let's be blunt: just how much longer do you think the chairman will live? Besides, my brother did something silly and even damaged Taeshin's prestige. So, who else is there to succeed Taeshin in a situation like this?"
He wasn't wrong. In-hyuk knew that very well.
In his previous life as bodyguard Kang In-hyuk, when he helped Tae Seok-ho ascend to chairman of Taeshin Group, he had thought the same thing.
But Tae Seok-ho failed to lead Taeshin Group well.
Backroom politics for business were the norm, and he had been busy squandering the subsidiaries' funds for his own gain.
No wonder he eventually lost out to In-hyuk, who had fought his way to the top at Bluewall.
"I think that's for the chairman, not you, to decide, executive vice president."
At that, Tae Seok-ho's expression crumpled in displeasure.
"Are you seriously suggesting the chairman would pass over me in favor of one of his grandchildren?"
He meant Tae Su-jin, Tae Yeo-jun, Tae Seung-hyun, and Tae Ju-ha.
Of them, Tae Yeo-jun and Tae Seung-hyun were most greedy for Taeshin Group.
But for all their ambition, neither had ever shown tangible results.
At least Tae Su-jin was clean as executive vice president of Taeshin Department Store, and Tae Ju-ha had managed to elevate Taeshin Asset Management—a subsidiary—to a full-fledged affiliate.
"If there's no one in the family the chairman favors, he could always appoint a professional manager."
"Heh... Do you really think the chairman would entrust the Taeshin Group, which he built over a lifetime, to some outside manager?"
In-hyuk also knew that would be difficult. That's why he had tried to check Tae Seok-ho's true intentions so he could pass the seat to Tae Seok-hyun instead.
Of course, even that had been possible only by In-hyuk manipulating things in Tae Seok-ho's favor.
'No matter how many times I look back, he really was just a pushover.'
As the conversation went on, a sense of self-reproach started to creep in.
Tae Seok-ho composed himself and spoke again.
"Taeshin's future. If you think about yours and Ju-ha's future too, I'd be a better choice. That's the best path for Taeshin."
"Then, assuming you become the next chairman, would you be willing to completely separate Taeshin Asset Management?"
Tae Seok-ho's brow furrowed.
Currently, the value of Taeshin Asset Management was second only to Taeshin Trading and Taeshin Electronics.
If things went as they were, it could be listed as a public company any time.
If such a company were removed from Taeshin, it could not only hurt the group's valuation, but also destroy existing shareholders' trust.
"Are you saying we should give up a whole affiliate?"
"You're seeking shares to become the next chairman of Taeshin Group. That's the condition, so isn't it fair enough?"
The reason Tae Seok-ho was stepping up like this now was that he couldn't fully trust Reina Blackwood.
Although she was collecting proxies from other shareholders, there was no guarantee she would support him unconditionally.
Moreover, if the person who had been delegated shares from chairman Tae Gun-seung died during the current scheme, even those shares could end up in limbo and things would get even more complicated.
"But you know the value of that company, too. Do you really think mere proxies are enough to justify it?"
"If you're talking about the businesses tied in with AMK Partners, I'm the one in between."
"No matter how much business depends on people, the subject is always the company. Who knows about the future, but how do you think you can make it work for now?"
Whether because his emotions were stirred, Tae Seok-ho's voice began to rise.
But In-hyuk remained perfectly calm.
"There's always the option of selling Taeshin Asset Management's shares to Greenbyte Labs. Or selling to AMK Partners, which would increase Taeshin Asset Management's operating funds."
As Tae Gun-seung had said earlier, Bellbyte Technology's value would only keep rising. Of course, turning over such shares would be foolish from Taeshin Group's standpoint.
But In-hyuk was speaking with a seriousness that could not just be dismissed as a joke. It was more earnest than ever, and Tae Seok-ho's face became grave.
"Certainly, AMK Partners could pay handsomely considering the future value. But you know better than anyone that whatever the price, it'll never be enough."
"I know that well. Which is precisely why, considering that I could be cast out at any time, it's better to plan for the future."
Kooou, behind Tae Seok-ho, was also connected to KQ Group.
Their wish was for Tae Seok-ho to seize Taeshin Group and for In-hyuk to seize KQ Group.
Naturally, In-hyuk had guessed at this intention from circumstances so far. And if Tae Seok-ho took the chairman's seat, In-hyuk would never be able to keep his position.
He'd do whatever it took to drive him out.
"And what do you think I'm going to do to you?"
"You know my situation. No matter how good the performance, it'll be hard for Taeshin to keep someone like me—an illegitimate child of KQ Group—around."
"So if I won't separate Taeshin Asset Management, you'll sell Bellbyte shares to AMK Partners instead. You really think that's possible?"
"I don't see why not."
Becoming increasingly frustrated, Tae Seok-ho let out a deeper sigh than before, creasing his brow.
"Aren't you going to regret anything you said today?"
"Not particularly."
"Let's just pretend none of this conversation happened."
"Understood. I'll take it that there's nothing else you wish to say, and will be on my way."
Without a hint of hesitation, In-hyuk left his room.
In the hallway, he made brief eye contact with Reina Blackwood, Tae Seok-ho's secretary, before quietly passing by.
As the door clicked shut behind In-hyuk, Tae Seok-ho asked carefully,
"Does your side still judge that Kang In-hyuk can't be dealt with?"
At his suspicious question, Reina cocked her head.
"Why are you so prickly all of a sudden?"
"Never mind that. I'm asking for your honest thoughts."
Reina's eyes rolled in a sly manner.
"It's the same as ever. He's still useful."
Her answer was firm.
And with that, Tae Seok-ho, who'd been silently listening, closed his mouth and reentered his room.
...
...
...
After finishing his conversation with Tae Seok-ho, In-hyuk returned to his own room.
As the door locked, he quietly spoke towards the small inner room.
"Did you bring what I asked for?"
At his question, footsteps sounded, and a person disguised to look exactly like In-hyuk approached and spoke.
"Tsk! How did you know?"
"I have good instincts. You told Mi-ah to erase the external CCTV footage of you coming in, right?"
Noah Vantrail had disguised herself as In-hyuk.
"I couldn't exactly leave without saying anything... Anyway, I've taken care of it. Here's what you asked for."
She handed over the bag she was carrying.
When he unzipped it, masks sculpted into East Asian male faces and various chemicals were visible.
"Thanks."
"Do you really know how to use these?"
"I told you I've done it before."
Taking the bag, In-hyuk went into the back.
About thirty minutes later, he emerged looking like a completely different person, using a mask and wig.
"How do you know how to disguise yourself like that?"
"Just worked out by chance. Anyway, I'll be counting on you until tomorrow. Make sure you don't get spotted."
"I'm not even going to say it... Be careful."
At her parting words, In-hyuk slipped out the window.