Chapter 42 – Trap of the Trap (1)
—
Myung Un-seok was in his office, on a call with his friend Ahn Seung-joo of S-One Finance.
[Wow! Un-seok, you’ve really pulled off another big one this time. It’s only been a few days, and the stock has already doubled. There weren’t even any news articles about it. This is incredible.]
“They’re probably boosting Telecom’s value domestically. Judging by the speed of the increase, there must be plenty of other stakeholders involved.”
It had been about two weeks since the investment began.
Around 7 billion won had been invested in Telecom shares. At an initial price of 38,000 won per share, 1.45% of the stock had been purchased.
Now the price had skyrocketed to 90,000 won, with the total exceeding 22 billion won.
If everything proceeded as expected, it was likely to reach 35 billion won.
[Is there any more information like this?]
“It was hard enough to extract this much. After this, they might catch on. If the expected profits fall short, they’ll definitely take notice.”
The more participants and funds involved in the game, the more volatile it became.
Even Myung Un-seok couldn’t predict whether another opportunity like this would arise again.
[Why not pull him into our side instead? He’s unlucky, but if he has access to such information, he could still be useful. We can use him for a while and toss him aside when he’s no longer needed.]
“If that were possible, neither I nor my father would have so many headaches.”
[So you’re saying all this information is only flowing to your aunt?]
At a glance, it was easy to assume such a thing based on their familial ties.
But Myung Un-seok didn’t see any signs that the two were exchanging information.
“She’s just a lone wolf.”
[What a waste. If he’s going to be discarded anyway, why not let me handle him?]
“What are you planning to do?”
[He’s the CEO of KITE but doesn’t even have proper security, does he? Getting rid of someone like that would speed up your path to peace.]
“Are you thinking of taking action?”
[Just considering it.]
At that moment, the office line rang.
It was a call from the president’s secretary.
[The president is asking for you to come to his office.]
“…Understood.”
Feeling uneasy, Myung Un-seok ended the call and addressed Ahn Seung-joo.
“I need to go; duty calls.”
[Good luck.]
After ending the call, Myung Un-seok headed to the 50th floor, where the president’s office was located.
“You called for me, sir?”
“Take a seat for now.”
Upon entering, Myung In-chul stood with a grave expression.
Once seated, an uncomfortable silence lingered before In-chul finally spoke, sighing heavily.
“I’ve been hearing rumours about some unnecessary scheming going on.”
For a moment, Myung Un-seok’s face hardened.
He knew better than anyone what those words implied.
“…Do you distrust me so much that you have me under surveillance?”
“It’s not distrust; it’s concern.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“Then stop giving me reasons to worry. You and Jin-seok both.”
The Livio Soft incident had been a critical blow.
The unnecessary announcement made in front of Myung Joong-hwan had only added to the disappointment.
Furthermore, Jin-seok’s attempt to monitor Baek Shin-woo by using personnel from the HR department had reached In-chul’s ears, creating further issues.
“The Livio Soft matter was an unexpected loss.”
“Have you figured out the cause?”
“That’s…”
Un-seok hesitated to respond.
He suspected Lillian Foster’s involvement but had yet to uncover how Baek Shin-woo had managed to secure a stake in Livio Soft or the conditions under which he had done so.
Finding MANDU had been considered, but it was impossible for Shin-woo to locate MANDU without additional support, no matter how capable he was.
“You’ve discovered nothing so far, and yet you talk of taking action?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Phew―! So, what is this scheming about?”
Un-seok took a shallow breath before quietly replying.
“It’s about a company called Telecom in New York. It’s an investment project being handled by Operations Division 2.”
“Telecom? How did you find out about that?”
This time, Un-seok struggled to speak.
“….”
“Don’t tell me you used the Finance Operations Department’s channels?”
The Finance Operations Department managed all the capital for MH Group’s operations.
To execute these funds, business plans from other divisions were submitted for approval.
Naturally, the documents were classified as top-secret and could only be accessed by authorized personnel.
In-chul, knowing it was challenging to extract information from the Strategic Investment Headquarters managed by Im Hee-yeon, suspected the higher-level Finance Operations Department.
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
At that moment, In-chul exploded in anger.
“Are you out of your mind? How dare you touch that channel!”
“There won’t be any issues since no losses were incurred.”
“No issues? Do you not see the problem in what’s happening right now?! If it’s not a loss, then what are you trying to achieve?”
Un-seok hesitated for a moment.
“It’s a strategy. All I’m trying to do is help Ahn Seung-joo and a few other friends grow their capital.”
“…And what do you hope to gain from that?”
“If this goes smoothly, S-One Finance will provide cash, KD International will assist with Middle Eastern projects, and other companies will also offer support.”
Despite this explanation, the furrow in In-chul’s brow only deepened.
“So it’s a bribe to establish your foundation?”
“It’s not for me; it’s for you, Father.”
“If that’s the case, you should’ve discussed it with me before making a move! And do you think I wouldn’t know about you using the Finance Operations Department line to uncover Baek Shin-woo’s project?”
With a heavy sigh, Myung In-chul continued his explanation.
“Director Lee Sang-kyung of the Finance Operations Department is definitely on my side. But before that, he was your grandfather’s man. Even if he joined my side in anticipation of the future, it doesn’t mean he’s entirely mine yet.”
None of the executives believed Myung Joong-hwan’s reign as chairman would last forever.
Naturally, they had to choose among Myung In-chul, Myung Seong-cheol, or Myung Soo-yeon to align themselves with for the future.
However, Myung Joong-hwan had not yet handed over any shares of the holding company to anyone.
The MH Group’s crown still rested firmly on Myung Joong-hwan’s head.
In such a situation, causing internal discord could potentially destroy everything that had been built so far.
“I didn’t think that far…”
“Haa―! Are you sure there haven’t been any losses in Operations Division 2?”
“The profits might fall slightly short of what was expected.”
“And the current situation?”
“The initial investment has nearly doubled. We’re projecting over three times the return going forward.”
Despite his frustration, Myung In-chul couldn’t help but be impressed.
Of course, the credit wasn’t going to Myung Un-seok but to Baek Shin-woo.
Once again, Baek had accurately pinpointed a successful investment.
“Have you figured out the cause of the stock price rise?”
“We’re still investigating, but there hasn’t been any official report on it.”
“If it’s an IT company, it’s likely due to an announcement of new technology or something leveraged from it. How is the company’s foundation?”
“It’s solid. On the surface, it doesn’t appear to be a speculative stock either.”
Had Telecom been merely a speculative stock, Un-seok wouldn’t have dared to intervene, knowing the timing to withdraw could be dangerous.
But with the company itself being stable, the risks were relatively lower.
“New York, huh… That reminds me…”
Myung In-chul used the office intercom to call in Park Sang-kyu, who was working outside.
“Wasn’t there a foreign deputy general manager under Baek Shin-woo who recently went on a business trip abroad?”
Regular reports on Baek Shin-woo and his surroundings had been coming in.
Park quickly recalled the details and replied.
“She recently left for an extended business trip to New York.”
“New York, was it? Hmm… Coincidentally, that’s where Telecom is located.”
Their conversation made Myung Un-seok feel uneasy.
So far, Baek Shin-woo hadn’t personally visited the projects he had been investing in.
“Could there be a problem?”
“Or perhaps there’s another underlying scheme in this project. I’ll need to investigate further.”
“So, what about the investment…?”
He was asking if they should proceed as planned.
“The profits have been made, so withdraw all of it.”
“But the stock is still hitting its upper limit. It’s expected to triple its initial price.”
“We haven’t identified the cause of the price rise. And what if it’s a trap?”
“…A trap?”
Telecom’s stock had already risen significantly.
Given the situation, both Im Hee-yeon and Baek Shin-woo might have noticed if other forces had stepped in by simply observing the charts.
Moreover, Im Hee-yeon might have used the group’s information network to uncover the contact between the Finance Operations Department head and Myung Un-seok.
“There could be a setup we’re unaware of. That might be why they’re staying still despite knowing everything.”
“But the stock is stable at its upper limit. Experts I consulted also said it doesn’t seem like a speculative stock. Besides, what could Im Hee-yeon possibly do? Grandfather isn’t going to hand over the company to her anyway.”
Until yesterday, even Myung In-chul might have thought the same.
However, it was a different matter now that TSF had established contact with Baek Shin-woo.
Ironically, this was tied to the fact that Un-seok and his friends had jumped onto Baek’s investment project.
“Just do as I say.”
“Father! If we pull out our funds now, we’ll incur losses! That will only escalate the situation and create more problems for Baek Shin-woo. And what can he even do from here?”
Baek Shin-woo was also trading Telecom shares with company funds.
If losses occurred, Baek would have to bear the brunt of the damage.
“Stop arguing and follow my instructions!”
It wasn’t just Un-seok who had jumped into this game.
He and his five friends had pooled a total of around 7 billion won.
If they pulled out now, they could end it with decent profits.
But if they incurred losses, it wouldn’t just be about the money.
“I’ll do as you say…”
“Move quickly. I’ll handle the investigation into New York and Telecom myself.”
With a bow, Un-seok left the office.
.
.
.
That night, Shin-woo was in Jang Man-soo’s workshop, checking the progress of their plan.
“What do we do about the ones tailing us? Should we just leave them alone?”
At Jang Man-soo’s question, Shin-woo turned his head, glancing around the bed near the bookshelf.
“Do you have a way to resolve it?”
He was referring to Myung Un-seok and his gang clinging to the Telecom stock, which had been hitting its upper limit daily.
He had known about their movements from the start. Even so, he let it slide, watching as the stock doubled in price.
“If they’re confident in their belief that they’ve got us, they’ll hold on until it increases fivefold.”
Hearing this, Shin-woo let out a mix of laughter and a sigh.
“Funny how they trust this so completely despite being in an adversarial relationship…”
“If we shake things up just a little to make it thrilling, they might hold on. Though it’d make their hearts race a few times.”
“Hmm…”
Shin-woo paused for a moment, lost in thought to make a decision.
Jang Man-soo, who was watching the monitor, tilted his head in confusion.
“Huh? Looks like someone’s pulled out.”
On the screen, the stock chart showed a dip, about 1 centimeter wide, reaching its lower limit.
It meant someone had dumped their shares.
Simultaneously, others caught in the movement started dumping as well, causing the downward trend to continue briefly.
“What’s the amount?”
“Hmm… Rough calculation makes it about 16 billion won? In terms of shares, it’s a little under 1%.”
“Check their accounts.”
At first, Shin-woo hadn’t known that Myung Un-seok and his gang had followed his investments.
However, during the project, Jang Man-soo noticed something strange and traced it back to them.
At the same time, they discovered that information had leaked from MH Group’s Finance Operations Department.
Of course, to keep their knowledge of the leak hidden, they had quietly observed.
“Myung Un-seok, Jo Min-kyu, Kim Byung-woon, Lee Moon-seong, and Bae Han-joon have all pulled out. But Ahn Seung-joo is still holding on.”
“Did he figure something out? But it’s odd that he’s the only one left from S-One Finance.”
“Should we leave him?”
“Try shaking things up as I said earlier. Make it seem like he’s taking the fall alone. Can you manage that?”
“Ok―! That’s the kind of thing the National Intelligence Service trained me for until I was sick of it!”
Crack― Crack―
Jang Man-soo cracked his fingers and focused on manipulating the trading system.
Meanwhile, Shin-woo returned to the bed, searching to see if there were any unusual buttons or hidden mechanisms.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment