Chapter 46 – Back of the Head (1)
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It was late at night.
Shin-woo arrived at the underground parking lot of MH Group’s headquarters in Lee Doo-heon’s car. He couldn’t take the vehicle all the way to his destination since it likely had GPS tracking installed.
As he walked toward the elevator to leave, a car entered through the parking lot’s entrance and stopped in front of him.
Im Hee-yeon stepped out of the car. Spotting Shin-woo, who was standing still, she hurried over to him.
“What are you doing here?”
Shin-woo, also surprised to see her, responded.
“I borrowed Manager Lee Doo-heon’s car briefly to return it here.”
“Borrowed? The Chairman must have instructed Manager Lee to oversee your temporary security detail.”
Her question implied disbelief at why he was alone when he should be surrounded by bodyguards.
“It’s inconvenient. I don’t want it, either.”
“But you’ve already been involved in two incidents. Something like that could happen again.”
“The first one caught me off guard, but the second? I got caught on purpose.”
“On purpose?”
At her incredulous response, Shin-woo explained again, just as he had to Lee Doo-heon earlier.
“I was curious about who was tailing me, so I decided to confirm it.”
“You mean you put yourself in danger for something that trivial?”
“It wasn’t particularly dangerous.”
“The problem is that you don’t know how long you’ll be able to say that!”
Her voice, filled with worry and frustration, echoed throughout the underground parking lot.
Even so, Shin-woo remained calm and expressionless as he looked at her.
“If the decisions I make are wrong, I’ll bear the consequences.”
“You could die if you make a mistake!”
“That doesn’t mean I can live my life in hiding. Besides, if a situation arises where I could truly die, no amount of protection will make a difference.”
Unless it’s a natural disaster, survival depends on skill and circumstances when someone with intent to kill approaches.
The weak perish, and the strong survive. It was a life-or-death scenario he had chosen for himself.
“At the very least, you should take precautions!”
Shin-woo met her outburst with a cold stare. But instead of looking directly at her, it felt like his gaze went beyond her, to something far away.
“These precautions… Like the people surrounding you now. Do you think you’d be safe if I decided to target your life right here?”
With his question, an empty yet oppressive atmosphere emanated from Shin-woo, enveloping his entire body.
Momentarily stunned, Im Hee-yeon found it difficult to continue speaking.
“…What? What are you saying right now…?”
Surrounding her were Song Tae-hoon and ten members of the Special Security Team 5, all of whom had extensive experience in military or police forces.
Sensing the ominous shift in Shin-woo’s demeanor, Song Tae-hoon quickly stepped forward, as if building a wall in front of her.
“CEO Baek Shin-woo, let’s leave it at that. I’m sure the Director has understood your point.”
“Really? Well, it’s a relief that at least you understand, Manager Song. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”
Shin-woo shifted the mood with a slight smirk before stepping into the elevator.
Only after his departure did Im Hee-yeon and the other bodyguards exhale the breaths they had been holding.
“Director, are you all right?”
Song Tae-hoon’s worried question brought Im Hee-yeon back to the present, though she still struggled to process what had just happened.
“What… What was that? Why did Shin-woo look at me like that…?”
“I’m not certain, but I believe it was something akin to intent to kill.”
“Are you saying Shin-woo was genuinely trying to kill me?”
“He didn’t act on it, but for that brief moment, he was completely serious.”
Although she had sensed it herself, Im Hee-yeon had asked out of disbelief.
“Is that even possible for someone his age?”
“To be honest, I’ve only ever felt something similar from highly experienced soldiers during overseas deployments. But even that wasn’t at this level.”
Song Tae-hoon wondered if he and his team could have stopped Shin-woo if he had acted.
“What more is Shin-woo hiding?”
“He’s definitely different from others his age.”
He was far from an ordinary twenty-three-year-old. He was extraordinary and combative.
At the same time, Im Hee-yeon couldn’t help but grow more curious about the past of the son she had found after twenty-three years.
“The military records still haven’t yielded any answers, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Look into his school records. Anything that stands out, no matter how minor.”
With a faintly sorrowful look, Im Hee-yeon watched the elevator that had carried Shin-woo away and moved forward with the bodyguards.
***
Myung In-chul arrived home after being summoned by Myung Joong-hwan.
In the living room, Myung Un-seok was already seated, waiting.
“Were you called here by Grandfather too?”
“…Yes, it seems so.”
“Do you know what it’s about?”
“No…”
A sense of foreboding crept up his spine.
Just then, the study door opened, and Goo Sang-ho appeared.
“The Chairman is ready for you to come in.”
Entering the study cautiously, Myung In-chul and Myung Un-seok saw Myung Joong-hwan sitting on the sofa, exuding a heavy atmosphere.
“Do you know why I’ve called you here?”
Myung In-chul took the initiative to answer.
“…I’m sorry, but I don’t. The household seems tense lately. Did something happen?”
“It has every reason to be. Shin-woo was abducted not long ago.”
The news startled both Myung In-chul and Myung Un-seok.
“Abducted? What do you mean? Is he all right now?”
“Fortunately, he returned unharmed, and we apprehended the perpetrator.”
Meanwhile, Myung Un-seok’s hands, clasped together in front of him, trembled slightly.
Noticing this, Myung Joong-hwan glanced at him briefly before continuing.
“Un-seok.”
“Yes? Oh, yes, Grandfather.”
“The perpetrator was identified as Ahn Seung-joo from S-One Finance. It seems the kidnapping was an act of retaliation over an investment dispute. Do you still claim to know nothing about this?”
From his explanation, Myung In-chul began to piece together the situation.
“I’m aware of the issue and told Un-seok to withdraw from it immediately.”
“I wasn’t asking you.”
Myung Joong-hwan’s gaze remained fixed on Myung Un-seok.
Un-seok, biting his lower lip, finally spoke cautiously.
“As Father said, I withdrew from the investment. However, Ahn Seung-joo refused to listen to me, and when the expected profits turned into losses, he blamed me.”
“…And then?”
What kind of answer was he looking for?
Myung Un-seok, who had been racking his brain for an answer, slowly began to speak.
“I had a feeling he might do something drastic.”
“So, you’re saying you knew, but you did nothing.”
“…I apologize. But I never imagined Ahn Seung-joo would go as far as to kidnap Baek Shin-woo.”
Myung Un-seok’s thoughts became even more tangled, and his resentment toward Ahn Seung-joo, who had failed in his abduction attempt, only grew.
‘Damn bastard… If you’re going to do something, do it properly.’
Even as this ran through his mind, Myung Joong-hwan’s piercing gaze remained fixed on him.
“Then let me ask you something else. Where did you get the stock investment information? You’re not going to say you found it lying on the street, are you?”
This was the question that should have come up earlier and was the most critical part of this incident.
A cold sweat ran down Myung Un-seok’s temples and jawline, eventually dripping onto the floor.
“I obtained the information by chance from an outside source. However, while proceeding with the investment, I discovered it was linked to a project managed by the Strategic Investment Operations Division 2. My father knew about it and made me withdraw.”
“…By chance, you say?”
The reason for this lie was that Lee Sang-kyung, the head of the Finance Operations Department, was effectively one of Chairman Myung Joong-hwan’s men.
Due to their close relationship, Lee Sang-kyung wouldn’t be dismissed easily over this mistake.
Aside from that, the only plausible scenario was that the information had been obtained internally within the Strategic Investment Headquarters. This would place the responsibility on Im Hee-yeon, who was in charge of managing approved investment data.
Myung Un-seok’s plan was clear: even if he got caught, he wouldn’t go down alone.
“I looked into the investment company and saw its potential. However, I deemed it too risky to handle as a corporate project, so my friends and I decided to try it out ourselves.”
At that moment, a chuckle escaped from Myung Joong-hwan’s lips.
“Hahaha…!”
The laughter, which seemed to go on endlessly, abruptly stopped.
Both Myung Un-seok and Myung In-chul swallowed nervously, waiting in silence.
With a slightly more relaxed expression, Myung Joong-hwan met Myung Un-seok’s eyes.
“It seems that working hard in the company has sharpened Un-seok’s cunning.”
“……”
Myung Un-seok had no idea how to respond.
Soon, the question shifted from him to Myung In-chul.
“President Myung, what do you suggest we do about this situation?”
Punishment? A solution? What exactly was he asking for?
Of course, Myung In-chul understood the intent behind Myung Un-seok’s fabricated story.
However, he couldn’t grasp what Myung Joong-hwan was truly thinking as he asked the question.
One thing was certain: the fact that he had addressed him as “President Myung” rather than just his name was significant.
“The problem started with the failure to properly verify the source of the investment information. Furthermore, we cannot rule out the possibility that this situation arose from an internal leak of information.”
“Continue.”
Myung In-chul swallowed hard.
“To address the issue of negligence in verifying the source, I propose sending Director Myung Un-seok to another subsidiary indefinitely.”
Startled, Myung Un-seok immediately turned his head to look at his father.
However, Myung In-chul ignored the glance and continued speaking.
“…At the same time, I believe the Strategic Investment Headquarters should take responsibility for the information leak. It would be wise to conduct a thorough security audit through the General Audit Office.”
“Ensuring proper oversight is indeed crucial.”
“The Operations Division 2 currently generates the highest financial returns within MH Group. As such, information management is of utmost importance there. This would be a good opportunity to thoroughly examine its security measures.”
By offering up his son, Myung Un-seok, Myung In-chul had decided to shield the Strategic Investment Headquarters from further scrutiny. This move also included verifying the tightened security of the Strategic Investment Operations Division 2, which had been restructured after the recent reorganization.
Of course, this plan was feasible because the General Audit Office fell under Myung In-chul’s influence.
“That’s not a bad approach. However… shouldn’t all operational data lines be reviewed?”
“…Pardon?”
“Strategic Investment Headquarters’ data ultimately requires approval from the Finance Operations Department. You didn’t mention anything about that.”
At that moment, Myung In-chul’s eyes widened in realization.
The very mention of this made one thing crystal clear.
‘Father already knows…’
As soon as he learned that Myung Un-seok had been in contact with Lee Sang-kyung, Myung In-chul had erased all traces as quickly as possible. He had also repeatedly instructed Lee Sang-kyung to keep quiet and ensure that their transactions were not exposed.
“…I apologize. I failed to consider that aspect.”
“Then confirm it properly now. Proceed with the security audit through the General Audit Office. However, if the final report yields nothing, be prepared to face the consequences.”
“…I understand.”
“You may both leave.”
Leaving the study, Myung In-chul and Myung Un-seok moved to the living room. Frustrated, Myung In-chul headed straight to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of cold water, and drank deeply.
Following behind him, Myung Un-seok watched as his father lowered the bottle and spoke.
“Father, why are you sending me to another subsidiary? What do you mean by that?”
“This is your mess. It’s only natural that you take responsibility.”
“It was Ahn Seung-joo who caused the problem, not me. I was only trying to follow your orders.”
“And what about the stock investment information? Didn’t you hear what the Chairman said earlier? Turning a blind eye to this is no different from condoning it. You must pay the price accordingly.”
“Even so…”
As he muttered, Myung In-chul let out a deep sigh.
“The reassignment will happen soon. Stay quiet at an appropriate subsidiary for now. When the time is right, I’ll bring you back up.”
“Being sent to a subsidiary is too harsh. Your own executives will have complaints about it as well.”
Being reassigned to a subsidiary was akin to a demotion. Naturally, it would attract unwanted attention and lead people to believe there were problems within the successor line.
“It’s better than me stepping down.”
At his father’s firm tone, Myung Un-seok had no choice but to remain silent.
—
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