Chapter 48 – Back of the Head (3)
—
The VIP hospital ward of △△ Hospital in Gangnam, Seoul.
Inside the room sat Yoo Ji-young, the chairwoman of S-One Finance, dressed in an elegant burgundy two-piece suit.
Her face, adorned with wavy bobbed hair, was filled with unyielding pride.
She quietly stared at her son, Ahn Seung-joo, who remained asleep after knee surgery.
At that moment, a knock was heard, and the door to the hospital room opened.
In walked her closest aide, Deputy Director Oh Cheol-min.
“Chairwoman, it’s Chairman Myung Joong-hwan of MH Group.”
He handed her a mobile phone.
As prominent business figures, they were familiar with each other’s contact information due to professional relations.
However, the fact that the call was made through a secretary implied a formal intent.
“This is Yoo Ji-young speaking.”
[It’s been a while, Chairwoman Yoo.]
“What brings you to call, Chairman Myung? Could it be that you’re personally handling the aftermath of your grandson’s little incident?”
Her sarcastic question was met with a hearty laugh on the other end of the line.
[Ha ha ha, shouldn’t Chairwoman Yoo be the one to handle the aftermath? From what I hear, your son didn’t exactly hold back.]
Ahn Seung-joo had orchestrated the abduction of MH Group’s owner family member using S-One Finance employees.
Regardless of personal motives, it was a criminal act.
Yet, neither the police nor anyone from S-One Finance had shown up at the hospital or their offices.
“What is it you’re trying to say?”
[Shouldn’t we wrap this matter up?]
“Is there anything left to resolve? Besides, wasn’t it your grandson who caused all this in the first place?”
She was referring to the leaked investment documents from Strategic Investment Operations Division 2.
The incident had begun with that leak, leading to Ahn Seung-joo shattering his knees and undergoing surgery.
Even after recovering from the surgery, it would take months of rehabilitation before he could walk properly again.
The same went for the debt recovery team employees who had participated in the abduction.
Most of them had at least one broken or damaged body part, with some being in such critical condition that they couldn’t even speak.
In contrast, Baek Shin-woo, the target of their actions, appeared completely unscathed.
From Yoo Ji-young’s perspective, even though Ahn Seung-joo had been at fault, the calculations seemed settled.
[We won’t hold that matter against you. However, crossing the line is a different issue, don’t you think?]
“Isn’t he just the son of a mistress? Calling that crossing the line feels like a stretch.”
The atmosphere on the other end of the line grew tense at her bold remark.
[It sounds like you’re implying something. Are you planning to take further action?]
“Am I wrong? Are you thinking of passing down the company to the illegitimate son of someone outside the family? He seems quite capable, though.”
The recently revealed family history of MH Group Chairman Myung Joong-hwan had surprised many businesses and individuals.
At the same time, investigations into Im Hee-yeon’s existence and her influence within the company had intensified.
S-One Finance was one of those entities.
Despite efforts to keep matters private, it wasn’t difficult to uncover the scope of Im Hee-yeon’s activities within MH Group.
Additionally, they had come to understand her contributions to MH Group’s growth, making it hard to remain idle.
[You seem very interested in our group’s affairs.]
“Of course, I’m paying attention. It’s MH Group, after all. Oh, by the way, I hear you’ve sent your grandson to another subsidiary?”
This was in reference to the personnel announcement made at MH Group headquarters earlier that day.
Her statement hinted at just how quickly she had grasped this information, enough to irritate Myung Joong-hwan.
[It seems your interest is excessive.]
“I plan to stay interested, especially in your daughter and grandson.”
This was an overt warning by any measure.
However, Myung Joong-hwan kept his composure and responded calmly.
[That’s up to you.]
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
[There needs to be some settlement money. How about transferring the Haenam factory site to us at a fair price?]
At this, Yoo Ji-young’s expression hardened.
“Are you serious right now?”
[Didn’t you purchase that site with the intention of selling it anyway? We’re just offering to buy it.]
He wasn’t wrong.
The site in question had undergone zoning and environmental adjustments by S-One Finance to increase its value before resale.
Of course, the factory would have to fit its intended purpose, but there was no way Myung Joong-hwan didn’t know this.
“What’s your offer?”
[It’s 20,000 pyeong, so let’s keep it simple—500,000 won per pyeong for a total of 10 billion won. What do you think?]
“Do you think that’s a reasonable offer?”
Even with just the adjustments made, the site’s current value could easily double.
[Didn’t you originally purchase it for a mere 3 billion won? And as I recall, the acquisition process wasn’t entirely smooth.]
“Hmm…”
Several years ago, the vacant lot in Haenam had been the site of a concrete factory.
The previous chairperson of S-One Finance had colluded with the main bank of the concrete company to pressure them with corporate loans, forcing them into bankruptcy.
Yoo Ji-young had prepared the groundwork to sell the land for a higher price.
Of course, she was well aware of all the steps taken in the process.
[Considering the time you’ve held it for over five years, wouldn’t a profit of 7 billion won be a good deal?]
“Why should I settle for that?”
Domestically, the site’s location was highly favourable as a factory site.
With the current conditions, she could still sell it for the initially planned 20 billion won.
[Isn’t it enough that we’ve kept the kidnapping incident from going public?]
“Are you planning to sue for the abduction? We wouldn’t stay quiet, either. Don’t you see who would suffer more between MH Group and S-One Finance in a public clash? Also, your grandson Myung Un-seok was involved in this incident as well.”
Her words implied mutual destruction if things escalated.
[Feel free to try. We both know who would fall alone in the end.]
As it stood, everyone except Ahn Seung-joo had already liquidated their holdings in Telecom stock.
If the focus shifted to this point, Ahn Seung-joo could end up bearing the full brunt of the blame.
Although they could try to implicate others in insider trading, without solid evidence, it would be meaningless.
Ultimately, the facts would boil down to Ahn Seung-joo recklessly kidnapping Baek Shin-woo and suffering the consequences.
“10 billion won is too low. Let’s settle for 18 billion.”
[Let’s be generous and call it 12 billion. If you insist on more, there will be no settlement.]
“…Let’s do that.”
[Looking forward to working with you.]
The call ended there.
Yoo Ji-young stared at the now-dark screen of her phone before throwing it to the floor.
Crack―
“Damn old geezer! Using his grandson as leverage in this situation?!”
Oh Cheol-min, her secretary, quietly picked up the phone with its shattered screen lying on the floor.
***
Late at night, Myung In-chul visited the 32nd floor, home to the Strategic Investment Headquarters, his expression a mixture of irritation and anticipation.
The General Audit Office had just stormed into the department, inspecting every employee’s computers and documents in the empty office.
They were conducting an unannounced security audit under the premise that the department might have some issues.
“Find any materials that could potentially cause trouble, no matter how small.”
Park Sang-kyu, standing beside him, received the order and relayed it to other employees.
Even so, Myung In-chul couldn’t shake a sense of unease.
The current security audit was an opportunity secured at the expense of punishing his son, Myung Un-seok.
Of course, he knew Im Hee-yeon was thorough in her work.
Even if they didn’t find anything significant right away, it didn’t matter.
This audit served as a warning and a show of force to those with influence within MH Group.
“What’s the status of Operations Division 2?”
“They’ve just begun their inspection.”
“Let’s go see for ourselves.”
Frankly, there was more to gain from Operations Division 2 than from the Strategic Investment Headquarters.
Given their investment track record, even traces of searches could yield significant findings.
General Audit Office staff sat at three desks in the large office space, turning on the computers.
Using a master password temporarily provided by the Systems Management Office, they unlocked the operating systems.
Watching the situation unfold, Myung In-chul waited in anticipation.
“…Huh?”
One of the staff members, rummaging through Lillian Foster’s desk drawer, was startled by something they found.
“What’s the matter?”
Thinking they had discovered something important, Myung In-chul approached.
The staff member pulled out a military knife about the length of an adult forearm from the drawer.
“What is that?”
“…It looks like a knife.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? Is it real?”
The staff member undid the clasp on the knife sheath and cautiously drew out the blade.
Schrrrk―
The sound alone suggested the blade was razor-sharp.
“…It seems real.”
“Is there anything else?”
At Myung In-chul’s instruction, the staff member searched other drawers and found a hard pouch measuring approximately 20 cm by 10 cm by 4 cm.
“What’s this?”
“Could it be a cosmetic pouch? My girlfriend carries something similar.”
“Open it.”
Pulling the zipper along its length, they opened the pouch.
When Myung In-chul saw what was inside, he was left speechless, just like when they discovered the knife.
“…”
The staff member explained instead.
“…It’s not cosmetics. It’s tools.”
The pouch was packed with screwdrivers, pliers, long-nose pliers, magnifiers, flashlights, and various other tools.
“Anything on her computer?”
“It looks like it hasn’t been used much; it’s clean.”
Meanwhile, another staff member inspecting Jang Man-soo’s desk furrowed his brows deeply.
“Sir! You might want to see this.”
“Did you find something?”
“It seems he spends his work hours shopping online.”
They had uncovered his internet browsing history.
Upon closer inspection, the records revealed visits to a dazzling array of brightly colored suit shopping sites, showcasing outfits in red, blue, pink, neon, and more.
“…Is this guy some kind of cabaret singer?”
“Within the company, Manager Jang Man-soo is known for wearing such outfits to work.”
Even Myung In-chul had occasionally seen him in the lobby.
Now that he knew where those outfits came from, he felt even more exasperated.
“Anything else?”
“Other than that, just air gun shopping sites and shoe stores… His work files contain standard investment materials.”
“Hah―! What about Baek Shin-woo’s desk? Anything there?”
“Only ordinary files here as well.”
Pressing his temples, Myung In-chul let out a long sigh.
“Just like his mother, he must have hidden everything thoroughly.”
The staff who had searched Lillian Foster’s and Jang Man-soo’s desks approached.
“What should we do with these items?”
“Just put them back.”
They could raise issues about bringing dangerous or unidentified items into the office and conducting personal activities during work hours.
However, if such minor issues were the only findings in an ambitious security audit, it would only damage their reputation.
At that moment, Park Sang-kyu, who had been overseeing the audit on the main headquarters’ side, rushed into the Operations Division 2 office.
“Sir! You need to see this.”
He handed over a tablet displaying breaking news from the U.S.
The screen showed an article:
[Silicon Valley’s Livio Soft Acquires Telecom! Livio Soft, based on its mind-mapping program, has acquired Telecom, known for its open-source networking technology “Cellium,” as a foundation for developing the next-generation OS.]
“…An acquisition? Could this be why Lillian Foster went to New York?”
There seemed to be no other explanation for Livio Soft’s sudden appearance.
Myung In-chul had assumed Baek Shin-woo’s interest in Telecom was purely for stock investments.
He had found Lillian’s business trip unusual but figured it was to monitor unstable stock trends.
However, the acquisition was entirely unexpected.
“Both Livio Soft and Telecom stocks are currently surging.”
“How much?”
“As of now, Livio Soft’s stock is at $178, up 29%, and Telecom’s is at $137, up 27%.”
“And MH Group’s holdings in these stocks?”
“Considering the timing of the purchases, Livio Soft’s share value alone has exceeded 500 billion won, and Telecom has generated at least 18 billion won in total profits.”
Altogether, the combined value surpassed 518 billion won.
In this single move, Baek Shin-woo had captured both companies simultaneously.
Realizing the scale of this situation, a deep sigh escaped from Myung In-chul’s lips.
—
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