Episode 52: A Deal, Not a Reward (2)
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Not long after being assigned to MH Electronics, Myung Un-seok visited the hospital where Ahn Seung-joo was admitted after work.
As soon as he entered the VIP room, Ahn Seung-joo, who was sitting on the bed, furrowed his brows deeply.
“What the hell are you doing here?!”
“I came to visit my friend who’s in the hospital.”
Myung Un-seok handed the fruit basket he brought to Ahn Seung-joo’s bodyguard.
“You should’ve come earlier! Why are you coming now after dragging your feet? Don’t you know what your cousin and grandfather did to us?!”
Baek Shin-woo had injured Ahn Seung-joo and his subordinates badly. And Myung Joong-hwan had seized a factory site that could have brought massive profits to S-One Finance.
Realizing the gravity of the situation too late, Ahn Seung-joo ended up being berated, not comforted, by his mother Yoo Ji-young.
“I’m well aware. But what were you thinking? From what I hear, you pretended it was revenge, but you were really trying to recruit Baek Shin-woo.”
This information had been disclosed by Shin-woo while explaining the details of the abduction incident to Lee Doo-heon.
At this, Ahn Seung-joo clenched his teeth and shouted,
“That’s because… that bastard Baek Shin-woo would’ve been kicked out of MH Group once your dad became chairman anyway! What’s the big deal about trying to use him a little?!”
“You should’ve at least consulted me first! Do you even know what kind of mess I’m dealing with because of you?”
MH Electronics wasn’t a bad position. However, being sent from the main office to there naturally led to whispers and caused doubts about his credibility as the future successor.
“And what about me?!”
Ahn Seung-joo pointed to his heavily casted leg. His kneecap had been completely shattered by a club, and it would take at least two months to heal. Rehabilitation would add another six months, leaving him confined to a wheelchair.
“You brought it on yourself!”
“What’s your problem? Did you come here to piss me off?”
Unintentionally raising his voice out of frustration, Myung Un-seok calmed himself, exhaling a long sigh before speaking again.
“Phew―! I came not only to visit you but also to discuss Han-joon’s issue.”
“Han-joon?”
“There’s been a fuss lately since his company’s chairman collapsed.”
This was something Ahn Seung-joo couldn’t ignore.
“I heard his eldest aunt has taken control of the hospital where the chairman is admitted. Because of that, they don’t even know the exact condition of Chairman Bae Young-chul.”
“So you’re asking me to check on that?”
“The chairman is hospitalized here, right? And this hospital has a partnership with your S-One Finance. Frankly, it’s practically under your mother’s control.”
Ahn Seung-joo’s expression turned serious.
“Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
“Of course. Your mother is behind Bae Min-sook, Han-joon’s aunt.”
Yoo Ji-young, the chairwoman of S-One Finance, had a close relationship with Bae Min-sook. That’s why, despite knowing that the rightful heir of Baesung Trading was Bae Sung-hwan, the hospital still followed Bae Min-sook’s directives.
Naturally, what Myung Un-seok was suggesting sounded like a call for Ahn Seung-joo to betray his mother.
“What do you take me for, bringing me such a ridiculous suggestion? And do you think I don’t know about my mother’s relationship with Director Bae?”
“Do you think your mother is helping her just because they’re close? She must have something significant to gain from it.”
While they didn’t know exactly what deal Bae Min-sook offered Yoo Ji-young, it was clear that it wasn’t trivial.
“So what do you expect me to do? Are you asking me to persuade my mom? If so, get lost. She doesn’t listen to me anymore.”
After the incident caused by Ahn Seung-joo, S-One Finance’s loan recovery team had to suspend operations, and the factory site caused a loss of 8 billion won.
While they gained 2 billion won from selling off shares of Telecom, which was later acquired by Livio Soft, saw its initial stock price rise from $22 to $178. If approximately $1.2 million worth of stock had been retained, it would have been valued at approximately $9.98 million, equivalent to 13.1 billion KRW.
This only earned Ahn Seung-joo another scolding from Yoo Ji-young.
“I’m not asking you to do it. I’ll handle it myself.”
“You’re saying you’ll meet my mom directly?”
“Just arrange the connection.”
“Do you realize what you’re getting into? If this backfires, you’ll be in big trouble.”
Myung Un-seok’s plan was to intervene in the power struggle over Baesung Trading’s management.
If successful, it could overturn the game and bring huge profits. However, failure would jeopardize his position as MH Group’s successor and tarnish his reputation among countless companies.
“You’ll inherit your company no matter what, but I don’t have that luxury. My position, which had been secure until now, is already shaky because of Baek Shin-woo.”
“What difference does it make? Your father is still around. Chairman Myung Joong-hwan isn’t going to hand over the reins to an illegitimate child.”
“My grandfather has been acting strange lately. That’s why I have to make a move before Baek Shin-woo or that woman gain more influence.”
Myung Un-seok’s ultimate goal was to acquire MH Holdings’ shares that would be passed down to Baesung Trading’s rightful heir, Bae Sung-hwan.
Under normal circumstances, obtaining those shares would have been impossible. However, Bae Sung-hwan, the legitimate heir, was cornered by his sister Bae Min-sook’s schemes. If he could resolve that, securing the shares would become much easier.
“So you’re going all in.”
“Exactly. It’s all or nothing now. So, help me out. If this works, there’ll be something in it for you too.”
Given the difficulty of the task, it wouldn’t be free.
After contemplating for a moment, Ahn Seung-joo sighed and spoke.
“I’ll talk to her. But do you really have a plan? The terms Director Bae offered won’t be easy to counter.”
“I’ve got something in mind.”
“Oh, by the way, who the hell is Baek Shin-woo anyway?”
At the mention of Baek Shin-woo, Myung Un-seok frowned.
“What about him?”
“What the hell do they teach in the military these days? That bastard… he’s a total expert. My men—more than a dozen—didn’t stand a chance against him!”
Myung Un-seok had heard from his father that two members of the elite Special Security Team 2 failed to overpower Baek Shin-woo.
At the time, they had attributed it to carelessness.
After all, Special Security Team members were in a completely different league compared to ordinary thugs.
But even for a professional, taking on more than ten people single-handedly was no small feat.
“You’re telling me Baek Shin-woo did that on his own?”
Honestly, Myung Un-seok hadn’t believed it when he first heard it. He thought Special Security Team 1 had intervened and saved him.
“Why would I lie about something like that? That bastard is completely insane. He was calm and confident from the start, and then he just wiped us out in an instant. If you’re not planning to send real professionals, don’t even think about going after him.”
“……”
For a moment, Myung Un-seok was left speechless.
* * *
Shin-woo was working in the main office with Jang Man-soo.
“How many are left?”
At that question, Jang Man-soo calculated the remaining items based on what Shin-woo had gathered so far.
“We’ve completed the basic system. Other than that, we still need Telecom’s Cellium, Westrope’s CELIS049 and the blueprint for the signal disruption chip. Finally, we just need the IBDN8334 aperture antenna for military satellites.”
These were the foundations necessary to complete the only communication method known by their missing comrades.
“IBDN8334 will likely be obtainable once you verify the R2ED technology you developed with MH Tech.”
“It depends on how far along they’ve gotten. They might not have even started development yet.”
Technology is like a puzzle—each piece fits into its proper place as it emerges, creating something even better. Shin-woo, alongside Jang Man-soo and Lillian, was assembling these puzzle pieces at a much faster pace.
“First, let’s confirm the progress.”
Murmuring as such, Shin-woo turned his gaze to Lillian’s empty desk.
Jang Man-soo, seated across from him, pouted his lips as he noticed it too.
“Is it really okay for her to handle that alone? Even though we gave her the target’s location, we can’t be too sure.”
“You’re worried about her now? That’s unexpected, considering how much you two always bicker.”
Jang Man-soo suddenly looked flustered.
“W-what? Who’s worried?”
Shin-woo couldn’t help but laugh.
“Haha! Didn’t you give her all the necessary information? Of course, I also asked if she needed help, but Lillian insisted on handling it alone. We should respect that.”
Currently, Lillian wasn’t in the U.S. just to handle the Telecom acquisition with Livio Soft.
She had a more significant mission.
Her goal was to return after preventing the tragedy of her parents’ deaths, something she failed to protect in her previous life, and eliminating the root cause.
“Well, she’ll manage somehow.”
“You seem to be talking a lot about Lillian today. Have you grown attached to her?”
“What the—!! Anyway, more importantly, I need to talk about something else.”
Shin-woo tilted his head, intrigued by the sudden change of topic.
“What is it?”
“Investments. I was wondering if we should consider real estate and the entertainment business alongside our current focus.”
His explanation puzzled Shin-woo even further.
“Entertainment business, all of a sudden? Isn’t our current investment strategy good enough?”
Jang Man-soo’s knowledge of corporate trends, acquired during his grueling time at the National Intelligence Service, was unparalleled.
This insight allowed them to rapidly grow their foundation faster than any other investment plan.
On the other hand, the entertainment business often required substantial time before generating returns. While Man-soo might be knowledgeable about the industry, the immediate need for it seemed questionable.
“Well, it’s just that… from the outside, our actions might look suspicious. If we diversify our investments, it could act as a smokescreen.”
His point wasn’t entirely wrong.
However, Shin-woo couldn’t shake off a nagging feeling and narrowed his eyes at Man-soo.
“Well, investments are your responsibility, so I won’t interfere, but it feels like there’s another reason behind this.”
“Nope! There’s no hidden reason!”
“Be honest. Is this related to your secret room or not?”
“W-what? Absolutely not!”
His suspicion grew into conviction.
“Hmm…”
“I’m telling you, it’s really not!”
Ring ring ring ring—
Their conversation was interrupted by an internal phone ringing at Shin-woo’s desk.
“Hold on for a moment.”
As he picked up the receiver, the voice of Goo Sang-ho, Chairman Myung Joong-hwan’s secretary, came through.
[The Chairman has requested your presence. Please come to the Chairman’s office.]
“Understood.”
After ending the call, Shin-woo spoke to Man-soo.
“I’ll be heading upstairs for a bit. In the meantime, draft a proposal for the entertainment business investment, following the 5W1H principle.”
“Ugh!”
“No complaints.”
Leaving behind his nagging, Shin-woo exited the office and headed up to the Chairman’s office.
As he entered, he was greeted by Myung Joong-hwan, who was seated on the sofa.
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