Chapter 25: Lure Trap
A Few Days Later.
Seoul, South Korea. Phrase Residence Hotel, VIP Room.
It was a room with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and both a large and small living room.
Lillian Foster, who had stepped inside, walked towards the window and looked down at the view from the top floor with a haughty expression.
“……”
Myung Un-seok, who followed her in, wore a satisfied smile.
“Do you like it?”
“…It’s okay.”
“Since this is a matter of utmost importance, we’re keeping it low-key even within MH Group. That’s why I brought you here instead of our group’s subsidiary, MH Hotel.”
Lillian Foster kept her gaze fixed on the scenery outside.
“I understand. But what progress has been made in tracking down the program developer, MANDU?”
“We’re currently tracing the IP using the computer logs of the person who contacted MANDU. We should have results within three days at the latest.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Myung Un-seok scrutinized Lillian Foster’s back, which was turned towards him.
“How does LIVIO SOFT plan to acquire MANDU’s ownership rights?”
“That’s for us to handle, so there’s no need for you to get involved.”
“If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.”
“All MH Group needs to do is find him for us.”
The sharp response cut through his offer, making Myung Un-seok’s forehead twitch slightly.
“Would you be interested in having dinner tonight? It would be a good opportunity to discuss various matters related to business.”
“No, I’ll take care of my own meals. Please focus solely on finding MANDU.”
“If you’re joining us in the search for MANDU, shouldn’t we be working together?”
Lillian Foster let out a soft laugh, sensing the ulterior motives in Myung Un-seok’s actions.
“You’re not the one doing the actual work anyway, are you? I’ll move on my own, so just let me know as soon as you have any information on MANDU’s identity. That’s all I need from MH Group.”
It was another decisive rejection.
Realizing there was no point in pursuing the matter further, Myung Un-seok let it go.
“Understood. I’ll inform you as soon as there’s news.”
After bidding farewell, Myung Un-seok headed down to the underground parking lot of the hotel and climbed into the backseat of his car.
At that moment, Lee Chang-sun, a member of KITE’s Special Security Team 2, sitting in the passenger seat, turned and handed him a file.
“Here’s the information you requested on Lillian Foster of LIVIO SOFT.”
Myung Un-seok opened the file and began reading through it carefully.
Meanwhile, the car, which had been stationary, began moving towards the company.
[Personal Information]
— Name: Lillian Foster
— Birthdate: September 4, 1996 (27 years old)
— Affiliation: LIVIO SOFT COMPANY / Secretary
— Education:
Stanford University, Department of Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s)
Stanford Graduate School of Engineering, Chemical Engineering (Ph.D.)
Stanford Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Materials Science (Master’s)
— High School: West High School
.
.
“Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and a Master’s in Materials Science…? Isn’t it typical for secretaries to come from related fields?”
Lee Chang-sun added to his musing.
“She’s a genius who completed her Materials Science degree simultaneously. Even before graduation, she received numerous offers from famous companies in the industry. But for some reason, she applied directly to LIVIO SOFT earlier this year.”
“That’s quite an unusual case. It doesn’t mean she’s lacking in ability either.”
“She rose to the position of CEO’s secretary in a short period at LIVIO SOFT. CEO Dale Becker himself acknowledges her capabilities.”
Myung Un-seok nodded naturally.
“I like her in many ways. Her abilities… and her appearance…”
The file was filled with recent photos of Lillian Foster.
As he looked through them one by one, a satisfied smile spread across Myung Un-seok’s face. He held up one of the photos separately.
It was a picture of Lillian Foster holding a takeout coffee cup near the company’s vicinity.
On the inside of her left wrist, holding the coffee cup, was a tattoo shaped like an eye.
***
A few days later.
Shin-woo was busy organizing materials for a meeting of the Strategic Investment Headquarters from the early morning.
Meanwhile, Jang Man-soo, who had been sitting on the sofa, suddenly started scratching his ear furiously.
“Argh―! Why is my ear so itchy these days?!”
Jang Man-soo kept grumbling while scratching his ear with one hand, but he never took the other hand off his laptop.
Today’s fashion was a red corduroy jacket and pants, a blue shirt, and blue shoes. To top it off, he wore a black tie with yellow polka dots.
His flashy style seemed to evolve daily.
Shin-woo looked at him with an expression full of disapproval.
“…Why don’t you go see an ENT doctor?”
“It’s not that kind of itch. I feel like someone is talking about me somewhere…”
“Maybe the National Intelligence Service is looking for you?”
“Don’t joke about that. And I’ve erased every trace that would make the NIS look for me, alright?!”
Baek Shin-woo smiled as he transferred the meeting materials onto a USB drive.
“Check it out from time to time, just in case.”
“Don’t worry about it. And the second investment is going well. But are you sure it’s fine to proceed with only these strategic stocks?”
“The investment profit is guaranteed.”
“But if that group finds out, they won’t sit idle.”
Strategic stocks are almost guaranteed to succeed if there are no obstructing forces when inside information is available. However, since they are part of a stock manipulation plan orchestrated by a specific entity, they are also extremely risky.
That’s why Jang Man-soo hadn’t heavily recommended investing in strategic stocks, not for himself, nor for Shin-woo, even among the investment opportunities he had suggested.
But this time, most of the second investment under Baek Shin-woo’s name as the Director of Strategic Investment Operations was made up of strategic stocks.
“Don’t worry. We have a strong shield called MH.”
“Are you saying we’ll use MH Group to fend them off if they catch on?”
“Officially, it’s not an individual investment, but an investment made by MH Group. We just ride along and make money.”
“As long as there are no problems, I’m all for it. Thanks to that, we’re able to strike and withdraw without a hitch, steadily building up funds.”
With his knowledge of regression, Jang Man-soo steadily amassed war funds.
“Make full use of everything you can without hesitation.”
“To be honest, I was a bit cautious because it’s your family, but since you put it that way, I won’t hold back!”
“Do as you see fit. Just report if any problems arise. I’ll be heading to the meeting now.”
With that reply, Shin-woo left the office and headed to the conference room on the 12th floor.
As he took his seat, the Deputy General Manager and above-level employees of the Strategic Investment Headquarters entered one by one.
Among them were Myung Un-seok and Myung Jin-seok, whom Shin-woo had seen previously at Myung Joong-hwan’s residence in Pyeongchang-dong.
Both of them looked at Shin-woo with eyes filled with contempt.
‘It’s as if they want to tear me apart just with their glares.’
Not a word was exchanged.
At that moment, the door opened again, and Director Im Hee-yeon and her secretary, Deputy General Manager Song Tae-hoon, appeared.
“Let’s get started. Planning Office, please proceed with the meeting.”
At the same time, Myung Un-seok grabbed his USB and went up to the platform to connect it. The large central screen lit up, displaying the materials prepared by the Strategic Investment Planning Office.
Clank—
Just then, the conference room door opened, and Chairman Myung Joong-hwan and his secretary, Goo Sang-ho, entered.
Startled, everyone in the room immediately stood up.
“Chairman! How did you…?”
In response to Im Hee-yeon’s question, Myung Joong-hwan glanced around the conference room.
“I heard it’s a meeting to review the third quarter, so I came by. I’ll just observe, so continue.”
With that, he went to sit at the head of the table.
As the room quieted down again, Myung Un-seok resumed his presentation on the projects prepared by the Strategic Investment Planning Office.
“…The project currently in progress ended with results higher than expected, closing at 142%. Future projects are planned with a target profit of 200% or higher…”
Although he could have ended his report at that point, Myung Un-seok didn’t want to miss the chance to make an impression on Myung Joong-hwan.
“The last project I would like to present is one that I personally received approval for and have been leading—an investment in LIVIO SOFT in Silicon Valley, USA.”
“Director Myung Un-seok. Didn’t we decide to report on the LIVIO SOFT project after further progress had been made?”
The situation of an invested company changes as unpredictably as waves.
Countless unforeseen variables arise if the situation isn’t read perfectly.
Im Hee-yeon judged that it was appropriate to report when there was a higher certainty of the investment’s success or failure.
“It’s an investment project the Planning Office is conducting independently. I thought it was necessary to report due to its high importance.”
“But there’s still a possibility of failure, right? The LIVIO SOFT investment won’t necessarily go smoothly.”
At that moment, Myung Un-seok’s eyebrow twitched.
It felt as if Im Hee-yeon was raining on his parade just when everything was falling into place.
“I’m confident that any issues will be resolved without difficulty.”
“It’s not as easy as you think.”
“Enough. Director Myung Un-seok, please continue with your report.”
With Chairman Myung Joong-hwan’s intervention, Im Hee-yeon had no choice but to remain silent.
In that moment, a faint smile appeared on Myung Un-seok’s lips as he slightly bowed his head.
“Ahem, ahem! I will continue. Currently, LIVIO SOFT is a pre-IPO company, and we have completed the first investment contract. The expected profit from this investment is estimated to be at least 300%…”
“How much capital is involved?”
“20 billion won. As part of the option, we included 5% of LIVIO SOFT’s unlisted stock shares in the contract.”
Myung Joong-hwan nodded and asked with a look of anticipation.
“How much is LIVIO SOFT’s 5% equity worth?”
“Since it’s an unlisted stock, it’s difficult to determine the exact amount, but it’s estimated to be over 60 billion won.”
“So, you’ve managed to knock it down to just a third of its value… That means there must be tough conditions attached.”
“There is some noise surrounding the company. I will be resolving those issues as we proceed.”
For a company with an estimated value of over 60 billion won for a 5% stake in unlisted shares, the value could increase several times over after going public.
“Very well. I look forward to it.”
Myung Joong-hwan displayed a composed but slightly pleased expression.
As Myung Un-seok returned to his seat, Im Hee-yeon shifted her gaze towards Shin-woo.
“It’s your turn, Director Baek.”
Shin-woo moved forward, connected his USB, and began presenting the results of the projects that had been transferred from the Planning Office.
Most of the content overlapped with what Myung Un-seok had already presented, so there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy at first.
The real substance came after that.
“This report is regarding the second investment managed by the three teams. The investment capital was 5 billion won, and it was distributed across the stocks of 13 companies. The current profit rate stands at 230%.”
The meeting room screen changed, showing recent stock price charts for the 13 companies.
The attendees stared at the screen in shock.
All of them were seasoned investors, and they could easily calculate how profitable Shin-woo’s investments had been.
Im Hee-yeon spoke up first.
“I’ve listened carefully. But most of these are high-risk stocks… How did you manage the risk?”
The stock price graphs displayed on the screen could have plummeted at any time. Within those risky movements, Shin-woo had accurately captured the peak prices and only took the profits.
Without a change in his expression, Shin-woo calmly answered.
“There was no risk management.”
The attendees were even more astonished than before, causing a stir in the room.
“It was a 5 billion won investment. What would you have done if it failed?”
“Responsibility is something to discuss only in the event of failure. I didn’t fail. In the end, isn’t this place all about results?”
“That 5 billion wasn’t Director Baek’s personal funds; it was company money. Of course, if there were any illegal processes involved, you would have to bear the corresponding responsibility!”
“Cough, cough—!”
Just then, Myung Joong-hwan’s coughing sound resonated through the microphone in the meeting room.
The surroundings quieted down, and Myung Joong-hwan looked at Im Hee-yeon.
“I’ve noticed that Director Im’s tone has been quite harsh lately.”
“…I Apologize.”
“Of course, like Director Im said, the process is important as well. But upon reviewing the report, there doesn’t seem to be any procedural issues. The results are good too.”
This outcome was achieved in a shorter period than the first investment. At the same time, the profit was twice as high as the previous round, making it an astonishing result.
After a brief silence as he took a breath, Myung Joong-hwan continued speaking.
“I’ve reviewed Director Baek Shin-woo’s report thoroughly. So, let’s not dwell on this any longer and proceed with the rest of the meeting smoothly.”
With those final words, Myung Joong-hwan exited the room.
As the meeting continued, the expressions on Myung Un-seok and Myung Jin-seok’s faces turned sour.
—
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