Chapter 43 – Trap of the Trap (2)
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The head of S-One Finance, Ahn Seung-joo, was in his office, reviewing the U.S. stock market that had closed early in the morning.
As soon as he confirmed the data, he screamed in frustration.
“AAAAAH―! Damn it!”
【Telecom ― ▼47.63(USD)】
The stock price during the session was $83, approximately 110,000 won.
At that point, his profit stood at 5.9 billion won.
However, by the time he checked again after arriving at work, the price had dropped to 65,000 won.
This meant a loss of 1.5 billion won from the last time he checked, leaving him with approximately 3.4 billion won in profit.
Although he was still up 1.9 billion won from the initial purchase price, Ahn Seung-joo considered it a loss.
“What the hell is going on?”
Agitated, Ahn Seung-joo immediately rushed to MH Group Headquarters as soon as he arrived at work.
The moment he got out of the car, he headed upstairs without delay.
At the same time, Myung Un-seok, who had been notified by his secretary, greeted Ahn Seung-joo in his office.
“What’s the matter so early in the morning?”
“Hey! Myung Un-seok! What the hell happened to this?!”
Thrown off by the sudden outburst, Myung Un-seok struggled to make sense of the situation.
“You need to explain what’s going on for me to understand.”
“Telecom! Why is the stock suddenly hitting its lower limit?!”
“I told you to sell it off early this morning! Didn’t you?”
At that moment, the situation started becoming clearer.
The day before, following his father Myung In-chul’s instructions, Myung Un-seok had called his friends to advise them to sell their shares.
Back then, Ahn Seung-joo had assured him that he would comply.
“Anyone could see it was going to keep rising! You even said it would go up fivefold! What the hell happened?!”
Myung Un-seok recalled what his father had mentioned about it being a trap.
“Could it be… they really set us up like my father said?”
“What are you talking about? A setup?”
Myung Un-seok explained the conversation he had with his father that he hadn’t shared earlier.
“Are you saying the Telecom stock was a trap they set, knowing we’d jump in?”
“…That’s what I’m thinking for now. But still, you should’ve followed my advice no matter what!”
Frustrated, Ahn Seung-joo slumped onto the sofa.
“How often do opportunities like this come? It was supposed to be a fivefold return! Everything looked fine when I checked for the last time yesterday!”
Sitting down, Myung Un-seok reviewed Telecom’s stock chart from the day before.
As Ahn Seung-joo had said, there was no significant reason for the stock to drop sharply during that period.
There weren’t any rumors or fake news about Telecom either.
Unless someone deliberately dumped a massive amount of shares to cause the decline…
“This really does look strange. It’s like someone intentionally created a downtrend.”
“Intentionally? But no one in their right mind would…”
Telecom stock had been on an upward trend. Dropping it would require dumping an enormous amount of shares at a lowered selling price.
That would naturally result in significant losses, and doing it just to mess with someone like Myung Un-seok seemed too far-fetched.
“It wouldn’t be easy, even for someone insane. Besides, it’s not like this amount of money could be moved within the company.”
Baek Shin-woo had invested in Telecom through Strategic Investment Division 2’s funds.
Given that, it was difficult to imagine him using any other funds for this.
“So, you’re saying this wasn’t caused by Baek Shin-woo?”
“Or maybe there’s another group backing him outside of MH Group.”
It was one of the simplest yet most plausible explanations.
It could also explain the mysterious sources of Baek Shin-woo’s information.
“What the hell! So what am I supposed to do now―! What about my money?!”
“At the current stock price, it’s not really a loss. You’re still up 1.9 billion. Sell it off before it drops further.”
“But I made far less than you guys!”
“That’s why I told you to sell when you had the chance!”
This situation was entirely a result of Ahn Seung-joo’s greed and mistrust.
He knew this but still couldn’t accept it, judging by his expression.
“Damn it… So, you’re telling me to sell now, even if I’m the only one taking a hit? You said it’d go up fivefold! You said it was safe!”
“I didn’t expect it to turn out like this either.”
All Myung Un-seok wanted to know now was what lay behind Baek Shin-woo’s actions.
He briefly considered the possibility of Im Hee-yeon being involved but dismissed it.
There was no reason for her to benefit by dropping Telecom’s stock price.
Leaving it alone would’ve brought much greater profits.
“Damn it―! So, it’s definitely because of that bastard Baek Shin-woo, isn’t it?”
“…Not 100% certain. But under the current circumstances, he’s the most likely culprit.”
The timing was too perfect. While another group could be involved, Myung Un-seok was more curious about what Ahn Seung-joo would do next regarding Baek Shin-woo.
“Fine. I’ll take care of it.”
Ahn Seung-joo left Myung Un-seok’s office with a cold expression.
***
Meanwhile, Shin-woo had stopped by KITE in the morning before heading to MH Group Headquarters.
As he was about to enter the elevator, his phone rang. It was a call from Im Hee-yeon.
“…I’m answering the call.”
[Are you at headquarters?]
“I just arrived. I’m heading to my office now.”
[Could you stop by my office for a moment?]
After ending the call, Shin-woo got off on the 32nd floor.
Coincidentally, a familiar face was standing across from him.
It was none other than Ahn Seung-joo, who had just stormed out after arguing with Myung Un-seok.
Recognizing him, Shin-woo quietly passed by without a word.
‘I heard Man-soo caused a major shakeup in Telecom’s stock. I guess that’s why he’s here.’
He had also heard that Ahn Seung-joo was the only one who hadn’t sold his shares until the very end.
Judging by the furious expression on Ahn Seung-joo’s face as they passed, he seemed absolutely livid.
‘Joining our project without even confirming who we are… His approach to dealing with adversaries is completely off.’
After confirming that the elevator had gone down, Shin-woo shook his head and headed to Im Hee-yeon’s office.
Inside, he found her speaking with Song Tae-hoon, likely discussing work.
As Shin-woo entered, Im Hee-yeon turned to him with a serious expression and spoke.
“I’ve heard the reports about Telecom’s stock situation. I think you owe me an explanation.”
Strategic Investment Operations Division 2 invested approximately 3 billion KRW in Telecom stocks, securing a 0.64% stake.
As of last night, the profits reached approximately 9.7 billion KRW, leaving around 6 billion KRW in net profit after excluding the investment amount.
However, following a sharp decline overnight, approximately 2.9 billion KRW was lost.
Though there was still a net profit of 3 billion KRW remaining, with the planned investment period still ahead, Im Hee-yeon, as the director, couldn’t help but pay close attention to the matter.
“This is just a temporary situation.”
“How can you be sure?”
The stock, which had been on a rising trend, closed with a sharp drop of nearly 30,000 KRW.
Without solid evidence that the situation would end here, it was difficult to accept such optimism.
“The starting point was during the pre-market session last night when approximately 1.15% of the shares were sold off. It seems someone intentionally dumped their stake.”
“Are you saying there was deliberate interference?”
Shin-woo paused briefly before continuing.
“There are indications that the details of this Telecom investment project were leaked, though the report came in late.”
“Within the Strategic Investment Headquarters? Do you have evidence to prove it?”
“This conclusion comes from my information network. The person who sold off the 1.15% stake entered the market at the same time as we did in Operations Division 2.”
For a moment, Im Hee-yeon’s expression hardened.
It was nearly impossible for a non-insider to obtain such details about the company’s stock transactions.
“…How did you know this?”
“I can’t share the specifics. Whether you believe me or not is up to you.”
“So, what is Operations Division 2 planning to do?”
“The investment will proceed as planned. As for the information leak, I’ll leave that in your hands, Director.”
Im Hee-yeon deliberated deeply.
If information had indeed been leaked, as Shin-woo claimed, the issue was no small matter.
Moreover, it would require suspicion to fall not only on the Strategic Investment Headquarters but also on other internal departments within MH Group.
If they failed to identify the source of the leak, it could even backfire.
“This requires careful handling. I’ll look into it as you suggested.”
“Understood. Is there anything else you need from me?”
At Shin-woo’s question, Im Hee-yeon let out a quiet sigh.
When she first sought him out and met him, all she could think about was leaving her position behind and starting a life together with him.
But since then, the situation had spiraled out of control, leading to this point.
Despite his simple background of a mundane school life and standard military service records, Shin-woo had entered MH Group and achieved what seemed impossible.
“For now, why don’t you sit down?”
“Is there something else you’d like to say?”
“I wanted to ask about how you’ve been doing lately.”
Reluctantly, Shin-woo moved to the sofa and sat down.
“Go ahead.”
“…How is your current place? If it’s uncomfortable, I can find you a new one, as I mentioned before.”
“It’s perfect.”
“Oh… I see.”
The question she had carefully thought of ended with a curt response, leaving her at a loss for words.
After a brief silence, Im Hee-yeon spoke again.
“KITE seems to be running smoothly these days. Are there any issues?”
As she noted, KITE had seen a sharp increase in security and protection requests after successfully safeguarding Yoo Ha-yeon.
“There’s a lot of work, but nothing worth mentioning otherwise.”
“The position of CEO is no small responsibility.”
“That’s true.”
The conversation looped back to its starting point.
Finally, Im Hee-yeon managed to bring up the subject she wanted to discuss from the beginning.
“…What about the contact from TSF Investment? How did that go?”
Aside from Special Security Team 5, Im Hee-yeon had enlisted other KITE personnel, including the Resident Security Team Shin-woo had summoned, and had heard about it through them.
“The reason they approached me was obvious. They wanted to know if I’d consider working with them.”
“Are you saying they offered to recruit you?”
“They just asked if I’d consider collaborating.”
Shin-woo remained indifferent.
Given his exceptional performance in the investment sector, it was no surprise that other companies in the same field would covet him.
“Can you tell me how you responded?”
“I told them I’d think about it.”
At MH Group, the only reason to keep Shin-woo was their blood relation.
But even that was ambiguous due to his illegitimate status.
If Shin-woo decided to join a company that recognized his abilities, not even his biological mother, Im Hee-yeon, could stop him.
“So, what’s your decision? If they call, are you planning to leave?”
Shin-woo scratched his cheek with his finger.
“I don’t have any immediate plans. I still have things to do here. Maybe after that’s done.”
“What do you mean by things to do?”
“I don’t think I need to explain that to you. Are we done here?”
In the end, their conversation was limited to work-related matters.
“Alright. You can leave now.”
Shin-woo left the room without hesitation.
As he exited, Im Hee-yeon sighed and turned to Song Tae-hoon, who had been standing quietly behind her.
“What could Shin-woo be thinking? Does anyone know what he meant by ‘things to do’?”
“I’ve been looking into it, but… I still haven’t figured it out.”
Before Shin-woo entered, they had been having a similar conversation.
Despite questioning him directly, nothing had changed.
BZZZZ― BZZZZ―
When her phone started vibrating, Im Hee-yeon glanced at the screen and froze.
The name “Chairman” appeared on the display.
.
.
.
At Myung Joong-hwan’s mansion in Pyeongchang-dong.
After work, Im Hee-yeon arrived and knocked on the study door before entering.
“Have a seat.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Sitting diagonally across from her, Myung Joong-hwan stared at her with a serious expression.
“I hear things have been chaotic at the company lately.”
“…It’s always like this.”
“You must’ve had a hard time with the restructuring of the Strategic Investment Headquarters.”
“It had to be done.”
After some small talk, Myung Joong-hwan got to the point.
“I hear flies have started buzzing around Shin-woo.”
The news of his contact with TSF Investment had reached the chairman’s ears.
Im Hee-yeon understood what he meant.
“That’s why I called him to ask.”
“The reason should be obvious, but… What did he say?”
“He didn’t specify whether it was a recruitment offer, but they expressed interest in collaborating.”
“Hmm… So TSF must be eager to have Shin-woo.”
TSF Investment was a renowned global investment firm known for generating significant returns for its clients.
However, to many companies, its nickname, “Corporate Butcher,” seemed more fitting due to its ruthless tactics.
“This is a bad sign. Even if Shin-woo decides to leave, we don’t have much justification to stop him.”
Myung Joong-hwan understood this as well.
Although they had granted Shin-woo 5% equity in KITE and the CEO position, TSF could offer similarly competitive terms.
As the two remained deep in thought, urgent knocks interrupted them, and Myung Joong-hwan’s secretary, Goo Sang-ho, entered.
“Chairman! It appears that CEO Baek Shin-woo has been kidnapped!”
—
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