Chapter 51: A Deal, Not a Reward (1)
—
A few days later.
Shin-woo visited the mansion in Pyeongchang-dong late in the evening at the summons of Myung Joong-hwan, the chairman of MH Group.
As he got out of the car with Lee Doo-heon and his bodyguards, other vehicles followed closely behind, parking right next to them.
From those cars emerged Myung In-chul, Park Sang-kyu, and their accompanying bodyguards.
“The Chairman called you too.”
“…It seems so. Please excuse me.”
With that curt reply, Shin-woo acted as if he didn’t notice him and tried to walk past. But Myung In-chul quickly spoke up.
“I hear you’ve been meeting frequently with Kwak Chi-young, the director of TSF.”
It was inevitable that such meetings, always accompanied by bodyguards, would eventually leak as information.
“It just turned out that way.”
“TSF Investment is known as the butcher of corporations. Do you know what you’re dealing with?”
Who was he to lecture? Of course, Myung In-chul had never publicly revealed his ties to TSF. All communications had been through Park Sang-kyu, allowing him plausible deniability.
“Well, it just so happened that I had to meet them due to work. They reached out to me first as well.”
At this, Myung In-chul let out a wry laugh.
“This is why you can’t hide your lack of proper education.”
“You must feel good about yourself.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because your company’s assets have grown thanks to the profits earned by someone as uneducated as me.”
The blatant sarcasm twisted Myung In-chul’s expression.
“Do you think you can survive in this field forever with just meager knowledge and information?”
“Are you concerned about me? Maybe you should worry about your son, who doesn’t even have that meager knowledge.”
Was this provocation or a deliberate jab?
For a moment, Myung In-chul went silent, his face darkening. Soon after, he regained his composure and smoothed his expression.
“Aren’t you and Un-seok cousins? Things would’ve gone much more smoothly if you had handled matters differently. Did you really need to go so far as to push him out in such a way?”
“All I did was introduce Telecom to Livio Soft and teach a lesson to the people who kidnapped me. What exactly did I do wrong?”
He made no mention of the fluctuations in Telecom’s stock price.
That had been the result of Myung Un-seok and his friends acting independently. It had never been disclosed publicly. Of course, they had made considerable profits.
However, when Ahn Seung-joo ended up hospitalized, relations between the companies turned frosty.
“You speak as though you knew nothing.”
“Not until Ahn Seung-joo told me.”
Telecom’s stock price had fluctuated wildly shortly after Myung Un-seok and his group jumped in and then pulled out.
It could have been a targeted move by another group of speculators, but in this situation, Myung In-chul could only think the target was Myung Un-seok.
“You’re sly for your age.”
“Not really. Anyway, the Chairman is waiting, so I’ll head in now.”
With that, Shin-woo walked past the garden and entered the mansion.
At the front door, Goo Sang-ho was waiting and bowed when he saw Shin-woo.
“I heard you arrived earlier, but you came in late. Was there an issue?”
“Just a fly buzzing around.”
Having checked the CCTV footage, Goo Sang-ho knew full well that the “fly” Shin-woo mentioned referred to Myung In-chul.
“…I see. The Chairman is waiting for you inside.”
Guided by Goo Sang-ho, Shin-woo entered the study.
Seated at his desk, Myung Joong-hwan was reviewing documents through a pair of magnifying glasses. Upon seeing Shin-woo, he removed his glasses and set them down.
“It seems your conversation with your uncle ran a bit long.”
To date, Shin-woo had never referred to any member of the MH Group’s owner family with familial terms.
Nonetheless, Myung Joong-hwan seemed intent on emphasizing a sense of closeness.
“Frankly, I find such terms uncomfortable.”
“We’re family, after all. You might as well start getting used to it.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way. So please, don’t force it.”
Myung Joong-hwan had no intention of pressing further. But as Shin-woo curtly cut him off, it left a slight feeling of regret.
“…Fair enough.”
“So, why did you call me here today? If it wasn’t important, you could’ve just called or emailed me.”
To Shin-woo, MH Group was merely a camouflage base. His true goal lay in uncovering the forces behind Unit 666 and, further down the line, Brilliant Group, which commanded Unit 666 in the future.
“Did I trouble you?”
“I wouldn’t say it wasn’t inconvenient.”
“Haha. I never thought I’d see someone in my family who would dare speak to me like this.”
“……”
As Shin-woo stayed silent, Myung Joong-hwan held his gaze for a moment before continuing.
“The reason I called you here today is to give you a reward. Is there anything you’d like?”
“It seems MH Group gives performance rewards in this way.”
After all, he had been handed the CEO position of KITE during a dinner meeting.
“Should I gather everyone in the main auditorium and present it formally? If that’s what you want, I can arrange it…”
“…No, just do it here.”
For a moment, Shin-woo regretted saying anything.
At this, a faint smile appeared on Myung Joong-hwan’s lips.
“Tell me. What do you want this time?”
“There is one thing.”
“And what is that?”
“I need a position to run a business within MH Tech.”
It was such an unexpected answer that Myung Joong-hwan looked momentarily surprised.
“You do realize MH Tech specializes in the defense industry, right?”
“How could I not?”
“What’s your reason?”
“I have a few ideas for business items in that field.”
A hint of intrigue crossed Myung Joong-hwan’s face, and his smile widened.
“It seems you’re not just knowledgeable about investments.”
“I simply have a lot of thoughts.”
“But the defense industry is different from ordinary businesses. If you truly need that position, you’ll have to prove you’re fit for it.”
In other words, he wanted to see what Shin-woo had in mind for the defense industry.
“Radar Radiant Expansion Device. Abbreviated as RRED or R2ED. A device designed to expand radar emission, improving the detection range and speed of existing radar systems.”
“…For example?”
“There would be variations between applications for air and sea, but theoretically, it could amplify performance by at least 150% to 180%.”
Surprised, Myung Joong-hwan’s expression grew serious.
“Are you saying a single device could achieve that? Especially considering the significant differences between conditions in the air and at sea, as well as the wide variety of radar types?”
It was a precise observation. But as someone who had lived both as a soldier and a mercenary, Shin-woo was well aware of this.
“The difference in peak power won’t increase significantly. Instead, we’ll improve the pulse length, repetition frequency, beam width, and target range. Besides, the basic principles of radar are nearly identical, which ensures compatibility.”
Myung Joong-hwan, listening to the explanation laced with technical terms, detected something unusual and spoke up.
“You’re not the one planning to develop it, are you?”
Despite being a soldier, the scope of knowledge required was entirely different.
Of course, it was surprising enough that Shin-woo knew so much about investment information, but business management and mechanical expertise were on entirely different tracks.
“There’s someone among my acquaintances who’s highly skilled in this field. That person will take the position you just mentioned.”
He was referring to Jang Man-soo. Not knowing this, Myung Joong-hwan couldn’t help but be surprised again.
“You’re not planning to poach someone from the Agency for Defense Development, are you?”
Commonly known as ADD, the Agency for Defense Development is an institution dedicated to advanced weapon systems development and scientific research for national defense in South Korea.
It boasts an extraordinary level of security in its facilities and personnel.
Recruiting talent from there would essentially mean picking a fight with the Ministry of National Defense and, by extension, the government.
Many companies in the defense industry often rely on equipment developed at the ADD for mass production.
“They’re not from ADD, so you don’t need to worry.”
“You’re aware that MH Tech, as a defense industry company, cannot afford any issues with personnel security, correct?”
“It’s Jang Man-soo, the manager under my supervision.”
“…Manager Jang Man-soo? But isn’t he a high school graduate? I recall nothing extraordinary about his academic records.”
Joong-hwan had conducted background checks on everyone under Shin-woo’s command.
While Lillian Foster was an outstanding talent who had excelled in academics in the U.S. and earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree from Stanford, Jang Man-soo was a stark contrast.
The only distinctive feature about him was his ever-changing, flamboyant fashion sense—so flashy it had even caused Joong-hwan to frown upon seeing it in photographs.
“Manager Jang Man-soo is the one who conceptualized everything about R2ED that I just mentioned. If nothing else, he’s exceptionally talented in that field.”
Shin-woo’s expression was extremely serious.
Moreover, Joong-hwan had never heard Shin-woo spout nonsense before.
“I’ll need to see materials on this R2ED you mentioned to confirm.”
“I’ll arrange that. Oh, by the way, the patent for R2ED has already been filed.”
For a moment, Joong-hwan’s expression hardened.
If the R2ED was as groundbreaking as described, it would truly be a revolutionary item.
However, if the patent were held by an individual rather than a corporation, it could lead to a complicated situation.
“It sounds like you plan to place them under MH Tech while running the business separately.”
“If we determine that commercialization is viable, MH Tech will secure exclusive usage rights on a three-year basis. Of course, there will be separate compensation for that.”
“…You really have quite the business acumen. I called you here to commend you, but instead, you’re proposing a deal to me.”
Shin-woo smirked faintly as he listened to those words.
“Coming from someone who bought factory land dirt cheap through S-One Finance, I don’t think you’re in a position to talk.”
“Hmph. Outside of your mother, you don’t have many connections in this field. I’m curious where you heard about that.”
“In this industry, once a rumor starts, it’s impossible to stop it—especially when it involves money and corporate rivalries.”
The atmosphere between the two seemed to heat up.
“We’ll assign a position in MH Tech after the research team verifies R2ED. Hand over the materials to Manager Goo Sang-ho.”
“I’ll do so.”
Shin-woo concluded the conversation and left.
As Goo Sang-ho returned after seeing him off, Joong-hwan addressed him.
“Have you gathered any recent updates on Manager Jang Man-soo?”
“We haven’t marked him for any special observations recently.”
“Take another look, just in case.”
The R2ED (Radar Radiant Expansion Device) Shin-woo mentioned would, if realized, allow existing military detection equipment to be upgraded without needing complete replacements.
This would provide a definitive competitive edge over other defense companies that only offer new products.
“Start the investigation. Also, deliver the materials to MH Tech and have them reviewed as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll pass on your instructions.”
With that reply, Goo Sang-ho exited the study.
Now alone, Joong-hwan reflected on Shin-woo’s words and the mention of Jang Man-soo.
The image of Jang Man-soo’s flamboyant outfits—flashier than those of a trot singer—flashed through his mind, making him frown instinctively.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment