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Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Chapter 22. The Relentless Fashion Terrorist
Park Sang-kyu, the secretary and bodyguard of President Myung In-chul from MH Group, knocked on the office door with a stern expression early in the morning.
“Come in.”
President Myung In-chul was sitting at his desk, busy with his work.
“Excuse me.”
“What brings you here at this early hour?”
“There’s been a bit of an issue on that front.”
“Issue?”
At the question, Park Sang-kyu took a shallow breath.
“There has been a significant loss on the stock that TSF Investment has been working on recently.”
TSF Investment was a company that Myung In-chul had ties with through Park Sang-kyu. Although it was known as an investment firm, it also handled troublesome and complex matters in a straightforward manner.
Moreover, it was the same company that had recently returned funds to MH Electronics and MH Construction due to complications caused by Im Hee-yeon.
With such a company facing an issue, it was natural for Myung In-chul to be surprised.
“…What? Are you saying the plan leaked somewhere else?”
“That hasn’t been confirmed yet. But the problem is the entity that got involved in the plan.”
“Which entity is that?”
After a brief pause, Park Sang-kyu cautiously spoke.
“It’s here.”
“…Here? Are you referring to MH Group?”
“Specifically, it’s the Director of Strategic Investment Operations. It seems he was able to profit by interfering with TSF Investment’s plan during this stock investment.”
“Huh…”
For a moment, Myung In-chul let out a breathy laugh in disbelief.
Park Sang-kyu continued his explanation.
“TSF has realized that MH Group was the entity that intervened and is demanding an explanation.”
“How much is the loss?”
“Around 30 billion won.”
“…Is it that much?”
“There are two companies involved: Oseyang Industrial and Haenam Distribution. Right before TSF was planning to drop their shares, Baek Shin-woo sold all his stocks, which caused the rest of the small investors to start selling below the target price.”
The basic principle of stock trading is to buy low and sell high. Depending on the timing of the initial capital investment, profits can multiply by several times or even dozens of times.
If one can accurately predict the point of peak profit, it is possible to anticipate gains higher than the maximum expected return.
TSF Investment had intended to manipulate the stock prices intentionally to gain profits during this process.
“It’s only natural they would be hit hard. So, are they asking us to hand over internal MH Group documents?”
While there was a certain level of trust in their relationship, that trust was limited to mutual cooperation.
No matter how trivial it might seem, it would be difficult to pass on internal documents of MH Group without hesitation.
“They have already gathered information on Baek Shin-woo. However, they need to verify the source of the information.”
“And what can they do if they know the source?”
After failing to deal with Im Hee-yeon’s situation last time, TSF Investment had forced their operatives in the background to go underground.
“For now, TSF will need to conduct a detailed investigation of the situation.”
“What happens after that?”
“For now, Team 5, under Director Im Hee-yeon, is closely monitoring, so they won’t make any hasty moves. However, if the source turns out to be from within TSF, they’ll have no choice but to take action.”
“What kind of action are we talking about? Are you implying they’ll handle it?”
Lost in thought for a moment, Park Sang-kyu’s expression turned grim.
“Even if it means risking escalation, they will have to deal with everyone connected to the leak.”
Leaking internal information, even if it wasn’t TSF Investment, was an extremely serious matter.
Moreover, TSF Investment was not just an ordinary investment firm but also engaged in manipulating stock prices through insider trading. If such information were to leak out, all of TSF Investment’s plans could collapse.
Naturally, Myung In-chul was also involved in those plans.
“Hmm… This is going to be a headache. But the source of the stock information was also investigated by the Strategic Investment Audit Office, and they couldn’t find anything specific.”
Recently, using Baek Shin-woo as an excuse, Myung In-chul had placed his younger brother, Myung Seong-cheol’s son, Myung Jin-seok, in the position of Deputy General Manager at the Strategic Investment Audit Office. Naturally, through his new position, Myung Jin-seok had also investigated the source of Baek Shin-woo’s stock profit.
But all they found were some analysis reports related to stock charts.
“They need something more convincing… If not, it could turn into a difficult situation.”
“But making a move too soon could endanger both me and TSF.”
“TSF is likely thinking the same. For now, they will keep observing, and if something like this happens again, they might take action then.”
“A guy like that suddenly drops into the company out of nowhere… Im Hee-yeon and her son are both equally troublesome.”
Myung In-chul pressed his temples with his right thumb and middle finger.
“We’re still struggling to keep track of Baek Shin-woo’s external activities.”
“Is he still slipping away from your team?”
“He keeps finding the trackers and destroying them, and even manages to evade the tails we put on him.”
“What kind of person is he?”
The special security team in charge of the owner family was composed of highly capable agents, skilled not only in basic security and close combat but in various fields.
Yet, Baek Shin-woo easily evaded them every day.
“According to the members who were tailing his vehicle, they said it’s not something an amateur would be able to pull off.”
“So, are you telling me that a mere non-commissioned officer is better than our special security team?”
So far, it had been impossible to uncover anything out of the ordinary in Baek Shin-woo’s career, which was frustrating.
“Not to mention how he easily overpowered our guards last time. There are too many unexplained aspects about him.”
“Was his identity as a logistics non-commissioned officer just a front, and did he actually come from a covert special unit?”
“Our guards also have considerable experience. While they might have let their guard down, even if Baek Shin-woo were from special forces, it’s not easy to take down two trained guards in an instant.”
“So, what’s your conclusion, Director Park?”
It was a question filled with nothing but uncertainty.
In such a situation, Park Sang-kyu’s expression darkened further.
“…Honestly, I’m not sure either. Judging by the atmosphere, though, I have a bad feeling.”
Myung In-chul’s forehead furrowed deeper.
“Is that so…? If it seems like there will be problems, we might need to advance the timeline from the original plan.”
“Wouldn’t that be too reckless to set everything in motion now?”
“…There will definitely be some noise. But if I become the head of MH Group, I can take care of everything. TSF will provide ample support as well. Isn’t that right?”
Park Sang-kyu’s expression turned even more serious than before.
“If we push the plan forward, there will be a lot to prepare on our side as well.”
“You know, the Chairman likes to play Go.”
“…Why are you bringing that up?”
“When one holds the black stone and plays the first move in Go, they concede six and a half points to the opponent because the first move is advantageous.”
“So, you’ve decided to play the first move.”
It meant there was no further room for discussion.
With a sigh, Park Sang-kyu bowed his head slightly.
“Hm… I understand what you’re saying. I’ll discuss it with TSF and come up with a plan.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
At that moment, a chilling glint seemed to flash in Myung In-chul’s eyes.
***
Shin-woo was at his desk in the Strategic Investment Operations Office when he decided to call Yu Hyung-jin, the Executive Director of KITE.
“Director Yu, I was reviewing the information on KITE employees, and I noticed that details regarding the members of the Special Security Team are missing. I wanted to confirm if they were overlooked.”
[The Special Security Team handles the protection of the owner family, so the personal information of the team members is managed independently by each team leader.]
“Is it not possible to access them even with Executive Authority?”
[Even the Chairman is restricted from accessing it. Think of it simply as a private security team exclusively serving the owner family.]
One of the reasons Shin-woo accepted the position as the CEO of KITE was to verify the personal information of the Special Security Team assigned to Myung In-chul and see if they had any ties to Unit 666.
Of course, he knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he hadn’t expected that they would be entirely separate from the main office.
“…I understand. And have you reviewed the training program I sent through Secretary Jang?”
[I’m going through it right now. But… don’t you think it’s a bit excessive?]
“MAT and FRT are essential components for security and guard training.”
MAT (Multi-Person Assault Training) and FRT (Firearms Response Training).
These terms referred to training for multi-person assaults and responding to firearms. KITE already had similar programs in place, but the difficulty of the training Shin-woo proposed was several times higher.
[Excessive training could lead to unnecessary tension.]
“They need to be on edge. Besides, if they can’t handle this level as professionals, then it’s a problem. If it becomes an issue, it’s up to the individual to adjust during missions.”
[…….]
“Please proceed as I’ve instructed.”
[…Understood. Is there anything else you would like to add?]
At that moment, someone knocked on his office door, and Jang Man-soo poked his head in.
“Are you busy?”
Shin-woo gestured for him to come in while continuing the call.
“Please also provide me with the current duty list and personnel allocation for EST and FST security and guard operations.”
[That list is confidential and can only be accessed within the company network.]
“Then please prepare it, and I’ll come by when you’re ready.”
[I’ll leave the file with Secretary Jang Jin-ho.]
After ending the call, Shin-woo walked over to the sofa and sat across from Jang Man-soo.
“Wow~ You’re really playing the role of CEO now, aren’t you?”
“Cut it out. By the way, is that seriously the only outfit you own?”
“What? What’s wrong with it?”
Today, Jang Man-soo’s fashion consisted of a dung-colored jacket, a bright red shirt, and sky-blue pants. On top of that, his shoes and tie were in a black-and-white killer whale pattern, seemingly his signature style.
Ever since his first day at work, his fashion choices have always been flamboyant, never lacking in excess.
“…You seriously don’t know?”
“What? I think I’m dressed pretty appropriately for work.”
“Don’t you have any thoughts when you see the other male employees or look at my clothes?”
Jang Man-soo glanced up and down at Shin-woo’s outfit, which consisted of a black jacket, black pants, black shoes, and a white shirt with no tie.
“Hmm… It’s plain.”
“And your outfit?”
“Mine is full of personality. In office life, your outfit should catch people’s eyes, shouldn’t it?”
Of course, he stood out more than anyone else. So much so that even from 4,000 meters away, a sniper could aim for his heart with pinpoint accuracy.
“But you… you’re living in your workshop, aren’t you?”
“For now, yes. Why?”
“I don’t remember seeing a wardrobe in your place. So, where do you keep all these clothes…? Don’t tell me you’re renting them?”
“Renting?! No way! I bought them all with my own money!”
“But you said you’re living in your workshop. Where do you keep them…? Did you build a secret room in there too?”
At that moment, Jang Man-soo looked startled as if he’d been caught off-guard.
“W-What secret room? There’s a wardrobe! You just didn’t see it.”
“I stayed there for days. How could I have missed it?”
The workshop was a spacious one-room place where almost everything was visible except for the bathroom.
Yet, Shin-woo had never seen where Jang Man-soo stored all his clothes.
“There’s no such thing! Anyway! Aren’t you going to talk about the next investment project?”
Seeing how he changed the topic, Shin-woo narrowed his eyes.
At the same time, the thought of finding that secret room in the workshop and setting it on fire crossed his mind.