The Price of Loyalty
«How many are left?»
The low rumble of an engine echoed through the parking garage.
Van Hester pulled in and stepped out, walking over to stand beside Kang In-hyuk and Hong Yu-geon, who were facing each other like two men ready to throw down.
“Did you fill him in on everything?”
“More or less.”
Hong Yu-geon relayed what Kang In-hyuk had told him. In-hyuk stayed quiet, simply watching the two mercenaries discuss the situation.
After a moment, Van Hester gave a slow nod and asked, “So now we just need to decide what we’re going to do?”
“For the time being, yes. What do you want?”
“Double the hazard pay. And when the contract ends, transfer all equipment used on the job to us.”
Van Hester stated the conditions in a flat, businesslike tone. Hong Yu-geon’s eyes widened in shock.
“You’re willing to keep going for that? This could get us killed too! No—we’ll be the first ones in the line of fire!”
Charybdis was responsible for tracking and gathering intelligence. If the enemy caught wind of them, they would be exposed immediately. The job demanded they risk their lives.
“It’s not like we didn’t know that. Besides, this is a good chance for us to stock up on the gear we need.”
Hong Yu-geon’s expression turned bitter.
“And the one you’re really worried about isn’t us. It’s the boss.”
“W-what?! That’s ridiculous…!”
“It’s okay to be honest sometimes. You’re scared the boss will get hurt because you like him so much.”
As the banter continued, Kang In-hyuk couldn’t help letting out a soft chuckle.
“I didn’t realize you thought that highly of me.”
“I don’t!”
“So, what do you want to do going forward? If the conditions Van just mentioned are acceptable, I can agree to them. If there’s anything else you need, just say the word.”
Thanks to his past-life experience and the steady growth of AMK Partners, money was no longer an issue. No matter how much he invested in Charybdis, it wouldn’t even make a dent in his reserves.
Of course, Van Hester didn’t know that. He and Hong Yu-geon exchanged a brief silence before Van spoke first.
“I’m in.”
Kang In-hyuk turned his gaze to Hong Yu-geon.
“…Tsk. What the hell am I supposed to say now?”
“I’ll take that as a yes. From now on, the work is going to get more difficult and far more dangerous. No matter what happens, don’t get greedy. Your top priority is to make sure your identities are never exposed.”
At In-hyuk’s explanation, Van Hester tilted his head.
“If they’re that dangerous, shouldn’t we be more aggressive?”
“We still don’t know the full scale of their organization. Once we get a proper estimate, we’ll move to the next phase.”
“And you think you can do that alone?”
This time the question came from Hong Yu-geon.
“I have plenty of people who will move exactly as I want them to. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Both men’s eyes widened.
From what they had uncovered, Kang In-hyuk was the son-in-law of the Taeshin Group but held almost no real power inside the company. The fact that he could casually offer them such substantial funding was already surprising. His latest claim was even harder to believe.
“…You really have people like that?”
“It won’t be long before you meet them too. For today, get some rest and handle the other tasks I mentioned.”
“We’re not tailing Baek Si-hwan anymore?”
Kang In-hyuk shook his head with a calm sigh.
“Even if they slipped away during the pursuit, the fact that they mobilized a cleaning crew means they were already moving with extreme caution. There’s a high chance they’ve noticed us.”
“During our mercenary days, Van was never once detected while tailing someone.”
“I didn’t even know those people existed until I caught their trail. They operate with that level of thoroughness, so it’s only natural they would anticipate being followed.”
Hong Yu-geon exchanged a look with Van Hester and nodded.
“Then… who are we tailing now?”
“I’ll give you the list. Stick to them according to the schedule, take photos and videos, and keep records. That’s all.”
“How many?”
“About twenty for now.”
Both men’s expressions stiffened slightly.
“That many? What kind of people are we investigating?”
“People I need for what comes next.”
.
.
.
At the same time.
Inside a pitch-black warehouse thick with dust.
Baek Si-hwan stared intently at a blazing furnace, flames roaring inside it.
A man approached him cautiously and spoke in a low voice.
“We’ve lost the trail of the person who was following us. The license plate was fake, so tracking it will be difficult.”
“Were there any other traces?”
“None.”
The answer made Baek Si-hwan’s mood grow even darker.
“How many are left?”
“Two bodies remain. They should be finished in about two and a half hours.”
The corpses being burned were those of Lee Dae-myung and his subordinates, cleaned up by the Daemyung Detective Agency.
While watching the grim scene, Baek Si-hwan made a call.
“Is the cleanup finished?”
The voice on the other end belonged to Baek Ji-woong, Chairman of the WISE&WIRE Group.
“A little is still left. More importantly, I have something to report. After Daemyung Detective Agency finished their work, a tail appeared.”
At that moment, Baek Ji-woong’s voice grew heavy.
“…Who is it? Is it the same bastard from last time?”
He was referring to the uninvited guest Baek Si-hwan had failed to eliminate at the warehouse on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province. Because of that same intruder, they had lost every operative active in KQ Group and several other companies, including Pyo Jun-woo.
“I tried to lure them out after noticing the tail, but they must have sensed the danger and pulled back. I continued tracking until just now… but found no further traces.”
A quiet groan came through the line.
“…So that’s why the Andong operation failed? We missed a golden opportunity.”
“I’m sorry.”
“But you’re certain the tail was attached at Daemyung?”
Baek Ji-woong sounded skeptical of the entire situation.
“The only place where suspicious activity and a possible tail could have originated was Daemyung. However, the person following us might have seen me or the workers at the scene, so we should remain cautious.”
It was an extremely cold, rational assessment.
Baek Ji-woong let out another low groan before continuing.
“Staying at Taeshin any longer could lead to more tails. If I had known, I would have sent someone else even if it took more time.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I failed to anticipate this and moved too hastily. Still, if the higher-ups find out, it will become a headache. Wrap up your affairs as quickly as possible.”
“Understood. After I clean up, I will reverse-trace the license plate until the next mission location is decided.”
If the plate hadn’t been custom-made, there would be a distribution trail. Following it backward might reveal the identity of whoever had been following them.
“Forget it. There’s a chance they’re waiting for exactly that move. Cut it off here.”
Baek Si-hwan nodded easily in agreement.
“By the way, how are things at Taeshin? Has there been anything unusual in President Tae Seok-hyun’s movements?”
When the subject changed, Baek Si-hwan stopped pressing the previous issue.
“He’s still locked in a power struggle with Executive Director Tae Seok-ho. However, three days ago, Executive Director Hwang Won-jun met secretly with Executive Director Tae Seok-ho.”
Hwang Won-jun was an executive director at Taeshin Electronics and a subordinate of Tae Seok-hyun. The fact that he had joined hands with Tae Seok-ho instead was a significant variable.
“Hwang Won-jun should be Chairman Tae Geon-seung’s man… What did they talk about?”
“It was about the panel materials for Taeshin Electronics. It seems Executive Director Tae Seok-ho is helping Executive Director Hwang secure a rebate on materials from the RG Display Philippines factory deal.”
“What’s the scale?”
“Roughly 30 billion won. However, considering Executive Director Hwang’s personality, I suspect he’ll squeeze out even more.”
A soft, understanding chuckle came from Baek Ji-woong.
It was an enormous sum for a single individual to pocket as a rebate.
“Haha. So he’s planning to use it as ammunition to secure shares.”
“Seeing that Executive Director Hwang has scheduled a business trip to New York soon, I believe he will make separate contact with Tae Seok-ho’s H&T Fund.”
“If that’s true… it means they intend to shake up the Taeshin Group in the near future.”
Baek Ji-woong knew that Tae Seok-ho’s ultimate goal was the Taeshin Group itself. But with the current chairman, Tae Geon-seung, refusing to step down despite his advanced age, Tae Seok-ho was preparing to make a bold move.
Of course, even Baek Si-hwan—who had been pulled out of the Taeshin Group—knew the process all too well.
“I’m sorry to be stepping away at this critical time. Still, we have a considerable number of people left. I will instruct them to be extra vigilant.”
“It can’t be helped. Ah, but there’s something else I need you to handle. This timing actually works out well.”
“Please tell me.”
“It’s difficult to discuss over the phone. Finish up there and come see me.”
“Understood.”
While the two men spoke, the final two bodies were thrown into the roaring furnace.
Baek Si-hwan lowered his phone and stared fixedly at the flames.
Kang In-hyuk was in his office as usual when he received a call from Norman McGrath.
“TN SOFT has accepted the investment under the equity conditions!”
“Is that so? That’s good news. How were the terms adjusted?”
“The investment remains 20 million dollars as originally planned. We received 20% equity.”
For an ordinary company, obtaining that much equity for roughly 28 billion won would have been impossible.
But TN SOFT had been forced to pull in emergency funds while CEO Luke Harrison developed the TCL Code, making the deal possible.
“Wasn’t the original offer around 15%?”
They had received five percent more than the condition In-hyuk had first proposed. It was a good outcome, but the deviation from expectations left him curious.
“I applied a little more pressure. During the audit for the investment, I discovered a rather large hole in their fund management.”
“Did you threaten them with it?”
Laughter came from the other side of the line.
“Haha! More like I gave them a gentle piece of advice. Still, they were absolutely against it until recently. I don’t understand why they suddenly changed their minds. Unless… you threatened them behind my back, sir?”
His tone was deeply meaningful.
“If I had that kind of leverage, I wouldn’t have made you go through the trouble of visiting them in person, Mr. Branch Manager.”
“I was just joking now that my worries are resolved.”
“…Anyway, it seems they decided there were too many holes to fill just by accepting investment. Please continue handling the remaining matters well.”
“Understood. Contact me anytime if you need anything else.”
After ending the call, Kang In-hyuk looked down at his phone screen.
【Ghost Link】
1 new message
An app with a highly suspicious name showed the number ‘1’.
It was the blackmail messenger app Go Mi-ah had created for him before. After tapping the icon and entering the password, a message arrived under an English name.
It was a message from Luke Harrison, the CEO of TN SOFT—the same man Norman McGrath had just spoken about.
In-hyuk replied using the nickname ‘HERMIT’.
The reply came back almost immediately.
There was a brief pause before the phone vibrated again.
He was at least willing to listen.
Once commercialized, the TCL Code would wield tremendous influence. If it generated 100 million dollars in sales, 13 million dollars—roughly 17.8 billion won—would go straight to In-hyuk without any middleman fees.
Of course, in his previous life, In-hyuk had earned several dozen times that amount. Luke Harrison, the creator, could easily predict this, which was why he was so shocked by the terms.
In-hyuk, however, felt no regret whatsoever.
The new message came with a timer. If the other party missed the window to reply, the connection would be severed. About three seconds later, a simple answer arrived.
A smile formed on In-hyuk’s lips. He typed out the necessary information and sent it to Luke Harrison.
When the screen returned to the conversation list, it displayed countless names—including Luke Harrison of TN SOFT, whom he had just spoken with.
They were all people necessary for the work In-hyuk was about to undertake. At the same time, they were the very individuals he had identified in his previous life as the masterminds behind the most vile and filthy schemes—before he became the supreme leader of Blue Wall.