Chasing Two Rabbits
Kang In-hyuk had never imagined that Baek Ji-woong of the WISE&WIRE Group would appear here.
At the same time, the launch party for Chairman Kang Chun-gyu of KQ Group’s autobiography flashed through his mind. In the original future, the woman Kang Do-young had married was Baek Hae-na, the second daughter of the W&W Group.
Moreover, the W&W Group was the very conglomerate that had acquired several subsidiaries when In-hyuk, as the Korean branch head of Blue World, had driven the Tae Shin Group to the brink of collapse.
In the meantime, Go Mi-ah muttered in a quiet voice.
“W&W is one of those massive media giants, right? Why would the chairman of a company like that meet someone named Baek Si-hwan? Didn’t you say Baek Si-hwan came as your secretary, boss? Is he some kind of spy?”
Until now, Go Mi-ah had only gathered the information In-hyuk specifically requested. As a result, she still didn’t fully understand the exact relationships between the people he was investigating or what their ultimate goals were.
“Close enough. But didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”
“What? Boss? Then what should I call you?”
Now that he thought about it, In-hyuk had always called her by name, while she had never settled on a title for him and simply jumped straight to business.
“That’s not for me to decide.”
“Calling you like those mercenary uncles feels a bit weird. Or should I just call you President? After all, you’re the real owner of AMK Partners anyway.”
She seemed to be recalling how Hong Yu-geon addressed him.
“That might actually be better.”
“Got it! President!”
“Sigh. By the way, you already handed over the TCL lightweight code to TN SOFT, right?”
“I took care of it ages ago. They even replied that there won’t be any issues with the rest of the development.”
“You only contacted them through Plu Systems, correct?”
Plu Systems was a separate company In-hyuk had established to manage the core technologies he knew would be developed in the future, along with Go Mi-ah’s unique programming patents.
This included the source lightweight code they had agreed to lend to TN SOFT.
“Obviously. But can a company like TN SOFT really succeed with the TCL Code?”
“Why? You don’t believe it?”
“I get that it’s an outstanding blockchain technology, but the better the security and management, the more people will probably hate it. Once it’s commercialized in the financial sector, there will definitely be problems with personal information protection.”
In-hyuk knew all too well what she was talking about.
Of course, just as she said, a considerable number of people had raised objections.
Yet despite those concerns, in the original future, blockchain technology incorporating the TCL Code had even been commercialized by several governments for their CBDC—Central Bank Digital Currency—systems.
At first, China and the Eurozone were the most aggressive. On the surface, they claimed it was to strengthen financial competitiveness, suppress money laundering, and prevent fraud… but in reality, their main objectives were to monitor financial flows more effectively and drive out private payment companies.
Thinking that, In-hyuk let out a long sigh.
“The people with decision-making power want it that way.”
“So it’s all going to play out exactly as expected.”
“What? Are you starting to feel sorry for the people who’ll get hurt?”
“It’s not that… it just feels a bit dirty. Don’t you think so, President?”
Go Mi-ah already wore an uncomfortable expression.
However, In-hyuk didn’t react to it at all.
“An individual cannot completely stop the flow of a massive current. Even if you somehow manage to stop it, it will eventually burst or create another problem.”
“That’s a pretty cold answer. So we’re just supposed to sit back and watch?”
“You can ride the current, or depending on the method, you can even change its direction.”
“Then what exactly are you planning to do, President?”
At that, In-hyuk gave a faint smile.
“It’s hard to explain right now. You’ll understand if you just watch.”
Both before and after returning to the past, his goal had been singular.
To erase from the world those who had ruined his life. And in the previous timeline, he had believed he had achieved that goal.
But at the very last moment, he had learned that he had been dancing in someone else’s palm. Therefore, this time, no matter who they were or how many there were, he intended to hunt every last one of them down and tear them to pieces.
As evening approached, Tae Seok-ho, Executive Director of the Tae Shin Group, checked the articles inside his car and set his tablet down with a satisfied expression.
A short while later, the car stopped in front of a quiet, upscale Korean restaurant on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
After crossing the garden and entering a detached annex deep inside the premises, he found Chairman Baek Ji-woong of the WISE&WIRE Group already seated and waiting.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Good evening, Chairman. Ah, have you been waiting long?”
“Not at all. I just got here myself.”
They shook hands and took their seats. Soon after, the pre-ordered dishes were brought out.
Tae Seok-ho first picked up the white ceramic bottle shaped like a kettle and filled Baek Ji-woong’s glass.
“Thanks to you, Chairman, I was able to overcome a major obstacle. I truly appreciate it.”
A smile rose to Baek Ji-woong’s lips as he received the thanks.
“I merely made the connection.”
“To be honest, those sudden articles had me in quite a bind. If you hadn’t introduced me to Omega Finance, I don’t know how I would have resolved it.”
Tae Seok-ho had been preparing to acquire Cheolsan Capital through the H&T Fund he operated overseas.
Then, out of nowhere, a company called AMK Partners had jumped into the fray, and the situation had escalated further with articles framing it as foreign corporate bullying.
The H&T Fund was also operated as a foreign entity. While the fact that Tae Seok-ho was the true owner had not yet been revealed, continued noise around the Cheolsan Capital acquisition could eventually expose him.
It was then that Baek Ji-woong, Chairman of W&W Group, had stepped in and introduced Omega Finance as a domestic financial firm to serve as his proxy.
“It’s not over yet, is it?”
With that reply, Baek Ji-woong also filled Tae Seok-ho’s glass.
“The funding is perfectly secured. No matter how impressive the other companies are, they won’t be able to surpass the amount I’ve set.”
In contrast to his confident tone, Baek Ji-woong took a sip of his drink before speaking.
“As you said, Executive Director, we may not need to worry about the others, but shouldn’t we be cautious of AMK Partners? The rumors circulating about them are quite concerning.”
Tae Seok-ho emptied his glass in one go.
“I looked into them as well. They say there’s no type of investment they haven’t touched—stocks, bonds, real estate, corporations, you name it.”
“They’re also famous for excellent performance. They made significant profits during the Raison Energy incident, just like Tae Shin Asset Management—though on a scale several times larger, of course.”
At that moment, Tae Seok-ho’s brows furrowed as he recalled Kang In-hyuk, whom he had been certain he had already recruited.
“Ahem! I’ve heard about that as well. They’re known for succeeding in every field they enter. But this time, the scale of capital being deployed is on a completely different level.”
The media had reported Cheolsan Capital’s minimum sale price as 800 billion won, but when including the company’s other assets—stocks, real estate, and bonds held in other firms—the total easily exceeded one trillion won.
Naturally, without that much cash on hand, participating in the bidding would be nearly impossible.
“Are you saying AMK Partners will have difficulty securing the necessary funds?”
“Earlier, our side received a report analyzing the financial status of all companies participating in this bid. According to it, Silverbell has about 700 billion won in liquid cash. If they pull in corporate loans, they could reach one trillion.”
“What about AMK?”
“We could only access data on their Korean branch, but with 600 billion in cash and loans… they’d fall just short of one trillion. Even then, securing loans domestically won’t be easy for either company.”
Baek Ji-woong’s eyes glinted strangely as he listened.
“So you’ve already pulled strings with the banks.”
“There’s no point in playing a hand if victory isn’t certain.”
“I hope everything goes according to your plan. Ah, by the way, how are things with Munseong Mulsan? I heard the relationship became strained last time because of their second son.”
He was referring to the Riseburn incident. At the time, Mun Jae-min had not only been caught using drugs but had also been involved in their distribution. He had been sentenced to prison and was currently incarcerated.
Back then, Tae Seok-ho had tried to help Mun Jae-min’s mother—Baek Min-sook, the matriarch of Munseong Mulsan—in exchange for the 2.44% stake in Taeshin Mulsan she held, but he had failed.
Moreover, since Baek Ji-woong was Baek Min-sook’s younger brother, he knew the incident well. After all, it involved his own nephew being sent to prison.
The reason he was trying to acquire Cheolsan Capital was the same. The company held more than 2% stakes in both Taeshin Mulsan and Taeshin Electronics.
“Fortunately, I spoke with Chairman Mun Dong-beom instead of Madam Baek. We’ve agreed to exchange the stakes in KQ Distribution and Munseong Mulsan currently held by Cheolsan Capital as conditions.”
“That should be an attractive offer for them as well. However, I believe KQ Distribution also holds a stake in Taeshin Mulsan… wouldn’t handing that stake over to Munseong create problems? Even if you put Omega Finance in front instead of the H&T Fund, they’ll eventually find out.”
The stake in Taeshin Mulsan held by KQ Distribution amounted to 2.89%. While it was smaller than the combined 2.47% from Cheolsan Capital and 2.44% from Munseong Mulsan, it would be difficult to ignore if a fierce battle for control was expected in the future.
“Since I can’t catch two rabbits at once right now, I have to go after the bigger one first. Of course, the concern you mentioned may arise… but we’ll have to deal with that when the time comes.”
“Well… that does make sense.”
“Anyway, thanks to you, Chairman Baek, I can finally breathe easier. Which brings me to this… what is it that you want?”
“What do you mean?”
At Baek Ji-woong’s puzzled question, Tae Seok-ho cleared his throat a few times before continuing.
“You provided the information on the Cheolsan Capital acquisition from the beginning, and now you’ve helped with this matter as well… You haven’t asked for anything in return so far, but you wouldn’t be doing all this for no reason, would you?”
Tae Seok-ho did not completely trust him. In this world, the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest—reigned supreme. Show even the slightest opening, and you would inevitably be devoured by someone, somewhere.
The man sitting across from him, Baek Ji-woong, had originally been an ordinary prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. He had married the only daughter of the W&W Group at the age of thirty and risen to the position of chairman. That background only made Tae Seok-ho more wary.
Yet when faced with the question, Baek Ji-woong remained perfectly calm, showing not the slightest flicker of emotion.
“Well… in this world, there is no such thing as pure goodwill without expecting something in return. Of course, I helped you because I have my own desires as well.”
“If you’re after the stakes in W&W Group currently held by Tae Shin, I can transfer them to you below market price.”
“That’s not a bad offer, but what I want is simply cash.”
Tae Seok-ho tilted his head in confusion.
“You want cash, Chairman? It’s not as if you’re receiving an allowance from your wife… Do you need liquid funds?”
“You know that my position as chairman is merely for show.”
“No matter how much real power your wife holds within W&W, you’ve accomplished so much. Why speak like that?”
“We don’t know what will happen later. So please consider it a token of gratitude and provide it in the manner I described.”
The atmosphere had grown quite serious. Realizing this was no joke, Tae Seok-ho let out a sigh through his nose.
“I’ve been hearing some unpleasant rumors lately… You’re not thinking about divorce, are you?”
“Haha. Of course not.”
Even Baek Ji-woong’s answer didn’t sound entirely convincing.
Tae Seok-ho nodded, his expression making it clear he couldn’t quite shake off the uneasy feeling.