A Call Has Come In
A call had come in.
There was a great deal of commotion over which company would acquire Cheolsan Capital, the massive financial enterprise based in the southern region.
In the meantime, Executive Director Oh Kang-gu of Tae Shin Asset Management sat in his office across from Managing Director Yang Chan-woo.
“The atmosphere in the company feels rather chaotic lately.”
“It’s all because of the MP Division. They’re not only intermediating the Cheolsan Capital bid, but the PEF side is moving enormous funds without upper management approval. The staff are worried, so they seem to be spreading all sorts of rumors.”
MP was short for M&A/PEF.
“Hmm… Now that you mention it, has the audit team found anything they can use against Division Head Kang?”
At the question, Yang Chan-woo remained silent for a moment before answering.
“…They say there’s nothing immediately actionable.”
“Nothing at all? They’re handling matters so recklessly—something should have turned up by now, shouldn’t it?”
“The funds are generating substantial profits. From what I hear, clients from other divisions are constantly asking if he can connect them with Kang In-hyuk as well.”
“Then why hasn’t a report been submitted?”
It should have reached his desk long ago.
“He took personal leave from two days ago through today.”
“Annual leave at a time like this? The place is truly going mad.”
“I’ll make sure to warn him to be more cautious when he returns tomorrow.”
Oh Kang-gu’s expression twisted violently.
“Tell them to dig by any means necessary. No matter how strong his information network is, it’s impossible to achieve this level of success without help. If he’s obtaining concrete intelligence from somewhere, it can’t be through legal channels. Something has to surface.”
He was certain insider trading was involved.
Yet no traces had emerged so far, which only deepened his frustration.
“Understood. Also… Director Bong Joo-hyung completed the delivery yesterday.”
“You made sure it didn’t appear to be on my orders, correct?”
“I told him it was a matter I was handling personally. But… who exactly is the MP Division data being passed to?”
Yang Chan-woo had acted on Oh Kang-gu’s instructions and therefore knew none of the finer details.
“I’m simply following orders from above.”
“Above… Does that mean it’s definitely Executive Director Tae Seok-ho?”
“Watch your tongue anywhere else.”
Yang Chan-woo asked with clear concern.
“…Is this truly without risk? I’m not doubting Executive Director Tae, but if things go wrong, won’t it drag down Executive Director Oh and the rest of us as well?”
With a full-scale whale fight already underway inside Tae Shin Group, he feared they would end up as shrimp crushed between them.
Oh Kang-gu clicked his tongue.
“Tsk! If the eldest son takes the chairman’s seat, do you really think we’ll be safe? We cannot simply sit still. Besides, success without risk is impossible.”
“Now that you mention it, strange rumors have been circulating lately. That the chairman is considering Representative Director Tae Ju-ha…”
“Does that even make sense? She’s a child the eldest son brought in from outside. If it were a son, perhaps, but even the eldest granddaughter Tae Su-jin is merely an executive director at Tae Shin Department Store. Meanwhile, the eldest grandson Tae Ye-jun heads the electronics division, and the second son’s child is representative director of the construction company.”
It was a clear declaration of Tae Geon-seung’s ironclad preference for male heirs.
Yang Chan-woo, who had heard the same talk countless times at Tae Shin Asset Management, nodded in full agreement.
“For Representative Director Tae Ju-ha, it would mean she gets to keep the subsidiary Tae Shin Asset Management at best.”
“Even that would be temporary. The holding company owns most of the shares here, so if the group’s owner changes, that too will pass…”
Riiing— Riiing—
An internal line cut through their conversation.
Oh Kang-gu, momentum broken, jabbed the button roughly.
It’s a call from the representative director. She wants you to come to her office immediately.
“…Any idea what it’s about?”
She gave no further details.
“Very well. I’ll head over shortly.”
It was an unexpected summons, and questions filled his mind.
He ended the call and made his way to Tae Ju-ha’s office.
The door to the representative director’s office opened, and Oh Kang-gu stepped inside.
“Division Head Kang is here as well. What is this regarding?”
Kang In-hyuk sat on the sofa beside Tae Ju-ha.
Oh Kang-gu settled into the seat opposite him, radiating clear discomfort.
In-hyuk slid the documents he had placed on the table toward the two of them.
“Please review these.”
Silence settled over the office.
Tae Ju-ha, who finished reading first, wore a subtle expression.
“You’re applying a new security system exclusively to the MP Division? Is that really necessary?”
Oh Kang-gu chimed in from the side.
“The representative director is correct. No matter the justification of strengthening security, the current system has no issues. Wouldn’t this simply be throwing money away?”
Tae Shin Asset Management was a subsidiary of Tae Shin Life yet used the same security system as the parent Tae Shin Group.
In-hyuk had never expected them to welcome the proposal. Of course, he had not submitted it without reason.
“It would be a waste if there were truly no problems. I couldn’t report it beforehand, but since the new division was established, individuals with impure motives have joined the staff.”
“What exactly happened?”
In-hyuk nodded at Tae Ju-ha’s question.
“We handle a great deal of corporate confidential information, so we’ve paid close attention to internal security since the division’s inception. In the process, we discovered signs that internal documents have recently been leaked externally.”
Oh Kang-gu frowned and spoke before Tae Ju-ha could respond.
“How were the documents leaked?”
“Documents don’t walk out by themselves. Someone clearly assisted.”
“Then have you identified who?”
In-hyuk let out a long sigh.
“Huu—! M&A Team 2 Leader Shim Kang-hyun, PEF Team 1 Manager Lee Sang-won, and PEF Team 2 Leader Oh Jun-myung. Those three.”
At the names, Oh Kang-gu’s expression remained stony.
“I believe all three were recently recruited for the new division. Where exactly did they leak the internal information? And have you secured evidence?”
“The leaked materials reached Director Bong Joo-hyung through those three individuals. Naturally, Director Bong is an executive with no connection to our division’s operations. Suspicious circumstances arose, so I had him followed.”
In-hyuk pulled photographs from the envelope he had brought and handed them over.
The images captured Director Bong Joo-hyung handing something to a man in a dark location. Oh Kang-gu’s face hardened the moment he saw them.
“You had Director Bong Joo-hyung tailed? More importantly, it sounds as if Director Bong is the one who commissioned the leak. How did you confirm that?”
“Our division uses a program that embeds special code into every digital file. If any printing or copying occurs without my approval, the IP address of the device performing the final operation is automatically transmitted to the security server.”
Oh Kang-gu raised his voice.
“You mean to say you deployed an unapproved program throughout the company without upper management permission?!”
“I used it because I received approval. Isn’t that correct?”
Oh Kang-gu’s gaze shifted from In-hyuk to Tae Ju-ha.
She met both men’s eyes and nodded.
“That’s right. I approved the measure for security sampling. I never imagined it would be utilized in quite this manner so soon.”
“Can such a decision be made without consulting the other executives?”
“Division Head Kang In-hyuk reports directly to me. The system isn’t shared with other divisions—it’s used exclusively there. Is executive consultation truly required?”
“Your logic isn’t wrong, but this concerns company-wide security. You cannot decide such matters arbitrarily, Representative Director.”
“Shouldn’t this urgent issue take precedence? So, to whom did Director Bong pass the MP Division materials?”
Tae Ju-ha’s question, which cut through the tension, turned to In-hyuk.
“The recipient is Lee Seung-jin. Investigation shows he is an employee at an errand service. We have also secured evidence that the item Director Bong handed over was delivered to Kim Chan-hyung, secretary to the representative director of Omega Finance.”
“Omega… That’s one of the parties participating in the Cheolsan Capital bid our MP Division is intermediating, correct?”
Tae Ju-ha recalled the name instantly.
Discomfort flickered across Oh Kang-gu’s face.
“I never expected Director Bong Joo-hyung to do something like this. To prevent recurrence, decisive measures will be necessary.”
At that moment, a quiet chuckle rose inside In-hyuk.
Cutting off the tail the instant it’s caught?
There was no chance Bong Joo-hyung had acted alone in anything connected to Omega Finance.
He kept his thoughts hidden and returned to the purpose of the meeting.
“This is why I am proposing the new security system. Once implemented, data management will be far stricter than before. Even in the event of a leak, we can lock usage by conditioning access on designated IP addresses and GPS data.”
Yet Oh Kang-gu refused to concede.
“System decisions are not for us to debate here. Furthermore, shouldn’t we address the MP Division employees who leaked information alongside Director Bong Joo-hyung? It appears Division Head Kang’s employee oversight leaves something to be desired.”
Having lost the Bong Joo-hyung card, he now sought to pin responsibility on In-hyuk himself.
The ploy was so obvious that In-hyuk refused to yield.
“Of course. I will share the details with the audit team and ensure swift, thorough resolution. We don’t know who else may be behind Director Bong Joo-hyung, so we must dig deep.”
With those meaningful words, he stared straight at Oh Kang-gu.
The moment their eyes met, the corner of Oh Kang-gu’s eye twitched faintly.
“If the current situation leaks outside, it will inflict serious damage on Tae Shin Asset Management’s image. The newly established MP Division has little foundation yet, so the risk is even greater. If further digging reveals more involved parties, can you handle the fallout?”
The question, laced with threat, was aimed at Tae Ju-ha rather than In-hyuk.
He assumed that as representative director, she would draw a prudent line for the company’s sake.
But Tae Ju-ha showed none of the agitation Oh Kang-gu expected.
“No. I find it strange as well. If Director Bong Joo-hyung were the mastermind, he would have used intermediaries rather than act directly. We should get to the bottom of this matter.”
“Group headquarters will not remain silent. Since an executive is involved, your own responsibility cannot be avoided, Representative Director.”
“Wouldn’t the same apply to you, Executive Director Oh? Director Bong Joo-hyung is one of your people, along with Managing Director Yang Chan-woo.”
Oh Kang-gu’s frown deepened.
In-hyuk cut in with an internal chuckle.
“If you truly place the company above all else, shouldn’t you worry about its substance rather than surface stability?”
“So you intend to flip the entire company inside out regardless of the damage to its image?”
“Better than covering it up now only for a far larger explosion later.”
Vrrr— Vrrr—
In the middle of the sharp exchange, a phone vibrated inside Oh Kang-gu’s pocket.
He glanced at the screen and saw it was Managing Director Yang Chan-woo. Calling despite knowing he was in the representative director’s office suggested the matter was urgent.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
Once outside, Oh Kang-gu moved to the farthest corner of the hallway before answering.
“Why are you calling?”
The audit team leader contacted us. And….
As he listened to Yang Chan-woo’s report, Oh Kang-gu’s expression grew steadily harder.