The Bite Will Come
The day of the third-round interviews for experienced hires in the M&A/PEF Division and System Management Team at Tae Shin Asset Management had arrived.
Eight candidates had passed the first and second rounds. The third-round panel, consisting of executives and the CEO, included Representative Director Tae Ju-ha, Executive Director Oh Kang-gu, and Executive Director Nam Gyu-min.
The young woman sat in the center, flanked on either side by the middle-aged men.
Candidates entered one by one to face the oddly tense atmosphere and field a barrage of questions. After roughly four had gone through, a ten-minute break was called, and Oh Kang-gu spoke up.
“There seem to be more capable people than I expected. Wouldn’t you agree, Representative Director?”
Tae Ju-ha’s brow furrowed.
The four candidates interviewed so far had not been bad, exactly. Yet most of their answers focused heavily on career history and social connections rather than actual ability.
That wasn’t necessarily a flaw, but what Tae Shin Asset Management needed right now were people who could actually get the work done, not those who merely looked polished on the surface.
Still, voicing that opinion outright felt difficult under the watchful eyes of Oh Kang-gu and Nam Gyu-min.
“Indeed. They speak well and clearly have plenty of corporate experience.”
“Honestly, as long as the work gets done, what does it matter? There’s been so much talk about MZ this and MZ that lately. In the end, people work to make a living. If the job demands too much, they lose their personal time, and they might end up dealing with colleagues they don’t like. Isn’t that just how it is?”
Tae Ju-ha shook her head just enough that it wouldn’t be obvious.
When the break ended, the next candidate entered. Oh Kang-gu lifted his gaze from the documents, then startled.
“Go Mi-ah-ssi?”
“Ah, yes.”
At the call, Go Mi-ah’s steps faltered for a moment.
“What happened to your hair? The photo on your résumé is one thing, but on interview day you should at least make an effort to look presentable.”
“Isn’t this presentable enough?”
Go Mi-ah leaned forward, presenting her tied-back hair.
That, however, was not what Oh Kang-gu had meant.
“I’m referring to the color. No matter how lenient companies have become these days, this is still a place with clear ranks and rules.”
“This is my natural hair color. I even noted it on the résumé in case something like this happened.”
Oh Kang-gu had not properly reviewed the résumé before joining the third-round panel.
His brow creased slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Tae Ju-ha stepped in.
“There’s no issue with her appearance, so let’s leave it at that. And Executive Director Oh, I’d appreciate it if you reviewed the résumés more carefully in the future.”
“…”
Oh Kang-gu offered no reply.
A brief silence followed before the interview with the fifth candidate, Go Mi-ah, began.
.
.
.
At the same time, in In-hyuk’s office.
In-hyuk had Baek Si-hwan standing across from his desk while he reviewed the materials compiled that week.
“Looks fine. Upload it to the server, paying attention to the keywords.”
“Understood. And…”
The trailing silence made In-hyuk pause, his gaze lifting from the monitor.
“Is there something else?”
“I apologize if this is out of line, but… how long do you intend to continue without a dedicated secretary? Of course, I must follow orders from above, but if my presence isn’t necessary, I would appreciate it if you informed headquarters.”
It had been nearly two months since Baek Si-hwan had been assigned as In-hyuk’s secretary.
In-hyuk spoke with a serious expression.
“As you know, I have no influence at headquarters. Even if I asked for something, they have no intention of listening—especially the person who sent you to me.”
Baek Si-hwan’s face tightened slightly.
“I only came here following orders from above.”
“That’s the official reason, yes. It just so happened that my secretary position was vacant. Regardless, I have no intention of keeping you with me going forward. If you feel this is unfair, submit a transfer request or appeal directly to the person I mentioned earlier.”
Faced with In-hyuk’s unwavering tone, Baek Si-hwan bit his lower lip.
“…May I ask the reason? If my work performance is lacking, I’ll do my best to improve.”
In-hyuk stared hard at the man who had asked so earnestly. Even now, he could not erase the memory of that smile—the one Baek Si-hwan had worn while In-hyuk lay in a hospital bed, using his death as an opportunity.
No, he had never intended to erase it. He planned to use it as fuel to uproot the man entirely…
“It’s not a question of ability.”
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t trust you. I have zero confidence in you. Why would I bring someone like that along for important work?”
“What would it take for you to trust me?”
“That’s not something you should ask me. It’s something you need to demonstrate through your actions. I have to go out for fieldwork soon, so I need to finish the rest of the documents. Return to your desk.”
Having confirmed that a direct approach wouldn’t work, Baek Si-hwan pressed his lips into a firm line.
Once the door closed, In-hyuk let out a sigh.
“Is he that desperate to force a confrontation? With his personality, he wouldn’t normally resort to this kind of method.”
The timing and circumstances of Baek Si-hwan’s assignment made suspicion inevitable. From the very beginning, approaching In-hyuk under those conditions had been a gamble.
“Does that mean he currently lacks decision-making authority?”
Several possibilities came to mind at once.
Just then, his phone vibrated. It was a call from Norman McGrath via Ghost Link.
“Go ahead.”
A voice-altered response came through the receiver.
[We’ve completed the acquisition of Cheolsan Capital and changed the name to AMK Bridge. We’ve also confirmed that seventy percent of the acquisition funds sent to Representative Director Jang Hyeong-cheol have been deposited as customer investment funds.]
The total acquisition cost had been 1.7 trillion won. Roughly one trillion won of that had returned to AMK Partners.
“Faster than expected. I’ll send you a list of companies. Buy up as many shares and bonds as possible. There are some usable tickets included as well—take a look.”
Along with his reply, In-hyuk transmitted a file.
Norman McGrath went quiet for a moment, presumably reviewing it, then spoke again.
[Are you telling me to buy them even if it requires threats?]
“Only within legal bounds.”
[Threats aren’t legal to begin with, are they?]
“Think of it as negotiation and compromise based on conditions. It won’t be a bad deal for them either.”
Norman McGrath asked with evident doubt.
[Construction, rare metals, heavy metal processing, finance, IT services, consulting… The industries are all over the place again. What’s the actual intersection you’re aiming for, Representative Director?]
The request seemed completely random. Of course, In-hyuk had made similar investments several times before.
Norman had never lost money following In-hyuk’s instructions. Still, he was growing tired of always being surprised by the results after the fact.
He wanted to understand what kind of vision the disguised Gordon Grimes possessed—what he saw and how he saw it.
“It’s simple. These are companies I need.”
[All the companies whose shares and bonds we’ve purchased so far? What’s the reason?]
There were more than just one or two, and no obvious connections between them. Norman McGrath remained thoroughly puzzled.
“Asking for something you can’t learn even if you paid for it is a bit much, don’t you think?”
[We’re in the same boat anyway. I’ve done plenty for you so far—doesn’t this count as fair compensation?]
After a brief moment of thought, In-hyuk murmured quietly.
“Paper companies.”
[Why would that… Ah, don’t tell me! You’re after the paper companies those firms are running? But paper companies are just channels for moving funds. There’s no benefit to us in that.]
“Isn’t that exactly where the difference between you and me lies?”
A sigh came through from Norman McGrath at the vague answer.
[So… you’re saying I have to figure it out myself?]
“A hint should be enough.”
A deeper groan of frustration followed.
[Ah, there’s something you want from the paper companies themselves?]
“Something like that.”
[Then… is it the fund routes that go through the paper companies…?]
In-hyuk’s lips curved into a faint smile at the answer delivered like the solution to a quiz.
“You got it.”
[You’re planning to use their illegal fund routes as leverage to aim for something bigger?]
Norman McGrath had pierced straight through the fog and grasped In-hyuk’s objective.
“That will become the choke point for every company on the list. From there, we can even target their parent organizations.”
[Hoo—! But this method also means making enemies of those companies.]
Using shares and bonds as a foothold would make exposing their weaknesses far easier.
Of course, it wasn’t a simple approach. No company would pour massive sums into a deal solely to exploit weaknesses when their priority was investment returns.
Yet In-hyuk, currently operating as Gordon Grimes, was attempting exactly that without hesitation.
“Worried you might get shot while walking down the street?”
Norman McGrath let out a laugh.
[This isn’t America. Getting shot in Korea? Though if it’s a knife instead of a gun, that’s a different story.]
“You’re not entirely without concerns, then.”
[It’s because you handle things in such a reckless manner, Representative Director. Still, the higher the risk, the bigger the payoff. It’s hard to resist the temptation.]
His current annual salary exceeded one billion won. On top of that came a three-percent incentive on profits. The total earnings AMK Partners had generated under In-hyuk’s direction so far had already surpassed one trillion won.
Three percent of that amounted to roughly twenty million dollars—around thirty billion won.
“I hear you’ve made quite a bit thanks to me. Still not enough, apparently.”
[Expenses scale with earnings. So you can call me greedy if you like—I can’t help it.]
In-hyuk smiled as he listened.
A man who assessed his own position and circumstances with ruthless clarity. Someone who would never kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. As long as his life wasn’t directly threatened, he wouldn’t betray In-hyuk… In-hyuk had read his nature perfectly and brought him in.
“I’m not scolding you. Anyway, I’ll leave the rest in your hands. Report immediately if any issues arise.”
[Of course.]
After ending the call, In-hyuk’s gaze drifted toward the door through which Baek Si-hwan had left. At the same time, the man’s earlier plea for trust resurfaced in his mind.
Unless he died and returned to the past. Or unless he was the original owner of this life, Kang In-hyuk.
‘You’re nothing more than bait now. Bait to draw out the one hiding behind you…’
Of course, Baek Si-hwan wasn’t the only one on the hook. AMK Partners, growing faster and larger than any other company, was in the same position.
In his previous life, Baek Si-hwan had helped In-hyuk bring down Tae Shin Group and even swallow Blue World whole. There was no better bait than that.
“The other side won’t take long to bite either…”
Muttering to himself, In-hyuk was preparing to head out for fieldwork when his phone vibrated again.
Checking the screen, he tilted his head in confusion.
“…Chairman Tae Geon-seung?”