First Time Shooting
The △△ shooting range in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
Kang In-hyuk left the office and arrived after driving for about two hours. As he stepped inside, Tae Shin Group security personnel were surrounding the area.
“You two wait here.”
He was speaking to Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester, who were sitting in the front seats of the car.
Hong Yu-geon scanned the security guards with a bored expression.
“Okay.”
In-hyuk got out of the car and headed inside.
The security guards checked him as if on cue and let him through without issue.
The place he reached was an open-air shooting range. Tae Geon-seung, chairman of Tae Shin Group, was firing shots that echoed loudly as he shattered clay pigeons in the air one by one.
Bang—crack. Bang—thud!
Come to think of it… Chairman Tae Geon-seung’s hobby was clay shooting.
After several rounds, Tae Geon-seung broke open the shotgun and ejected the spent shells from the chamber. He removed the earmuffs covering his ears, set them down on the table along with the shotgun, and finally noticed In-hyuk.
“I was so focused on shooting that I didn’t even realize you’d arrived. Did you wait long?”
“I just got here.”
“Would you like to try, son-in-law?”
The shotgun, now back in his hands, was promptly offered to In-hyuk.
“Sure.”
In-hyuk took it without hesitation and checked the chamber and trigger.
Click—click—
“Have you ever done clay shooting before?”
“No, I haven’t.”
But he had done plenty of other shooting. Not at targets—at people.
Once In-hyuk finished inspecting the shotgun in his hands, the chamber was loaded with the shells placed in front of him.
“When you’re ready, shout ‘Pull!’ The pigeon will fly up. Just hit it.”
“…Understood. Pull—!”
At his shout, two clay pigeons that had been waiting launched into the air.
Bang-bang—crack-crack—
The moment the pigeons entered his line of sight, two shots rang out and both shattered completely.
“Is this how it’s done?”
Tae Geon-seung, who had been watching, furrowed his brow.
“…Didn’t you say this was your first time?”
“It is my first time.”
“Would you like to try again?”
At the chairman’s request, In-hyuk broke open the chamber with familiar movements, ejected the shells, and reloaded.
Click—
Once he was ready, the signal came and the pigeons flew up again. This time the trigger was pulled even faster, and the shots shattered the targets.
Crack—
“It’s not that difficult.”
“My word! And you didn’t even use ear protection… Are you all right?”
“No problem.”
Tae Geon-seung gazed in the direction where the shattered remnants of the pigeons had scattered.
He was ninety-two years old this year. Clay shooting was not an easy sport for someone his age, but he still had the strength to withstand the recoil, so he enjoyed it from time to time.
At the same time, he knew very well that it was rare for a complete beginner to display this level of skill.
“I had no idea you were so good at shooting, son-in-law.”
“Apparently so. Not bad at all.”
Click, crack, click, click!
In-hyuk removed the spent shells from the chamber, checked the muzzle, barrel, and trigger, then set the shotgun down.
“You can keep shooting if you’d like.”
“No, this is enough.”
At his reply, one of the security guards standing behind them collected the shotgun, ammunition, and other equipment.
Tae Geon-seung watched for a moment before turning his gaze back to In-hyuk.
“The Cheolsan Capital acquisition brokerage went smoothly?”
“There were no issues.”
“You must have worked hard.”
“I only handled the brokerage, so it wasn’t difficult. AMK Partners, the ones who actually acquired it, are probably the ones in chaos right now.”
As they spoke, the same security guard returned with hot tea and placed cups in front of both men. He also set down the tablet he had been carrying under his arm.
Tae Geon-seung took a sip of tea, and his smile deepened the wrinkles on his face.
“I received the performance report from the MP division. Two hundred and fifty-one percent return excluding the principal in such a short time… The clients must be very pleased.”
“They are quite satisfied. By the way, what brings you to call me here today?”
The conversation had been drifting, so In-hyuk tried to steer it to the main topic.
“Does a man need a special reason to meet his granddaughter’s husband?”
“You specifically asked to meet at a place like this. And I doubt you would call me without any particular reason, Chairman.”
Perhaps because In-hyuk’s expression had grown serious, Tae Geon-seung’s own demeanor became more solemn.
“I was going to bring it up casually… Well then, would you take a look at this?”
The tablet he had been holding was passed to In-hyuk.
The screen displayed a company’s financial statements, recent profits, and explanations of its product lines.
“Tae Shin Spintex is a textile company under the department store subsidiary, correct? But… looking at the numbers, its competitiveness has fallen significantly. It’s already in a red ocean market, yet cumulative profits and productivity keep declining… The brand positioning itself has major problems.”
Tae Geon-seung nodded.
“You can tell all that just from looking at this? Or did you already know about Spintex?”
“Tae Shin Asset Management handles investments for them, doesn’t it? There’s plenty of internal data on the parent company, subsidiaries, and affiliates. Besides, I heard they suffered heavy losses recently after failing to develop new materials.”
“Do you understand why I’m bringing this up?”
In-hyuk didn’t need long to think.
“You’re not asking me to fix Spintex’s poor management, are you?”
“And what if I am?”
“To be honest, I have a lot on my plate already, so I was hoping that wasn’t the case.”
A small chuckle escaped Tae Geon-seung’s lips.
“Even if I’m the one asking?”
Within Tae Shin Group, Tae Geon-seung had been called a bulldozer since his youth. It was because he never compromised on his choices or stubbornness in handling any matter.
Naturally, the words that came from his mouth had always been commands, never requests. That had been true in the past and remained true now.
Yet the word “request” had just left his lips.
“If it’s a request, does that mean I can refuse?”
“You speak as if I haven’t given you any choice.”
“The atmosphere feels that way. Am I wrong?”
A strange tension flowed between the two men.
The one who spoke first after a brief moment of contemplation was Tae Geon-seung.
“Fair enough. I called you to a place like this instead of the company, so it’s natural you’d think that way. I only did it because there are too many eyes and ears attached to you.”
A sigh escaped In-hyuk’s lips.
“So you knew after all.”
“Not many people would welcome the way you’ve been handling things. Especially my sons.”
It was an answer that showed he had a clear grasp of how far In-hyuk’s influence had spread.
“The fact that you’ve only been watching until now means you understand the situation quite well… Were you deliberately turning a blind eye?”
“Let’s call it free-range parenting. I can’t keep spoon-feeding boys who are old enough to know better.”
In-hyuk immediately understood the meaning behind those words.
“You want them to claim your position through their own abilities.”
Tae Geon-seung took another sip of his cooling tea.
“Otherwise, it will be difficult to protect the name Tae Shin. More importantly, have you made your decision yet? Or should I give you more time to think?”
“I don’t see any reason why I should take on this task. Honestly, with my current performance, isn’t my quota already more than sufficient?”
In-hyuk had generated considerable results and profits at Tae Shin Asset Management. That hadn’t been his original plan, but he had decided to use it to build a foundation for later.
However, he saw no need to move beyond that realm in any official capacity.
“Quota? I didn’t know you had such a thing, son-in-law.”
In-hyuk leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.
“I am merely a son-in-law, not a blood member of the Tae Shin family. No matter who inherits Tae Shin, my position will never be welcomed. So why would I work myself to the bone here when there’s nothing for me to gain?”
It might have sounded arrogant, but Tae Geon-seung showed no sign of discomfort.
“Since there’s nothing to lose, you’ll only work as much as you’re paid. Is that it?”
“That’s not incorrect, is it? And earlier you showed me information on Tae Shin Spintex, but I believe the problems within Tae Shin right now aren’t limited to that company.”
Tae Geon-seung looked at In-hyuk with clear interest in his eyes.
“Which other places do you know about?”
“For starters, Tae Shin Electronics has serious issues. The Space U25 smartphone released earlier this year may appear successful on the surface, but I’ve heard the display defect rate has increased significantly. On top of that, it’s continuously losing ground to Ople in multiple areas.”
“…And?”
“There’s also Tae Shin Bio, one of its subsidiaries. Despite attempting chained growth through health-care wearables, AI, and deep-learning image analysis linked to the Space U project, it hasn’t achieved much success.”
“Hmm… Anything besides electronics?”
In-hyuk let out a long sigh through his nose at the continued questioning.
“Hoo—! Must you really ask when you already know everything? And you must be well aware that the real problem isn’t the poor management of the subsidiaries, but something else entirely. The very ‘free-range parenting’ you mentioned earlier.”
He was referring to Tae Geon-seung’s sons, Tae Seok-hyun and Tae Seok-ho.
In truth, In-hyuk hadn’t intended to speak so directly. Of course, he hadn’t assumed the chairman was unaware of the facts.
But if he responded ambiguously here, their relationship would undoubtedly become more uncomfortable than before.
“I thought you had a calm personality, son-in-law… but you know how to speak sharply when you want to.”
“I’ve never been good at holding back when something frustrates me. Though these days I’m choosing not to hold back at all.”
“So it seems. Then, does that mean you’re refusing my request?”
“I’ll take on the Tae Shin Spintex matter. However, if the problem is resolved, there is something I want in return.”
“Of course. Everything should come with a price. What is it you want, son-in-law?”
In-hyuk didn’t need to think long.
“Please give me the holding company’s stake in Tae Shin Asset Management.”
It referred to the percentage of shares the holding company owned in its subsidiary.
The stake required was more than 33.4 percent. Demanding it was essentially the same as declaring he would break free from Tae Shin Group’s control and become independent.
“Do you even know how much that is?”
“At current value for unlisted shares, it would be a little over two hundred billion won.”
“And you’re asking for that just for fixing Tae Shin Spintex?”
“Naturally, I will make sure it is worth that much. If the conditions don’t suit you, you may withdraw the offer.”
Unlike In-hyuk, Tae Geon-seung couldn’t answer immediately and fell into thought for a moment.
“Very well. I’ll do as you say. However, the deadline is before the first half of next year.”
“That’s more than enough. In that case, I have an appointment this afternoon, so I’ll take my leave first.”
After a polite farewell, In-hyuk left his seat first.
A short while later, Song Tae-ho—the chairman’s secretary and bodyguard—quietly approached Tae Geon-seung.
“Isn’t it too risky to entrust the Spintex matter to Division Head Kang In-hyuk?”
“Do you think I was being careless?”
Song Tae-ho lowered his head.
“That’s not what I meant. But there are far too many suspicious aspects to his movements. I’m simply concerned he may have other motives.”
Tae Geon-seung had not been completely free of such doubts. He had harbored plenty of suspicion regarding the drastic change in In-hyuk’s personality and actions over the past year.
It was only natural, since he didn’t even trust his own sons and had been monitoring their movements until now.
“Other motives… That’s certainly possible. But even that is a kind of ability. Unlike the others who think they’re hiding their schemes so cleverly when everything is plain to see.”
Song Tae-ho quickly grasped the meaning behind those words.
“You’re referring to Executive Director Tae Seok-ho.”
“At first I thought that boy had won over our son-in-law and was using him. Instead, he got stabbed in the back. Do you know why it turned out that way?”
“I suspect it’s because he trusted Division Head Kang In-hyuk too much.”
“Trust? That boy? He doesn’t trust anyone. He realized his older brother was a fool and began to grow arrogant. He may have noticed it himself by now, but it’s already far too late.”
Tae Geon-seung already knew about the relationship between his second son, Tae Seok-ho, and In-hyuk.
Earlier this year, while curiously watching how the relationship between his son and grandson-in-law would unfold, he had witnessed an unexpected outcome.
“To be honest, I’m also worried that Executive Director Tae Seok-ho has been too quiet lately.”
“He lost Cheolsan Capital, so he must be looking for another way. That’s something I’m rather curious about as well…”
Letting his words trail off, Tae Geon-seung quietly rose from his seat. He looked toward the spot where In-hyuk had just shattered the clay pigeons in a single breath.
He recalled the way In-hyuk had hidden his true intentions so tightly while forcing the other party to extend a hand.
By then, a chilly wind had begun to blow.