Don't Bring That Here
The morning arrived, and as always, In-hyuk waited for the elevator in the underground parking lot on the third basement level of the company building.
Just then, someone approached from the side and greeted him.
“Good morning, sir! Division Director! What a fine morning it is!”
The owner of that booming voice was Go Mi-ah, her red hair neatly tied back and dressed in a navy two-piece suit.
“…Yes.”
“What? I finally passed and this is my first day on the job. Aren’t you even going to congratulate me?”
Fortunately, it was still early and they were in the B3 parking lot, so there were no other employees around.
“I’m doubtful whether you’ll actually be able to handle a proper office job.”
“What are you going to do if I do it well? Oh, hello to you two as well~!”
Go Mi-ah belatedly turned to greet Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester.
However, Hong Yu-geon wore a deeply displeased expression, still bitter about the popcorn he had tasted the day before yesterday.
“Yeah, sure.”
“I enjoyed the popcorn you gave me last time.”
“Was it okay? That’s a relief.”
As he listened to the conversation, In-hyuk’s eyes landed on the suspicious-looking pink paper bag clutched in her left hand.
“…What is that?”
“Huh? This? Oh, just some things I need for the office.”
“It’s not food, is it?”
For a split second, Go Mi-ah’s gaze darted elsewhere.
“What? Of course not?”
“Really? Hong Yu-geon. Bring that over here.”
“Okay.”
“W-wait, why are you taking it?!”
Hong Yu-geon immediately snatched the paper bag from her. As he checked its contents, he discovered something tucked beneath the keyboard.
“This was in here.”
What he pulled out was a bundle of purple(?) cookies wrapped in clear packaging, each about the size of a palm. And there weren’t just one or two—there were easily twenty of them.
“I distinctly remember telling you not to bring any food to the company.”
“But it’s my first day! I thought it’d be fine to hand some out to the team as a greeting, so I made them.”
Just how many people was she trying to send to the hospital…? In-hyuk barely managed to swallow those words and let out a long sigh.
“Your palate is so unique that it doesn’t match with normal people.”
“It’s just a little special, that’s all.”
“A little? More like a lot. Anyway, I’m confiscating these until you leave for the day.”
“Ah! Nooo~!”
Go Mi-ah reached out to snatch the paper bag back. Hong Yu-geon dodged her hand and stepped backward, only to collide with where In-hyuk was standing.
Ding—
At that moment, the elevator that hadn’t been called arrived on the third basement level thanks to Go Mi-ah’s arrival, its doors sliding open on both sides.
The people inside were Tae Ju-ha and her secretary, Heo Yu-rim.
In-hyuk’s eyes met theirs in turn.
After a brief silence, Tae Ju-ha, who had stepped out alongside Heo Yu-rim, spoke first.
“…What exactly are you doing right now?”
“Ah… I was helping someone I know carry a heavy load.”
“A load?”
Her gaze fell on the pink paper bag in Hong Yu-geon’s hand.
“By the way, Representative Director, what brings you here at this hour?”
It was just past eight in the morning. A rather early time for regular employees to be arriving.
Of course, In-hyuk already knew she had left the house early that morning.
But there was no particular reason for her to come down to the B3 parking lot.
“I had a breakfast meeting. I stopped by to pick something up, but the car I usually take is in for maintenance, so I came down to use another one.”
“I see…”
“More importantly… from where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like you’re helping with luggage. It looks more like two fully grown men are bullying a young female employee.”
At that moment, Go Mi-ah seized the opportunity and quickly moved to Tae Ju-ha’s side.
“That’s right! They took the strawberry cheese cookies I made myself!”
In-hyuk felt another chill run down his spine. She said they contained strawberry and cheese, so why did the cookies look purple like they were made with blueberries?
On the other hand, Tae Ju-ha gave a faint smile, as if she had caught onto something.
“Aha.”
Now in an awkward position, In-hyuk spoke hurriedly.
“It’s really not like that. There’s been a misunderstanding.”
“Seeing that your bodyguard is holding it, I don’t think it’s a misunderstanding at all.”
Hong Yu-geon glanced between In-hyuk and Tae Ju-ha before reluctantly returning the paper bag to Go Mi-ah.
“I had no idea Division Director Kang had such a hobby. However, this is a company, so I’d appreciate it if you could show some restraint.”
“No, that’s not what I—”
In the meantime, Go Mi-ah quickly handed cookies to both Tae Ju-ha and Heo Yu-rim.
“Thank you! And please enjoy these whenever you feel a little hungry! Well then, I’ll be going now!”
At the same time, she slipped into the elevator that had opened again and disappeared upward.
In-hyuk could only watch helplessly as she left.
“Ah…”
“What on earth is going on?”
“There’s a reason for it. And I strongly advise you not to eat those cookies.”
He had spoken with complete sincerity.
But Tae Ju-ha smiled deeply, as if she had finally found something to tease him about.
“Why? Did Go Mi-ah put poison in them or something?”
Honestly, a clean poison that would kill him outright might have been better.
“To be completely honest, Go Mi-ah cannot cook. They will taste incredibly bad.”
“She might not be good at cooking, but you should at least appreciate the sincerity that went into making them.”
The problem was that appreciating that sincerity could land someone in the hospital. And in his previous life, In-hyuk had once accidentally eaten her cooking and ended up in the emergency room for real.
“I gave you a clear warning. Later… no, even if you regret it afterward, please don’t blame me.”
“I didn’t realize you could be so cold-hearted. Anyway, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Hearing her reply, In-hyuk stepped into the next elevator that arrived.
Tae Ju-ha, who had been standing quietly, furrowed her brows slightly. Heo Yu-rim looked at the purple cookies with a worried expression for a moment before slipping them into her bag between the zipper.
“Representative Director. Shall we go now?”
“Hm? Oh, yes.”
They had spent too much time lingering in front of the elevator.
The two of them soon walked toward the spare vehicle parked in the B3 lot.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, upon reaching the office, In-hyuk sat down and listened as Hong Yu-geon spoke.
“Should I go back to Mi-ah and take it from her?”
“If you do that, the rumor will spread that the division director bullies a young female employee.”
“Then what do we do? If they eat that, the entire system management team will be carted off to the hospital today.”
Rustle— Rustle—
Before anyone realized it, Van Hester had settled onto the sofa and was already taking out one of the purple cookies to eat.
“When did you get that?”
“Earlier, right before Mi-ah got on the elevator.”
The palm-sized cookie disappeared halfway into his mouth in a single bite.
Hong Yu-geon watched with a deeply concerned expression.
“Just what kind of taste buds do you have…? Are you sure your stomach is really okay?”
“It’s fine.”
“…”
Hong Yu-geon shook his head.
Soon after, In-hyuk pulled an envelope from his bag and held it out.
“This is the list of people I want you to investigate going forward.”
“There are quite a few. Which side this time?”
“Taeshin SpinTech. And TSS.”
At his answer, both men stared at him intently.
“Didn’t you tell us not to investigate TSS last time? Is it okay now?”
Taeshin Security—TSS—where Baek Si-hwan and his past self had once belonged. Even when they had faced off against Park Jun-woo’s gang, there had been a section chief named Kim Sung-tae from that very organization.
They had no idea how many more people connected to Baek Si-hwan might still be inside TSS, which was why he had previously stopped them, considering the risk.
“Don’t dig too deep. Just track the movements of the people I’ve specified. If you can secure storage devices or communication equipment without getting exposed, that would be ideal.”
“You’re openly ordering us to steal now? At this rate, Charybdis is going to be known as thieves instead of mercenaries.”
“It’s all the same in the end.”
Even as he grumbled, Hong Yu-geon slowly examined the contents of the documents.
“But why are we investigating the employees at this SpinTech place? Since it has ‘Taeshin’ in the name, is it a subsidiary?”
“It’s a subsidiary under Taeshin Department Store. Soon, when the headquarters TF division is established, I’ll be concurrently serving as its head.”
“Huh? You’re moving to headquarters? Then what about here?”
At his question, In-hyuk shook his head.
“I said concurrently.”
“Ah, right! Sorry. My head’s been a bit scattered because I couldn’t take those cookies from Mi-ah. Was that why Chairman Tae Geon-seung wanted to meet you at the shooting range?”
“It’s going to be a headache, but it won’t drag on for long. So make sure you carry out the investigation as quickly as possible.”
In-hyuk already knew the current situation and future of Taeshin SpinTech well. Moreover, the current In-hyuk was different from his past self. It was like taking a test after already receiving the answer sheet.
“Okay. Oh, didn’t you say you’d be leaving the country soon? When is that?”
“That’s something that can’t be postponed either, so I’ll have to go soon.”
“Our boss is really busy these days. Then I’ll leave you to handle the morning work. I’ll step out for a bit.”
In-hyuk, who had been sitting down, tilted his head.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to retrieve the bomb before a terrorist attack happens in this company.”
“Bomb? Ah…”
He was referring to Go Mi-ah’s homemade purple strawberry cheese cookies.
“Good luck.”
“…Good luck.”
“Okay.”
Hong Yu-geon gave a thumbs-up and cautiously slipped out of the office.
Executive Director Tae Seok-ho of Taeshin Mulsan was in the middle of reviewing documents he had just received from Lee Jae-jun. Inside were records of the conversation between Chairman Tae Geon-seung and Kang In-hyuk at the shooting range on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
“Father is making a bigger move than I expected.”
His secretary, Lee Jae-jun, who stood beside him, wore a serious expression.
“Upon further inquiry, it seems the Management Support Division at headquarters has already begun preparations.”
“That quickly? He must be more anxious than he appears.”
“This could get complicated. How should we respond?”
Tae Seok-ho let out a short sigh.
“The fact that he’s targeting Taeshin SpinTech means he’s caught onto something. Or perhaps he already knew and stayed quiet, waiting for a good hand to come his way.”
In truth, Taeshin SpinTech was one of the Taeshin Group companies he had used to secure the initial capital needed to establish the H&T Fund.
Naturally, it hadn’t been done through legitimate means. As a textile company, he had used the president’s connections to manipulate production, development, and operations, accumulating funds that were then siphoned off through paper companies.
“If the chairman has set his sights on it, this definitely won’t end quietly.”
“Moreover, by putting forward Kang In-hyuk—the one whose stock is soaring—as his hunting dog, it’s a silent warning.”
It was none other than the chairman’s grandson-in-law who would be moving as the head of a TF division directly under headquarters.
“Should we reach out to the president there?”
“How? By taking him out? Now that I think about it, your words have gotten rather lengthy lately.”
Lee Jae-jun lowered his head.
“I apologize. I was overly concerned about your safety, Executive Director.”
At that answer, Tae Seok-ho stared at him quietly before speaking.
“No. I was a bit on edge myself. The situation isn’t flowing the way I want, so there are too many things grating on my nerves.”
“Not at all.”
Silence fell once again.
Now that Chairman Tae Geon-seung was moving in earnest, they needed to be more cautious.
“How much funding is lacking on that side?”
“Approximately 50 billion won.”
“More than I thought. It’s too late to move funds from the H&T Fund at this point.”
Although there was floating capital left in the air after the recent failure to acquire Cheolsan Capital.
Money in corporate dealings always left traces no matter how it moved, making it difficult to handle freely. Moreover, if the hole in their funds was suddenly filled at this particular time, it would only look more suspicious.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
“There aren’t many options right now. For the time being, send someone to give the president there a warning. I’ll think more about the rest.”
“Understood.”
After answering, Lee Jae-jun left the room.
Left alone, Tae Seok-ho tapped the armrest with his fingers as he recalled Kang In-hyuk’s face. He was beginning to feel that things were starting to go wrong.