Axentia
The doorbell chimed—ding-dong, ding-dong.
Morning had come, and the sound echoed through Kang In-hyuk’s room. Baek Si-hwan had arrived, fully prepared to head for Greenbite Labs.
Hong Yu-geon, who had been dozing on the sofa, jerked awake in alarm. His eyes met Van Hester’s across the room—the two had been taking turns guarding the door—and his face tightened with urgency.
“Shit… what do we do?”
Van Hester answered with a shrug.
“He’s not back yet, right?”
“He’s back.”
Both men turned toward the bedroom.
At the same moment the door opened and Kang In-hyuk stepped out, fresh from the shower and wrapped in a bathrobe.
“You two awake now?”
“What the hell? When did you get back?”
“About an hour ago. You were sleeping so soundly you didn’t even notice me come in.”
“I was wiped out from rushing over yesterday. But what kept you out so late? And how did you even get up here?”
“I ran. I’ll explain what I was doing outside later. Let me change first. Tell Baek Si-hwan I’ll be out soon.”
A sheepish Hong Yu-geon waited until In-hyuk disappeared back into the bedroom, then headed for the entrance.
A short while later In-hyuk had changed clothes and stepped outside with the other two.
The rental car they had used the day before was now a shredded wreck thanks to submachine-gun fire. It had been towed to a repair shop along with the compensation claim.
Baek Si-hwan had therefore secured a different vehicle and left it waiting.
The four of them reached Greenbite Labs after a fifteen-minute drive. Mark Campbell, who had arrived earlier, came out with the executives as usual to greet them.
“Are you feeling all right?”
“Perfectly fine. I’ll finish reviewing the remaining documents today and render a decision. We should be able to conclude by early afternoon at the latest.”
“Really?”
Mark Campbell looked faintly worried. He had handed over every file requested, but he feared the company’s internal problems would only stand out more clearly and invite negative opinions.
“So far the picture isn’t bad. Provided the remaining materials don’t contain anything that would change that assessment.”
“I understand.”
Kang In-hyuk entered the conference room with the three men and spent the next stretch of time rapidly scanning the leftover documents.
What happened after I last saw him in the hallway yesterday?
Baek Si-hwan’s aura, as he sat beside him reviewing files, had changed in some subtle way.
Could the empty safe house mean… he went to meet that person?
One reason In-hyuk had slipped out the previous night was to locate the sniper who had killed the Koow gang members. Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester had tailed Baek Si-hwan and identified the location.
Yet when In-hyuk reached the safe house it was already abandoned. He had been forced to move on to other business.
“Director, I’ve finished checking these documents.”
Baek Si-hwan closed the folder in front of him.
“Did you flag every potentially problematic section?”
“I’ll send you the compiled file.”
Another hour passed before In-hyuk finished his own review. After cross-checking Baek Si-hwan’s summary, he called Mark Campbell in.
It was roughly two hours earlier than the promised time.
The executives who entered the conference room wore expressions heavy with anxiety over what decision would be handed down.
“No need to stand on ceremony. Please, everyone sit.”
They took their seats, still watching him carefully.
In-hyuk lifted the final document he had examined, then set it down again and began.
“As I stated before, we will proceed with the one-hundred-million-dollar investment.”
Every face in the room brightened at once. Beside him, Baek Si-hwan flinched in open surprise.
But In-hyuk was not finished.
“There are, however, several conditions.”
“What conditions?”
“First, in return for the investment I would like a conditional transfer of rights to twenty-five percent of Greenbite Labs’ treasury shares.”
“Conditional upon…?”
“Achieving three hundred percent of this year’s net sales compared to last. Naturally, the transfer rights would be revoked upon full recovery of the invested capital. Additionally…”
The terms were not unfavorable for Greenbite Labs.
“There is more?”
“According to the technical data I’ve obtained, completing the low-power system currently under development will not be easy. Therefore I suggest using part of the investment to acquire a company capable of supporting that technology.”
Mark Campbell’s expression stiffened slightly.
Yet after being promised a hundred million dollars, he could hardly reject the idea out of hand.
“What field is the company in?”
“There is a system-development firm called Axentia in the Malta region of New York State. Acquiring it should fill the technical gaps Greenbite Labs currently faces.”
“Axentia? I don’t recall hearing the name… Will you give us time to consider?”
In-hyuk smiled.
“Of course. However, I would prefer that news of the acquisition does not leak alongside the investment. I would appreciate it if everyone present exercised strict discretion. It would be inconvenient if the asking price rose too high.”
A one-hundred-million-dollar investment was on the table. If word spread that another company was also being targeted, Axentia would surely leverage its sudden importance.
“That goes without saying, doesn’t it?”
“If there are no objections, we will draft the initial investment agreement today. Within three days of signing, fifty million dollars will be wired. Use it to handle your most urgent needs, then decide on the Axentia acquisition. Given the size of the investment, a short-term financial audit will of course be conducted.”
“Th-thank you! Thank you so much!”
The due diligence that had begun the day of their arrival reached its conclusion after roughly four days. The moment the investment was confirmed, cheers erupted from nearly a hundred employees throughout Greenbite Labs.
In-hyuk straightened his papers and rose slowly.
“If your schedule permits this evening, shall we have the meal we missed yesterday?”
“…That would be fine.”
“I’ll send the location.”
A short while later Baek Si-hwan—his expression oddly strained—returned with the freshly printed investment agreement and confidentiality covenant.
In-hyuk signed without hesitation and slid the documents across to Mark Campbell.
“Once you sign, the first tranche will proceed without issue.”
Mark Campbell produced a pen as though he had been waiting for this moment and signed.
“Whew—”
Only then did a long sigh of relief escape him.
After the concluding handshake, they all stepped outside together.
Screech—
At that moment a luxury sedan and two vans pulled through the front gate of the Greenbite Labs compound. The unscheduled arrival made even Mark Campbell tilt his head in puzzlement.
Among those who stepped out was a familiar face.
“Director Kang In-hyuk, isn’t it?”
It was Norman McGrath, Korean branch manager of AMK Partners. Recognizing In-hyuk first, he hurried over with a delighted expression.
“First time since the Cheolsan Capital bid. Have you been well?”
“Busy as always. I didn’t expect to see you in America. What brings you here?”
“Work. I was scouting for promising investment opportunities in Silicon Valley.”
“I see. I came for a similar reason.”
Norman McGrath smiled and met Mark Campbell’s eyes.
“Ah, forgive my late greeting. I’m Norman McGrath of AMK Partners. You must be CEO Mark Campbell?”
Mark Campbell, who had been staring in wide-eyed surprise, snapped back to attention.
“Hello! A pleasure. What brings you…?”
Mark Campbell knew the name AMK Partners well. Unlike Tae Shin Asset Management, whose fame was largely domestic, AMK was internationally renowned for successful investments across multiple sectors.
“I came to discuss a proposal.”
“…On such short notice?”
Norman McGrath answered with a smile.
“My apologies for not contacting you beforehand. The matter was too important to wait for an appointment. Do you have a moment?”
Mark Campbell’s gaze flicked to In-hyuk. He had only just signed the investment agreement with Tae Shin Asset Management; an awkward misunderstanding could easily arise.
In-hyuk met his eyes and spoke quietly.
“I’ll take my leave first. See you this evening.”
“Ah—yes, of course.”
“Branch Manager McGrath, let’s meet again when the chance arises.”
“I’ll arrange a proper meeting soon.”
After the brief exchange, In-hyuk climbed straight into the car Baek Si-hwan had brought.
Meanwhile Norman McGrath, who had watched him depart, followed Mark Campbell inside. The conference room was still in disarray from In-hyuk’s document review, so they were shown to the CEO’s office instead.
Once seated, Mark Campbell gathered his composure and cut to the point.
“What matter brings the branch manager of AMK Partners all the way here in person?”
Norman McGrath smiled from across the table.
“As I mentioned, a proposal. AMK Partners has been working on a certain company lately. We believe it would create excellent synergy with Greenbite Labs, so I’d like to move forward with an investment and an MOU.”
Mark Campbell kept his voice steady as he asked, “May I inquire… which company?”
Norman McGrath produced the prepared PPT materials and slid them across.
“Take a look.”
“Excuse me a moment.”
As Mark Campbell turned the pages his eyes gradually widened.
“It’s a company called Axentia.”
“Correct. A small system-development firm in Malta, New York. The patents they hold and the software they’re developing appear to align well with Greenbite Labs’ products.”
The next pages confirmed it; the specifications looked promising.
At the same time Mark Campbell felt a surge of astonishment toward Kang In-hyuk. The man had raised the very same subject earlier, as though he had foreseen this exact moment.
“What scale of investment are you considering? And an MOU would mean technical cooperation—what would the scope of shared technology be, and how would ownership ratios be divided after commercialization?”
Norman McGrath’s smile deepened. Mark Campbell’s interest meant they had cleared the first crucial hurdle of negotiation.
“The initial investment would be forty million dollars, with a total of one hundred twenty million across three phases. The party holding core technology would receive sixty-five percent of development rights.”
Roughly one hundred seventy billion won.
An excellent offer—twenty million dollars higher in total than the amount proposed by Tae Shin Asset Management.
Mark Campbell bit his lower lip.
.
.
.
Meanwhile Kang In-hyuk was on his way back to the lodging after leaving Greenbite Labs.
After a long silence the driver, Baek Si-hwan, spoke quietly.
“Director.”
“Yes?”
“Do you… happen to know why AMK Partners visited?”
Norman McGrath’s sudden appearance had caught even Baek Si-hwan off guard—especially arriving at the precise moment the investment agreement with Greenbite Labs had just been signed.
“I can’t be certain, but I have a few guesses.”
“Really? Could you share them?”
In-hyuk paused briefly, then answered.
“I heard AMK Partners has recently taken an interest in low-power systems. They were apparently starting their search on the East Coast… It’s possible they contacted Axentia before we did.”
At the name, Baek Si-hwan’s eyes widened in the rear-view mirror.
“The Axentia you mentioned earlier? Then the reason they approached CEO Mark Campbell was…”
“Either an investment proposal like ours, an offer to broker cooperation with Axentia, or both.”
Baek Si-hwan knew, at least roughly, the scale of capital Tae Shin Asset Management could deploy. It was respectable, but it paled in comparison to AMK Partners.
Moreover, Norman McGrath—the Korean branch manager who had lately gained fame for his aggressive successes—had come in person. The agreement they had just finalized could still unravel.
“Then isn’t this a serious problem? Yet you anticipated the situation and still stepped aside?”
Greenbite Labs might choose the other side even if it meant paying a penalty.
“The agreement has already been executed. Whatever decision comes next is entirely up to CEO Mark Campbell.”
“But…”
At that moment a phone began to ring inside Kang In-hyuk’s jacket.