The Trap Tightens
The news outlets were flooded with headlines. But most of them revolved around In-hyuk’s activities in the United States.
Even though neither the investment nor the incident had been deliberately leaked, the stories kept spreading like wildfire.
In the meantime, In-hyuk had returned from America and was walking into the arrival hall with Baek Si-hwan, Hong Yu-geon, and Van Hester.
Click—click—click—
The moment the doors opened, a storm of camera flashes exploded around them.
In-hyuk frowned at the blinding onslaught. The two bodyguards immediately stepped in front of him, shielding him as they moved quickly through the chaos.
“It seems the articles created more buzz than expected. For now, let’s head to the company vehicle waiting outside,” Baek Si-hwan said, taking the lead.
At that moment, the reporters surrounding them began shouting questions.
“Director Kang In-hyuk! Is it true you were ambushed by gunmen in San Jose? Eyewitnesses claim the attackers were carrying machine guns. Does this have anything to do with your investment in GreenBite Labs?”
“We heard you were involved in a suspicious traffic accident here in Korea not long ago. Could that be connected to this shooting?”
“What potential did you see in GreenBite Labs that justified investing roughly seventy billion won?”
The reporters’ voices were deafening.
Of course, interview requests had been pouring in even before he returned to Korea. In-hyuk had rejected every single one. That was why the press had descended on the airport the moment he landed.
He pushed through the crowd without a word, moving steadily forward.
Then a group of men in black suits appeared, led by a familiar face. They quickly surrounded In-hyuk, forming a protective cordon.
“…Noh Dong-jun?”
It was Noh Dong-jun, who had joined Tae Shin Group at the same time as In-hyuk.
“It’s been a while, Director. We received orders from headquarters to escort you directly. This way, please.”
The rest of the group were TSS agents from Tae Shin Security—the same unit Baek Si-hwan belonged to. They pushed the reporters back and safely guided In-hyuk to the waiting vehicle.
“Whew—! There were way more of them than I expected.”
“That’s because the incidents were that big,” Noh Dong-jun replied, his tone almost scolding as he settled into the seat beside In-hyuk.
Once everyone else had climbed in, the car slowly pulled away from the curb.
“How did you end up here? Shouldn’t you be at headquarters right now?”
“I was working hard, thanks to you. But once your return schedule was set, the higher-ups told me to come pick you up personally.”
Noh Dong-jun had originally been on the second stock operations team. When In-hyuk established the new M&A/PEF division, he had transferred over. Since then he had been working on PEF Team 2, and had recently been assigned to the Taeshin Mulsan headquarters task force.
“Was this the chairman’s order?”
“No. It came from Executive Director Tae Seok-ho.”
“Why?”
“As if someone at my level would be told the reason.”
There had been thorns in his tone from the very beginning.
“Is this because you had to drag the entire TF team back to headquarters while I was the only one who arrived late?”
“How could I possibly speak out of turn to someone as exalted as the division director?”
“Enough. Just tell me what’s happened so far.”
“What situation?”
“You know exactly what I instructed before I left for the States. And drop the formal speech. Speak comfortably.”
Noh Dong-jun, who had been acting indifferent, finally let out a long sigh.
“Fine. You’re talking about the Taeshin SpinTech financials and the project details, right? There’s a lot of material, so it’ll take at least two more days to finish organizing everything. Should I send you what’s been compiled so far?”
“Do that. Now that I’m back, I need to get a grasp on things even if it’s only halfway.”
“Got it. I’ll compile it as soon as we reach the office and email it over.”
After listening to the latest updates from headquarters, they drove for about an hour before arriving at Taeshin Mulsan.
Everyone dispersed to their respective posts.
In-hyuk shook off even Baek Si-hwan and headed alone to the executive floor. Waiting by the elevator was Lee Jae-jun, Tae Seok-ho’s personal bodyguard, who personally escorted him to the office.
“Have a seat.”
The moment Tae Seok-ho saw In-hyuk, he rose from behind his desk and sat down in the center sofa.
“I was a little surprised to hear that it was you who called for me, Executive Director, and not the chairman.”
“After hearing you went through something so terrible in America, I couldn’t help but worry. Are you physically alright?”
Yet his expression was far from concerned. If anything, it carried a faint trace of disappointment.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Have you identified who was behind it?”
“That part proved difficult. The local police are investigating, but it doesn’t look promising.”
“I see…”
“I’ve shared the details with the embassy as well, but I doubt it will change much.”
“You must be under a lot of pressure.”
In-hyuk listened to his perfunctory words before cutting straight to the point.
“So, what is the real reason you summoned me?”
Tae Seok-ho let out a short breath and answered.
“I may be an executive director at headquarters, but I still need to check whether the task force—on which the fate of Tae Shin rests—is running smoothly, don’t I?”
“You could have learned everything you needed from the staff who were already here working.”
“Still, isn’t it best to hear it directly from the head of the TF?”
In the end, it was nothing more than an excuse to find fault.
In-hyuk leaned back against the sofa.
“I was in America. Or are you trying to hold me accountable for postponing TF work to go on a business trip?”
Struck where it hurt, Tae Seok-ho’s eyes sharpened for a split second before settling again. The old version of him would never have let his emotions show so clearly.
In that instant, In-hyuk realized there was something Tae Seok-ho felt guilty about.
“How could I possibly blame someone who just returned after securing massive investment contracts in America?”
“I appreciate your generous view.”
He didn’t mean a word of it. It was a casual jab meant to twist the knife just a little deeper.
“I heard the total investment this time reached one hundred million dollars. Exactly how outstanding do you expect the returns from GreenBite Labs to be? I looked into it myself, but… I couldn’t see any reason it deserved that kind of money.”
In-hyuk stared at Tae Seok-ho for a moment before speaking.
“You seem to have taken quite an interest in Tae Shin Asset Management’s operations. As far as I know, our division is under no obligation to report the funds we manage to headquarters. Especially not the MP division that I oversee.”
“Don’t you think your attitude toward me has grown rather sharp lately? No matter what, I am your wife’s uncle and your superior in this company.”
“Does a so-called superior begin by thinking of ways to use his nephew’s company for personal gain?”
He was referring to the Cheolsan Capital incident. At the time, Tae Seok-ho had tried to use In-hyuk’s MP division and the H&T Fund to accelerate the acquisition of Cheolsan Capital.
But after In-hyuk cut ties, Cheolsan Capital had fallen into the hands of AMK Partners instead.
“…What?”
The explanation didn’t end there.
“I also know you’ve been aggressively trying to secure shares in Taeshin Mulsan. But instead of obsessing over how to get your spoon in the pot, shouldn’t you first tighten control over Taeshin SpinTech?”
The moment that name was mentioned, Tae Seok-ho’s face hardened instantly.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to imply.”
“If you’re going to keep pretending you don’t understand, I won’t force the issue. However, if you’re thinking about the future, perhaps you should stop obsessing over Taeshin Mulsan shares and instead check whether any scraps have leaked out without your knowledge.”
“…”
Silence was the only reply.
In-hyuk watched him for a moment, then quietly stood up.
“I have a lot of backlog to catch up on, so I’ll take my leave. I will do my best to ensure the TF resolves the problems facing the Tae Shin Group.”
After In-hyuk left, a heavy stillness settled over the office.
Soon, Lee Jae-jun, who had been standing at a distance, cautiously approached.
“Executive Director… what Director Kang In-hyuk said just now…”
“It means he knows that funds from Taeshin SpinTech have been funneled into the H&T Fund.”
The embezzlement had taken place at least five years ago—before Kang In-hyuk had even joined the group. No matter how interested he was in group affairs, uncovering something like that from the beginning would have been nearly impossible unless he had known from the start.
“The chairman must have given him a hint.”
That was the only explanation that made sense.
But Tae Seok-ho shook his head firmly.
“It wasn’t Father. If he knew, he wouldn’t have left me alone this long.”
“Couldn’t it be that he’s looking for external justification and evidence?”
Tae Seok-ho considered Lee Jae-jun’s suggestion for a moment.
“Would Father really need to borrow the hand of his granddaughter’s husband for something like that? If he had evidence, he would have kicked me out immediately regardless.”
“That’s true… It would have been easier on the stomach if he had just died over there.”
At the same time, Tae Seok-ho let out a low groan. It was difficult to guess exactly how much In-hyuk had uncovered and how deeply he had dug.
.
.
.
Late in the evening, well after sunset.
Baek Si-hwan left the Taeshin Mulsan headquarters building and entered a small restaurant in Donui-dong called “Seunghwa’s Home-cooked Meals.”
Tae Seok-ho was already seated inside, waiting.
“You called for me, Executive Director?”
Baek Si-hwan approached immediately and greeted him. Tae Seok-ho responded with a thick smile.
“No need to stand on ceremony. Sit down.”
Tae Seok-ho tilted the liquor bottle and filled Baek Si-hwan’s glass first.
“It must have been exhausting, working so close to my dear nephew-in-law.”
“…Not at all.”
“Right. So how was the trip to America?”
At the question, Baek Si-hwan tilted his head slightly.
“Didn’t you meet Director Kang In-hyuk directly?”
“Ah, I didn’t get the full picture. I wanted to hear a more objective account from you. Given your position, I haven’t received proper reports lately. This could be a good opportunity, couldn’t it?”
The reason Baek Si-hwan had been assigned as In-hyuk’s executive secretary was precisely because of Tae Seok-ho’s recommendation.
In addition, Baek Si-hwan had been sending regular reports to Tae Seok-ho after his appointment.
But once In-hyuk stopped trusting him and kept him confined to the office, his usefulness had vanished.
“The notable event was that after signing the investment contract with GreenBite Labs, Norman McGrath, the branch manager of AMK Partners, paid a visit. They offered one hundred and twenty million dollars…”
Baek Si-hwan recounted exactly what he had seen and heard at the time.
At the same time, Tae Seok-ho’s eyes widened.
“GreenBite rejected AMK and chose to partner with Kang In-hyuk instead?”
“That’s correct.”
“An unexpected outcome. Were you unable to find out why Kang In-hyuk chose GreenBite Labs?”
“I have not heard anything on that front. To be honest, even I don’t understand why the director chose them.”
Tae Seok-ho felt the same. That was why he felt even more frustrated and had gone so far as to meet Baek Si-hwan in person instead of relying on written reports.
“Anything else? Did he conduct any background checks, meet with anyone suspicious?”
“Director Kang In-hyuk has never shared that kind of information with me. I neither saw nor heard anything of the sort.”
“Is that so? Still, the fact that he took you on this business trip to America suggests the situation has improved somewhat. Can I expect better reports going forward?”
Tae Seok-ho was determined to monitor In-hyuk’s movements by any means necessary.
But Baek Si-hwan only wore a subtle expression.
“This trip was a special case, so I cannot give you a definite answer. However, if an opportunity arises, I will make sure to report.”
“If you move too aggressively, you’ll only raise unnecessary suspicion. There’s nothing to be done about it. Understood.”
The conversation ended there.
Baek Si-hwan rose from his seat and headed toward the exit. At the same time, his eyes met those of Lee Jae-jun, Tae Seok-ho’s bodyguard who was holding the door open. A fleeting, meaningful glance passed between them.