Twisted Threads
A few days later.
Kang In-hyuk was once again heading to Taeshin SpinTech in Cheonan. Hong Yu-geon, who was driving, glanced away from the rearview mirror and muttered.
“The ones tailing us this time are pretty thorough, huh?”
“You mean the three vehicles taking turns following us?”
Hong Yu-geon looked slightly startled since he had never seen In-hyuk turn his head. “You noticed?”
On the surface, they were two ordinary black sedans and one van. Yet they kept a consistent distance, repeatedly drifting in and out of sight at random intervals.
“Roughly. Let’s stop by that walnut pastry shop nearby.”
“Why?”
“It’s good to know exactly who we’re dealing with.”
He turned the wheel toward downtown Cheonan and drove for another ten minutes before pulling into a walnut pastry shop on the side of the road. Because of the sudden change in direction, the cars that had been following drove straight past.
Then one of the vehicles circled the block and stopped nearby. As the wait grew long, the window of that car rolled down not far away, allowing them to see the occupant’s face.
In the meantime, Van Hester returned carrying five boxes of walnut pastries—thirty pieces each.
“Did you confirm it?”
Four boxes went into the trunk while he held one box as he climbed into the passenger seat.
In-hyuk stared at the sight for a moment before letting out a sigh and explaining.
“They’re from Warborn.”
Hong Yu-geon looked genuinely shocked this time. “For real? Those guys? But how does the boss even know about them? No, more importantly, how did you figure it out?”
Of course, the original Kang In-hyuk would have had no way of knowing this information.
But he had once lived as a special forces operative, as Tae Seok-ho’s hunting dog, and as a man who had staked his entire life on revenge. He had commissioned many jobs from mercenaries, so he knew them well.
“I recognized a face. Since they’re following us, it looks like we’ve been marked as targets.”
“To be precise, it’s probably you, boss, not us.”
It was a detail that didn’t need emphasizing.
“Thanks so much for the correction.”
“Not at all. So, what are you going to do? If you know enough to recognize it’s Warborn, then you must also know what kind of people they are. They’re seriously insane when it comes to contract killings.”
In-hyuk had once commissioned them in his original future and ended up turning an entire building into a wasteland.
“For now, the important thing is how much they were paid. Warborn’s assassination plans scale in proportion to the commission fee.”
“...You even know that much? Wait, did you ever commission Warborn to kill someone before?”
“Stop talking nonsense and just drive. I have a few things to check.”
In-hyuk immediately opened Ghost Link on his phone and sent a message to Go Mi-ah.
The reply came quickly.
After a brief silence, she called him.
“...You’re joking, right?”
“I wish I was. It does feel like they’ve latched on faster than expected, though.”
He had already come close to dying at someone else’s hands several times. And now another such crisis had arrived.
A sigh flowed through the receiver.
“Just what the hell have you been doing?”
“My life is just a bit twisted, that’s all.”
He couldn’t exactly say he hadn’t intended for this, but Baek Si-hwan’s backers were far larger than he had anticipated. To draw them out into the open, quiet methods alone wouldn’t be enough.
Still, he had never imagined they would send Warborn, who specialized in contract killings rather than simple contact.
“Haa—! What exactly are you trying to do, boss?”
“Are you accessing the account right now?”
“Don’t rush me. Just wait a little.”
The sound of typing could be heard.
“You’ve completely taken over the company server, right?”
“That was done ages ago. Ah, here it is! Recent deposit records for that account… I’ll send them as a message.”
Vrrr—
Along with the vibration, a message containing an attached file arrived.
500,000(CHF) — SELVA Holdings
300,000(CHF) — Mirage International
400,000(CHF) — Azul & Oro S.A
In-hyuk, having discovered something, quietly muttered.
“So Tae Seok-ho sent them.”
“You mean the Executive Director of the main company? The small uncle of the boss’s wife? Why would he…?”
Go Mi-ah only handled the tasks In-hyuk requested; she didn’t know the full story behind them.
“There’s a reason. Anyway, you must be busy, so thanks for checking.”
“That’s not the issue right now. Are you seriously being followed by contract killers?”
Her voice still carried a tone of disbelief.
“If you’re that curious, look up Warborn on the dark web. And since the target range could widen unnecessarily, I won’t be coming to the workshop or making separate contact for a while.”
“You do have a way to handle this, right?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
After ending the call, In-hyuk turned his gaze forward again. Hong Yu-geon, who met his eyes in the rearview mirror, asked as if connecting the previous conversation.
“You really have a plan?”
“Given their nature, they’ll keep tailing us until a solid plan to deal with them is ready. I’m thinking of deliberately creating openings for them to move.”
“So in the end, you’re going to play bait again like you did at the Andong Tunnel. More importantly, how do you know so much about them?”
Both Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester had only heard rumors about them in the mercenary market. So it was only natural to find it strange that In-hyuk spoke as if he had faced them directly.
“Bait? Well, that’s true. But this time, it won’t be that dangerous.”
Hong Yu-geon glanced at the vehicle still following at a distance in the rearview mirror and tilted his head.
“How could it not be dangerous? This is on a completely different level from Andong. They’re openly targeting you.”
“We won’t be the ones moving much.”
“Are you sure you understood what I just said? Are we even having the same conversation?”
“Do you know the saying using poison to control poison?”
“It means using one poison to suppress another. What about it?”
“That’s the method I’m planning to use.”
Hong Yu-geon still couldn’t understand In-hyuk’s words.
In response, In-hyuk looked at Hong Yu-geon’s gleaming eyes in the rearview mirror and shrugged.
Kang Do-young, who had become the head of the new business division at KQ Fabric, was sitting in an upscale Korean restaurant on the outskirts of Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
His expression was full of irritation.
An Min-ki, watching him from the side, spoke cautiously.
“Just be patient a little longer.”
“How much longer? It’s obvious he’s deliberately not showing up!”
The reason they were at the restaurant was to meet Lee Hyun-gun, CEO of RSK, a leading candidate for military uniform supplier.
However, the appointment time they had set with difficulty had already passed the thirty-minute mark.
“It’s probably because of how we arranged the meeting. But if they don’t want to completely turn their back on KQ, they’ll have no choice but to show up no matter how late.”
“So how long do I have to wait?”
“We have our own preparations. So…”
Knock knock—
At that moment, a knock sounded and the door opened.
Standing in front of it was Lee Hyun-gun, CEO of RSK, with a heavy expression.
“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. There was an issue with material supply, so I had to confirm the resolution before coming.”
Kang Do-young forced the displeasure from his face and greeted him in return.
“Not at all. If anything, we’re the ones who suddenly asked to meet, so we should apologize.”
When An Min-ki, who had taken his seat, moved to order food, Lee Hyun-gun hurriedly stepped in.
“Food is fine. Honestly, given the situation, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to enjoy a meal comfortably. I’ll just give you my answer quickly.”
Kang Do-young frowned and asked.
“What answer are you referring to?”
They hadn’t even brought up the main topic yet.
But Lee Hyun-gun already seemed to have predicted what the conversation would be about.
“You want to supply fabric for RSK’s military uniform bidding, correct? We already have a designated supplier, so we must decline. And since I receive all sorts of calls like this around this time of year, I already know what this is about. I hope there are no unnecessary misunderstandings.”
It was a polite yet firm refusal.
“Sigh. No matter what, isn’t this rather rude?”
“Even so, I can’t afford to create unnecessary misunderstandings with an ambiguous attitude.”
“Are you aware of the problems with Texcellence, the company RSK is currently dealing with?”
At the question, Lee Hyun-gun’s expression hardened.
“...Problems with Texcellence?”
RSK and Texcellence had been doing business for five years. There had never been any issues during that time. In fact, they had been planning to bid on special military uniforms using a new material developed by Texcellence this time.
Kang Do-young’s lips curled up as he watched the surprised man.
“You didn’t know yet. It’s quite a serious problem.”
“Please explain.”
“You’ll find out eventually anyway, so I’ll tell you. There is someone inside Texcellence trying to leak the new material blending technology they were developing. That person has gone overseas under the pretext of a business trip and has since gone silent.”
Lee Hyun-gun’s expression grew even heavier.
“...Is that true?”
“I have no reason to lie. And you’ll inevitably learn about Texcellence’s situation sooner or later.”
Technology leaks within a company were fatal. For a small-to-medium enterprise, it could determine their very survival.
If what he had just heard was true, it was an emergency for RSK, who was participating in the military uniform supply bid.
“Do you also know who it is?”
“If I tell you that, will it create an opportunity for our KQ Fabric? Well, given Texcellence’s situation, you’ll probably have to look for another company anyway.”
Kang Do-young pulled the momentum toward his side and grew confident.
However, even with his mind in turmoil, Lee Hyun-gun did not lose his composure.
“Putting Texcellence’s issues aside, RSK values technological capability, stability, and productivity. That is what builds trust with the Ministry of National Defense. But can KQ Fabric reliably provide that?”
RSK had not received their first proposal from KQ Fabric. They had reviewed a contract several years ago but rejected it because the conditions were far from sufficient at the time.
Even now, he didn’t trust them enough, which was why Lee Hyun-gun hadn’t seriously considered it—including the fact that he had arrived late on purpose.
“What if we bring over Texcellence’s new material technology?”
“...Don’t tell me KQ Fabric is behind the technology leak?”
At the same time, Kang Do-young raised both hands as if to calm him.
“No. It’s an overseas company.”
The moment he heard that, an answer immediately sprang from Lee Hyun-gun’s mouth.
“Was it Refiber Works?”
“Looks like you already have a guess.”
“It’s a company that once tried to extract technology from Texcellence. They even made an acquisition offer afterward, but Texcellence’s CEO Park Sung-hoon firmly refused.”
Because this explanation touched on many sensitive areas, his voice grew as quiet as possible.
Kang Do-young’s smile deepened even more than before.
“So there was that kind of history.”
“But who did Refiber use to leak the technology? And how does KQ Fabric plan to obtain it?”
“Vice President Choi Jung-mook.”
“So that bastard finally…”
It seemed he already knew there had been something going on.
“Anyway, we’ll come up with the method on our end… How about it? Given the current situation, it looks difficult to continue the transaction with Texcellence.”
Lee Hyun-gun’s mind became even more complicated.
“I think I’ll need to look into it first before making a decision.”
“Well, it won’t change anything.”
In the end, Lee Hyun-gun left the room without even eating.
Kang Do-young rinsed his mouth with water as if it tasted bitter and spat it out again.
“You said there’s still no word from Choi Jung-mook since he disappeared in Silicon Valley?”
“The local detective agency is still searching.”
“What if he already handed over the technology to Refiber and went into hiding?”
“Judging by the lack of action on their side, that probably isn’t the case.”
“What if we can’t find him?”
The current plan was to redirect Choi Jung-mook’s path toward KQ Fabric. But if they couldn’t locate the key person himself, the whole thing could fall apart.
“We’ve identified more people connected to Choi Jung-mook, so it might actually be better if we don’t find him at all.”
“Oh…”
With that exclamation, Kang Do-young looked at An Min-ki with a gaze of praise.