Chapter 146
Chapter 146
146.
Words Left Unsaid
【DAX INVESTMENT HONG KONG BRANCH INVESTS 50 BILLION WON IN MH DISTRIBUTION! This time, DAX Investment announced the establishment of its DAX International Korean branch through our company, without disposing of Baeseong Corporation’s headquarters…】【MH DISTRIBUTION & DAX INTERNATIONAL SIGN MOU! With a 50 billion won investment set to proceed into MH Distribution…】【LIVIO SOFT SECURES 20 BILLION WON INVESTMENT IN MH DISTRIBUTION! Recently, Livio Soft announced the development of a new smartphone OS…】.
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Myung Joong-hwan let out a sigh as he confirmed the newly reported articles on his tablet. His gaze then shifted to Shinwoo, who was sitting opposite him.
“You’re still pulling off incredible feats as if it’s nothing.”
“It was something that had to be done.”
“Honestly, I thought you were taking quite a risk this time… What happened? How did you secure investments from DAX and Livio Soft?”
Shinwoo responded nonchalantly to the question.
“They invested seeing the value in MH Distribution.”
“A company riddled with holes due to various corruptions revealed by the accounting audit?”
“That was before I joined them.”
Myung Joong-hwan let out a hollow laugh and tapped the armrest of his chair with his finger.
“If what you’re saying is true, then both companies invested in you alone, regardless of the company’s situation.”
“That’s right.”
A moment of silence passed.
Then, Myung Joong-hwan let out a shallow sigh and continued, “Well… it’s a good thing for MH Distribution, so there’s no problem. All the financial holes have been filled.”
“Ah, I didn’t get a chance to mention it. I’ll be moving out soon.”
“…Hm? Moving out of what?”
“The offices. MH Future Security and KITE. We’ll all be moving to the MH Distribution headquarters building.”
Myung Joong-hwan’s expression turned subtle at that.
“Is there a need to? There shouldn’t be any issues with how things are being done now. It would be quite a hassle to move again.”
“If one has the capability, one should also know when to stop renting space.”
“Are you treating me like a landlord? I don’t recall ever giving you the impression that you were unwelcome…”
A hint of regret could be heard in Myung Joong-hwan’s voice.
Of course, Shinwoo had never felt unwelcome either.
“It’s because there are too many people bothering us at the MH Group headquarters.”
This was because the executives at the headquarters were still desperately trying to leech off them through MH Future Security employees.
However, Myung Joong-hwan seemed to have a different thought.
“Are you perhaps referring to me?”
“…I can’t say I don’t include you in that.”
“Hah—!”
“In any case, we’ll move once the office renovations at MH Distribution are complete.”
“You’re informing me after you’ve already started.”
“I tend to prioritize action over reporting for important matters.”
Myung Joong-hwan shook his head.
“You never back down from a word. By the way, do you know that Jeon Hyeong-beom, the head of the legal team at the headquarters, resigned?”
“Jeon Hyeong-beom… Is that the lawyer you sent as my representative when I went to the prosecution last time?”
“That’s right. He submitted his resignation for personal reasons. He was quite capable, but it happened suddenly after he started handling your case. I was wondering if you knew anything about why.”
Of course, he knew the reason all too well, but it was difficult to say. It was hard to fault Jeon Hyeong-beom for acting with Kwak Chi-young and Myung In-chul behind him.
Furthermore, it would be too much of a blow to their image to reveal such matters publicly, especially with ongoing cases that were just about to be concluded.
“I wouldn’t know.”
Myung Joong-hwan’s eyes suddenly darkened.
“…Do you really not know? Or are you pretending not to know?”
“If you’re curious, why don’t you ask lawyer Jeon Hyeong-beom yourself?”
Myung Joong-hwan, too, had received Jeon Hyeong-beom’s resignation and couldn’t help but notice how strange it was.
“I’m asking because you didn’t answer. Of course, it’s not that I have no idea what might have happened.”
“Then, by all means, investigate based on your suspicions.”
Shinwoo’s casual response led Myung Joong-hwan to exhale through his nose.
“Hmm… Can’t you tell me now?”
“What is it you’re referring to?”
“The words you tried to say at the hospital where I was almost attacked, but couldn’t finish…”
At that time, Myung In-chul had suddenly appeared in the hallway, forcing them to stop.
Shinwoo pondered for a moment, casting his gaze around.
Seeing Shinwoo’s reaction, Myung Joong-hwan continued seriously, “We’ve already swept the area with a detector before you arrived, so you don’t need to worry.”
The discovery of the bugging device last time had made Myung Joong-hwan even more cautious.
Shinwoo slowly opened his mouth at his proactive stance.
“The Chairman’s life could be in danger again.”
“Wasn’t it already in danger? Besides, given how quiet things have been, it must mean that they, too, have a reason for not making any rash moves… Am I wrong?”
Myung Joong-hwan was a man who had built the current MH Group through countless trials and tribulations. He had faced many near-death experiences outside the company.
Of course, it wasn’t to the extent of being targeted for assassination disguised as a patient, but he could calculate the enemy’s intentions in such situations.
“Then, promise me one thing.”
“If it’s possible.”
“Do not interfere separately, without a word.”
“…The reason?”
“It would interfere with my plan.”
Myung Joong-hwan’s brow twitched severely.
“Let me ask you one thing. If you answer that properly, I will keep that promise.”
“Please, go ahead.”
As the tension thickened, Myung Joong-hwan posed the question he had been contemplating.
“Was your entry into MH Group the beginning of that plan?”
Shinwoo let out a slight laugh at the sharp observation. It wasn’t entirely accurate, of course. The real plan had begun right after his regression, when he encountered a 666 Unit member at the cafe with Im Hee-yeon.
“You’ve come close.”
“Indeed… At first, I thought you joined because you held a grudge against Hee-yeon and wanted to extort something from her. But with each passing day, you achieved unbelievable results and have come this far.”
“I couldn’t just stay for free.”
“That’s quite an excessive reward.”
“You’re not going to give me change, are you?”
“You can consider it as rent for the time being. So, who is it? Who is targeting me and my MH Group?”
Myung Joong-hwan’s atmosphere, which had seemed to be easing, turned chillingly cold, as if frost were forming.
“Kwak Chi-young, the Korean branch manager of TSF.”
“…TSF’s Director Kwak?”
“And… Myung In-chul.”
Myung Joong-hwan’s face hardened at Shinwoo’s final words, spoken after a pause.
“My eldest son, President Myung In-chul?”
“The two of them have joined forces. The incident where the Chairman and Executive Director Im Hee-yeon were nearly killed. MH Electronics, MH Foods – it was all done by TSF. Legal team head Jeon Hyeong-beom also sided with one of them to investigate if MH Future Security held any secrets.”
Shinwoo explained as concisely as possible.
Even so, Myung Joong-hwan could recall each incident that MH Group personnel had suffered.
“President Myung In-chul… Do you know how involved he was?”
“Judging by the circumstances, entirely. However, it seems he only found out about the MH Electronics and MH Foods incidents later. Of course, after that, TSF helped acquire shares of both companies through shell accounts when their prices were falling.”
Myung Joong-hwan had also noticed at the time that shares were being bought up at precisely the right moment.
“Haa……”
“Honestly, weren’t you expecting it too, Chairman? It was obvious who would benefit the most if you were to pass away at that time.”
“……”
In any incident, the primary suspect was always the one who stood to gain the most.
“First, TSF has a mercenary organization called the 666 Unit under its command. I was in a car accident because of them.”
“…Even that?”
“Anyone can be in danger if they resort to brute force from behind. The same applies to you, Chairman.”
“So that’s why you said I could die.”
“If they had used even slightly violent means, you wouldn’t be here now.”
Myung Joong-hwan felt a chill run down his spine.
“Indeed, I can’t act carelessly.”
“That’s why I’m asking you to pretend you don’t know and stay put.”
“Even knowing my own son tried to kill me?”
“Do you have proof? Are there any witnesses?”
The two individuals apprehended in connection with the hospital incident had escaped during transport before their identities could even be confirmed. Despite ongoing investigations, no trace of them or any other evidence has been found, and the attempted murder case against Myung Joong-hwan is on the verge of becoming a cold case.
“There’s nothing left…”
“The only way to fight them is to crush them with force or uproot them entirely. That’s why I asked you not to show any other movements, so as not to disrupt the plan.”
In essence, it was to prevent the future in Jang Man-soo’s memory from deviating too much.
Of course, much would change with what had already happened and what was being said now…
“How much does Hee-yeon know?”
“Only that TSF and the 666 Unit are behind this. She probably only suspects Myung In-chul. For now, she has to face people at MH Group headquarters, so it would be best to keep quiet considering the need to manage her expressions. The same applies to you, Chairman.”
“…I’ll try my best.”
A son who tried to kill his father to take over the company. And the forces behind him aiding such a person.
It wasn’t easy to act as if nothing was wrong when facing such individuals.
“Ah, and after I leave, please don’t contact Lawyer Hwang either. He’s also being monitored by President Myung In-chul. He’d notice immediately if he made any moves.”
The person just mentioned was Myung Joong-hwan’s personal lawyer, Hwang Bong-joon.
“…Did Lawyer Hwang know too?”
“He’s the one managing your will, isn’t he? If he knew about President Myung In-chul, he would have rewritten the will immediately.”
As the lawyer in charge of the will, Myung Joong-hwan had kept it highly confidential to maintain secrecy.
However, since Shinwoo knew, he couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Hoho… I was being monitored far more than I thought.”
“I don’t know if it’s as much as I know, but Myung In-chul likely knows a fair amount too, so please be careful.”
“…Thank you for your concern.”
Shinwoo then prepared to stand up.
“I’ve said all I needed to say, so I’ll be going now.”
“But you know.”
“What is it?”
“Why don’t you pay a little more attention to your mother? She seems to be going through a lot of emotional distress from the incident in China.”
Shinwoo, in fact, was somewhat aware of Im Hee-yeon’s condition.
“I don’t think my paying attention will make her recover any faster.”
“Still, you are her son, aren’t you? Of course, I know your mother bears significant fault. And I am no different for not being able to give her my trust. I know all too well that there’s nothing that can be done about it now…”
Shinwoo let out a sigh while standing, listening to Myung Joong-hwan’s murmurs filled with emotion.
“I think it would be better if you, Chairman, paid more attention to her than I do.”
“Is it absolutely impossible?”
“Honestly, I have no thoughts on it right now. Please keep what I mentioned earlier.”
Shinwoo left the office and headed down to the first floor instead of his own. As if alerted by a call from the lobby, Meian and the bodyguards immediately came up from the basement and approached Shinwoo.
“I’ll walk alone for a bit. Meian, you don’t need to follow either.”
“Will you be alright?”
“I need to think.”
With his mind in turmoil, Shinwoo began walking down the street between buildings as evening approached.
“Seriously… This is fucked up.”