Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Episode 82. You Your Way, I My Way (1)
【China, Korean M Group Executive Mr. L Kidnapped? The Chinese Ministry of Public Security announced that Mr. L, an executive of the Korean M Group, was kidnapped by unidentified assailants on △△ and rescued...】
【Ray Sung Group's financial arm, Goldmoney, estimates losses of 60 billion yuan in financial products... Authorities have launched a judicial investigation...】
The world began to get noisy.
Especially the kidnapping case, although the real name was not mentioned, anyone in the business world knew it was MH Group Executive Director Im Hee-yeon.
At the same time, the Ray Sung Group incident also surfaced.
Meanwhile, Baek Shin-woo entered the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport.
Security Team Leader Lee Doo-heon, who had come to pick him up, approached with other security guards.
"You've worked hard, CEO."
"...Not really. Let's go to the company right away."
"There was a call from the Chairman. He said to take you to his residence as soon as you arrive in Korea."
Shinwoo, who was walking quietly, frowned.
"Why does he keep calling me like this..."
It was the Chairman's call. But when Shinwoo grumbled, Lee Doo-heon looked a little embarrassed.
"Ahem! There's a lot of talk about the situation in China. Are you alright, CEO?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"...Pardon?"
"I only heard about the situation late."
"Ah..."
Shinwoo was not supposed to be related to Im Hee-yeon's case.
"I don't really know anything, so I don't know what he wants to hear by calling me all the way here."
"Let's get in the car first."
The car had already arrived in front of the airport.
Shinwoo got into the back seat and continued the conversation.
"Oh, was there any problem with the relocation of the KITE headquarters?"
KITE, which was originally attached to MH Tech, was relocated as its parent company changed to MH Future Security.
He asked because he had entrusted Lee Doo-heon with the management of that matter before going to China.
"It was moved safely. And Yoo Hyung-jin, the operations director of MH Tech, and Jeong Gang-ho, the head instructor, have completed the deployment to prevent security problems according to their plan."
Lee Doo-heon handed Shinwoo a tablet containing the data along with the explanation.
Shinwoo nodded as he checked it one by one.
"Not bad. There are no problems with the new underground training facility at the headquarters, right?"
"It's quite good because we additionally remodeled the facility that Team 5 used to use."
"That's a relief."
They exchanged various business conversations and then became quiet.
While the car was moving, Shinwoo searched for articles on the tablet he was holding.
He was able to check the news about the Ray Sung Group and the accident involving Im Hee-yeon. However, the identity of the person suspected of kidnapping Im Hee-yeon was not accurately revealed.
'So, there are people in the upper echelons of the Chinese government who are associated with TSF. Or maybe the support troops who arrived later erased the traces...'
Shinwoo had confirmed the request for support troops with the 666 Unit's radio in the abandoned factory, so the latter was more likely.
'If I can finish off Ray Sung Group's Black money while dealing with Cui Xun, they'll be severely shaken.'
As his thoughts became complicated, he arrived at his Pyeongchang-dong residence.
As soon as he entered the study inside the mansion, Myung Joong-hwan got up from his seat and greeted him as if he was glad to see him.
"You must have had a hard time in China."
Shinwoo frowned at this.
"Not really. Im Hee-yeon and the bodyguards had a harder time than I did."
"Ah... Still, there must have been a lot of things to worry about."
"Not really."
The flow of the conversation kept getting cut off.
Myung Joong-hwan's expression became subtle, as if he had something on his mind.
"I heard you moved separately from your mother in China?"
"Isn't everything already in the report you received?"
Im Hee-yeon, who was hospitalized, had her connection to the Azure Feather Group revealed due to this incident, so she had no choice but to report the relationship, even partially.
"I heard it. But I wanted to know what the situation was like from a third party's perspective."
Was he trying to probe him after getting information from somewhere?
However, the Azure Feather Group would not have handled the matter so carelessly.
Of course, Shinwoo didn't trust them 100%, but he only trusted them as much as he had information on Cheon Hye-rin of the Azure Feather Group and the Ray Sung Group.
"I didn't see anything other than meeting Chairman Cheon Hye-rin through Im Hee-yeon's introduction. I heard about the accident later."
"Hmm... Is that so?"
"If you don't have anything else to say, I'll excuse myself. And if it's not really important, please call me. Don't keep calling a busy person like this."
He was quite tired because of what happened in China. On top of that, he had no choice but to accumulate a lot of stress because of the bad things that happened with Meian while meeting Weisuan.
"That makes sense."
"I'll be going."
As Shinwoo went outside, Gu Sang-ho saw him off and returned to the study.
Seeing this, Myung Joong-hwan quietly asked as if to himself.
"Is it really true that he doesn't know anything about this?"
Gu Sang-ho, looking slightly embarrassed, approached and stood next to him.
"According to the report received from Song Tae-hoon, who is hospitalized, Baek Shin-woo's activities in China could not be traced."
"Tsk! Is the identity of the bodies found in the abandoned factory still a mystery?"
"Not yet. However, judging from the kidnapping situation and the equipment they had, they are definitely not amateurs. Moreover, the purpose of the kidnapping has not been confirmed."
Myung Joong-hwan's atmosphere became heavy.
Currently, Im Hee-yeon was being transferred from China to a hospital in Seoul and was recovering. Song Tae-hoon and his bodyguards who were involved in the accident were in the same condition.
Of course, Myung Joong-hwan visited Im Hee-yeon and asked about the situation, but there was only one answer.
"...Hee-yeon also repeated that she didn't know."
"Chairman Cheon Hye-rin has requested confirmation from Interpol and the CIA through the Chinese government, so we will have to wait to identify the mastermind."
"Who the hell is doing this... And Shinwoo's reaction is also strange."
Indifference? Bystander? Shinwoo had never visited Im Hee-yeon since the accident.
He showed an attitude of not knowing anything just now, but there was a suspicious atmosphere all over him. Of course, he wouldn't have thought of that if he hadn't heard about Shinwoo's special forces service history from the Minister of National Defense, even roughly.
"Frankly, it wasn't a typical reaction."
"Maybe it's because there's no affection from raising him. Or maybe he's just extremely cold."
"You would want the latter, wouldn't you, Chairman?"
Myung Joong-hwan was also complicated inside. Clearly, he had only watched Im Hee-yeon from the perspective of usefulness at first. Then, after Baek Shin-woo appeared, he was curious every time.
His confident appearance even when facing him. Baek Shin-woo even exuded an atmosphere of having lived through more hardships and adversities than Myung Joong-hwan, who was approaching his eighties.
"Even so, isn't blood thicker than water?"
"The other children are also blood relatives, but this is the first time you've shown this side of yourself."
Myung Joong-hwan's heart beat fast when he heard the news of Im Hee-yeon's accident in China. He was able to calm down quickly after hearing that she was safe, but he knew that he was more concerned about her than his other children.
"...Was I?"
Myung Joong-hwan, with more thoughts, tapped the armrest with his fingers.
.
.
.
Shinwoo left his Pyeongchang-dong residence and headed to the MH Group headquarters.
On the way, he received a call from Kwak Chi-young of TSF Investment.
"Why are so many people looking for me..."
As soon as the call was connected, Kwak Chi-young's voice was heard.
[Hello, CEO Baek Shin-woo.]
"Not really. What brings you here?"
[I heard about what happened in China and was wondering if you were okay.]
It was caused by the TSF China branch. Of course, the TSF Korea branch was heavily involved in the background.
"For someone asking about my well-being, you called me as soon as I arrived in Korea."
[Oh, is that so?]
There was a gaze watching him when he left his Pyeongchang-dong residence earlier. Judging from the timing of the call, it was clear that TSF had assigned someone.
Shinwoo could only sigh at Kwak Chi-young's nonchalant answer.
"You're not calling because you're worried about the investment, are you?"
[Haha. Of course not. I believe you'll manage it well on your own. Rather, I was worried that you might have been harmed by this incident.]
"I only heard the news."
[Did you hear how your mother happened to be involved in such a thing?]
It was an obvious attempt to gauge his reaction.
At the same time, Shinwoo could guess that Kwak Chi-young didn't know how the China branch had been defeated.
'So, Cui Xun used the China branch to do things independently.'
From TSF Investment's point of view, the 666 Unit has been exposed. Of course, there were no traces that would directly trace their affiliation, but Kwak Chi-young was in a position where he had to suspect various possibilities.
That's because Im Hee-yeon, whom they kidnapped, would have contacted them not now, but when they were in China, if that wasn't the case.
Moreover, if they had really confirmed that they had been exposed, they should have immediately dealt with Im Hee-yeon and the people involved in the rescue operation.
"...Im Hee-yeon said that she was rescued when she came to her senses. The kidnappers' counterattack was so fierce that most of them were killed, and the few who survived committed suicide with poison hidden in their teeth. That's all I know."
A fairly detailed explanation. It was the content that he had coordinated with Chairman Cheon Hye-rin of the Azure Feather Group and Im Hee-yeon.
Of course, Shinwoo also finished everything accordingly and returned to the abandoned factory to manipulate a few bodies.
[Ahem... They must be quite ruthless guys.]
"That's what the circumstances suggest. For now, the Ministry of Public Security is said to be trying to track down who is behind the kidnapping with weapons and their faces, so we'll have to wait and see."
[Hahaha. I hope you can catch them.]
"We should. But is that what you called to ask?"
Kwak Chi-young laughed again at the slightly probing words.
[Haha. I was a little curious as the matter was a matter. Rather, I heard news from Japan. Something happened to Koga Pharmaceuticals in Japan, as you mentioned last time.]
The information that Koga Pharmaceuticals was the stepping stone for Shinwoo to give Kwak Chi-young for trust. And until recently, Koga Pharmaceuticals had been soaring in price due to the rhinitis efficacy of the vitamin supplement 'Korapan', but it was collapsing as problems arose.
"There was a problem with the new drug clinical trial. I also saw the article."
[How did you know that? Ah, I guess you wouldn't answer even if I asked.]
Kwak Chi-young couldn't help but be surprised when he saw the article. Of course, he had been checking the situation of Koga Pharmaceuticals little by little before that, but he didn't expect the problem to surface so quickly as it is now.
If he had put money in late and couldn't get out in time, the losses would have been enormous.
"Information is power."
[In a way, I think it's really fortunate. Isn't it fortunate that CEO Baek, who has such information, and I are on the same boat?]
Shinwoo was silent for a moment and then said.
"...But isn't the capacity of the boat we're on quite large?"
A slightly surprised voice came from Kwak Chi-young.
[What... what do you mean?]
"I'm saying, when are you going to stop weighing me and President Myung In-chul, when you're the one who personally experienced my information power?"
Kwak Chi-young was momentarily speechless.