Security Training
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The television was plastered with news about Kang Yeeun all day. No matter which channel he turned to, the reports about her were endless. Kang Yeeun had immediately admitted to the drug charges and announced her self-reflection period.
A man sitting quietly on the sofa watching the screen pressed a button on the remote control.
Beep.
As the TV turned off, a sudden silence enveloped the room.
The man stood up, trudged over, and swung his arm with all his might.
Slap!
With a sharp crack, Han Minsu's head whipped to the side. Minsu, having never experienced such pain in his life, stood there in dazed shock, not knowing what to do.
The man who had slapped him—his father, Han Changgi—was trembling with uncontrollable rage.
"Did I ask you to study? Did I ask you to run the business well? I told you to just not cause trouble. Just don't cause trouble!!!!!"
Unable to contain his fury, Han Changgi slapped Minsu's cheek once more.
Slap!
His inner lip must have torn, as crimson blood began to seep from his mouth. Yet, Minsu didn't dare complain about the pain; he could only swallow his bloody saliva.
"At such a sensitive time, you went to Macau to do drugs? And you even brought them back with you? Do you have a brain in that skull of yours or not? No matter how brainless and spoiled a bastard you are, you should at least know the difference between what you can and cannot do!"
"Father, there's been a misunderstanding."
"It was placed in your bag without you knowing? You expect me to believe that garbage? Did you honestly think that excuse would work? If so, your intelligence is seriously in question."
"It's... it's the truth."
"Oh? The truth? So you're innocent? Then let me make some money with that logic. I'll bring in shipping containers full of drugs and say I didn't know they were inside, that someone else must have put them there. Will the police and customs just say, 'Oh, is that so?' and let me pass? Because I'm innocent? Huh?? Answer me, you piece of trash!"
"..."
"The shares I promised to give you are off the table. If I gave you shares in the group, you'd probably just sell them to buy more drugs. I can't let my own son ruin himself."
"You are also dismissed from your position as General Manager."
"All assets under your name will be frozen."
"Do you have any idea how much money I spent to pull you out of this? Do you know how much I paid to plaster the news with that Kang Yeeun girl just to cover your tracks?!"
"You were caught at the airport. Red-handed. I had to bribe the airport police, the prosecution, the regular police, customs, and the airport security. I had to pay off the broadcasting stations, the press, and the internet news outlets!"
"And why the hell were there so many eyewitnesses? Dammit."
"To be honest, I don't care if a piece of shit like you dies of an overdose. But if you die, our LK Group takes the hit. That's the only reason I'm keeping you alive. Go to the hospital and stay there for three years."
"Father!"
"I gave you more than enough chances. I watched you act like a spoiled brat, hoping you'd eventually grow up. But you are beyond saving. So, live like you're dead. When you get out of the hospital, don't do a single thing. Just eat the three meals served to you, take a shit, and sleep. That is your entire job. Don't do anything else, don't think about anything else, and don't move."
"Father!"
"As a father, I've done everything I could. You failed your duty as a son, but I believe my role ends here."
At Han Changgi's words, Han Minsu's face—usually bright and free of worries—completely changed. Anxiety, unease, dread, and sheer terror washed over him. The thought of being cut off from everything he had enjoyed terrified him. He hated the idea of being hospitalized, let alone for three years.
But who on earth put the drugs in my bag? Was it that bitch Kang Yeeun?
Still unable to grasp the reality of his situation, Minsu was only focused on who had planted the drugs. He foolishly believed that if he could just find the culprit, his name would be cleared.
After returning from Macau, I took a two-day rest and was now preparing to commute to the training center in Paju.
Although the next project hadn't been decided yet, I received a message telling me to report to the training center instead of the main office. The reason was to review what had been lacking in the previous project and to practice new security tactics.
The gathering time was 10:00 AM.
Traveling all the way to Paju by 10:00 AM was a massive trek. I had considered going the night before, but decided to leave early in the morning instead.
I left the company dormitory at 7:00 AM, ate a bowl of hangover soup at a 24-hour restaurant, and took the subway. I eventually got off and hailed a taxi.
I had tried to use public transit, but gave up after realizing I would have to transfer buses multiple times. I settled on taking the subway to a reasonable point and then catching a cab.
Even that turned out to be a poor choice. The training center was located near Mt. Unak, far from any subway station in Pocheon, meaning I had to ride the taxi for a long time even after getting off the train. If I had known, I would have just taken a taxi straight from the dormitory. I made a mistake.
Previously, the company had always transported us in their vehicles, so I hadn't realized how inconvenient public transit would be.
Nevertheless, because I had rushed since early morning, I wasn't late for the 10:00 AM appointment. In fact, I arrived thirty minutes early.
After wondering what to do for a moment, I walked to a nearby cafe to grab a cup of coffee. Having eaten and drank coffee here during our previous training sessions, I knew the local restaurants and cafes well.
On my way to the cafe, I spotted a familiar car. It was the Team Leader's.
I waved my hand.
"Team Leader."
"Deputy Team Leader. What brings you all the way down here?"
He seemed to have run into me on his way into the training center.
"I was going to grab a cup of coffee. Would you like one too, Team Leader? A hot latte, perhaps?"
"Don't bother walking. Get in."
"Shall I?"
I climbed into his car.
"But what are the other team members doing that the Deputy Team Leader had to come down alone to buy coffee?"
"The team members? They aren't here. It's just me."
"What? You're alone?"
Bae Hyeonseok looked slightly surprised.
"Then how did you get all the way here? You don't have a car, do you?"
"I took a taxi."
"A taxi?"
"Yes."
We arrived at the cafe, which wasn't far. I ordered a hot Americano, and the Team Leader ordered a latte. I briefly contemplated ordering some for the other team members, but then remembered they were the type of people who wouldn't even accept a chocolate bar from me. They probably wouldn't drink coffee I bought either, so I decided against it. No point in wasting money if they threw it away.
The Team Leader didn't order coffee for the team members either.
When we returned to the training center and were sipping our coffee, an SUV pulled into the lot. It was Assistant Manager Jeong Donghyeon's car. I had seen it a few times during commutes. Memorizing car models and license plates had long since become a habit of mine.
The car came to a stop. Assistant Manager Jeong Donghyeon got out of the driver's seat, and Section Chief An Jibin stepped out of the passenger side. From the back seat, Hwang Jung-jin and Park Mun-yong emerged. They were giggling and joking around right up until the moment they stepped out.
Each of them held a cup of coffee in their hands. It would have been a waste if I had bought them some.
There were six people on the team. The Team Leader had driven separately, I had taken a taxi, and the remaining four had carpooled together.
As soon as they got out, they saw us but only greeted the Team Leader.
"Good morning, Team Leader."
"Hello, Team Leader."
"Did you rest well?"
Bae Hyeonseok replied with a stiff expression.
"Be on time. It's past ten."
As he spoke, the Team Leader's mind seemed troubled.
Bae Hyeonseok's mind was indeed a tangled mess.
The petty, childish behavior displayed by team members who had gotten along without issues for so long made him feel embarrassed on their behalf.
He knew exactly why they were doing it and what they were thinking. How could he not, when they had made it so obvious from the very first moment he introduced Deputy Team Leader Gong In-bae?
They had glared at the new deputy during introductions, stormed out of the room the moment the meeting ended, deliberately caused overlapping movements during training to induce mistakes, and even sent him on unnecessary errands to buy medicine. He knew everything.
Yet, the reason he had feigned ignorance was that this, too, was a test for Deputy Team Leader Gong In-bae.
Getting along with team members was also a necessary skill for a leader.
However, instead of trying to fit in with them, Gong In-bae chose to focus entirely on the operations. Even in Macau, when Bae Hyeonseok had told him to go out and sightsee, he expected the deputy to decline and stay with the team. Instead, Gong In-bae had left before he could even finish his sentence.
It had been a polite offer, but perhaps the deputy had found the atmosphere that exhausting. Or maybe he just wanted to be alone. Bae Hyeonseok felt a pang of guilt.
Especially today, hearing that he had taken a taxi all this way by himself made him feel even more apologetic.
Conversely, his disappointment in Section Chief An Jibin grew.
He understood that An Jibin must hate this situation. He had undoubtedly believed the vacant Deputy Team Leader position in Alpha Team belonged to him. But then, a twenty-four-year-old greenhorn had swooped in and taken the title. It was only natural for An Jibin to feel uncomfortable.
But he should have swallowed it. He should have kept his feelings in check and endured.
Even if Assistant Manager Jeong Donghyeon, Hwang Jung-jin, and Park Mun-yong threw tantrums, claiming it made no sense and that An Jibin should be the deputy, An Jibin should have been the one to step up, calm them down, and look after Gong In-bae instead.
That was what a team was.
Foolish bastards.
Did they honestly think that by banding together and ostracizing him, the Deputy Team Leader would beg to join their little circle? Or that he would willingly hand over his title to An Jibin?
And even if he did, did they think the company would just say, "Oh, sure, you guys swapped roles? Got it, we'll process that"?
If Gong In-bae couldn't endure the isolation and resigned, would the deputy position automatically go to An Jibin?
This incident had sealed it. Even if Gong In-bae left, An Jibin would never become the Deputy Team Leader.
The Deputy Team Leader had to act on behalf of the Team Leader in his absence and check the details the Team Leader might miss. An Jibin was simply unqualified.
If An Jibin had truly wanted the position, he shouldn't have excluded Gong In-bae; he should have embraced him. Even if there were friction, once someone was part of the team, you had to pull them in.
Instead, An Jibin treated the other team members like his personal lackeys and led the ostracization of the deputy. He clearly knew Gong In-bae lived in the dormitory and didn't have a car, yet he hadn't offered him a ride once. Meanwhile, they had met up to grab coffee together on the way.
Taking people along if you liked them and casting them aside if you didn't? And they wanted to put a man like that in a leadership position?
At least in the Alpha Team led by Bae Hyeonseok, such a thing would never happen.
It was no different from a seven-year-old throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat because they didn't like the side dishes. As time passed, the only one who would end up hungry was the child.
Bae Hyeonseok had no intention of cooking a new meal for a child throwing a fit—even if it meant throwing the entire table away.
"Today, we'll be conducting security training. Rather than tactical drills, we'll focus on individual training. Specifically, close-quarters combat to subdue opponents. Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir."
At the mention of combat training, Section Chief An Jibin's eyes gleamed with a predatory light.