Too Much to Do
I watched Kim Team Leader's complexion shift before opening my mouth. "Get out. You have two hours. Rewrite the report from scratch, and leave out Michael Chen."
Kim Team Leader shot to his feet on reflex. "Pull any more stunts and you're dead. You know that, right?"
I was starting to sound like those bastards who shove knives against people's throats just to test them. Not that I'd actually kill him, but judging by the color draining from his face, he was already halfway to fainting.
"I-I'll get right on it!"
The door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the office. I sank deep into the leather sofa and checked my watch. The nickel mine on Java Island. No doubt about it—this was the trap Han Taijin had dug to bury me. To someone who already knew the answer key, it was nothing more than a growth supplement.
Exactly an hour and a half later, the office door eased open.
"Director. I've brought the revised report you requested."
In just ninety minutes, Kim Team Leader looked like hell. He held out the tablet with both hands, posture stiff with deference. As I scrolled through the screen, the sound of him swallowing dryly filled the room.
Hmm.
I skimmed the text quickly. Lieutenant General Subianto, commander of the 2nd Military District on Java Island, Indonesia. A direct contact route to his closest aide. A plan to launder funds under the guise of legitimate infrastructure investment for the military. It was flawless. Not a single trace of the con artist broker Michael Chen that my uncle had planted remained.
"Is… the direction acceptable?" Kim Team Leader asked, watching my reaction.
Thud. When I dropped the tablet onto the desk, his shoulders jerked.
"You can do it when you try."
"Sir?"
"A guy who's capable of carving out a clean path like this—why the hell has he been playing lapdog under my uncle all this time?"
Kim Team Leader's expression hardened. "D-Director, I only ever do what I'm ordered from above—"
"I know. That's why I'm giving you the chance."
I stood and walked over to him. Towering above, I watched him freeze in place. "From today, you're in charge of the Indonesia project. Feed my uncle whatever smoke screen you need through the broker—tell him everything's proceeding smoothly."
"……"
"If this project succeeds, I'll slot you straight into the Finance Director seat on my line."
The leash was already around his neck; now it was time to dangle the meat. Fear followed by an outrageous reward—that was the surest way to turn a traitor into a loyal hound.
Kim Team Leader's eyes darted back and forth, fear and greed warring in his gaze. Then he bowed at the waist. "……Understood."
His voice was short and quiet. The confident tone from earlier had vanished completely.
"Go. Assemble the inspection team and have the report on my desk by tomorrow morning."
Kim Team Leader bowed again and left, his steps noticeably lighter than when he'd entered.
The first piece of the puzzle was in place. All that remained was to crush the real threat coming for my throat before it could even sprout.
I turned my gaze to Kim Manager, who had been waiting silently in the corner of the room.
"Kim Manager."
"Yes, Director."
"How's the task I gave you? Kang Jinwoo. That bastard's file."
Kim Manager's usual crisp reply didn't come.
"Why aren't you answering?"
"……My apologies. The preparation isn't finished yet."
"What?"
Kim Manager hurriedly lowered his head. "He's an ordinary college student, so there aren't many leads worth digging into. His grades are excellent, his relationships are smooth—there aren't any obvious weaknesses…"
His excuses trailed off. I tapped the edge of the desk with my finger. Tap. Tap. Tap. The only sound in the office was the rhythmic tapping. Kim Manager wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
"Kim Manager."
"Yes."
"I'm disappointed."
His posture went rigid.
"The chief secretary to the Seojin Group Director can't even dig up dirt on one college student and has to make excuses to me?"
"D-Director, it's not that—"
"Is this the extent of your ability? Maybe I misjudged you."
I asked without raising my voice, and Kim Manager dropped his gaze to the floor. Competent people feared having their abilities denied more than anything. Especially under a chaebol third-generation heir who could turn on them and snap their necks at any moment.
"I-I'm sorry! I was shortsighted."
"Tonight."
"……Sir?"
"By 8 p.m. tonight, have it on my desk. Kang Jinwoo's part-time jobs, his parents' debts, his bank balance—hell, even what triangle kimbap he bought at the convenience store for lunch today. Everything."
Under my silent stare, Kim Manager swallowed hard. "Understood. I'll deliver it without fail."
He rushed out and shut the door. I listened to his hurried footsteps fade down the hallway before leaning back against the desk.
I had no intention of handling this sloppily. I was just puzzled. In the original story, Kang Jinwoo only approached Lee Soyul after her family went bankrupt and loan sharks came after them. But now I'd already seized Lee Soyul by the leash. On the surface, her family was still stable. So why was Kang Jinwoo already sniffing around?
Even though I'd twisted the original flow, was the story's forced gravity still trying to push Kang Jinwoo and Lee Soyul together? Or had Kang Jinwoo known Lee Soyul far earlier than the original story described?
The fact that I didn't know bothered me.
That evening, 7:30 p.m. Kim Manager entered thirty minutes early, a thick file folder in his hands.
"Director. I've compiled all the requested information on Kang Jinwoo."
He carefully placed the documents on the desk. While I flipped through the first page, Kim Manager stood frozen, barely breathing.
The massive debt left by his parents, student loan status, overdue hospital bills for his younger sister—everything was meticulously organized. Exactly as described in the original story. A frustratingly upright man who still preached goodness despite his mortgaged life.
But then my eyes stopped on the final page: "Current Part-Time Job Details."
"Is this information accurate?"
"Yes. He apparently just started this afternoon. The hourly wage was unusually high, so he jumped at it without asking questions…"
The moment I read the company name on the document, my hand froze mid-turn.
[Workplace: Seojin Hotel Rooftop Lounge 'Orion' / Position: Hall Server]
"Seojin Hotel, huh."
One of the prime subsidiaries my father managed directly. A place with one of the most luxurious lounges in the entire group—literally my father's front yard.
There had been no mention in the original story of Kang Jinwoo working at the hotel. He usually bounced between logistics centers or driving gigs to create contact points with Lee Soyul. So why had he crawled into that hotel of all places?
It was too precise to be coincidence. He claimed he'd taken it for the pay, but Seojin Hotel's rooftop lounge wasn't exactly short on staff. Either someone had pushed him in, or Kang Jinwoo himself had gone there with intent. Both possibilities were unpleasant.
"Kim Manager."
"Yes, Director."
"He starts today, right?"
"That's correct. He's on the evening shift."
"Hmm. I see."
"Contact the hotel general manager."
"Shall I order his dismissal?"
"No. Leave him be. Instead, have every CCTV recording from the lounge during his shifts sent to my email every morning."
Kim Manager gave me a puzzled look.
"Who he talks to, what he says, even how many times he sighs while polishing a glass—monitor everything. Got it?"
"……I'll keep that in mind."
Kim Manager bowed and withdrew. Once he was gone, I was alone again. The glittering Seoul nightscape stretched beyond the window.
Damn, it was sweet. I pulled a crystal glass from the cabinet and poured myself a drink. Now that I'd tasted this power, I had no intention of letting anyone take it away.
Han Taijin had taken the bait. All that remained was Kang Jinwoo. Now that he'd stepped into my territory, he wouldn't be walking out unscathed. The moment he set foot in my front yard, he only had two choices: be used and shaken around at my whim, or be crushed to the bottom without ever proving his worth.
First, I needed to see what face he would show. Whatever his reason, coming into my domain had been his mistake.