Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Royal Family 8-4
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Seo Ji-hyeok arrived at KM Credit Information thirty minutes after finishing his call with Han Ji-young.
"Excuse me."
According to the sign at the building entrance, KM occupied the entire third floor.
But as soon as he pushed open the glass door—artfully decorated to look legitimate—Ji-hyeok could tell this wasn't a normal company.
There were about fifty or sixty desks and chairs neatly arranged, but every single one was empty.
Ji-hyeok slowly walked into the vacant office.
And after he'd taken about ten steps, a man came rushing up behind him from outside the office.
"You're from Taesung, right?"
"Yes."
"Ah, of all days, our company has a staff bonding event today. The whole team's off at Jeju Island."
"I see. That's why the office is so empty."
"Yes, exactly. Anyway, we got the heads-up, but what exactly do you need for the audit...?"
But that was when it happened.
"Hey!"
Ji-hyeok turned at the shout from behind him. A man who had just burst through the entrance was stomping over, huffing and puffing.
"You bastard. Stay right there."
He bellowed and charged forward, then raised his hand to slap Ji-hyeok the moment he got close.
Whoosh!
But Ji-hyeok wasn't about to take a sloppy swing like that.
He easily dodged by tilting his head back, causing the man to miss and stumble.
But in that instant—
Crack!
Ji-hyeok raised his hand and slapped the man hard across the face.
Thud crash...
Like a scene straight out of a cartoon, the man spun a full circle in place before flying onto an empty desk and crashing down.
Ji-hyeok stared at him in disbelief.
It was like running into a lunatic on the street...
Of course, Ji-hyeok knew exactly who this was.
This was Kang Young-min, son of Taesung Card President Kang Jun-woo and manager of the collections team.
The kind of thug who raised a hand at anyone who rubbed him the wrong way.
But Ji-hyeok feigned ignorance as he looked down at Kang Young-min rolling on the floor.
"What the hell? Who’s this psycho?"
The KM employee shouted in shock at Kang Young-min's fall and rushed over.
"Oh no! Manager!"
He tried to help him up, but Kang Young-min groaned, got up on his knees, and shoved the man's hands away hard.
"Get off! Damn it! Let go!"
"Manager, your nose... your nose is bleeding..."
Blood was pouring from both nostrils of the now-standing Kang Young-min.
A classic double nosebleed...
But Kang Young-min wiped his nose with the back of his hand, saw the blood, and flew into an even greater rage.
"You son of a bitch. Do you know who I am?"
How could siblings be so alike?
There had to be something wrong with their upbringing.
Thinking about what Kang Jun-woo must be like with kids turning out this way already gave him a headache.
"How would I know? Do you know me?"
"I'm Kang Young-min! You auditor punk don't even know my name?"
"Why should I? So who are you?"
"You bastard! My grandfather's Vice Chairman Kang Heon. Satisfied? You stay right there, you punk."
With that bellow, he snatched up a nearby chair that had fallen over.
And just as he was about to hurl it, Ji-hyeok launched himself forward.
Crack!
"Argh!"
The one screaming wasn't Kang Young-min—it was the KM employee standing next to him.
Kang Young-min took Ji-hyeok's kick to the jaw and collapsed without even a cry.
"H-Hey! Are you crazy?"
"Crazy about what?"
"Do you even know who this guy is?"
"Since we're on the topic, let me ask—what the hell is this place?"
"W-What are you talking about?"
"I checked already. KM gets an average of 18 billion in bad debts from Taesung Card every month. But KM resells those debts to Wai Credit and Yuwon Credit for exactly 18 billion each month. Conclusion: this is just a pass-through. These big offices and desks? You only set them up for when Taesung auditors show up, right?"
"What the..."
"No need to answer now. Here's my card—take it. Let me ease your mind a bit. Do you think I really didn't know who that guy was when I hit him, or did I know and hit him anyway? This audit's different. Don't get stuck holding the bag alone trying to cut off a tail. Think it over."
The man, who had been about to protest his innocence, clamped his mouth shut at Ji-hyeok's final words.
"Give me your card. Least I can do since I came all this way—gotta know your name."
"H-Here..."
The man hesitated for a moment before handing it over.
KM Credit Information Executive Director Kim Kwang-jae.
Ji-hyeok glanced at the card and flashed a smile.
"So you're someone who knows what he knows. Anyway, make a wise choice. This storm won't pass gently."
Kim Kwang-jae looked at Ji-hyeok with eyes full of worry, then gave a slight nod.
Confirming it, Ji-hyeok turned to leave—but paused and turned back.
"Oh, right—that thing works, yeah?"
Ji-hyeok pointed at the CCTV camera.
This time, Kim Kwang-jae nodded firmly.
"Copy that scene for me. Where's the server?"
"Over there, but..."
Kim Kwang-jae pointed to a room at the back of the office.
But he hesitated to move, glancing at Kang Young-min sprawled on the floor.
"You stay here. I'll handle it. Computer password?"
"Yes. Just type KM in Korean."
Ji-hyeok nodded and headed to the back office.
And by the time he returned, Kang Young-min still hadn't woken up.
After leaving KM Credit Information, Ji-hyeok drove to Taesung Corporation headquarters.
Strictly speaking, he should have visited Wai and Yuwon Credit Information too, but he saw no need.
'Alright, let's see how they react.'
He'd stirred up the quiet hornet's nest.
Now it was time to watch how big the fire would get.
The truth was, the financial division had ended up like this because the shares weren't cleanly sorted.
Taesung Life Insurance had subsidiaries: cards, securities, and investments.
The problem was the murky ownership of Taesung Life itself.
1st shareholder: Taesung Corp. – 27%.
2nd shareholder: Vice Chairman Kang Heon – 22%.
3rd shareholders: Trading, Woolens, Department Store – 8% each.
4th shareholder: National Pension – 5%.
That was the current state.
Ideally, Taesung Corp. should have held over 51%, but it didn't.
The reason? Vice Chairman Kang Heon had generously handed over shares in Taesung Electronics—the core of the circular investment structure—without compensation.
In gratitude, Chairman Kang Wook and Vice Chairman An Chi-hyeon had allowed Taesung Life's shares to settle in that form.
Plus, with Taesung Corp. and the three sisters' shares, controlling Taesung Life seemed no issue.
But now, with the management dispute underway, the three sisters' shares had only given wings to Vice Chairman Kang Heon at Taesung Life.
The reason the three sisters couldn't touch Vice Chairman Kang Heon was simple.
He held no shares in the holding company, but he wielded a very sharp, massive sword.
Legitimacy.
In a fight for control, after shares, legitimacy was key.
No matter who won now, the wounds would be deep.
Legitimacy healed those wounds fastest.
That was why sisters Jin-young, Seon-young, and Mi-young couldn't move against Vice Chairman Kang Heon.
'Well then, how about we finally exchange proper greetings, even if it's late?'
Ji-hyeok didn't head to the office. He parked at a café in the alley known as restaurant row nearby.
He took a seat on the second floor, pulled out his phone, and tapped out a message.
After ordering coffee, he gazed out the window, enjoying a brief moment of leisure.
But his peace didn't last five minutes.
Three men came dashing from the headquarters building, scanned the café area, and entered.
They vanished to the first floor, but soon reappeared on the second, looking around.
The men muttered into their in-ear mics and headed back down.
That was when it happened.
A luxury sedan slowly entered the alley and pulled up smoothly at the café entrance.
Moments later, the back door opened, and a man stepped out and entered the café.
Seeing him, Ji-hyeok stood from his chair.
This wasn't someone to greet while seated.
As Ji-hyeok rose, the in-ear man from earlier came up first, followed by the man from the car.
Taesung's number two in name and reality, the shadow of Chairman Kang Wook, Taesung's right-hand man—Vice Chairman An Chi-hyeon—had arrived.
Of course, they'd met officially before.
On Ji-hyeok's first day, Vice Chairman An Chi-hyeon had briefly visited the Special Sales Department and exchanged greetings.
So they were acquainted, but today was different.
"Nothing for me?"
"Didn't know your taste."
"Hey, Manager Kim—decaf coffee for me, please."
"Yes, sir."
At the vice chairman's call, the in-ear man who'd come up earlier headed back down.
An Chi-hyeon sat in a chair and gestured for Ji-hyeok to do the same.
"You're later than expected."
"When did you expect me?"
"I thought you'd come looking sooner than this."
"Truth is, I didn't even need to contact you now."
"Then why'd you call me?"
"To listen."
"To what?"
But then Manager Kim arrived with coffee on a tray and set it down, pausing the conversation.
As the vice chairman lightly sipped through the straw, Ji-hyeok spoke again.
"I can say for certain: the wounds will be bigger and deeper than you think. Can you handle it?"
"This seat of mine was made for handling it."
Ji-hyeok smirked at the vice chairman's warm smile.
As expected, no pushover.
An Chi-hyeon proved no one sat in Taesung's vice chairman seat lightly—his demeanor left few openings.
'Right. You're used to this kind of talk.'
Ji-hyeok picked up his coffee, took a big gulp, and crunched an ice cube between his teeth.
Crunch...
His aides' faces twisted, but Ji-hyeok didn't care.
"At seventy-eight, isn't it an age where only your own body is easy to handle?"
"True enough, but I've got enough strength left for this."
That was the moment.
Ji-hyeok realized what An Chi-hyeon was thinking.
And it mildly surprised him.
Truth be told, he'd wanted to meet An Chi-hyeon today to say exactly this.
The end of this matter is you stepping down too.
Had An Chi-hyeon reacted lukewarmly, Ji-hyeok wouldn't have handled the financial division as he wanted.
More cards were always better.
Depending on use, Vice Chairman Kang Heon could be a good card too.
But now An Chi-hyeon had given the answer Ji-hyeok wanted.
'Impressive.'
And as if confirming Ji-hyeok's thoughts, An Chi-hyeon spoke softly.
"I've already submitted my resignation to the chairman. Betraying kin is hard work. And such matters always need someone to take responsibility."
Ji-hyeok gazed at An Chi-hyeon for a moment, then slowly bowed his head.
"I heard your answer loud and clear. I'll get going then—busy day."
An Chi-hyeon looked slightly surprised as Ji-hyeok stood.
Then he called out to the turning Ji-hyeok.
"Hey. Hold on."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Why not ask me?"
"Ask what?"
"Aren't you curious what the chairman thinks of you?"
"I am."
"Then?"
"I'll hear it from him directly."
An Chi-hyeon's eyes sparkled at Ji-hyeok's reply.
And though he made no sound, a broad smile spread across his face.
But Ji-hyeok had already bowed lightly and turned away.