Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Price of Standing
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The ripple caused by the stone Hwan-in had thrown swelled into a tsunami that engulfed Saman Enterprises.
It was a scheme meticulously planned to shake Saman Enterprises to its core, backed by explosive exposés to match. Yet for some reason, several massive conglomerates had latched onto the momentum, launching underhanded assaults on the company from the shadows. What started as his calculated wave had ballooned far beyond his expectations.
["Power Gate Opened... Reeking of Corruption"]
["No Will for Reform Against Recurring 'Survival Scandals'?"]
["Industrial Complex 'Bid-Rigging' Scandal Again? 'Years of Deals with Corrupt Firms...'"]
"......"
The goal of the exposé had been self-preservation and revenge against Kang Ha-yeon, who was trying to socially destroy him.
But Kang Ha-yeon was the daughter of Saman Enterprises' vice president. Touch her recklessly, and he'd be the one who got burned.
To get back at her, he had to dismantle her family first.
Exposing just the corruption tied to VP Kang from the intel he'd gathered would have sufficed to topple a vice president at a firm like Saman. But...
'That wouldn't touch VP Kang's network or infrastructure. With his abilities and slush funds, there's a 70% chance he'd rebound through his connections once the storm passes.'
To cut off even the sprout of recovery, he'd need a far more intricate plan—and that was too much hassle.
So Hwan-in decided to topple Saman Enterprises itself.
Once it crumbled, 80% of VP Kang's connections and wealth would evaporate.
He'd even locked in the coordinates for heavy artillery: two vice presidents and an executive director.
Even if Saman weathered the storm of public outrage and plunging stocks, those three would suffer blows severe enough to prevent any comeback.
Yet conglomerates ranked around 30th in the business world had zeroed in on the Saman Gate scandal.
'Must've looked tasty.'
He'd considered the possibility of top 5% groups jumping in. Saman was, metaphorically, a plump goose ripe for the plucking.
But lacking intel, he hadn't factored it in and had dismissed the giants' movements for now.
Dismissed or not, he'd been certain they wouldn't step in to help when the gate blew open. Saman's accumulated filth was dirtier than sewer sludge.
'Anyway, it's lucky for me.'
As the fire spread wildly like this, attention would scatter, slashing the odds of scrutiny falling on Yoo Han-seong.
Confirming fresh articles exposing more Saman dirt beyond what he'd leaked, Hwan-in looked up and scanned the office.
The atmosphere was chaos.
The Saman Gate had hit even the public broadcaster's prime-time newsroom.
Executives rarely seen were scurrying about in droves, high-pitched shouts echoing from somewhere—the vibe couldn't get more frantic.
Catching employees whispering in hushed tones, Hwan-in moved to the stairwell landing and stroked his chin at the sight of reporters staking out entrances and the parking lot.
'The threat to Kang Ha-yeon worked.'
It was a bluff to buy time before that bitch filed her baseless lawsuit.
She'd dismissed his threat as the ravings of a lunatic desperate not to be branded a sex offender.
She wouldn't connect him to the scandal's spark. That's why he'd kept a low profile at work all these years—quiet and unassuming.
Fiddling with his resignation letter in his pocket, Hwan-in fired up the smartphone he'd modded recently for bushcraft. He opened the stock app.
Saman's shares were hitting daily lower limits so hard the term "plunge" felt understated.
"......"
Not one of the ten Saman subsidiaries in his stock app favorites had escaped the crash.
The parent company was tanking hard too, market cap evaporating in real time.
Convinced of the dinosaur corps and trading syndicates swarming the juicy Saman carcass, Hwan-in hid a faint smile and drew a vending machine coffee, savoring its sweet aroma.
The balding section chief, already nursing migraines from the company's turmoil, eyed the resignation letter before him and rubbed his shiny pate.
Hot to the touch.
"Tch."
Muttering inwardly that this heat was fueling his baldness, he looked up at Hwan-in.
"Quitting?"
"Yes."
"If it's about Team Leader Kang from Planning rude to you, no worries. She said she got what she deserved, that she's reflecting on her mistake. You won't catch heat for it."
He slid the letter back, but Hwan-in's response wasn't what he'd expected.
"......You really plan to quit?"
The company has no future.
This isn't where I'll spend my life.
The work's no fun.
Several replies flashed in his mind, but Hwan-in stayed silent as always.
The balding chief glared at the statue-still Hwan-in, then crumpled the letter into his drawer.
He whipped his head away, irritation plain.
Good thing he didn't grovel. Hwan-in bowed politely and turned.
Only then did the chief sneer at his back, loud enough to be heard.
"Kids these days got no grit, no grit. What kinda parents raise brats with no sense of responsibility, running off like that? Tch tch."
"......"
"At the first sign of trouble, they tuck tail like beaten dogs... What do they even learn showing off like that? If that's how it is, go shovel dirt on some construction site. Useless trash..."
Hwan-in halted at the chief's mockery, devoid of even a speck of respect. He turned cold eyes on him.
"Lee Min-doo."
"W-what?!"
Those blind to respecting others snap hardest at slights against themselves.
"Hey, you punk! Am I your buddy?! Who the hell are you to call a grown man by name, you snot-nosed brat?!"
Face beet-red like he'd suffered grave insult, the chief lurched up, toppling his chair.
Hwan-in watched impassively, then continued in a low voice.
"I'm quitting because of you."
"What'd you say, you bastard?!"
"HR chief, yet too dumb to handle a computer. Cowardly as a rat, greedier than a monkey. Can't separate work from personal—claims subordinates' achievements as yours, dumps your screw-ups on them. That's you, vermin. What could I learn from scum like you? Dirty tricks? Slander? Bootlicking?"
"Y-you little—!"
Trembling with rage at the blunt truths, the chief seized a thick binder and hurled it at Hwan-in—but
"......"
Hwan-in snatched it mid-air and smashed it into the chief's face.
Splat. The chief yelped like a fool and tumbled back.
Stepping toward the flailing rat of a man, Hwan-in spat contempt.
"All you know is rat-like flattery and ass-kissing. Molesting new hires and bragging like war stories? Your character reeks worse than ten-year sewage. Demand respect while giving none?"
"Wha...!"
"And embezzling team funds? Millions a month. Not scared of the top?"
Stammering at the overload of insults, the chief snapped alert at Hwan-in's next words, like an ice-water dousing.
Glancing around, employees had gathered for the commotion. Seeing disdain from rival team chiefs, he scrambled to contain the spill—but...
"No!! What slander is this? I never embezzled!"
"Who cares. But to end on a high note... I just submitted evidence of your in-office harassment to the local precinct. Consider it my parting gift."
The chief's face drained to ashen at Hwan-in's phone screen.
He'd been fiddling with it earlier—doing this?!
"......!"
Lunging for the phone in panic, the chief's hand was slapped away hard. For the first time in 46 years, he knew blood boiling true.
Hwan-in gave the man a hazy smile.
"One last tip on my way out. No woman wants a balding geezer pushing fifty. When your side aches too bad to chase people, hit the fish market. Plenty of tentacles there for your chills."
Smack smack.
The chief's flushed face evoked a boiled octopus.
Lightly patting the pate, Hwan-in drew laughs from team and gawking colleagues, hastily stifled with bowed heads.
Amid stifled snickers, Hwan-in turned, chest light, leaving the trembling octopus to his shame, rage, and fear.
He'd raised his voice deliberately, but as the executive director's right-hand, minor harassment wouldn't sink him immediately.
Once formal probes kicked off, though, it'd chain him down with the exec.
Might even get scapegoated.
Heading to the elevators, team seniors and juniors swarmed, thumbs up, slapping shoulders, buzzing with thrill.
"Bro, that was so satisfying!"
"Senior, you were badass. How do you roast like that?"
"In-ah. Felt good even watching, but... you okay? Burning bridges like this tanks job hunts."
"I'm fine. Family's loaded."
"Ah......"
"Money lets you swing like that, huh......"
"No farewell party from the vibe. Sent key docs via company email—check later."
"Huh? Sounds like you're off-grid awhile. Where to?"
"Thinking self-improvement trip through Europe."
Envy rippled through the crowd.
Europe! Jealous. I'd backpack too without student loans.
"Well, I'll head out. Take care, everyone."
"Yeah. I'll use that chart and data you sent."
"Someone like you will land better. Fighting, senior!"
"Bro, ping me if you can when you're there!"
Final goodbyes with juniors, down to the lobby—where he crossed paths with incoming Kang Ha-yeon.
"Ah......"
Spotting him, she ducked her head like a scared pup and scurried past.
Hwan-in eyed her flight to the emergency stairs without much feeling and exited the building.
He didn't know—probably never would.
That his flat tone, expressionless face, and threats would terrify even the boldest woman.
No regrets leaving the firm of four years. Chest light.
Morning resignation done, he grabbed a small suitcase and LAX ticket from home, then hit the Korea Exchange.
Nothing beat massive LED boards over a phone screen.
......!! ......!
..........!!
Stock floor staff dashing, yelling; Saman, subs, dozens of linked firms crashing live—rewarding.
Not joy or fun. Closer to fulfillment.
Sipping canned coffee, Hwan-in exhaled quietly.
Original plan: quiet quit, ghost Korea. Noise just left trails.
But pre-resignation, memories of years tormented by the balding chief surged—leading to overkill.
"Hah."
No regrets. Ignoring that mockery would've soured his mood yearly recalling it.
Lunch at a decent Italian spot, then his usual bar for a farewell drink before departure.
Channel 24 news droning Saman Gate as accompaniment, nursing his reserved whiskey—the grizzled bartender approached with a grin.
"Look like a weight's lifted. Good news?"
"That obvious?"
"You've got a rare faint smile, unlike usual."
Not close, but they'd exchanged names. At the opener, Hwan-in touched his lips, smiled openly, nodded.
"Just quit on my way here. Maybe that's it."
"Congrats."
The bartender smiled back, sliding over a glass of deep pink liquid.
"For luck on your new start. My treat."
"Thanks."
Sweeter than expected. He overdid the booze a tad.
Just two extra glasses.
But with a flight soon, he wanted clear head—grabbed ion drink and chocolate from a nearby convenience store.
'Airport limo... opposite block?'
Phone check for stop, he ducked into an alley between buildings, munching chocolate, gulping the drink.
Then—a weird flash mid-alley.
"......?"
Not glass catching sun, not phone glow.
Like... aurora undulating.
Curious, he approached—and at the source, puzzled, scanned around.
No passersby. Dropped by accident?
On footprint-stained dingy cement lay a bright yellow gold coin.
Setting his bag down, he bent and picked it up.
Not perfect circle—worn, irregular, lived-in.
Obverse: bizarre animal head. Reverse: utterly alien script.
Not alphabet, Arabic, Vietnamese, Hindi—nothing familiar.
'Toy?'
Texture realistic, but real gold? Then a fresh scent wafted past his nose.
Not dank alley reek—deep forest crispness.
"......?"
Looking up, Hwan-in's thoughts froze.
Trees towering apartment-high, dense thick trunks.
Below: damp leaf litter. Earthy, fishy soil scent rare in cities.
Woooung— woooorrr—
Beast or bird wail pierced the dim woods.
Hwan-in belatedly realized he stood deep in a forest.