Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Nam Sung-il's Reasonable Suspicion
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Nam Sung-il's suspicion was reasonable.
Executive Director Cha Woo-jin reviewed all business plans in the company first.
Park Joo-seung handled subcontractor management due to his nominal title of 'Director.'
In other words, once Executive Director Cha Woo-jin approved a plan, Nam Sung-il made the final decision.
Then Director Park Woo-jin placed orders with subcontractors suitable for the plan.
These two were the core of Daehan Construction.
Moreover, these two had some connection to Seojin Construction.
'...Thank you. President.'
That was how the suspects had been narrowed down.
To catch the culprit for sure, he might even have to use psychometry, but this would greatly reduce the time needed to root out the spy.
While Lee Dae-hyuk felt grateful,
Nam Sung-il released the handshake and lightly patted his left shoulder.
It was warm encouragement directed at a new employee, not the chairman's son.
"I interrupted your meal. Eat well, and we'll meet again."
Nam Sung-il, beaming broadly, turned and walked away with his entourage.
Lee Dae-hyuk watched his retreating figure with eyes full of conviction.
'You won't have to wait long to see me again.'
***
A house in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.
It was a two-story house that Lee Dae-hyuk had prepared for Kim Min-gyu to live in.
The first floor was living space for Kim Min-gyu and a few of his subordinates, while the second floor was used as a meeting room.
In a sense, Lee Dae-hyuk was personally running two teams.
If Kim Jae-woon and Kim Mi-jin's group was the 'economic team,' then Kim Min-gyu's team was practically his off-the-books organization that carried out his directives.
"Do we really have to go this far?"
In the center of the living room.
Yoon Tae-ho grumbled as he stood beside Lee Dae-hyuk, who was sitting on the sofa.
From his position, he couldn't help but dislike this base(?) that Lee Dae-hyuk had set up.
From Yoon Tae-ho's perspective, it was inevitable that he'd have complaints.
Watching a chaebol young master, raised in luxury, mingling with gangsters made his chest tighten.
However, he rationally understood that Lee Dae-hyuk needed the organization led by Kim Min-gyu.
Sometimes they had no choice but to operate in the gray area between legal and illegal.
If his direct security detail got caught doing such things?
Lee Dae-hyuk's position would become awkward.
But even understanding it intellectually, he couldn't look kindly at Kim Min-gyu, who had ambushed Lee Dae-hyuk.
"Don't you like me?"
Kim Min-gyu, standing in front of the whiteboard in the middle of the living room, glared with wide eyes.
"Who likes gangsters?"
"You're being rude with your speech."
"I'm older than you."
"...This is an official setting. Use proper honorifics?"
"I'm treating you officially right now. If this weren't official, you'd be in the ER already."
At that moment, wrinkles formed on the bridge of Lee Dae-hyuk's nose as he listened to their exchange.
"Let's get to work!"
There was a slight edge to Lee Dae-hyuk's voice.
Having led an organization back in his Kim Geon-woo days, Lee Dae-hyuk knew that hierarchy needed to be established in situations like this.
Even if their hearts weren't aligned due to circumstances, he had to manage them within his lines.
Did his cold gaze get through?
Yoon Tae-ho and Kim Min-gyu apologized simultaneously.
"I'm sorry, Young Master."
"I'll be careful, President."
"Use 'President' as the unified title."
"...Yes."
Lee Dae-hyuk, not wanting to hear 'Young Master' in front of others anymore, issued the order, and Yoon Tae-ho complied meekly.
Lee Dae-hyuk's gaze turned to Kim Min-gyu.
"Let's work."
"Yes. Ahem."
Kim Min-gyu, embarrassed, cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his eyes.
But the lingering resentment between Yoon Tae-ho and Kim Min-gyu hadn't fully dissipated.
'I'll have a physical debate with that gangster punk about hierarchy soon.'
'I need to legally throw down with that muscle-bound old man sometime.'
While Yoon Tae-ho and Kim Min-gyu inwardly ground their teeth at each other,
Lee Dae-hyuk, scanning the photos attached to the whiteboard, spoke up.
"Start the briefing."
.
.
.
Right after becoming Lee Dae-hyuk's subordinate, Kim Min-gyu had secretly tailed Daehan Construction directors suspected of being spies.
It was obvious that ordinary employees wouldn't become industrial spies.
How could regular staff know about budgets set for national projects or permits for redevelopment zones?
Under the judgment that the leaks came from the board or high-level executives, he narrowed the 'suspects' down to fewer than ten.
And Kim Min-gyu reached the same conclusion as Nam Sung-il.
"As you know, President, this scene is full of skilled technicians. Give them money, and within three days, they can handle hacking and wiretapping. We did the tailing ourselves, and for the parts needing tech, we outsourced with the activity funds you provided this time."
"So, the confirmed suspects?"
At Lee Dae-hyuk's question, Kim Min-gyu peeled off the suspects' photos from the whiteboard one by one.
"We checked them all thoroughly, and these eight had zero connections to Seojin Construction. The problem is..."
Kim Min-gyu glared at the photos of the remaining two on the whiteboard.
"These two guys—no, these two gentlemen."
"These two have ties to Seojin Construction?"
"We didn't catch them selling info or receiving payment directly..."
Was it because this was the first merit he'd earned since becoming Lee Dae-hyuk's subordinate?
A triumphant smile crept onto Kim Min-gyu's lips.
"Executive Director Cha Woo-jin often golfs with Seojin Construction executives. They call it a simple networking group, but four out of six are Seojin people."
Lee Dae-hyuk's expression didn't change.
It was information he already knew from using psychometry on Nam Sung-il.
On the other hand, Yoon Tae-ho began picking at Kim Min-gyu's briefing.
"Golfing together is possible. Isn't calling that a connection too much of a stretch?"
Even at Lee Dae-hyuk's point, Kim Min-gyu's smile didn't fade.
"They do high-stakes golf betting in these meetups. And six out of ten times, Executive Director Cha Woo-jin wins money."
This matched what Nam Sung-il had investigated.
"You can't conclude from that alone, right?"
Lee Dae-hyuk posed the question he'd felt when using psychometry on Nam Sung-il.
Kim Min-gyu answered without hesitation.
"The amounts vary per game."
"......??"
"Executive Director Cha Woo-jin wins over 20 million won on average. He loses about 3 million when he does. Don't you see the angle?"
Hearing Kim Min-gyu's report, Yoon Tae-ho nodded.
"So, that's the payoff for the info?"
"It's suspicious."
Even at Kim Min-gyu's response, Lee Dae-hyuk furrowed his brow.
Suspicious, but not enough to pin it on Cha Woo-jin yet.
"...What about Director Park Joo-seung?"
Lee Dae-hyuk continued.
Meaning, keep going with the report.
Yoon Tae-ho's eyes lit up as well.
Park Joo-seung, brother-in-law to Chairman Lee Myung-guk's family—no, not even family, but he acted like a chaebol heir, throwing his weight around and causing issues.
Having caused trouble since his youth, if not for parachuting into Lee Myung-guk's company, he'd be a lifelong bum.
So, just being on the spy suspect list was infuriating.
Wasn't this like repaying kindness with enmity?
Moreover, Park Joo-seung had called Lee Dae-hyuk a 'parasite' and hurled insults.
'Chance for revenge on the Young Master's behalf.'
Unlike Yoon Tae-ho, who desperately hoped Park Joo-seung was the spy, Lee Dae-hyuk remained calm.
If Park Joo-seung was the spy, it would be convenient in every way.
'Because I can use him properly anytime.'
He could check Chairman Lee Myung-guk's formal wife, Park Ji-sook, through Park Joo-seung.
If her brother was an industrial spy, even the haughty chairman's wife wouldn't dare act out.
As if reading Lee Dae-hyuk's thoughts, Kim Min-gyu continued his report with a smug expression.
"This one's simple and straightforward."
"Money for the first, a woman for this one?"
At Lee Dae-hyuk's response, Kim Min-gyu picked up another photo from the table next to the whiteboard.
Thud-!
Kim Min-gyu attached the photo to the whiteboard and continued.
"Kim Joo-ran, secretary to Seojin Construction Director Jang Myung-chul."
"Ha... this is a mess. Total mess."
Yoon Tae-ho muttered while looking at the photo of Kim Joo-ran.
Early thirties, perhaps?
Striking enough that any man passing by would glance twice.
Of course, men would quickly look away.
Her belly was hugely swollen as she entered the coffee shop.
"Currently five months pregnant. Park Joo-seung's mistress."
Kim Min-gyu proceeded to attach three more photos in sequence to the whiteboard.
The background was a coffee shop.
In one, Sunglasses-wearing Park Joo-seung sat facing Kim Joo-ran, grinding his teeth.
In another, Park Joo-seung shot up from the sofa and stormed out of the coffee shop alone, leaving her behind.
The last showed Kim Joo-ran sitting alone, gazing wistfully out the window.
......
Lee Dae-hyuk stared silently at the three photos for a long while.
He should be happy, really.
Even if Park Joo-seung wasn't the spy, these photos alone gave him leverage.
But he couldn't shake the nagging feeling in one corner of his heart.
The child in Kim Joo-ran's belly would likely walk the same fate as Lee Dae-hyuk.
'This isn't the time for sympathy.'
He needed to be cold.
For revenge, hands had to be bloodied.
Afterward, he could care for the pitiful and take in the unfortunate.
Useless emotions right now.
Brushing those thoughts from his mind, Lee Dae-hyuk asked a question.
"From the photos, doesn't look like a hot romance."
"Park Joo-seung told her to get rid of it. But as you see, Kim Joo-ran wants to keep it."
At Kim Min-gyu's report, Lee Dae-hyuk recalled Park Joo-seung.
No matter how much he thought, no clear memory surfaced.
Probably.
'He lived incompetently and faded away.'
Lee Dae-hyuk didn't dwell on it long.
No need to think about it anyway.
Using psychometry on these two suspects would settle it simply.
"Good. Let's end the investigation here."
"Yes?"
Kim Min-gyu frowned.
They'd only identified suspects, not caught the spy.
And now end the investigation?
Gazing at Lee Dae-hyuk with eyes full of doubt, Kim Min-gyu cautiously countered.
"You... don't trust us?"
"I do. But I want to handle the finish myself."
It would take quite some time for them to uncover the spy through investigation.
Better to wrap it up quickly with his own ability.
But Kim Min-gyu, unaware of Lee Dae-hyuk's psychometry, looked a bit downcast.
Yoon Tae-ho desperately suppressed the smile tugging at his lips.
Watching the two act so childishly in turn, Lee Dae-hyuk scratched the back of his head.
'Men and their pissing contests...'
But Lee Dae-hyuk wasn't uneasy about their rivalry.
Both Yoon Tae-ho and Kim Min-gyu were loyal to him.
The pissing contest between men with common ground always ended in friendship.
Swish-!
Instead of scolding them, Lee Dae-hyuk stood from the sofa and asked the two.
"You both play golf, right?"
***
To Cha Woo-jin, the Saturday golf course was a sacred place.
If a non-pro who played golf as a hobby called it sacred, passersby would scoff.
He wasn't pro-level, but on this field, Cha Woo-jin made more money than most pros.
Crack-!
The ball, struck powerfully, traced an arc through the sky.
Each time he heard the impact and saw the ball slice through the clear sky, Cha Woo-jin felt layers of stress melt away.
Clap clap clap-!
"Nice shot."
"Executive Director, you're full of energy. That swing's pro-level, pro-level."
Applause and praise from his partners poured in.
Cha Woo-jin shrugged at his partners—no, his 'deal' targets.
"Aigoo, all this praise on an empty stomach has me stuffed. Might skip breakfast today. Hahaha."
Cha Woo-jin approached his Seojin Construction colleagues with a bright smile.
Today was timing to lose.
'But damn, I'm getting swing luck. Why's this happening?'
At this rate, he might hole-in-one next game.
Plus bonuses....
Today's golf was as enjoyable and happy as ever.
.
.
.
After finishing the round, Cha Woo-jin entered the golf course restroom with a flushed, satisfied face.
No hole-in-one, but...
Even with real skill, he'd finished three strokes ahead of the others.
'Guess I should cover the room?'
The pot was 300 each, 1,200 for four.
Considering past dealings, returning this much wouldn't hurt feelings.
Money could be lost in a higher-stakes game later.
Ending with a room would leave no bad blood.
'Golf by day, fine liquor by night.... Yeah, this is heaven.'
Grinning as he zipped up and turned,
Thud-!
He shoulder-bumped someone standing right behind.
"Hey, watch where you're... "
Cha Woo-jin reflexively started to snap,
But the young man he'd bumped bowed his head quickly.
"Ah, sorry. In a rush. Hahaha. Huh?"
The man scratched his head with an awkward laugh, then widened his eyes at Cha Woo-jin.
Flinch-!
Cha Woo-jin was startled by the man's reaction, as if he recognized him.
A stranger calling his name and title.
"Aren't you Executive Director Cha Woo-jin?"
"Who... are you?"
When Cha Woo-jin asked with a bewildered expression, the sheepish man revealed his name.
"Ah, I'm Lee Dae-hyuk, new hire at Daehan Construction."
Boss, Become a Chaebol