Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Parachute Purge
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Chapter 81
“......”
For a moment, Kim Dae-min felt a sense of unease.
It was as if he were receiving advice from a superior.
Even during their conversation, an effortless air of intimidation emanated from Lee Dae-hyeok.
‘This is getting interesting.’
Kim Dae-min had also received reports on Lee Dae-hyeok through his own channels.
He had rooted out spies from Seo Jin Construction and extracted 100 billion through land hoarding.
Thanks to that, Kim Jin-taek, a former Blue House Chief of Staff, and Seo Jin Construction President Min Seung-woo were now behind bars.
‘And they’re not the only ones.’
Including those two, many others were either under investigation by the authorities or already in custody.
Lee Dae-hyeok had shaken not just the Seo Jin Group, but the entire Republic of Korea, whether people realized it or not.
So Kim Dae-min subtly...
“That’s sound advice. But people in my position, around my age, will have high expectations of you, Young Master. And those expectations could turn into poison for you.”
...put Lee Dae-hyeok to the test.
A warning to beware of sycophants.
But Lee Dae-hyeok accepted Kim Dae-min’s advice with a smile.
“If I were the type to succumb to that level of poison, I wouldn’t be standing here in front of the Chief of Staff right now.”
“...I overstepped. My apologies.”
Even as he apologized, a broad smile spread across Kim Dae-min’s face.
He genuinely liked Lee Dae-hyeok.
‘Alright, enough playing the wise old mentor.’
Now it was time to show proper respect.
“I heard from President Nam Seong-il. You’ve quit the company today and must feel relieved. So, what brings you to see me?”
“It’s a task my father gave me.”
“A task?”
“Yes.”
“My father said Daehan Construction needs a parachute.”
“He said that?”
“Yes. He told me to meet with you once I understood why it was necessary. He said you’d listen to what I have to say.”
“Hahaha. The Chairman is as shrewd as ever.”
Kim Dae-min understood Lee Myung-guk’s intentions.
It was a request to pass judgment on Lee Dae-hyeok.
To make that judgment, he needed to pose a little test question.
“Why do you think parachutes are necessary?”
“There’s a saying: necessary evil. To maintain good relations with subcontractors, we have to give them some benefits.”
Most parachutes were the sons and daughters of subcontractor executives.
In other words, Daehan Construction specially hired the children of subcontractor presidents to keep friendly ties.
Just like how Yoo Jae-man bestowed artwork instead of cash bribes.
So far, so good.
If only the parachutes hadn’t caused problems.
“But these parachutes are stirring up trouble and having a negative impact on the other employees.”
“So you want me to deal with the parachutes? For your sake, Young Master?”
The quick-witted Kim Dae-min already knew what Lee Dae-hyeok was after.
‘Chairman of Daehan Group... Is it mere gambling, or calculated strategy? I’ll have to watch closely.’
It was still too early for a firm judgment, so he phrased the question this way.
But Lee Dae-hyeok already knew exactly what to say.
“For me and Daehan Group. And Chief of Staff, you should be working for Daehan Group regardless of whether it’s me or not.”
“......”
Lee Dae-hyeok was right.
He was a man who worked for Daehan Group.
‘Enough probing.’
Now it was time to get to work.
“A while back, the Chairman granted me a small authority.”
“You mean the Chairman’s direct audit team?”
Lee Dae-hyeok’s response made Kim Dae-min’s eyes flicker.
“...Your information is sharp. How did you know?”
The fact that Chief Secretary Kim Dae-min headed the Chairman’s direct audit team was top secret, even within the company.
Only the team members and Chairman Lee Myung-guk knew.
But of course, Lee Dae-hyeok knew.
After Daehan Group collapsed, all their information became Seo Jin’s.
He couldn’t say that outright, though.
Lee Dae-hyeok smiled, his eyes gleaming.
As if flaunting his power.
“Now I wield that much influence.”
“......”
Kim Dae-min fell silent again.
He couldn’t verify if it was true.
But one thing was certain.
From their conversation so far and the abilities he’d shown, Lee Dae-hyeok had become a solid rival to Lee Dae-hwan.
‘Right. Rivals make you stronger.’
He had no intention of siding solely with Lee Dae-hyeok.
Still, if their rivalry advanced Daehan Group, serving as the spark wasn’t a bad deal.
“Very well. I’ll handle the parachutes as you said. However...”
“We have to respect certain lines.”
Lee Dae-hyeok knew he couldn’t purge them all.
‘Fine. That’s how this world works.’
He wanted to remove the parachutes while toeing the minimum line.
“I won’t ask you to remove every single parachute.”
“Then?”
In response to Kim Dae-min’s question, Lee Dae-hyeok laid out his proposal.
“Exactly as I said. Some parachutes work diligently without causing issues. Leave those alone.”
“So, you want me to weed out only the problematic ones?”
“Yes.”
“It’ll get noisy.”
“We’re the top dog. We can handle a little commotion. And the troublemakers won’t dare make a fuss.”
Kim Dae-min asked no more questions.
As Lee Dae-hyeok said, why would the guilty go to the press about Daehan Group?
“Understood. It’s been a while since we did some cleaning.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Now, grant me a favor in return.”
Lee Dae-hyeok’s eyes filled with puzzlement at Kim Dae-min’s words.
A favor, out of nowhere.
Had he even earned the power to grant Kim Dae-min favors?
As Lee Dae-hyeok wondered, Kim Dae-min spoke.
“No need to tense up. It’s not a difficult request.”
“Tell me.”
“Every now and then, when you have time, could you join me for a meal? Chatting with the youngest Young Master about this and that would be a real pleasure.”
Kim Dae-min let out a warm, good-natured laugh.
A satisfied smile curved Lee Dae-hyeok’s lips.
“I love jajangmyeon too. Just call anytime, and I’ll come running to Cheonghwaru.”
***
If asked to name the largest and most spacious house in Pyeongchang-dong, people would point to the mansion of Seo Jin Group Chairman Yoo Jae-man.
Its garden and house were even bigger than a former president’s residence.
Living there, Yoo Jae-man considered himself a ‘king.’
It wasn’t wrong.
Think about it.
Wasn’t he the one who dominated the Republic of Korea’s economy?
What else could the ruler of a nation’s economy be but a king?
A king must live in a palace and maintain dignity.
And at the right moments, bestow gifts upon his subjects.
Every time the serfs rejoiced over those gifts, Yoo Jae-man couldn’t suppress his thrill.
No matter their high price or artistic value, the recipients were mere serfs.
He felt a rush of superiority watching them.
But something happened to wound Yoo Jae-man’s sense of superiority.
In the study on the third floor of his mansion.
“Haha. Hahaha.”
Chief Secretary Oh Joo-chan stood before him.
If Kim Geon-woo was the general fighting for Yoo Jae-man, Oh Joo-chan was Seo Jin Group’s strategist handling his affairs.
Normally, Yoo Jae-man would have burst into triumphant laughter upon hearing Oh Joo-chan’s report.
Today, a laugh did escape his lips after the report.
The problem was that it was a hollow chuckle.
“The warehouse got completely cleaned out, and you still haven’t found the tail...? Is this all our Seo Jin Group’s intelligence network amounts to?”
“I’m sorry...”
Oh Joo-chan bowed his head.
He felt wronged.
Hadn’t Yoo Jae-man ordered no CCTV in the warehouse?
And wasn’t Kim Geon-woo the one in charge?
By that logic, Kim Geon-woo deserved the scolding, not him.
Fortunately for Kim Geon-woo, he was out handling external matters.
He was off crushing the Russian mafia in Korea who had taken contracts from Yoo Jae-man’s siblings to attack him.
So, Oh Joo-chan was the only one left to take the blame.
He kept his head bowed in silence.
Yoo Jae-man stared at his humiliated retainer for a moment before speaking.
“Haa. Fine, let’s end it here. Scolding an innocent man is just a waste of time.”
Yoo Jae-man was ruthlessly pragmatic.
He assessed situations coolly, no matter the circumstance.
Now wasn’t the time for anger...
It was time to focus everything on catching the thief who stole his gifts.
“If they knew the exact location of the warehouse and cleaned it out... they must have known I’m the owner. Right?”
Which meant probably...
“They’ll dispose of the stolen goods overseas, not domestically.”
Selling domestically would trip his intelligence network.
So, they’d target overseas channels.
There was only one order to give.
“Find the smugglers with foreign sales lines.”
“Understood.”
“You know what to do once you find them?”
Oh Joo-chan nodded at Yoo Jae-man’s question.
“Whoever it is... I’ll teach them the fear of Seo Jin.”
.
.
.
After Oh Joo-chan left the study.
Yoo Jae-man turned on his personal computer.
Moments later.
CCTV footage appeared on the monitor.
As mentioned, Yoo Jae-man was meticulous.
Unknown to Oh Joo-chan or Kim Geon-woo, he had installed CCTV inside the warehouse.
Hidden behind the glass mirrors, in fact.
He hadn’t expected his gifts to vanish, but... one never knows.
And this time, his precaution paid off.
“......”
Yoo Jae-man clamped his mouth shut, staring at the footage.
Under the direction of a suited man in a mask, burly underlings who looked like henchmen were moving his goods out of the warehouse.
He had watched this dozens of times already.
Of course, seeing the masked man didn’t help catch the culprit.
Still, Yoo Jae-man replayed it obsessively to grasp the truth.
‘To command men that skillfully... he’s no ordinary guy.’
His subordinates moved in perfect unison with just a glance or gesture.
It showed he was accustomed to handling people.
He scanned the warehouse interior without a hint of tension.
The most crucial issue...
‘How does he know the door code?’
Only three people besides himself knew the warehouse code.
Transport team leader Kim Jae-il.
Chief Secretary Oh Joo-chan.
And security team leader Kim Geon-woo.
‘They’re not the loose-lipped type.’
They wouldn’t spill the code even with a knife to their throat.
Beyond loyalty, they feared him.
They knew rebellion meant not just their lives, but their families’ too.
In that sense, the culprit on screen feared him not at all.
Moreover...
‘No way... Do I know this guy?’
As Yoo Jae-man watched with interest, a strange familiarity hit him.
The culprit’s hand movements and stance seemed recognizable.
Smirk-!
A smile crept onto Yoo Jae-man’s lips.
The eyes of a predator spotting prey after ages gleamed over it.
‘Before I kill him... I have to see his face.’
Boss, Become a Chaebol