Planting the President as a Spy (2)
“Attorney Kwon Ho-gyun—or rather, Mr. Kwon—I’ve come to see you. This is Law Firm Seungbaek, where Attorney Kwon works, correct?”
Even through the wall, Shin Ho-jung’s urgent tone was unmistakable. Cha Ye-na sounded flustered as well.
“Pardon? Yes. Attorney Kwon Ho-gyun has been quite busy lately and isn’t taking legal consultations at the moment. If you could give me your name and affiliation, I’ll let him know someone is here to see him.”
“Yes, I understand he’s busy. It’s because of me. My name is Shin Ho-jung, President of QS Telecom. I really need to see him urgently. Please arrange it right away.”
Well, well. So he’s claiming my busy schedule is his fault. Earlier on the phone he insisted he’d done nothing wrong, yet here he is confessing everything to Cha Ye-na like a man at confession.
“Excuse me? You’re the president of QS Telecom? Just a moment. I’ll go speak with the attorney right away.”
“No. Just tell me where he is. I have something urgent I must say to him in person.”
“Ah, well, if the attorney is busy, there’s nothing I can really do…”
Cha Ye-na’s voice grew increasingly uneasy. If I left this any longer, my secretary would only end up being grilled for reasons she didn’t even understand. Time to step in and protect my employee.
I opened my office door and stepped out. Beyond Cha Ye-na’s back, I saw Shin Ho-jung’s face. The president of a major corporation looked like he’d been hit by both wind and time on the way here. His hair, which he’d clearly tried to tame with pomade before work, now stuck out in every direction, as though he’d sprinted the entire way. If it had merely been messy it might have been less pitiful, but the clumps of oil made it worse. Had the color been yellow, he would have been a dead ringer for the Super Saiyan from that old marble-collecting cartoon. Deep wrinkles carved into his forehead, philtrum, and the sides of his nose completed the picture. If word got out that a QS executive looked like this, the group’s image would take a serious hit.
At the same time, I felt a surge of pride watching my secretary handle the situation calmly, though the contrast between her neat appearance and Shin Ho-jung’s disheveled state made it harder to keep a straight face.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
When I appeared, both Cha Ye-na and Shin Ho-jung turned toward me at once.
“Ah, the attorney has come out. This gentleman says he must see you.”
I gave Cha Ye-na a light wave of the hand, signaling there was no need to be flustered.
“Yes, he’s someone I need to speak with. You can go back to what you were doing, Secretary Cha. President Shin, shall we continue our conversation inside?”
Whew. Whew.
Both Cha Ye-na and Shin Ho-jung exhaled in relief, though for different reasons. Cha Ye-na was glad the troublesome VIP had been passed to me, while Shin Ho-jung was simply relieved he hadn’t been turned away at the door.
* * *
Once we were seated in my office, Shin Ho-jung kept his eyes lowered, unable to meet my gaze. He seemed to have already guessed I intended to teach him a lesson and had come prepared to show he’d learned it on his own. If I didn’t speak first, he looked ready to stay like that indefinitely, so I started with the question that had been on my mind.
“Judging by how quickly you rushed over, I take it your lunch appointment has been canceled?”
Shin Ho-jung glanced at the watch on his left wrist.
“Ah, the appointment itself wasn’t canceled. I simply had some free time before lunch, so I came here.”
“That’s quite different from what you said on the phone earlier.”
“Pardon?”
Realizing his slip, Shin Ho-jung dropped his gaze again.
“You’re an extremely busy man, President Shin. Surely you wouldn’t agree to meet someone just because they called on the same day. And am I the sort of person who can be visited without notice?”
“W-well… Young Master, I knew you were far busier than I am, yet I still acted without proper courtesy.”
“Yes. Understood. It seems you’ve had quite a change of heart since we hung up. Is it because of this?”
I slid the stack of documents I’d already placed on the table toward him. Naturally, it was the evidence of his illegal hiring that Yeo Eun-ju had obtained the day before.
The moment Shin Ho-jung took the papers, his already trembling eyes widened further, as though an earthquake had struck. After turning just one page, the paper was visibly wrinkled from the sweat on his hands. Just as Yeo Eun-ju had said, he recognized the data instantly—his own field of expertise.
Gulp.
Shin Ho-jung swallowed hard, his throat bobbing, then handed the documents back.
“How did you find this?”
“Why? Did you think I wouldn’t? Chairman Kwon Byung-do instructed that our firm’s personnel be outsourced for the audit team’s work, so we discovered it through our own investigation. My IT specialist said it’s irrefutable evidence of illegal hiring. You rewound the system clock, didn’t you?”
At my final jab, Shin Ho-jung lowered his head until his chin nearly touched his chest.
“Young Master, I’m truly sorry. Could you possibly overlook this just once? If my former teacher, Professor Im Su-chan, becomes minister, having me as president of QS Telecom would greatly benefit the company. I’ll devote myself entirely to the group’s service.”
“I don’t think this is the time to be worrying about your position as president.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“From a legal standpoint, this clearly constitutes breach of fiduciary duty. The sentence… it won’t end with a fine. I’d say roughly one year in prison.”
Of course, the verdict I’d already seen showed one year with a two-year suspended sentence, but I deliberately omitted the suspension.
Thud.
At the mention of prison, Shin Ho-jung abandoned all pride. He rose from his chair, moved to the edge of the table, and dropped to his knees, bowing his head before me.
“I’m truly sorry for everything. The hiring scandal, and my rudeness toward you today—I apologize for all of it.”
“You seem genuinely remorseful.”
At my bait, Shin Ho-jung snapped his head up like a fish that had taken the hook, staring at me with hopeful eyes.
“Yes. I’m reflecting deeply. If you forgive me this once, I swear I’ll live a life that benefits QS Telecom and the entire group.”
“For now, please return to your chair. Staying like that won’t make conversation any easier.”
Shin Ho-jung scrambled back to his seat with exaggerated movements.
“I suppose I should start with some hopeful news.”
“Yes. I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”
“At present, the only people who know about this illegal hiring evidence are myself and the IT specialist who extracted it. That means I could grant you the ‘forgiveness’ you mentioned.”
“Oh, Young Master, please—I beg you to do exactly that.”
Heh. It was now clear Shin Ho-jung couldn’t spit out the hook. Time to reel in the line and get what I wanted.
“However, what I want from you isn’t some vague promise to devote yourself to the company. That’s simply what you’re paid to do.”
“Then… what is it you want from me, Young Master?”
“Since you asked directly, I’ll be direct as well. Who do you think is most suited to become the next chairman of the QS Group?”
Shin Ho-jung knew the answer was predetermined. Still, his nasolabial folds trembled faintly, as though making one last stand. After a brief silence only the two of us could feel, he spoke again.
“I believe it is only right that Young Master Kwon Ho-gyun succeeds Chairman Kwon Byung-do.”
“Good. Then we’ll wrap this matter up in a way that harms neither you, Professor Im Su-chan, nor the QS Group.”
“Yes. Thank you, Young Master.”
“Mr. Hwang Sang-hyun, who submitted the whistleblower letter, apparently had quite an impressive record during his internship. Since he wishes to return to QS Telecom based on that, I’d like you to rehire him through a special recruitment process. Also, make sure he suffers no disadvantages within the company because of the letter—pay special attention to that.”
“If it’s your wish, Young Master, how could I refuse?”
His every word carried the weight of a loyalty oath. I decided that was enough for now.
I placed my hand on the documents I’d retrieved from him.
“For the time being, let’s keep this evidence between us. If you perform well, it will remain a secret between the two of us forever. Otherwise, it goes straight to the prosecution.”
“I will never let that happen.”
“Good. You may return now. If I have anything further to say to you—officially or privately—I’ll contact you separately.”
With this, QS Telecom—one of the group’s three main pillars—had unofficially fallen into my hands. As long as I held this evidence, Shin Ho-jung would have no choice but to support me absolutely in the succession battle. The statute of limitations for breach of fiduciary duty was a full ten years. For that entire period, Shin Ho-jung would remain nothing more than a monkey trapped in the palm of my hand.
* * *
Yet even after I told him he could leave, Shin Ho-jung showed no sign of rising. His gaze remained fixed on the evidence beneath my hand, his mouth opening and closing as though he still had something more to say.
Of course. If he left now, he would have given me nothing while receiving an enormous favor. After being so rude on the phone, accepting my goodwill so readily must have felt like buying something far beyond his means on credit.
A moment later, as though determined to pay at least a portion of the debt, Shin Ho-jung posed a meaningful question.
“Young Master, aren’t you curious who my lunch appointment is with today?”
To be honest, I was. After all, Shin Ho-jung had claimed the other person was far too important for him to have lunch with me instead.
“I didn’t ask because it might be a private matter, but since you’re offering, I suppose you intend to tell me.”
“Yes.”
“Who is it?”
Whew.
Shin Ho-jung let out a long sigh that seemed to sink into the office floor before finally uttering the name.
“It’s with the eldest young master, Kwon Seong-gyun.”