The Older Brother's Underworld Scheme (1)
A few days after the board meeting showdown, the official notice recommending Je-gyun's dismissal was delivered. Given his behavior in the conference hall and his usual temperament, I had expected him to storm into the headquarters and start throwing punches. If things escalated beyond fists to knives, I had even considered calling in the security team immediately. But to my surprise, Je-gyun showed no reaction at all. No violence, no protests, not even a single formal objection. If it had been Seong-gyun, I might have understood, but Je-gyun's silence made no sense whatsoever.
Je-gyun's approach to problems was always impulsive and rough. For someone like that to offer no response at all? It didn't add up. In the conference hall, he had been beaten down as thoroughly as a Japanese general facing Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Had the shock been enough to change his personality? Could a person's nature really shift so drastically in such a short time?
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long for my questions to be answered.
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door of the executive office where I was working. Moments later, I found myself facing Han Seung-woo, the Chief of the Chairman's Secretariat.
"Good afternoon, Young Master."
As always, he bowed deeply with impeccable politeness. Today, however, I caught a faint trace of concern beneath his usual impassive expression.
"Chief Han. Come in. What brings you here?"
"There are matters I couldn't discuss over the company messenger or phone, so I came in person."
"Of course. Have a seat."
Following my gesture, Han Seung-woo sat at the meeting table in the office and brought up a topic similar to what I had been pondering earlier.
"I believe it would be wise to strengthen your personal security detail."
Personal security. I had already been asked about this by the security team after moving into the executive office. As the company's official second-in-command—and the one effectively handling the duties of the first—they suggested assigning dedicated personnel. My response at the time had been to review it gradually. I disliked the idea of trailing a crowd of bodyguards everywhere, and many of my tasks required discretion that would be compromised by constant escorts. The security team was also stretched thin; with Chairman Kwon Byung-do hospitalized rather than at the company, a significant number of personnel had been reassigned to his protection. Since neither I nor the security team saw an urgent need, I saw no reason to request dedicated guards.
Yet here was Han Seung-woo, the team's de facto leader, raising the issue again.
"Is there a specific reason we need to do this now?"
At my question, the concern on Han Seung-woo's face deepened.
"I had intended to mention this at the villa gathering, but the timing wasn't right. Yesterday, however, I detected signs that the situation was escalating rapidly. Someone is targeting your safety."
"Who?"
"The Second Young Master, Kwon Je-gyun."
"What?"
I had considered the possibility of Je-gyun resorting to violence, but that was simply because of his reckless personality. The idea that he would hire physical force against me over a corporate dismissal was absurd.
* * *
Since Han Seung-woo had come in person after careful deliberation, there was no need to doubt the information. Still, I needed more details before deciding whether to accept the security detail or handle it my own way.
Meeting my startled gaze, Han Seung-woo continued.
"You already know that I have deep connections with people who operate primarily at night. Among them is a man named Seok Dong-hoon."
"Is he a gangster?"
"I'm not sure if you need to know the details, but these days the night world no longer operates through large organized crime syndicates like before."
He then gave a brief explanation of the current state of the underworld. Over the past decades, every new president had cracked down on gangs to win public favor, forcing survivors to adapt. Those with capital transformed into legitimate businesses, while others with strong operational capacity but limited funds shifted to cell-based networks. They maintained private connections and assembled ad hoc teams for illegal requests. This structure allowed the network to survive even if parts were arrested. Those outside the main network or on its fringes often ran detective agencies to solicit work.
After confirming I understood the basics, Han Seung-woo returned to the matter at hand.
"Seok Dong-hoon sits near the core of that network. Whether it's the quality of requests he can take or the manpower he can mobilize, he ranks among the top three nationwide."
"And Je-gyun commissioned him to harm me?"
Han Seung-woo nodded.
"That's correct. Seok Dong-hoon doesn't know about the favor I owe you. Since this involves the QS Group, he contacted me to assess the background before deciding whether to accept."
"What did you tell him?"
"I asked for time to look into it internally. Revealing too much could compromise our information, and he's not the type to simply follow orders anyway."
That sounded exactly like Han Seung-woo—measured and cautious.
"If he doesn't listen to you, why would he listen to Je-gyun?"
"Money. I've never heard of him moving for any other reason."
Money was no longer a problem for me, and problems solvable by money were usually the simplest kind. Still, I needed to understand the scale.
"I won't ask for the exact amount, but roughly how much does he charge? I'm completely unfamiliar with that world."
"It's common knowledge among us that Seok Dong-hoon starts at one hundred million won. In this case, however, even I'm uncertain. Targeting you carries significant risk. You're a direct descendant of the QS family and a practicing lawyer. I'd estimate at least one billion won."
One billion won. A substantial sum. Even for a chaebol family, paying that amount outright showed how desperate Je-gyun was to eliminate me. If the matter could be settled cleanly for that price, it might be manageable, but if it turned into an auction between Je-gyun and me, things would become extremely complicated. The final bid could climb beyond what either of us could predict. Even if I won the bidding war, there was no guarantee Seok Dong-hoon would actually choose me—or that he wouldn't simply take the money and disappear. After all, he lived beyond the reach of conventional law; I couldn't sue him for breach of contract.
More importantly, there was another reason I didn't want to resolve this with money alone. According to Han Seung-woo, Seok Dong-hoon was one of the three emperors of the night world. If I could make him my ally, that would represent an entirely different kind of power from the QS Group chairmanship. I couldn't order crimes as a lawyer, but the information he could provide was another matter entirely. Just look at how we were already using it to preempt Je-gyun's moves.
Loyalty like that, however, couldn't be bought. I asked Han Seung-woo with a hint of hope.
"Does Seok Dong-hoon have any other problems besides money? Legal issues, perhaps?"
"Pardon? I'm not sure what you mean."
"I'm wondering if there's anything I could help him with legally."
"Ah, if it's legal trouble, he's in quite deep. He's currently under an exit ban and facing imminent indictment."
Now that was interesting. Legal matters were my specialty.
"Do you know the details of the case?"
"I only heard about it secondhand and haven't asked him directly, so I don't have enough information for you to make a legal assessment. Shall I forward the relevant messages from my office later?"
"Yes, please do."
"According to what Seok Dong-hoon mentioned in passing, the case hasn't even reached the legal arguments stage yet. He seems unable to retain a lawyer. His background is an issue, and the prosecutor assigned to the case is apparently quite formidable."
The more I heard, the more opportunities I saw. No matter how strong the prosecutor was, could he really beat someone who could read verdicts in advance?
"You don't know the prosecutor's name?"
"No. I'm sorry. I didn't get that far."
"It's fine. Thanks to you, I already have a clear idea of how to deal with whatever Je-gyun has planned."
"I'm glad to hear that. What about the personal security detail?"
Right. That was the original reason for his visit. After a moment's thought, I nodded. I had come up with an excellent solution, but if Je-gyun—someone as impatient as Usain Bolt—struck first, everything would fall apart.
"I'll accept it for the time being. If possible, I'd prefer Kim Chul-joong, the deputy we worked with before."
The worry on Han Seung-woo's face eased, and a small smile appeared. He was clearly recalling the operation we had carried out together with Kim Chul-joong.
"Understood. I'll pass that along to the security team. On behalf of my entire family, I want to express our deepest gratitude for saving my daughter A-young."
"How is A-young doing?"
At the mention of his daughter, Han Seung-woo's smile widened, and he added an uncharacteristic remark.
"She's doing well, thanks to you. She says she wants to draw instead of play the piano. There was an incident at her piano academy that made us uneasy, so we're now having an art teacher come to the house."
* * *
Seeming to notice his sudden increase in talkativeness, Han Seung-woo quickly suppressed his smile and returned to the secretariat. Not long after, he stopped by again, this time carrying a USB drive. He could have sent a subordinate, but that meticulousness was probably how he had reached his position. The drive contained the case files related to Seok Dong-hoon that we had discussed.