Weeding Out the Spy

After setting the company's direction, I remembered one announcement I'd forgotten and tacked it on belatedly.

"Ah! Turns out there are some spies in the company."

...Yes?

Spy. It refers to a traitor playing the role of a spy for competitors or the company itself. I pronounced it in that juicy Korean way—ppurakchi—then swept my gaze across the conference room.

The faces turning back to me were all equally dumbfounded.

I closely examined each of the middle-aged men's expressions as they prepared to carry out my orders after the meeting ended, then grinned.

"Not spies for competitors, but ones leaking info to my family. I've been noticing some suspicious behavior lately, so just be careful not to get caught."

......

I added just that warning, then checked my phone.

While scanning a specific newspaper I'd subscribed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to, one article caught my eye.

Sneer.

"Excuse me for a sec."

After skimming it roughly, I left the conference room immediately.

I took the elevator straight down to the basement and called for the car.

"...You summoned me?"

U Mi-ae, the driver who arrived even faster than usual, was oddly half a beat late opening the back door.

As I looked down at her bowing politely even in her fluster, I tossed out the order casually.

"Get in first."

"Pardon? ...Understood. You must have urgent business, so I'll head straight to the driver's seat—"

"No, get in the back seat."

"Pardon?"

"The world's a dangerous place these days~ I've got some worries piling up, and I want you to sit with me for a bit and hear them out."

I gave her the order to ride in the back with an excuse that didn't even sound like one.

U Mi-ae sensed something off, but as per her usual programming, she replied, "Understood," in absolute obedience.

She slid in first, her hips pushing ahead.

I squeezed in after her, sitting side by side.

Click!

Inside the car, now just the two of us. As an awkward silence spread, I spoke first.

"Sorry. Throwing a weird request at you like that."

"Not at all. For you, Young Master, any request—"

Clack.

Before she could finish, a man entered the driver's seat.

His tight suit strained over his muscles, his broad back forcing its way in as he silently gripped the wheel.

"......? Who's this?"

Vroom!

Before I could stop him, he gunned the engine roughly, speeding out of the basement toward the surface.

He floored the accelerator, blasting out of the company parking lot.

"Young Master, what on earth...?"

"......"

I didn't answer right away.

I ignored the man up front and just watched the view shifting from the stuffy underground to the surface.

Once we hit the surface, the car soaked up the sunlight, racing over the hard asphalt, turning the interior into an inescapable sealed room.

Savoring the sunlight hitting us after emerging from the shadows, I let out a satisfied breath.

"Gotcha, you spy bitch."

"......!"

I grabbed her wrist like I was cuffing her, even playing around a bit.

* * *

U Mi-ae's stats look like this.

Utterly absurd— as I mentioned before, a perfect elite.

Her stats could crush mine like a turtle shell, and based on all the ones I've checked so far, she was top 1% talent.

That's why I'd been suspicious ever since the possession.

An elite like this, stuck as a mere driver?

Even with her always loyal attitude, her traits screamed 《Fox Actress Award Candidate》—a master actress— and her loyalty was always ???, so I couldn't trust her.

She was an "Hwaryeong Group employee," sure, but not specified as Hwaryeong Card, which felt off.

"Hey, there's this funny news article that just dropped."

"......"

So I set a trap this time.

Waited for the perfect moment to catch the rat, like today.

<Fallen Chaebol Son Finally Reaches for Crypto Too...?>

A fresh upload, piping hot.

"Chaebol son" obviously meant me, and the content was needless to say, trashing me.

The intent was crystal clear, transparently so.

Leveraging my playboy reputation to tie it to crypto and tank the stock price.

We'd just wrapped the strategy meeting, and this uploads at the perfect timing.

No need to look further for the culprit behind this spy shit.

"...Do you think I leaked that info?"

"Who else then?"

"Hoo... If I may defend my honor, I've been in the car the whole time. If something leaked from the meeting room, you'd be better off suspecting the staff inside."

She squeezed out an appeal like she was truly wronged.

Her face screamed that this interrogation was unpleasant, begging me not to trample her loyalty to the end.

'Kya~ Wrong career choice, huh?'

Her skills were the real deal, no doubt.

Boldness and acting chops that didn't falter under pressure from men surrounding her.

Normally, I'd have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

But I'd confirmed the truth multiple times already, so I tightened the noose relentlessly.

"Thing is, everyone put their phones away before I finished speaking. Can't you see the upload time? You used it during the meeting, right?"

"......Then look elsewhere. Could be the recent secretary who left."

"Se-seong Ilbo, reporter Kim Geon-yeong. Familiar name, right? Friendly with someone, I hear?"

"I have no idea what you mean..."

She kept oiling her tongue, denying to the end— her ugly thrashing made even this elaborate act tiresome, so I called checkmate.

"Hoo... Why'd you fix my collar yourself this morning, out of the blue?"

"......!"

Like it was itching, I fiddled with the inside of the suit's stiff collar.

I felt around every corner with my fingertips, then scraped out a raised bump.

A tiny wiretap.

The black pebble-like thing in my palm was no bigger than a booger.

I held it out to its owner, and her eyes darted— no more excuses coming to mind.

Squeeze...!

Like she couldn't believe how this playboy caught on, she bit her plump lips hard.

It was as good as admitting defeat.

The system piled on the confirmation kill.

The cornered rat had no more room to wriggle.

'Gotta clean up these annoyances one by one.'

Truth be told, I'd known and suspected for quite a while, so it wasn't a shock.

From the start, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't add up—an elite like her playing driver for a trash heap.

Not volunteer work, and blind loyalty to this loser made no sense. Cha Do-yeon had just been too incompetent and dumb.

Compared to his sisters always hunting weaknesses, he was just too far behind.

Crunch!

To signal no more games, I crushed the wiretap under pressure.

As I scattered the broken pieces on the floor for extra intimidation, U Mi-ae flipped like a pancake, her face turning cold.

"You're the spy Second Sis planted, right?"

"......"

"Family's not hurting for cash, so why pull this shit?"

She shot back a cynical glare.

Cold as winter icicles, like affirming all her false loyalty up till now.

"Second Miss said she'd give you something you could never offer."

"Like what?"

"Rapid promotion."

U Mi-ae stabbed right at the sore spot.

Fair enough— given the scale of the affiliate I'm inheriting, sticking with her side made sense.

A cold opportunist, just as her traits said.

Even caught red-handed spying, she acted like so what?, brazen as hell.

Like she trusted her backer fully— touch her and she'd bite back legally, growling.

Her shameless attitude was so funny, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Then you can kiss promotion goodbye on this side?"

"Wouldn't you know better than anyone, Young Master?"

Reputation is a scary thing.

She gave a wry smile.

But I wasn't mad.

I liked her spunky attitude, cheeky as it was.

"U Mi-ae."

"Yes?"

"What if I scout you as a double agent right now?"

"I refuse."

"Sucking honey from both sides, and you hate it?"

"It'd just put me in a tough spot. I don't want Second Miss doubting my loyalty."

'Hah... The bitch who snuck in to nibble like a mouse talks all pretty.'

"So this side's just a sinking ship to you?"

"......"

"Fine, conversation over. Hey! Pull over."

The car parked on the shoulder immediately.

I got out first, then let U Mi-ae out.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

With her limbs intact and free, she blinked, checking her body.

"......You're just letting me go?"

"What, thought I'd grab you and torture you? I'm not that much of a playboy."

I mentioned it self-deprecatingly.

"Your backer versus my sinking ship. Obvious as water to you who wins, but you gotta see the results to know for sure."

"......"

Plus, this elite lady didn't know I'd milked U Mi-ae for all she was worth.

Scraped her clean to the bone, used her thoroughly— that's why I wasn't pissed.

"Anyway, that's all I had to say. Don't cry into your blanket over missing your chance today."

"......Then, if you'll excuse me."

U Mi-ae bowed.

Last polite goodbye.

As she turned and walked away, I rolled my stiff neck and added one more thing.

"Hey."

"!"

"Once Second Sis finds out you got caught spying and failed, you think she'll look kindly on you? From what turned spies say, she treats failures miserably."

Seeds of discord.

I planted that tiny seed deep in U Mi-ae, sure to bloom later.

"......"

The once-cold U Mi-ae seemed lost in thought on this point.

Her brow furrowed— hard to act through this— then she slyly turned away.

She kept walking straight.

Hauling a random taxi to leave, no lingering look back.

+ + +

'Whew... Shame, really.'

Even if the bitch showed her true colors and ruined the meal, U Mi-ae was rare talent.

Her face and hips were right up my alley, stats top-notch— if she'd given real loyalty, I'd have had fun. Regret washed over me.

'But flipping like a pancake that quick is funny too.'

Even if she'd crawled right back, I'd have broken her.

Anyone could see this was a fragmented ship with no prospects.

Unless her brains got smashed, the playboy line wasn't worth lining up for.

Grin.

That's why I was more excited.

For the picture of U Mi-ae grabbing my pant leg late.

"Young Master, where to now?"

My new driver-cum-bodyguard.

The sturdy guy with verified loyalty asked politely, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after thinking, I named a place.

"JJ Entertainment."

"Pardon?"

"The agency for idols we're grooming and sponsoring. Punch it into the nav if you don't know."

"Ah, understood."

He got the order instantly and bowed.

His huge frame fumbling with the nav was off-putting, but first day on the job, so whatever.

'Whew... Can't hold back from women, huh.'

More than that, I adjusted my twitching groin.

I could cut anything else, but women? No way.