The Clash of Interference and Bluffing (2)
Yoon-gi nodded. "Yes. I gave Secretary Ryu a heads-up before I even left for Japan, didn't I? I told him to go around and meet with game companies."
"In short, I was already implementing a solution for this situation before I even knew that Jung Taeryong was the enemy."
"That's right. In a way, it's better this way. It means the pressure from the business world that JSD mentioned was, in reality, just the pressure from the Chairman of Daehan Group—or more specifically, the pressure from Jung Taeryong alone."
Yoon-gi thought for a moment, then shook his head. "There's a strong possibility that isn't the case."
"Daehan Group just happened to be the one to step up first, but other groups would want to keep YK in check as well."
Watching Choi Deok-bae nod in understanding, Yoon-gi adjusted his posture and looked at Kim Ryeon.
"Ma'am."
Kim Ryeon, who had been listening quietly until now, answered with a slightly surprised tone as she was called.
"From now on, go back to Korea and monitor every move the Chairman of Daehan Group makes. You don't need anyone else. You only need to watch the Chairman of Daehan Group."
This time, Yoon-gi looked at Choi Deok-bae. "Grandfather. Keep Johnson attached to the lady."
As Yoon-gi deliberately frowned as much as he could, Choi Deok-bae cleared his throat and shook his head. While there was no way for Choi Deok-bae and Kim Ryeon to communicate remotely, Choi Deok-bae could know what Kim Ryeon saw and heard from afar through Johnson. That was why Yoon-gi had sent Johnson, not Choi Deok-bae.
"Grandfather, have Johnson basically keep an eye on the people at Daehan Group. And have him stop by the lady's place periodically. When the lady sees Johnson, she should tell him everything she has seen and heard in as much detail as possible."
It was the only way to utilize Kim Ryeon to the fullest right now. Choi Deok-bae, who had been listening, pondered it for a moment, briefly took off his 'rose-colored glasses,' understood the logic, and then put them back on.
"...What are you doing?"
Yoon-gi's words were directed not at Choi Deok-bae, but at Kim Ryeon.
"..."
Yoon-gi didn't answer and remained quietly silent. Kim Ryeon quickly disappeared from the spot, and soon after, Yoon-gi opened his mouth toward Choi Deok-bae.
"She's gone, right?"
Since Johnson had also disappeared, he had roughly expected it, but Yoon-gi asked Choi Deok-bae for confirmation.
"I mean... I'm using her as available personnel because I have no choice, but if I had other options, I wouldn't necessarily want to use her."
On this point, Yoon-gi agreed.
"Certainly, the clothes were very beautiful. Looking at the patterns on the clothes, it seemed like every single one of those tiny patterns was hand-stitched, and at the very least, I couldn't do that kind of work."
"That's also true. In a sense, you can use her as a negative example. 'Place people according to their specialties'... something like that?"
Choi Deok-bae smiled at Yoon-gi, who was using a way of speaking that showed consideration for him in his own way.
"Anyway, since the lady is practically a recruit in this field, I have no choice but to keep her and Johnson together."
"And you'll have to work even harder, Grandfather."
At the openly announced labor exploitation, Choi Deok-bae let out a groan without realizing it.
"Please go near Jung Taeryong and observe his movements. We can only lead this matter to success if we cross-verify Jung Taeryong and the Chairman of Daehan Group, Jung Gangpil. You can move to Jung Taeryong immediately, right?"
"What are you waiting for? I'm going."
Even as he said that, Choi Deok-bae quickly vanished from before Yoon-gi's eyes.
'Is it time to cast the fishing line now...?'
Just as Yoon-gi was setting up his future plans in his mind, he heard the sound of the front door opening.
"Yoon-gi~, your big sister is here!"
The cheerful voice of Jung Hana. The daughter of Jung Dong-yoon, currently 29 years old and single, she insisted on calling herself 'big sister' despite the era.
'Well, from my perspective, it's not awkward at all to call her that.'
In this era, the relationship between someone in their late 20s and someone in their mid-teens was that of an aunt and a child. However, Jung Hana insisted on the relationship of an older sister and a younger brother with Yoon-gi.
'Seeing Hana-noona really makes me realize how important family wealth is.'
Despite being in her late 20s in the 80s, Jung Hana looked like someone in her late 20s from the 2010s. The reason that was possible was precisely the family's wealth. Given the characteristics of the 80s, where people married in their early 20s or mid-20s at the latest, everyone became an 'aunt' as soon as their honeymoon period ended. Unlike the commoners who were unified by fashion—such as rural farming pants sold for a thousand or two thousand won at the market, or T-shirts with stretched-out necklines from children pulling on them—Jung Hana, whose family was quite wealthy, was able to preserve her appearance.
Furthermore, because she was still single, Jung Hana dressed herself up more for the sake of marriage, so she definitely looked younger than her peers of the same age. Of course, from Yoon-gi's perspective, she was both a sister and an aunt.
"You're home early?"
The time was 1:00 PM. Since it was a weekday, it should have been the middle of her workday at the magazine company, so Yoon-gi asked, focusing his conversation on that point.
"Ah, I took a half-day off."
"Is that possible?"
Yoon-gi asked, surprised that she had taken a half-day off in Japan, which was even more demanding than Korea when it came to 'black companies.' Jung Hana just smiled brightly and nodded.
"Of course it's possible. If things go south, I can just quit, right?"
Yoon-gi thought, 'I suppose so,' and nodded. After all, her father was the president of Japan Commodity; how much could she possibly be earning working at a small magazine company? It was a yawn-inducing salary, so it wouldn't matter if Jung Hana quit at any time. If push came to shove, her father would just create a position for her at Japan Commodity anyway.
"Ah, Yoon-gi. Here. Today, your cute Yoon-gi's request—your 'big sister' brought it!"
Jung Hana, emphasizing the word 'big sister,' entered the entryway and sat on the living room sofa, taking the magazines out of her handbag.
"Thank you, you're the best, Noona."
"Hahaha, even if I know it's a lie, it feels good!"
"I'm being serious, though?"
It was truly 'insider' style speech. Jung Hana seemed satisfied, grinned, looked at Yoon-gi, and opened her mouth again.
"Yoon-gi."
"Yes, Noona."
"Do you happen to have any older brothers or uncles around who aren't married?"
"Yes?"
Yoon-gi looked a bit flustered by the unexpected question. Jung Hana licked her lips slightly and spoke again.
"No, I mean, this sister of yours is turning thirty soon. But I still haven't managed to get married. And it's not like I've had any academic success either. If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have gone to study abroad... *sigh*... I ended up quitting graduate school in an awkward state. I've realized something: there are so many geniuses in this world. And people who give up when they're in an awkward position seem to have no choice but to live like this. I bragged to my dad that I could live on my own, but in the end, the only thing I can rely on is my dad, right?"
Perhaps because Yoon-gi was young, Jung Hana shared quite honest stories with him.
'I really like that she's honest.'
From Yoon-gi's perspective, having seen countless people who had no ability of their own but adorned themselves with their parents' abilities, he liked Jung Hana's attitude just because she was being this honest.
'I haven't proposed a blind date with Secretary Ryu to President Jung Dong-yoon yet, but would it be okay to tell Hana-noona about it here?'
As he was pondering for a moment, Jung Hana nodded to herself as if she had expected it.
"*Sigh*, what am I saying to a young kid? Yoon-gi, forget everything this sister just said. It's just the hysteria of an old maid."
Yoon-gi urgently called out to Jung Hana, who was about to jump up from her seat.
"Noona."
"Yes?"
"Does age not matter?"
"How much?"
"About ten years older than you."
Jung Hana pondered for a moment, resting her chin on her hand, and then threw a question at Yoon-gi.
"Did he just grow old, or did he grow old for a reason?"
"The latter, of course."
"There's nothing wrong with his body, is there?"
"Of course not."
"Is he a divorcee?"
"No way."
"Has he dated a lot?"
Jung Hana's eyes sparkled, as if the last question was truly the most important.
"I don't think there's a possibility of that. At least for the last five years, he's been too busy to have had the opportunity."
"Being too busy is a bit..."
"He'll naturally adjust his pace once he's married."
Jung Hana, who had been listening until this point, nodded.
"Okay! Then I'll try meeting him. Since it's someone Yoon-gi recommended, he must be someone who fits my taste, at least."
"I think it won't be bad."
"Actually, I'd prefer it if he didn't have much dating experience. People who have dated a lot tend not to be moved by trivial things..."
"Have you dated a lot, Noona?"
"Oh, you! That's just hearsay, hearsay!"
Jung Hana waved her hands, stood up abruptly, and hurried into her room.
"Ah, I need to get some sleep."
Left alone in the living room, Yoon-gi finished reading the computer-related magazines Jung Hana had brought and waited for Jung Dong-yoon to return from work.
In Jung Dong-yoon's study, Yoon-gi proposed a blind date between Ryu Geun-tae and Jung Hana. Upon hearing that Jung Hana had agreed, Jung Dong-yoon consented, saying he had no reason to refuse. Hearing this answer, Yoon-gi thought it was a good thing he had delayed pushing for Ryu Geun-tae's marriage.
'If I had pushed for the marriage early, Secretary Ryu and Hana-noona would have met, and that would have reached Jung Taeryong's ears.'
Given the capabilities of the intelligence organization operated by Jung Taeryong, there was a possibility that his own departure from the country, as well as his current stay here, could have been revealed, so Yoon-gi decided to be more careful with his future actions.
'The fortunate thing is that the fact that I saw Jung Taeryong hasn't reached Jung Taeryong.'
At the time, he didn't know that Jung Taeryong was the mastermind behind this incident. If the fact that Yoon-gi was in close proximity to Jung Taeryong had reached Jung Taeryong's ears, there was no telling what kind of butterfly effect that might have brought.
However, even though quite some time had passed since Choi Deok-bae began monitoring Jung Taeryong, there had been no report that Yoon-gi was in close proximity to Choi Deok-bae. That meant Jung Taeryong's intelligence organization wasn't around at that time.
'I suppose since the number of surveillance targets has increased, Jung Taeryong isn't personally monitoring Secretary Ryu and doesn't have his organization members nearby.'
If Jung Hana already had an acquaintance with Ryu Geun-tae and they were in a situation where they met periodically, there was a high possibility that Jung Taeryong would have had stronger suspicions about Yoon-gi. But if they had no direct contact, even with Yoon-gi being in Japan like this? In a situation where communications were likely being monitored, if there was no contact whatsoever, Jung Taeryong was less likely to pay attention to Yoon-gi. And that was exactly where Yoon-gi intended to dig in.
"President Jung, how is Japan Commodity doing these days?"
"I can't say it's great, but at least we aren't running an operating deficit. We have a little surplus...? At the very least, I don't think it will cause any losses to YK Department Store."
"That's a very good situation."
Yoon-gi chatted with Jung Dong-yoon for a while before getting to the point.
"President Jung, could you look into Nintendo's stock for me by tomorrow?"
Yoon-gi's bluffing had begun.