Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Curious Records

A month had passed. Projects within the Strategic Investment Headquarters were treated as confidential, only known by the project managers and their direct supervisors. Naturally, the project Shin-woo was working on alone remained unknown to the rest of the department’s employees.

Team Leader Kim Jong-soo stood slightly, peering over the partition toward Baek Shin-woo’s office.

“Did you hear the news, Team Leader Kim?”

“…Are you talking about how the Director managed to get approval for 1 billion won budget and is now managing it?”

Kim Jong-soo recognized the matter instantly, as he was also aware of the situation. Ji Young-sook let out a long sigh.

“Hoo—! Yes. They say the profits have already exceeded the investment amount.”

“I really thought it was impossible… but he’s really doing it all on his own? And even turning in profit?”

Team Leader Ji Young-sook quietly approached in response to the murmurs.

“They say the finance team approved the billion Won budget without any issues from the beginning. And in such a situation, Director Shin-woo doesn’t even share the details with us… At least if the project fails, we won’t be dragged down with it.”

“Still, 1 billion isn’t just a small sum…”

“Anyway, we should focus on finishing the project materials we received from the Strategic Investment Planning Office.”

A few days ago, materials from the Strategic Investment Planning Office had arrived. Of course, they came with Baek Shin-woo’s approval, so they were already preparing for execution.

“We’ve almost finished reviewing them in our Team 1. How about Team 2?”

“We’re about the same. I don’t foresee any big issues with moving forward with the investments. The risk is minimal. They say Director Myung Un-seok had an excellent track record in his previous department, even before the merger, and it seems to be true.”

Externally, Myung Un-seok was seen as the next heir to the MH Group, thanks to his father, Myung In-chul. His position was unshakable, more so than any other.

Moreover, Myung Un-seok’s abilities were widely recognized, making him a subject of envy among those working under a secondary heir.

“I agree. If the investments run smoothly, more employees will likely support Director Myung Un-seok.”

“Honestly, how could an illegitimate child and a legitimate heir ever be the same? Their starting points are just worlds apart.”

Ever since Chairman Myung Joong-hwan’s eldest grandson, Myung Un-seok, took the position of Director of the Future Strategy Office, his results had spoken for themselves. His father, Myung In-chul, managed both MH Electronics and MH Construction, earning him recognition as the group’s future successor.

Although there were other factions, such as those of the second son, Myung Seong-cheol, and his daughter, Myung Soo-yeon, their influence paled in comparison to Myung In-chul’s.

“It’s an obvious fight. Director Im Hee-yeon also suddenly showed up from nowhere… It wouldn’t have been a bad idea to place Director Myung Un-seok as the head of the Strategic Investment Headquarters instead.”

“It might still change later. Who knows, Director Im Hee-yeon might just be holding the position temporarily.”

Their thoughts were influenced by the fact that all of Chairman Myung Joong-hwan’s children held president positions in at least one company within the MH Group. Even though Im Hee-yeon was an illegitimate child, she was still the chairman’s daughter. However, instead of becoming a president, she had been appointed as the head of the newly established Strategic Investment Headquarters.

Just then. Clunk—

The office door near the elevator opened, and Im Hee-yeon entered, accompanied by Song Tae-hoon, her deputy. Startled, the employees immediately stood to bow. However, the pair did not notice them and swiftly passed through, heading directly into Shin-woo’s office.

Click—Click—

Shin-woo was rolling two dice in his left hand while browsing the internet on his computer.

“What brings you here, Director?”

His indifferent question was met with a serious expression from Im Hee-yeon.

“I just checked… the investment operations report you submitted. Did we really make a profit as stated?”

“I’ve already completed the deposit to the treasury account. Didn’t you confirm that?”

The account details were also attached in the report.

“I checked. With this stock investment operation, we netted around 1.7 billion KRW in profit.”

*KRW: Korean Won

“This is only from about 60% of the allocated budget.”

“But it’s only been a month, right?”

“That’s more than enough.”

They had earned almost triple the amount from just 600 million KRW out of the initial 1 billion KRW investment.

And it wasn’t even a group effort—Shin-woo had achieved this all on his own.

Im Hee-yeon, who had been skeptical of this endeavor and anticipated failure, couldn’t believe it. This disbelief had prompted her to come directly to see Shin-woo, rather than calling him.

“Surely… you didn’t engage in insider trading, did you?”

She was referring to the illegal practice of trading stocks using confidential information obtained from company employees. This would be a violation of the Capital Markets Act and was considered a crime.

“Me? Insider trading with the companies I invested in? I don’t have those kinds of connections. Maybe in the military, but not here.”

Shin-woo casually shrugged his shoulders.

Im Hee-yeon didn’t really believe Shin-woo had such connections for insider trading, but it was hard to imagine that someone could predict stock surges so accurately and profit from multiple companies like this.

“I’m not here for word games.”

“And I’m not giving you any funny answers either.”

“…”

An awkward silence filled the room when a voice from the office side broke the stillness.

“Ch-chairman!”

It was Kim Jong-soo’s voice.

Simultaneously, both Im Hee-yeon and Song Tae-hoon turned their heads.

As announced, Chairman Myung Joong-hwan of MH Group was walking in, accompanied by Goo Sang-ho.

“I heard the Strategic Investment Operations Office made quite a significant profit in a short time, so I came to see for myself. Ah, Director Im Hee-yeon is here too.”

“…Yes, Chairman.”

“I overheard some raised voices just now. Is there a reason for the tension? Ah, were you offering congratulations?”

Given how loud the conversation had been in the office, it was unlikely that Myung Joong-hwan hadn’t heard them. He was deliberately steering the conversation in another direction.

Realizing this, Im Hee-yeon did not revisit the accusations she had made against Shin-woo.

With a smile, Myung Joong-hwan spoke.

“Let’s not do this here. Come to my office instead.”

The chaotic atmosphere in the surroundings was his reason for suggesting the move.

Shin-woo followed Im Hee-yeon, joining Myung Joong-hwan and the others as they made their way to the chairman’s office.

They all sat around the sofa in the center of the chairman’s office.

Myung Joong-hwan cast his gaze at Im Hee-yeon and Shin-woo, who were sitting in a row.

“Deputy General Manager Baek Shin-woo, you’ve only been here for just over a month, yet you’ve already produced such results… Impressive.”

“…It wasn’t difficult.”

Despite the fact that Shin-woo’s response could have come off as arrogant, Myung Joong-hwan didn’t frown. Instead, he seemed to be in a good mood and asked further.

“Ha ha. Is the word ‘humility’ not in your vocabulary?”

“I don’t particularly like that word.”

“Couldn’t that come off as arrogance?”

“That works for me.”

Myung Joong-hwan tilted his head curiously at Shin-woo’s response.

“…Works for you? Why is that?”

“It means the other party is off-guard. That’s the perfect position for me to strike.”

The eerie tone of his reply startled both Myung Joong-hwan and the previously silent Im Hee-yeon.

“Deputy General Manager Baek Shin-woo! That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t find it extreme.”

“It sounds as if, to you, relationships with others are either allies or enemies.”

“That’s not up to me to decide. Whether they are allies, enemies, or neutral, that’s the other party’s decision to make.”

In the battlefields Shin-woo had traversed, there were no permanent allies or enemies. A comrade who was an ally a few seconds ago could turn into an enemy.

Conversely, someone who had been an enemy could momentarily become an ally, depending on the situation.

While there weren’t many such cases in Triad Eye, back in his old mercenary unit, where people moved based solely on money, living without constant vigilance was impossible.

Of course, neither Myung Joong-hwan nor Im Hee-yeon could understand such experiences.

“Ha ha ha! The choice between friend and foe lies with the other party… Not wrong. So, what would Deputy General Manager Baek Shin-woo do if the other party chooses to be an enemy?”

“Take their head.”

The simple yet chilling response created a moment of silence in the chairman’s office.

“…….”

“…….”

Then, Myung Joong-hwan let out a hollow laugh like earlier.

“Haha― From what I know, you worked in the military logistics department. But from what I just heard, I’d believe it if you said you fought in the Vietnam War.”

According to official records, that was the case. But Shin-woo had spent more time outside the base on numerous missions.

“That’s correct.”

“Does the logistics department teach stock trading these days?”

“I picked it up during my breaks.”

“It’s a tough world where even those who struggle to learn can barely make a profit, yet you’ve made 1.7 billion won by learning it on the side…”

“Are you mocking me?”

Perhaps because he asked so directly, Myung Joong-hwan showed a surprised expression once again.

“It might sound that way, but it was meant as a compliment.”

“It didn’t sound like a compliment to me.”

“Perhaps my tone wasn’t the best.”

“Ambiguous positions often prepare for an easy retreat. If this is the only conversation we’re going to have, would it be alright if I left? I’m busier than I look.”

The stock market hadn’t closed yet. Shin-woo was busy checking stock data Jang Man-soo had given him, so he was genuinely pressed for time.

“I see. I’ve kept a busy man tied up too long. I simply wanted to offer some encouragement to ensure this goes well.”

“I feel I’ve received all the encouragement I need, so I’ll be heading down.”

With those words, Shin-woo left the chairman’s office. Inside, Myung Joong-hwan turned to Im Hee-yeon, who had remained silent, and spoke.

“Baek Shin-woo, the deputy general manager, huh? Even when I first met him, I felt it. He has the aura of a Predator.”

“You’re saying he’s aggressive.”

“That’s not wrong. He’s ready to tear into his enemies at any moment. For a brief moment earlier, I felt a chill.”

There was a slight playful tone to his words.

Listening to him, Im Hee-yeon let out a sigh through her nose.

“You seem to be enjoying this situation, Chairman.”

“Aren’t you? Most people cower in fear the moment they stand before me. Frankly, I’d prefer if more people behaved like Baek Shin-woo.”

How many people within MH Group could truly stand confidently in front of Chairman Myung Joong-hwan? In that sense, he found many things about Shin-woo’s attitude quite appealing.

“It’s not an easy task.”

“Haha. Now that I think about it, Baek Shin-woo does have a performance incentive, doesn’t he?”

“He receives 5% of the net profit.”

“So, about 85 million won from this 1.7 billion profit?”

“That’s only from about 60% of the investment.”

At that, Myung Joong-hwan nodded.

“If the remaining 40% of the investment yields a similar profit, he’ll be earning several times his annual salary in just a month.”

“Do you really think these profits were generated normally?”

“I overheard something about insider trading earlier. But as Baek Shin-woo mentioned, does he have the network to access such information?”

Im Hee-yeon also didn’t believe that someone like Shin-woo, who had only just left the military, could have that kind of information network. However, the suspiciously large profit made her worry that he might be involved in something unsavory.

“I think it’s worth investigating. This could potentially disrupt your plan for the hedge fund subsidiary.”

MH Group was in the process of preparing a large-scale hedge fund subsidiary. The goal was to reduce the company’s debt ratio and solidify the group’s capital by generating profit solely from investments. Of course, it was also intended to resolve various other issues simultaneously.

“Once we check what happens with the remaining 40% of the investment, we’ll know if it’s skill or luck.”

“Do you believe Baek Shin-woo made this profit purely based on skill?”

“Connections are a resource, too. And as long as they’re not caught, even questionable relationships aren’t illegal.”

“…It sounds like you’re ready to discard him if he becomes useless.”

“Everyone must bear their own risks.” seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

A moment of silence passed before Goo Sang-ho, who had been quietly standing at the back, stepped forward.

“Chairman, it’s time to move on to your next appointment.”

“Oh? What was next?”

“…It’s the meeting with Minister Ko Seung-won of the Ministry of National Defense regarding the new MH Tech project.”

“Is it that time already? Then, Hee-yeon, you should head back as well.”