novelraw Chapter 40
Chapter 40
HJ Partners headquarters.
Perhaps because it was Saturday morning, the office was surrounded by silence, unlike the busy weekdays.
As a rule, all employees rested on the weekends, so no one was there.
Of course, in the office where I, Lim Hyunjun, stayed, there was no chance of running into employees.
The office I occupied was specially prepared on the top floor.
It was a space where privacy and security were considered top priorities.
The walls were finished in a deep gray that felt soft and luxurious, and one entire wall consisted of a large electronic screen so that necessary information or graphs could be checked in real time.
Indirect lighting was recessed into the ceiling, adding a subtle warmth to the entire space.
The floor was an exquisite mix of dark-toned hardwood and marble tiles, creating a luxurious atmosphere.
On the desk I used, there were the laptop and tablet I usually used, without any unnecessary decorations.No complicated decorations or props stood out, but everything was configured and organized efficiently to that extent.
Electric blinds were halfway down by the window.
With that scenery as a background, I was silently typing on the keyboard with my eyes fixed on the monitor.
In the quiet space, someone opened the door and came inside.
I greeted him while keeping my eyes fixed on the monitor.
“Hello.”
The person who opened the door and entered was Choi Seo-jun, dressed in a neat shirt.
Even though it was the weekend, he was in his usual tie with his jacket draped over his arm.
“Aren’t you resting even though it’s the weekend, Representative?”
I leaned my back slightly away from the chair and smiled.
“You should be the one resting, Representative Choi. Why did you come out?”
“There was some data I couldn’t finish checking yesterday. In this country, more news breaks out on the weekends.”
Choi Seo-jun familiarly sat on the inner sofa and took a sip of the coffee he brought.
Then he turned his head and looked toward my desk.
“Ah, Representative. About Daehan Shipbuilding &
Marine Engineering that you mentioned last time.”
“Yes.”
Only then did I take my eyes off the screen and stand up from my seat.
I walked toward where Choi Seo-jun was sitting.
In my hand, I held the tablet I had been looking at until just a moment ago.
“I’ve been looking at these materials continuously for the past few days. It is a surplus in terms of figures, but the actual flow is the opposite. It feels like they have decorated it to look plausible on the surface.”
Choi Seo-jun lowered his coffee as if interested and asked.
“What part specifically are you keeping an eye on, Representative?”
I touched the tablet screen and soon held it out to Choi Seo-jun.
There, the supply contract details, order status, and cost ratio graphs for Daehan Shipbuilding &
Marine Engineering for the past three years were organized.
“If you look here, the cost ratio shows a bizarrely constant appearance by quarter. There is almost no volatility. Usually, market prices and raw material prices fluctuate, but it’s like a manufactured number.”
Choi Seo-jun closely examined the part I mentioned and then raised his head.
“Who made this data?”
“It’s the Daehan Shipbuilding &
Marine Engineering Technology Development Team.”
“If it’s the Technology Development Team, it’s that person from the business card you gave me last time, right?”
“Yes, Team Leader Kim Jongseok is correct.”
Choi Seo-jun nodded lightly and spoke.
“He’s the person you met in person. How was he? The person named Kim Jongseok.”
I seemed to fall into thought for a moment but answered in a calm tone.
“He seemed like a person living with guilt.”
“Hmm. Will he really open his mouth?”
“I think it’s possible. However, he will need certainty before then. Because it’s no use if he speaks the truth and no one accepts it. Besides, it would be even better if there was a safety net that could protect him.”
Choi Seo-jun soon placed his gaze back on the tablet screen and spoke quietly.
“In this industry, whistleblowing is something that requires much more courage than one might think. Ugh. Just thinking about it is terrifying.”
I smiled as I saw Choi Seo-jun shudder.
“That’s why I plan to reduce that fear. Rather than hitting it head-on, I’m going to create a door for him to escape through.”
“You mean opening that door is what needs to be done now.”
I nodded.
“Yes. Anyway, corruption of this scale isn’t something that will end with just that one person. Everything will be connected from beginning to end.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
I picked up the tablet and brought up another screen.
Inside it, a list of suppliers was organized.
Some of them were marked in red.
“Some of the companies here show a suspicious flow. If you track the corporate structure, there are places that appear to be paper companies. One of them… is related to a person named Jeong Tae-jun.”
In an instant, Choi Seo-jun’s eyes hardened.
He slowly leaned back and fell into silent thought.
“…Then it wouldn’t be a simple internal accounting manipulation.”
“Yes. It’s a project where the defense budget was mobilized. And if it’s a capital flow moving through borrowed-name accounts, it could affect not just the company but the entire group.”
Choi Seo-jun’s expression became quite serious.
“We should secure more definite evidence.”
“That’s why I want to request cooperation from the information team as well. In a way that proceeds more quietly rather than through official channels.”
At my words, Choi Seo-jun nodded as if he understood and answered.
“Understood. I will set up an internal dedicated team and entrust it to them. I will quietly organize everything from tracking the flow of funds to partner company relationships and the people around Team Leader Kim Jongseok.”
I answered in a calm voice.
“Thank you, Representative Choi.”
I picked up the tablet again and began to flip through other screens.
Choi Seo-jun stood up and spoke quietly.
“Representative, this matter might have a more complicated flow hidden in it than expected. But since it’s you, Representative, you’ll see it through to the end, right?”
I slowly raised my head.
There was not even a hint of wavering in my eyes.
“Yes, I’ve already made up my mind to do it. I’m ready to go until the end.”
Choi Seo-jun felt that no more words were needed from the look in my eyes.
He slowly nodded and picked up the jacket he had draped over the sofa.
“Then I’ll go down for a moment. If there are any additional materials you need while proceeding, please tell me anytime.”
“Yes, thank you.”
As Choi Seo-jun left the office and closed the door, a quiet silence surrounded the space again.
I slowly exhaled and put down the tablet.
My fingertips began to move slowly over the keyboard.
On the monitor, documents related to Daehan Shipbuilding &
Marine Engineering were still open.
After struggling for a long time, I stood up and slowly walked toward the window.
I appreciated the scenery beyond the window for a moment.
The clear autumn sky was showing off its blue light.
‘To make Team Leader Kim Jongseok contact me directly….’
I was contemplating.
The fastest way for Kim Jongseok to open his mouth was not pressure but a lure.
The problem was creating a situation where he had no choice but to decide for himself.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then returned to the desk and took out a piece of memo paper.
I picked up a pen and began to write a few words.
I slowly scanned each word.
“Psychological stimulation, guilt, sense of solidarity, an escape route….”
I have to make him feel for himself that everything will collapse if things continue like this.
I recalled the short conversation I had with Kim Jongseok.
The tteokbokki shop, the grandmother, the junior, and the name that briefly passed by.
My gaze stopped at the words written at the very bottom of the notepad.
“Person….”
Kim Jongseok was not just a technician trapped inside a system but a person.
A person who was more sincere than anyone else and who feared betraying someone’s trust.
At that moment, something flashed through my mind.
“…Grandmother.”
The weak link is that Kim Jongseok could not speak out loud.
The only existence that supported him humanly, and an existence that could also be a weakness.
I immediately opened the company messenger and sent a short request to the practitioner belonging to the HJ Partners Information Security Team.
[Unofficial Request]
– Please first check the family relationships, place of residence, and family-related history among the hospital treatment records of Team Leader Kim Jongseok. Be careful not to let it be exposed externally.
After a moment, a message reception confirmation notification appeared.
I stood up and stood in front of the window again.
‘A person is bound to become the most honest at their most human moment.’
It was not a wise method for me to directly approach Kim Jongseok and say I would help.
What he needed now was a lure that would make him reach out first.
I muttered quietly.
“If you take courage first, Team Leader Kim…. Then I will help you.”
***
There was a person doing simple grocery shopping at a supermarket in front of an old apartment complex near his house.
Since it was the weekend, Kim Jongseok was on his way home after stopping by his daughter’s hospital.
He climbed the stairs powerlessly with his shoulders hunched.
Having arrived in front of the front door, he took out his phone for a moment before opening the door.
At that moment, a new message arrived on his phone as if it had been waiting.
[Seobu Central Medical Center]
[The regular checkup schedule for Ms. Oh Jong-rye has been changed to next Monday at 10:00 AM.]
Kim Jongseok felt strength entering his hand unconsciously.
He remembered that his mother had seemed particularly drained of energy lately.
After a moment, he took out a single card he had received a long time ago from his business card case.
A name written in a neat font.
[Lim Hyunjun]
He stared at the business card for a long time then sighed and muttered.
“…Will he really be able to help?”
Sitting in a corner of the living room with the business card, Kim Jongseok bowed his head with a heavy face.
his head was complicated.
The daughter’s hospital bills came out every month.
And now, even the notification of the change in the treatment schedule stating that his mother’s condition had worsened.
He had already reached his limit.
Kim Jongseok closed his eyes and struggled to organize his complicated thoughts.
“How will I prepare the hospital bills until next month….”
He had already broken all his savings accounts, and the conflict with his wife was becoming severe.
He looked down at the business card and repeated to himself.
‘If it’s that place….’
The look in Hyunjun’s eyes he had encountered in the school auditorium came to mind.
Though he was at a young age, it was a gaze that was sharp and, above all, felt sincere.
The story that Kim Jongseok could not bring himself to say remained heavy as if stuck in his throat.
He hesitated for a long time and eventually stopped his hand after only entering the number.
His finger faltered over the call button.
After hesitating for a long time, he just put down his phone again and stared at empty space.
At that moment, a phone message notification sound rang.
[Daehan General Hospital]
[Modification of outpatient medication prescription for Ms. Kim Ha-yun.]
Soon after, a second message followed.
[Information on costs due to some items being excluded from health insurance coverage for Ms. Oh Jong-rye. Please contact the hospital for details.]
Kim Jongseok squeezed his eyes shut.
The face of his daughter lying down and the back of his mother who was struggling to move with short steps a few days ago overlapped.
He pressed his forehead.
As if asking himself, he repeated in his mind.
‘If I speak the truth…. What about our child?’
The image of his daughter Ha-yun lying in the hospital room with a gaunt body did not leave his head.
A child who was not even eight years old was fighting the disease while changing IV drips several times a day.
The moment he thought of his daughter.
The truth felt like a luxury rather than a conscience.
The image of the child lying in the hospital room raised its head before his conscience.
If he speaks, everything is over.
If he loses his job, if his income is cut off….
Ha-yun’s treatment might be stopped.