Former Mastermind To Chaebol Son-in-Law

Chapter 18

Release the Other Sources

Inside a luxurious hotel elevator.

Soon after arriving at the top floor of the hotel, Baek Si-hwan, who belonged to the Taeshin Group's Security Office, exited into the corridor.

When he pressed the doorbell of the suite room, a man peeked out.

Baek Si-hwan raised his left palm toward him and was soon allowed inside.

"Is your shoulder feeling any better?"

As he entered the living room, a middle-aged man with white hair sitting on the sofa asked him.

"It's still a bit uncomfortable, but it's not a problem. I apologize for causing you concern."

The middle-aged man's identity was Baek Ji-woong, chairman of WISE&WIRE Group.

"I didn't expect someone like you to get hurt that badly. And even more, I had no idea you'd flee without dealing with the situation first."

Baek Si-hwan had recently clashed with a dangerous individual at a warehouse in Hwaseong.

But instead of taking down the enemy, he'd been injured and forced to retreat.

His head lowered deeply.

"...... I have no excuse."

A heavy silence lingered for a moment, then the middle-aged man continued.

"They say the enemies even collected the team members' belongings. Are you sure there are no issues?"

"All communications were encrypted, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"There's no chance it could be deciphered?"

"As you know, without the periodically updated keywords used within the organization, it's impossible. We also changed the keyword immediately after the incident."

Baek Ji-woong nodded slowly.

"At least that's fortunate. But, you can't identify the adversary at all?"

"We did find vehicular traces nearby, but it was discovered to be an unlicensed car with fake plates, so tracking it seems difficult."

"And besides that?"

"Analyzing the movements at the time, the individual is at least as well-trained as us. In addition......"

His words trailed off, making Baek Ji-woong's eyes widen a bit.

"Is there something concerning?"

"It seemed like the individual was using WID's TMT."

At this, Baek Ji-woong furrowed his brow.

"You're sure you didn't see wrong?"

"I estimate the chance I was mistaken is less than 10%."

"So...... from UID then?"

TMT was a combat technique developed by the Army Defense Intelligence Command's intelligence unit UID about seven years ago, which had since been incorporated into the current organization.

That organization included Baek Ji-woong and Baek Si-hwan. In fact, the name UID was originally derived from the present WID.

"Just in case, I checked the list of those killed in action or discharged from UID, but there was still no one who matched."

WID was, externally, a non-existent private military group of WISE&WIRE.

They had accomplished many things using them, and failures had never occurred.

They were also entities that absolutely could not be exposed to the outside.

Yet this time, not only had they failed a mission for the first time, but exposure was also at risk.

"Any chance it was Aoshika?"

"They haven't shown a single sign of activity since splitting from us."

'Aoshika' was a separate team that went underground after internal conflict.

"So unless they resurface, finding them will be hard?"

"That's correct for now."

"That's trouble. Well, there's nothing to be done then."

With that, the conversation ended.

As Baek Ji-woong shook his hand in dismissal, Baek Si-hwan bowed his head again and stepped outside.

* * *

In-hyuk was seated at the office, as usual for a workday.

Then, from the neighboring office, his colleague and fellow recruit Noh Dongjun cautiously approached.

"Team Leader Kang In-hyuk, why are you so busy lately?"

By now, In-hyuk had recalled most of his memories regarding the company.

Noh Dongjun was someone of middling skill who maintained decent social relationships.

Though a bit noisy—a type that wasn't his taste—he was the only one the original Kang In-hyuk could have called a friend.

"I've had it pretty easy last year, so now I need to show I'm working. Anyway, what's up?"

"I thought maybe you were pushing yourself too hard, so I came to check on your state of mind. Want to grab a coffee upstairs?"

In-hyuk considered for a moment, then logged off his computer.

"Sure, why not."

The two headed to a park on the middle floor of the building and got coffee from the vending machine.

"Mix coffee really is the best!"

"Checking on my mental state sounds like an excuse. What are you actually trying to learn? Did the 2nd Team Leader send you to dig into my information network?"

Noh Dongjun grinned slyly.

"Your recent performance is pretty good, right? The other teams are desperate to figure out your source. And, well, Team Leader Go keeps pressuring me......"

Meaning Go Jin-woo of Equity Investment Team 2.

"Seems his pride keeps him from asking directly."

"Ever since you became team leader, there's been a lot of talk. And after that recent quiet spell, your results exploded, so people can't help but gossip even more."

Still, the prevailing view was that In-hyuk's results came from the Taeshin Group's info network.

"Hearing you talk like this, you're just following protocol."

"I get pressured from above too, so I have no choice. But honestly, haven't you changed too much?"

"In what way?"

Though not close, as fellow recruits who'd endured training together, Noh Dongjun had some sense of his character. Naturally, he couldn't help seeing that In-hyuk's demeanor had shifted.

"You used to quietly do your work without ever showing your true feelings. Did something happen?"

Something had happened, for sure. The person had changed overnight.

He'd been thinking about this since returning to this past yet present world.

'Even now, I don't know why the original me disappeared and I became Kang In-hyuk.'

The same past, the same flow. But In-hyuk's actions were warping things little by little.

Yet he still hadn't identified who was behind Baek Si-hwan, which was frustrating.

But approaching Baek Si-hwan too directly would only spark suspicion.

"I just don't want to overlook the things I used to ignore."

"Oh, come on! Why are you talking like that...... Though, honestly, it's not bad. Frankly, when you decided to join Taeshin Group as a son-in-law, it felt like you'd given up on everything. It bothered me."

Noh Dongjun gave a resigned smile as he spoke.

"Did I?"

"You don't remember? You looked like someone who was done with life."

Along with his answer, In-hyuk recalled the situation then.

But the memory seemed like it was from the first person, so he couldn't tell what he'd really felt or thought.

"I don't really remember."

"Oh, by the way, is there any issue with your team's funds after all this?"

"Issue?"

"With the drug incident making the rounds since a few days ago. The office is in an uproar because of it."

That case had caused a major stir, with children of politicians and second and third-generation chaebols involved.

Naturally, the share prices of related companies were affected, impacting investment firms too, including Taeshin Asset Management.

That's why some teams in the office were uneasy.

"We don't manage large funds, and most of ours aren't related to the incident."

"But you invest in stocks, right?"

At that, In-hyuk laughed.

"This was your real reason. You wanted to know if there was damage to the clients I manage."

"Oh, you caught me?"

The question was far too obvious.

"No need to beat around the bush. And there was no damage on my end either. Guess I was lucky, none of my counterparties were involved."

After all, In-hyuk had engineered the event, so he was bound to avoid it. At the same time, Noh Dongjun was surprised.

"Really? What's your stock portfolio ratio?"

"Around 90%."

"And not a single one got hit?"

"Most are overseas companies."

He'd purposely invested in foreign stocks to avoid suspicions of insider trading, even with high returns.

"So you're making that much without betting on local firms... That's really impressive. Where do you get your information?"

"Why? Want me to share if I have something good?"

It was an offer to give Noh Dongjun, one of the few he could almost call a friend, a chance.

"Is that possible?"

"If you can trust me and follow."

That was the key. If In-hyuk couldn't be trusted, sharing anything was pointless.

"Of course I trust you."

His immediate reply caught In-hyuk by surprise.

"...... And if the information's wrong and you suffer big losses?"

"I made the choice, so I should take responsibility. Who else can I blame?"

A surprising answer. In-hyuk stared at Noh Dongjun.

"......"

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I'll pick a suitable company to invest in and let you know later today. But I don't want any complaints, so say it's your own source."

"Oh! Thanks!"

After finishing their conversation, they returned to the office.

As they reached the fifth floor where the Equity Investment Headquarters was located, In-hyuk received a call from Go Mi-ah.

He gestured for Noh Dongjun to go on ahead, then moved to a quiet place to answer.

"What's going on at this hour?"

[Just like you said, the guys have started as well.]

A message link came through.

Checking it, he found an article claiming that the global idol group DDS was implicated in the drug case.

Naturally, the article was full of speculation, with no hard evidence—using celebrity scandal to create a stir and distract everyone from the initial list of high-ranking officials' children and chaebol heirs.

"Release the other sources we prepared, as planned."

[No changes to the plan, right?]

"As long as you handle the pushes well, there'll be no problems. Draw in more traffic to the existing articles too. Absolutely leave no traces."

[Don't worry~!]

After hanging up, In-hyuk returned to his seat and checked headlines linking idol group DDS to the drug case on his computer.

In the meantime, he heard sighs and murmurs in the office as the news spread.

Because the idol group was linked to several advertisers, it couldn't be ignored.

But that didn't last long.

【Anonymous message board exposes major business figures' drug list. Full names and detailed personal information revealed, sending shockwaves through the industry.......】

【Rizeburn drug scandal? High-ranking officials' children and chaebol heirs' illegal drug debauchery.......】

【Prosecutors' flimsy investigation. At the center is Deputy Chief Prosecutor Ahn ○○ of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, alleged to have taken requests from those involved.......】

.

.

First, the real owner and stakeholders of the club Rizeburn, where the drugs had been distributed, were named in the press.

Then, the actual names of those involved, along with their relatives and bribery deposit histories, surfaced.

'With this much, even if they want to keep playing tricks with the DDS group, they'll be too distracted to manage it, right?'

These clues were things Go Mi-ah had tipped off out of regret for not rescuing DDS during her lifetime.

After returning to the past, using his sharpened memory, In-hyuk had compiled a list and data for Go Mi-ah to leak.

Meanwhile, news sites continued to churn out a complex web of stories.