Former Mastermind To Chaebol Son-in-Law

Chapter 9

He's a Real Bastard

The table that had been set was cleared away, and warm tea was served.

In the briefly quiet air, Jang Hyung-cheol took a sip of tea and stared at In-hyuk.

"You already knew that Raisen Energy was going to sign a contract with the Ministry of National Defense, didn't you?"

That was the cause of the stock's sudden surge.

But it was almost impossible for an outsider to know, especially from within the US, about a contract signed by the Ministry of National Defense.

"That's right."

"How did you... Never mind. For a trader, information is as good as their life. I almost made a rude mistake."

In response to the display of courtesy, In-hyuk nodded.

"Thank you for understanding."

"So, can I expect something next? If necessary, I could allocate even more funds for you to manage."

In-hyuk already anticipated his intentions and that was why he was here today.

Of course, he himself also had his own expectations.

"Does that include the funds you're operating in Busan?"

At the same time, Jang Hyung-cheol's expression hardened.

"... So you knew who I am?"

"If you mean the loan shark king of the southern region, Mr. Jang of Haeundae... then yes."

The image of Jang Hyung-cheol, known publicly as Mr. Jang of Haeundae, was not widely revealed.

Having made a notorious name for himself as a loan shark in the southern region, his true identity had been kept thoroughly under wraps.

So even in Stock Management Team 1, they labeled him as a "claimer" and handed him over to Team 3 as if he were excess baggage.

His publicly known assets were about 10 billion won.

But in reality, he was a wealthy man holding over 100 billion won in liquid cash.

"Was I that famous?"

"I just happened to hear some rumors about you, sir."

"If you've heard anything about me, it can't have been good. Aren't you scared?"

With the title of "loan shark king," he controlled not just vast sums of cash in the southern region but also the flow of illicit money.

And along with those funds, most of the underworld's thugs followed his lead.

"Not really."

"Oho. You've got more guts than I thought."

"But it's not your money of that kind that I want. Of course, it's money you earned through your efforts, but if that money were to be traced, our company might get caught up in it as well."

Jang Hyung-cheol nodded and laughed in satisfaction.

"That's why I only invested the money I earned from real estate in Bundang. Ah, it's not speculation or anything like that. It was just land I bought cheaply back in the day and got lucky with."

"I understand what you mean. So I'll manage the money you've already entrusted to me. But if you also want to invest those other funds, I can introduce you to a good company."

His face showed curiosity.

"You don't mean... the source of the Raisen Energy information, do you?"

"Similar. If you trust me even a little, I'll recommend it to you as a client."

"Oh-ho... Does that mean the returns are as good as you showed me?"

"They won't be any worse, that I can tell you."

When it came to investing, he had more confidence than anyone else.

Sensing this from In-hyuk, Jang Hyung-cheol's smile deepened.

"I doubt you'd introduce such a place without conditions."

"You're sharp."

"I've lived by my wits in this business-for-wealth world for fifty years. If I couldn't even catch that, I deserve to be six feet under."

"Then, should I go ahead and make the introduction?"

Jang Hyung-cheol thought for a moment before speaking.

"You wouldn't be trying to scam me, would you?"

"If you're not interested, you don't have to accept. There will be plenty of others looking for that sort of opportunity, even without you."

"You sure sound confident. Just how great is this place supposed to be?"

"It's a private equity fund called AMK Partners set up in the Cayman Islands. They recruit a select few clients and manage their stock investments. I can assure you, the returns will be larger than you might imagine."

Not long ago, Go Mi-ah had set up that company at In-hyuk's request.

Naturally, the information source there would be In-hyuk himself.

He planned to rapidly build a base and then face those powers behind Baek Si-hwan.

And Jang Hyung-cheol was to become one of the key pieces he had stumbled upon by chance.

"Then, what are the management and incentive fees?"

His voice turned serious, as if interest had taken hold.

"3.5% management, 30% incentive."

"That's rather high."

Usually, the management fee was 2%, and the incentive was around 20%.

Compared to that, this fund took a large cut—enough to raise an eyebrow.

"That's because the profit is guaranteed."

"Fine, let's put in two billion first. Give me the fund account, and I'll wire the money."

"You're not even going to meet the person in charge yourself?"

It wasn't a small sum—two billion won was a lot of money.

It was strange that he'd just hand it over on In-hyuk's word.

"When is opportunity going to wait for me? And I trust you to handle it well."

"I'll make sure to reward that trust with results."

"Can I look forward to it?"

"You absolutely can."

With that, the conversation ended, and In-hyuk bid farewell to Jang Hyung-cheol and got into his car.

Just as he was about to start the engine, his phone rang. When he checked the screen, a frown creased his brow.

【Tae Yeo-jun】

He was the eldest son of Tae Gun-seung, chairman of Taeshin Group, and the son of Tae Seok-hyun, the CEO of Taeshin Electronics and likely heir.

He was married to a pair of legitimate and illegitimate siblings.

Furthermore, like his mother Lee Sun-hye, Tae Yeo-jun despised In-hyuk.

In-hyuk sighed and pressed the call button.

[Hey~ Brother-in-law! Come over here for a minute, will you?]

Through the receiver, he could faintly hear loud music and people's voices.

"What is it?"

[When I tell you to come, just come. Why do you need to give such a long answer? I'll send the location. Get here in ten minutes.]

Click—

The call cut off. Then a message with an address arrived.

【Rizeburn Club, room VIP 1, Yeoksam neighborhood】

At this point, In-hyuk had no idea what was going on. This had never happened to the original Kang In-hyuk.

Some silent change seemed to have occurred, catching Tae Yeo-jun's attention.

"This doesn't feel good..."

Originally, Kang In-hyuk attended high school and university with Tae Yeo-jun thanks to support from the Taeshin Education Foundation.

At that time, Tae Yeo-jun treated In-hyuk like a dog he kept at home, and tormented him whenever he felt the urge.

And within that context, In-hyuk ended up working at Taeshin Group and even marrying Tae Ju-ha, the family's illegitimate daughter.

He considered just ignoring the call, but thought that might only make things more troublesome later.

With a sigh, he entered the address in his navigation and set off.

* * *

In front of the eight-lane road and luxurious Rizeburn Club, people were queuing up even though it was still early evening.

Inside, it was even noisier than outside.

In the most expensive VIP room, Tae Yeo-jun, grandson of the Taeshin Group chairman, was drinking with his high school friends Kwon Seung-hyun and Moon Jae-min.

"Did you really call that bastard here?"

Moon Jae-min asked from nearby.

"Of course I did."

"What if he doesn't come?"

"Who wouldn't come when we call? Besides, Yeo-jun is on another level from us."

Kwon Seung-hyun was the third son of the KSE Fund chairman, and Moon Jae-min the second son of the chairman of Moonseong Trade.

Although both held positions in their respective companies, lacking ability had left them far from the line of succession.

But Tae Yeo-jun was different—he was the eldest son of Taeshin Group's heir, Tae Seok-hyun.

After a moment's pause, Kwon Seung-hyun asked,

"I was wondering why there were no girls tonight, but why did you call Kang In-hyuk all of a sudden?"

He hadn't really heard a reason.

"We ate together at my place last time."

"Oh, because Ju-ha came back, right? But so what?"

"He stood there stiffly, not even looking away when we made eye contact."

The other two had also gone to high school and college with Tae Yeo-jun and Kang In-hyuk.

Naturally, they had been right there when Tae Yeo-jun bullied In-hyuk.

"All because of that?"

"When Ju-ha, that girl, came back, he got all stiff-necked. Guys like him, if you don't stomp on them regularly, they won't just get stiff—they'll start thinking above their station."

Moon Jae-min nodded sympathetically.

"Right, right. If those bastards stay quiet, they start thinking it's their right."

At this, Kwon Seung-hyun let out a long sigh.

"We're thirty-three now. How long is this going to go on?"

But Tae Yeo-jun just sneered.

"What do years mean between superiors and inferiors? If a guy who should bow his head doesn't, that's a problem."

"You're really a bastard, you know that..."

Back in high school, Tae Yeo-jun used to beat Kang In-hyuk whenever he felt like it.

It had become a habit, and whenever anything displeased him, he had to act on it or he'd feel bottled up.

As they drank and talked, a knock sounded on the door.

Knock, knock—

Accompanied by the noisy music, In-hyuk entered.

'So, Kwon Seung-hyun and Moon Jae-min, the guys from Tae Yeo-jun's crew, are also here?'

During his time in the TSS security team, they had been considered the closest of VIPs.

And not in a good way—being seen with the Taeshin Group heir, Tae Yeo-jun, meant they always got into trouble.

"Yo~! Our brother-in-law is later than I expected."

Tae Yeo-jun sneered and looked In-hyuk up and down.

In-hyuk met his eyes, let out a sigh, and replied,

"Looks like you were having a good time without me—so why did you call me?"

Fancy whiskey bottles and half-empty glasses were scattered on the table.

Tae Yeo-jun frowned even more, clearly annoyed by In-hyuk's completely unfazed attitude.

"What makes you so confident?"

"I don't see why I should be intimidated."

"Wow... Our brother-in-law hasn't shown himself much lately, so he's gotten some nerve, huh?"

Suddenly riled, Tae Yeo-jun hurled his empty whiskey glass at In-hyuk.

The glass sailed directly toward In-hyuk's face.

Thud—

But the glass was already caught in In-hyuk's hand.

"......"

A moment of silence hung over the scene.

In-hyuk set the glass down, staring right through Tae Yeo-jun.

"Phew—! I was planning to just listen to your nonsense and leave, but now you've really gone too far."

The original Kang In-hyuk had always spoken formally to Tae Yeo-jun ever since he became officially tied to the Taeshin family.

But, perhaps because he suddenly started speaking informally, Tae Yeo-jun's face twisted even more.

"What? Gone too far?"

Moon Jae-min, who couldn't take it anymore, suddenly stood up and grabbed In-hyuk by the collar.

But In-hyuk didn't move an inch. Instead, he grabbed Moon Jae-min's wrist, gripping and twisting it hard.

"Aaaargh—!"

Moon Jae-min screamed in shock at the incredible strength.

Kwon Seung-hyun immediately jumped to his feet and approached.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? He grabbed me by the collar, so I'm grabbing him back."

Even as he said this, In-hyuk kept increasing the pressure, and Moon Jae-min's screams grew louder.

"Let go, now?!"

In frustration, Moon Jae-min swung his fist at In-hyuk.

But In-hyuk didn't evade—instead, he kicked Moon Jae-min's left ankle.

With his balance broken, Moon Jae-min's body lifted off the ground and slammed onto the floor.

Thud—

"Ugh—!"

The other two stared in shock at the sight.

Kwon Seung-hyun, nevertheless, started to move toward the calm and standing In-hyuk.

"You... Are you crazy?"

"Why? If you want to end up like this too, go ahead and try grabbing me."

Kwon Seung-hyun had no choice but to stop. Because In-hyuk still had a tight grip on Moon Jae-min's arm.

A moment of silence followed.

In-hyuk looked at the other two while twisting Moon Jae-min's wrist even harder.

"Aaaargh! L-let go!!"