A Call Has Co
There was noise over which company would acquire Chulsan Capital, a major financial firm in the southern region.
During this ti, Oh Kang-goo, the executive vice president of Taeshin Asset Managent, sat in his office together with Managing Director Yang Chan-woo.
"The atmosphere in the company has been a bit unsettled lately."
"It's all because of the MP division. They're brokering the Chulsan Capital bid, and the funds moving from the PEF side, without Organization's approval, are huge. The employees are worried, so there seem to be all kinds of rumors spreading."
MP was the abbreviation for M&A/PEF.
"Hmm... Co to think of it, has the audit team found anything on Division Director Kang?"
At that question, Yang Chan-woo fell silent for a mont before opening his mouth.
"... They say there's nothing to pick at for now."
"Nothing at all? When he's pushing things forward so recklessly, shouldn't sothing have co up?"
"The profits for the fund side are huge. According to sources, there's been a lot of requests from clients of other divisions, asking if they could be connected to Kang In-hyuk."
"Then why hasn't there been a report?"
Originally, it should have co up already.
"They say the audit team lead has been using annual leave due to personal reasons from two days ago until today."
"Taking ti off at a ti like this? Things really are turning crazy."
"I'll make sure to tell them to pay more attention once they're back tomorrow."
Oh Kang-goo's expression beca severely distorted.
"Tell them not to hold back and dig by any ans necessary. No matter how good soone's intel is, it's not easy to rise this fast. So if they're getting solid information from sowhere, it definitely can't be through legal ans. That ans sothing is bound to turn up."
He was convinced there had to have been insider trading that they didn't know about. But since there hadn't been any evidence so far, it was simply frustrating.
"Understood. And... yesterday, Director Bong Joo-hyung completed the delivery."
"I made sure it wouldn't be known that I gave the order, right?"
"I said it was a matter being handled at my level. But... who is the MP division data being delivered to?"
Yang Chan-woo was also acting on Oh Kang-goo's instruction, so he wasn't sure of the details.
"I'm just following orders from above too."
"By above, do you an... is it definitely Executive Vice President Tae Seok-ho?"
"Be careful what you say in other places."
Yang Chan-woo gave a worried look and voiced his doubts.
"... Are we really not in trouble? I'm not doubting Executive Vice President Tae, but if things go wrong, you and I could all get swept away, right?"
Currently, Taeshin Group was at the start of a whale fight, so he was afraid they might end up like the shrimp caught in the middle. Oh Kang-goo clicked his tongue and replied.
"Tsk! Will we really be safe anyway, once the eldest son sits in the chairman's seat? So, we can't just sit by. Besides, we can't expect to succeed without any risk."
"Co to think of it, haven't there been strange rumors lately? That the chairman is considering CEO Tae Ju-ha..."
"Do you think that makes sense? She is a child brought in from outside. If it were a son, maybe, but even the eldest granddaughter, Tae Su-jin, is only the executive vice president of Taeshin Departnt Store. On the other hand, the eldest grandson, Tae Yeo-jun, is the electronics division director, and the second son's son is the construction CEO."
He ant that Chairman Tae Gun-seung was strictly enforcing a male-preference ideology.
Yang Chan-woo, who had heard similar stories during his ti at Taeshin Asset Managent, could only agree.
"At most, CEO Tae Ju-ha might be allowed to take over just Taeshin Asset Managent as a subsidiary."
"That wouldn't last long, either. Most of the shares here are held by Holdings, so if the group ownership changes, that will be temporary, too..."
Riiing— riiing—
Just then, the internal call rang, cutting through their conversation. Losing his energy, Oh Kang-goo pressed the button roughly.
"What is it?"
[The CEO is calling. They want to see you in the office right away.]
"... Did they say what it's about?"
[No further details were given.]
"Alright. I'll go soon."
The unexpected summons was puzzling, filling him with questions.
Shortly after, he ended the conversation and headed towards Tae Ju-ha's office.
...
...
As the door to the CEO's office opened, Oh Kang-goo stepped inside.
"Division Director Kang, you're here too. May I ask what this eting is about?"
Sitting on the sofa beside Tae Ju-ha was In-hyuk.
Exuding a sense of discomfort, Oh Kang-goo took a seat across from him.
In-hyuk, anwhile, handed out docunts that were on the table to both of them.
"Please take a look at this."
The office fell silent for a mont. After reading the docunts first, Tae Ju-ha ford a subtle expression.
"You're applying a new security system only to the MP division? Is that really necessary?"
From beside her, Oh Kang-goo echoed her question.
"The CEO is right. No matter how much you strengthen security, there's no problem with the current system, isn't this just a waste of money?"
Taeshin Asset Managent, while a Taeshin Life subsidiary, used the sa security system as Taeshin Group.
Of course, In-hyuk didn't expect the two of them to be pleased. But he hadn't submitted the proposal without reason.
"If there really is no problem, then yes, it's a waste. I didn't give an advance report, but ever since the new division was created, there've been people working with impure intentions."
"Did sothing happen?"
At Tae Ju-ha's question, In-hyuk nodded and answered.
"With the increased handling of company confidential info, I've been paying close attention to internal security since the division's creation. Recently, evidence ca up that internal docunts were leaked outside during that process."
Oh Kang-goo furrowed his brow and, before Tae Ju-ha could speak, asked,
"How exactly were the docunts leaked?"
"Docunts don't just walk out on their own, so obviously, soone intervened."
"Then, did you find out who it was?"
In-hyuk let out a long sigh.
"Hoo—! M&A Team 2 Leader Shim Kang-hyun, PEF Team 1 Manager Lee Sang-won, and PEF Team 2 Leader Oh Joon-myeong. These three."
At the ntion of these nas, Oh Kang-goo's expression did not soften.
"They all just got picked for the new division. Who did they leak the information to? And do you have proof?"
"The docunts were leaked through those three to Director Bong Joo-hyung. Of course, Director Bong has no relation to our division's business. There were suspicious signs, so I put surveillance on him."
In-hyuk pulled photos from an envelope he had prepared.
The pictures showed Director Bong Joo-hyung handing sothing to a man in a dark place.
Upon seeing this, Oh Kang-goo's face hardened.
"Are you saying you tailed Director Bong Joo-hyung? More than that, you're saying Director Bong ordered the data leak. How are you sure of that?"
"Our division uses a program that embeds a special code into every digital file. If sothing is printed or copied without my approval, the security server is automatically sent the IP of the device where the last action happened."
Listening to the explanation, Oh Kang-goo raised his voice in protest.
"You're telling you used a program at the company without the higher up's approval?!"
"We used it because it was approved. Isn't that right?"
At the sa ti, Oh Kang-goo's gaze shifted from In-hyuk to Tae Ju-ha.
eting both their eyes, Tae Ju-ha nodded.
"Yes. I approved it to sample the security. I never thought it would co in handy like this so soon."
"Can you really do that without the other executives' opinions?"
"Division Director Kang In-hyuk reports directly to . It's not being shared with other divisions, just used there—do we really need an executive eting for that?"
"I can't say you're wrong, but this is closely tied to company security. The CEO can't make such decisions alone."
"Isn't this problem more urgent now? So, to whom did Director Bong deliver the MP division materials?"
Tae Ju-ha's question smoothly redirected the flow to In-hyuk.
"The na is Lee Seung-jin. Turns out he's an employee at an errands agency. There's even evidence that the item Director Bong gave him was delivered to Kim Chan-hyung, the secretary to the CEO of Oga Finance."
"Oga... that's the firm bidding for Chulsan Capital, which the MP division is brokering, right?"
Tae Ju-ha recognized the na as soon as she heard it. At the sa ti, Oh Kang-goo looked caught off guard.
"I never thought Director Bong Joo-hyung would do sothing like this. To prevent this from happening again, we'll need to take firm action."
At that instant, In-hyuk nearly let out a bitter laugh.
'Are they cutting off the tail as soon as it's caught?'
It was obvious that Bong Joo-hyung couldn't have acted alone in what happened with Oga Finance.
But, hiding his inner thoughts, In-hyuk brought up the eting's purpose once more.
"That's why I recomnded the new security system. If implented, material control will tighten, and even if there's a leak, the designated IP and GPS will make it impossible for anyone else to use."
But Oh Kang-goo didn't readily agree.
"Decisions about the system shouldn't be made here. Also, shouldn't there be action against the MP division employees who leaked information with Director Bong? Looks like Division Director Kang's staff managent skills need to be called into question too."
He was now trying to rope in Division Director In-hyuk's responsibility, probably because he'd lost a pawn in the form of Bong Joo-hyung.
It was too obvious, so In-hyuk didn't back down.
"Of course. I'll share details with the audit team so this can be handled quickly and thoroughly. We don't know who else might be behind Director Bong, so it's worth a proper investigation."
With a aningful look, he stared right at Oh Kang-goo.
Their eyes t, and Oh Kang-goo's eyelids twitched slightly.
"If this situation gets out, it'll seriously damage our image at Taeshin Asset Managent. Especially since the new MP division hasn't built up much yet, it could be even riskier. Are you prepared, if the investigation reveals more and more people involved, to deal with that?"
This question, almost like a threat, was directed at Tae Ju-ha, not In-hyuk.
He thought, as CEO, she would hold the line for the company's sake.
But Tae Ju-ha looked completely unfazed, contrary to Oh Kang-goo's expectations.
"No. I find it strange too. If Director Bong Joo-hyung were really behind this, he wouldn't move directly—he'd have soone else do it. We need to get to the bottom of this matter."
"Group HQ isn't going to stay quiet anyway. Since an executive is involved, you, the CEO, won't be able to escape responsibility."
"That would apply to you as well, wouldn't it, Executive Vice President Oh? Director Bong Joo-hyung is one of your people, together with Managing Director Yang Chan-woo."
Oh Kang-goo's brow furrowed even deeper than before. In-hyuk, inwardly amused, interjected.
"If anyone truly cares about the company, they should be more worried about substance than saving face."
"So, are you saying we should overturn everything, regardless of the company's reputation?"
"It's better than covering it up and having it blow up even bigger later."
Bzzz— bzzz—
While the sharp conversation continued, Oh Kang-goo's cell phone vibrated in his pocket.
Pulling it out quickly, he saw it was a call from Managing Director Yang Chan-woo.
For him to call knowing he was in the CEO's office, it had to be important.
"Excuse for a mont."
Stepping out for a mont, Oh Kang-goo walked to a remote corner in the hallway before pressing the call button.
"What's the reason for this call?"
[The audit team leader has contacted us. And...]
As he listened to Yang Chan-woo's words over the receiver, Oh Kang-goo's expression hardened further.
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