Still Not Here?
【Taeshin Trading ― Dual Appointnt Notice with Taeshin Asset Managent】
－ Na: Division Director Kang In-hyuk
－ Affiliation: Taeshin Asset Managent M&A/PEF Division
－ Dual Departnt: Taeshin Trading Group TF Division
－ Dual Position: Division Director
－ Dual Period: △△, △△, 2025 ∼ Undetermined
.
.
Past noon.
As she read the urgent notice from the head office, Tae Ju-ha's expression grew grave.
"What is this... Did this really co from the head office?"
Heo Yu-rim looked at her with a worried face.
"CEO. More than that, shouldn't you be focusing on your own health right now?"
"......"
The two of them were currently at the ergency room of a hospital near where their breakfast eting had been scheduled.
"I told you not to eat anything you felt uneasy about."
"Go Mi-ah said she made it herself. It didn't even taste bad when I ate it."
"It didn't taste bad?"
The reason for Tae Ju-ha's hospitalization was Go Mi-ah's strawberry cheese cookie, which she had eaten in the car while on the move.
Of course, just as Tae Ju-ha said, there hadn't been any big issue imdiately after eating it.
However, as they arrived at the breakfast eting venue, a sudden abdominal pain hit her, and she had to move to the ergency room and even undergo gastric lavage.
"I really felt fine though..."
"Didn't you dislike Go Mi-ah?"
"Well, not that much."
"Then why did you accept the cookie?"
A bitter look appeared on Tae Ju-ha's face.
Ever since her biological mother died from illness, the concept of family was filled with nothing but hostility for her.
Naturally, no one got close to Tae Ju-ha, and Heo Yu-rim was the only one who stayed with her.
Because of that life, the idea of soone giving her homade cookies without a hint of malice felt completely foreign.
"Just because."
"Heesh—! Anyway, be more careful next ti."
"Alright. And it wasn't even that serious..."
At that muttered comnt, Heo Yu-rim protested loudly.
"Didn't you hear what the doctor said? He said it was at the level of a toxic reaction!"
"It wasn't that bad... It was just a stomach spasm. He said the problem was I had a bit too much stimulating(?) food."
"That's the sa thing! What on earth did she put in those 'homade' cookies? Oh, and didn't she say she'd share them with the team too? Isn't that a big problem for everyone?"
"Ah..."
Heo Yu-rim imdiately called the system managent team. Soon, after finishing the call, she looked at Tae Ju-ha.
"They said they never got any cookies."
"Really? Did Go Mi-ah show up for work as usual?"
"She seed really cheerful when she greeted everyone, but suddenly beca depressed afterward."
"...?"
After hearing the situation, even more things didn't add up.
Tae Ju-ha soon shifted her gaze back to her tablet.
"I should check this, too."
"That's an appointnt notice from the head office. Will anything change even if you check it?"
Maybe she was still in shock and hadn't considered that.
"True... That's right."
"To be honest, it is strange. Of all places, they appointed Division Director Kang In-hyuk as the division director of the TF division at the head office... The chairman must've gotten involved, right?"
"Probably."
Above her were the brothers Tae Seok-hyun and Tae Seok-ho, who did not think highly of Tae Ju-ha.
Their families were the sa, so it was obvious they would not be happy to see Tae Ju-ha's husband, Kang In-hyuk, absorbed into the head office.
Naturally, they would never let Kang In-hyuk sit as the head of the head office TF division.
"There'll be a lot of interference."
"What I don't understand is what the chairman is thinking. It's like he's indifferent, and then suddenly he makes these unexpected decisions."
"The TF division is a problem, too. I heard from the head office that the chairman plans to completely revamp all affiliate and subsidiary companies. That would an Director Kang In-hyuk takes on that burden."
"Not an easy situation. Anyway, let get up. I need to figure out what's going on."
Heo Yu-rim tried to stop her with an even more worried look.
"At least wait until you finish your IV. Gastric lavage is already a problem, and you've built up a lot of fatigue, so you should rest a bit."
At that, Tae Ju-ha lay back down and nodded.
.
.
.
At the sa ti.
In-hyuk was in his office when a computer notification alerted him to the appointnt notice.
"The chairman is moving faster than I thought."
It was remarkable that sothing decided only a few days earlier was already happening.
At the sa ti, one thing beca clear to In-hyuk.
"Don't tell ... He's been planning this from the start?"
"What's up? Aren't you heading out?"
Hong Yu-geon, who was sitting on the sofa, asked.
He was just about to leave after finishing his morning work, but In-hyuk's sudden stop made him wait.
"Looks like things are going to get complicated. But when you ca to Korea, was there any problem with the passports you used?"
The two had always worked as rcenaries, using fake passports whenever they crossed borders.
That was true for In-hyuk, both during his ti at UID and after being betrayed by Tae Seok-ho.
Since their passport identities couldn't be compromised, it was sothing he needed to check.
"Hmm... We bought our passports from the black market, so we don't really know. Still, they shouldn't be on any Interpol watch list."
"Well, that much is obvious."
It wasn't like the black market would sell a fake passport with a known criminal record anyway.
"So what's the problem?"
"You two are registered with the company as my personally hired security guards. You never submitted resus or docunts to prove your identity. So if Tae Seok-ho or Baek Si-hwan check which passports you used, wouldn't they notice?"
"Ah... I hadn't thought about that."
"Of course not. Take a picture of your passport right now and send it to Mi-ah. Ask her to check if there are any problems with your identities."
Hong Yu-geon flinched at the order.
"Will Mi-ah really check for us?"
On one side of the office was the purple cookie bag he had stolen from Go Mi-ah's luggage earlier that morning.
"That's that, work is work. Hurry up and ask her."
"Can't you, as CEO, call her instead?"
He sounded genuinely hopeful.
In-hyuk stared at Hong Yu-geon with the most serious expression possible.
"There's no ti. Just do it now."
"Tch...!"
By then, In-hyuk had called for Baek Si-hwan, who was sitting outside the office.
"You called for ?"
Since In-hyuk had never called him for anything other than sorting docunts, Baek Si-hwan looked bewildered.
"I'll be going on a business trip to the US, so let's get ready. Book tickets for departure within this week. Red-eye flights are fine. Four first-class seats. If there aren't enough, business or even economy will do."
"Suddenly, sir? But just now..."
Baek Si-hwan had also seen the dual appointnt notice from the head office assigning In-hyuk as the TF division director.
With the appointnt date coming up, the business trip didn't make sense to him.
"That's why we're going. You'll need to co along for docunt control."
"Understood."
"I'll share the itinerary by email."
Baek Si-hwan left the office with a subtle expression.
Watching him, In-hyuk shifted his attention to Hong Yu-geon, fidgeting on the sofa.
He was waiting for a reply from Go Mi-ah.
"Did she read it?"
"Yeah. But there's no reply... Oh, here it is. Ah..."
The mood wasn't good.
"What's wrong? The results aren't bad, are they?"
"She said there was a background check request from the Minsk region recently."
That was a part of Belarus.
"Is that where your identity is from?"
"I had no idea, but Mi-ah says it matches."
In-hyuk's face grew serious.
"It's the sa for Van?"
"Hold on... Yeah, he's the sa."
"Soone deliberately requested the background check. And there's no way that's a good intention."
"Would it be Baek Si-hwan?"
Ban and Hong Yu-geon seed to grasp the situation, and the mood turned heavy.
"For now, it's highly likely. But there are other possibilities too."
Candidates included not only Tae Seok-ho at group headquarters but also Jeon Hae-in, the mistress of KQ Group.
Possibly trying to shake up In-hyuk's bodyguards out of vexation.
"What should we do?"
"For now, leave the country with . After we split at the designated point, revise your identities and regroup."
"Both of us? What about the president? You'll be with Baek Si-hwan?"
"For now, there's no choice."
"But this is Arica. If sothing happens, and those guys make a move, then what?"
In-hyuk was also sowhat concerned.
Unknown organizational mbers, including Baek Si-hwan, had used firearms even in Korea.
With guns legal in the US, even more drastic asures might be taken.
"Worry about making sure your identities don't beco a problem. It's better than getting caught later. I'll connect you with a broker."
"You know soone like that?"
"Not 100% trustworthy in all things, but when a deal is made, he doesn't stab you in the back. Plus, there's sothing I need to pick up anyway."
This referred to Jacob Greer, who had set up AMK Partners' Cayman Islands entity.
"That's what you were after in the first place, right?"
"Just killing two birds with one stone. Anyway, don't act rashly and make sure you're not being tailed."
"Got it. I'll keep it in mind."
* * *
A few days later, Taeshin Trading's executive vice president, Tae Seok-ho, sat on his office sofa with a subtle expression.
He had tried contacting Kang In-hyuk, who was appointed as division director of the head office TF division, but hadn't been able to reach him.
He'd even tried Taeshin Asset Managent, but only got the answer that In-hyuk was out on external business all morning.
Now, he was waiting for In-hyuk's first day in his new position at the head office.
Knock, knock—
Just then, deputy chief Lee Jae-jun entered.
"Is he here?"
He knew what news Tae Seok-ho was waiting for, so he too wore an odd expression.
"Not yet."
"A guy scheduled to report to the head office still isn't here?"
"Should I try contacting Asset Managent?"
After a mont of thought, Tae Seok-ho spoke.
"Do it. Just in case."
Previously, he had used a burner phone to avoid direct contact with Kang In-hyuk in order to use H&T Fund to siphon funds from Taeshin Asset Managent.
But after the acquisition of Chulsan Capital derailed those plans, there was no need for secretive contact anymore.
anwhile, Lee Jae-jun finished his call and approached.
"Executive vice president."
"Did you get through?"
"Well... they said he's left the country for an overseas business trip."
"Business trip? Suddenly? Where did he go?"
After a pause, Lee Jae-jun answered carefully.
"They said California, San Jose."
"Silicon Valley? Why would he go there?"
"They said there's a critical investnt due diligence for the MP Division. Once that work is finished, he'll conduct TF Division–related business from there."
Hearing this, Tae Seok-ho was dumbfounded.
"That's really selfish. He postponed a special order from the chairman just to go to the US?"
"They say the necessary staff for the TF division have already been handpicked and are reporting in."
"Didn't so TF employees get transferred from the head office?"
"I thought so too, but... apparently not."
Nothing was going as expected.
Tae Seok-ho's brow furrowed deeply.
"Nothing is working out properly."
"At least we may have bought so ti for Spintech. President Han Byung-hun might be able to take more actions in the anti."
About 50 billion won had gone into laying the groundwork for H&T Fund—slush funds that Tae Seok-ho and President Han Byung-hun embezzled together.
Of course, a significant amount fell to Han as well.
So unless they wanted to go down together, as Lee Jae-jun suggested, the best they could do was erase as many traces from the books as possible.
"Even if Kang In-hyuk cos back, can you hide it all?"
"I'll see what I can do."
"Hoo—!"
A worried Tae Seok-ho waved him away with a sigh. The situation just wasn't going his way.
User Comments
0 comments from readers