What a Dangerous Business
The vibration sound from In-hyuk's phone kept ringing.
From the driver's seat, Baek Si-hwan curiously asked, "Aren't you going to answer?"
"I should answer."
With a slightly bothered look, In-hyuk pressed the call and speakerphone buttons.
"Yes, this is Kang In-hyuk."
The caller was Mark Campbell, the CEO of Greenbyte Labs.
[Is this a good ti to talk?]
"Yes, go ahead. By the way, weren't you eting with AMK Partners?"
It had just barely been over ten minutes since he left there.
[The eting just finished.]
"So what's the reason for your call? Has sothing changed with our arrangent?"
At In-hyuk's dispassionate words, Mark Campbell fell briefly silent before responding.
[I'm calling about the conversation I had with AMK Partners. They offered both investnt and an MOU with Accentia, as your division director ntioned.]
At that, In-hyuk glanced at the rearview mirror.
For a split second, Baek Si-hwan's gaze t his in the mirror before turning back to the front.
It was a topic that would naturally grab both ears and eyes.
"This seems like a crucial business matter. Is it alright to discuss it with ?"
AMK Partners had grown into a company incomparable to Taeshin Asset Managent in a very short ti.
No matter what offer they made, Greenbyte Labs had no choice but to pay attention.
[It doesn't matter. I already declined their offer. The branch manager, Norman McGrath, just left.]
"You declined? Weren't their terms better than ours?"
[They definitely were. Of course, maybe out of desperation I acted on stubbornness, but I couldn't ignore the loyalty I owed you for making the initial investnt offer.]
At that mont, In-hyuk felt a twinge inside.
Honestly, from the start, he had orchestrated this himself.
He had moved Norman McGrath of AMK Partners to gauge what kind of person Mark Campbell was.
If the results hadn't t his expectations, he'd even considered replacing him if necessary.
He'd encountered too many people in his previous life who betrayed out of greed and self-interest.
But Mark Campbell's reaction was different from what he expected.
"So you're saying... you want to continue partnering with us?"
[That's right.]
"Are you really alright with that?"
In-hyuk had instructed Norman McGrath to make a significant offer, citing Gordon Gris's directions.
It was a very tempting proposal, one anyone would seriously consider.
He'd even set the amount high enough to make it easy for Mark Campbell to turn his back.
[It would be a lie to say it doesn't sting to turn down their offer. But it was my greed that put Greenbyte in this position. My staff suffered as well. But having already received more investnt than we deserve, would it be right to get greedy for more?]
This ti, In-hyuk fell silent for a mont before speaking again.
"Thank you for making a good decision. Let's talk further about this over dinner."
[Understood. I'll treat you to a proper al.]
The speakerphone call ended.
Watching this through the rearview mirror, Baek Si-hwan asked cautiously, "So AMK Partners was targeting Greenbyte Labs... is that really okay?"
"What if it's not?"
Maybe sensing the aggressive tone, his eyes widened slightly.
"... Sorry?"
"There are always variables with any choice. The sa goes for CEO Mark Campbell's decision. So, before asking if it's okay, shouldn't we analyze the situation and discuss counterasures?"
"I'll be more careful next ti."
Silence fell again.
A mont later, a ssage arrived on In-hyuk's phone.
【Norman: The investnt negotiations with Greenbyte Labs have fallen through. And from the situation, it seems they've decided to take investnt from Taeshin Asset Managent. Should we try reaching out again?】
It was a report from Norman McGrath, whom he'd t earlier.
【Gordon: No. For now, just focus on Accentia. I'll look to partner that side with another business I've selected.】
【Norman: Greenbyte looked like a good fit for Accentia's technology synergy. Maybe we could raise the investnt amount?】
【Gordon: It could actually turn out better this way, so please follow my decision.】
This ti, the notification arrived a bit later than before.
【Norman: I'll do as you say.】
anwhile, the car arrived at the hotel. In-hyuk entered the room with Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester.
"You did that on speakerphone on purpose, didn't you?"
At Hong Yu-geon's question, In-hyuk smiled slightly.
"Was it that obvious?"
"Well, anyone who knows your relationship with AMK Partners would know what that ant."
Both of them knew that In-hyuk was Gordon Gris.
So they would also naturally know that it was In-hyuk who had caused Norman McGrath to approach Greenbyte Labs.
"We needed to see how the guy would move."
"By now, Baek Si-hwan is probably agonizing in his room."
There was a hint of admiration in his response.
As he said, the goal of this plan was to cause confusion among Baek Si-hwan, the Organization behind him including Baek Ji-woong, and the rest.
At the sa ti, it was to use the low-profile company Greenbyte Labs to expose AMK Partners' movents and draw attention to Accentia as well.
"If that happens, it'll be a lot easier to read their moves."
"But if Accentia is that important to Greenbyte Labs, why did they approach through AMK Partners first? Wouldn't Norman McGrath think sothing was off if the steps got tangled?"
You never know what will happen once they learn that In-hyuk and Gordon Gris are the sa person.
"No need to worry. I'll make sure they're too busy with other things to get suspicious."
"... Just how far ahead are you planning? Oh, by the way, did you happen to visit the safehouse we told you about yesterday?"
Hong Yu-geon brought up sothing he hadn't managed to ask due to the morning rush.
"Yeah, I stopped by there and took care of so other business."
"Did you catch them?"
"They were already gone. But you said at first there were only four, right?"
"That's right. We didn't expect a fifth one to show up and kill the others either."
The four killed on the road had nothing with them to prove their identities.
The police would of course check entry records, but In-hyuk guessed they most likely used fake passports.
Even if they tried facial recognition, finding their true identities would be tough.
"I went to see if there were any traces left, but they cleaned up thoroughly and vanished. I had Mi-ah hack the nearby CCTV, but they got away very cleanly."
"For soone to disappear after sniping from a building by the road... well, that says it all. Judging by their skills, they're definitely professionals. There's a fair chance they're ex-military, or maybe like us, from the rcenary side."
Hong Yu-geon, uncharacteristically, looked serious.
Van Hester, beside them, added his opinion.
"Their skills were a little off for an attempt on the CEO's life. If that was the best they could do, their odds of escape should have been near zero. Honestly, it felt like they were intentionally sent to be eliminated."
In-hyuk nodded.
"I think so too. They said I was wounded by rubber bullets, but I was still able to move. Compared to the guys we fought in the safehouse, there was a big difference in quality."
At least their ard attack was possible because the mysterious n had firearms.
"It seems unlikely they'll keep chasing us."
In-hyuk agreed with Hong Yu-geon's assessnt.
"If I'm their target, they'll try again sohow. All the more reason for us to be careful."
"We're bodyguards, but even we can't cover every possible sniper shot."
"I'll take care of that myself."
In-hyuk recalled the attack on the road.
It was only for a mont, but through the play of light, everything entering his field of vision, and the feel of the wind, he could sense sothing flying toward him.
"Seriously... being your bodyguard is hazardous business."
With a sigh, Hong Yu-geon collapsed into the sofa.
Watching him, In-hyuk smiled again.
.
.
.
At the sa ti, in the room across the hall.
After much deliberation, Baek Si-hwan called Baek Ji-woong, chairman of the W&W Group.
[So. How did things go?]
He hadn't reported the events from yesterday yet, so the other man was unaware.
"... I'm sorry. Things went wrong and I failed."
There was a mont's silence.
[Why?]
"The security guards who were away happened to return. And..."
[What else happened?]
"The reinforcents sent by the Organization were useless. Not only did the scenario not run as planned, but a first-class operative on their side eliminated all of them."
Rembering what had happened yesterday made Baek Si-hwan's stomach clench.
[First-class? Who was it?]
"Do you rember Kuroki Reina...?"
Baek Ji-woong, recalling sothing, answered.
[Wasn't she in the sa class as you? I rember she was remarkably ruthless for a woman.]
"Yes. That Kuroki Reina brought in the guys who were to be discarded as failures after falling behind at camp."
Baek Si-hwan's explanation only deepened the mystery, but the answer was easy enough to deduce.
[If Kuroki is first-class... And sending her on this job isn't likely ant well. Am I wrong?]
He got right to the heart of the situation.
"She said it was a warning. And told to submit a report about the Daemyung incident and the safehouse attack."
Baek Si-hwan's tone beca even more cautious.
He soon heard Baek Ji-woong murmuring over the phone.
[A pointless way to get the ssage across.]
"What should we do?"
[What else? Do as they want. There's nothing to gain by getting on the wrong side of them now. If anything, I only ended up making things harder for you by dragging this out.]
"It's alright. I'm fine."
[Is that everything you have to report? Nothing about Kang In-hyuk?]
"I was just about to explain. Taeshin Asset Managent approved a $100 million investnt in Greenbyte Labs, with the first $50 million to be transferred soon."
This was an unexpectedly big developnt.
[$100 million? I didn't think that company was worth that much.]
Baek Ji-woong had investigated Greenbyte Labs as soon as he heard Kang In-hyuk was conducting due diligence.
"There have been a lot of internal issues. The problem is, AMK Partners was targeting them too. To summarize, Norman McGrath made a personal visit, but Greenbyte turned down his $120 million investnt offer and decided to go with Taeshin Asset Managent. There's also a company called Accentia involved — it's worth investigating."
A heavy sigh ca through the line.
[Hmm... If you're just looking at profit, that's probably not the reason. Is it loyalty, the so-called matter of principle?]
"I'm not completely sure, but CEO Mark Campbell seed to find Kang In-hyuk more trustworthy."
[Sa thing. There aren't as many people as you'd think who run their companies that way. I didn't expect Kang In-hyuk to outplay AMK Partners like that.]
"But if AMK Partners wants Greenbyte Labs that badly, I expect they'll try to approach again."
[That's possible. So, when are you returning?]
At this last question, Baek Si-hwan exhaled lightly.
"We're still under police investigation because of the assault on Kang In-hyuk, so it'll take a few more days."
[No movent from Kang In-hyuk related to the Taeshin Trading TF division?]
"He might have done sothing while in his room, but from what I could see directly, there's nothing yet. Plus, the due diligence at Greenbyte Labs was handled just between the two of us."
[I see. Report in periodically for now.]
"Understood."
After ending the call, Baek Si-hwan tossed his phone onto the bed and collapsed back. His mind grew tangled.
He'd initially had reservations when the Organization assigned him as Kang In-hyuk's secretary.
But after spending days sorting paperwork at a desk, and then going on this business trip to the U. S. with Kang In-hyuk, he began feeling sothing different.
"What does Greenbyte Labs have that led to all these decisions? And what exactly is Accentia?"
Too many things remained unseen.
With a sigh, Baek Si-hwan sat at his desk and opened his laptop.
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