Did you really kill them?
【Shootout Sowhere in Southern Gyeonggi!? A real shootout broke out at the site of a townhouse construction project that had been stalled for a long ti. The ard suspects were unidentified foreigners who used rifles and pistols. The guns were believed to have originated from the black market...】
【7 Dead in Southern Gyeonggi Shootout. The exact number is still unconfird, with the remaining ard suspects on the run... A local police official stated that checkpoints and searches are underway...】
【It has been confird that the shootout suspects entered the country with forged passports...】
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The clash between the rcenary groups Warborn and Redfall spread not only in Korea but also internationally.
The fact that foreigners entered the country with forged passports, procured firearms on the black market, and fought such a bloody battle inevitably caused a huge stir.
Of course, who exactly they were and where they were from had yet to be revealed.
That, too, would only be a matter of ti...
While the world was abuzz with these events, Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester sat in the Daegu Rasta Hotel suite, watching TV with serious expressions.
At this mont, In-hyuk was not with them in the suite. Around twelve hours earlier, he had gone out alone and had yet to return.
Thud—
Just then, a heavy sound echoed from the wardrobe in the master bedroom of the suite.
The two imdiately walked over. Soon after, the inner wall of the wardrobe opened, and In-hyuk stepped out, wearing a light suit.
"Boss! What on earth happened? And what about the news on TV?"
To that question, In-hyuk walked into the living room and checked the news coverage.
"Ah. The guys clashed, that's all."
"The guys? Who do you an, Warborn and who?"
"Redfall."
With that na ntioned, the two faces grew more tense.
"Last ti you ntioned 'fight poison with poison,' did you call those bastards and make them go up against Warborn?"
In-hyuk took off his jacket and slumped onto the sofa.
"Rather than call them, I made them co."
"That's the sa thing! Then what were you doing, and how did you even know about that elevator?"
He was referring to the hidden elevator that In-hyuk had just co up on.
They'd been quite surprised when using it to exit the suite before.
"This hotel was built by a gang that used to control this region. The suite was the spot the boss used."
"You sure know all sorts of things... So, what actually happened?"
They still hadn't gotten the most important answer.
In response, In-hyuk let out a long sigh.
"It's just as it seems. Both Warborn and Redfall took hits in this clash. The police arrived in the nick of ti, so they left the dead behind and retreated with only the wounded."
"So. I can sll gunpowder on you, boss. You were there, weren't you?"
"I went to make sure Warborn's side was dealt with. But so unexpected people showed up."
With that, Hong Yu-geon tilted his head and sat on the sofa.
"Who do you an?"
"Tae Seok-ho and Lee Jae-jun. For so reason I don't understand."
Hearing what happened, Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester's faces darkened even further.
Not a single ntion of anyone related to Taeshin Group had been in the earlier news report.
"So, what did you do? No way... Did you handle them there?"
"......"
In-hyuk said nothing in reply, and Hong Yu-geon grew frustrated.
"Did you really kill them?"
"If I did, so what? You know they tried to kill first."
After all, they had hired rcenaries from abroad and ordered my assassination.
"Ha..."
"What is it now?"
"We're not talking about just anyone, but Warborn and Redfall. If they got into a fight, sothing could've happened to you. Why are you so determined to jump in yourself?"
Van Hester nodded in agreent with Hong Yu-geon's words.
In-hyuk found his head tilting in puzzlent.
"... Are you worried about ?"
He thought they were scolding him, but the conversation was oddly off.
"It's not you, it's our money source we're worried about. If sothing happened to you, what would happen to us?"
"Fine, if you put it that way."
A bit embarrassed, Hong Yu-geon quickly changed the subject.
"So, what happened? Did you deal with all of them?"
Recalling the mont, In-hyuk's expression shifted subtly.
* * *
Beep— Beep—
The steady, shallow sound of a heart monitor.
Beside it lay a man with a face covered in scratches, wearing an oxygen mask—Tae Seok-ho.
It was past midnight.
Then Tae Seok-ho's eyes slowly opened, and he took a deep breath.
"Gasp— Guh—!"
At the sound of his coughing, the door opened and a doctor and nurses hurried in.
They checked Tae Seok-ho's condition, glanced over to one side, then left the room again.
In the heavy atmosphere, Tae Seok-ho was unable to ask anything at first, but eventually he looked where the doctor had glanced.
"Ahem! Did you... save ?"
To the shadowed sofa, a woman stood up.
"Well, for now."
"How did you... No, more importantly, what about the others who were there... what happened to them?"
He ant the others there, including his security guard Lee Jae-jun.
"They're all dead."
"Ah..."
Tae Seok-ho imdiately checked his own condition. As the anesthetic wore off, a sharp pain flared in his left side.
"Nngh."
"It's a through-and-through gunshot wound. The bullet barely grazed your internal organs—if you'd been any later, you'd have died from blood loss."
As he listened to the explanation, Tae Seok-ho recalled the man in the skull mask.
He hadn't hesitated at all when he pulled the trigger.
It was terrifying, but infuriating as well.
"That bastard..."
"Aren't you curious about what's going on now?"
Of course, he couldn't help but wonder.
But Tae Seok-ho was also still figuring out who this woman was and how she had gotten there, so he carefully sized her up.
"Actually, I'm more curious why you saved ."
"Do you not believe in good deeds done without reason?"
When the woman smiled, Tae Seok-ho's expression grew more stern.
"I don't believe in good deeds without reason. So now tell who you are and why you saved ... Tell the rest as well."
At that, the woman smiled broadly, curving her lips upward.
"To start with the situation... There's a major investigation underway at the shootout scene. But they won't find any trace of you or your security guards there. Even if they do, the police won't be looking into it."
Tae Seok-ho's face hardened.
"So, you're saying you made sure there'd be no traces left?"
"That's right. Even if sothing's found, it'll be covered up."
"Just... who are you?"
The woman still kept her smile.
"I want to help you climb to the top of Taeshin. That's why I took this chance to save your life."
"Do you even know what that ans?"
Everyone knew Taeshin Group was tightly controlled by chairman Tae Gun-seung.
Even the will was managed thoroughly, so even if he suddenly died, no one could predict who would inherit enough shares to beco chairman.
In the end, using as much money as possible to secure shares in Mulsan before Tae Gun-seung died was top priority.
That's why Tae Seok-ho had pooled funds from Taeshin's spin-off companies and valuable subsidiaries to create the H&T Fund.
"You need money, right? We can provide it for you."
"Do you have any idea how much is needed?"
"Currently, you publicly hold about 2.5% of Taeshin Trading shares, don't you? Add in the borrowed-na and delegated shares—15.3%. In total, about 18%."
At that, Tae Seok-ho's face grew even more severe. She even knew about the shares he had quietly gathered under borrowed nas.
"How long have you been watching ?"
"Not watching, just a bit of simple research. We need soone to work with, and you need soone to help you take Taeshin, it seems."
She spoke as if it were nothing, awaiting his questions.
"So, how much funding can you actually provide? Knowing how many shares I've managed to secure, it would take a pretty big sum."
He wasn't wrong. At the sa ti, Tae Seok-ho wanted to suppress her confidence.
She still didn't lose her smile at all.
"If we can act as your proxy to obtain an additional 13% of shares for control, on top of your current holdings?"
If what she said was true, Tae Seok-ho would have more than 31% in total.
But his expression only stayed grave.
"If you saved my life and are helping secure shares, that ans you want sothing in return. And it's not like you're the real decision-maker here, are you?"
"You're right. I'm only relaying a proposal from my superiors."
"Can't I speak directly to them?"
The woman stared at him with a strange look, then smiled again.
"They said you'll et them once you're worthy enough. And we only want one thing in return. After you take over Taeshin, we want an exclusive partnership."
Now Tae Seok-ho's gaze grew strange.
"Exclusive partnership... To the way you put it, it sounds more like collusion than just cooperation."
Whether his guess was correct, the corners of her mouth rose slightly.
"We work for the stabilization of wealth and power. There are already those who have boarded this flow and are working with us."
"Are you saying I've been chosen to join them?"
"That's right."
Tae Seok-ho let out a laugh and stifled the pain in his chest.
"Is this like Songchon, that rumored secret departnt within the National Intelligence Service?"
It was an organization for which not a single piece of concrete evidence existed publicly.
But back during the days of the KCIA, a certain career incident sparked a fierce grudge against the Korean intelligence services in a specific individual.
That's when rumors started—about a faction called Songchon being created from within.
"Well... sothing like that. But unlike them, we really exist."
"So, I don't actually get chosen until I have full control of Taeshin?"
"Correct."
Tae Seok-ho had a question.
"What if, despite your help, I still fail? Are you planning to take back the life you saved?"
"Oh, co on~ Of course not. Ah, and there's one more condition to our help."
"What is it?"
"To now on, I'll be serving you directly. More specifically, I'll be your secretary, and my people will be your security guards."
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
"You an you'll be monitoring ?"
"I can't say otherwise, but think of it as staying close for careful verification. And all your closest security guards are dead now—you should be thinking about your safety too."
The security unit that Lee Jae-jun led had been carefully chosen by TSS over the years.
And, as she said, Tae Seok-ho had nearly been killed by an unknown assailant, so safety could hardly be ignored.
"Do you know anything about the man who tried to kill ?"
"No. We're looking into it as well, so if we find anything, we'll let you know right away."
Tae Seok-ho didn't trust her answer one bit. He just kept probing to see if he could glean anything more.
But even if he didn't trust her—and the people behind her—it wasn't like he had any other choices.
Especially considering his current situation was dire.
"All right. But if you're coming in as my subordinate, don't expect to be treated as before."
"However you like."
"... Fine."
Tae Seok-ho's words to the woman were short.
"You're more reasonable than I thought."
"I don't know what kind of person you are, so I can't help it. By the way, I should've asked this sooner, but—what's your na?"
A glint appeared in the woman's eyes.
"Reina. Reina Blackwood. Just call Reina, if you like."
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