The Former Mercenary is a Chaebol Heir

Chapter 19 – Knight In The Elements

Strategic Investment Audit Office.

Recently, Myung Jin-seok, who had been the Product Planning Director at MH Foods, was transferred to the position of Deputy Director at the Strategic Investment Audit Office.

Although he didn’t receive the full title of director, he was satisfied to have entered the headquarters.

At the same time, his father, Myung Seong-cheol, instructed him to establish a foothold at the headquarters, so he took it upon himself to gather information and recruit a staff member from the Personnel Management Department.

He was thoroughly prepared to succeed at the headquarters.

“Where did they find such an idiot?”

Just recently, Baek Shin-woo parachuted in a manager into the department, a rare opportunity.

As he entered the building, he had seen that new manager in the lobby on his way to work.

He barely stopped himself from laughing at the ridiculous clown-like fashion.

“Now, all I have to do is figure out what those two are up to in the Operations Office, and the game is over.”

He had recruited a staff member from the Personnel Management Department and had installed surveillance software on Jang Man-soo, the parachuted manager’s computer.

While there was a risk of being caught, he minimized any traces by using a burner phone to issue the instructions.

Myung Jin-seok smiled at his flawless execution, revelling in the success as he reviewed the latest performance reports from the Operations Office.

It was the stock chart detailing the recent profits generated by Baek Shin-woo, the Director of the Strategic Investment Operations Office.

Until he saw the data, Jin-seok had assumed Shin-woo had just gotten lucky.

But the timing of the trades was eerily perfect.

“How did he get this kind of information? How is this not insider trading?”

The data had already passed the Audit Office’s review, yet Jin-seok was still curious about the process, so he was reviewing it under the pretense of familiarizing himself with the work.

“There’s no way that military guy has the connections for insider trading… Could it be that clownish guy?”

He thought of Jang Man-soo, the man in the garish outfit he had seen earlier.

He had already checked Man-soo’s personnel records, which had been submitted through the Personnel Management Department.

There was nothing noteworthy: a high school graduate with no interesting history since his military discharge.

The content was so unimpressive that it made him laugh.

“If they’re close, they could be sharing stock tips…”

That was Myung Jin-seok’s theory.

The close interaction between Baek Shin-woo and Jang Man-soo that he witnessed in the lobby only reinforced this possibility.

In his office, he anticipated his future success.

Then, a buzzing sound came from somewhere on his desk.

Bzzz— Bzzz—

It was the burner phone he had left in his drawer.

“Damn it. Didn’t I tell them not to call me?”

Frustrated, Jin-seok harshly pressed the call button.

“What is it?”

The voice on the other end belonged to Moon Ji-hoon, the staff member from the Personnel Management Department he had recruited.

[Deputy Director! There’s a big problem!]

“What is it?”

[It seems like the software we installed on that parachute’s computer has been discovered!]

“…What? How did that happen?”

Myung Jin-seok’s face hardened.

[Well, it’s complicated… We definitely installed the program on the parachute’s computer, but somehow it ended up on our department head’s computer.]

Moon Ji-hoon was trying to summarize the situation, but Jin-seok couldn’t understand why the software installed on Jang Man-soo’s computer had ended up on someone else’s.

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

[Anyway! Because of this, the Systems Management Department found it, and now I’ve been summoned by the Audit Office. What should I do?]

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Jin-seok immediately hung up the phone.

“Damn it!”

His office rang with the force of his scream.

The noise attracted the attention of the staff in the Strategic Investment Audit Office, who turned to look.

But Jin-seok ignored them and threw the phone to the floor, stomping on it.

Crash— Crash— Crash—

“No matter what that bastard says, there won’t be any evidence left.”

He had been meticulous.

If he had used intermediaries, it might have been easier, but he didn’t have enough connections at the headquarters to rely on others.

***

MH Group Headquarters was buzzing with rumours.

“Did you hear Assistant Manager Moon Ji-hoon from the Personnel Management Department was spying on Director Kim Yong-sik?”

“I heard he got summoned by the Audit Office because of it.”

“Is he crazy? An assistant manager spying on the director?”

“I heard someone higher up told him to do it.”

“But what’s with that new manager’s fashion?”

“I thought he was from some kind of event when I first saw him.”

The rumors spread quickly.

Even the employees of the Strategic Investment Operations Office were abuzz with the gossip.

Shin-woo was at Jang Man-soo’s desk, listening to the voices and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“They seem to have taken the bait.”

“Of course. Whose skills do you think we’re talking about? But it seems like the guy behind it will be watching us more closely now. Aren’t we being too exposed inside enemy territory?”

Jang Man-soo’s eyes showed a hint of concern.

“As long as they can’t figure out exactly how we’re working, they won’t be able to act rashly.”

“That’s true, but still…”

“If anyone contacts you, just tell them you’re following my orders. Say you’re only executing the buy and sell trades as instructed.”

On the surface, it would appear that Shin-woo had placed Jang Man-soo in charge of investment operations because he trusted him.

“So you’re throwing all the blame on me.”

“It’s easier to handle that way. Anyway, I should get going soon.”

“You said you’re heading to KITE, right? But isn’t it a bit late? It’s been a few days since you were appointed as CEO.”

It had been exactly a week since his appointment.

Oddly enough, the people at KITE hadn’t reached out to express dissatisfaction with Shin-woo’s appointment as CEO.

“I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

“Take care, then.”

“Finish your work and head home when you’re done.”

Shin-woo quickly made his way to the underground parking lot, got in his car, and drove off.

As he merged onto the road, his eyes instinctively checked the rearview mirror and the side mirrors.

“They never seem to get tired, do they?”

He noticed that he was being followed. Just before getting into his car earlier, he had found and destroyed a tracker that had been placed on it.

“If they’re that curious about me, they should just come and ask directly.”

Shin-woo sped up and merged onto the Olympic Expressway.

He could still see a black car following him, weaving through traffic to keep up.

On the four-lane road, he continued speeding in the second lane before suddenly accelerating and braking while turning the wheel.

“Now, time for a turn—!”

Screeech—

Shin-woo’s car drifted across the front of a car in the third lane, narrowly avoiding a collision as he darted into a side street.

The car following him couldn’t brake in time and sped past on the Olympic Expressway.

“Persistent bastards… Even though they keep getting shaken off, they still follow.”

Today, Shin-woo wasn’t heading to Jang Man-soo’s hideout but to KITE, so it didn’t matter if he was being tailed.

Still, he had gotten into the habit of shaking off tails, and it would have felt wrong not to do it today as well.

Eventually, Shin-woo merged onto Yeoui-daero and headed towards KITE’s headquarters in Incheon.

.

.

.

After about an hour’s drive, Shin-woo arrived near KITE’s headquarters.

The area was filled with factory buildings, as KITE’s headquarters was also the main office of MH Tech and its Incheon factory.

“The atmosphere is bleak.”

Loud mechanical noises echoed from the nearby factories.

He pulled up to the security barrier at the entrance to the factory grounds.

An older security guard opened a small window and looked at Shin-woo.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m here to work.”

“If you’re an employee, please scan your ID at the machine in front.”

Shin-woo pulled out his employee ID from MH’s headquarters and scanned it.

Beep beep— Beep beep—

An error sound rang out, and the guard’s gaze returned to Shin-woo.

“Are you sure you’re an employee?”

“I am. It’s my first day.”

“Ah~ but it’s already past 3 p.m…”

It was almost time for the end of the workday.

The guard tilted his head, confused by the situation.

“There’s a reason for it.”

“One moment, please.”

The security guard approached Shin-woo and checked the ID he had scanned. Upon seeing the photo and position listed on the card, the guard was startled.

【MH Group Strategic Investment Operations Office】

【Deputy General Manager, Baek Shin-woo】

“You’re really a deputy general manager from the headquarters?!”

A typical deputy general manager might not have been a big deal, but a deputy general manager at a major corporation was different. Furthermore, the title “Head of Operations” added even more weight to the situation.

“That’s right. I’m starting today as the CEO of KITE. Will it take long?”

“…Pardon? The CEO… of KITE?”

“If you need confirmation, please contact KITE’s HR team and check.”

At that moment, the security guard recalled a notice he had received about a week ago from KITE’s HR team, which was linked to MH Tech.

“Ah—! Just a moment.”

He remembered the content but needed to verify it. The security guard immediately picked up the phone. After a brief explanation to someone from HR and a few exchanges of “Yes— Yes—,” the call ended.

At the same time, the barrier blocking the entrance lifted.

“You may go in.”

“Thank you.”

Shin-woo retrieved his ID and drove into the factory grounds. Inside, there were several large factory buildings scattered around. All but one of them were part of MH Tech’s headquarters and factories.

Shin-woo headed towards the building with a simple sign that read “KITE” and parked his car.

“It’s bigger than I expected.”

The site was managed by a basic security company, but it also housed a special security team responsible for protecting members of the owner’s family.

However, the special security team had separate offices and rarely stayed at the headquarters.
As Shin-woo was looking around, a man walked out of the KITE building with a calm stride.

He was in his early 50s, dressed in a neat brown suit, black shoes, and stood at about 180 cm tall with a solid build.
‘Yu Hyung-jin, the Executive Director of KITE.’

He was the actual operator of KITE, aside from the real owner, Chairman Myung Joong-hwan.

Shin-woo had already recognized him from the organizational chart he had studied.

Turning off the car’s engine, Shin-woo stepped out and walked towards Yu Hyung-jin.

“Hello, sir. I am Yu Hyung-jin, the Executive Director of KITE.”

His greeting was serious yet composed.

Shin-woo exchanged a handshake with Yu Hyung-jin, maintaining eye contact.

“I’m Baek Shin-woo. I’ve been busy with matters at headquarters, so I’m a bit late.”

Considering it had already been a week, it wasn’t a short delay.

Still, Yu Hyung-jin didn’t seem bothered.

“It’s no problem. Shall I take you to your office?”

“No, let’s take a look around the company first.”

“As you wish.”

Shin-woo followed Yu Hyung-jin into the building, glancing around the various parts of the facility as they passed through the lobby.

—