The Former Mercenary is a Chaebol Heir

Chapter 21. Bulldozer

Shin-woo was also surprised by the words of Jung Kang-ho, the tactical training instructor of KITE. It was because he recognized the face from the past.

“…Colonel Jung Kang-ho?”

“It’s really Sergeant Baek! But what brings you here? Did you join after being discharged?”

As these questions were exchanged, Yu Hyung-jin interjected.

“Instructor Jung, do you know Representative Baek Shin-woo?”

“Ah… We got to know each other in the military. But, CEO?”

“There was a notice of his appointment in the previous personnel announcement, wasn’t there?”

Jung Kang-ho tried to recall the event mentioned by Yu Hyung-jin.

“Oh, so the CEO mentioned in that notice… was Sergeant Baek Shin-woo?”

At the time, he had assumed that the name Baek Shin-woo was just a namesake of someone he knew.

Of course, Shin-woo was equally surprised to be reunited with Jung Kang-ho, whom he had only met once during the UAD mission.

Shin-woo briefly looked at the dazed Jung Kang-ho before extending his hand for a handshake.

“I’m Baek Shin-woo, newly appointed as the CEO of KITE. It’s been a long time.”

“Haa― I’m Jung Kang-ho, responsible for tactical training at KITE. But seriously, what in the world is going on here…?”

Jung Kang-ho still seemed confused by the situation.

“Why don’t we head up to the office and talk?”

Yu Hyung-jin took the lead at Shin-woo’s suggestion.

“Was your name Jang Jin-ho?”

Jang Jin-ho, lost in thought, was startled by Shin-woo’s question.

“Yes? Oh, yes! CEO!”

“If you don’t mind, come up with us. I have something to ask of you too.”

“Me, sir?”

“Is there another Jang Jin-ho here?”

“N-no, sir.”

And so, the four of them went up to the CEO’s office.

It was a neat and modern space spanning 15 pyeong. A glass desk had a nameplate with ‘CEO Baek Shin-woo’ engraved on it.

**T/n: 15 pyeong is equivalent to approximately 49.586 square meters (sqm).**

They all took seats on the sofa in the middle of the office. However, Jang Jin-ho stood behind Jung Kang-ho instead of sitting.

“Why aren’t you sitting?”

“I-I’m fine.”

“But I’m not fine with it. Sit down.”

“But still…”

“It’s hurting my neck just looking at you.”

“I apologize. I’ll sit immediately!”

At Shin-woo’s firm instruction, Jang Jin-ho quickly darted over to the empty seat beside Yu Hyung-jin and sat down.

Watching this, Shin-woo then turned to speak to Jung Kang-ho.

“Anyway, I’ve been appointed as the CEO of KITE.”

“…I see. Honestly, I’m shocked. To see someone I knew from the military become the CEO…”

“I never thought I’d see you here either. I look forward to working with you. And, Executive Director Yu Hyung-jin.”

His gaze shifted to Yu Hyung-jin.

“Go ahead, CEO.”

“As I said earlier, I didn’t take on the CEO position here just for the authority.”

“Are you saying you’ll be involved in the operations as well?”

“Of course.”

“But CEO, don’t you lack knowledge about the security and guard systems?”

Executive Director Yu Hyung-jin had heard rumours about Shin-woo and had also conducted investigations through the headquarters.

However, there was no particular information besides the fact that he was a discharged non-commissioned officer. Thus, he concluded that Shin-woo had only taken on the position as a figurehead for Chairman Myung Joong-hwan.

“Who said I don’t know?”

“Pardon? Well…”

He couldn’t bring himself to mention the information he had secretly gathered on Shin-woo.

“I observed the training methods of the security and guard teams earlier. If you’re a professional getting paid, maintaining physical fitness is a given, but the technical and practical training aspects seemed severely lacking.”

“The training program was created by KITE’s Operations Management Division with input from experts, including Instructor Jung Kang-ho, based on scientific analysis.”

Shin-woo leaned back deeply into the sofa and stared at Yu Hyung-jin intently.

“Then why did a professionally trained security guard fail to hold his ground against me?”

“That’s…”

Yu Hyung-jin murmured quietly, recalling the scene of Park Dae-sung collapsing in the training field.

Although he was already aware of Park Dae-sung’s arrogance, he hadn’t expected him to be overpowered so effortlessly by Shin-woo.

“I despise the cliché, ‘Training is training, reality is reality.’ Training should be for reality.”

“So, are you saying you’ll change the training program that’s been in place for years just by your authority as CEO?”

“If it’s for the betterment of KITE, it should be changed.”

Before returning to the past, Shin-woo had spent twelve years as a mercenary. And a mercenary’s job wasn’t just participating in wars; they often protected clients as well.

It was just that the locations were war zones or far more dangerous than typical situations.

Of course, Yu Hyung-jin didn’t know Shin-woo’s background, so he could only be dissatisfied with everything.

“But there hasn’t been a single instance of issues or deficiencies on-site thus far.”

“That ‘so far’ might just end today.”

Yu Hyung-jin sighed shallowly, his expression stiffening.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

“It is exactly as I said. If you’re that doubtful, how about sparring with another veteran security officer?”

“Are you serious…?”

“Ahem—!”

At that moment, Jung Kang-ho interrupted the flow of conversation with a deliberate cough.

Shin-woo turned to look at him and waited.

“For now, why not do as CEO Baek suggested?”

“Instructor Jung, this isn’t something that can be decided so easily. Changing the existing security and guard system could cause significant issues.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Moreover, if a problem arose, it could jeopardize the reputation and trust that KITE had built up to this point.

Yu Hyung-jin, who was one of the founders of KITE along with Chairman Myung Joong-hwan, had been handling the actual operations up until now, so he bore a heavy responsibility.

“Why don’t you trust me and give it a try?”

“What? Instructor, no matter how close you are, pushing something like this could lead to unfavourable results.”

“To be honest, I’ve been considering the limitations of the current system, just like what CEO Baek mentioned earlier.”

“Then why are you only saying this now?”

“Even if I had said it earlier, there was no way to change things immediately.”

Before joining KITE, Jung Kang-ho was a colonel under the Capital Defense Command in the Army.

He was kidnapped by an unidentified armed group while on a diplomatic mission overseas, and the Army Special Warfare Command deployed UAD to rescue him.

However, due to severe torture, he suffered such serious injuries that he lost the ability to use one of his legs properly and had to retire just before being promoted to brigadier general.

Instead, with his military career and experience, he was scouted as a tactical training instructor for KITE.

It was Yu Hyung-jin who personally reached out and recruited him to KITE.

“So, are you saying that the CEO can actually make this happen?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but… I believe he’s more than capable.”

Jung Kang-ho had witnessed the skill Shin-woo displayed when UAD rescued him. He saw him single-handedly take down dozens of heavily armed soldiers and still manage to rescue him.

“But I don’t think this is something that can be decided unilaterally by the representative. Did you even discuss it with the chairman?”

“The chairman granted me full authority. Is there really a need to ask him for more approval?”

With Shin-woo’s confident reply, Yu Hyung-jin had no words left to counter.

“Changing the training system isn’t a trivial matter. It’s not easy at all. Can you come up with a better alternative just like that?”

Yu Hyung-jin thought Shin-woo’s criticism was baseless.

He assumed Shin-woo, having been appointed as KITE’s CEO by the chairman’s orders, was making such remarks out of a desire to build a track record.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll have the next training program sorted out and delivered through Mr. Jang Jin-ho by the end of this week.”

At the same time, Yu Hyung-jin glanced at Jang Jin-ho, who was sitting beside him.

“Security Officer Jang Jin-ho?”

“Since I’m also holding the position of Director of Strategic Investment Operations, I need someone to communicate the real situation at KITE to me.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to hire a secretary?”

As KITE’s CEO, it was natural for him to be assigned a secretary.

“A secretary wouldn’t know the practical environment and circumstances of KITE better than Mr. Jang Jin-ho.”

“That’s true, but…”

“I need someone who can give me precise information. So, let’s have Mr. Jang Jin-ho act as my secretary.”

“But Security Officer Jang Jin-ho has his original duties.”

To be exact, he was a member of the External Security Team 4 (EST), along with Park Dae-sung, Go Jun-sun, and Lee Young-hoon, whom Shin-woo had encountered earlier.

“Any personnel who cannot complete the revised training program will be reassigned based on their abilities. Until then, we won’t be taking on any additional external security contracts.”

“Using that method will decrease the company’s revenue.”

“I’ll take responsibility for that part, so you don’t need to worry.”

Shin-woo’s stubborn answer made Yu Hyung-jin feel stifled.

But since he couldn’t ignore Shin-woo’s authority, it was difficult to continue objecting.

“Hah… fine. Do as you wish, CEO. But I won’t be able to offer any solutions if problems arise.”

“Sure. You may leave now. Ah, Mr. Jang Jin-ho, please stay.”

Just as Jang Jin-ho was about to get up with Yu Hyung-jin and Jung Kang-ho, his relieved expression suddenly darkened, and he sat back down.

***

Meanwhile, Jung Kang-ho followed Yu Hyung-jin to his office and sat down.

“Instructor Jung, how close are you to the representative that you’d put me in such a difficult position?”

Yu Hyung-jin felt conflicted as someone who had been working well with Jung Kang-ho was now siding with the newly appointed Baek Shin-woo.

“It’s not because of our relationship.”

He was also a lifesaver.

But Jung Kang-ho made his decision purely based on the skill he had witnessed from Shin-woo.

“Then what did you see that made you support the representative’s decision? And what exactly is your relationship with him?”

“In the military, CEO Baek saved my life.”

“…Saved your life? As far as I know, the representative served as a logistics non-commissioned officer.”

How could a logistics non-commissioned officer possibly save the life of a colonel from the Capital Defense Command?

Perplexed by the response, Yu Hyung-jin became even more frustrated than before.

“It’s related to military secrets, so I can’t provide details.”

“…Military secrets…?”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to meet Sergeant Baek… I mean, CEO Baek Shin-woo here either. With his abilities, the military wouldn’t have let him go so easily.”

“Are you saying he came from some special unit?”

KITE was mostly staffed with people who had military, law enforcement, or police backgrounds, starting from at least a black belt in martial arts.

Naturally, Yu Hyung-jin, who was handling the operations, knew the military system to some extent.

“You could think of it that way.”

“He’s discharged anyway, isn’t he? There shouldn’t be an issue, so why are you being so evasive?”

“Although I know you wouldn’t talk about it elsewhere, this particular military secret involves not only the individual but also the lives of many others.”

“…Is it really that serious?”

The unknown armed group that kidnapped Jung Kang-ho was later identified as Unit 8402, North Korea’s elite special forces.

Their objective was to extract military secrets from Colonel Jung Kang-ho of the Capital Defense Command.

After Jung Kang-ho’s rescue, the operation was kept so secretive that no information ever leaked out.

However, because the incident was related to North Korea, even after his discharge, Jung Kang-ho remained cautious.

“I know what you’re concerned about, Executive Director Yu. But please, just trust him and let him handle it this time.”

“Hah… What can I possibly do in this situation? Fine, I understand.”