Chapter 187: Drawing the Sword (8)

The office of the Blue House Chief Secretary.

A secretary approached and held out a cell phone.

“It is Chairman Lim Man-seok.”

The Chief Secretary adjusted his glasses and frowned.

-It is Lim Man-seok.

It was a familiar voice.

The Chief Secretary closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and speaking.

“I watched the broadcast well. Thanks to you, the country was very noisy today.”

He continued suggestively.

“The VIP also said a word. Asking if the country should be this noisy because of Taeseong.”

A short sound of breath was heard from beyond the cell phone.

Lim Man-seok said in a low voice.

-I am sorry.

-It was a matter that should have been settled quietly somehow, but it has spread this far.

The Chief Secretary let out a sigh.

“Chairman, how is your health these days?”

-It is not very good.

-Still, I must hold on.

-Is holding on not my job.

A silence flowed for a moment.

The Chief Secretary leaned back in his chair and lowered his voice.

“I can roughly guess what you are trying to say, but... it is quite difficult right now.”

Silence flowed as if Lim Man-seok were choosing his words for a moment.

Then he carefully opened his mouth.

-I will ask for one thing regarding the investigation.

The Chief Secretary cleared his throat.

An uncomfortable look of gauging how far he should listen was buried.

“As the Chairman also knows, it can be misunderstood as giving a pass at a time like this.”

Lim Man-seok shot back immediately.

-It does not mean I will not undergo an investigation.

-The investigation must be received, of course.

-I will lay everything out as it is.

Catching his breath for a moment, he continued his words.

-However, if a search and seizure comes in tomorrow immediately, not only Taeseong but the entire market will shake even more greatly.

The Chief Secretary firmly shut his lips.

Lim Man-seok continued his words without caring. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

-To whom would that burden return if that happens?

-In the end, those above will also not want that.

At those words, the Chief Secretary's expression hardened, but he tapped on the desk with his finger.

Lim Man-seok drove the wedge.

-I will undergo the investigation well.

-However, I only ask that you adjust the speed and method.

-If you do so, I will receive it quietly without any thought of hiding.

The Chief Secretary, who had been maintaining silence, finally opened his mouth.

“I understand well what the Chairman's words mean. We also do not want a situation where the market shakes and the entire country suffers damage.”

Lim Man-seok let out a short breath.

-Thank you for that alone.

The call ended.

The Chief Secretary returned the turned-off cell phone to the secretary again.

“Go on out.”

“Yes.”

The secretary bowed in greeting and went out, closing the door.

The Chief Secretary called somewhere with the telephone placed on the desk.

When he pressed the numbers, the other party answered the phone after a short signal tone.

-Yes, Chief Secretary.

“I received a report that a search and seizure on the Taeseong side is going in tomorrow. Is that correct?”

The other party answered in a somewhat tense voice.

-Yes, I am planning to do it sometime tomorrow morning.

The corners of the Chief Secretary's mouth hardened.

“Why are you making the work this big now! If you push like this, it only makes the matter bigger. What kind of time is it now that you are pushing.”

A sign of the other party hesitating for a moment was felt.

-In the investigation team, there is public opinion and such, so there is a strong opinion that there is a need to show....

“Do not make excuses about public opinion.”

The Chief Secretary's voice grew even higher.

“Do I have to say it in words for you to know what the VIP said? Asking if the country should be noisy because of Taeseong, he has already said a word.”

He let out a short breath.

“Who would all that burden fall on if you take out the gun first and start a gunshot in a state where the direction has not even been caught clearly yet!”

The other party could not make an excuse and asked.

-Then what should we do?

“What do you mean, what. You should not do the search and seizure tomorrow. I am not saying not to investigate. Can you not do it later.”

He lowered his voice a little.

“Right now, we should go toward calming it down rather than making the matter bigger. Divide it into stages and start by receiving the material investigation, and proceed quietly starting with the witness investigation. I will be watching.”

After a moment of silence, the other party answered carefully.

-I understand.

-I will consult again and handle it well.

“Yes. Do not make a useless fuss.”

The Chief Secretary ended his words shortly and hung up the phone.

After putting down the receiver, he leaned his body deeply against the back of the chair.

“I cannot do this because it is dirty.”

***

The chairman's office at the Taeseong Electronics headquarters.

In the window late at night, the city lights were blinking faintly in the distance.

Lim Man-seok stared at only the turned-off cell phone screen for a long time before putting it down on the table.

At that time, Kang Cheol-woo said while pouring tea into a teacup.

“You worked hard.”

Lim Man-seok looked at him for a moment and then pressed between his eyebrows as if tired.

“I only put out the immediate fire. The problem is from now on.”

Kang Cheol-woo pushed the teacup toward Chairman Lim Man-seok.

“Still, it is a relief since you have earned some time.”

He continued his words carefully.

“Since you even made an announcement today, for the time being, you can just go out by organizing things one by one slowly.”

Lim Man-seok did not give any answer.

Instead, he took off the glasses he was wearing.

He touched the area around his eyes with his finger.

At his fingertips, the fatigue accumulated all day seemed to be buried as it was.

He muttered to himself.

“…I have no face to see my children and grandchildren.”

Kang Cheol-woo lowered his head.

After worrying for a moment, he spoke honestly.

“Chairman, no one will criticize you. Because it is something you did to protect Taeseong. And are you not family?”

Lim Man-seok closed and opened his eyes, letting out a deep breath.

“That is why I am even more sorry. I should have ended it by embracing all my faults myself....”

Outside the window, the lights repeatedly stretched long and then cut off.

Lim Man-seok put strength into the hand holding the glasses again.

“I do not know why I was so greedy. Since it was going to turn out like this anyway....”

***

The next morning.

The second floor of my house was full of HJ Partners employees.

I was waiting in my own room for a moment.

In a space where work is done, if the representative comes out early and loiters, the employees are bound to notice.

A faint winter sunlight was entering at an angle through the window.

On the laptop screen on the table, the charts of Taeseong-related stocks from the previous day were stopped like a still image.

I took a sip of the coffee placed on the table.

The unique sweetness of the coffee mix spread in my mouth.

I did not sleep properly all night, but my appearance was no different from usual.

Choi Seo-jun came inside while holding a thick file and a tablet.

“Representative, it is what you mentioned yesterday.”

I said while pointing to the seat next to me.

“Sit down first.”

“Yes.”

I examined the report handed over by Choi Seo-jun.

Then, Director Choi began to explain.

“First, I will tell you the big flow. Individuals spent about 700 billion won in net selling for the day. Including investment trusts and pension funds, institutions were also net selling. For foreigners, some buying flowed in toward the index futures, but they were net selling overall based on spot goods.”

I nodded and turned the page.

“Did it come out where they threw it from?”

“Yes.”

Choi Seo-jun turned on the tablet.

The screen changed, and a table of net buying and net selling by securities firms appeared.

“I will speak about Taeseong Electronics. Selling from the individual side came out evenly from domestic large retail windows. The peculiar thing is the foreign side. Selling appeared steadily from the beginning of the market, but....”

He pointed to the bottom of the screen.

“Please look here.”

My gaze followed that point.

A familiar name entered my eyes.

[Chen Wei Holdings]

I recited in a low voice.

“Chen Wei....”

Choi Seo-jun continued the explanation.

“This is material received separately. There was almost no movement at the beginning of the regular market, and then suddenly buying orders began to attach from around -9% of Taeseong Electronics. In a way of sweeping up the lower prices every time it dropped in 1% units.”

I turned the tablet screen.

“It is a feeling as if they were waiting for only a day like yesterday. It is a shape where they waited around -10% and then came in all at once.”

In the graph, the buy execution volume was especially thickly soaring in a specific section.

I scanned that section at a constant speed.

My eyes darkened for a moment and then soon returned to a peaceful expression.

In my head, a red light turned on like a warning sound.

My stomach was turned upside down, but my expression remained the same.

I said while tapping the tablet.

“It is interesting. The fact that Chen Wei came in as if they had been waiting, it seems they knew in advance.”

Choi Seo-jun nodded and opened the next page.

“And if you also see Daehan....”

At those words, my hand stopped for a moment and then moved again.

“Daehan?”

“Yes, there is an asset management company under the Daehan Group. There, they also collected volume for Taeseong-related stocks, including Taeseong Electronics, throughout the day. The portion was not massive, but it was not very small either.”

The name of the Daehan-affiliated window was visible on the tablet screen.

I merely stared at that for a while without a word.

‘Well, how many places would there be to laugh while watching another house's pillars rotting.’

The words I said to Choi Seo-jun in the garden last night came to mind again.

I said that if I came to know who started the fire, I would not leave them alone.

The tendons on the back of my hand became minutely prominent and then soon subsided again.

I took one more sip of coffee.

The sweet taste filled my mouth and calmed my mind.

“Other than that?”

“Other than that, there is nothing distinct. The pension funds that previously held Taeseong stakes are on the side of observing without any meaningful buying or selling as of yesterday. Except for some mutual aid associations coming in with a little defensive buying, those two are the only big hands that stand out. Chen Wei and Daehan.”

Choi Seo-jun continued his words.

“The side that took advantage of the drop seems to be here.”

A sneer hung on my mouth.

“Organize Chen Wei's buying section and price range separately. Along with the capital flow that came in from the Daehan side as well. I will look at it again later.”

“Yes, Representative.”

Choi Seo-jun nodded and took notes.

“Today's market is highly likely to flow similarly. It will be better than yesterday, but it will start with a decline. Now, check the flows of the Chen Wei side and the Daehan side well.”

“I understand. I will go into monitoring as soon as the market opens.”

Choi Seo-jun asked as he was about to stand up from his seat.

“Representative, are you okay?”

I asked, not knowing what he meant.

“…What is?”

“What the Chairman announced yesterday.”

I looked at him for a moment and then wore a low smile.

A short answer flowed from my mouth.

“I am okay. Rather, the work has become easier thanks to the fact that he dealt with it quickly.”

I said while handing the tablet held in my hand to Choi Seo-jun.

“Taeseong's matters should be organized by Taeseong. We can just do what we have to do.”

I said it as if it were nothing, but my blood was boiling inside.

The appearance of Chairman Lim Man-seok seen on the television screen last night came to mind.

His shoulders, thin and hunched while lying on the sickbed, were still flickering in my eyes.

I forcibly suppressed the anger that surged to the inside of my throat.

I said again in a calm voice.

“There will be a day when we pay them back properly.”

“Yes, Representative.”

When Choi Seo-jun left, the room became quiet again.