Chapter 151 ·Were You Disappointed?

Were You Disappointed?

In-hyuk, disguised as Gordon Grimes, arrived near City Hall Station at the "Azur Bay Hotel."

Afterward, together with Marc Laurent, the other mercenaries also got out of the car and entered the lobby. The noticeable presence of security drew people's attention.

Still, In-hyuk didn't pay the slightest attention and went up to the floor where the suite was located.

Marc Laurent's squad members were guarding the front of the suite as well. Because of this, they seemed to immediately radio the inside to report the situation.

Click—

Before long, the door opened and Norman McGrath poked his head out.

"You've arrived, boss!"

The atmosphere was extremely welcoming.

In-hyuk hesitated for a moment but then followed him inside along with the security guards.

"Is something good happening?"

Norman McGrath was still smiling.

"It's because things with the Taeshin Group are progressing just as you predicted, CEO."

"Is that really something to be so happy about?"

"Aren't you pleased as well? You'll be able to control Korea's leading corporation after less than a year of preparation, won't you?"

The combined market capitalization of Taeshin Group's holding company and its major affiliates exceeded 400 trillion won.

They were giddy at the thought of holding enough shares to exert influence at the shareholders' meeting for such a company.

"You know my plan, and yet you're that pleased?"

He was referring to putting Jung Min-seop forward as the next CEO.

From his perspective, he'd endured all the hardship, only to hand managerial control to someone else, so he might well be dissatisfied.

"Well, that doesn't mean the profits to be gained from Taeshin Group disappear."

"So, you're just happy because you'll make money, huh?"

"Hahaha—! Something like that. By the way, what brings you to Korea?"

Gordon Grimes's visit had not been scheduled at all on AMK Partners' side.

Norman McGrath was thus quietly puzzled by the sudden meeting.

"There's something important I need to share. But before that... could everyone else leave for a moment, except for you, branch manager, and Marc Laurent?"

Inside the suite, both Norman McGrath's subordinate staff and Sandrix's security unit were present.

With a gesture from In-hyuk, disguised as Gordon Grimes, the two men signaled the others to leave.

Before long, only the three were left in the suite's living room.

"You ran a bug sweep, right?"

"We checked thoroughly just before your visit."

"That's a relief."

Nodding, In-hyuk brought his hand up to his neck and peeled off Gordon Grimes's face.

Immediately, Norman McGrath and Marc Laurent were both shocked, furrowing their brows.

"C-CEO?"

"......?"

Soon, In-hyuk's face, hidden behind the mask, was revealed.

The two men wore expressions of utter shock.

In the meantime, In-hyuk tidied his disheveled hair with his palm and removed the voice modulator from his neck.

"Shall I introduce myself again, Branch Manager Norman McGrath?"

"H-how is this...? Are you really Division Director Kang In-hyuk of Taeshin Asset Management?"

On the other hand, Marc Laurent, not knowing who Kang In-hyuk was, was surprised for a different reason.

"That disguise technique... Could it be, is it related to Skinwalker?"

Sandrix's Marc Laurent had connections with Noah Vantrail.

At his question, In-hyuk raised a hand to halt him and first looked at Norman McGrath.

"You're right. As you said, the last time we met was at the hospital where Chairman Tae was admitted a few days ago, wasn't it?"

Norman McGrath let out a sigh and slowly opened his mouth.

"Heh... So was it Kang In-hyuk who was Gordon Grimes from the start? Or have you just been pretending to be CEO Gordon Grimes for a while?"

Given what he'd just witnessed—the disguise technique—and considering what In-hyuk had done at AMK Partners, he wondered if he might be one of his close associates.

"I am both Gordon Grimes and Kang In-hyuk. Of course, from the very beginning."

With his answer, In-hyuk sent something via his cell phone.

Shortly after, a message arrived on Norman McGrath's phone.

【Gordon: Even after this, do you still not believe me?】

It was a message window only the two of them could use to communicate.

Suddenly, something occurred to Norman McGrath.

"But, when I called the CEO at the hospital, wasn't Division Director Kang In-hyuk with Chairman Tae Gun-seung?"

While talking on the phone, he'd even glimpsed In-hyuk conversing with Tae Gun-seung through the hospital window.

Unless In-hyuk could clone himself, it was a situation that was hard to understand.

"Sometimes someone else plays the role of Gordon Grimes in my stead."

"So... from the beginning until now, was it Division Director Kang In-hyuk who designed and directed all this?"

Gordon Grimes's reputation was built on his unrivaled knack for being first to invest and perfect timing in pulling out. His foresight seemed almost prophetic, so people even thought he might be a legendary investor returning to the field.

But the man standing before them now was, until recently, the almost invisible Kang In-hyuk within Taeshin Group.

To be even more honest, they'd thought he was just a chaebol son-in-law who'd lucked into the role at AMK Partners thanks to nepotism.

"Are you perhaps disappointed because it's me?"

"N-no, that's not it...."

"Do I need to go over what we discussed near Cheonggyecheon for you to believe me?"

It was the private conversation they'd had when meeting face-to-face for the first time.

Only then did Norman McGrath's eyes begin to show an air of trust.

"You really are the CEO...."

"I suppose Marc Laurent won't be able to understand the situation yet."

Marc Laurent scratched his head as he watched from the side.

"I honestly don't quite get it."

"I have my reasons for hiding my identity. And, for the next phase of my plan, I'm revealing this only to you two right now."

Norman McGrath, still with doubts, asked,

"Then, are there others who know your real identity besides us?"

"Counting the one who helped establish AMK Partners before you, that makes four more."

"Is it your two security guards and your secretary?"

By that, he meant Hong Yu-geon, Van Hester, and Baek Si-hwan.

He recalled seeing them next to In-hyuk during Greenbyte Labs' due diligence.

"Only up to the security guards. And this fact is officially top secret, so even if we meet outside, you mustn't acknowledge me. And make absolutely sure not to mention this to any other staff."

In-hyuk's voice grew heavy.

The two men instantly understood and nodded.

At that, In-hyuk smiled again.

"Marc Laurent, as per the contract, you will be exclusively in charge of AMK Partners' top management security. There may be dangerous times ahead, so I'm relying on you. Of course, you'll be generously compensated for it."

Marc Laurent recalled his earlier question.

"I understand. But, are you really acquainted with Skinwalker?"

"She is working with me. The double I mentioned earlier is her."

"Heh...."

"So, you've worked together before?"

In-hyuk knew of the relationship between Sandrix and Noah Vantrail from his previous life.

But not wanting to give anything away, he only threw out the question.

"We've worked together on a few operations. But, CEO, just how many languages do you speak?"

Marc Laurent had watched In-hyuk speak Korean to Jung Min-seop at Myeongdong earlier. He'd also spoken French with Marc, and English with Norman McGrath.

Norman McGrath also had a question.

"Now that I think about it, you spoke Cantonese at the meeting in Hong Kong SGA, right? And Spanish with your security guard, too."

That made at least five languages.

And each one was impressively fluent, surprising them both again.

"I can use a few more as well. I learned them for business."

"Then, how do you obtain your investment information? Much of what AMK Partners has done would be difficult for even national intelligence agencies to figure out."

That was something he'd always wondered about while following Gordon Grimes's

instructions.

Now, facing the man's true identity, the questions came pouring out.

"If I told you that, I'd lose my value, wouldn't I?"

"Ah... sorry. Guess I got a little too excited."

"It's only natural to be curious. Anyway, threats related to the Taeshin Group may come up in the future. For example, just like with the Velbyte Technology incident."

On hearing that, Norman McGrath's face hardened.

Marc Laurent asked,

"If you mean Velbyte, are you referring to the terrorist incident in Arizona?"

Sandrix had been active in the Middle East and Africa, but the incident in America had been so major, they'd heard of it.

"That's right."

"I heard the bodies found in that case belonged to agents of foreign intelligence services. Are you saying they were targeting AMK Partners?"

"To be precise, back then they were targeting Chairman Tae Gun-seung."

Unaware of the root cause, Norman McGrath was again astonished.

"Then, do you also know who took care of those guys?"

After a brief hesitation, In-hyuk replied,

"I do."

"Who? Don't tell me you have a separate force under your command?"

Marc Laurent also looked on with awe.

It was a case where a team of 12 armed agents, some belonging to foreign intelligence services, had been wiped out. Circumstantially, they had all been on the same side.

That would mean the opposing force was either of similar size, or an elite squad with higher skills.

However, the investigation didn't find any trace that might identify the culprits.

"Something like that. But I can't reveal who, so please leave it at that."

Marc Laurent's eyes sparkled even brighter.

Seeing that, In-hyuk started to feel slightly uneasy.

'Is his curiosity sparked again?'

Sandrix's Marc Laurent was the sort of man who had to test someone's skills himself if he became interested in their strength.

"Anyway, what I just said is also confidential. Executive Director Jung Min-seop will give his answer before the end of this extraordinary shareholders' meeting."

As they got to the real topic, Norman McGrath's expression also turned serious.

"If he doesn't accept, do we proceed as planned?"

He meant the plan for AMK Partners to acquire Taeshin Group.

Of course, they'd also considered ways for AMK Partners to run Taeshin Group on their own afterwards.

But the public image of Taeshin Group, having become foreign-owned in all respects, would not easily recover in Korea's eyes.

That was why they'd even contemplated splitting the group, as they had explained to Jung Min-seop.

"We'll reconsider once the results are in."

In the first place, In-hyuk hadn't anticipated things would go this far. He'd planned to leave Chairman Tae Gun-seung untouched and neatly take down Tae Seok-ho.

But Tae Gun-seung's health declined faster than expected, and Tae Seok-ho seized the opportunity.

With the situation now in full swing, In-hyuk could only proceed with his own methods.

"Then, as you said, we'll carry on as planned."

"Then I'd better disappear before those guys catch me again."

In-hyuk entered the bathroom and donned the mask he'd just taken off. He concealed the seams with some chemicals he'd brought, then returned to the living room.

The people in the living room looked at the once-more Gordon Grimes with fascination.

"I'm counting on you. Oh, and tell Noah I'll be in touch."

The last remark was directed at Marc Laurent.