Chapter 152 ·Who Doesn't Know That?

Who Doesn't Know That?

The National Intelligence Service's third deputy director, Im Deok-chang, sat with an anxious expression.

Before long, Choi Dong-hoon knocked and entered. The atmosphere was grim.

"We've confirmed he left the hotel, but after that, he disappeared in a CCTV blind spot."

Just as he had feared.

Im Deok-chang almost slammed his fist down on his desk, but quickly calmed himself.

"Of all places, how could we lose him in Seoul, with CCTV and black boxes everywhere?"

What they were looking for was Gordon Grimes, who had appeared in Myeong-dong about two hours prior. They had learned of his presence almost by accident.

While monitoring Chairman Tae Gun-seung's movements for the upcoming temporary shareholders' meeting, they detected director Jung Min-seop's visit, followed him, and noticed suspicious behavior.

Afterward, they hurriedly deployed available WID agents, but the agents were overpowered by suddenly-appearing guys, and their pursuit was delayed.

Of course, they managed to chase him using Seoul's extensive CCTV network up to the hotel, but, as had just been reported, lost him again.

"...... I'm sorry."

"It wasn't a deepfake again, like last time, was it?"

He was referring to what happened at the Russian airport.

They had only realized later that the footage had been a deepfake, created with advanced technology.

"There were eyewitnesses, so that's not the case this time."

"Who were the guys who overpowered our agents?"

"It was a mercenary group named Sandrix. Considering they've recently acquired the security company BlueForce, it seems they've reinforced their security system due to the Bellbyte Technology incident."

Given the situation was almost akin to terrorism, it was understandable.

Still, the fact that the WID agents had been subdued so easily left a bitter taste.

"Are they famous guys?"

"They're composed of former special forces from Europe and Asia. Their main operations have been in the Middle East and Africa."

"And?"

"As for their abilities, they're top-tier. However, their ideology doesn't match with ours."

"What do you mean it doesn't match?"

"They prioritize their own beliefs over their missions. So instead of being deployed to warzones, they're mainly known for operations based on VIP protection and rescue."

It was a very detailed report.

Im Deok-chang looked at Choi Dong-hoon with a suspicious expression.

"Have you encountered them personally?"

"I came across them at Bokoro in Chad during my practical training as a camp detachment."

"Did you clash with them?"

"We had no choice, as we were conducting sweep training targeting nearby villages."

'Sweep' in a warzone means to wipe out the enemy.

But what Choi Dong-hoon meant was that, for training purposes, all innocent civilians in the village had been swept away.

"The result?"

"Of the 11 participants in the training, only three, including myself—the instructor—survived."

"Was there any damage on the Sandrix side?"

"...... As far as I know, none."

Listening to the questions and explanations, something dawned on Im Deok-chang.

"I vaguely remember that. Wasn't it the biggest loss ever suffered at the camp? So why did Hannya just let Sandrix be?"

The camp could have been compromised because of the trainees.

"At that time, Hannya was in charge over at UID."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Of course, later there was a discussion about dealing with Sandrix, but at the time, they were guarding a group of UN officials engaged in UNICEF activities in Sudan. It seems Hannya hesitated, fearing exposure of the organization."

Im Deok-chang was lost in thought for a moment.

"For AMK Partners to hire such guys as security guards... there must be something up. But there's no way to know right away..."

The fact that they had lost Gordon Grimes in the end was the cause.

In addition, their agents at the scene had been overpowered by those guys. That suggested their movements had been exposed ever since they began tailing Jung Min-seop.

And on top of that, BlueForce—once one of the top three security companies in America—had also been acquired by AMK Partners. The intent to get serious was clear.

"What should we do about division director Jung Min-seop from Taeshin Trading?"

That was the second biggest issue.

Since he had met with Gordon Grimes, it was necessary to find out what had been discussed.

"If we contact him, it might give those guys an excuse."

This time, things might not end with just being overpowered.

"Could it be... have they realized someone is behind Tae Seok-ho, and now they're using Jung Min-seop as bait?"

The core of the Taeshin Group's temporary shareholders' meeting was a battle over shares.

AMK Partners might have planned to use Jung Min-seop as a card to pressure Tae Seok-ho.

"If it really is a trap, shouldn't we avoid contacting him?"

Already, WID agents nearly got exposed while tailing Jung Min-seop. If Sandrix hadn't let it go so easily, it could have been dangerous.

That made Im Deok-chang all the more cautious.

"For now, let's just monitor Jung Min-seop. Check his communication logs in real time."

Bzzz― bzzz―

At that moment, the phone vibrated in Choi Dong-hoon's pocket.

"Excuse me for a moment."

When Im Deok-chang gestured for him to go ahead, Choi Dong-hoon turned away to take the call.

After listening briefly, he put it on mute and spoke.

"Deputy Director, there seems to be a problem with the aftermath of the Hwain Techon case."

"What? What kind of problem?"

"Looks like the guys transferring the funds overseas pulled something in the process."

"I thought there was no missing money?"

About 1.7 trillion won in slush fund had been siphoned from Hwain Techon.

When moving such an amount, it had to be handled thoroughly.

Choi Dong-hoon answered carefully.

"Seems they've skimmed off a portion for themselves and then filled the gap. But, in the process, it looks like they've left a ledger behind."

"A ledger? Surely, it doesn't include records of the fund's origin?"

"Because the funds were initially dispersed, the guys left quite detailed records to keep track of it themselves."

On hearing that, Im Deok-chang's face darkened.

"Why are all your answers so vague? You didn't secure the ledger?"

"Apparently, someone beat us to it. The guys in charge of transport thought they might get caught, so they hid even deeper, and we only found out just now."

Im Deok-chang's face twisted in response.

"Do you call that an explanation—! So do we know who took the ledger... Could it have been the person who tipped off director Jin Jong-man?"

"Judging by the circumstances, that's the most likely case."

Unless you were an insider, it was impossible to know about the connection between Notex and Hwain Techon.

But now, National Intelligence Service Director Jin Jong-man had started to uncover the shell companies between the two firms. Soon, he was getting ahold of domestic information, posing a threat.

Only one place came to mind.

"This must be Skull's doing again."

The only force hindering the ambitions of the Hongu Society.

But their identity still hadn't been uncovered.

"But how did the information get through?"

Neither Jin Jong-man's movements nor his communication logs showed anything suspicious. Of course, they had thoroughly investigated Choo Jae-min, Shin Jin-hong, and everyone close to him, but the same result.

The questions only piled up, deepening the mystery.

Choi Dong-hoon cautiously offered his opinion.

"If that ledger falls into the Director's hands... it's over, isn't it?"

"Who doesn't know that?"

"I think it would be best to deal with the Director before it's too late."

Since there was still no sign of movement, it didn't seem like the ledger had reached Jin Jong-man yet.

If so, like Choi Dong-hoon suggested, it might be best to nip the problem in the bud.

"I can't act unilaterally, so let's discuss it and decide. In the meantime, keep a close eye on Director Jin's movements."

"I'll report as soon as there's a problem."

Choi Dong-hoon withdrew.

Left alone, Im Deok-chang pulled out a hidden cellphone from his drawer.

* * *

A week passed in a flash.

The second floor auditorium of Taeshin Trading was bustling again for another temporary shareholders' meeting.

AMK Partners, Orbis Investment, and Lumen Holdings, who held shares, were present like last time.

Standing quietly amidst the scene, Taeshin Trading's executive director Jung Min-seop was deep in thought.

'What was Gordon Grimes thinking when he said that to me?'

It was because of the proposal he received from him the previous weekend.

【We're thinking of filling it again with someone from inside Taeshin Group with no complications.】

Gordon Grimes's words kept echoing in his head. He also wondered if it was a lie.

'Even if it was a lie... there was no need for him to say that to me.'

Jung Min-seop had worked at Taeshin Trading for more than thirty years after joining in his late twenties. He had worked as hard as anyone, pouring his soul into making Taeshin Group what it was today.

Now, Taeshin was his pride and dignity.

He also wanted Chairman Tae Gun-seung's beliefs and principles to continue more than anyone.

But Tae Gun-seung's sons, Tae Seok-hyun and Tae Seok-ho, didn't satisfy those wishes. They cared only for their own gains instead of the advancement of the company.

That was why Jung Min-seop wanted a professional manager to lead the company, instead of having Chairman Tae Gun-seung hand it over to his bloodline.

At that moment, someone approached him.

"It's been a while, executive director."

It was none other than Kang In-hyuk, son-in-law to the Taeshin family and division director of Taeshin Asset Management.

"Ah, division director Kang, what brings you here...."

"I hold a small portion of shares in Taeshin Trading too. Not enough to influence the shareholders' meeting, though."

"I see."

Jung Min-seop answered vaguely and looked around the auditorium.

But In-hyuk initiated another conversation.

"Are you troubled by something?"

"Pardon?"

"Your face looks serious. And you can speak comfortably with me."

Jung Min-seop realized he'd let his worries show too much, and coughed awkwardly.

"Ahem—! If you say so."

"What do you think will happen at this shareholders' meeting? I heard that with the chairman's shares entering as company-held shares, executive vice president Tae Seok-ho now has the advantage."

Saying this, In-hyuk glanced over to where AMK Partners were gathered in one corner of the hall.

He made eye contact with Norman McGrath, whose true identity was now known to him, and with Marc Laurent, who was in charge of security.

They looked rather satisfied.

'Are they enjoying a game where everything's been decided in advance?'

Meanwhile, after some thought, Jung Min-seop answered.

"I've heard you're fairly close to AMK. Haven't you heard anything from them?"

"It's strictly business. We're not personally close, so it's hard to ask about the shareholders' meeting."

"... I see?"

Silence fell again.

In-hyuk watched him from the side.

'I guess he still can't help but worry.'

In-hyuk had approached him to gauge the mood. As expected, the mood was one of deep worry, apparent on his face.

The time for the temporary shareholders' meeting drew near.

Like last time, department manager Lee Yoon-seok from the General Affairs Office took the podium.

"Aren't you going up, division director?"

Jung Min-seop pointed at the podium and asked.

All members of the Taeshin Group family except former chairman Tae Gun-seung and In-hyuk were seated up there with the board.

"Am I really qualified to go up there?"

"Still, you've done much for the Group. Taeshin Asset Management has grown greatly thanks to your efforts."

"Even so, I can't enter that fence."

He had never intended to either. He was only staying in Taeshin Group for his own objectives.

While the conversation continued, department manager Lee Yoon-seok presented the voting items. Then, as at the previous meeting, the shareholders began walking to the voting booths one by one.