Former Mastermind To Chaebol Son-in-Law

Chapter 48

Don't Hug Me

Hong Yu-geon, who had collapsed from electrocution, slowly got up and shook his head.

"Ugh, I thought I was going to die! Shouldn't you be careful when you shoot something like that?!"

His voice was accusatory.

At that, In-hyuk simply stared at the computer in the living room and answered flatly.

"That's why you should have been careful."

"Me? The president should be careful! Wait...... you didn't shoot at that timing on purpose, did you?"

"......"

As no answer came, Hong Yu-geon became even more indignant.

"What? Seriously? Just because I followed you on my own?"

"Enough noise. The 30 minutes I mentioned earlier are almost up, so hurry up. Go get the black box from the car outside, too."

"Tch―!"

Just then, Hong Yu-geon checked his watch. In the end, he bustled around the house, gathering belongings as In-hyuk instructed.

Meanwhile, In-hyuk watched the rapidly changing monitor screen along with the USB plugged into the computer.

All files stored on it were being encrypted and transmitted to the secure web server Go Mi-ah had prepared.

Bzzzt―

On top of that, he didn't forget to tase each of the men he had knocked out earlier one more time, just in case they woke up.

"Wow...... this is seriously brutal."

Hong Yu-geon muttered as he watched the scene, having finished searching the upstairs.

"They're tougher than they look, so be careful."

"You seem to know those guys pretty well?"

"I don't not know them."

Once most of the files had been uploaded, In-hyuk searched the pockets of the fallen men.

Of course, since he assumed they belonged to UID, there was nothing he could use to identify their real status.

Then, he carefully examined their left hands, especially the boundary between the ring finger and the palm......

"Looking for wedding ring marks or something?"

"I told you to shut up......."

In-hyuk discovered a tattoo on each man's left palm: a cross combined with a circle.

'As expected...... is there a connection between them and UID?'

He had suspected this because the Pyo Jun-woo crew used TMT, a combat technique taught by UID.

Interrogating Pyo Jun-woo, he'd heard that they'd learned the technique at a camp near Naya in Mongolia.

However, the chances were high there'd be no trace left, so he hadn't bothered going.

"It's almost 30 minutes. Are we not leaving?"

"...... Yeah, let's go."

With that answer, In-hyuk took a photo of the man's face with his phone, then unplugged the USB from the computer.

Just as he'd told Hong Yu-geon, he left the safehouse and ran southeast.

"But why are we going this way? What about the car we left earlier?"

"That car's already been retrieved by someone else."

"Wait...... so even the ready car earlier, is this some kind of task broker thing?"

He was referring to a kind of underground fixer/intermediary.

Tasks were handed off through several people to leave no traces, and nothing about the clients was ever leaked.

Lobbyists, mercenaries, and agents involved in risky work used them.

"That's right."

Even as they spoke, their feet didn't stop—they kept running.

"...... President, what are you really?"

"Aren't you tired of that question by now?"

"I can't help it—it's impossible to tell!"

Until recently, he had seemed to be nothing more than a (relatively) ordinary salaryman who'd married into a chaebol family.

Every time something strange happened, Hong Yu-geon would think about it, checking for any inconsistencies.

Just now, In-hyuk had demonstrated unexpected combat skills and adaptability, too.

"It's not like I'm lying or anything. So just believe what you see."

"You're not, like, a Black or Shadow from some agency or... no! If you were, your resume would have gaps."

Listening to his groaning, In-hyuk simply shrugged.

The two ran southeast, over the mountain and downwards.

Before long, they came upon an abandoned farmhouse and headed toward a greenhouse, the plastic rotted and torn.

"Did you hide another vehicle here?"

"We have to get back somehow. But......"

"Don't tell me there's only one?"

Inside the greenhouse was a single motorcycle.

At that, In-hyuk spoke with a faintly annoyed air.

"Want to walk? There's a car I rode here earlier about 10 km away, so just make it that far."

"...... Can't I just drive?"

"Like there's anything about you I find cute—why would I want you behind me? So either walk, or shut up and get on."

"Tch......."

The two burly men took their seats on the motorcycle.

"Just—don't go hugging me, it's gross."

Before he knew it, Hong Yu-geon's hand was lightly wrapping around In-hyuk's waist.

* * *

WISE&WIRE Group Chairman's Office.

Baek Ji-woong was dealing with paperwork at the desk in the middle of his large office, when he heard a vibration sound.

A message had arrived.

"......"

【Will contact in 5 minutes.

―HANNYA―】

A name written in English as "Hannya".

His expression instantly became grave.

He went to the safe hidden deep behind a painting and pulled out a satellite phone stored there, turning it on.

After a while, a loud ringtone sounded and he pressed the call button. He spoke in fluent Japanese.

"I've answered. Hannya."

[It's been a while, chairman.]

The man called Hannya also spoke Japanese.

However, a chilling undertone could be heard in the deep voice over the line.

"Yes, it has. What brings you to contact me directly?"

A brief stillness, as though Hannya were catching his breath, then he spoke up.

[There's been a problem in Korea. I'd like you to move some people to look into it.]

The Hannya on the other end of the line was one of the top-level members of the Organization Baek Ji-woong belonged to.

He stood higher than Baek Ji-woong, chairman of W&W Group.

Baek Ji-woong's expression stiffened even more.

"I'm not sure what's happened, but wouldn't it be more efficient for Hannya's people to conduct the investigation?"

[A safehouse in Korea was hit. I rarely doubt my own men's abilities. However, only internal data was stolen, and there were no casualties. An initial report stated there was nothing left behind to suspect anyone in particular.]

At the same time, Baek Ji-woong swallowed.

"...... Are you referring to the safehouse used by WID?"

WID was spread across the world. Baek Ji-woong had used only Korean agents as his private soldiers.

But for something to happen in Korea, and for Hannya, who oversaw WID, to know before him was surprising.

[To be precise, it was a safehouse managed by UID. Is there anything that might be related to this situation?]

With that question, a bead of cold sweat formed on Baek Ji-woong's forehead and dropped onto his thigh.

He wondered just how much Hannya knew about the domestic situation.

Still, brushing it off seemed unwise, since Hannya had contacted him directly.

"Ahem―! I haven't had the chance to report it yet, but there's been a bit of a problem domestically."

[Why did you delay the report?]

Hannya's tone became heavier.

"I'd identified a suspect. But they're not an easy target, so there hasn't been any notable progress yet."

[What's the scale of the damage?]

"So far, there's a single Grade 3 member and three Grade 4 members who had infiltrated a company."

[I heard there was also damage to the front company. Why leave that part out of your report?]

He was referring to the quiet elimination of Daemyung Detective Agency, which had secretly employed WID agents.

"In that case...... the failure of the mission was the cause. Their faces were revealed, and the company's existence could have been exposed, so I disposed of the person in charge and all the members who participated in the operation."

[But you didn't report that either, did you?]

Hearing the pointed words, Baek Ji-woong clenched his fist without realizing it.

"That...... I was planning to report it soon."

[What was the cause?]

"...... Sorry?"

[I mean, the reason the operation failed. Even if Lee Daemyung got soft, he wasn't the kind of guy to leave a gap in an operation.]

Lee Daemyung, who had run the detective agency, was a WID member who had infiltrated the police and built up a base for over ten years.

He had maintained his cover for a long time; even after resigning from the police, he continued to operate as a detective.

For someone like that to fail so badly, and to be executed for it, would obviously raise suspicions for someone in Hannya's position.

"Do you mean to say you suspect I deliberately set him up to fail?"

[That's not what I meant. Anyway, please submit a report on the incident. Include a profile of this unidentified person you mentioned. And also investigate the safehouse as previously discussed.]

He was essentially saying he would get everything he wanted.

"I'm fine with the rest, but is there a reason we need to handle the safehouse investigation?"

He hadn't heard the reason when the order had come down earlier.

[There are communication records at the safehouse exchanged with other Asian operatives. The list may have been traced, so we can't use those people for now. And if the ones who hit the safehouse and the ones you're after are the same... then you'll be responsible.]

In the end, his attempt to defer responsibility had doubled back on him.

Baek Ji-woong breathed a small sigh, careful not to let it be heard over the phone.

"...... Understood. I'll proceed with the investigation."

[Thank you.]

The call ended.

Baek Ji-woong wanted to throw the satellite phone immediately, but held back and returned it to the safe.

For all he was chairman of WISE&WIRE Group, he was nothing but a puppet.

He knew he needed to acquire much more real power, which meant more patience.

He fell into thought for a while. Just as he was about to take out his cell phone, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock―

"Come in."

The door opened and Do Jung-geol, Baek Ji-woong's secretary, poked in his head.

"Chairman. There's a situation."

"What for?"

With the question, he handed over a tablet.

A news article had just popped up on the screen. Seeing it, Baek Ji-woong's face subtly stiffened.

【8th-year five-member male idol group IGNES member, secret client in the Rizeburn drug case? The member implicated is Seo Eun-tae—who scored three consecutive hits as a lead in dramas and recently wrapped filming the 75 billion won WebFlix-style drama—and J-Gun, who found success as a producer...... IGNES is under KQ Group's management subsidiary LifeStar Entertainment, which recently acquired and merged 12 entertainment agencies... But it is rumored the agency knew of this yet remained silent......】

【Will the airing of WebFlix-style 75 billion won drama 〈East Las Vegas〉 be postponed because of IGNES' Seo Eun-tae's drug scandal? The production company has announced they're currently confirming the facts... The drama reportedly received major investment from W&W Entertainment as well.......】

.

.

"It seems things will blow up on the W&W Entertainment side."

"This will be quite a stir. I thought the Rizeburn case wrapped up recently—was there still something left lingering?"

Most people involved in the case had already been sentenced and imprisoned after trial.

Certainly, some from well-off families had tried to use their power to escape.

However, the prosecution had gathered so much evidence that almost nobody managed to get away.

"It seems some people slipped away due to timing. But during an investigation linked to the previous case, new names came up and that's what triggered this."

"Talk about a headache. Madam Kwon will be very stressed as well."

By "Madam Kwon," he meant his wife Kwon So-jeong, the real owner of WISE&WIRE Group.

Currently, W&W Entertainment was being run by her.

But now, after finishing production, a surefire hit was about to crash because of one incident—no small issue.

"That seems likely."

"Alright, you may go."

Baek Ji-woong pressed his temples and watched Do Jung-geol walk out, then picked up his phone and sent a message to Baek Si-hwan.