Chapter 27. Suspicion (4)
The meeting with Bang Woncheol only left Harok feeling more uneasy.
As they stepped out of the Korean restaurant, Han Seungjin suggested they go somewhere quiet and have another drink.
"Senior, sorry, but I should probably head home."
Bang Woncheol had already left.
There wasn't much point in drinking alone with Han Seungjin.
"Really? That's disappointing."
"Let's have a proper drink next time. I've been drinking almost every day lately, and I think my liver's starting to protest."
"Hey, fatty liver is basically standard equipment for reporters."
"Senior, I'm only thirty-one."
"Fair enough. That's a little young to ruin your liver."
After finally shaking off Han Seungjin, Harok hurried toward the bus stop.
No matter how hard he tried not to think in that direction, his attention kept drifting back toward TS Group.
Was the planner Hong Yunjung talked about really TS Group?
There was no point sitting alone and breaking his head over it.
Harok didn't care that it was almost eleven at night.
He called Hong Yunjung.
"Reporter Baek? Calling this late..."
"Director, I'm sorry about the hour. There's something I urgently need to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Is the planner you mentioned... the mastermind behind the whole thing... TS Group?"
Harok asked directly.
Hong Yunjung didn't answer.
Only the faint sound of her breathing came through the phone.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"Reporter Baek, where are you?"
"I'm on my way home."
"If it's not too much trouble, could you come over near my place?"
Her place?
Even if they were a reporter and a source, a man and woman meeting at someone's home this late at night felt a little strange.
"You want to meet at your house?"
"Ah, yes. I know it's rude, but I'm in a situation where I can't go out right now."
"Why?"
"I'm divorced with two kids. They're still young, so I can't leave them home alone."
Right.
She was divorced.
Leaving young children alone at this hour would practically be child neglect.
Harok had no choice but to head to Hong Yunjung's home.
It was 11:30 p.m. when Harok arrived at a luxury apartment complex in Seocho-dong.
"You could've just told me over the phone..."
"I prefer talking face-to-face. I'm sorry if I made things inconvenient for you."
Harok quickly waved his hands.
"No, no. I'm the one who's sorry. I called you late, and now I'm making you come all the way here."
Hong Yunjung went to the wine cellar in the kitchen and took out a bottle.
"You'll have some, right?"
Harok had already been drinking a lot lately.
Still, one glass of wine should be fine.
"Yes. Just one glass."
After pouring the wine, Hong Yunjung began.
"What made you suspect TS Group?"
Harok explained what he'd heard from Lee Jinbaek, what Hyeon Jiyeon had told him about the situation inside TS Group, and Bang Woncheol's interference as someone who had benefited from TS Group through Yeouljae.
Hong Yunjung listened without interrupting until he finished.
"You reached TS Group in just a few days. That's impressive."
"So I'm right?"
Hong Yunjung gestured toward the balcony.
"Why?"
"I want a cigarette."
Harok rarely smoked while interviewing someone.
He simply stood across from Hong Yunjung as she lit one on the balcony.
"Do you know who my ex-husband is?"
How would I know that?
But from the way she asked, her ex-husband clearly mattered to this conversation.
"...Who is he?"
"Hyeon Yeongmo. Head of Strategic Planning at TS Foodnet."
Harok was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth.
He hadn't expected that at all.
In his previous life, he had barely paid attention to anything involving TS Group.
He only knew the fragmentary fact that Hyeon Yeongmo had suddenly appeared like Cinderella and eventually become chairman of TS Group.
He had never heard anything about Hyeon Yeongmo's ex-wife.
Most of the public didn't even know Hyeon Yeongmo had ever been divorced.
"We haven't been divorced for very long."
"I see."
"Until right before the divorce, I was still living in that house because of the children."
There had to be a reason she was telling him this.
Did that mean she had seen something in Hyeon Yeongmo's house?
"Did you see something there?"
"How did you know?"
Hong Yunjung looked surprised by Harok's instinct, then continued.
"I almost never went into my husband's study. But that day, Sandy went in and wouldn't come back out."
"Sandy?"
"Ah, my dog. She's in the master bedroom right now."
"Right."
"I went into the study looking for Sandy and happened to see a document."
A document?
If she still has it, this is huge.
"What was it?"
"It was an internal report titled [Current State of the Dumpling Market and M/S Acquisition Strategy]."
"Did the market-share strategy include..."
"Yes. There was a chapter called 'Chain Bankruptcies Caused by Heightened Hygiene Concerns.'"
That was big.
If Harok could obtain that document, it would be a massive scoop.
"Do you happen to have the report...?"
"Unfortunately..."
"You're an executive at Samho Foods too. Weren't you interested in anything involving dumplings?"
"Like I told you before, dumplings aren't that important within our company. And besides..."
Hong Yunjung stopped herself.
"No. Never mind. At the time, I didn't think much of it."
That made sense.
Who would see a title like that and immediately imagine a conspiracy?
"You didn't read the contents at all?"
"I was just about to open it when my husband walked into the room."
Damn.
Still, the circumstantial puzzle was almost complete.
Now Harok only needed to know exactly how it had been carried out and who had been involved.
Then the article would be ready.
But there was another problem.
Could he even publish a story accusing one of the country's largest conglomerates, TS Group?
Lee Jinbaek's day started at six in the morning.
He arrived at the office, headed straight to the basement gym, did cardio and strength training, then went to the sauna while checking the morning news on television.
At 7:30, he returned to his office and reviewed the newspapers.
At eight, he chaired a meeting with department heads.
He was in the middle of reading the paper when the phone beeped.
"Yes, Division Head."
"Director Lee, come to my office for a moment."
It was Hyeon Yeongmo, managing director and head of the Strategic Planning Division.
Lee Jinbaek folded the newspaper and immediately hurried to his office.
Click.
"Good morning, Division Head."
"Sit down."
Hyeon Yeongmo had a neat, composed appearance that didn't resemble the stereotypical image of a chaebol heir.
Originally, he had been expected to inherit Damo Electronics from his father, Hyeon Wonjung.
But now, a chance to become chairman of TS Group had appeared in front of him.
He doesn't usually call me in before eight...
Lee Jinbaek sat across from him with a slightly tense expression.
"This isn't about work, so relax."
"Then what is it?"
"Perfect timing. It's on right now."
A prototype 100-inch wall-mounted television, soon to be launched by TS Electronics, was mounted on the wall of Hyeon Yeongmo's office.
"Handong Group Vice President Kwon Jaegwan has reportedly tested positive in a drug screening... Police intend to question him regarding additional offenses and expand the investigation..."
Click.
The moment the news report ended, Hyeon Yeongmo turned off the television with the remote.
"Jaegwan hyung is in serious trouble."
Jaegwan hyung?
Concern appeared on Lee Jinbaek's face.
Hyeon Yeongmo caught it immediately.
"Hahaha. You worry too much, Director Lee. I don't touch drugs, so relax."
Only then did Lee Jinbaek's expression ease.
"Ah. I was only worried..."
"I won't give you anything to worry about, so don't be concerned."
"Then why did you call me?"
"What do you think will happen to Jaegwan hyung? We used to play golf together and go yachting. I'm curious."
Lee Jinbaek slowly shook his head.
"Don't contact him anymore. And if he calls you, don't answer. From what I can see, it'll be difficult for Vice President Kwon Jaegwan to recover from this."
"Over just this?"
"The drug problem is one thing, but there's also the abuse-of-power assault from three years ago that never got reported. If the drug case explodes, that incident could be dragged back into the spotlight too."
Hyeon Yeongmo looked troubled, as though genuinely saddened by the downfall of an older friend.
"If there were no alternative, maybe Chairman Kwon Osang would keep tolerating him. But there's a perfectly healthy younger brother named Kwon Jaejun. Chairman Kwon has shown tremendous patience with his eldest son until now. I doubt he can keep doing that."
"You think he'll lose the successor position?"
"That's only my prediction. Chairman Kwon might give him another chance. But first, avoiding arrest itself looks difficult."
For another ten minutes or so, Hyeon Yeongmo and Lee Jinbaek casually discussed current events.
Hyeon Yeongmo enjoyed these conversations.
Whenever he spoke with Lee Jinbaek, he could draw deeper insight even from ordinary news.
"How's the factory site coming along?"
"As I told you, it's difficult for a major corporation to build a brand-new factory in the capital region. So we've been reviewing existing plants for acquisition. I think a good opportunity will appear soon."
"Really? Where?"
Lee Jinbaek took out his phone and selected a photo from his gallery.
It showed a factory under construction and the surrounding site.
"Mirae Food. They took a major hit from the dumpling scandal."
"I saw that. They became the main target and suffered badly."
"They recently entered first-stage default. I expect they'll be officially declared bankrupt soon. Once that happens, this factory site will go on the market, and we should be able to acquire it very cheaply."
"If it goes to auction, couldn't the price rise?"
"I've already discussed it to some extent with the creditor bank. We're planning to handle it through a private contract."
Hyeon Yeongmo looked extremely pleased.
Ever since Vice Chairman Bae Jaegwon of the Strategic Coordination Office introduced Lee Jinbaek to him, everything had been moving smoothly.
"When can full-scale production begin?"
"We'll run the existing factory at full capacity for now. Once the new factory comes online near the end of the year, we'll definitely be among the top three by the end of next year."
"Top three?"
"You've tasted them yourself. The dumplings we're launching aren't just ordinary processed dumplings. They'll reproduce the taste of dumplings sold at famous restaurants."
"They were good. I'd barely eaten dumplings in my life, but lately I've eaten enough to be sick of them. Hahaha."
"Dumplings are only the starting point that will determine whether our entire business succeeds or fails."
Lee Jinbaek's low, serious voice made Hyeon Yeongmo stop laughing.
"You're always too serious, Director Lee. You need to enjoy yourself sometimes."
"My real goal isn't simply to reach the top three in the food industry by the end of next year. I'm aiming for second place."
"Can we handle that volume?"
"That's why acquiring this factory matters so much. Mirae Food's new factory site is larger than expected, and the location conditions are excellent."
Hyeon Yeongmo didn't want to hear complicated details.
Hadn't a former president once said something like this?
You could borrow other people's brains.
A leader didn't necessarily need to think personally.
"Handle it however you think best. I..."
"Yes. Food is only a tiny portion of the entire group anyway. Division Head, you should keep studying electronics and telecommunications. The chairman will probably call you soon."
Hyeon Yeongmo nodded.
"...This may be a little inappropriate to ask, but what happened with your wife?"
"We already signed the divorce papers. She insisted on raising the kids herself. You wouldn't believe how stubborn she was."
"That may actually be for the best."
Hyeon Yeongmo's eyes widened.
He was still furious over losing custody of his children.
For the best?
"You need to meet a new wife quickly. For that, being single right now is actually useful."
"There are plenty of candidates. I just need to choose."
The reason for Hyeon Yeongmo's divorce had been infidelity.
He had been notorious for his relationships with women even before marriage.
After marrying, he never stopped.
And there hadn't been just one mistress.
Seeing two or three women at the same time had been normal for him.
His ex-wife, Hong Yunjung, endured it until she finally exploded.
They separated immediately.
A year later, they divorced.
Because Hyeon Yeongmo was clearly the spouse at fault, custody went to Hong Yunjung.
"Among the women you're seeing now, none are suitable to become the future wife of TS Group's chairman. Honestly, your ex-wife was the most suitable."
"Enough. Don't talk about that woman."
The moment his ex-wife came up, Hyeon Yeongmo reacted irritably.
Lee Jinbaek was used to it and continued as though it were nothing.
"You need to meet a new woman from a suitable family."
"Women like that are suffocating."
"Think about your future. Both of your older cousins are married and have stable families. As you know, the Hyeon family is extremely conservative. The chairman will factor things like that into his evaluation."
The thought of entering the cage of marriage again seemed painful to Hyeon Yeongmo.
"Fine. Then you find me a decent woman too, Director Lee."
