Chapter 35
After speaking with Ma Juncheol...
I quickly left the office and called him again.
He was so angry that he answered before the ringing tone even completed once.
“Assistant Manager Choi.”
“Did you confirm it?”
“No, not yet.”
“President Ma, there's something I need to tell you first.”
“What is it?”
After hearing Ma Juncheol's revelation...
Everything connected inside my head.
Lee Sejun's B rank on the screen last week.
The list of ghost marts I had discussed with Im Sanghyeon.
This was not some shallow trick where he used his parents' connections and money simply to protect his performance rating.
It was a bold, organized off-the-books dumping operation.
He had been diverting WG Food products into the market and completely disrupting the distribution system.
I was almost certain now.
“President Ma, I'm truly sorry.”
“But can I ask you for one favor in this situation?”
He sounded dumbfounded.
“You're asking me for a favor?”
But I had no choice.
If I wanted to trace the source perfectly...
I needed Ma Juncheol's help.
“Yes.”
“I can guarantee that WG Food headquarters has never officially dumped this inventory.”
“So I need your help to quickly identify exactly what is happening.”
“Haah...”
“What do you need?”
“Could you obtain transaction statements from the suspicious wholesalers selling the dumped stock?”
“Or simple receipts issued when they sell the goods to restaurants.”
“And if possible, photos of the manufacturing dates printed on the dumped boxes.”
He remained silent for a moment.
Then his voice became firm.
“Right.”
“That would let us trace the source.”
“Exactly.”
“If WG Food is going to officially cut this crime out by the roots, we need evidence strong enough to stand up legally.”
I continued quickly.
“I'll personally visit the markets and collect whatever documents I can.”
“But you know the local distribution network much better than I do.”
“Please help me.”
Ma Juncheol answered without hesitation.
“That much isn't difficult.”
“I'll send people out immediately.”
“I'll collect off-the-books receipts, boxes, whatever has spread through the markets.”
“I'll send you photos of everything.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I'll identify the source as quickly as possible and restore the normal distribution structure.”
My answer seemed to calm him slightly.
His voice returned closer to the Ma Juncheol I knew.
“But Assistant Manager Choi.”
“Yes, President Ma.”
“Do not betray my trust.”
“If you don't catch these rotten bastards immediately...”
“I can remove every WG Food product from my shelves.”
“And I can convince plenty of other people in this industry to do the same.”
I answered without hesitation.
“You don't need to worry.”
“I stake my name on this.”
“I will personally crush whoever destroyed the proper distribution order.”
“Good.”
“I'm sorry again.”
“And thank you.”
“I'll fix everything as quickly as possible.”
After ending the call...
I organized my thoughts.
Then I forced myself to remain calm and rational.
If I became emotional now...
I might make a mistake.
My eyes drifted toward Lee Sejun's desk.
He had no idea exactly what Ma Juncheol and I had discussed.
The anxiety he had shown while listening to my first phone call was already gone.
Once again, he was bragging comfortably.
He spun the keys to his recently purchased imported SUV around one finger.
He was even boasting about golf memberships.
I watched from the corner of my eye and slowly shook my head.
Soon...
This would all end.
“Oh, the new car?”
A junior employee stared at him.
“Assistant Manager Lee, you're incredible.”
“How can you work at a normal company and afford something that expensive?”
Lee Sejun shrugged casually.
“I just bought it.”
“I hate lease payments coming out every month, so I paid cash.”
“Wow.”
“That's amazing.”
He continued showing off in front of the juniors.
“I play golf with my parents on weekends.”
“My old car didn't have enough trunk space.”
“So I bought an SUV.”
“Our club membership gets crowded on weekends too, so my father said he's buying another one...”
Lee Sejun spoke as though none of it mattered.
As though being incredibly wealthy was simply his normal life.
He did not even raise his voice while bragging.
That casual indifference made the junior employees feel the gap in wealth even more strongly.
Manager Jang Woojin watched him proudly and cleared his throat.
Every employee believed the same story.
Lee Sejun's family was so wealthy that his parents' friends accepted loss-making contracts simply to help their son's workplace performance.
A perfect image of a rich family willing to burn money for their child.
Even I had believed it at first.
Meanwhile...
Behind everyone's backs...
He was operating an illegal product-dumping cash-out scheme serious enough to lead directly to criminal investigation.
It was disgusting.
If he had really been rich...
There would have been no reason to risk everything for small profits from reselling company products.
Ironically...
The rumor that he was a wealthy young master was probably the disguise protecting the entire scheme.
At the company...
He lied that he had developed huge numbers of new clients.
That earned him higher grades, promotion opportunities, and salary.
Behind the scenes...
He took sauces obtained from headquarters at the lowest possible price.
Then dumped them into wholesale markets.
And pocketed the entire price difference in cash.
A double life.
He was committing crimes while wearing arrogance like a badge of pride.
My hand tightened around the mouse.
Then I glanced toward Manager Jang Woojin's approval documents.
There had to be active cooperation behind all those absurdly low-price contracts passing through the company's system without resistance.
Manager Jang's approval.
His connections.
