Former Mastermind To Chaebol Son-in-Law

Chapter 71

Did you really kill them?

【Shootout Somewhere in Southern Gyeonggi!? A real shootout broke out at the site of a townhouse construction project that had been stalled for a long time. The armed suspects were unidentified foreigners who used rifles and pistols. The guns were believed to have originated from the black market...】

【7 Dead in Southern Gyeonggi Shootout. The exact number is still unconfirmed, with the remaining armed suspects on the run... A local police official stated that checkpoints and searches are underway...】

【It has been confirmed that the shootout suspects entered the country with forged passports...】

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The clash between the mercenary groups Warborn and Redfall spread not only in Korea but also internationally.

The fact that foreigners entered the country with forged passports, procured firearms on the black market, and fought such a bloody battle inevitably caused a huge stir.

Of course, who exactly they were and where they were from had yet to be revealed.

That, too, would only be a matter of time...

While the world was abuzz with these events, Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester sat in the Daegu Rasta Hotel suite, watching TV with serious expressions.

At this moment, In-hyuk was not with them in the suite. Around twelve hours earlier, he had gone out alone and had yet to return.

Thud—

Just then, a heavy sound echoed from the wardrobe in the master bedroom of the suite.

The two immediately walked over. Soon after, the inner wall of the wardrobe opened, and In-hyuk stepped out, wearing a light suit.

"Boss! What on earth happened? And what about the news on TV?"

To that question, In-hyuk walked into the living room and checked the news coverage.

"Ah. The guys clashed, that's all."

"The guys? Who do you mean, Warborn and who?"

"Redfall."

With that name mentioned, the two faces grew more tense.

"Last time you mentioned 'fight poison with poison,' did you call those bastards and make them go up against Warborn?"

In-hyuk took off his jacket and slumped onto the sofa.

"Rather than call them, I made them come."

"That's the same thing! Then what were you doing, and how did you even know about that elevator?"

He was referring to the hidden elevator that In-hyuk had just come up on.

They'd been quite surprised when using it to exit the suite before.

"This hotel was built by a gang that used to control this region. The suite was the spot the boss used."

"You sure know all sorts of things... So, what actually happened?"

They still hadn't gotten the most important answer.

In response, In-hyuk let out a long sigh.

"It's just as it seems. Both Warborn and Redfall took hits in this clash. The police arrived in the nick of time, so they left the dead behind and retreated with only the wounded."

"So. I can smell gunpowder on you, boss. You were there, weren't you?"

"I went to make sure Warborn's side was dealt with. But some unexpected people showed up."

With that, Hong Yu-geon tilted his head and sat on the sofa.

"Who do you mean?"

"Tae Seok-ho and Lee Jae-jun. For some reason I don't understand."

Hearing what happened, Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester's faces darkened even further.

Not a single mention of anyone related to Taeshin Group had been in the earlier news report.

"So, what did you do? No way... Did you handle them there?"

"......"

In-hyuk said nothing in reply, and Hong Yu-geon grew frustrated.

"Did you really kill them?"

"If I did, so what? You know they tried to kill me first."

After all, they had hired mercenaries from abroad and ordered my assassination.

"Ha..."

"What is it now?"

"We're not talking about just anyone, but Warborn and Redfall. If they got into a fight, something could've happened to you. Why are you so determined to jump in yourself?"

Van Hester nodded in agreement with Hong Yu-geon's words.

In-hyuk found his head tilting in puzzlement.

"... Are you worried about me?"

He thought they were scolding him, but the conversation was oddly off.

"It's not you, it's our money source we're worried about. If something happened to you, what would happen to us?"

"Fine, if you put it that way."

A bit embarrassed, Hong Yu-geon quickly changed the subject.

"So, what happened? Did you deal with all of them?"

Recalling the moment, In-hyuk's expression shifted subtly.

* * *

Beep— Beep—

The steady, shallow sound of a heart monitor.

Beside it lay a man with a face covered in scratches, wearing an oxygen mask—Tae Seok-ho.

It was past midnight.

Then Tae Seok-ho's eyes slowly opened, and he took a deep breath.

"Gasp— Guh—!"

At the sound of his coughing, the door opened and a doctor and nurses hurried in.

They checked Tae Seok-ho's condition, glanced over to one side, then left the room again.

In the heavy atmosphere, Tae Seok-ho was unable to ask anything at first, but eventually he looked where the doctor had glanced.

"Ahem! Did you... save me?"

To the shadowed sofa, a woman stood up.

"Well, for now."

"How did you... No, more importantly, what about the others who were there... what happened to them?"

He meant the others there, including his security guard Lee Jae-jun.

"They're all dead."

"Ah..."

Tae Seok-ho immediately checked his own condition. As the anesthetic wore off, a sharp pain flared in his left side.

"Nngh."

"It's a through-and-through gunshot wound. The bullet barely grazed your internal organs—if you'd been any later, you'd have died from blood loss."

As he listened to the explanation, Tae Seok-ho recalled the man in the skull mask.

He hadn't hesitated at all when he pulled the trigger.

It was terrifying, but infuriating as well.

"That bastard..."

"Aren't you curious about what's going on now?"

Of course, he couldn't help but wonder.

But Tae Seok-ho was also still figuring out who this woman was and how she had gotten there, so he carefully sized her up.

"Actually, I'm more curious why you saved me."

"Do you not believe in good deeds done without reason?"

When the woman smiled, Tae Seok-ho's expression grew more stern.

"I don't believe in good deeds without reason. So now tell me who you are and why you saved me... Tell me the rest as well."

At that, the woman smiled broadly, curving her lips upward.

"To start with the situation... There's a major investigation underway at the shootout scene. But they won't find any trace of you or your security guards there. Even if they do, the police won't be looking into it."

Tae Seok-ho's face hardened.

"So, you're saying you made sure there'd be no traces left?"

"That's right. Even if something's found, it'll be covered up."

"Just... who are you?"

The woman still kept her smile.

"I want to help you climb to the top of Taeshin. That's why I took this chance to save your life."

"Do you even know what that means?"

Everyone knew Taeshin Group was tightly controlled by chairman Tae Gun-seung.

Even the will was managed thoroughly, so even if he suddenly died, no one could predict who would inherit enough shares to become chairman.

In the end, using as much money as possible to secure shares in Mulsan before Tae Gun-seung died was top priority.

That's why Tae Seok-ho had pooled funds from Taeshin's spin-off companies and valuable subsidiaries to create the H&T Fund.

"You need money, right? We can provide it for you."

"Do you have any idea how much is needed?"

"Currently, you publicly hold about 2.5% of Taeshin Trading shares, don't you? Add in the borrowed-name and delegated shares—15.3%. In total, about 18%."

At that, Tae Seok-ho's face grew even more severe. She even knew about the shares he had quietly gathered under borrowed names.

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Not watching, just a bit of simple research. We need someone to work with, and you need someone to help you take Taeshin, it seems."

She spoke as if it were nothing, awaiting his questions.

"So, how much funding can you actually provide? Knowing how many shares I've managed to secure, it would take a pretty big sum."

He wasn't wrong. At the same time, Tae Seok-ho wanted to suppress her confidence.

She still didn't lose her smile at all.

"If we can act as your proxy to obtain an additional 13% of shares for control, on top of your current holdings?"

If what she said was true, Tae Seok-ho would have more than 31% in total.

But his expression only stayed grave.

"If you saved my life and are helping me secure shares, that means you want something in return. And it's not like you're the real decision-maker here, are you?"

"You're right. I'm only relaying a proposal from my superiors."

"Can't I speak directly to them?"

The woman stared at him with a strange look, then smiled again.

"They said you'll meet them once you're worthy enough. And we only want one thing in return. After you take over Taeshin, we want an exclusive partnership."

Now Tae Seok-ho's gaze grew strange.

"Exclusive partnership... To the way you put it, it sounds more like collusion than just cooperation."

Whether his guess was correct, the corners of her mouth rose slightly.

"We work for the stabilization of wealth and power. There are already those who have boarded this flow and are working with us."

"Are you saying I've been chosen to join them?"

"That's right."

Tae Seok-ho let out a laugh and stifled the pain in his chest.

"Is this like Songchon, that rumored secret department within the National Intelligence Service?"

It was an organization for which not a single piece of concrete evidence existed publicly.

But back during the days of the KCIA, a certain career incident sparked a fierce grudge against the Korean intelligence services in a specific individual.

That's when rumors started—about a faction called Songchon being created from within.

"Well... something like that. But unlike them, we really exist."

"So, I don't actually get chosen until I have full control of Taeshin?"

"Correct."

Tae Seok-ho had a question.

"What if, despite your help, I still fail? Are you planning to take back the life you saved?"

"Oh, come on~ Of course not. Ah, and there's one more condition to our help."

"What is it?"

"To now on, I'll be serving you directly. More specifically, I'll be your secretary, and my people will be your security guards."

The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.

"You mean you'll be monitoring me?"

"I can't say otherwise, but think of it as staying close for careful verification. And all your closest security guards are dead now—you should be thinking about your safety too."

The security unit that Lee Jae-jun led had been carefully chosen by TSS over the years.

And, as she said, Tae Seok-ho had nearly been killed by an unknown assailant, so safety could hardly be ignored.

"Do you know anything about the man who tried to kill me?"

"No. We're looking into it as well, so if we find anything, we'll let you know right away."

Tae Seok-ho didn't trust her answer one bit. He just kept probing to see if he could glean anything more.

But even if he didn't trust her—and the people behind her—it wasn't like he had any other choices.

Especially considering his current situation was dire.

"All right. But if you're coming in as my subordinate, don't expect to be treated as before."

"However you like."

"... Fine."

Tae Seok-ho's words to the woman were short.

"You're more reasonable than I thought."

"I don't know what kind of person you are, so I can't help it. By the way, I should've asked this sooner, but—what's your name?"

A glint appeared in the woman's eyes.

"Reina. Reina Blackwood. Just call me Reina, if you like."