After talking with him, I understood.
Yun Changseop.
This old man is simply someone in love with Seonghwa.
In other words, for Seonghwa’s profit, he would do anything.
He was crazy enough to resolve to kill every single member of the Owner Family without hesitation for that purpose, and now he was even trying to use his own life for Seonghwa.
But after blowing things up to this scale, isn’t that kind of ending just a bit too high-sounding?
“So just come back to work.”
A brief silence.
At my words, Yun Changseop’s eyebrow twitched.
“Once this poisoning incident is wrapped up, it’s certain that a large number of the company’s core personnel will be gone.”
Even excluding Yun Changseop, once Jeong Mincheol and the remaining internal factions are cleaned out, the vacuum will be enormous.
And right now, Seonghwa is in a situation where even a single person is desperately needed.
So that vacancy.
“You made it yourself, so you should be the one to restore things yourself.”
Having realized the true meaning of my words, Yun Changseop let out a hollow laugh.
As if he were someone who needed to confirm one fact above all else, regardless of all reasons, he asked me.
“I am a murderer who killed every member of the Owner Family except the Chairman. I even tried to kill you. You’d reinstate someone like that and entrust them with work again? What if I stab you in the back someday?”
“That part I can handle on my own, so don’t worry about it.”
“?”
I guess I have my intuition, after all.
“Besides, someone who was acknowledging me more enthusiastically than anyone else just a moment ago doesn’t seem like the type to do something that extreme again. And since the crime of murder was committed against the Owner Family, you naturally have to repay Seonghwa.”
Setting aside the matter of keeping a murderer by my side, I had actually already achieved my original purpose.
The only reason I sat in the chairman’s seat of Seonghwa Group without a word of complaint was to crush the bastards who created this mess.
And today, having thoroughly beaten Jeong Mincheol(?), I suppose you could say I feel a bit relieved…
Even the mastermind behind all of this turned out to be just a madman who cared more about the company than himself.
Would physical pain even mean anything to someone like that?
Besides, my sitting in the chairman’s seat right now was merely symbolic, but it was also true that I needed to stay in this seat until the company stabilized.
With my face already stamped into the public’s memory through the live streaming, would I just step down from the chairman’s seat right away?
‘That would inevitably come across as a kind of deception.’
In that sense, until the company stabilizes, I plan to put Yun Changseop to work and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Well… I can think about how to handle Yun Changseop later. There’s no rush.
“For now, I’m a bit uneasy too, so let’s draft a contract. I’m the master, and you’re obviously the servant, right? And the premise is that the servant obeys the master’s orders unconditionally.”
“…I don’t see any reason for me to follow the Chairman’s words.”
“If you get handed over to the police like this, the death sentence is practically guaranteed… Are you really okay with that? I bet you’re quite curious about how Seonghwa will change from here, aren’t you?”
Yun Changseop couldn’t immediately refute my words.
When it comes to anything related to Seonghwa, the man becomes truly transparent.
I drove the final nail in.
“If you don’t like it, I could just attribute all this merit to someone other than me. Then naturally, the outcome you want won’t come to pass.”
“……”
“I don’t want to be played by your schemes any longer.”
A brief silence fell over the office, and Yun Changseop quietly stared at me.
Like a man who had encountered a move he never expected.
And then.
“Hah, you’re even more audacious than Chairman Kang Seongcheol. Keeping even a murderer by your side for the company’s benefit…”
Yun Changseop let out a hollow laugh.
If you only heard that, you’d think I was someone extremely cold-hearted who calculated usefulness first.
“…Fine.”
A short but definitive answer came back from Yun Changseop.
And as if showing proper respect, he slowly bowed his back.
“I will follow the Chairman’s will. I too am curious to see how Seonghwa will change from here.”
“Then let’s start by quickly wrapping up this case. We’ll put Jeong Mincheol forward as the mastermind in your place.”
“Director Jeong will strongly resist that approach. He’ll probably keep insisting to me that I’m the mastermind behind all of this.”
“If the condition is roughly that he avoids the death penalty, wouldn’t Director Jeong also go along with it?”
Something tells me Jeong Mincheol would rather spend the rest of his life comfortably in prison than die.
Could he even refuse in the first place?
I took out my phone and called Department Head Kim.
Department Head Kim picked up immediately, and I could hear his heavy breathing through the receiver.
“Department Head Kim? You’re sure Director Jeong is still alive?”
-Yes.
“Can he speak right now?”
-I’ll make it so if he can’t.
Uh… that’s a great mindset, but am I the only one getting chills?
“I’ll send you a text message, so let me know if Director Jeong agrees to its contents. If he agrees, he gets to come down from Cheongunsan in one piece. You’ve had enough of your anger vented by now too, right, Department Head Kim?”
-Yes, for me, just being given this opportunity is gratitude enough.
I ended the call and looked back at Yun Changseop.
“Director Jeong should be settled along the lines I said. The internal members who sided with you are being actively rounded up by the Security unit right now, so submit the evidence and make the announcement by tomorrow. You’re good at that sort of thing, aren’t you?”
“……”
“Oh, and when you meet Department Head Kim, you must apologize first, no matter what. If I were Department Head Kim, I would’ve thrown a punch at you the moment I saw you.”
…I’ll keep that in mind.
He said he understood, but the answer didn’t sound very convincing.
Ha… will you look at this old man?
Still not pulling himself together?
“Is there something else you’d like to say?”
…No.
“Then instead of wasting time here, get out there and get to work. I’m starting to doubt that whole ‘I’ll do anything for Seonghwa’ thing. Oh, and Secretary Choi will bring the Contract of Master and Servant to you today, so make sure you sign it.”
With that, I kicked Yun Changseop out of the office immediately.
Regardless of anything else, Yun Changseop is returning to Seonghwa as a sinner.
In that sense.
‘I’ll work you like a dog.’
***
The poisoning incident against the Owner Family that took place at Seonghwa Group.
That massive incident began to be resolved with surprising speed and secrecy.
On the afternoon of the second day after the incident.
At Seonghwa Group’s headquarters, an urgent atmosphere began to set in much earlier than usual.
Rumors started spreading that the Future Strategy Planning Office was being raided and that the company’s core figures were being arrested under the Security unit’s control.
“They say they’re being taken away on the Chairman’s orders…”
“Wait, so the real culprit was actually inside? And she found them this quickly?”
And then.
[Seonghwa Group to Announce Official Position]
[Press Conference to Be Held Tomorrow at 10 AM]
The moment that news broke, not just Seonghwa Group, but the entire Korean Empire began to stir.
Amid that chaotic atmosphere, at 10 AM the next day.
As dozens of camera flashes erupted, an elderly gentleman slowly stepped onto the podium.
Yun Changseop, reinstated as Chief Secretary.
His suit was impeccably pressed as always, but for some reason, his face was steeped in exhaustion.
Like a man who hadn’t slept properly and had overworked himself.
“Good morning.”
With professional poise, he masked that fatigue as much as possible and spoke in the calmest voice he could manage.
“This gathering has been arranged to announce Seonghwa Group’s official position regarding the poisoning incident against the Owner Family. First, we wish to inform you that Seonghwa Group has secured the key conspirators involved in this incident through an internal investigation.”
Naturally, the moment those words ended, the press conference began to buzz.
After all, the timing was far too fast.
In just three days, they had identified and even secured the culprits behind this poisoning case?
“We have confirmed that under the instigation of Director Jeong Mincheol of the Future Strategy Planning Office, internal colluding forces were deeply involved in this incident. In cooperation with the police, we have already secured the evidence, and based on that evidence, all of them have been arrested.”
Photographs containing a mountain of evidence appeared on the large screen behind Yun Changseop, and the moment those conclusive images showed, the atmosphere among the reporters flipped in an instant.
Someone urgently typed on their laptop, while someone else hastily tried to contact their superiors.
The poisoning of every member of the Owner Family.
And it was an inside job.
Not only that, they had secured evidence and made arrests this quickly?
This was a mega-story that had to be brought to public attention as fast as possible.
That was why the reporters’ hands shot up all at once.
“What was the motive?!”
“How large is the scope of the internal collusion?”
“Where is Chairman Kang Geon right now?!”
Amid the barrage of questions, Yun Changseop maintained his composure without the slightest falter.
He lightly raised his hand to calm the reporters.
“Before answering your questions, I would like to clarify one fact first. In this incident, Chairman Kang Geon was the first to raise the possibility of an inside job.”
Yun Changseop continued speaking calmly.
“It was his judgment that this crime would have been impossible unless committed by someone who knew Seonghwa Group’s internal affairs far too well. Afterwards, the Chairman personally ordered a special investigation, and in the process of rapidly reviewing relevant departments’ records, movement logs, and data access histories, suspicious circumstances surrounding Director Jeong Mincheol and several others were confirmed.”
As a result, they were able to secure the evidence quickly…
Simply put, the person who contributed the most to solving this case was the young Chairman.
Because of that, Kang Geon’s public approval was bound to skyrocket, and Seonghwa, having gained a new master, was also set to embrace a new beginning.
Of course.
“Kang Geon…”
The Emperor’s Men.
The protagonist of a drama with that title, ‘Lee Serin,’ read the articles related to Kang Geon with a dubious expression.
The poisoning of the Owner Family.
And in the midst of that situation, an illegitimate child who appeared out of nowhere.
But the moment that boy took the chairman’s seat, he instantly brought the company under control and even caught the culprit?
There were far too many suspicious points.
But whether all of this was designed or not, it was clear that he was no ordinary presence.
That was why Lee Serin couldn’t help but pose a question to the special girl by her side.
“What do you think? Do you think this person, this Kang Geon, will be useful to my plans?”
For some reason, the girl answered with a faint smile.
“That person will probably want to keep as much distance from you as possible.”
“Why?”
“Hmm… because he absolutely hates troublesome things?”