UAI Chapter 22

Episode 22

Saturday afternoon, at the Jinsung Group's Business Support Office.

Since it was a weekend, aside from a few employees on emergency duty, the office was quiet. In a private room deeper within the department, Seongjun was receiving a report from his secretary.

He had previously ordered surveillance on Director Hwang, who had recently been flagged as suspicious by his newly discovered nephew, Sejin. Now, the results of that surveillance had finally come in.

A cold smile formed on Seongjun’s face as he listened to the report. Watching him, the secretary swallowed nervously and stood by in tense silence.

After a brief silence, Seongjun finally spoke.

“I’m the only one who knows about this for now, right?”

“Yes. This was investigated without the chairman’s knowledge and reported directly to you, sir.”

“Hmm. Looks like Director Hwang has been doing something rather interesting. And no one noticed until now...”

“That’s correct.”

“How is that possible? Was he just that good at hiding it? Or are there more cockroaches helping him? What do you think?”

“I believe there are others in the company who were involved. We focused only on Director Hwang due to the short investigation period, but if we look further, we’ll find more links.”

Seongjun shared the same thought.

In any company, no matter how chaotically things are handled, actions are eventually reported up the chain and require approval. And in a major conglomerate like Jinsung Group, every project is subjected to layers of scrutiny and reviews.

So the idea that one person could manipulate things without being caught in the middle stages? Highly unlikely.

It seemed more likely that a number of 'parasites' in the company were feeding off of whatever kickbacks Director Hwang had to offer.

While those parasites could be dealt with later, Seongjun decided that the ringleader—Director Hwang—needed to be handled immediately.

“We’ll have a quiet chat with Director Hwang this evening. Have the guys bring him in. Use the usual place.”

“Understood, sir.”

As the secretary bowed and left, Seongjun turned his chair toward the window.

His father had always wanted to distance himself from their roots in the shady world of loan sharking, aiming instead to operate within the legitimate realm. That was why he had established Jinsung Group in the first place.

But Seongjun had a different perspective.

While he acknowledged the value of doing clean business, he never forgot where they came from.

In this world, people bow to money. But if you have both money and power, they won’t just bow—they’ll kneel.

Political power is one kind of strength, but the power of the shadows—the underground—is also undeniable.

Seongjun had realized that early on. So instead of jumping straight into the corporate world, he first immersed himself in the family’s loan shark business, which his father had left in the hands of a close confidant.

Once Seongjun had taken full control of that underground domain, he then transitioned into the company's operations.

Currently, the loan business was being overseen by Choi Jinhae, the chairman’s right-hand man. Though people often mistook him and Chairman Choi as blood brothers due to their similar names, they were not biological siblings—just sworn brothers.

Choi was the only person the chairman truly trusted, and to Seongjun, he had been like an uncle since childhood. But when it came to business, he was cold and merciless.

Under such a mentor, Seongjun had learned the trade from the very bottom during his youth. And in that rough world, he had earned his place as the legitimate heir.

Many who didn’t truly know Seongjun saw him as someone easygoing—always smiling and making lighthearted jokes. But those who knew the real him feared him deeply.

His secretary, who had worked by his side for a long time and carried out his orders outside the office, was one of those who knew Seongjun’s true nature. It had been a while since he’d seen Seongjun this enraged, and he silently shook his head, thinking of Director Hwang, the cause of it all.

By the end of today, Director Hwang might come to understand that dying would have been easier.

A few hours later, in the late afternoon…

Knock knock.

The secretary knocked and entered Seongjun’s office.

“Sir, Director Hwang is ready and waiting.”

Hearing that, Seongjun looked up from his work.

“Is that so? Get the car ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

After signing off on the last document, Seongjun stood up and put on the jacket that was hanging nearby.

He left the office and got into a car driven by his secretary. After about an hour of driving, they entered a remote country road—private land, far from any residential area.

The entire area was fenced with barbed wire. When they reached the entrance, large guards recognized Seongjun, greeted him, and opened the gate.

Driving a little farther in, they arrived at a property with a private villa-like house and several buildings that appeared to be used as storage.

As the secretary opened the car door, Seongjun stepped out.

His subordinates approached to greet him.

“Boss! You’ve arrived!!”

Seongjun nodded and returned the greeting.

“Where is he?”

“He’s locked up in that storage building.”

At the subordinate’s words, Seongjun began walking in that direction.

The secretary and others followed behind. When they arrived at the warehouse, the guard stationed at the door bowed and opened it.

Inside the empty building, deep in the back, Director Hwang was tied to a chair with rope.

Seeing him like that, Seongjun gave a short, scoffing laugh and greeted him loudly.

“Well, well. Director Hwang! We just saw each other at my father’s hospital room not too long ago. If we keep meeting like this, I’m going to get attached. Hah!”

When he saw Seongjun enter, Director Hwang began shouting.

“Manager Choi!! Why the hell have you locked me up here?! I’ve devoted decades of my life to this company! What exactly have I done wrong to deserve this?!”

Seongjun’s grin faded from his face.

Seeing that face change, Hwang flinched.

“Ha… ‘What did you do wrong?’ That’s your question? You think I’m someone you can just mess with because I’ve been polite to you? Huh?”

Despite trembling, Director Hwang opened his mouth.

“No, that’s not it. Seriously—what is going on? Does the chairman know about this? I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding this is, but I swear I’ve done nothing wrong!”

Deep down, Hwang knew he was guilty of many things. But admitting to any of it here would likely mean he wouldn’t leave this place alive.

So he had to pretend as much as possible—play innocent, act wronged.

Seongjun looked directly at Hwang and finally spoke.

“Yangpyeong land. And the investment company.”

Hearing those words, Director Hwang’s eyes widened in shock.

But he quickly tried to compose himself and replied.

“What are you talking about? That was already reported to the chairman and is no longer under my control!”

“Come on, Director Hwang. You were dragged here, and I just mentioned those things—you must’ve realized by now that I know everything. Are you really going to keep pretending?”

“I… I really don’t know what you’re talking about! What is this nonsense?!”

Still feigning ignorance, Director Hwang's resistance prompted Seongjun to reach out his hand toward his secretary.

The secretary handed over some documents, which Seongjun began flipping through.

“You’ve been skimming off the top for a while now, haven’t you? Ten years ago, your son suddenly went abroad for school. Eight years ago, your wife purchased a shopping complex. Then later, your daughter bought an apartment. And what do you know? One by one, your relatives started buying land and buildings—suddenly everyone's rich. What is this, a family of investment prodigies?”

“That was…! I just managed to save some money! And, yeah, maybe the investments and stocks turned out well, so everyone gained some wealth. Why are you attacking me over that?!”

Director Hwang still refused to admit it, becoming more frantic.

“Do you seriously think I don’t have proof? You think I don’t know where your son’s tuition money came from ten years ago? Or how your wife and all your relatives suddenly made all that money? You think I wouldn’t figure that out? If you believe that, then I’m honestly disappointed in you.”

Seongjun said coldly, Director Hwang began trembling.

How did it come to this?

Just hours ago, he had been eating at an expensive restaurant, playing golf with important business contacts, then drinking at a bar surrounded by young, beautiful women. On his way to a hotel afterward, a group of large men suddenly appeared and dragged him here.

The situation felt unreal.

What had he done that was so wrong?

Sure, maybe he got a little greedy.

But didn’t everyone indulge a bit here and there?

And besides, with so many rich people in the world, what was wrong with discreetly claiming a little for himself—as long as no one noticed?

Those thoughts steeled Hwang’s resolve, and he raised his head sharply to challenge Seongjun.

“What’s so wrong with that?! Making money is a crime now? Huh?!”

Seongjun just shook his head and turned to his men.

“I’m going to step out for a breath of fresh air. Make sure he’s cooperative when I get back. What’s with you guys lately? Have I been too soft?”

“We’re sorry, boss!! We’ll take care of it right!!”

Startled, the subordinates bowed so deeply their heads nearly touched the floor.

Seongjun didn’t say anything else and quietly left the warehouse.

As Seongjun and his secretary exited, the warehouse door shut—and moments later, a scream echoed out, then abruptly stopped.

“I’m hungry. Is there any food inside the villa?”

“Yes! It’s all prepared!”

The guard at the door answered immediately.

“Good. Let’s eat.”

Seongjun entered the villa with his secretary. Inside, a staff member greeted them and quickly set the table.

After a full meal and a cup of tea, Seongjun turned to his secretary.

“Go check if everything’s been handled.”

“Yes.”

After checking by phone, the secretary confirmed.

“It’s done. You can go back in now.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

At the secretary’s reply, Seongjun left the villa and headed back to the warehouse.

When the door opened, he found Director Hwang collapsed on the floor.

His clothes were torn to shreds, his face swollen beyond recognition, and his entire body was bloodied—he was unrecognizable from just a few hours earlier.

Seongjun, pleased by the sight, motioned for a subordinate to bring him a chair and sat down.

“Alright, let’s have a proper conversation this time. I hope your answers are more interesting than earlier…”

At those words, Director Hwang opened his battered eyes and trembled violently.

“I… I was wrong! I mean—I’m sorry! Please, just spare my life! Please!”

Seongjun chuckled.

“Amazing how people never understand unless they’re beaten within an inch of their lives. Alright, listen closely now, Director Hwang. I’ve already collected every piece of evidence about you and your family. You’ve been living the good life selling off company secrets and stabbing us in the back. Now it’s time to pay it all back—with interest.”

“You know what our company’s roots are, right? Our people are very good at collecting. They’ll visit every last one of your family members and get back what’s owed. So don’t even think about anyone running. Oh, and of course, there’s the matter of punishment.”

“Everyone involved is going to be reported and prosecuted. Seems like there are a lot of rats in this company. Thanks to you, I finally saw how many pests we really have. So now it’s time to fumigate—and wipe them all out at once.”

“That doesn’t mean your punishment will be any lighter. You can rat on the others if you want, or don’t—it doesn’t matter. I’ve already got people investigating, and soon enough, they’ll all be caught.”

Hearing that, Director Hwang realized there was no escape. Tears began to stream down his face uncontrollably.

Seongjun stood up from the chair and turned to leave.

Just before exiting the warehouse, he gave one final order.

“Ah… Leave him here a while longer. Go over everything again—make sure we didn’t miss anything during the investigation. And find out where he hid the slush fund.”

“Yes, boss!!”

“Can you wrap it up by tonight?”

“Absolutely! Don’t worry!”

His men shouted in response with conviction.

After stepping outside, Seongjun paused and looked up at the pitch-black sky. Then, he walked toward the car.

His secretary rushed ahead to open the door.

Seongjun got in the back seat, closed his eyes, and said tiredly.

“Let’s head home for now. I’ll report to Father tomorrow after reviewing everything we learn tonight. After dropping me off, you can go ahead and leave.”

“Yes, understood. What time shall I pick you up tomorrow?”

“No need. I’ll drive myself. Just organize everything and send me the summary.”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretary replied and drove the car out of the villa grounds.

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