Chapter 141`: White Knight (5)

Even after Park Seong-hun left, three people remained in front of the airport.

As the cold air brushed against the cheeks, Advisor Hong Jang-gun rubbed his hands and spoke.

“Now, it is the Representative’s turn. Please go home quickly and sleep.”

I laughed and waved my hand.

“What about you two? Let us go in together.”

The two answered at the same time.

“We are not going!”

My brow narrowed.

“What is this? Are you two singing in a chorus?”

Choi Seo-jun’s eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms.

“If the Representative goes to the company alone, we cannot sleep. You will eventually stay up all night working again.”

Hong Jang-gun also smiled slightly and spoke.

“Since we are at it, let us go together and I will make you a cup of coffee. I heard the food at the company cafeteria is delicious lately… I wonder what today’s side dishes are.”

I let out a sigh and shook my head.

“You people are truly unstoppable.”

Hong Jang-gun spoke slyly.

“This is all because of who we take after.”

Eventually, I burst into laughter.

“Fine. Instead, let us promise one thing. Once we go to the company, you must leave work on time. I am serious.”

“Yes, yes.”

The three people got into the waiting vehicle.

I looked out the window and smiled quietly.

I was lost in thought for a moment.

How good would it have been if there were colleagues like this in my past life.

When I arrived at the HJ Partners headquarters, it was a little past two in the afternoon.

As I entered the company building, the employees in the lobby bowed their heads toward me all at once.

“Representative, have you arrived?”

When someone greeted me in a loud voice, I smiled.

I thought it was a good thing I came to the company.

Sure enough, as soon as I appeared, the secretary hurriedly approached as if she had been waiting and spoke.

“Upon the news that the Representative was coming to work immediately, the working-level heads of each department are waiting in the conference room.”

I asked Secretary Cho Hana as I took off my coat.

“Is something the matter?”

Cho Hana immediately handed over a tablet and reported calmly.

“An emergency report came in from the overseas business team. It is a matter related to Synapse Tech in the U.S.”

They are probably anxious since it is likely soaring through the roof.

Seeing her report in a neat manner without any unnecessary details, I nodded my head.

Cho Hana belongs to the secretary's office team at HJ Partners.

She was originally a talented individual who worked in the external financial world.

Director Choi Seo-jun scouted her personally, and she began working with me.

She was young, but her work handling was flawless.

Thanks to her cold judgment and neat speech, trust in her was deep even within the company.

Furthermore, most people who saw her distinct features and beautiful appearance for the first time would often lose their souls for a moment.

I smiled briefly while looking at her.

“I understand. Let us go to the conference room immediately.”

“Yes, Representative.”

Cho Hana bowed her head once and followed behind me.

When I opened the conference room door and entered, most of the working-level staff were already in their seats.

In the tense atmosphere, everyone’s gaze headed toward one place.

They stood up from their seats and greeted me.

“Representative, have you arrived?”

“Yes, hello. Everyone, please sit. Let us start immediately.”

I sat quietly and unfolded the report Cho Hana handed over.

While I was away for a few days, the tasks to be handled had piled up like a snowball.

While the meeting was in full swing, Cho Hana whispered to me in a low voice.

“Representative, the President of HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has just arrived. He is currently waiting in the reception room.”

I spoke while looking at the clock.

“This will still take a long time to finish, so he will have to wait.”

“I will deliver that.”

Ten minutes passed, and Cho Hana reported again.

“Representative, this time, Mr. Kim Jongseok has arrived.”

I knit my brows for a moment.

“Yes, please tell him to wait for a moment.”

“I understand.”

***

Meanwhile, at the HJ Partners headquarters reception room.

In the quiet space, calm classical music flowed.

President Yu Hyeon-seok, who had arrived first, was sitting in a seat by the window.

He spent time drinking coffee occasionally.

After a while, the door opened and a familiar face entered.

A man entered while carrying a dark-colored coat on his arm.

He was Kim Jongseok, the former team leader of Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.

The gazes of the two met.

Recognizing each other in an instant, they smiled.

President Yu Hyeon-seok stood up from his seat and offered a handshake to Kim Jongseok.

“I did not know I would meet you here. You are Team Leader Kim Jongseok, correct?”

“Yes. President Yu. I also did not know I would see you like this, but it is a pleasure.”

It was the day when Kim Jongseok, who provided the starting point of that change to be reborn as HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, and the current President met for the first time.

Rather than gladness, a sense of tension flowed between the two.

Yu Hyeon-seok spoke to break the awkwardness.

“They said the Representative is still in a meeting.”

“Yes, I heard.”

After a moment of silence, Yu Hyeon-seok lowered his cup and quietly continued.

“Actually, I watched you impressively during the hearing.”

“Ah, the hearing.”

Kim Jongseok gave an awkward smile as if he were embarrassed.

However, Yu Hyeon-seok continued.

“I still remember what you said then. You said the life of a company is not money, but people.”

Kim Jongseok looked surprised for a moment and then answered with a smile.

“Do you remember that? Actually, those were words that came out without me knowing. I do not remember that time very well.”

“You must have said it because it was that sincere. Not many people speak like that these days.”

The conversation between the two naturally deepened.

Business stories and the industry status were exchanged.

However, the common theme at the end of every sentence was eventually one person.

‘Lim Hyunjun.’

The two people came to meet the same person.

The reasons were not much different either.

Cho Hana was walking in the corridor outside the reception room.

After a while, the reception room door opened softly.

Secretary Cho greeted them politely and spoke.

“I apologize for making both of you wait. The Representative has just finished the meeting. Let us go to the office upstairs together. I will guide you.”

Kim Jongseok and Yu Hyeon-seok lifted their heads at the same time.

“Together?”

Cho Hana replied with a smile.

“Yes, the Representative said he would see both of you together.”

In an instant, a question flashed across the faces of the two.

They thought they would meet separately, so seeing him in one space was an unexpected event.

However, both of them stood up from their seats without saying anything.

They followed Cho Hana and headed to the top floor by elevator.

Kim Jongseok asked President Yu Hyeon-seok slightly.

“Did President Yu also come because of J&T Marine Tech?”

Yu Hyeon-seok nodded his head briefly.

A moment later, the door to my office opened and a faint coffee scent was felt.

Beyond the large glass window, the afternoon sunlight was pouring in softly.

As expected of the top floor, the scenery visible in the distance was magnificent.

I stood up from my seat and greeted the two.

“I heard you two arrived at the same time, so I said let us meet together.”

Kim Jongseok bowed his head first.

“Thank you for making time despite being busy.”

“Not at all. It is a task that I requested. Rather, I am just grateful that you came here in person.”

President Yu Hyeon-seok also gave a greeting.

“Did the business trip go well?”

“Yes. It was my first time in India, but I did not have time, so I came back without even being able to see anything. That was the most regrettable part.”

The three people drank tea while exchanging various stories.

Then, I brought up the story first.

“I heard you have something to say regarding J&T Marine Tech. Please speak comfortably.”

Kim Jongseok took a breath for a moment and then opened his mouth carefully.

“Actually, I looked into the company called J&T Marine Tech a little.”

He took something out of his bag and held out a sheet of paper.

I listened to the explanation while examining it.

“On paper, the headquarters is registered in the Republic of Cyprus. It is a region that European companies often use.”

Yu Hyeon-seok spoke while nodding his head.

“If it is Cyprus… is it because of tax issues, perhaps?”

“That could be the case. I also asked an acquaintance who is at a Chinese shipyard. The acquaintance also said they have heard the name of that company. However, they said they have never traded directly. Instead, in the European shipping industry, there are cases where money laundering or fund concealment is done through such companies.”

President Yu Hyeon-seok’s expression became serious.

“As expected, it is so.”

Kim Jongseok shook his head and spoke cautiously.

“It cannot be said for certain. However, looking at the structure on paper or the corporate registration details, there are more than one or two strange points.”

I sat without a word for a moment.

My gaze scrutinized the document Kim Jongseok gave in detail.

“In other words, you are saying it might not even have a substance.”

Kim Jongseok answered while exhaling a small breath.

“Yes, that is correct. If you look at only the external appearance, it is decorated as a parts company, but in reality, there is also the possibility it is a paper company created by someone.”

At those words, I smiled gently.

That gaze quickly turned cold.

“Interesting. To think an insubstantial company would supply Yeongnam Marine Industry of all places.”

The air in the room froze.

Yu Hyeon-seok lifted his cup and took a sip to moisten his throat.

“Representative, if that is true, the matter could become bigger than thought.”

I nodded my head.

“We must find out who is the one hidden behind the real name.”

Yu Hyeon-seok’s expression hardened even more.

Organizing his thoughts for a moment, he spoke carefully.

“Actually, I have also checked separately since the Representative mentioned it. Centering on the records from the Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering era.”

I lifted my gaze.

Yu Hyeon-seok continued speaking.

“There was almost nothing remaining. Some were discarded because the records were old, but some seem to have been omitted during the digital transfer process as if on purpose. So I thought there were no materials worth gaining, but….”

He trailed off and took something out to present it.

“By chance, I found one interesting thing.”

Kim Jongseok and I gathered our gazes at the same time.

Yu Hyeon-seok held out the document and spoke.

“The name J&T Marine Tech was in the material stock list of several medium-sized vessels.”

Kim Jongseok narrowed his eyes as if it were strange.

“Is it this?”

“Yes, that is correct. However, what is strange is that while there is a supply history on the records, there was absolutely no sign of actual supply taking place.”

In an instant, I muttered to myself.

“No sign, you say….”

“That is correct. From the supply schedule to the inspected documents, everything remained as if it were processed normally. However, there is no record of the actual material being taken out.”

“If the material costs were processed without supply, that is not something a mere employee can do. At least someone at the executive level must be involved for it to be possible.”

Kim Jongseok continued speaking with a sigh.

“Furthermore, I have heard the name of that company, but there is no vessel actually made by applying it.”

I leaned my back against the sofa.

My face became cold.

“Eventually, it means they pretended to supply goods for someone and siphoned off the money.”

A short silence flowed.

The three people were lost in thought for a moment.

Now they all knew.

J&T Marine Tech was not a simple paper company, but a fact that it was someone’s fund channel.

I spoke in a cool voice.

“Then we only need to confirm one thing now. Where that money flowed to, and who ordered it.”