Chapter 1049: Yang Ji-Hoon (1)

As soon as I stepped out of the fourth-floor meeting room, I asked Director Kang Ji-Yung, who was walking ahead of me. "Who on earth showed up to make you that angry?"

Still fuming as she headed toward the elevator, Kang Ji-Yung answered. "You know Chief Secretary Yang Ji-Hoon, don't you? Choi Man-Sik's right-hand man!"

Thirty-three years old, Yang Ji-Hoon had been Choi Man-Sik's closest confidant, shadowing him everywhere before Choi Man-Sik—known as Myeongdong's Viper—ended up in a Japanese prison.

I had seen him around the company from time to time, but after Choi Man-Sik was forced out, he had disappeared without a trace. And now he had brazenly shown up at Hoop Entertainment.

'Could this be President Choi Man-Sik's doing?'

From what I remembered before my regression, Yang Ji-Hoon had been the kind of fanatic who would do any dirty job for Choi Man-Sik. If Choi Man-Sik was the brain, then Yang Ji-Hoon had been his hands and feet. That was why seeing Yang Ji-Hoon here today naturally made me think he was acting under Choi Man-Sik's orders from Japan.

Still, there was one thing I couldn't understand. It was Fortune of the Day from Everyday.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: June 21, 2021]

[Fortune of the Day: When everything appears to be at its most brilliant, your darkest moment will arrive. You may encounter someone who could become the greatest enemy of your life.]

I had already taken down Choi Man-Sik himself, so I couldn't see how Yang Ji-Hoon, the man who had merely served as his hands and feet, could become the greatest enemy of my life.

Unable to make sense of it, I asked Kang Ji-Yung another question. "Why did he come here?"

After pressing the button for the elevator going up, Kang Ji-Yung replied irritably, "You know Doodeurim Savings Bank, right? One of the companies that owns shares in Hoop Entertainment."

Doodeurim Savings Bank was a Japanese-owned savings bank, with President Kang Gam-Chan's friend, Mori Kenta, serving as its president.

I nodded and answered, "I do. It's the fifth-largest savings bank in the industry established by Japanese shareholders. And Mr. Kang's friend, Mr. Mori Kenta, is the president. They're also one of our major shareholders with about a 5% stake."

"Well, their president was just replaced by Yang Ji-Hoon."

'Chief Secretary Yang Ji-Hoon has become the president of Doodeurim Savings Bank?'

The unexpected news jolted me awake. "How is that even possible?"

"I've got no idea how he pulled it off. Anyway, this morning that bastard Yang Ji-Hoon showed up saying he'd taken over as president of Doodeurim. And as a major shareholder, he'd be appointing one of his own people to our board."

If Yang Ji-Hoon had become the president of a Japanese-owned savings bank, there was only one explanation that made sense.

"So Choi Man-Sik is pulling the strings from his prison in Japan."

"I think so too." Then, watching the elevator descend from the seventh floor, Kang Ji-Yung spoke again. "Still, I'm trying not to jump to conclusions. Uncle Mori isn't someone who can be pushed around easily. If he lost the president position at Doodeurim without even having the chance to fight back, then Yang Ji-Hoon isn't an ordinary man."

Kang Ji-Yung was right. Even if Choi Man-Sik was behind everything, quietly taking control of Doodeurim's president position—and with it the company holding 5% of our shares—without us noticing wouldn't have been easy.

Mori Kenta had lived in Korea for over thirty years, and with a Korean wife, he was practically half Korean himself. If Yang Ji-Hoon had managed to replace Mori without any of us realizing it, then the man himself had to be both capable and exceptionally intelligent.

'Then again, someone trusted by a demanding man like Choi Man-Sik couldn't possibly be incompetent.'

Choi Man-Sik was a tyrant who did whatever he pleased and changed his mind on a whim. Yet until the day before my regression, Yang Ji-Hoon had remained firmly at his side as one of his closest confidants. That alone proved he possessed both remarkable ability and exceptional instincts.

What was even more unsettling, though, was that he had been meticulous enough to deceive everyone including Chairman Choi Eun-Tae, Kang Gam-Chan, Kang Ji-Yung, and even me. Only then did Everyday's Fortune of the Day, warning that Yang Ji-Hoon could become the greatest enemy of my life, finally begin to make sense.

"We'll have to watch out for Yang Ji-Hoon himself."

Kang Ji-Yung snorted again. "Yeah. Be careful around that son of a bitch, because he even tried to kidnap me once."

"Kidnap you?"

"Well, technically, Choi Man-Sik ordered him to bring me in, so he tried to force me into a car. He used to be in the Special Forces, and none of the jiu-jitsu I'd learned worked on him."

Now I finally understood why Kang Ji-Yung had been so furious.

"So what did you do?" I asked.

"We were outside a bar, so I smashed a beer bottle over his head. It didn't matter if he'd been in the Special Forces. That knocked him out cold."

It was a good thing he hadn't died.

Ding.

Just then, the elevator arrived.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Ms. Kang."

We stepped inside, and in the blink of an eye, we reached the seventh floor.

Ding.

The doors slid open.

The moment I stepped out behind Kang Ji-Yung, I called out to her. "Ms. Kang, one moment."

Kang Ji-Yung stopped and turned around. "What is it?"

"You go ahead. I'm going to call Mr. Chairman of Myeongdong first, then I'll come in."

If Yang Ji-Hoon was destined to become the greatest enemy of my life, I couldn't face him without knowing more. I needed to confirm the current situation, along with everything I remembered from before my regression.

"He's been on the phone nonstop."

"I'll find a way to reach him somehow. I want to know what's going on before I head in."

"All right. Just don't take too long."

After taking a deep breath, Kang Ji-Yung marched toward the president's office with a look that suggested she was ready to crack Yang Ji-Hoon's skull open.

Bang.

Watching the door slam shut behind her, I immediately called Choi Eun-Tae.

-The person you are trying to reach is currently on another call...

The same message repeated several times. I immediately called Kang Eun-Gi instead. He answered right away.

-Hey, Yoon-Ho.

"Do you have another way to get in touch with Mr. Chairman? I've been trying to reach him, but he's been busy the whole time."

-Ah, he's right beside me talking on the phone. Hang on.

A moment later, Choi Eun-Tae's voice came through.

-Yes, it's me. I've had a lot going on, so I've been making calls everywhere. Sorry I couldn't answer yours.

"Mr. Chairman, are you familiar with Doodeurim Savings Bank? It's the Japanese-owned savings bank that invested in Hoop Entertainment."

-As a matter of fact, I've been talking to Japan because of that very issue.

"You have?"

-Yes. 70% of Future Imagination Savings Bank's funds had been invested in Japan, and every last cent of that money disappeared this morning.

After Choi Man-Sik was arrested in Japan, the acquisition of Future Imagination Savings Bank, where he had served as a director, had begun. But now, every bit of the bank's Japanese investment funds had vanished. On top of that, the Japanese executive responsible for those investments had completely disappeared.

"Was this Choi Man-Sik's doing?"

-I can't say for certain, but it's very likely. Akira was extremely close to Choi Man-Sik. We're conducting an audit right now. I'll let you know once we have more details.

"Understood. By the way, have you heard anything about Yang Ji-Hoon?"

-Yang Ji-Hoon? Why?

"He just came to the company. As the new president of Doodeurim Savings Bank."

Choi Eun-Tae let out a heavy sigh.

-Sigh... So that's how it's all connected.

"What do you mean, connected?"

-It looks like the money that disappeared from Future Imagination Savings Bank ended up at Doodeurim Savings Bank. Otherwise, there's no way Yang Ji-Hoon could've become its president.

"Then do you have any other information on Yang Ji-Hoon? I'm about to meet him, and I need everything I can get."

-Hmm... Apparently, he visited Choi Man-Sik in the Japanese prison last Friday under an alias.

Choi Eun-Tae had been obtaining visitor lists through his contacts in Japan, keeping track of everyone who met with Choi Man-Sik in prison. Yet Yang Ji-Hoon, Choi Man-Sik's right-hand man, had managed to slip through.

"I thought you could see the prison visitor list as soon as someone filed for a visit."

-I usually can. But Yang Ji-Hoon is half Japanese, so he entered under his Japanese name. That's why we didn't find out until later.

I had always thought Yang Ji-Hoon was simply Choi Man-Sik's obedient hands and feet, carrying out whatever orders he was given. But the more I heard, the more it became clear that he was far sharper and more resourceful than that. He was someone capable of standing above even Choi Man-Sik himself.

Right then, I threw away every preconceived notion I had about the Yang Ji-Hoon I remembered. And just as Everyday had warned, I accepted that a new enemy had appeared. Yang Ji-Hoon was someone who would stand in my way just as Kim Dong-Soo and Choi Man-Sik once had.

"Understood. I'll meet him first, then head over to Myeongdong."

-Good. Come over afterward, and we'll figure out our next move.

After nodding, I ended the call and headed toward the president's office to meet Yang Ji-Hoon.

***

As soon as I entered, Yang Ji-Hoon was sitting there in an expensive tailored suit with one leg crossed over the other, looking perfectly at ease as though he owned the place. He stood around 180 centimeters tall with a lean build, but appearances were deceiving. He was a former Special Forces soldier and a master of multiple martial arts.

Then my eyes fell on the man sitting beside him.

'He actually brought him along?'

Secretary Lee Tae-Woo was one of Assemblyman Choi Gi-Tae's closest aides. Choi Gi-Tae represented Gangnam District A, which included Apgujeong, where Hoop Entertainment was located.

The moment I saw him, I realized the board member Yang Ji-Hoon intended to plant in Hoop Entertainment as the director was Lee Tae-Woo.

To think he would show up on his very first visit with political backing already behind him was amusing. The move was impressive in more ways than one.

Just then, Yang Ji-Hoon noticed me and spoke in a flat voice. "It's been a while, Chief Jung."

I answered, "It has. Not since Choi Man-Sik was arrested."

The moment I mentioned Choi Man-Sik, his brow twitched ever so slightly. "...Well, now that we're here, why don't we at least say hello?"

Yang Ji-Hoon casually raised his right hand. I didn't take it.

"We're not exactly on handshaking terms, are we?"

"I came here hoping we could put the past behind us and make a fresh start."

"Forget the past? Hardly. I already know you met President Choi Man-Sik on Friday."

"You already know that much? I thought I'd been careful. That's our Chief Jung for you. Impressive. Truly impressive."

Lowering his hand, Yang Ji-Hoon applauded slowly. However, there wasn't a hint of panic or surprise on his face. If anything, he looked as though he had expected us to find out.

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan turned to me. "Chief Jung, this is President Yang Ji-Hoon. As of this morning, he's become the president of Doodeurim Savings Bank. He stopped by today to introduce himself in advance and let us know that, at the upcoming shareholders' meeting, he'll be recommending Secretary Lee Tae-Woo as a board member."

It was just as I had expected.

Then Lee Tae-Woo looked around the room and spoke. "Why's everyone so tense? Come on now, let's calm down and talk business."

With an easygoing smile, he extended his hand toward me. "I'm Lee Tae-Woo. So you're the famous Chief Jung. Seeing you in person, I'd say you've got quite the glow about you. Anyway, you and I don't have any bad blood between us, so you'll shake my hand at least, won't you?"

I ignored his outstretched hand as well. "I'm not so sure. I don't think shaking hands with someone who isn't going to become a director would accomplish much."

"Ahem... Well, that's rather embarrassing." Lee Tae-Woo let out a hearty laugh and glanced sideways at Yang Ji-Hoon.

Yang Ji-Hoon smirked before holding out his phone to me. "Chief Jung. The written agreement is on my phone. There's no reversing Lee Tae-Woo's appointment as the director, so you might as well give up."

"A written agreement?"

Kang Gam-Chan answered instead. "I gave President Mori of Doodeurim Savings Bank my word. He'd asked to recommend one board member this time, but I never imagined the bank's president would be replaced."

Kang Gam-Chan explained that Mori had helped him countless times over the years, so he promised him the right to nominate one director. Yang Ji-Hoon, however, had swallowed up Doodeurim Savings Bank—and with it, that agreement.

After astonishing me once again, Yang Ji-Hoon spoke as though everything had already been settled. "So stop making things difficult. Just work with Mr. Lee Tae-Woo here. He has extensive connections in politics and will be a tremendous asset to Hoop Entertainment."

Lee Tae-Woo also chimed in, urging me to give up. "That's right. Once I become a director at Hoop, I'll move the company from KOSDAQ to KOSPI. And with a little help from the lawmakers in our party, institutional investors like the National Pension Service will pour in. The stock price will easily hit four hundred thousand won. What do you think? I'd say that's more than earning my keep."

Moving from KOSDAQ to KOSPI would naturally create room for the stock price to rise even further. And if members of the National Assembly threw their weight behind it, major institutional investors would follow.

However, there was one enormous problem with that plan. We would have to give up a significant portion of our ownership.

I snapped and said, "Our stock price may go up, but we'd lose control of the company."

"But you'd make several times more money."

I glanced at Kang Gam-Chan and Kang Ji-Yung. Both immediately shook their heads. They had no intention of accepting. That made the answer simple. Between the shares held by the three of us, Choi Eun-Tae, LT Entertainment, and Daechon Media, we controlled just over 50%. If we stood together, the decision was ours.

"No thanks. I'm not interested."

Kang Gam-Chan nodded. "I agree."

Kang Ji-Yung nodded as well. "So do I."

Lee Tae-Woo looked stunned. He clearly hadn't expected us to reject the chance to multiply the company's stock value so easily.

"Chief Jung, what are you doing? Why would you throw away an opportunity to make that kind of money?"

I let out a derisive snort. "You don't seriously think we don't know this would only line your bosses' pockets, do you?"

Before my regression, I had seen this exact scheme before. It was what Kim Dong-Soo had done. When Top Entertainment transferred from KOSDAQ to KOSPI, he used pension funds and other institutional investors to drive up the stock price. The lawmakers who had quietly bought shares beforehand dumped them at the peak and made fortunes.

Back then, Kim Dong-Soo had eventually bought those shares back. This time, though, it would most likely be Yang Ji-Hoon. In other words, beneath the sweetness of the offer lay a deadly poison.

Perhaps realizing I had seen through him, Lee Tae-Woo raised his voice. "What kind of ridiculous nonsense are you talking about?"

"Believe it or don't. I couldn't care less. I'm not interested. And since you're never going to become one of our directors anyway, you should wake up from that dream."

Yang Ji-Hoon's opening move had been more aggressive than I had expected, but now it was my turn to attack.

Without hesitation, I went straight after Lee Tae-Woo. "Mr. Lee Tae-Woo, are you still gathering executives from Gangnam's entertainment companies at Myeongwol and collecting tribute from them?"

Before my regression, I had personally delivered money to Lee Tae-Woo under Kim Dong-Soo's orders. I gave five million won for Lee Tae-Woo, and twenty million won for Choi Gi-Tae. I still remembered handing over the cash at the Myeongwol hostess club in Gangnam.

Since Lee Tae-Woo normally dealt only with company presidents or those acting on their behalf, he visibly flinched at the realization that I knew about it. "W-Who... Who's been spreading that kind of bullshit?!"

"You think everyone who's been paying you off is going to keep their mouth shut forever? That's pretty naive."

"Grr..."

"So the moment you're appointed as the director of Hoop, I'll make sure this becomes front-page news. Do whatever you think is best."

Lee Tae-Woo hurriedly turned to Yang Ji-Hoon for help. But for the first time, the composure on Yang Ji-Hoon's face cracked. He had been convinced everything was perfectly prepared, and it clearly irritated him that I landed a clean hit.

Yang Ji-Hoon said in a cold voice, "Mr. Lee. You assured me you'd never done anything that could be used against you."

"Well..."

"And yet Chief Jung knows something even I didn't?"

"Now listen here, President Yang..."

Yang Ji-Hoon spoke in an icy voice. "That's enough. Get out. Right now."

After desperately trying to smooth things over, Lee Tae-Woo's frustration boiled over. "Hey, Yang Ji-Hoon! Have you forgotten what you promised Assemblyman Choi?"

At that moment, Yang Ji-Hoon clenched his fist, his eyes blazing with enough killing intent to split a man in half. "Listen, Lee Tae-Woo. Does it look like I'm making a suggestion?"

Only then did Lee Tae-Woo take an uneasy step backward. "...You're really going to treat me like this? Huh?"

"I'll speak to the Assemblyman myself, so stay out of it!"

"Ugh!"

With a bitter expression, Lee Tae-Woo stormed out of the president's office.

Bang!

The door slammed shut behind him. Yang Ji-Hoon took a deep breath before looking at me. For the first time, there was a trace of bewilderment on his face.

"...Phew. You're every bit as formidable as I'd heard. Still, Assemblyman Choi Gi-Tae isn't going to let this slide."

"I'm prepared for that."

"Are you really? Choi Gi-Tae is a three-term lawmaker representing Gangnam District A, where Hoop Entertainment is located. If he decides to come after you, he'll throw every dirty trick he has at you."

I almost laughed. Compared to the hell I had lived through before my regression, this was nothing.

"I don't mind. If he comes after me, I'll deal with him."

He thought for a long moment before slowly shaking his head. "No... no. There's an easier solution. Interested in hearing it? Grant me just one request, and I'll tear up that agreement. I'll even make sure I never set foot here again."

"What is it?"

A sly smile spread across Yang Ji-Hoon's face. "Before that... I'd rather discuss it with you alone."

Somehow, this felt like the real reason he had come today. I looked at Kang Gam-Chan, and he gave me a nod. Taking that as permission, I rose from my seat.

"Let's use the executive meeting room on the sixth floor."

"Sounds good."

As I led the way, I quietly muttered to myself.

'Go ahead, Yang Ji-Hoon. Say whatever you've come here to say. No matter what it is, I'll crush every last bit of it.'

If he was destined to become the greatest enemy of my life, then by the same logic, I was destined to become the greatest enemy of his.

And from this moment on, I intended to make sure he understood that by destroying every single one of his plans.