Chapter 1265. Recruited (5)

“What the...?”

After two days of obsessively poring through all the data MK could provide on its operations, Hwang Min-Su let out an involuntary gasp of shock.

His eyes quaked subtly as he stared at the computer screen.

“What? What kind of company can be so...”

So hopelessly inept?!

Hwang Min-Su roughly scratched his head. But that caused his somewhat thinning hair to come loose from his scalp and dance in the air.

“...!

Heeeiiiiik

?!”

Hwang Min-Su freaked out at the sight of all the loose hair and urgently stopped scratching his head. That was his precious hair! Something no amount of money could buy...

‘Oops. That’s not important right now, is it...!’

Hwang Min-Su sobered up and resumed clicking relentlessly on his mouse.

“Damn, this is...”

He suddenly developed a hankering for a cigarette. Unfortunately, smoking inside the office was unthinkable in this day and age.

However, maybe thanks to his prior experience, he couldn’t stop thinking about mouthing a cigarette, which was something he wouldn’t even have thought about in the past.

‘If that’s not it, maybe I’m not thinking straight right now.’

Hwang Min-Su groaned deeply.

“This is a mess. A complete mess...”

A heap of garbage? That seemed like the most suitable description he could think of right now. Such was the chaotic state of the company’s systems that Hwang Min-Su seriously wondered how the hell this company had even managed to chug along until now.

He chuckled hollowly while staring into the computer screen.

“Fine, let’s put aside the company’s structure and systems for a bit... but what the hell is this supposed to be? Accounting?”

How on earth did this company handle its finances? If tax auditors showed up today, never mind coughing up a massive fine, the company chairman would be forced to wear a new accessory—a pair of shiny handcuffs—while heading to prison!

What was even more flabbergasting was that all the tax documents had been filed and processed properly. As if nothing was amiss!

How could this happen? When the South Korean tax collectors had even surpassed Joseon-era corrupt court officials in their pursuit of squeezing companies dry for every cent they could get their hands on? Maybe they had all become... blind and dumb?

Of course, Hwang Min-Su could tell that everything was above board. Even then, anyone with even a passing knowledge in finances would be able to tell that this was all window dressing.

It looked as if the company swept

some

things under the carpet to wait out the extinctive prescription period, but...

‘But something on this scale should be impossible, unless the government lent a helping hand...’

Did that mean this company had enough power to influence the current administration, too?

A look of confusion floated up on Hwang Min-Su’s face. This couldn’t have been a simple matter. At all.

Even back when Hwang Min-Su was still in Jaegyeong, he didn’t even dream of reducing the company’s taxes by influencing the ruling party. Part of the reason was how inhumanly strict Hwang Jeong-Hu was about such things. But the real reason? The risk was not worth the trouble.

After all, the ruling party could change at any time.

Imagine building bridges with the current administration and profiting handsomely from the relationship, only for the administration to change overnight. The result of that would be catastrophic!

‘They should be aware of that, too...’

After recalling the faces of Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su, Hwang Min-Su found himself plunging even deeper into the pit of confusion. Those two seemed far too smart to do something like this without a plan.

That could mean they knew a way to dodge tax audits regardless of who was in power, but...

“...Urgh. I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all.”

The thing was, Hwang Min-Su could accept what he had read so far. Starting from scratch could explain away the messy state of this large company’s structure and systems. And the bizarre tax situation could also be explained away if the company leadership had made under-the-table deals with the current administration.

But what Hwang Min-Su could not understand was...

“...Why does this company have so much money?”

To be more precise, MK had a vast reserve of liquid assets.

When compared to Jaegyeong, MK didn’t even come close. Not only in terms of the company scale but also in the company’s worth. However, the story flipped on its head if the yardstick was the readily available cash.

Out of all the assets a corporation possessed, the amount of readily available funds was surprisingly low. That was because most of the assets were tied to the operation and survival of the corporation itself.

Of course, selling the corporation would convert all that funds into liquid assets. Otherwise, all that money was basically unavailable on command.

A simple example was the billionaire owners of various top Korean companies; their wealth easily exceeded billions, but none of them actually had billions sitting inside their bank accounts.

Most of their wealth came from the company shares. And those shares had to be protected at all costs if they wished to remain as shareholders of their own companies. Which meant the actual amount of money these billionaires-on-paper had on hand was usually less than one-tenth of their reported wealth.

This was the reason why many analysts in Korea jokingly said that companies holding the most amount of liquid assets in the country weren’t the famous electronics brand or construction companies, but the video game developers. Because consumers bought games with money, and as a result, the money directly entered the company’s coffers!

Knowing all this, Hwang Min-Su could tell MK held a shocking amount of liquid assets. This amount should be enough to make a fool out of Jaegyeong, and then some! He even began wondering if any other Korean companies held as much liquid asset as MK.

“I... I can’t figure it out.”

It seemed he had joined a truly bizarre company. MK looked plenty suspicious on the surface, but now that he had the inside info, this place was even more suspicious than he could imagine!

However, there wasn’t much he could do about that now. This ship had set sail already, after all!

‘Dammit. I’ll do it myself, then.’

Even as he inspected the data, Hwang Min-Su’s mind was busy forming a road map of how to change this company’s messy structures and systems. He had his instincts of a businessman to thank for that.

Knock, knock...

Hwang Min-Su looked away from the computer screen when someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”

The door cautiously opened, and the visitor stepped inside the office with a bright grin. “Sorry for the intrusion. I didn’t know you were busy, you see?

Kuh-euh

~! I knew it, the sight of a man who has already reached the top once working diligently is...”

“Get out of the way, will you?”

Lee Hyeon-Su was about to spout snake oil salesman-like greetings, only to get shoved aside powerlessly when Kang Jin-Ho appeared behind him and pushed him away.

Kang Jin-Ho ignored him and asked Hwang Min-Su instead. “How is it so far?”

“...Chairman, I’ll be honest. I’m dying here, sir.”

Hwang Min-Su’s expression was cramped as he replied.

“I have so many things I’d like to ask you that... I don’t even know where to start.”

“You can ask Chief Lee or Chief Lee... I mean, Chief Lee Hyeon-Su or Chief Lee Hyeon-Ju, if you have any questions. They will assist you.”

“Got it, sir. Besides that, however... Will we be okay with our tax situation? If we get caught, all hell will break loose, sir. No, this is already beyond the issue of tax...”

“It’s fine,” Kang Jin-Ho replied nonchalantly. “I’ll handle that, so you don’t have to worry.”

“

Oh

...”

“However!” Kang Jin-Ho firmly spoke. “I’d like to get our tax issues straightened out from now on. I do not want to commit tax fraud. Our hands were tied by an unavoidable situation this time. That’s all.”

Hwang Min-Su slowly nodded.

He was relieved to hear Kang Jin-Ho say that. All companies tried to pay as little as possible on taxes, but committing tax fraud was no different from shooting yourself in the foot.

One might enjoy some benefits through tax fraud, but that meant one would end up constantly looking behind their back. Eventually, all the profits earned through the fraud would no longer be worth the trouble.

This wasn’t the matter of what was right or wrong; even from a pragmatic point of view, being straight with taxes was a better choice, especially for a company of this size.

“I’m glad to hear that, sir.”

“Then, any other issues?” Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked.

“I’m now certain that we must hire more people as soon as possible. This is not something I can do alone. And having people I’m familiar with and have been in sync with will lighten my workload considerably.”

“I see. Do as you see fit, please.” Kang Jin-Ho relaxedly nodded.

“I’d like to confirm with you one more time, sir. Am I really allowed to change this company to what I think is for the best?”

“Yes, you have my permission.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s answer helped Hwang Min-Su steel his resolve.

“Understood, sir. Then, I’ll proceed. I’ll create a plan of attack and brief you on it as soon as possible.”

“Thank you,” Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Hwang Min-Su, then nodded slightly as a goodbye. “Then, we’ll speak later.”

Lee Hyeon-Su bowed his head. “Keep up the good work, Mister Hwang.”

Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su exited the office and closed the door behind them.

Lee Hyeon-Su asked, “Sir, what do you think?”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “It’s too early to tell.”

“You think so, too?”

Of course, Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t miss the hints of satisfaction on Kang Jin-Ho’s face just then.

‘Mister Hwang must’ve had a lot to ask, but chose not to say anything.’

From Hwang Min-Su’s perspective, MK must’ve looked like a joke, not an actual company. He should have plenty of complaints, and people would’ve forgiven him for whining like crazy.

However, he admirably held all those back and instead concluded this mini-debriefing session by saying he’d soon make a report on how to change and improve the company.

‘Him being the right or wrong fit for us doesn’t matter now, since that’s exactly the Assembly Master’s favored style of doing things, isn’t it?’

A person who did their best under the circumstances; that was the mindset of the martial artists Kang Jin-Ho favored and strove toward. No, not just martial artists, but human beings in general!

“We’ll get our answers if we wait for a bit.”

“I’m sure things will improve for us. Mister Hwang has been in the hot seat before, after all.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded as if he agreed with that assertion. “Then, what other problems did you notice?”

“In my opinion, we’ll have to stay on top of MK for the time being. Obviously, we need to observe how Mister... Oops, I mean, President Hwang Min-Su is doing. And he and Chief Lee Hyeon-Ju aren’t still used to each other’s paces yet, too. I’m sure we’ll get our answers once President Hwang submits his report, sir.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

“I think... the things on this side will be fine, sir. On the other hand...”

Lee Hyeon-Su stopped walking toward the chairman’s office. Naturally, Kang Jin-Ho also stopped and glanced at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“...Sir, do you mind if we head to the rooftop for a bit?”

“Rooftop?”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. He wasn’t sure why the sudden trip to the roof was necessary, but Lee Hyeon-Su wasn’t the type to needlessly waste their time. There must be a good reason for it.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t say anything else and headed to the stairwell. The two men silently walked up the stairs and reached the rooftop access.

When he opened the door, icy winds slammed into Kang Jin-Ho. While sensing his clothes whipping about, he headed to the edge of the building.

Click, click...

He tried to light up his cigarette, but the lighter wasn’t strong enough to withstand the stiff winds. Kang Jin-Ho eventually used his fingertips to squeeze the cigarette tip and light it up, then glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su.

“Let’s talk while we smoke. Go ahead.”

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly shook his head. “I’m fine, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. What was the topic of their discussion that Lee Hyeon-Su thought this sort of atmosphere was necessary?

“What’s going on?”

“Sir...” Lee Hyeon-Su sucked in a deep breath, then spoke in a slightly shaky voice. “Do you remember that thing we talked about earlier?”

“That thing we talked about?”

“Yes. The one about investigating the Assembly members.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded after remembering.

“Results are coming in, sir, although not all. Most of the reports have been compiled, and...”

“And? And what?”

When Lee Hyeon-Su faltered again, Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but urge him on. Lee Hyeon-Su hesitating like this could only mean the results were not good.

If Kang Jin-Ho was being honest, he didn’t want to hear this. But it was his duty as the Assembly Master to know.

“We’ve discovered several problematic members, sir. Most of the problems are trivial, but a few have crossed the line.”

“...What kind of line? Embezzlement?”

“No, sir. It’s...” Lee Hyeon-Su faltered again, but resumed his report soon enough. “These people are involved in major criminal activities, sir. Major enough to create serious ramifications...”

“Lee Hyeon-Su.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Stop beating around the bush and out with it. What did they do?”

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply, then looked straight into Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes. “Sir. Some of our members are involved in the distribution of drugs. We’re currently trying to figure out how bad the situation is first. But it’s...”

“Did you say drugs?”

“...Yes, sir.”

“They are selling drugs locally?”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes grew cold, withdrawn.

“Investigate them. Thoroughly.”

“Understood, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su felt a chill run down his spine after realizing that Kang Jin-Ho’s voice had gotten icy. He hadn’t seen Kang Jin-Ho make a face like that in a long while.

“Do not miss a single one of them.”

“Understood, sir!”

Kang Jin-Ho stubbed the cigarette out and headed to the rooftop access. Lee Hyeon-Su remained on the spot and stared at his boss’s back, a deep sigh of lament leaving his lips.

For some reason, he thought he could smell the stench of blood in the air.