The room smelled of old money—a mixture of beeswax polish, orchids, and silence.
Kang Min-jun sat in a velvet armchair, looking out at Namsan Tower. He checked his watch. She was ten minutes late. A calculated power move.
He wasn't nervous. He had analyzed Jin Seo-yoon (32) for weeks. Executive Director of Daegwang Hotels. Wharton MBA. Fluent in three languages. And completely sidelined by the "Confucian Primogeniture" rule that dictated the eldest son—the incompetent Hyuk-jae—must inherit the empire.
The double doors opened. A woman walked in. She didn't walk like a celebrity; she walked like a soldier in silk. Her suit was sharp, monochrome, and terrifyingly tailored. She sat opposite him without offering a handshake.
"Kang Min-jun," she said, reading from a tablet. "SNU Student. Co-founder of Mirue Partners. The one who funded Toss. And the one who orchestrated the 'Adverse Selection' attack on my brother's logistics division."
She looked up. Her eyes were like ice. "You have some nerve asking for a meeting with me. Usually, when people attack my family, I sue them into poverty."
"I didn't attack your family, Director Jin," Min-jun said calmly. "I attacked a tumor attached to your family. I assumed you would want it removed."
Seo-yoon paused. A flicker of interest. "You said in your email you wanted to discuss the acquisition of Hermes Logistics. I assume that was a lie to get through the door?"
"It was a hook," Min-jun admitted. "I'm not selling Hermes. Not to Daegwang."
"Then why are you here?"
"To sell you a different asset."
Min-jun placed a thin file on the table. It wasn't the Hermes pitch deck. It was the stolen data from his internship at Daegwang Securities, combined with the forensic accounting of Daegwang Retail's Q2 collapse.
"Jin Hyuk-jae is insolvent," Min-jun stated.
Seo-yoon didn't blink. "Excuse me?"
"His personal leverage ratio is over 200%. He borrowed 50 billion won against his Daegwang Retail shares to fund the DG Pay server farm. When the Retail stock crashed in May—thanks to my data leak, by the way—he faced a margin call."
Min-jun leaned forward.
"He didn't pay it with cash. He paid it by pledging his unvested shares in Daegwang Construction. He is doubling down. If Daegwang Construction misses its earnings target in Q3, he loses everything. His stake. His legitimacy. His claim to the throne."
Seo-yoon picked up the file. She scanned the numbers. She knew her brother was reckless, but she didn't know he was this leveraged.
"Why tell me this?" she asked. "If this leaks, our stock price crashes. My net worth crashes too."
"Short-term pain for long-term gain," Min-jun said. "The Chairman is old. He is looking to finalize the succession plan by the end of the year. If Hyuk-jae hides this debt until then, he becomes Chairman. And he will drive the Group into the ground within five years."
Min-jun pointed at the file.
"This is the smoking gun. If you present this to the Board of Directors before the succession vote... Hyuk-jae is finished. The Chairman will have no choice but to look for a 'competent' alternative."
Seo-yoon looked at Min-jun. She saw the ambition burning in his eyes. It mirrored her own.
"You want me to kill my brother," she stated flatly.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"I want you to save the company," Min-jun corrected. "And in return, I want protection."
"Protection from whom?"
"From the fallout. When Hyuk-jae falls, he will lash out. He will try to burn Toss. He will try to burn Hermes. I need a shield inside the Group to ensure my companies are... left alone."
Seo-yoon closed the file. She tapped her manicured finger on the leather cover. "You are a dangerous little operator, aren't you?"
"I'm a pragmatic one."
"Fine," Seo-yoon stood up. She took the file. "I'll verify this data. If it's true... we can talk about an alliance. But Min-jun, know this."
She leaned over him, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If you are playing me... if this is some double-cross orchestrated by Hyuk-jae... I won't sue you. I will bury you."
"Verify it," Min-jun said, not breaking eye contact. "Check the collateral registry at K-Bank. The pledge is there."
Seo-yoon walked out. Min-jun exhaled. His shirt was soaked with sweat. He had just handed the knife to Brutus. Now he just had to wait for the Ides of March.
September 15, 2015. Mapo-gu Apartment.
The autumn wind was cooling the city. Min-jun sat in front of his monitors.
Hanmi Science (008930): 145,000 KRW. It was a monster. The stock had gone up 10x from his entry. His position value: ~5 Billion KRW.
His finger hovered over the sell button. Greed, he reminded himself. Greed kills. But the Sanofi deal hadn't announced yet. The climax was still coming.
"Hold," he whispered. "November."
His phone rang. It was Hong Ye-eun.
"Min-jun! Did you see the news?"
"What news?"
"Daegwang Construction. They just announced a surprise audit. The CFO was fired this morning."
Min-jun smiled. Seo-yoon moved fast. She hadn't waited for the Board meeting. She had triggered an internal audit through the Audit Committee (which she likely influenced).
"And Hyuk-jae?"
"Rumor is he's been summoned to the Chairman's private residence in Hannam-dong. It's bad, Min-jun. Stocks are wobbling."
"Good. Let them wobble."
"Also," Ye-eun hesitated. "My father wants to meet you."
Min-jun paused. Hong Sung-il. The Owner of Hanseong Ilbo. The Media King. Up until now, Min-jun had been a ghost partner to Ye-eun. A useful shadow. If the King wanted to meet him, it meant he was no longer a shadow. He was a player.
"When?"
"Tomorrow. Dinner. At our house."
"A house invitation?" Min-jun raised an eyebrow. "That's intimate."
"He knows about the Mirue Partners returns. He knows about Toss. He knows about the Duty-Free tip. He thinks... he thinks you might be a useful son-in-law candidate."
Min-jun choked on his water. "What?"
"Don't get excited," Ye-eun laughed dryly. "He thinks that about any man with a pulse and a billion won. Just... wear a nice suit. And don't mention that you live in Mapo."
September 16, 2015. Pyeongchang-dong. The Hong Residence.
The house looked like a fortress. High walls, security cameras, and a garden that required a team of gardeners. Min-jun walked into the dining room. It was vast, lit by a chandelier that probably cost more than his entire childhood education.
Hong Sung-il sat at the head of the table. He was a small man with glasses, looking more like a university professor than a media tycoon. But his eyes were sharp and assessing.
"So," Sung-il said, cutting his steak. "You are the 'Shadow'."
"I prefer 'Strategist', sir," Min-jun said politely.
"Ye-eun tells me you predicted the AhnLab crash. And the Duty-Free scandal. And the Retail collapse. You seem to have a crystal ball."
"I have data, sir. And I understand human incentives."
"Incentives," Sung-il chewed thoughtfully. "Tell me, young man. What is my incentive to let you keep playing with my daughter's inheritance?"
"Because I'm doubling it," Min-jun said. "Mirue Partners is up 400% IRR. Toss is valued at 60 billion. Hermes is breaking even. I am making your daughter richer than you are."
Sung-il stopped chewing. The table went silent. Ye-eun looked at Min-jun with wide eyes, silently screaming 'Shut up!'
Then, Sung-il laughed. "Bold. I like bold. Hyuk-jae is bold too, but he's stupid. You... you seem dangerous."
Sung-il wiped his mouth. "I have a tip for you. Since you gave me the Duty-Free scoop."
Min-jun leaned in.
"The government," Sung-il lowered his voice. "They are planning a crackdown on 'Crypto-Currency'. The Justice Minister thinks it's gambling. They might ban exchanges by the end of the year."
Min-jun froze. He knew this. The 2017 ban scare happened later. But in 2015? There were rumblings? No. The timeline was shifting. Or maybe Sung-il was testing him.
"Regulation is inevitable," Min-jun said carefully. "But banning it is impossible. It's P2P code. You can't ban math."
"You can ban the on-ramps," Sung-il said. "Just be careful. I hear you hold... digital assets."
Min-jun's eyes narrowed. He ran a background check. He knows about the Bitcoin.
"Thank you for the advice, sir."
"One more thing," Sung-il signaled the waiter to pour wine. "Hyuk-jae is wounded. But a wounded animal bites. He knows you met his sister. He has surveillance at the Hotel."
Min-jun griped his fork. Hyuk-jae knew. The war was no longer a cold war. It was about to go kinetic.
[TRANSACTION LOG]
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Date: Sept 2015
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Action: Intelligence Trading (Jin Seo-yoon).
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Cost: Handing over the "Black Ledger" of Daegwang.
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Gain: Alliance with the Daegwang Princess.
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Risk: Exposure to Chairman Hong and Jin Hyuk-jae.