To an outsider, it might not have seemed like much, but the total purchase amount for these items exceeded 70 billion won.
Junwoo Kim found it hard to believe that every single one of them was a forgery.
“Are you serious? The experts who accompanied us said they were all authentic,” he said.
“They must be fakes that look just like the real thing.”
Faced with Jinhyuk Park’s confident tone, Junwoo had no choice but to believe him. There hadn’t been a single time so far when Jinhyuk’s words had proven wrong.
“Then… did they swap the items out from Byeoksong Art Museum?”
“I can’t tell which came first. I don’t know if they purchased forgeries thinking they were authentic, or if they purchased authentic pieces and then swapped them for fakes. But after visiting Byeoksong Art Museum today, I get the feeling the latter is more likely.”
“Why is that?”
“Because everything on display for the general public was authentic.”
“Everything on display was authentic? Then are you saying only the items in the warehouse are fakes?”
“I don’t know about the other items in the warehouse, but at the very least, our DS Telecom pieces were forgeries. And seeing how they tried to retrieve the items stored at the company as soon as I checked the products, my suspicions have only grown.”
Jinhyuk finished speaking and stared out the window of the moving car for a moment.
It appeared that Byeoksong Art Museum was operating this scheme on its own. If that were the case, the person who gave the order would be Seyoung Oh.
He grew curious about her reasons. If she was after 70 billion won, there had to be a clear reason why she needed that much money. The matriarch of DS Group wouldn’t commit such an act simply because she was greedy for cash.
“Check which pieces we have in our possession and if any happen to appear on the market through auctions—no, wait. There’s no way they would appear at an auction.”
Unless they planned to reveal that they were embezzling items from DS Telecom, the pieces would never appear in a public auction. That meant they were likely being moved through back channels.
“Look into whether transactions are being made through the back door of the art world. Keep an eye on those places to see if our pieces turn up.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Hmm… is West Air in that much trouble?”
If Seyoung Oh needed such a large sum of money, Jinhyuk could only think of West Air as the reason. However, he wondered if the situation at West Air was so dire that she had to resort to such a dangerous scheme.
“I expected some sort of solution to emerge over time, but it seems I misjudged. The situation is spiraling toward a worst-case scenario.”
“Is that so? When I visited Hannam-dong last time, I heard talk about linking West Air with hotels and duty-free shops. Did that not go through?”
“Daekwang refused.”
“As expected, Daekwang turned it down.”
Sitting there at the time and watching the situation unfold, Jinhyuk had felt that Junman Park was passing the ball to Daekwang. He sensed that Junman told Seyoung to talk to Daekwang precisely because he knew they would refuse.
“Then what about after Daekwang refused? Was the partnership with Hankook Hotel canceled as well?”
“Yes. It seems they decided that a partnership between only West Air and Hankook Hotel offered no merit, so they are now pursuing their own separate paths.”
“Separate paths? A company that just started its business and one that has been in the hotel industry for forty years are going their separate ways? That’s ridiculous.”
Jinhyuk knew that the current choice was Junman Park’s decision. He could also imagine the shock Seyoung Oh must have felt because of it.
“So? What is Daekwang doing? Have they decided to wash their hands of West Air completely?”
“Probably not. They’ve invested too much money to withdraw entirely, so it seems they haven’t been able to make a final decision to pull out. However, they say they will take some time before deciding on any additional capital injection.”
“Taking their time when a company is on the brink of collapse? It’s no wonder Director Oh is desperate.”
He now understood Seyoung Oh’s state of mind and why she had laid her hands on the artwork. But while he understood her motives, there were things one could do and things one absolutely could not do. This was strictly embezzlement on a massive scale; it was fraud. Even if they were companies within the same group, this was a multi-billion won scam against a corporation.
“For now, it’s just a suspicion, so keep a close eye on it. We’ll find out as we track them.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The people at Byeoksong Art Museum, including Seyoung Oh, likely never imagined that Jinhyuk would be able to recognize a forgery. Perhaps even the art expert hired by the Secretary’s Office was connected to Byeoksong. Considering how the art world was interconnected through personal networks, that expert might have been recruited by Seyoung Oh before Junwoo Kim could even reach out to him.
That would explain how they reached the verdict that all fifty-plus pieces were authentic. Even if Jinhyuk recognized something, Byeoksong likely thought he would only spot one or two, or at most a few fakes. They probably believed that if he pressed the issue, they could just gloss over it or claim they didn’t know how the forgeries got mixed in, allowing them to settle the matter quietly as long as it didn’t blow up.
However, Jinhyuk knew that every single piece was a fake. That meant it was now time for Jinhyuk’s side to hold the cards and observe the attitudes of Byeoksong Art Museum and Seyoung Oh.
‘I need to find out why Director Oh is overextending herself.’
Jinhyuk had discovered Director Oh’s trail in a place he never expected.
***
The executives were sweating profusely in their seats as they continued their presentations in front of Jinhyuk. At a meeting meant for reporting each department’s performance and future plans, Jinhyuk was constantly demanding new methods.
“Why is it the same every year? Is it because you can’t discover new subscribers, so the three major telecommunication companies just shuffle the same users around?”
“It’s not quite like that, but rather for the sake of stability…”
“Stability. That sounds nice. So, you’re saying that since there’s a steady profit even if you just lie back and do nothing, you want to stick with stability?”
Even at Jinhyuk’s blunt phrasing, the executives couldn’t say a word. Though his words were harsh, Jinhyuk was describing exactly what the executives were pursuing. Looking around at the silent executives, Jinhyuk spoke.
“How long has it been since we entered the telecommunications field? About twenty years? Because you’ve been making a steady profit without any major setbacks all this time, have you all become bogged down by inertia? Do you not see how the world is changing? Do you think you can just lie around in this market for a thousand or ten thousand years?”
Jinhyuk leaned back and tapped on the desk. His reputation had reached a point where he didn’t need to engage in bluster on purpose. Though it had been a short time, his accumulated track record was enough for him to look down on the executives in the room.
However, that was a separate matter. To handle these executives who had taken root and grown old in DS Telecom, a continuous threat was necessary in the beginning. It was the case last time, and Jinhyuk’s current behavior was an extension of that strategy.
“We are going to launch a new business.”
“A new business? What are you referring to?”
“Whatever it is, we’re doing it. Why are you reacting like that? Are you worried DS Telecom might enter the hotel business?”
“No, it’s not that… but there hasn’t been a single successful case of us launching a new business until now. Rather than an unreasonable expansion, wouldn’t it be better to focus on internal consolidation?”
Jinhyuk adjusted his posture. He pulled the microphone toward him and spoke.
“People say failure is the mother of success, but I don’t think so. All you can learn from failure is self-deprecation and hesitation. Only those who succeed taste the sweetness of success and continue to challenge themselves. Look. Isn’t a perfect example of what I just said right in front of you?”
The face of the person who had just spoken turned bright red at Jinhyuk’s words. He hadn’t expected Jinhyuk to fire such a blunt arrow of criticism at him in front of so many executives. However, that arrow wasn’t aimed only at him.
“It seems the executives here just want to sit comfortably until retirement, but I won’t stand for that. From now on, I plan to review new businesses with you here once a week. Regardless of your department, find a new business and bring it to this meeting. Keep in mind that if you come here with nothing, you will be heading home through that door for good.”
“President. When you say regardless of the department…”
Jinhyuk stared silently at the man who spoke. He recalled the information from the personnel file Junwoo Kim had prepared.
“Mr. Im Sun-il, Director of the Content Strategy Department. What is it that you’re dissatisfied with?”
Since he had never even spoken to Jinhyuk before, Im Sun-il didn’t expect Jinhyuk to recognize his name and title instantly. Seeing him state both at once, Im Sun-il began to stammer, unable to voice his thoughts properly.
Watching this, Jinhyuk spoke for him as if he already knew what the man was going to say.
“I am well aware that we have a very large and well-equipped R&D center, and that they bring new business ideas every month for approval. I also know that not only the Content Strategy Department, but also the New Media Strategy Department and the Commerce Department focus more on platform expansion than new businesses. So, you probably want to say that you don’t have the capacity to worry about new business, right?”
As he spoke, Jinhyuk’s eyes moved to identify the head of the New Media Strategy Department. Watching this, the executives felt a chill run down their spines.
Im Sun-il wasn’t the only one who hadn’t had a proper conversation with Jinhyuk. Out of everyone present, not a single person had personally exchanged greetings with him. Yet, Jinhyuk seemed to know exactly who all thirty people in the room were.
When Suman Park first came as the head of DS Telecom, it had taken him well over a year to memorize the names and titles of the executives. Compared to that, Jinhyuk’s performance was beyond their imagination.
It wasn’t that Suman Park had trouble memorizing names or that Jinhyuk was exceptionally good at it. Of course, since Jinhyuk had worked in sales and made it his job to burn people’s faces, names, and characteristics into his memory, he was certainly better at it than the average person. But it wasn’t that Suman Park was so deficient that he couldn’t memorize them for over a year.
It was simply that Suman Park didn’t feel the need to do so. To him, the people currently in those seats were just people holding spots until he could eventually replace them with his own people. Furthermore, whenever he spoke, people always introduced themselves first. So Suman Park didn’t bother to memorize them, waiting instead for it to happen naturally over time.
But Jinhyuk was different. Unlike Suman Park, he had no intention of firing people indiscriminately just to install his own personnel. This wasn’t a case like DS Construction, which required a reduction in force due to restructuring. He needed a valid reason to fire someone, and since his current actions were meant to create that justification, he felt it was only natural to know the names and titles of his targets.
“But if you only do what you claim is difficult, there will be no solution. We’ve had a good run for twenty years, but is there any guarantee we can keep it up for another twenty? If we just sit on our hands, we won’t be able to do anything. Do you plan to just keep reviewing businesses that come up from the bottom? Do you know why new businesses fail? It’s because the businesses suggested by young people look unprofitable to old people like you, so you cut them. And then you see a ‘good’ business with your own eyes—a business stuck in the relics of the past that young people don’t even look at—and you marvel at it, pushing it as a new growth engine. That’s why they fail. Do you understand?”
Jinhyuk’s scathing criticism didn’t stop.
“Don’t just sit in your high positions looking at reports that come up. Go find them yourselves. And then you will be evaluated. Is that understood? I’m telling you to experience and feel the trends for yourselves.”
Jinhyuk held up a finger.
“One every week. This applies to every department and every executive. Your presentations will be anonymized and evaluated by the rank-and-file employees at headquarters. Keep in mind that those who receive an inappropriate evaluation will find themselves in a disadvantageous position when it comes to contract negotiations.”
Jinhyuk had phrased it politely, but everyone in the room understood that it meant their contracts could be terminated. It meant they could be kicked out of their executive positions, which were held on a contract basis.
“Secretary Kim will explain the details, so listen carefully.”
As Jinhyuk stood up and left, Junwoo Kim stepped forward and began explaining the upcoming presentations. The executives, who had listened quietly while Jinhyuk was present, instantly turned the room into a chaotic scene, showering Junwoo Kim with questions.
Some voiced their complaints, but every time a grievance was aired, Junwoo Kim silenced the speaker with a cold stare. It was a look that told them to leave immediately if they were uncomfortable.
“It’s natural for the ministers to change when the king changes, but… what are we supposed to do about this?”
Once Junwoo Kim finished the explanation and left, one of the remaining executives spoke to the person next to him.
“I know, right? I was prepared for a few heads to roll, but… what is this? Having to do business presentations at this age.”
“You probably don’t remember the last time you did a presentation, Director, so it might be hard for you, but it’s a bit better for people like us who do them constantly. It’s just that having regular employees evaluate us… isn’t this going too far?”
“Perhaps he’s doing this to make us study the current trends?”
“If it’s about studying, he could just tell us to study. Making us do a presentation and get evaluated on top of that is just too much. Don’t you think so, Director?”
It seemed like he was trying to rally those who were dissatisfied with Jinhyuk’s attitude. However, no one in the room joined him.
“If you dislike it that much, you can just not do it. I think I need to put our heads together with my secretaries. It’s only been two years since my daughter went to study abroad. I can’t afford to get fired from the company like this.”
“My son is still in the military. He wants to come back, finish school, and even go to graduate school. I can’t afford to be fired either.”
Leaving the complaining man standing there, the executives quickly hurried toward their own offices. The man was left all alone in the middle of the vast conference room.