Chapter 41: The Way to Strip Even the Enemy’s Soul

After the basic investigation was completed, Hwang Hyejin was released.

It was true that he had caused damage to a company, but it wasn’t enough to warrant detention for investigation.

However, his appearance as he left the police station was indescribable.

It was at a level where people might ask if he had been tortured.

Those around him looked at him with worry, but to the current Hwang Hyejin, nothing registered.

I need to hurry, hurry and go.

With a more haggard look than when he was fired from Kangseong Steel, he quickly moved his feet.

The place he arrived at was a semi-basement one-room apartment.

It was the small resting place left for him after being fired from Kangseong Steel and separating from his wife at the same time.

As soon as he entered the house, he immediately flipped over the bed mattress.

His eyes, as he took out the old mobile phone hidden deep inside, held a glimmer of hope.

Please,

Please…..

With an anxious expression, he turned on the power and closed his eyes tightly, offering a prayer.

Please let there be a message.

And let that message return him to a successful life in a big corporation.

Diring.

“It… came.”

However, contrary to his wishes, there was no message on the phone.

Not a single text, not a single call.

But he didn’t give up.

Perhaps, perhaps they didn’t know the situation yet, that’s why.

He believed that if he waited a little, they would know his situation and help him.

And Kang Jisung, leaning against the door, watched him clutching the phone like a bible with amusement.

“They said you disappeared right after leaving the police station.”

“…Hup!”

“Why are you so surprised, like you’ve seen a ghost? You didn’t even close the door.”

Kang Jisung closed the wide-open door and entered the house.

The musty smell of a bachelor filled the air, but he didn’t care.

“Shall we talk for a moment? Mr. Hwang Hyejin.”

If there was greater profit to be gained, he could endure any smell.

***

We sat facing each other in the narrow one-room apartment.

There were no proper chairs, no table, no water cups.

With no choice, we brewed instant coffee in paper cups and placed one in front of each other in a standoff.

Hwang Hyejin kept glancing at me while tightly gripping his pocket.

Precisely, it was the phone in his pocket.

He must have used that to communicate.

From the shape I saw earlier, it was an old feature phone.

That meant it was highly likely a burner phone.

They must have already cleanly cut ties with Hwang Hyejin.

It couldn’t be strong evidence.

In the end, testimony was the answer.

The plan didn’t change.

All I needed was for him to say that Kangseong Foods was involved.

Just like from the beginning.

I inferred his psychological state through his movements.

I could feel intense anxiety binding his entire body.

It seemed Hwang Hyejin was gradually realizing he had been abandoned.

That made it easier for me.

“You did this because of the grudge you hold against me?”

“Yes, yes. That… I’m ashamed. Because I was fired from Kangseong Steel, I was so angry and resentful….”

“Is there not a single lie in those words?”

“Yes, that’s all….”

I tapped the instant coffee and said.

“You did it to resolve your grudge. So, do you feel a bit relieved now?”

“…Yes?”

“Section Chief Hwang Hyejin, no, former Section Chief. Because of you, our sales took a hit. Hygiene-related articles and news spread. The brand image as well.”

I took out a piece of paper from my pocket and placed it down.

This was a summary of the reports I received from the legal, branding, and accounting departments before leaving the company.

“The damage we suffered from this incident is about 1.9 billion. Considering future value, it goes up to 3.8 billion.”

“3, 3.8….”

“You worked at a big corporation like Kangseong Steel, so you know. How much companies spend to protect their brand image. For a company growing as fast as ours, isn’t this natural?”

Of course, there was some exaggeration.

But it was true that Hwang Hyejin couldn’t completely deny the amount.

“We will recover all of this through civil litigation. Ah, of course, there will be a way for you to survive.”

Our country isn’t that harsh.

“If you go through personal rehabilitation, some of it can be reduced. But still. Who would hire the current former Section Chief Hwang Hyejin?”

“Someone who came in as a short-term part-timer and caused a company’s image to plummet. They’d worry about a bomb going off if they hired you.”

“That’s!”

“Companies are always conservative. Is there a reason to take on that risk and hire the older former Section Chief Hwang Hyejin?”

How could someone without a job even qualify for personal rehabilitation?

And though I didn’t tell Hwang Hyejin, even if he entered personal rehabilitation, the repayment amount would be set quite high.

Even if he somehow got a job, he’d have to work there for 10 years, living on minimum living expenses.

If Kangseong Foods helped, it could be different, but well. They won’t help.

There was no reason to help him after his utility value was exhausted.

Companies never take losses.

So this was reality.

The harsh reality placed before Hwang Hyejin.

“Everything I’ve said so far is reality. The worst reality before former Section Chief Hwang Hyejin.”

“Why did you touch our company? Why not just live the rest of your life quietly.”

“You!”

“Ah. Let’s talk gentlemanly, gentlemanly. You should at least have that much composure, right? Look at this.”

I placed another document in front of him.

Until now, I had shown him hell.

A hell with no hope, drying up and dying.

And to him who had seen that hell, what I offered was a small hope.

His pupils trembled greatly as he quietly read the document.

Of course.

“…Tell the truth, is that what this means?”

“Yes. If you tell the truth, I’m thinking of giving you some leniency.”

“I, I don’t know what you mean. I’ve only told the truth so far….”

“Sigh.”

I don’t like going around in circles like this.

Since he wanted to talk more directly, there was no choice but to go that way.

“Kangseong Foods, they must have said they’d place you in their company, right?”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He says he doesn’t know, but it’s all over his face.

I can already picture what was offered.

“They said they’d bring you, who was fired from Kangseong Steel, to Foods, so help with a few things. Omitting that those things were somewhat illegal.”

“I said I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Former Section Chief Hwang Hyejin had no choices. Living apart from family, escaping a life where meals are just instant noodles, you had to return to Kangseong’s embrace.”

“Hey, President Kang Jisung!”

“Shut up and listen!”

Sitting face-to-face on the floor, talking softly, he thinks we’re in the same boat.

I said coldly to him, who had stiffened.

“If you think about it a little, the answer comes out. If Kangseong Foods takes you in, what will people say.”

“Protecting their own, or didn’t Kangseong Foods orchestrate it, such talk will creep out.”

“That’s….”

“Companies never make choices that cause loss. The bigger the company, the more so. Someone who worked at a big corporation knows that better.”

Reason to take on that risk and bring Hwang Hyejin?

Kangseong Foods has no reason.

Moreover, in a situation with no evidence left.

I calmly said again to him, whose mind was starting to turn.

“To Kangseong Foods, former Section Chief Hwang Hyejin is just a pawn to use once and discard. Not even a part.”

“If everything sounds ridiculous, take out that phone in your pocket and contact them right now. What to do now, can you really help, ask that.”

More strength went into his hand holding the phone.

But that phone would never vibrate.

“If they intended to help properly from the beginning, they wouldn’t have given a burner phone. One that leaves no trace.”

In fact, he vaguely knew that too.

Just, because there were no choices.

He tried hard to believe in a mirage-like hope.

“…I know. That they won’t help anyway.”

“Then you still side with Kangseong Foods?”

“Didn’t President Kang Jisung just say it? That there are no choices.”

He said through gritted teeth.

“Because of you, my life became like this, so no choices!”

“Speak correctly. Isn’t it because you were greedy?”

Blaming others, this bastard.

“And even without me, you would have ended up like that.”

“Why would I get fired. Why! I who worked hard….”

“Do you think they didn’t know you were taking rebates from subcontractors?”

“Reason to… fire….”

Would they fire for one mistake? 

You had more than enough reasons to be fired over time, and it exploded with this deal.

If operated so tightly that one mistake gets you fired, cracks form in the company.

Creating problems beyond flexibility was naturally Hwang Hyejin’s doing.

“Kangseong Foods knows all this. So they intended to use you from the beginning.”

“Too much useless talk.”

Now, whether Hwang Hyejin took rebates or ate cold rice heavily, it’s not important.

What’s important to me is screwing Kangseong Foods.

“Back to the point. My proposal to former Section Chief Hwang Hyejin is this. Blow up to the media that Kangseong Foods ordered this. Then I’ll consider and lower the lawsuit amount.”

Anyway, extracting 3 billion from this person is impossible.

Then it’s better to lower to a possible level and take what I want.

“Of course, even with this, your situation won’t improve much. You won’t get a job. So one more proposal.”

What I just said is only attaching an oxygen respirator, not making life livable.

“I’ll get you a job at Ribbon Corporation.”

We’ll take you in at our company.

There’s nothing more necessary for him than this.

“…Are you serious?”

“Spit it out.”

Anyway, to collect our debt, you need to earn money, so if so, take our money. 

Yes.

There’s nothing more infuriating than giving and taking back, but isn’t that better than nothing.

Otherwise, you’d really have to sell a kidney.

He thought for a while and opened his mouth.

“…My testimony alone won’t be useful.”

“Doesn’t matter. That one is enough.”

What I need is just a detonator.

Other small things can be prepared separately.

Hwang Hyejin gritted his teeth and said.

“I’m risking my life too. So you must absolutely protect me, President.”

“Of course. I keep promises. If needed, let’s write a contract for what we just discussed.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

I took out the contract I had prepared in advance and handed it to him.

With stamps going back and forth, the contract was concluded.

“Then I’ll contact you separately for the rest. Rest today.”

After securing what I wanted, I escaped from that moldy, bachelor-smelling place.

And immediately called Yuha.

Yes, President.

“I persuaded him.”

He’ll blow it to the media?

“Yeah, I said we’d let him work at our company.”

…President, were you serious?

I recalled Yuha’s reaction when she first heard my story.

She looked at me like I was crazy.

No, he’s someone who tried to screw our company. Will he work properly?

“He will. I’m sending him under the factory manager.”

…Huh?

“Who said anything about office work?”

Am I crazy?

Entrusting important tasks to such a guy.

“Contact the factory manager and have him clear the toughest job. A position where 24-hour surveillance is possible.”

Wow, President. 

You planned to keep him close and torment him?

“Isn’t that obvious?”

I’ll keep him under me and continue to torment.

“And if we take him in, image making is possible too.”

Seeing the pitiful circumstances of the person who criticized, a company with high tolerance that embraces him?

“Right. It’ll more than make up for what we lost this time.”

How many moves ahead do you see, President.

“Farther than you. By the way, did you prepare what I asked earlier?”

I got in the car and listened to Yuha’s report.

Yes, you can go to Kangseong Foods right now.

“Got it.”

-Since you’re going anyway, bring a big one.

“Don’t worry.”

I have a weapon to grip and swing the opponent, no way I’d lose.