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CH49 | Heir
🕑 Added 2025-03-25 03:33:43 +0000 UTCThe executive meeting ended.
President Park Jin-hoon returned to Taewoo Electronics.
Up until now, he had been holding back his rage.
But the moment the Vice President stepped into his office, he exploded.
"Immediately conduct a thorough investigation into INO-PHONE and find every possible flaw!"
"U-Understood, sir."
"Leak those flaws to the media. That should send sales plummeting, don’t you think?"
At that moment, the Vice President grasped Park Jin-hoon's intentions.
He was determined to destroy INO-PHONE by exposing its weaknesses—no matter what.
"Then wouldn't it be faster to contact the former mobile division employees who transferred to the Technology Research Institute? Since they were directly involved in its development, they should know the device’s flaws better than anyone."
"You’re right! Not long ago, those bastards were still working for Taewoo Electronics. It should be easy to make them talk. You handle it—get every weakness you can."*
"Understood. By the way, sir… did something happen at the executive meeting?"
Crack!
A sound fit for a dentist’s office echoed as Park Jin-hoon clenched his teeth.
"That little punk tried to tear me apart in front of everyone. I’ve indulged him too much—now he thinks he can walk all over me."
"He dared to go after you, sir? This is why third-generation chaebols need to be kept in check from the start."
"It might be a bit late, but it’s time to tighten the leash."
"I’ll find something that can bring him down.
A few of the employees who moved to the Research Institute were part of my inner circle."
"I’m counting on you."
Park Jin-hoon's hands trembled with fury.
Meanwhile, the Vice President quickly lowered his head, left the office, and pulled out his phone.
"Chief Cho, it's been a while. Ever since you moved to the Technology Research Institute, I haven't seen you around. Let’s grab a drink tonight—it's my treat."
He moved swiftly, making call after call, determined to extract as much information as possible.
***
The next day.
The moment I arrived at work, I was greeted by an unexpected visitor.
"Chief Secretary, what brings you here?"
"Am I not allowed to come?"
"Come on, there's nowhere you're not welcome.
I was just surprised—this is your first visit since I took over the Research Institute."
We sat down for a pleasant tea break.
But the relaxed atmosphere didn't last long.
His voice soon carried a hint of concern.
"You went too far at yesterday’s executive meeting. Park Jin-hoon is not someone who will take that lying down."
"That was the point."
"…What?"
Instead of answering, I slid a thick file across the table.
Inside were documents detailing Park Jin-hoon's corruption.
"Did you collect this while you were in the audit team?"
"How does someone like him still hold an executive position? Honestly, I had no intention of using this."
"Then why show me now?"
"Because at the expo, I saw Sampjin, CL Electronics, and other companies pouring massive investments into R&D to advance the industry. Yet Taewoo Electronics was the only one moving backward. Doesn’t that mean funds meant for R&D are being misallocated elsewhere?"
The amount of embezzled money I had uncovered was in the billions.
It was a significant sum, but not even 1% of Taewoo Electronics’ R&D budget.
In reality, Park Jin-hoon's embezzlement had little direct impact on the company’s technological stagnation.
But when it comes to scandals, it’s all about how you frame the story.
After all, context determines the narrative.
"Are you planning to oust President Park Jin-hoon?"
"I developed INO-PHONE with the limited resources of the Technology Research Institute.
Now, imagine what I could do if I had all of Taewoo Electronics’ resources at my disposal."
"I know that INO-PHONE is receiving an overwhelming response. But the home appliance and mobile phone markets are completely different."
"Still, wouldn’t I be a better leader than Park Jin-hoon? At the very least, I wouldn’t treat company funds like my personal piggy bank."
I needed to bring the Chief Secretary to my side.
Aside from my grandfather, he was the most powerful person in the group.
He controlled both the Planning Office and the Secretarial Office, making him one of the few people who could influence the company’s direction.
"However, this evidence alone is not enough.
That said, I’m not against the idea of you leading Taewoo Electronics. In fact, one day, you must take the helm—not just of Taewoo Electronics, but of the entire group."
"It infuriates me. I want to build Taewoo Group into the world’s top company alongside my grandfather. But there are too many thieves inside the company."
"…I understand your frustration completely. However, Park Jin-hoon has contributed a lot to Taewoo over the years. With the evidence we have now, we can’t take action."
The Chief Secretary’s voice wavered slightly.
It meant I had partially convinced him.
Sensing the shift, I softened my approach and continued in a calmer tone.
"If I find solid evidence that Park Jin-hoon is actively harming Taewoo Group, would that be enough?"
"It would depend on the severity of the evidence."
"For example… what if he deliberately sabotaged a new product developed by Taewoo Group?"
"No way… Did you stir up the executive meeting with this in mind?"*
As expected, the Chief Secretary saw right through me.
He had known me longer than anyone in the company—aside from my grandfather.
"Just because someone provokes you, does that justify sabotage?"
"Sigh… If Park Jin-hoon really does something like that, I will personally recommend his immediate dismissal. But we’ll need undeniable proof—either solid evidence or a credible witness."
"I promise—I won’t act until I have concrete proof."
The Chief Secretary left the Research Institute with a bitter expression.
It was probably unpleasant for him to see colleagues within the same group fighting.
But to save Taewoo Group, we had to cut out the rot.
And to do that, I opened my photo album.
It contained photos of all the employees in the Technology Research Institute.
I focused on the ones who had recently transferred from Taewoo Electronics.
After careful scrutiny, I identified a few individuals with an interesting record.
[Special Note: Leaked INO-PHONE Information to the Taewoo Electronics Vice President]
This information wasn’t there yesterday.
Which meant… the leak must have happened last night.
"Call in Deputy Manager Jo Ki-tae from the Mobile Division."
I had my secretary summon Jo Ki-tae.
He was one of the employees who had met with the Vice President last night.
The moment he entered, the stench of alcohol filled my office.
Clearly, he had drunk heavily the night before.
"Had a drink last night, I see?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"It's fine. INO-PHONE received an incredible response at the expo—it’s only natural to celebrate."
"Yes, I had a small gathering with a few employees last night."
"I see. But I can’t help but wonder—why was Vice President Woo Sung-il of Taewoo Electronics at that gathering?"
"……."
Jo Ki-tae's face turned pale, and he was at a loss for words.
Having worked only in the R&D team, he wasn’t good at hiding his emotions.
"There were five people at the celebration last night, correct? One of them gave me a detailed report on what happened."
"I-I'm sorry! I couldn’t go against the Vice President’s orders!"
Jo Ki-tae hung his head as if he had committed an unforgivable sin.
But there was something he didn’t know.
I had no idea what actually happened last night—what was discussed or what information was exchanged.
My claim about a detailed report was a complete bluff.
I was simply leading him with pointed questions based on the special note I had received.
"Why do you think the Vice President wanted information about INO-PHONE?"
"Well… I assume he just wanted to evaluate its performance as the Vice President of Taewoo Electronics."
"Do you really believe that? Are you naïve? Or are you just pretending to be? If he simply wanted to evaluate it, he would have made a formal request to the Research Institute. But he didn’t.
Why? Because he intended to do something shady—which is why he asked for information in secret!"
"I-I'm sorry! I was too drunk to think that far ahead…"
Jo Ki-tae still couldn't hide his emotions.
Too drunk to think?
That was a lie.
He must have known exactly why the Vice President wanted that information.
"You, more than anyone, know how hard every single researcher worked on INO-PHONE.
And yet, you handed over information to someone who wants to sabotage it?"
"N-no! The Vice President wouldn’t do that… would he?"
"From Taewoo Electronics’ perspective, the Research Institute is nothing but a thorn in their side. The more successful INO-PHONE becomes, the worse Taewoo Electronics looks.
And the person who wants to undermine INO-PHONE the most is Vice President Woo Sung-il."
"……."
He had no response.
Jo Ki-tae had sacrificed his personal life for INO-PHONE, working countless sleepless nights for its success.
Now, realizing he had aided in its downfall, he probably felt like dying on the spot.
"There might still be a way out. What exactly did you leak last night?"*
"It was just some basic spec information—the kind the Development Team already knew."
"So, last night, you only gave away the basic specs. But today… were you supposed to send additional information?"
"Hiccup! Y-yes…"
I didn’t even need to ask.
His hiccups gave him away.
No doubt, he had spent the morning gathering more information to send to the Vice President.
"You haven’t sent it yet, have you?"
"I… I truly deserve to die for this. I don’t even understand why I did it…"
"Tsk. If you wanted to play office politics, you should have done it properly. What you did wasn’t politics—it was just pathetic scheming.
And worse, you weren’t even good at it."
"W-what happens to me now?"
"I’ll show you how to survive."
I tossed him a thick file folder.
I had prepared it in advance for a moment like this.
"Hand this over to the Vice President. Then, make sure the employees who were at the party keep their mouths shut. If you do that, I’ll let this slide."
"A-are you serious? I’ll do exactly as you say!
If you tell me to jump off a building, I’ll do it without hesitation!"
"I have no use for dead men. Just focus on doing your job properly. And stop pretending to play politics—just stick to what you’re actually good at."
"Understood! I will devote myself to my work."
Jo Ki-tae bowed repeatedly before finally leaving my office.
What a fool.
But… a useful one.
He was highly competent at his job.
And now that I had leverage over him, he would do whatever I asked—without question.
Of course, there was always a chance he would betray me again.
So I would keep my distance.
Had he just kept his head down, he might have climbed higher in the company.
But instead, his clumsy attempt at scheming had doomed him to a stagnant career.
