10. Three ways to kill your boss (7)
***
Minjun quietly organized the information he had just heard in his head. It was a conjecture made from circumstantial evidence, but it was a very likely scenario.
Above all, Executive Director Kim Yeon-ju is suspicious.
Although the question of motive was not completely resolved, Minjun knew that desire was inherently difficult to interpret logically. Even if it was not necessary, the desire to have it would bloom simply because it was visible or tangible.
‘Shall we wrap things up soon?’
Now that I had a pretty good suspect, I knew where she was, and I had the know-how to interrogate her effectively, it was time to leave without hesitation and head to Hyosung Industrial, but there was one minor problem.
Minjun didn’t want to do that.
“Hmm, that’s it.”
Whether Jang Tae-jun was studying dragon genes or snake genes, he had no intention of getting involved in this case any longer. While the alien smell of the case had faded, the expected annoyance had gone beyond the level of being able to be brushed off as a debt.
Above all, it didn’t seem like I would be able to earn any talent.
“I mean, I should have told you this story sooner.”
He has a very serious expression on his face and gives off an air of being reluctant to speak.
But the elf said, ignoring the emotional production that Minjun had tried so hard to bring up.
“He told me to hand over this letter in case the agent hesitates.”
He took out an envelope and handed it to me.
At Minjun’s seat, a high-quality desk pad made of gargoyle leather and an antique paper knife that was clearly crafted by a dwarf craftsman were prepared from the beginning. Chairman Jenkinson had expected this reaction.
“He said he recommended reading it right here and now.”
Feeling an ominous feeling, I broke the seal and took out the contents.
“······.”
After reading the letter that started with ‘To a dear friend who has been connected with me for a long time’ to the last line and even checking the seal left by the dragon, Minjun had to admit that Chairman Jenkinson’s will to solve this case was quite strong.
He also had no choice but to face the fact that his heart was wavering like a reed because of the promise he left in the letter.
“······.”
There was only one reason why Minjun sat there with his lips pursed as if he was hesitating for a minute after reading it all.
“······I can’t help it. I’ll accept it this time to save face, Mr. Chairman.”
Because it seemed too easy to just accept it as soon as I read the letter.
***
Jeongpal parked his car in the parking lot and waited for Minjun.
“What happened?”
After explaining what happened above, I asked him.
“Jeongpal, what are you going to do? The chairman’s point is this. Whoever the young dragon cub who put in the request to the society is, don’t worry, I’ll be your backer, so just prove the charges. While you’re at it, find the whereabouts of President Jang Taejun.”
Because of a kind of rule created for the sake of the dignity and friendship of the Dragon Clan’s social circle, the chairman could not come forward. Therefore, he said that he would be grateful if Minjun could prove the crime of the naked Thunder, who had not even dried his scales.
“So you want me to scratch that itch for you?”
“And, he means that you don’t have to worry about the repercussions of touching the dragon, because he will guarantee it.”
And Minjun told me part of the contents of the letter. The details of the compensation that Chairman Jenkinson had promised in his personal capacity.
It is not my intention to monopolize everything that I have not told you. It would be complicated to explain the omitted parts, and it is an area that is of no use to Jeongpal and dangerous to know.
So, Minjun only mentioned the Earth currency among the mentioned rewards.
“What?! Really? That much?!”
Jeongpal opened his mouth in shock at the unimaginable amount.
“And if you continue to work with me, the compensation distribution ratio I’m thinking of is···.”
Before Minjun could finish speaking, Jeongpal started the car.
-Brrrrr!
“Where should we go next?”
“Let’s go to Hyosung Industrial. I’ll put the address in the navigation.”
***
-Woooosh!
As Jeongpal started the car, the Ego frying pan that he had carelessly thrown onto the backseat began to resonate and make a noise.
“Why is that kid like that again?”
Even when he came to meet the chairman’s secretary early in the morning, Minjun was not sure what the conclusion would be. If he were to carry out his will, he would naturally let go, but because Chairman Jenkinson had stepped in, the prediction became ambiguous.
So, I loaded the frying pan into the backseat and set off. If the story went the way I wanted, I was going to return it to Jang Tae-jun’s house.
But in the end it didn’t work out that way, so I thought I’d keep it a little longer.
-Whoosh! Woosh!
The frying pan could hear the conversation between two people without touching, but the two people had to hold the handle to communicate telepathically.
“Hey, can you touch that handle? Are you asking me to hold it?”
“······I guess so?”
Minjun decided to ignore it for a while. He had a lot to think about.
While I was absorbed in a problem for which there was no easy answer, the car arrived at Hyosung Industrial.
While I was waiting in the conference room, the other person showed up.
“Have you been waiting for a long time? Sorry. The executive meeting just ended.”
Executive Director Kim Yeon-ju was a woman in her mid-40s. She had a doctorate in pharmacy and was a founding member who had worked with President Jang Tae-jun since the company was founded. There was no ring on the hand she shook hands with the two men one after another.
Jeongpal introduced Minjun as a fellow police officer.
‘hmm?’
Sniff sniff. Minjun sniffed without letting on. The moment the other person entered, the scent of the room changed. It wasn’t because of cosmetics or perfume. If he had to compare, it was similar to the scent of the elf, the culprit that had been abusing his nose when he was with the chairman’s secretary.
There was no particular reason why he hated the smell of elves. Minjun was extremely sensitive to that kind of scent. Any scent that contained chemicals that were collectively called pheromones on Earth.
“I explained everything in detail to the ‘human’ police officer who came last time.”
The person who interviewed at the time was the head of the 2nd team of the Violent Crimes Investigation Division who had handed over the case to Jeong Pal. He pretended to be investigating, but he ran off to the special unit for the elf serial disappearances. The reason was that he did not want to become an errand boy for the immigration office.
“There are a few things I would like to review. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Jeongpal asked several routine questions.
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It was a basic question, such as whether Jang Tae-jun had ever acted suspiciously or where he had last been seen. Kim Yeon-ju responded with an expression that clearly showed her dissatisfaction, saying, “I have to tell this story again.”
“Was there anything different from usual before you disappeared? Like a new person appearing around you?
“Well, I don’t usually have personal conversations with the boss.”
“I heard that the two of you have been growing this company together since its inception. That means your relationship has been going on for a long time···.”
“Do we have to be close just because we’ve known each other for a long time? We were just entangled in work. We never touched each other’s private lives.”
Overly strong negativity.
Is it really necessary to go to such lengths to bury a long-time colleague and boss whose life or death you don’t know?
Minjun’s gaze deepened. His gaze was fixed on her cleanly trimmed fingernails without any of the usual nail art.
“Then let me ask you one more thing.”
“Please don’t ask me the same question I answered before.”
Asking the same question to different people in different forms was a traditional rhetorical technique to find a loophole, but Jeong-pal’s intentions were a little different this time. This was because Min-jun had asked him to buy time.
While the managing director was giving his statement, Minjun stared blankly at his face. Right now, he had forgotten about the scent and was concentrating on something else.
‘This feeling is definitely familiar. Where was it from, and who was it?’
This deja vu was not caused by appearance, speech, or atmosphere.
The wizard’s unique sense was touching the doorknob of an old memory drawer in his head.
‘Yes… The life force has been vaguely sucked out. It’s overflowing to say that they were sacrificed to black magic, but it’s not enough to say that they were in their natural state. Where have I seen kids like this?’
Suddenly a lightbulb went off in my head.
‘Oh, right! Back in the old days, kids who used to brag about their vampire traits were like this!’
It was no wonder it took a while to come to mind. Those born with vampire traits no longer directly sink their teeth into people’s bodies and suck their blood. In today’s world, such an act would be considered barbaric, like sticking a hose down a deer’s neck and drawing its blood.
Although vampire civic groups had been actively trying to dissuade people from doing so, fearing various infectious diseases and parasites, the bad practice continued, saying, “This is how you make it taste better,” and it was not until the 1980s that it completely disappeared. This was because AIDS was prevalent at the time.
The fear of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has led even the most macho and hippie vampires to switch to blood packs and red blood cell drinks.
‘If you suck blood through magical or curse-like means, your life force is also sucked. Vampires’ blood sucking acts fall into that category. If you accumulate enough times, you will reach that state.’
As a warlock, it was natural for him to sense life force.
In Minjun’s view, it was a loss that was just enough to not be life-threatening.
By the way, is Executive Director Kim Yeon-ju dating an out-of-date vampire boyfriend?
“Director, I saw on the news yesterday that Hyosung Industrial’s board of directors decided to buy back its own stock and put it into action… Is that possible when the CEO, who is the largest shareholder, is absent?”
She said with a hint of annoyance.
“I have already made a public announcement to the exchange and made the minutes of the board meeting public. The president delegated his voting rights to me before he disappeared.”
“That’s odd. It almost sounds like he had foreseen that he would disappear.”
“I don’t know what the boss was thinking.”
He answers indifferently, touching the back of his neck.
Minjun read the anxiety hidden in that voice.
‘Actually, it’s a strange story to anyone who hears it. However, since there’s no evidence, we can’t just push it forward because it’s strange. Even though we believe it and shamelessly come forward, there’s clearly something bothering us.’
I was just looking at her quietly.
Minjun also noticed another characteristic from the managing director, aside from his lack of vitality and his insecurity.
‘What a truly unique person.’
I don’t think Chairman Jenkinson knew this in advance, but sending Minjun here was a wise choice. If it weren’t for him, we probably wouldn’t have caught all this.
The last thing I figured out was the identity of the scent I had sensed the moment I entered the room.
