9. Three ways to kill your boss (6)
As I was putting the documents back into the envelope, lost in thought, I saw something moving on the living room sofa.
Locked voice.
“······I slept here last night?”
“I guess so.”
Cassie woke up with a puffy face, pulling down the blanket she had been covering herself with.
He stares blankly into space as if he can’t come to his senses, and then mutters.
“Oh my… Duya.”
Minjun opens the drawer with his back to her. He takes out a new bottle of medicine that he had been prescribed by the doctor a few days ago. It had been 24 hours since he had last taken it. As he shook the blue pills out on his palm, Cathy said,
“Is it by any chance a hangover cure? Then please share some with me.”
Minjun said firmly.
“No, it’s a laxative.”
“······.”
There is a moment of silence, then he asks again.
“······Is it serious?”
“It’s a bit critical.”
Then, Cathy’s face becomes serious and she mutters to herself, ‘They say sweet potatoes are good for constipation…’
Minjun figured she might come back with a box of sweet potatoes soon. From his perspective, it wasn’t a bad gift.
He says as he opens the refrigerator.
“I’ll make you some hangover soup. Eat and go.”
Minjun hired her to work from home, so she didn’t have to show up at the commercial office every day. Strictly speaking, she had more business trips to the immigration office than here. Despite that, Cathy made sure to stop by once or twice a day.
She got up from the sofa weakly.
“Do you have the toothbrush I used?”
“In the bathroom cupboard. By the way, are you going to brush your teeth before eating?”
“I’m the type of person who feels better when I do that.”
As soon as she entered the bathroom, a short scream of “Ouch!” was heard. Then came the voices.
“What, Mr. Jeongpal, why are you sleeping here!”
Cash woke up Jeongpal, who was sleeping with his limbs twisted in the bathtub. After several attempts, the orc finally opened his eyes and let out an eerie groan, as if he had been immersed in a hellish furnace. He muttered, pressing his temples.
“······I feel like rinsing my head with tap water.”
As Jeong-pal came out into the living room, he found Min-jun preparing breakfast.
“Are you awake?”
“Let’s eat moderately from now on.”
“······That’s how it should be.”
I sat down at the dining table as usual and turned on the TV. The morning news was playing.
– The parties involved are unable to narrow their differences in coordinating Princess Vermi’s schedule for her visit to Korea. The biggest stumbling block is reportedly the security issue…
– Here’s some entertainment news. Elf actress Arenta Serepey, who is also active in Korea, has been selected as Hermes’ muse and has completed filming a perfume commercial. The new product, called Jardin des Elfes, is said to have recreated the unique body scent of Elf in a captivating yet light manner, and is scheduled to be released in Korea next month······.
While Jung-pal was watching TV with a blank expression, Cathy, who had brushed her teeth and tied her hair up, approached him. After watching the news together, she quietly took out her cell phone and held it. “Should I spray that?” She immediately started writing a KakaoTalk message to send to the seller in charge. It was supposed to be released in Korea next month, but it seemed like they would have prepared cheap items like perfume in advance.
But, Minjun muttered in the kitchen, as if he was listening to the news.
“Perfume that smells like an elf? I don’t know what’s so great about it that they make perfume out of it. I don’t like it.”
Cash replied, erasing the message she was typing to send to the seller.
“Come to think of it, why doesn’t Minjun smell like that? I suppose it’s because the owner of the bookstore on the first floor is old, but Minjun is in the prime of his elf years.”
Minjun’s hand, which had been cutting the cutting board, stopped for a moment. Soon, he responded in a nonchalant voice.
“They say that if it’s diluted to the point of a quarter, it doesn’t manifest well.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Cathy’s gaze shifted to Minjun, who had answered. He was slicing the brisket. Her expression hardened as she looked at the knife in his hand.
“······Wait a minute, Minjun, can’t you use a different knife?”
The thing he was holding while cutting the meat was a stone knife that would cut his hand every time he charged his black magic.
“I don’t want to bother doing the dishes. And this is the best.”
“They say that’s an artifact that was used in slave sacrifices in Mexico or somewhere in the past!”
It was true.
When Minjun, who had been searching for a suitable magical tool since coming to this world, found this sword, he couldn’t help but cheer. In the past, the indigenous people of a distant continent used this sword to tear out the hearts of tens of thousands of people while they were still alive, offering them up as tribute. It was filled with deep resentment and evil thoughts, making it perfect for black magic.
“I modified it so well that there is always a subtle magical power flowing through the blade. It is said to be automatically sterilized. This is probably cleaner than a scalpel in an operating room.”
“······.”
Cathy gave up trying to persuade him. She decided to stop complaining about the utensils that were served to her.
“Oh, Jeongpal. Were you planning on going back together today?”
“Yes. I have to report that I’m folding.”
“Hmm? What are you folding?”
“I’ll have to put that on hold for a moment. I got a letter from headquarters today…”
The faces of Cathy and Jeongpal, who were listening to the explanation, began to harden seriously. Looking at their expressions, Minjun regretted it. ‘Should I have told you after eating?’
“Then, are you going to go into the headquarters right away today?”
“huh.”
Minjun nodded and put a lot of meat into the pot.
I had a busy schedule, so I had to fill up my stomach.
***
“Agent Ye Min-jun, I’ve been waiting for you. I’ll take you this way.”
He followed the Jenkinson Company headquarters staff into the conference room. As he opened the door, a fresh, grassy scent mixed with a subtle floral scent filled the air.
Humans who want to resemble all things elven appreciate this scent as superior to any artificial perfume, but it did not suit Minjun’s taste.
Inside the conference room, there was a woman elf in a suit who had already taken her seat.
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“It’s been a while.”
She is Chairman Jenkinson’s chief of staff. It’s been almost as long since he’s seen her as Lakefield, but Minjun doesn’t like her very much.
“Why did you call me?”
“I will convey the Chairman’s message.”
As soon as Minjun sits down, he gets to the main point.
“Chairman Jenkinson is deeply interested in the disappearance of Hyosung Industrial President Jang Tae-jun, which the agent is currently investigating.”
Damn, I cursed under my breath.
The conversation began as expected. The chairman’s secretary used businesslike language. Her gaze, unable to read emotions, was calm.
“After receiving a report on the identity of the Hung Clown Society member arrested yesterday and the client who placed the order, the Chairman immediately ordered that the agent be summoned.”
The magician was arrested in the Orc community yesterday afternoon. Minjun, who had not yet decided on his position, deliberately did not report it to the immigration office, but it must have been shared within the police department that took over his safety.
In the end, Chairman Jenkinson got hold of the information from inside the police department, which was officially a completely separate organization, and took action. The result was the letter that was in my mailbox this morning.
The dragons that move this society are such beings.
“Agent, who do you think the dragon that placed the request to the criminal organization is?”
He asked as if he was testing the waters. Minjun answered without much thought.
“Could it be Ayudeltas?”
The elf answered without a trace of expression.
“The news is a little slow. She just laid an egg.”
“already?!”
How old was Ayudeltas? I try to remember.
From what I’ve heard in the story, it seems like she had an accident with a man she met while traveling to outer space.
“Anyway, since I’m on maternity leave, I won’t have time to worry about other races.”
That leaves three candidates.
The elf said.
“The Chairman considers Betravia, Hallispad, and Edelines as the prime suspects.”
It was a list that matched Minjun’s thoughts.
He had never even entertained the wild idea that Chairman Jenkinson had contacted the Society in the first place. He was too big of a deal for that.
It is true that the Dragon Clan is the highest class on Earth, but not all of them are of the same level. Among them, there are those who are less capable, those who have relatively small assets, and those who are troublemakers. Those who are like that have to deal with crime through criminal organizations.
I’m talking about the three of them, young and immature.
‘But, what I don’t understand now is…’
Why is the chairman coming to the forefront like this?
“I understand that President Jenkinson is not related to them by blood.”
The elf answers after a brief silence.
“Do you know what kind of company Hyosung Industry is, sir?”
Minjun recites what he read in the document.
“I know you are a pharmaceutical company.”
“The chairman has learned through reliable channels that there was a secret task in that company. It is said that President Jang Tae-jun personally ran it before his disappearance.”
“Well, it’s a company, so I guess that’s something to be expected.”
“But the research topic of the task is the problem.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t know the detailed experimental data, but it seems that one of the main themes was genetic research on the dragon tribe.
Minjun clicks his tongue inwardly. Could such important information have been omitted from the file?
Dragons do not get sick from infectious diseases, and even minor injuries can be healed naturally without infection, and they have no known hereditary diseases and are invulnerable to poison. Therefore, there is no need to develop medicine for dragons, and no dragon would invest in a company to study their genes. Clearly, the company did not receive the dragons’ permission.
“A young and immature dragon might have been furious if he had learned of this fact. He would have felt resentful that they were daring to study the genes of a noble race without permission. You know? The psychology of a dragon at that age. The only material they have to adorn themselves with is their race, so they become more obsessed with it.”
Everywhere you go, there are people who make assets, which they have never put a single effort into acquiring, their sole source of pride.
“So you’re going to mobilize the society and cause trouble?”
It was the moment when the motive of the unknown client was revealed.
“If he ignores the implicit advice of the adults and plots mischief, I think the chairman should stop it.”
Most Elder Dragons do not want the media to highlight the existence of dragons that run the world behind the scenes. The most effective way to rule is to rule without the subjects even knowing it.
If rumors spread that the young dragon was colluding with a criminal organization to ruin a company, public opinion would turn against him. Media control is not a panacea.
Now, Minjun understood Chairman Jenkinson’s motives. Because of the Dragonic Code, he couldn’t interrogate and catch the young dragons himself, so he was trying to use agents.
Then the last question remains.
“By any chance, what about the speculation that CEO Jang Tae-jun might be an alien···?”
“There is no confirmation, but looking back at his history, I became suspicious of the fact that he appeared out of nowhere and started the company.”
Minjun read the space between the lines.
The reason the government and the immigration office want Hyosung Industrial’s stocks is to swallow up the secret task research data and, if necessary, completely destroy it. To draw that picture, the scenario that Jang Tae-jun was an alien is the cleanest.
“And in this situation where President Jang Tae-jun has gone missing, he asked me to convey some words that could be helpful to the agent.”
She then tells Minjun something he didn’t expect.
“A few days ago, the chairman attempted to purchase a large amount of Hyosung Industrial stocks by mobilizing several securities firms. This was after President Jang Tae-jun had already disappeared. He judged that the response would inevitably be slow since the position of the head was vacant.”
Although the stocks held by major shareholder Jang Tae-jun cannot be touched immediately, he was trying to gather up the stocks that were released into the market.
however.
“As a result… I don’t know if you heard the news yesterday.”
“Hyosung suddenly started buying its own stocks.”
“That’s correct.”
Although stocks that one has issued and then repurchased in the company’s name do not have voting rights, this can prevent attempts to seize management rights.
“What is noteworthy here is that such a decision was made in the absence of President Jang Tae-jun.”
Minjun now knows that Jenkinson deliberately tried to shake Hyo-seong. Judging from the results, it seems to have been a pretty effective method.
‘It’s a bit shaky to assume that approval was obtained in advance, since Jenkinson’s involvement began after he went missing.’
Minjun spoke softly.
“Someone took up arms and gave the order. Could it be to protect the management rights of the missing CEO Jang Tae-jun?”
“It could be so, or it could be a case of bad intentions. It could be a case of resistance to what will soon become ‘theirs’ and not wanting it to be taken away.”
“Do you have any confidence that you can later catch President Jang Tae-jun and take his stocks?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
The elf hands over a file.
“Open it and take a look.”
It was one person’s personal information. Executive Director Kim Yeon-ju. The undisputed second-in-command of Hyosung Industrial.
It is said that at Hyosung’s recent temporary board meeting, the executive director passed the agenda by handing over the power of attorney of Jang Tae-jun, the CEO and major shareholder. It is a power of attorney of a person who has already disappeared.
“If you question me now, I’m sure I’ll get an excuse saying I got it in advance.”
However, Chairman Jenkinson does not think so, and hopes that Minjun will meet her in person. He said that the police interviewed the executive director before the case was passed on to Jeongpal, but he hopes that Minjun will find out something different if he sees it with his own eyes.
“You are suspicious of this man.”
“Yes, if we combine the two pieces of information we found out yesterday… the identity of the Society’s client and Executive Director Kim Yeon-ju’s strange behavior, we can come up with a scenario.”
Meeting Minjun’s eyes, the secretary speaks of her hypothesis about the person she serves.
“Think about it. If you were in a position where the only person you would be superior to was CEO Jang Tae-jun… wouldn’t you be tempted to fall for the sweet temptation? The temptation to get rid of that one person, even if it meant leaking information to Dragon. I would have to say that it’s a pretty sophisticated way to kill your boss.”
The elf laughed.
