The Country Life Diary of a Gangster's Secretary-Chapter 129

The public image of a company was a significant factor. Companies worked hard to build a good image through charitable donations and philanthropic activities, and there was a reason for that. As public scrutiny grew harsher, the importance of image-making increased, and in that regard, Taesung had taken a considerable hit.

People were mercilessly labeling Taesung as a “gangster company,” and as a result, companies that had contracted with them were starting to pull out one by one.

Even though canceling contracts wasn’t the right thing to do, no one wanted to be dragged down by associating with a company rumored to have ties to organized crime. And currently, Taesung wasn’t in a position to release a clear statement other than denying the allegations.

“How’s the atmosphere at the company?”

“The employees are uneasy. Quite a few have already said they want to resign.”

Unless someone had an unusual attachment to the company, it was a reasonable choice for salaried employees. No one wanted to stubbornly stay on a sinking ship and go down with it.

“The board members... are getting more aggressive.”

Seongjin sighed deeply, clearly exhausted from trying to hold everything together on his own. If the employees were choosing to escape, the higher-ups were likely to decide to change captains before the company completely sank. They would probably try to remove Lee Hyuk from his position as CEO and attempt to salvage the company’s image before it was too late.

‘Jung Sejin...’

This was likely one of his plans as well.

“Hyesung, go home. Go wash up and get some rest at home today, okay?”

“I’m fine. I still have the energy to keep going.”

“What exactly have you been doing out there by yourself? You didn’t even tell me what happened when you went to Seohyun Trading. Was everything really fine? What did that old man say?”

Hyesung hesitated for a moment before answering.

“He knew about Yushin, but he didn’t have any particularly useful information.”

Seongjin was probably overwhelmed just dealing with what was happening inside the company. Ahn Ki-baek had known a lot about Yushin and had even offered to help gather information, but Hyesung hadn’t mentioned it. If Seongjin knew, he would undoubtedly tell him to stay away from the danger, given his personality.

“I’m going to dig a little deeper elsewhere.”

Moreover, Hyesung didn’t want to give Seongjin more to worry about.

“If you’re not going to go home, at least eat properly. Let’s go, there are plenty of restaurants near the hospital...”

“Director, I’m really fine.”

“Hyesung.”

“To be honest, I don’t think I could keep anything down right now. With the boss in this condition... I can’t even think about eating.”

Seongjin sighed deeply again and sat down next to him.

“I know it must have been a shock for you when Lee Hyuk ended up like this, and I know it’s still hard. But I’m worried you might collapse too.”

“People don’t collapse that easily.”

“I just talked to the doctor, and they said that at this rate, he should regain consciousness soon. They were surprised at how quickly he’s recovering. See, that guy’s got a strong body.”

Hyesung listened quietly as Seongjin spoke. There was only one reason why he was saying these things: to reassure him.

“So try to stop worrying so much...”

“Thank you for the comfort. But I don’t think I can stop worrying until he opens his eyes.”

“...You’re really something.”

“I care about him a lot.”

“Yeah, sure... Wait, what did you just say...?”

Seeing Seongjin’s exhausted eyes widen in surprise, Hyesung couldn’t help but chuckle. Despite everything, they were friends, after all, and both lacked any sense of subtlety.

Just then, the phone on the coffee table buzzed once, then again a few seconds later. Ignoring Seongjin’s questions about what he had meant by “care,” Hyesung checked his phone.

There were two notifications on the screen.

Jung Sejin stared impassively at his phone screen. He had just received a message from his father, the chairman, urging him to seize the opportunity now that Taesung was crumbling.

[Yes.]

Not knowing who had created this opportunity, he thought his father was pathetic, even though he was his own blood, and sent a curt reply.

“So, what brings you here all of a sudden?”

Sejin casually tucked his phone away and smiled his usual smile at Choi Seong-chan, who was sitting across from him. Checking his phone in front of a guest was rude, but no apology came from his lips.

It was a sign that he didn’t consider the person in front of him deserving of such courtesy.

“I haven’t heard from you in days, Director...”

“Did the Taesung executives contact you?”

Choi Seong-chan anxiously shook his head.

“They probably still think I’m seriously injured... I haven’t received any significant contact from them.”

“I see.”

Sejin’s response was drawn out and sounded as if he was already bored. His gaze at Seong-chan resembled that of a child who had lost interest in a toy they had played with too much.

“Director, you never hinted that you would go this far.”

Choi Seong-chan scratched his head and fumbled inside his jacket. Sejin’s eyes briefly flickered towards it and back.

“A hint?”

“I... I didn’t expect CEO Kwon to get hurt that badly. The... gangsters who barged into the bar, do they have any connection to you?”

“Yes, they’re my employees.”

Referring to gangsters as employees was a significant understatement. Seong-chan bit his lip hard.

“They’re my valuable employees who step in whenever I need them, clear obstacles from my path, and eliminate anything that irritates me.”

“You... you’re saying you have ties with gangsters?”

“Well... you could put it that way. Surely, you understand, Vice President Choi? When running a company, you can’t always use legal means.”

Choi Seong-chan swallowed hard. He kept hoping that the pen-shaped recorder inside his jacket was working properly.

"Approach Jung Sejin and get him to talk about how he orchestrated this whole thing. It must include the fact that he had ties with gangsters and used them to plan all of this. If you can do that, your daughter can keep going to school thinking her father is someone she can be proud of."

“My employees had personal grudges against CEO Kwon, so I created a plan that would benefit everyone.”

“B-benefit?”

“My employees got their revenge, I got rid of someone who was in my way, and, oh, that would benefit you too, right?”

Seong-chan couldn’t understand how someone could be so composed after attempting to kill a person using gangsters and planning to ruin a company with lies.

Then he realized—such people were likely broken in a way that made them mad, unable to empathize with others.

“I... I just wish you had discussed the plan with me a bit more. I was really caught off guard...”

“Oh dear, I didn’t think about that. I didn’t want to worry you too much, so I didn’t go into detail.”

Choi Seong-chan clenched his fists. It wasn’t about worrying him. Sejin had deliberately hidden the details because he knew Seong-chan would refuse to go along with the plan if he knew.

Of course, it was an undeniable fact that greed had driven Seong-chan to make the wrong choice, but there was still a way to turn things around.

“I see... In that case, I’ll stay at home a bit longer and keep an eye on the situation...”

As he stood up, Seong-chan slipped his hand into his jacket one more time. By now, he had probably recorded most of the testimony Hyesung had asked for. Pushing further might arouse suspicion, so he decided it was best to retreat for now.

“Yes, you should. Oh, Vice President Choi.”

As Seong-chan, his legs barely holding him up, was walking toward the door, Sejin’s cheerful voice stopped him.

“Please hand over the recorder in your jacket to my employee on your way out.”

“...W-what? I-I’m not sure what...”

“It's so obvious.”

Seong-chan’s eyes widened in panic. The legs he had tried so hard to steady began trembling again. Was this what it felt like for everything to go dark?

At that moment, the massive dark wood door slowly opened. Seong-chan’s head turned towards it instinctively.

“Ah...”

“You can give it to me.”

A man with a large scar on his face held out his hand. His thumb, which Seong-chan glimpsed briefly, was pitch black.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.