CH126

~

"What are you up to?"

Seok-won, as usual, was sitting alone in his small shoeshine shop, polishing shoes when he heard a familiar voice and looked up.

Manager Oh, the department chief, was strolling in, a toothpick dangling from his lips—probably on his way back from lunch.

Without hesitation, he grabbed a blue plastic chair, perched himself onto it, and leaned back casually. At this point, it was hard to tell who was the shop owner and who was the customer.

Since he dropped by almost daily, Seok-won would actually start to wonder if something had happened on the rare days he didn't show up. So, he didn't mind much and neatly placed the polished shoes on the floor.

"You're here."

"Aren't you going to offer a customer a cup of coffee?"

"Didn't you already grab a vending machine coffee after lunch?"

"I skipped it so I could have one here."

The way he responded so naturally left Seok-won speechless.

"Anyone would think you had a tab open here. Why do you ignore the free coffee from your office and come here demanding mine?"

"So, are you saying it's a waste?"

Shaking his head at Manager Oh's shamelessness, Seok-won sighed.

"Fine, fine. Since you're craving it, I'll make you one."

Pushing aside the cloth stained with shoe polish, Seok-won got up from his seat.

He grabbed two instant coffee mixes from the shelf, poured them into a paper cup, added steaming hot water, and stirred it with a teaspoon.

This way, the coffee was extra sweet and twice as strong.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

Manager Oh took the cup, blew on the steam, and took a sip.

"Ahh, this is the stuff. This is why I can't quit your coffee."

"Shouldn't you be complimenting me on my shoeshining skills instead? At this rate, I should've just opened a coffee shop."

Manager Oh squinted at him and said, "Did you fight with your wife or something? Why so cranky?"

"I did not."

Grumbling, Seok-won started gathering the polished shoes.

"Actually, I was about to drop these off. Perfect timing—keep an eye on the shop for me."

"Where are you going?"

"ST Securities, just down the block."

Manager Oh's smirk vanished instantly.

"Oh... Maybe wait a bit before heading over. Things aren't looking too good over there."

"What do you mean? Something happened?"

"You don't wanna know. Some furious client stormed in with a gas can, screaming that he'd set the place on fire."

Seok-won's eyes widened in shock.

"Are you serious?"

"Police cars and everything—it was a madhouse. How did you not hear?"

"Oh… so that's why I kept hearing sirens earlier?"

Manager Oh clicked his tongue in disbelief.

"Man, you're dense. Even if it's a block away, how could you miss all that chaos?"

"I was working, okay? When you're focused on polishing shoes, you tend to tune everything out."

"Oh, sure. Whatever you say."

Manager Oh dismissed Seok-won's protest with a wave and took another sip of coffee.

Still curious, Seok-won leaned in.

"So, what was the fuss about?"

"If someone's causing a scene at a brokerage, there's only one reason."

"Money?"

"Bingo."

Manager Oh pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"Apparently, one of the brokers convinced his clients he had inside info on a stock that was about to skyrocket."

"A pump-and-dump scheme?"

Manager Oh nodded.

"You've been around long enough to know—real stock manipulation is done quietly, in the shadows."

"Right."

Manager Oh sighed.

"But this guy was running his mouth all over the place. Should've been obvious it was a scam. How could they not see that?"

"Maybe they trusted him. And if someone dangles the chance to make big money, it's easy to get blinded by greed."

"Still, you have to be skeptical! Just hearing about it makes my blood boil."

Taking another drag from his cigarette, Manager Oh clicked his tongue.

"Well, I guess it's not that easy to spot a con when someone's really determined to scam you."

"So, what happened in the end?"

"The usual. The scammer took all the money and fled overseas. The victims stormed into the brokerage demanding compensation, but the firm washed their hands of it. Since it was an unofficial deal, they said it wasn't their responsibility."

Seok-won nodded in understanding.

"So, the victim snapped and caused a scene."

"Exactly."

"Good thing it didn't go further—if he'd actually set fire to the place, it would've been a disaster."

"No kidding. People like that scammer need to be swept out of the industry for good."

Manager Oh exhaled another puff of smoke before turning to Seok-won with a serious expression.

"You better not get tangled up in that kind of mess."

"Oh, come on. Someone like me? A stock scheme?"

"But you invest in stocks too, don't you?"

"That's just a little hobby—something I dabble in for fun."

Still, Manager Oh didn't relax his stern expression.

"Gambling always starts with a few small bets for fun. Next thing you know, you're selling your house and your land, losing everything."

Seok-won was about to joke back but clamped his mouth shut when he saw the serious look on Manager Oh's face.

"Did I ever tell you about a guy I knew who got involved in a stock scheme and ended up dead?"

"No… That really happened?"

Manager Oh took a long drag from his cigarette, his expression turning bitter as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

"Yeah. He was drinking late at a bar in Gangnam, stepped out to catch a taxi, and got stabbed to death by some thugs."

"My God…"

Hearing this for the first time, Seok-won leaned in, listening intently.

"At first, everyone thought it was just a random robbery gone wrong. But it wasn't."

"Then what was it?"

"A few days later, the police caught two suspects. Turns out, one of them was his coworker."

"What? No way!"

The shocking twist hit Seok-won like something straight out of a crime drama. His eyes widened in disbelief.

Manager Oh's voice grew heavier as he continued.

"The coworker owed him 70 million won in debt. And he knew that the victim had been managing billions of won in client funds through a secret account. So, he planned to steal it."

"Wow…"

"He even promised his accomplice a billion won to carry out the murder."

Manager Oh ground out his cigarette in a makeshift ashtray—an old tin can—before muttering a curse under his breath.

"It's all bullshit."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If he was trying to steal money, why didn't he kidnap the guy or at least force him to transfer the funds? Why just stab him outright?"

Now that he mentioned it, killing the victim wouldn't get them access to the secret account. Something didn't add up.

"That's… actually true."

"The whole 'money theft' excuse was just a cover. The real motive was to silence him."

"To silence him?"

"Yeah."

Manager Oh picked up his coffee cup and took a sip before continuing.

"At the time, there was a stock called Boseong Telecom. It was part of a market manipulation scheme, and in just two months, its price shot up more than four times."

"Wait… Are you saying the victim was involved in that scheme?"

"That's right. The price surge caught the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and they started investigating. Just a few days later, he was murdered."

"Now that you mention it, that does seem strange."

Seok-won listened intently, his expression serious.

Even if there was no direct connection, the timing was too coincidental to ignore.

"The most absurd part? Despite all the suspicious details, the case was simply closed."

"How is that even possible?"

Seok-won asked, clearly baffled.

"The mastermind behind it was someone powerful."

"Who was it?"

Manager Oh took a sip of his coffee before answering.

"You've heard of Donghae Group, right?"

"The company that went bankrupt during the IMF crisis?"

"The eldest son of that family was behind it. Of course, it was never officially confirmed—just a rumor that spread around Yeouido."

But if Manager Oh was stating it this confidently, there was a good chance it was true.

"He was being groomed as the successor to Donghae Group at the time. If news broke that he was involved in stock manipulation, it would have been a huge scandal."

"So… they cut their losses by getting rid of him?"

Manager Oh gave a heavy nod.

"The dead tell no tales."

The Yeouido stock market was ruthless, but hearing about a case where someone's life was taken so casually sent chills down Seok-won's spine.

His face stiffened as he swallowed dryly. Manager Oh clicked his tongue.

"That's why I'm telling you to be careful."

"…I understand."

Manager Oh finished his coffee and slowly got up.

"Alright, I should get going."

~

"Director… Director Seok-won."

At the sound of Choi Hogeun's voice, Seok-won snapped out of his memories.

"Oh. Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment."

"No problem."

Leaning back in his chair, Seok-won spoke.

"So, you're saying Donghae Peregrine Securities is involved in this?"

"It's still just speculation, but yes."

Seok-won folded his arms and stroked his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully.

"Well, now… this is getting interesting."

If what Manager Oh had told him before his regression was true, Woo Ho-geun was the one pulling the strings in this scheme.

Picturing the face of the man he despised, Seok-won briefly pondered how best to use this information to his advantage.

As Seok-won glanced down once more at the printed stock chart of Boseong Telecom, a glint of realization flashed in his eyes.

"If the chart is correct, a shakeout should be coming soon."

"It likely will."

A shakeout referred to the artificial drop in stock prices during the accumulation phase, designed to scare individual investors into selling their shares.

"Once they finish shaking out the retail investors and securing their stake, they'll start driving the price up in earnest."

The cycle of accumulation, shakeout, and subsequent price surge was a classic pattern of market manipulation.

"For now, keep monitoring Boseong Telecom' stock movements closely. Report any significant changes immediately."

"Understood."

"And I must say, you've uncovered something very interesting."

"Thank you."

Relieved by Seok-won's praise, Team Leader Choi Ho-geun exited the office.

Now alone, Seok-won rose from his chair and walked over to the window.

Across the wide glass pane, just beyond the two-lane asphalt road, a towering building stood directly opposite—its facade adorned with the bold signage of Donghae Peregrine Securities.

"A counterpunch might be overkill… but throwing a light jab before the main fight wouldn't be a bad idea."

A deep smile played at Seok-won's lips as he murmured to himself.