Living the Good Life 4
Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gi probably thinks he built a villa on a long stretch of beach with the billion won in slush funds I supposedly withdrew.
The key here is to make him believe I actually took out that billion.
“Is a billion not enough for you?”
“Oh… no. A billion for a house is more than enough.”
“Then can you take full responsibility for acquiring the beach and building the villa?”
“Of course, I should. But…”
The branch manager glanced at me cautiously.
“As you know, overseas branches or corporations must report their activities to the headquarters.”
“Go ahead. There’s nothing to hide here. And feel free to bill the expenses.”
“Oh, no, no. There’s really nothing to charge for. Just some inquiries here and there.”
The branch manager waved his hands in surprise.
Both of us got what we wanted. I wanted rumors to spread about me acquiring a billion won, and the branch manager wouldn’t want to hide that he met with me.
“Thank you for thinking that way. Once everything’s done, I’ll treat you to a nice meal. Haha.”
“After lunch, why don’t you and Manager Moon take a look at the beach I’ve marked? If you need any manpower for the villa construction, let me know immediately. I’ll send people over.”
“Yes, I’ll keep you updated on the progress.”
With business concluded, the branch manager relaxed and started eating.
“How are things in Southeast Asia?”
“Since the financial crisis in ‘97, it’s been stagnant. There’s some sign of recovery, but it’s quite different from our country.”
“We recovered quickly, didn’t we?”
“There’s no comparison. We’re truly an incredible nation.”
The branch manager glanced at me, gauging my reaction.
“By the way, how do you feel about managing a financial group? Can I ask?”
“There’s not much to it. I’m lacking in experience, so I try to maintain a professional management system as much as possible.”
He might have many questions, but asking them is my prerogative. His job is to answer mine.
“Where did you build your career? At Mulsan? Electronics?”
In this context, “home” refers to where one built their major career.
“Oh, I was with Sunyang Life. I was in the insurance risk management team before transferring to Mulsan when I was assigned to Singapore.”
From Singapore, the financial hub of Asia, to Malaysia, with its insignificant trade volume?
This guy must have had poor performance or caused a major incident he couldn’t clean up.
He’s probably looking for a comeback, so meeting me might seem like an opportunity.
He needs to maintain good connections with headquarters, align himself well, and somehow use me… it must be a complicated mindset.
“Oh, Life! I see. That’s nice to hear. Haha.”
Have I shown enough friendliness for the branch manager to be satisfied?
“Everything’s ready. Shall we head out?”
Manager Moon appeared, speaking to the branch manager as he surveyed our table.
Perhaps due to Moon’s restrained demeanor, imposing physique, and intense gaze, the branch manager seemed tense, as if facing a superior.
“Yes, yes. I’m done eating.”
The branch manager stood up abruptly and followed Moon, who led the way.
Alright, the first goal is achieved. Now, let’s start the real business.
I immediately made an international call.
— Are you relaxing? How’s the ultra-luxurious vacation treating you?
I heard Oh Se-hyun’s cheerful voice.
“Yes, thanks to you, I’m resting well. But I found a place here that could be a great resort. We should check it out.”
— A resort?
“Yes, it’s perfect for a resort or hotel site. I’d like to send some people to verify it.”
— If you’re on vacation, focus on relaxing. Why work…!
“The sunset here is so beautiful that I can’t get it out of my mind.”
— Really? For someone like you, who lacks any sense of sentiment, to say that, it must be a truly remarkable place.
“Send people from Dae-A Construction and Sunyang Hotel and Resort Division. Have them check it out, and if it looks promising, let’s proceed immediately.”
— Alright. Send me the exact location by email. I’ll organize a survey team to get started.
The resort construction, which had been talked about for a while, hadn’t even begun. If the reason is a lack of business viability, we might have to abandon it, but if it’s due to investment, we can definitely get involved.
Having a resort instead of a villa is far superior both economically and in terms of scale, isn’t it?
Eat, drink, sleep.
Spending a week like this, I understand why the unemployed say the days are short.
It felt like the week flew by in a day.
Everyone, except for Manager Moon, who didn’t catch a single fish, seemed satisfied and began preparing to return.
Just 200 kilometers from this resort is Labuan Island.
Labuan is the only federal territory directly governed by the Malaysian federal government.
Originally under the rule of the Sultan of Brunei, Labuan was ceded to the British in 1846. During World War II, it was occupied by Japan, then returned to British control, and eventually became a federal territory of Malaysia.
It became an offshore financial center and free trade zone about ten years ago. Few know how much black money from around the world has accumulated here over the past decade.
After arriving in Labuan by limousine and ferry, I spoke quietly to Manager Moon.
“When I enter the bank, keep an eye on the surroundings. Someone will definitely be watching me.”
“What should I do if I find them? Should I grab them and give them a good beating?”
“No, just follow them. We only need to find out where they’re headed. They’re likely Sunyang employees.”
“Oh, I see. Understood.”
Manager Moon seemed to grasp the situation.
As I entered the bank, a tall man with an earpiece blocked my path.
“May I help you, Sir?”
I handed him my Authority card, and he nodded slightly, guiding me inside.
Seated at a partitioned counter, a middle-aged woman greeted me with a smile.
“Let’s start by verifying your account. Could you provide your certificate?”
I handed over the account documents and CD, and she passed me a keypad.
“Please enter your password.”
I entered the 18-digit code and waited as she smiled and gave me an OK sign.
“Thank you. Verification is complete. How can I assist you today?”
“Shall we start by checking the account balance?”
“Of course, Sir.”
She printed out a balance statement and handed it to me.
USD 89,877,100
“What’s today’s exchange rate for Korean won?”
“Just a moment.”
She quickly scribbled a number on a notepad and handed it to me.
1297.7
That’s 1.166 billion won.
I didn’t come all this way just to check the balance. I had another purpose.
I frowned slightly at the woman, who continued to smile brightly from across the counter.
“Is there a problem, Sir?”
“It’s quite a big one.”
“Pardon?”
“The balance is significantly different from what the person who passed this account to me mentioned.”
“That can’t be. This account has had almost no transactions. There can’t be any mistakes. Our bank’s trust and credibility are…”
“Enough, let’s see the transaction history. If the numbers don’t match, someone must have made a mistake or an oversight, right? Since the bank insists it’s not them, I’ll verify it myself.”
“Oh, yes.”
She tapped on the keyboard again, and while the withdrawal history was clean, she printed a statement showing just two deposit records.
I was right.
November ‘97 and January ‘98.
Over five million dollars each came from England’s Hutchison Bank and America’s Manhattan-Child Bank.
In a country on the brink of collapse due to a lack of dollars, someone embezzled over ten million dollars.
My second uncle is quite the villain.
Now, I need to figure out how he managed to embezzle ten million dollars.
“Hmm…”
“There are only two transactions. It seems unlikely there was a mistake here.”
She looked at me with a smug expression.
I scratched my head and nodded.
“I see. I must have been mistaken. Memory isn’t as reliable as records, after all.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
I gathered the deposit statements and stood up.
“Is there anything else I can assist you with?”
“No, I just wanted to confirm since I might need this money soon.”
“Ah, I see. Please come back anytime you need assistance, Sir.”
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
The accounts at the American and British banks are likely under aliases, but with the amounts, dates, and deposit banks confirmed, I’ve got half the information I need.
I walked slowly after leaving the bank.
If someone was watching me, I wanted to give them enough time to confirm it.
When I returned to the limousine, Manager Moon was looking out the heavily tinted window.
“Did you spot anyone?”
“Yes, I identified two people. But they don’t seem to be together.”
Manager Moon’s expression darkened slightly.
“Someone you know?”
”…Yes. They’re security staff.”
“Do you know which company they’re from?”
He hesitated a bit before speaking.
“One is from Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gi’s team. But I don’t recognize the other. They look familiar, though…”
“Take your time. They’re probably one of our people, right?”
“Should I follow both of them?”
“Leave the one whose identity you confirmed and just follow the other. We should know which family member is so concerned about the prodigal son. That way, we can at least send a thank-you note.”
“Understood.”
Who could it be?
Is it from Vice Chairman Jin’s side? There’s no other likely suspect.
“Let’s move first. Staying here too long will arouse suspicion.”
“Yes, let’s head to the airport. Waiting there seems natural. Oh, and the agents…?”
“They’re all on roaming. No need to worry.”
The last day of the vacation was coming to an end like this.
“What? A hotel?”
Manager Moon furrowed his brow as he continued the call. The delay in the overseas phone call seemed to be getting on his nerves.
“Stick with him until the end. Since he spotted the manager today, he’s bound to check out. And if he’s planning to leave the country, he’ll have to come through this airport.”
After the call ended, I spoke up.
“Since he’s a security staff member, why not just let it go? We can verify things once we’re back in Korea, can’t we?”
“There’s always a chance, however slim. What if my memory’s off? He might not be a security employee anymore, or he could have switched to another company.”
Wow, this level of thoroughness is impressive, though it does make me a bit uneasy.
Wouldn’t my uncle’s aides be just as meticulous? When two competent teams clash, the one with more experience usually has the upper hand.
Let’s wait and see.
We might find out the outcome today.
The success or failure of this tailing operation will be a measure of my team’s skills.
And…
As time passed, I started to worry that we might have failed. The evidence was in Mr. Moon’s growing anxiety.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Mr. Moon disappeared with his phone and returned after quite some time.
“When we get back to Korea, I think I’ll need to start with English lessons.”
Seeing Mr. Moon’s embarrassed expression, I realized we’d lost him.
“He’s vanished into the hotel and hasn’t come out. I tried asking the front desk with my limited English, but…”
“They’re not going to confirm anything. They don’t just give out guest information. It’s fine. Just tell them to come back.”
“I’m sorry. I saw his face, so I’ll definitely track him down in Korea.”
“You’d better. If you can’t find him despite knowing who he is, it would mean that Mr. Woo Byung-jun’s boasting was all hot air.”
Seeing my stern expression, a cold sweat broke out on Mr. Moon’s forehead.