Even If It’s Not Love - Chapter 51-2

The chairman squinted his eyes at Woo-hyun’s words.

“Why would Chairman Lee do that?”

The chairman frowned as if he didn’t understand. He was a person who was already in a high position. It wasn’t a position to be threatened by anyone, no matter how big they were. Rather, Chairman Lee responded willingly to the chairman’s request for help.

“Shinwoo, Hanyoung, Taesan.”

“…”

“It’s not hard if you think of those three.”

“Shinwoo is the company that Chairman Lee interfered with and destroyed, but Hanyoung and Taesan have nothing to do with him.”

“Hanyoung was related to Chairman Lee’s nephew, and Taesan was in secret contact with his brother.”

“…”

The chairman frowned at Woo-hyun’s words. In that case, it could not be said that neither of the three was connected to Chairman Lee.

“As you know, Chairman Lee’s faction is divided into two. Originally, it was a calculation aimed at keeping each other in check and strengthening the chairman’s position, but it is now difficult to unite them because the gap has gotten too wide. The side that Chairman Lee is pushing is his son’s side. Currently, the son is strong because Chairman Lee has his hands on him; however, on the assumption that Chairman Lee is not present, the opposing faction is dominant. Not even Chairman Lee can terminate the opposing faction because they have many followers and there are many things that won’t progress without them. The size of the faction is too large to be terminated. If he does it wrong, he’ll face a backlash. So Chairman Lee was taking his time to sort out the faction in a calm and orderly way.”

“…”

“With the inside of his organization changing like this, it’s dangerous for other organizations to get bigger. It would be troublesome if the other faction he cut out went somewhere else and stuck to them. So, using help as a pretext, he’s pressuring every organization that is trying to grow, and interfering with them internally. If it’s either impossible to take the big shots and bring them to his side, or merge with the organizations and give them to his son, then he works towards their collapse.”

“…”

“Like Hanyoung, Taesan, and Shinwoo.”

The chairman closed his eyes for a moment at Woo-hyun’s words. His wrinkled eyes trembled. Chairman Lee’s side had such a strong influence that he could not dare to keep them in check. It was impossible, no matter how much he tried to peek through a gap. Unless he walked right into the middle of it.

This meant that from the beginning, Woo-hyun’s constant contact with Chairman Lee was to look into it. No matter how much he tried to hide it, some situations were revealed here and there. Moreover, it was possible enough for the quick-witted Woo-hyun.

“… Since when have you guessed this?”

“Since Chairman Lee’s side showed his goodwill.”

The chairman laughed as if he was surprised at Woo-hyun’s answer.

“Ah, so… you mean from the beginning. You had a rough idea of this right from the start. How?”

“Although Hanyoung, Taesan, and Shinwoo each collapsed for different reasons, the circumstances and reasons were sloppy, and I thought it was impossible unless someone worked behind the scenes for a long time. I’ve been watching the situation for a while, and it’s only recently that I came to know it. They both met with people from Chairman Lee’s side and received an offer, and in the end, that promise was not honored.”

In the beginning, he was suspicious of the reason why Hanyoung, Taesan, and Shinwoo had collapsed and investigated carefully.

The fact that Hanyoung’s side met someone from Chairman Lee’s side, and that someone from Taesan’s side also met someone from Chairman Lee’s, wasn’t a big deal if considered separately, but when put together, it became one big piece of evidence. Woo-hyun began with that small thing and was seeing the situation as it was now.

The smile disappeared completely from the chairman’s face, who had been smiling faintly. Woo-hyun was holding onto everything that he had missed.

He didn’t know how much more information Woo-hyun had, and what kind of picture he had in his mind. Although he thought it was fortunate that they were allies, the chairman, feeling a sense of crisis, tapped the chair with his fingertips. It was an act of nervousness that even he could not recognize.

“Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?”

“Because I wasn’t sure.”

“You’re saying you are sure about it now?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“What Chairman Lee wants is not my favor. He sneakily gave off the nuance that Executive Director Kim wanted to take over the position of authority. Unless I had already made the decision to betray the organization, I would report Executive Director Kim’s situation to the Chairman, and there would be internal conflict. Then, Executive Director Kim, feeling his position threatened, would try to stop the flow of funds and use it as an excuse to preserve it. When we started spending a lot more money than we do now, it would be the biggest crisis. And then, this organization would soon self-destruct, leaving behind its name. Chairman Lee would either take it under the name of mergers and acquisitions, as usual, or sit by and watch.”

Woo-hyun calmly explained. The chairman closed his eyes for a moment. There was darkness before his eyes.

Taking Woo-hyun’s words into consideration, it seemed that he knew why Chairman Lee chose Woo-hyun instead of Executive Director Kim. If he had chosen Executive Director Kim from the beginning, he would have easily become Chairman Lee’s person. But that was all. The only things he would gain were Executive Director Kim’s loyalty and the secrets of the organization.

However, if Chairman Lee showed interest in Woo-hyun, he would be suspicious of him and keep him in check; and Executive Director Kim, who had a lot of desire for honor and ambition, would get fidgety because he couldn’t stand seeing Woo-hyun coming before him, and was sure to run to Chairman Lee.