Chapter 78. Trigger (1)

Translator: Synopsis

“JooAh’s performance fee is a little bit of a pity, but the overall concert is very satisfactory. Well done.”

Chairman Won JinMoon signed at the end of KangYoon’s report in satisfaction. He especially highly evaluated the fact that the scale became bigger and the fame of his company in that field became larger.

“At this rate, a large-scale concert will be no problem too. Summer’s too early…, so let’s try to do one around autumn or winter.”

Chairman Won JinMoon jumped his shoulders in excitement.

‘Do I talk about it, or not?’

KangYoon hesitated whether he should speak about his troubles with the audit team or not. If something went wrong, he might be a petty guy who reported trivial things. In the end, he decided not to, even though the words were right in his mouth.

“Understood. I think that autumn will be too early, and winter will be good. I think an end-of-year concert would be good.”

“An end-of-year concert. That sounds good. I look forward to that time.”

KangYoon then took his leave.

***

“Well, then! Let’s do our best for today! Today’s overtime!”

Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung of the audit team encouraged his subordinates and started looking through the documents on the table. Chief Kang DongHyung sighed deeply and shook his head at those words.

“Just when I thought it was all over….”

The sudden increase in workflow made the employees sigh. However, the assistant director was full of spirits.

“It’s the hottest topic of the company, the general music team. The director said that we’ll get a special promotion if we do this well, so let’s do this.”

“Yes!”

Hearing the words ‘special promotion’, their eyes lit up. A promotion was a sweet temptation to workers who had to take care of their family. Everyone started working with their eyes on fire.

Like that, 1 hour, 2 hours….

Business hours were over, and now they were doing overtime.

“How the hell is it so clean!”

The skies had already turned dark.

In the end, the most impatient of the team, Chief Min DooJin, ended up shouting out loud. The budget passed through the board of directors meeting, and the budget usage that KangYoon showed them matched completely, even down to the cent. Normally, there would be small errors, but he was really confused.

“Run the program again.”

Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung frowned, but Chief Min DooJin said that this was no good and shook his head.

“It’s the fifth time already. This guy’s a complete freak.”

“Huh… like this, I don’t have anything to say to the director….”

“What was that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung was currently looking at matters related to Eddios. He judged that there would be many things to scoop out since the budget was huge for this project. However, there was not even a small error in the allocated budget and budget usage from the very beginning – the selection of members – and even the remaining budget was the same.

“This guy is too freakish.”

Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung clicked his tongue. Meanwhile, Chief Kang DongHyung looked at the documents and added.

“There’s nothing wrong with Sedy’s work either. They all match.”

“JooAh’s Japan one?”

“No need to say. We ran that the first time.”

Perhaps it was manipulated – they thought and checked the date last edited, but they were all written in the past. There was no need to suspect about manipulation.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Assistant Director, there’s nothing more.”

“…….”

Like what Chief Kang DongHyung said, there was really nothing left to audit. Even though the employees in the entire department clung onto this for the whole day, they could not find any traces of what they could use. They even rummaged through to see if there were any missing receipts, but there was not the tiniest of error.

“…You can go home.”

“And you?”

“I’ll see to it a little more.”

Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung eventually allowed everyone to leave work. However, he even pulled off his necktie and started going through the documents again.

“Let’s see who wins!”

And his lonely war began.

***

“…F*ck.”

The day was already brightening, but Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung did not take his eyes off the documents. These documents were meticulous to the character. However, he couldn’t back out here.

“Goddammit!”

However, even though he had re-checked tens of times throughout the night, the results did not change. In the end, he sighed and called the one responsible for this matter, Director Kim JinHo.

– There should be one. Find it. No matter what you have to do.

“The entire department could not find it. I think we should stop here….”

Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung indirectly asked him to give up. However, the highest authority of the audit team did not change his order. It wouldn’t be surprising if he backed out right now, but his attitude did not change at all.

– If there isn’t one, make one.

“What?”

– It’s done by humans anyway. Try to do something.

The phone then beeped out. Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung felt gloomy. He felt dark since he didn’t know what to do with these flawless data. However, an employee’s fate was to do what he was ordered.

‘Dammit. Let’s just do it….’

Assistant Director Yeo JinHyung resolved himself. In front of his eyes was materials related to Eddios.

***

“…Understood. I will contact you back after setting up a schedule.”

– The donor also cannot wait long. Organs aren’t something that can wait a long period of time. You need to come as soon as possible.

“Understood.”

The phone call he got on his way to work made KangYoon’s heart complicated. Ever since a few days ago, when he was told by HeeYoon that they got a letter from America, he was preparing for that, but now that he received a phone call, his mind was complex. He was too worried to send HeeYoon by herself, but for him to go as well, he felt that it wasn’t the right time yet.

KangYoon went to work with his mind in disarray. However, he had a guest in his office – it was President Lee HyunJi.

“President?”

“Have a seat.”

She led KangYoon to sit on the sofa. KangYoon wondered what was up from the morning.

“There’s a not-so-good rumor floating around the company.”

“A not-so-good rumor? Did something happen?”

“The rumor is that…… you, Team Leader Lee, embezzled company funds.”

“WHAT?”

KangYoon was flabbergasted. Embezzlement? This was a bolt from the blue for him.

“I don’t have a reason to do so, though.”

“Right? I’m looking for the source of these rumors, so please calm down even if you receive unpleasant glares today.”

“Whoa….”

After President Lee HyunJi left, KangYoon started working again. However, he felt very chaotic after the word ‘embezzlement was mentioned’. He handed over everything to the audit team after checking that everything matched down to the cent, and now he was accused of embezzling? This did not make sense no matter how he thought about it.

‘There’s something wrong with this.’

KangYoon opened the documents again. They were copies of the files that he handed over to the audit team. He went through each of them while comparing them to the allocated budget by the directors meeting, but he did not know where this embezzlement came from.

Since there were so many materials, it took him the entire day to check through. It was a rare on-time leave. When he went to the lobby, the employees greeted him. However, they weren’t as friendly as before.

‘Looks like the rumors spread a lot.’

His insides boiled when he noticed that everyone around him changed slightly. He would hate to be suspected by them.

Fortunately, his time for justice was quickly created. An urgent directors meeting took place 2 days later.

When KangYoon was notified and went to the meeting room, the directors were all waiting for him.

“It is very unfortunate that we are having this meeting due to an unfortunate matter, but I wish that we can correct this and head to the right way….”

Along with Director Moon GwangShik’s slightly long intro, the board meeting began. Today’s topic was about KangYoon’s embezzlement. The directors’ opinion was that they should have conducted a hearing, but due to President Lee HyunJi’s objection and Chairman Won JinMoon’s rejection, the format was changed to a directors meeting.

KangYoon walked up to the center. When KangYoon was ready, Director Kim JinHo started questioning him.

“Personally, it’s very unfortunate to hear about the bad rumors surrounding Team Leader Lee during the past few days. I think the rumors are just rumors but have prepared this place since there were a few things I should ask. Is it alright if I ask some questions?”

“Please, go ahead.”

“I will not ask about matters related to your work with Eddios. Team Leader Lee, the budget allocated when selecting the members….”

Director Kim JinHo handed the secretary in charge of this meeting the USB. It was a PPT. The secretary put the PPT onto the screen. Then, the budget allocation from the directors meeting and the budget usage by KangYoon came up on the screen.

‘What the hell?’

KangYoon widened his eyes. The comparison was not from the materials he gave the audit team.

“Team Leader Lee. The final budget you’ve used and left behind seems to lack a little compared to the budget we’ve allocated. Can I ask where the remaining funds have gone?”

“…….”

“Very well then. You can answer all the questions at the end, so let’s go to the next one.”

Director Kim JinHo focused on the budget about Eddios. He especially clung on to the fact that the budget allocated from the company and the budget used for individual practice did not match. He even dragged Eddios’ dorm matter and asked whether they got a dormitory despite being trainees because of the budget allocation.

The directors whispered to each other. There was no audit until now, and there was a punk in the budget. Then where were the remaining ones? Their eyes were suspecting KangYoon.

KangYoon felt absurd. The materials shown on screen were completely different from what he gave.

‘Did I work until now to be treated like this?’

He felt pathetic about himself standing here. The directors all tried to say something to KangYoon, and the one at the vanguard was glaring at him with sharp eyes. KangYoon felt both sad and angry, but still cool-headedly calmed himself down.

“First, I will talk about the budget in the selection of Eddios’ members.”

KangYoon gestured the secretary and handed over a USB. It was yet another PPT file. The same material appeared on screen when the secretary opened it. However, the numbers on this file were different from the previous one.

“What is this.”

“This is the budget allocation that I have handed over to the audit team.”

“Wait, then do you mean to say that you were writing double accounts?”

KangYoon was almost about to explode at Director Kim JinHo’s words but pressed his head down.

“…The materials I have shown here are the materials I have reported to the chairman. If you bring it here right now, they will match.”

Chairman Won JinMoon immediately ordered the secretary to copy the materials. A while later, the secretary brought back the files on a USB drive and put it up on the screen. As KangYoon head said, it matched with what KangYoon head shown. While everyone was whispering again, KangYoon went a step further.

“There is no reason for me to manipulate the materials I have reported to the chairman. If there’s anything wrong, shouldn’t it be the audit team?”

“What was that!? Are you accusing-“

“Please check the dates. All files in the company intranet have their dates last edited recorded on to the system.”

As KangYoon had said, the secretary checked the original file.

“It was 3 days ago.”

KangYoon continued.

“3 days ago, I no longer possessed that file. The audit team took all my files, so I couldn’t even touch it anymore. However, the date last edited was 3 days ago. I did not manipulate anything, nor do I need to. Do I still need to be suspected like this?”

“…….”

The meeting room fell into silence. Actually, the date last edited usually wasn’t checked. But now that they did, no one could say anything about KangYoon anymore. KangYoon added a few more things.

“I do not know why the materials I handed over was changed like that. However, since an altered file is here in the board meeting, I feel that the origins of the file should be investigated first. I conclude my words here.”

Everyone lost their words at KangYoon’s words. This was completely flawless.

‘That was too much.’

‘He shouldn’t have done that.’

Director Kim JinHo also felt those gazes. The source of this misfortune came from the fact that he unconditionally accepted what the audit team assistant director ‘found’ from the file.

“…Director Kim. What is happening here?”

Chairman Won JinMoon was enraged. He glared at Director Kim JinHo with fiery eyes.

“It’s…. So, this….”

“I will not sit by this matter. Let’s end it here today. There’s nothing to see anymore.”

Chairman Won JinMoon kicked the door open and exited the meeting room. The remaining directors could not even move under the pressure.

‘Hah….’

Unlike usual, KangYoon also left the meeting room earlier than the directors. Although he escaped framing, he didn’t feel good at all.

***

“Today’s cigar doesn’t taste good at all.”

KangYoon violently stepped on the cigarette. Although it was usually bitter, it felt even more so today.

‘Just what have I been doing until now….’

When KangYoon couldn’t hide his feelings, someone approached him. When he turned around, he saw President Lee HyunJi.

“President.”

“Looks like I interrupted you.”

“Not at all.”

President Lee HyunJi did not smoke. Instead, she took out a gum and started chewing it. She handed one to KangYoon as well and he accepted.

“So, it was something that the audit team assistant director did on his own.”

“…….”

“We will take measures. Both to that Assistant Director Yeo and to Director Kim JinHo.”

However, KangYoon’s expression was not bright at all. Although they were punished, he didn’t feel any good.

“As someone who represents the company, I can only apologize. I am very sorry.”

“…….”

President Lee HyunJi even lowered her head. Normally, KangYoon would have said that it was alright and just moved past it, but this time, he fell silent.

“Go.”

“Sorry?”

KangYoon reacted to a word that President Lee HyunJi had said.

“Do you mean… to leave the company?”

“In the future, the fight between me and the board of directors will become even fiercer. If you stay here, it’s obvious that such things would happen again. Honestly, I wish that you’d stay… but if you stay here anymore, we won’t drag you down, but we may even end up cutting your ankle.”

“…….”

KangYoon felt even more chaotic after hearing those words.

“Team Leader Lee, no, Mr. Lee KangYoon – You are definitely capable. You have the eyes to see talent, songs, and even the trends. This is not something that anybody has. It’s also the reason why the chairman likes you a lot.”

“…….”

“With that much skills, you might be better off standing alone. Like you said last time.”

She seemed to have finished her words as she left the roof while her hair fluttered in the wind.

“…Standing alone, you say….”

This was a difficult matter. In his contemplation, KangYoon took out another cigar.

***