episode_0005

After setting the company’s direction, I belatedly added one announcement I had forgotten.

“Ah! Turns out there are a few praekchi in the company.”

-…Excuse me?

Praekchi.

It refers to a spy who acts as a competitor’s or company’s informant.

After calling them ‘Praekchi’ with that characteristic Korean pronunciation, I swept my gaze across the conference room.

Every face I looked at was dumbfounded.

After the meeting, I scrutinized the expressions of the middle-aged men preparing to move according to my instructions, one by one, then grinned broadly.

“It’s not spies for competitors, but praekchi who bring information to my family.

They’ve been quite noticeable lately, so I’m telling you to be careful not to get caught.”

-…….

After adding that warning, I checked my phone.

While browsing a specific newspaper I subscribed to, I found an article that caught my eye.

Grin.

“Please excuse me first.”

After a quick read, I immediately left the conference room.

I took the elevator straight down to the basement and called for my car.

“…Did you call for me?”

Woo Miae, the chauffeur who usually arrived faster than expected, surprisingly arrived half a beat late and opened the back door.

Looking down at Woo Miae, who bowed respectfully even while flustered, I issued a blunt command.

“Get in first.”

“Pardon?

……Understood. You seem to have urgent business, so I’ll head straight to the driver’s seat─”

“No, get in the back seat.”

“Pardon?”

“The world is a dangerous place, you see~

I’ve been a bit worried lately, and I was hoping you could sit with me for a moment and listen.”

Attaching a ridiculous excuse, I ordered Woo Miae to get into the back seat.

Woo Miae sensed the oddness, but as if programmed, she absolutely obeyed my words, saying, “Understood.”

Woo Miae pushed her way in first.

Then I squeezed in and sat down with her.

Click!

Inside the car, with just the two of us.

Just as an awkward silence settled, I spoke first.

“Sorry. I ended up asking such a strange favor, didn’t I?”

“No, not at all. For young master, I would grant any request─”

Click.

Before she could finish her sentence, a man entered the driver’s seat.

His large, muscular back, taut in his suit, squeezed into the seat, and he silently gripped the steering wheel.

“……? Who is this?”

Vroom!

Before I could say anything to stop him, he roughly drove the car, exiting the basement and heading above ground.

He pressed the accelerator and quickly left the company parking lot.

“Young master, what exactly is this…?”

“…….”

I didn’t answer immediately.

Leaving the man in front alone, I just watched the scenery as we emerged from the stifling basement to above ground.

As we entered above ground, the car, bathed in sunlight, sped along the hard asphalt, and the moving car became an inescapable sealed room.

After taking a satisfied breath out, enjoying the sunlight of the open space after emerging from the shadows,

“Caught you, you praekchi bitch.”

“……!”

As if putting on handcuffs, I grabbed her wrist and even played a little prank.

* * *

【Woo Miae】 Hwaryeong Group Employee Age: 26 Charisma: 87 Talent Management: 86 Operational Ability: 62 Charm: 91 Loyalty to You: ??? ??? 《Best Actress Nominee》 {Opportunist} {Cowardice}

Woo Miae’s stats are as follows.

Simply put, it’s unbelievable, as mentioned before, she’s a perfect elite.

Her turtle shell-like stats basically blow mine out of the water, and according to the stats I’ve observed so far, she truly was one of the top 1% of talented individuals.

That’s why I couldn’t help but always suspect her since I possessed this body.

Because such a talented individual was merely working as a chauffeur.

Even though she always showed a loyal attitude, her traits included 《Best Actress Nominee》, indicating her skill in acting, and her specific loyalty was always displayed as ‘???’, making her untrustworthy.

While it stated ‘Hwaryeong Group Employee,’ the fact that she wasn’t specifically listed as a employee made me somewhat suspicious.

“You know, an interesting news article just popped up.”

“…….”

Therefore, I set a trap on this occasion.

I had been waiting for the perfect moment to catch a rat like today.

Freshly uploaded news, piping hot.

The ‘chaebol scion’ naturally referred to me, and the content was an article trashing me without even needing to read it.

Its purpose was not just clear, but transparent.

It used my public image as a scoundrel, linking it to coins, with the aim of lowering stock prices.

I had just finished the company’s strategic meeting, and the news was uploaded with impeccable timing.

There was no need to look further for the culprit who committed this act of espionage.

“…Do you think I’m the one who leaked that information?”

“Then who could it be?”

“Hoo… To defend my honor, I’ve been in the car all along.

If any news leaked from the conference room, I believe it would be more appropriate to suspect the employees inside.”

She appealed with a squeezed-out plea, as if truly wronged.

Her face seemed to say that such an interrogation was unpleasant, and that I shouldn’t trample on her loyalty to the very end.

‘Wow~ With this much, didn’t she choose the wrong profession?’

Indeed, her abilities were genuine.

Her boldness and acting skills, unyielding even under the pressure of being surrounded by men. Normally, I would have been completely fooled.

However, since this was a truth I had already confirmed multiple times, I relentlessly tightened the net.

“The thing is, I had everyone put away their phones until I finished what I had to say.

Can’t you see the time the article was posted? It means it was written during the meeting!”

“……Then, please direct your attention elsewhere. It could be the secretary who recently left.”

“Seseong Ilbo, reporter Kim Geonyoung. Doesn’t that name sound familiar? Whose friendly newspaper is that again?”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean….”

She kept oiling her tongue and denying it until the very end,

As she continued to struggle ugly to the end, I grew tired of even this exquisite performance and called out, ‘Checkmate!’

“Hoo… Why did you personally straighten my collar this morning?”

“……!”

As if tickled, I fiddled with the inside of my suit’s folded lapel.

My fingertips groped and searched every corner, even on the opposite side, until they caught a bulging sensation. I scraped it off and detached it.

A miniature bugging device.

Placed on my palm, it looked like a black Go stone at first glance, and it was truly no bigger than a booger.

When I held it out to its original owner, Woo Miae’s eyes shifted, as if meaning she had no more excuses left.

Clench…!

As if asking how a scoundrel like me had figured it out, she bit her plump lips tightly.

That was as good as admitting her defeat.

[You have found a spy. Your Talent Management ability has increased by 3.]

The system added a final nail in the coffin.

The cornered rat could no longer deny it.

‘Time to start tidying up these troublesome surroundings, one by one.’

In fact, it wasn’t surprising news, as I had known and suspected it for quite some time.

From the start, the fact that such an elite person was merely working as a scoundrel’s chauffeur made no sense.

It made no sense that loyalty would be given to this trash, as it wasn’t even volunteer work. It was simply that this Cha Doyeon guy was excessively incompetent and stupid.

Compared to his older sisters, who were always looking for others’ weaknesses, he was simply too inferior.

CRUNCH!

To signify that the games were over, I pressed down hard and crushed the bugging device.

As I scattered the broken pieces on the ground, applying pressure, Woo Miae’s face turned cold, as if she had flipped a switch.

“You, you’re the spy my second older sister planted, aren’t you?”

“…….”

“Your family isn’t struggling, so why are you doing things like this?”

She looked at me with cynical eyes.

As if to confirm the false loyalty she had offered until now, her gaze was colder than winter icicles.

“The second young miss said she would give me something young master could never give.”

“What’s that?”

“Rapid promotion.”

Ms. Woo Miae immediately poked a sore spot.

Indeed, considering the size of the affiliate I was inheriting, siding with her was the right choice.

A cold opportunist.

Woo Miae was exactly the woman described in her traits.

She was even caught acting as a spy, yet she had the audacity to act as if saying, ‘So what?’

As if blindly believing in her backing, she snarled with an attitude that if I even touched her with a fingertip, she would legally bite back.

This brazen attitude was so amusing that a scoff escaped me.

“So, on this ship, you’ll never get ahead?”

“Doesn’t young master himself know that better?”

Reputation truly is a terrifying thing.

I gave a bitter laugh.

However, I wasn’t angry.

This sharp attitude, while impertinent, also pleased me.

“Woo Miae.”

“Yes?”

“What if I scout you as a double agent right now?”

“I refuse.”

“It’s a job where you’d be sucking honey from both sides. You don’t want that?”

“Because it would only put me in a difficult position for no reason. I don’t want my loyalty to the second young miss to be doubted.”

‘Hmph… For someone who snuck into another’s storehouse to pilfer like a mouse, she certainly talks big.’

“So you’re saying this side is simply a sinking ship itself?”

“…….”

“Alright, then our conversation is over.

Hey! Stop the car.”

The car immediately pulled over to the shoulder.

After getting out first, I had Woo Miae alight.

Woo Miae, now freely released with all her limbs intact, blinked her eyes and confirmed her perfectly fine body.

“……You’re just going to let me go?”

“Why? Did you think I’d capture you and torture you?

I’m not some scoundrel or anything.”

After remarking self-deprecatingly.

“Your backing and my sinking little boat.

To you, it might seem like an obvious fight, but ultimately, the result won’t be known until it’s revealed.”

“…….”

Furthermore, even this capable elite person doesn’t seem to realize that I also made good use of Woo Miae.

I used her cleanly, as if filleting her down to the bone, which is why I’m not angry.

“Anyway, that’s all I have to say.

Just don’t go crying under your blanket because you missed your chance to pick a side today.”

“……Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

Woo Miae bowed her head.

She gave a final polite greeting.

As she turned her back and gradually walked away, I stretched my stiff neck and added one more thing.

“You know what?”

“!”

“Do you really think my second older sister will look favorably on you, a praekchi who was exposed and failed?

The end for those who act as spies and return is inherently miserable, you know.”

The seed of discord.

I meticulously planted a tiny seed in Woo Miae, one that would surely blossom later.

“…….”

The usually calm Woo Miae seemed to be deep in thought regarding this point.

She furrowed her brow, as if the acting was difficult up to this point, then slowly turned her head again.

She walked straight ahead.

As if to show no regrets, she hailed a random taxi nearby and departed.

+ + +

‘Hoo… It is a shame.’

Even though she had revealed her true colors and was rude, Woo Miae was a rare talent.

Her face and hips were quite to my taste, and her stats were excellent. If she had truly offered her loyalty, I might have had some fun, so a wave of regret washed over me.

‘But it would also be funny if she came back just like that, flipping her palm.’

But even if she had immediately crawled back, it would have ruined it.

Because to anyone, this place looks like a small boat with no hope.

Unless her intelligence was completely shattered, this scoundrel line wouldn’t be an attractive place to side with.

Grin.

That’s why I’m even more excited.

For the scene where Woo Miae belatedly clings to my coattails.

“Young master, where shall I take you from now on?”

The newly hired chauffeur and bodyguard.

When the reliable man, whose loyalty had also been verified, politely asked, I pondered for a moment before naming a place.

“JJ Entertainment.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s an entertainment agency that our company fosters and sponsors.

If you don’t know it well, just put it in the GPS and go.”

“Ah, understood.”

He immediately understood the command and bowed his head.

It was a bit of a letdown to see such a large man fumbling with the GPS, but he was still a novice driver, so I just let it be.

‘Hoo… As expected, I can’t resist playing around with women.’

More than that, I adjusted the position of my itching crotch.

Even if I quit everything else, I still can’t quit women.