The moment the airplane wheels touched the runway of Incheon International Airport, Republic of Korea, a heavy silence hung over the cabin.

A murky fog enveloped the entire airport, creating a desolate atmosphere.

I slowly released my seat belt and stood up from my seat.

Elina was holding her daughter’s small hand until the last moment.

Feeling the child’s body temperature transmitted to her fingertips, she seemed to be trying to carve it deep into her memory.

However, time did not just wait for her.

Elina quietly nodded and handed her daughter over to the embrace of her adoptive parents.

The moment the arrival gate opened, people who appeared to be investigators approached her.

While the identity verification process proceeded, cold handcuffs were placed on Elina’s wrists.

Even the moment the cold touch of metal brushed against her skin, there was no agitation in her expression.

The lawyer and Foreign Office official who arrived with Elina moved together.

The investigator showed courtesy while doing his best at the task he had to do.

“Ms. Elina Weston, we would like you to accompany us to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.”

Elina nodded calmly.

She complied with all these situations.

The adoptive father showed signs of bewilderment as he watched Elina depart from a distance, but he tried hard to maintain his composure.

The adoptive mother’s eyes turned red as she held her granddaughter’s hand and hurriedly moved her steps following my group.

We, who rode in the car together with me, said nothing the entire way.

Perhaps because she was tired, only the child fell into a deep sleep.

Fortunately, because there were words Elina had requested of the child, she did not fuss.

That appearance made me even more troubled.

***

When the car I was riding in came to a stop, Mrs. Kang Ji-yeon, who had been waiting outside the door, quietly approached.

She was waiting for her son on behalf of her husband, who had already gone to work.

When I opened the door and got out first, the Mrs. greeted her son with a welcoming smile.

Following behind me, the old couple and the young girl got out of the car.

She took a short breath and then put on a smile.

I calmly introduced them.

“These people are Ms. Elina’s family. They will be staying at our house for the time being.”

Kang Ji-yeon glanced at her son and then took the adoptive mother’s hand with a warm smile.

“It must have been very difficult coming from so far away, right? Welcome. I hope you will not find it uncomfortable to stay here.”

Perhaps because her warm heat was transmitted, the adoptive mother’s eyes soon turned red.

“Thank you. I do not know if we deserve to receive such treatment.”

“Do not say such a thing. For me, it is enough just for my son to return alive.”

Mrs. Kang approached the child and smiled carefully.

“Baby, what is your name?”

Sophie seemed as if the tension had not yet faded at the appearance of the unfamiliar lady and hunched her shoulders fully.

Because Kang Ji-yeon’s gaze was so warm, the child slowly put on a smile and spoke.

“Sophie.”

Mrs. Kang held the child’s hand and said.

“Today, this aunt will make you something delicious. If you go inside, there is a small garden. It is a good place for angels like you to play.”

Sophie nodded.

As Kang Ji-yeon took the child and went inside, the old couple followed behind.

I was the same.

The visit of strangers was more peaceful than I thought.

The child, who was the biggest concern, adapted faster than I thought thanks to Kang Ji-yeon’s efforts.

Instead, the ones who felt awkward were the old couple rather than the child.

Because they knew what Elina had done to me, their hearts were always uncomfortable.

Since that too was a matter that would be resolved after a certain amount of time passed, I did not exert myself.

There were many things more urgent than that.

During the time Elina’s family stayed at the house, I was so busy going to the hospital and the company that I had no time to catch my breath.

***

It was the morning just a few days before the general meeting of shareholders.

Taeseong Group became busy due to an unexpected article.

[Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering President Nam Jae-heon, will Chairman Lim Man-seok of Taeseong Group also face uncertainty after the failure of reappointment.]

At first, no one cared much.

However, as time passed, the article began to spread and poured out as if it were a fait accompli using anxiety.

In addition, reporters in charge of pension funds also leaked nuances saying that some institutional investors had turned to neutrality.

The interior of the Taeseong Group PR Office was a shambles all morning.

Even the finance team leader called the person in charge to ask.

An emergency countermeasure meeting was convened within Taeseong Group.

In the Taeseong Electronics strategy conference room, every time executives arrived one by one, the quiet indoor air gradually became heavy.

Chairman Lim Man-seok was sitting in the center of the conference room turning pages of documents.

Beside him, major executives from the planning, finance, legal, PR, and global strategic operations departments, including Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung, were all seated.

When the door closed and the meeting began, the first one to speak was Lim Do-kyung.

“Chairman, the content of the article that spread this morning is clearly a move with intention. On the surface, it compared it with President Nam Jae-heon’s case, but in reality, it is close to public opinion manipulation targeting this general meeting.”

Lim Man-seok did not raise his head and spoke while silently reviewing documents.

“How about the institutions?”

The planning office chief carefully opened his mouth.

“As far as confirmed by this morning, it is true that several institutions have turned to neutrality. However, no clear departure is seen among the votes previously committed.”

The planning office senior managing director added.

“But if this issue spreads, we cannot rule out the possibility that institutions that showed a neutral tendency might lean in a different direction.”

Lim Man-seok slowly stopped his hand and raised his head.

Wrinkles formed on his deep eyes.

“It means there is clearly someone shaking things. Have you found out who it is?”

The global strategic operations senior managing director exchanged glances with the legal director, and then the legal director spoke first.

“At present, no circumstances of a connection between a specific media outlet’s editing desk and Ashford’s IR part are visible.”

At the legal director’s words, silence momentarily submerged the conference room.

Everyone looked at each other, worried if they were missing something.

The one who spoke quietly then was Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung.

“Ashford does not move openly. Perhaps Chenway Holdings is more likely.”

Everyone’s gaze turned toward him.

Lim Do-kyung continued speaking slowly.

“Recently, Chenway Holdings put effort into purchasing shares and has currently gathered up to 3.5 percent. You know what the influx of Chinese capital means without me saying it, but it is a move with plenty of intent.”

Chairman Lim Man-seok slowly put down the documents he held in his hand.

He took off the glasses he was wearing and placed them on the table.

Rubbing his eyes with his hand, he said in a low voice.

“If they are to the extent of carrying out maneuvers against the domestic media, it means there is someone whose hand is touched inside.”

The PR office chief wiped his sweat and spoke carefully.

“The side that first wrote this article is a media outlet called Seoul Financial XX. The editor-in-chief is a former press aide who was on Assemblyman Baek Geon-yeol’s side.”

Lim Do-kyung nodded and closed his mouth.

The conference room atmosphere became increasingly heavy.

The legal director spoke again.

“The unfortunate thing is that there is no room for legal response. It is a state where only suspicions were raised through media articles, and no distortion of facts has been revealed. If we refute it head-on, it might only give the impression that we flared up.”

The finance team senior managing director continued with an anxious face.

“Looking only at the shareholding structure, it is safe so far. We expect a total of 48% of friendly shares, and up to 53% if the mandates of stock option subjects are included. However, some of the stock option subjects are staying silent due to this shaking wave, so additional persuasion is needed.”

Lim Man-seok let out a deep breath.

Coldness was contained in his gaze.

“Right now, focusing on securing friendly shares is the top priority. Rumors will quiet down once time passes.”

No one refuted the Chairman’s words.

But the atmosphere did not easily loosen up.

Being uncertain was always a disadvantageous word in the market.

As the general meeting of shareholders approached, things also moved due to psychological parts.

As expected, the sense of anxiety continued until the day of the general meeting.

Taeseong Electronics headquarters grand auditorium.

The Taeseong Group regular general meeting of shareholders held every year always took place here.

Despite it being a cold winter, the heat here was very intense.

Security personnel deployed from the entrance and shareholders who entered with invitations were sitting in designated seats turning the prepared meeting materials books.

I sat in the seat for direct family members who held internal executive shares in the front row.

Around me, investors who held friendly shares of Taeseong were everywhere.

There were familiar faces there, and a few unfamiliar investors I was seeing for the first time stood out.

The clock pointed to ten o’clock in the morning, and the chairperson entered first.

In order, the executive group and major figures filled their seats.

The moderator began the proceedings with an excited voice.

“We will now open the XXth regular general meeting of shareholders of Taeseong Electronics.”

The first agenda item began, and before long, it became the case of Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung’s reappointment.

I calmly watched the progress and caught my breath.

On the outside, I looked very peaceful.

This time too, it flowed familiarly.

It looked like there were no problems.

But for some reason, a red traffic light was blinking in a corner of my chest.

While an unknown sense of anxiety surged, the chairperson unfolded the agenda item held in his hand.

“Agenda Item No. X, we will begin the resolution on the case of Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung’s reappointment.”

In an instant, the interior of the meeting hall was enveloped in silence.

The voting counting was visible on a large screen.

It was a system where voting rights were exercised through individual terminals.

‘Yes’, ‘No’, and ‘Abstain’ appeared as numbers on the screen.

As time passed and the voting ended, Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung’s reappointment was naturally decided.

I looked at the screen and felt a feeling as if something were slowly tightening.

On the surface, there was no change.

But I felt a feeling that something was definitely twisted.

The chairperson unfolded Chairman Lim Man-seok’s agenda as the last item.

Just as the voting was about to begin, a commotion arose from a seat at the back of the meeting hall.

My gaze turned quietly toward that side.

An exotic accent shouted clearly in English.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the white male.

“I have one thing to say before voting.”

The man who swept his thick silver hair back was a man with a solid jawline.

“I am Spencer Ashford, the representative of Ashford Holdings. As one person who is concerned about the management stability of Taeseong Group, I submit a motion for the removal of Chairman Lim Man-seok.”

Murmuring began inside the meeting hall.

The moderator was flustered and grabbed the microphone to try to politely restrain him, but Spencer continued speaking firmly.

“Ashford Holdings has secured a total of 35.2% of shares, including a 3.5% voting stake from Chenway Holdings, indirect shares from two mid-sized Korean asset management companies, and private equity-linked shares.”

The words of Representative Ashford were soon interpreted and delivered in Korean.

“I also state that President Lim Do-hyun’s shares are included here.”

The entire meeting hall turned cold as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on it. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Chairman Lim Man-seok, who had been sitting still while maintaining his balance, stood up from his seat.

His gaze was directed toward his younger son, Lim Do-hyun.

My heart throbbed fiercely.

The true identity of the red traffic light was revealed.

Spencer concluded his words with a voice full of confidence.

“Since it is judged that the reappointment agenda of Chairman Lim Man-seok could threaten the future of Taeseong Group, I am submitting a formal motion for removal as a shareholder.”