SEOUL โ MAY 2022
The Oh Group Shareholders' Gala was not a party. It was a coronation, an audit, and a gladiatorial arena, all performed under the crystal chandeliers of the Grand Walker Hill Hotel.
Je-Hoon stood at the periphery of the main ballroom, a glass of mineral water in hand. His tuxedo was a masterpiece of tailoring, but it now draped over a fundamentally different frame. The suit hid the dense, reactive muscle, the optimized posture that made him look both relaxed and poised to spring. He was a stiletto in a silk sheath.
๐๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ: ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐. 288 ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ช๐จ. ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ: ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐ก. ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ฃ๐๐ฌ๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐จ, ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง, ๐จ๐ค๐๐๐๐ก ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ. ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐จ๐จ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ: ๐ข๐ค๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐. ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐จ: ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ก (๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ), ๐๐ญ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ก (๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐๐จ).
Across the room, Soo-jae held court. She wore a gown of deep emerald green that seemed to draw all the light in the room toward her. She was speaking with a cluster of international fund managers, her smile sharp and convincing. She was selling the future of Oh Group, and herself, as a safe, innovative bet.
Their eyes met over the crowd. A micro-expression flickered across her faceโnot a smile, but a flash of recognition, of shared purpose. The "probability variable," as she called it, had become a silent, humming current between them. It was now at 8.3%. An irrational number in a world built on logic.
---
THE FIRST CHALLENGE: UNCLE BYUNG-CHUL
The challenge came, as expected, from within. Oh Byung-chul, the uncle with the illicit streaming habits, approached with two other board members in tow. His smile was all dentures and malice.
"Je-Hoon! Or should I call you Vice President now?" The title was said with a sneer. "Impressive rise. From outsider to family in less than a year. You must haveโฆ remarkable talents."
"I apply logic to opportunities, Uncle," Je-Hoon replied, his tone neutral. "A practice I believe the Group could benefit from more widely."
Byung-chul's eyes narrowed. "Logic. Yes. Like the logic behind diverting funds from our stable construction division to that speculative digital venture fund you championed? The one that's underperforming projections by 22% this quarter?"
It was a calculated attack. The digital fund was Soo-jae's pet project, but Je-Hoon had publicly backed it. The underperformance was real, but temporaryโa result of Marco's strategic short-term positioning for a larger play.
๐ผ๐๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ. ๐พ๐ง๐ค๐จ๐จ-๐ง๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก-๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ ๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฉ๐. ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ช๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐.
"A 22% variance against a projection made before the Fed's last rate hike," Je-Hoon said, his voice carrying just enough to be heard by nearby ears. "A hike our models predicted with 91% accuracy. The fund's current position is a deliberate hedge. If you check the real-time portfolio analyticsโ" he gestured subtly to a large financial data screen that had just refreshed on the wall "โyou'll see our short position on overvalued US tech ETFs has already netted a 31% gain, offsetting the 'underperformance' and putting us 9% ahead of risk-adjusted targets for the fiscal year."
Byung-chul and his cohorts turned to look. The numbers on the screen, pulled and formatted by Marco in real-time, were indisputable. The uncle's face flushed. He'd come with outdated quarterly reports, but Je-Hoon was operating in the live market.
"Seems your reports are lagging, Uncle," Je-Hoon added softly. "A dangerous way to make decisions. Almost as dangerous as investing in volatile, unregulated markets without proper due diligence." He let the reference to the porn streaming investments hang in the air.
Byung-chul paled, muttered something, and retreated, his flanking board members looking suddenly uncertain.
Je-Hoon took a sip of water. Crisis one, neutralized.
---
THE SECOND CHALLENGE: THE JINCHEON HEIR
The external threat arrived with more subtlety. Choi Min-woo, the Jincheon heir, was a man in his early thirties with the polished cruelty of a born predator. He approached Soo-jae first, offering congratulations on her "successful merger." Then his gaze slid to Je-Hoon.
"Mr. Oh," Choi said, extending a hand. His grip was firm, testing. Je-Hoon returned it with calibrated, effortless pressure that made Choi's eyes widen slightly. "We haven't properly met since yourโฆ wedding. You've made quite the splash. And left quite a mess in your wake." The reference to Horizon was clear.
"The market corrects inefficiencies," Je-Hoon said. "We simply identified one before it collapsed under its own weight."
"A fortunate identification," Choi smirked. "Almost prophetic. Tell me, do you dabble in fortune-telling as well as finance? My father is curious about your methods."
The probing was direct. The Jincheon patriarch wanted to know what he was up against.
[Accessing Choi Min-woo's recent digital footprint via his assistant's phone on nearby table. Downloaded search history, encrypted messages (partial decrypt). Key finding: He has hired a private investigative firmโ'Blackwater Consultancy'โto perform deep background on 'Alexander Lee/Lee Je-Hoon.' Focus: anomalous early success, possible foreign ties, medical records.]
They were digging. Getting closer.
"My method is public information, aggregated with proprietary algorithms," Je-Hoon deflected. "As for fortune-telling, I predict Jincheon' logistics division will face a 15% cost overrun next quarter due to unresolved labor disputes at the Incheon port. Your father might want to look into that instead."
It was a shot in the dark based on Marco's analysis of shipping union chatter and contract timelines, but it struck true. Choi's smug expression froze. The labor issue was a closely held internal worry.
"How did youโ?"
"Pattern recognition," Je-Hoon cut him off. "It's what I do. Now, if you'll excuse me, my wife is waiting."
He walked away, leaving Choi Min-woo staring after him, a mix of fury and newfound fear on his face. The message was sent: I can see your secrets, even the ones you're still hiding from yourselves.
---
THE SPEECH & THE SHOW OF FORCE
The climax of the evening was Soo-jae's address to the shareholders. She took the podium, a solitary figure of green against the dark wood. Her speech was a masterclassโacknowledging the legacy, outlining a bold, tech-driven future, and presenting stunning quarterly results that silenced even the skeptics.
Then she did the unexpected. "True leadership is not about one vision, but about building a team that can see around corners. That is why I am proud to share the stage tonight with the architect of our new strategic directionโmy husband and partner, Lee Je-Hoon."
It was an invitation, but also a test. A public sharing of her power.
Je-Hoon ascended the steps to the podium. The lights felt hotter. Hundreds of eyes, filled with curiosity, envy, and hostility, pinned him. He stood beside Soo-jae, not behind her. An equal.
He didn't use notes. He spoke about data liquidity, about AI-driven risk modeling, about turning the Oh Group from a battleship into a fleet of agile drones. He spoke with a calm, absolute authority that came from knowing Marco was feeding him perfect, real-time data to support every claim.
As he spoke, a commotion broke out at the back of the ballroom. Two men in ill-fitting waiter's uniforms pushed through the crowd, their intent clear in their aggressive posture. Security was slow to react.
[Threat assessment: Immediate. Two hostiles. Probable Jincheon-paid disruptors. Goal: Cause chaos, embarrass leadership. Armament: Hidden blades (metallic signature detected).]
Je-Hoon didn't stop speaking. His voice never wavered. But his eyes tracked the men as they rushed the dais.
The first one leaped onto the stage, a ceramic knife flashing in his hand. Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Je-Hoon moved.
It wasn't a fight; it was a physics equation solved with a human body. He didn't block the knife. He stepped inside the thrust, his left hand capturing the wrist, his right driving a palm-heel strike into the man's sternum. There was a sickening crunch, perfectly calculated to disable, not kill. The man dropped, airless, the knife clattering away.
The second man was already upon him. Je-Hoon dropped low, a sweeping leg kick taking the man's feet out. As he fell, Je-Hoon was up, delivering a precise nerve strike to the neck with the edge of his hand. The man went limp.
The whole exchange took less than four seconds.
Silence. Then, thunderous applauseโa mix of shock, relief, and awe.
Je-Hoon straightened his jacket, barely out of breath. He looked at Soo-jae, who stood unmoved, a fierce pride in her eyes. He turned back to the microphone.
"As I was saying," he continued, his voice still perfectly calm, "the future belongs to those who can adapt with precision. Security, please remove theโฆ inefficiencies."
He finished his speech to a standing ovation. The narrative was sealed in that moment. He was not just a brilliant strategist. He was a protector. A king consort who could defend his queen's realm with his mind and his hands.
---
AFTERMATH: THE NEW CALCULUS
Later, in the limousine returning to the penthouse, the adrenaline faded into a profound quiet. Soo-jae stared out the window, then spoke without looking at him.
"You knew they would come."
"Marco calculated a 67% probability of a physical disruption attempt by Jincheon or internal rivals during a high-profile event. The gala was the highest probability target."
"You didn't tell me."
"I didn't want to alter your performance. And I had it contained."
She finally turned to him. In the passing streetlights, her face was a landscape of conflicted emotions. "You took down two armed men in four seconds. On live television. That's not 'containment.' That's a statement. You've just shown every enemy we have that you are not a weak point. You are our strongest weapon."
"That was the intention."
She shook her head, a small, wondering gesture. "The variable. It's at 14.9%. It spiked when you moved. When you stood between me and the threat. My models cannot reconcile the data. The logical parameters for a contractual alliance do not account forโฆ that."
"Maybe the parameters are wrong," he repeated their earlier exchange.
"Maybe," she whispered. She reached across the seat, her hand covering his. It was the first truly spontaneous, non-performative touch she had initiated. Her skin was warm. "The investigation Choi Min-woo ordered. They will find nothing, because there is nothing to find in any database. But they will become more desperate. More dangerous."
"Let them come," Je-Hoon said, his voice low. He turned his hand to interlace his fingers with hers. The gesture felt more intimate than their staged kiss at the wedding. "We're ready."
She didn't pull away. She held on, her grip firm. "The clause," she said. "It's no longer a statistical outlier. It's becoming a plausible scenario."
He met her gaze. In the dark of the car, the calculations fell away. There was only the weight of her hand in his, the shared scent of the evening's tension, and the undeniable, terrifying truth.
The contract was still in force.
But the foundation it was built on was shifting beneath them.
---
[End of Episode 15]
[Status: Public Authority Established. Physical Prowess Demonstrated. Internal/External Challenges Defeated.]
[Key Development: 'Sunset Clause' Probability: 14.9%. Physical intimacy initiated (hand-holding).]
[Next Episode: The Investigation]