Affectionate Obsession - Chapter 31

“The foundation that allowed RM Group to grow into the conglomerate it is today was a gukbap restaurant. It was a place run by the late former Chairman Lee and Honorary Chairwoman Choi Sookhee. It became so popular through word-of-mouth, what you’d call a huge hit these days, and was even distributed commercially under the name ‘Grandma’s Gukbap’.”

“…….”

“Following the gukbap restaurant’s reputation, the products launched subsequently were also consecutive sell-outs, and the items released after that were also successful one after another. Chairwoman Choi Sookhee certainly had a knack for business.”

Yeonhee gazed at Junhyeok with eyes that shone brighter than ever before.

Until just a moment ago, it had been a story she had no interest in, but the three letters of Choi Sookhee’s name had captured her attention, and Junhyeok’s voice now resonated clearly in her ears.

“That’s how RM Food was created. RM Food is the business that became the foundation of the current RM Group. Perhaps because of that, RM Food is said to be the affiliate Chairwoman Choi Sookhee is most fond of.”

With every word Junhyeok explained, Yeonhee’s mind grew more complicated.

Choi Sookhee and RM Food.

The correlation between the two began to quickly solidify in her mind.

“But for an affiliate she’s so fond of, its operational status is a mess. Not only ‘Bonheur,’ which generates the largest sales, but the products distributed commercially seem to be tampering with food ingredients.”

Yeonhee’s brow furrowed slightly.

Tampering with food ingredients.

No matter how much RM Food had lost its competitiveness, there were still quite a few people who sought out brands released by RM Food.

For some frozen products, RM Food’s brand products were the first that came to mind, so their past reputation hadn’t completely faded.

Yet, to think that even the ingredients of products maintaining their facade were being distributed under false pretenses was beyond comprehension.

“With just a brief look today, this much has come to light. If I had more time, I suspect I could uncover even more. Well, even with just this material, it seems sufficient to make RM Food falter.”

Yeonhee looked at Junhyeok in silence.

She was in complete agreement with his words.

If they had committed wrongdoing, they deserved criticism regardless of its nature, but this was about tampering with food, something people eat.

It would be met with far harsher condemnation than any other kind of misconduct. Her heart pounded wildly just thinking about it.

“So, this material is about them deceiving on food ingredients?”

“Yes.”

Yeonhee stared blankly at the stack of papers in her hand.

Her heart had pounded when Junhyeok first told her it was documents related to ‘corruption,’ but now that she understood the content, her hands trembled.

As Junhyeok said, these were documents with enough impact to make a major corporation falter.

That immense weapon was now in her hands.

If it were up to her, she would have wanted to expose it without a second thought.

She wanted RM Food, the affiliate Choi Sookhee cherished most, to be stripped bare in the public eye and face fierce criticism.

If it could hurt Choi Sookhee, she would do it countless times. But the words to readily agree wouldn’t come out.

It was because of the connection between RM Food’s Bonheur and HN Department Store.

“What you showed me yesterday? You said that was also related to corruption within RM Group.”

Yeonhee added, as if on impulse. She had a sufficient grasp of the documents handed over today, but she lacked understanding of the ones received yesterday.

She felt she needed to know about those as well.

Just in case those documents were about Bonheur and HN Department Store.

“As I mentioned earlier, Bonheur is also present in our department store’s food court. It was something Representative Park, who exercised authority before I took office, actively pursued.”

“…….”

“He was quite a capable person, but instead of using his sharp mind for good, he was accustomed to using it for his own gain. That’s why he was fired.”

As expected, talk related to the department store flowed from Junhyeok’s lips.

Her chest already felt heavy, but Yeonhee quietly focused on Junhyeok’s words.

“There were so many wrongdoings he had committed that I had to take office as representative in a hurry, and I was incredibly busy for a while. Dealing with all those issues. That’s when I found out.”

“…….”

“That Bonheur and HN Department Store were connected by illicit funds.”

Yeonhee’s fingertips trembled slightly. Her already complicated mind raced even faster.

She had expected it, but hearing the direct phrase ‘illicit funds’ made her feel lost about how to use the documents in her hand.

Meanwhile, Junhyeok continued his explanation with an even calmer expression.

“As you know, the most important customers in a department store are the VIP customers, who make up less than 1% of the total clientele. People like me work on strategies to prevent those VIP customers from being poached by other department stores.”

“…….”

“Significant amounts of money were paid to Bonheur multiple times each month using the company’s corporate card. The stated reason was business entertainment, as it’s commonly called.”

From the start, the preface to whatever story he was about to tell felt significant.

Yeonhee forced herself to suppress a sigh.

This was a conversation she had initiated. Even with what she had heard so far, she was on the verge of overload, but she felt she had to hear it to the end.

“Entertainment is an indispensable aspect of business, and using a corporate card for that purpose seems fine on the surface. If the total amount spent at Bonheur each month hadn’t been in the hundreds of millions, there would have been no problem at all.”

“……Hundreds of millions?”

“The larger the amount paid to Bonheur, the better HN Department Store’s performance was that month, incomparably better than before. It meant VIPs were shopping extensively.”

A sigh, which she could no longer hold back, escaped Yeonhee’s lips. These were stories she had never imagined.

“Upon investigation, I found that the wife of RM Food’s CEO was included in that list of VIP customers. Of course, the amount paid that month was also among the top five largest expenditures by VIP customers.”

“Hah, what on earth is that…”

Yeonhee looked at Junhyeok with confused eyes. He seemed to understand her reaction and stretched his lips horizontally.

“In the end, Representative Park didn’t want to lose his position as CEO of HN Department Store. To achieve that, performance that proved his capability was essential, and for that, he chose embezzlement. From RM Food’s perspective, if a customer who usually shops once now shops twice, it generates hundreds of millions in sales, so it was a profitable venture.”

“…….”

“This isn’t confirmed yet, but I suspect RM Food’s CEO’s wife might be quite influential in social circles. Otherwise, the performance wouldn’t have been so good. It’s hard to attribute the increased sales to just one person.”

Yeonhee couldn’t suppress the throbbing headache and brought her hand to her temple.

She felt not just overloaded, but completely drained.

To summarize what she had heard so far: illicit funds flowed from HN Department Store to Bonheur, and in return, Bonheur influenced things so that VIPs could spend large sums.

“Hah.”

Yeonhee let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Working as an employee at the department store, she often saw people casually buying expensive luxury goods. They would stride through the department store’s luxury wing, buying bags and accessories that cost as much as their annual salary without a second thought.

It would be a lie to say she didn’t envy them.

She envied them. Even if she didn’t want to live as extravagantly as they did, she wished she could live without worrying about money.

But then, she realized that the people she saw then might not have been spending money merely for luxury or comfort.

Hah, what should I do?

It was becoming incredibly difficult to maintain her composure amidst her increasingly complex thoughts.

What was certain was that if she leaked this material to the press, it would deal a significant blow to Choi Sookhee and RM Food, but it would also impact HN Department Store, where Junhyeok had taken office as CEO.

A complex emotion, indescribable in words, washed over her.

She wanted revenge.

She wanted to show Choi Sookhee, defiantly, that she, who had been discarded, was living well, and that she, whom Choi Sookhee had deemed insignificant, could bring her down.

She wanted to make her feel that fact to her bones.

She could do it. This was enough to bring that person down, if not to the very bottom, then at least from the position she held now.

Yeonhee squeezed her eyes shut. Her head ached so much it was making her dizzy.

“Yeonhee.”

Just then, Junhyeok’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

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