Mercenary Black Mamba

"What are they talking about, Mu Ssang?"

Kim Mal Soon whispered. She understood the words but didn't understand the context.

"The rich are fighting each other for some big money."

"I didn't like your uncle or aunt but they had a son and were quite well off. How did they end up like that?"

"They are not humans but a pack of wolves. When the hunt is finished, humans share the meat. Wolves fight among themselves."

"I knew there would be a fallout!"

Kim Mal Soon clucked her tongue. Her brother-in-law and his wife were both very greedy. Jang Pil Nyuh bullied her because she couldn't have or steal her beauty. Kim Mal Soon made a mischievous face.

"Good. Do we have any other opinions?"

Bak In Bo's gaze swept across the audience and stopped when it found Mu Ssang.

"I do."

A shareholder wearing a traditional topcoat raised his hand high.

"Share it, Shareholder Gim Hak-haeng.

The old man stood and faced the Jangs.

"The company has been making a lot of profit under Bak In Bo's leadership. I got great dividends during his term. If he is ill, he could rest for some time. I cannot trust someone who doesn't have relevant experience. I object."

"I object too. He can rest in Jeju. My mother runs an inn there. He will have free room and board. Mr. Bak, go to the Gran's Inn in Daejeong-eup, run by Hyeon Sun-nyeo.

The request of the man in his 40s was a bit peculiar but they could still feel his pure intent.

"You should have bribed him!"

Jang Kyung Ju told off his eldest son.

"I did bribe his son. Now he sent his father as a proxy."

"These days, even small towners are not to be underestimated."

Jang Gi Su and Jang Sang Su sighed deeply. When they bribed the father, he sent his son to the meeting. When they bribed the son, he sent his father instead.

"He is seeking to resign. Why object to that?"

"Who schemes at a shareholder meeting?"

"Stop being stupid!"

"Get out!"

The Jangs clamored like a bunch of demons. The public shareholders began complaining.

"Who are you people?"

"Why are we kicking out Mr. Bak when he has been such a good leader?"

The Jangs and public shareholders started to point fingers at each other. Then they started swearing at each other.

"Mother, look at their shenanigans. That face there is the head of their family.

"I now understand why you brought me here."

Kim Mal Soon sighed deeply. She was glad that her son held power. Otherwise, they would have been victims of those lowly wolves.

"Be quiet!"

Bak In Bo used his gavel. The quarrel didn't cease. It was a common scene at shareholder meetings. Sometimes the quarrel between shareholders would develop into a fistfight then the police and paramedics would come to the scene as well.

"Be quiet!"

Someone roared from the back of the seats. His voice rumbled in the auditorium. The quarrel ceased at once. The shareholders strained their necks to see who was there. Dozens of pairs of eyes were concentrated on Mu Ssang. Bak In Bo smiled fleetingly.

"Speak, Mr. Bak Mussang."

Mu Ssang stood.

"Chairman Bak In Bo is resigning not because he was pressured to but out of his free will. I hope everyone understands this. I wholeheartedly support Chairman Bak's decision to leave the company to new hands. I call for the dismissal of all executives including Chairman Bak. As to candidates, I suggest Gim Gitaek, Kim Mal Soon, Bak Mussang, Jeong Ah Young, and Gim Pal-sul. I hope the current board of directors assumes responsibility for all the conflict and resigns at once."

The low baritone voice was clearly heard by the attendees. Jang Pil Nyuh looked up suddenly. The name "Kim Mal Soon" shook her awake. She only knew one Kim Mal Soon ever. The only Kim Mal Soon Mu Ssang would mention would be the same person. She glared at the classily dressed woman seated behind Mu Ssang.

"..."

Silence descended upon the auditorium. At his announcement, the public shareholders were busy figuring out his intent and the Jangs were dumbfounded.

"Who is babbling such nonsense?"

Jang Gi Su, shaking out of his surprise, roared.

"What is he talking about?"

"Who is Gim Gitaek?"

"Who is Kim Mal Soon?"

"Who is he?"

"Drag him out of here!"

There was a clamor. They didn't recognize the shareholder who just spoke but couldn't recognize the names he mentioned as candidates. To the Jangs, he was a madman. The Jangs stood and swarmed up to him. They were about to drag Mu Ssang out of the auditorium.

"Sit. If you don't, your legs will collapse and you will be disabled."

"Aargh!"

"Ouch!"

The voice roared in the auditorium and the young Jangs covered their knees with their hands and rolled. The Jangs, demoralized, looked at Jang Kyung Ju, the head of the family.

"Kim Mal Soon!"

Jang Pil Nyuh, as if hypnotized, muttered the name. For someone to be elected as an executive, they have to be present at the meeting. It was written in the rules too. But Kim Mal Soon was not here. It was a puzzling situation.

'Could she be her?'

She took out her glasses from her purse. She adjusted the lenses to get them in focus. The woman sitting elegantly in her seat could never be Kim Mal Soon. She had covered half of her face with the hat and sunglasses but Jang Pil Nyuh could tell that she was in her early 30s. Her lips were taut, her teeth white, and her jawline was slender. There was not a single wrinkle on her neck. That woman couldn't possibly be Kim Mal Soon.

'Is she Bak In Bo's friend?'

Jang glared at Bak In Bo with eyes full of hatred. His gaze was fixated upon the woman too. Judging from his face, he didn't know her either. That meant the woman was a total wild card. Jang's head filled with agony.

"Why is he here? He's not a shareholder. Drag him out of here!"

Jang Hak-su yelled and pointed at Mu Ssang.

"Who is he, Mu Ssang?"

"A distant cousin of Jang Pil Nyuh."

"I don't like the way he points his finger at you."

"I can break it."

Mu Ssang grinned.

"You should."

Kim Mal Soon grinned too, thinking Mu Ssang was joking. At that moment, something surprising happened. The sound like a dry twig breaking resounded in the space.

"Aargh!"

Jang Hak-su grabbed his finger and frantically turned in space. An employee hurriedly brought him out of the auditorium. Mu Ssang grinned back at his mother. Kim Mal Soon was chilled. She had forgotten that her son had supernatural powers. She felt sorry for the injured man but also felt protected. She had felt this way when her husband was alive and protecting her. It was such a familiar yet forgotten feeling. Still, it seemed like unnecessary violence.

The general director felt sweat forming on his back out of anxiety. He was a krill caught in a fight of whales. Jang Pil Nyuh was someone who would slap her secretary for not getting the temperature of her coffee right. Jang Gi Su fired employees routinely. He thought about his daughter who was still in college, then about his son who was studying for the college exam for another year. He thoughts about all the digits in the amount he borrowed from the bank. This was the fate of the employed party. They had to cower even though they didn't do anything wrong.

Bak In Bo used his gavel.

"Please be quiet. I think an explanation is due."

The moment came. The general director clenched his eyes shut and answered.

"Mr. Bak Mussang is the biggest shareholder with 223,214 shares, 44 percent of the total shares issued."

"What? He is?"

Jang Pil Nyuh's face paled. Forty-four percent? He couldn't have procured that amount without inheriting Bak In Bo's shares. She didn't expect her husband to bequeath his shares, not to their children but to a nephew. This was a betrayal. She didn't even register the fact that she had betrayed him first with her family.

"What are they talking about, Gi Su? Who's that?"

Jang Kyung Ju looked back at his eldest son and yelled. Jang Gi Su stood and pointed at Bak In Bo.

"Brother, did you give your shares to that rat?"

"Mr. Jang Gi Su, this is a public shareholder meeting. Please refrain from such language."

"I'm sorry. Did you sell your shares to Bak Mussang?"

Jang Gi Su asked through clenched teeth.

"I did. I handed over all of my shares to Mr. Bak Mussang. The transaction took place after the list of shareholders was discarded. So he now has my voting right too."

"Ugh!"

Jang Gi Su felt disheartened by the dry, terse response. The transaction didn't have any flaws legally.

"Things seemed too calm. I knew it."

Jang Kyung Ju leaned back against his chair, resigned. The uneasiness he felt manifested as this. They still had to count the votes but he still felt like they were caught off-guard.

"I don't believe it. I request verification."

Jang Gi Su yelled.

"I concur. I declare a pause for the verification to take place."

Bak In Bo smiled. He had postponed the handover to not give the Jangs time to react. He wanted to strike them square.

"What's happening?"

Jang Gi Su's eyes darkened. The document was flawless: the contract, the proof of delegation of the voting right, and the transactional receipts. Bak Mussang didn't only soak up his brother-in-law's shares but also Min Mu-sik's. All the papers were there.

"I concur. I call for a vote."

Jang Gi Su still felt confident. The ambush shook him up but the result would prove to be the same.

"Mr. Jang Gi Su asked for a vote. Do we have any objections?"

Bak In Bo accepted coolly.

"No."

The shareholders said in unison. This matter could only be settled by a vote. The preliminary discussion was merely a legal formality.

"Here are the proposed bills. Mr. Jang Gi Su proposed the dismissal of the chairman Bak In-bo and CFO Gim Pal-sul, the renewal of the terms of Jang Pil Nyuh, Jang Gi Su, Jang Kyung Ju, the appointment of Jang Sang Su to the board of directors. Mr. Bak Mussang suggested the dismissal of the entire board and the appointment of Gim Gitaek, Kim Mal Soon, Bak Mussang, Jeong Ah Young, and Gim Pal-sul. Now we will proceed to vote on the proposed matter."

The employees moved at once at the sound of the gavel. A large backboard was installed and covered with a great piece of paper. The result of the vote had to be written there for the record.

"To banish any misunderstanding, the votes won't be anonymous. Do you agree?"

"We do."

"Great. The voters should now sign their names on the bills they agree with. First, the ones who support Jang Gi Su's bill should sign."

The scene was reminiscent of a class president election in school. When a shareholder wrote their name onto the paper with a black marker, the employee wrote the number of shares the shareholder had next to their name. Whenever such a thing happened, there was a round of exclamation and sighs.

[First: Jang Gi Su's bill]

Dismissal: Chairman Bak In No, Director Gim Pal-sul

Renewal of Term: Director Jang Pil Nyuh, Director Jang Gi Su, Director Jang Kyung Ju

Appointment: Jang Sang Su

Jang Pil Nyuh: 57,857 shares

Jang Gi Su: 95,271 shares

Jang Gi Su: 16,000 shares (delegated)

Jang Gi Su: 3,150 shares (delegated)

Jang Gi Su: 2,000 shares (delegated)

Jang Gi-su: 20,000 shares (delegated)

Jang Sang Su: 18,000 shares

Jang Kyung Ju: 300 shares

Jang Kyeong Mo: 17,857 shares

...

Total: 245,785 shares (48.56 percent of the shares present)

"Do we have more?"

"..."

"The Jangs rigged it! This is pointless."

Complaints were heard from the public shareholders' seats.

"Then we will conclude the count."

With the sound of the gavel, the vote count concluded.

"What happened to Kyung Tek and Kyung Nam?"

Jang Kyung Ju yelled.

"..."

No one answered him.

"Why are you all mute?"

Jang Kyung Ju yelled again but the Jangs said nothing with their mouths agape in awe.

"Order, please! Next, the ones who agree with Mr. Bak Mussang's will sign their names."

Mu Ssang strode to the board. Silence descended upon the audience. Dozens of pairs of eyes were fixated upon Mu Ssang. It was inevitable. This was a fight between the Baks and the Jangs. Bak In Bo and Gim Gitaek signed and the employee marked the number of their shares.

[Second: Bak Mussang's Bill]

Dismissal of the entire board

Appointment: Bak Mussang, Gim Gitaek, Kim Mal Soon, Gim Pal-sul, and Jeong Ah Young

Bak Mussang: 208,000 shares (delegated)

Bak Mussang: 15,214 shares (delegated)

Bak In Bo: 16,000 shares (delegated)

Bak In Bo: 1,000 shares (delegated)

Bak In Bo: 300 shares (delegated)

Bak In Bo: 200 shares (delegated)

Bak In Bo: 300 shares (delegated)

Gim Gitaek: 10,000 shares (delegated)

Gim Gitaek: 7,857 shares (delegated)

...

Total: 260,357 shares (51.44 percent of the shares present)

The count was concluded. There was no need to name the delegators. Bak In Bo and Mu Ssang hid them intentionally. The auditorium was dead silent. Bak In Bo held the gavel and absentmindedly stared at the counting board.

"I knew it!"

Bak In Bo muttered. He felt a multitude of emotions at once. He had calculated the very same number many times as if counting the wins on a go board. The relief of everything concluding washed over him, making him dizzy.