Making Team Leader Park Seok-min (2)
Thank you.
The fact that Deputy Park Seok-min worries about —
He thinks of others. He works harder than anyone for his own ideals. He has good friends around him.
If soone like Park Seok-min were with , it would truly be a great strength.
When I returned to the office and spoke to Choi Hyena about Deputy Park Seok-min, her face lit up brighter than an LED lamp.
"Division director, you look amazing right now."
I tilted my head in confusion.
"What do you an by that?"
"That burning ambition boiling over to recruit talent. You're transforming more and more into the image of a conqueror who will rule over Next Planet. You're becoming more regal. Just like Cao Cao."
"Ambition, you say... And that damned Cao Cao."
I shook my head and continued.
"I do feel uneasy about having already set everything up before approaching Deputy Park Seok-min. I didn't deceive him, but it feels like I did?"
Promoting Deputy Park Seok-min to team leader would an ousting the current team leader of the Event & Performance Team.
I had already finished all the preparations for that. Since various signs of his misconduct had been detected, the Legal Audit Team had no choice but to act.
"Hey! It's fine. It's right there in The Prince. The ends justify the ans. Division director, you did it for the greater good of saving Next Planet, so it's fine. No, no, you should even be encouraged to do it."
Choi Hyena started to run wild. She rambled on for a long ti about Machiavellianism from The Prince.
Why was I the only one in the office today? I really needed soone else to listen to those words in my place.
"I strongly insist that you, division director, need to beco even more ruthless!"
That's really not it...
Choi Hyena is usually cool-headed and smart, but once she goes off, you can't talk to her.
The only way to stop her mouth is to throw her a bait that can distract her.
"The vice CEO or executive vice president's side may attack us to protect the Event & Performance Team's team leader."
"Oh! That's right. They'll probably attack us again, saying we're trying to cut people. I'll prepare the data in advance about that case."
She really has a knack for her work.
"Besides that, organize your working hours and performance records, Hyena-nim."
"What? All of a sudden?"
"There's bound to be attacks from that side too."
Choi Hyena looked as if she really couldn't understand.
Well, she's still inexperienced.
But I've seen it countless tis at my forr company—when the words favoritism and romantic relationship are used.
Choi Hyena is my greatest weapon. At the sa ti, also my weakness. If it were , I'd attack her too.
***
"Damn it."
Event & Performance Team team leader, Kim Cheol-jin. As soon as he checked the email, he cursed.
The email was simple but resolute:
You violated company regulations. Appear before the Legal Audit Team and explain yourself.
He absentmindedly bit his thumbnail.
In the past, he wouldn't have been rattled by an email like this. Why? He had the executive vice president backing him. And ultimately, the actual controller of the company, the vice CEO, was behind him.
'Lee Hyunmin, this bastard really knows how to piss people off.'
He already knew.
That the things he'd done often ended up being reported to the Legal Audit Team. Soone must have snitched.
But usually, he only got an informal warning to keep it in moderation and it ended there.
Why? The reason is simple.
The company usually doesn't want to expose personal misdeeds too thoroughly. It's a question of efficiency.
It's the sa with taxes. If the cost of collection exceeds the actual amount collected, they give up.
There were reports of Kim Cheol-jin's misdeeds at the Legal Audit Team, but, taken individually, his actions weren't big or impactful enough to matter.
So, when you add up the cost of firing a team leader and the burden of fighting the vice CEO–executive vice president line behind him, the Legal Audit Team concluded it wasn't worth digging deeper.
'This is insane. When did they collect all this?'
But this ti, it was different.
Several acts of misconduct were exposed at once, with concrete circumstances and evidence attached.
Kim Cheol-jin realized instantly.
'This is really the end for .'
He contacted his friend, business Strategy Team leader Lee Siwon, asking for help. Then he dashed straight to Executive Vice President Kim Sangho.
There, he knelt down before him.
"Executive vice president, please help just this once. Haven't I always been loyal to you?"
Lee Siwon spoke up beside him.
"Executive vice president, please help Cheol-jin out. He didn't even do anything that big. I'll talk to uncle too."
Lee Siwon's uncle is Vice CEO Choi Younghoon.
Perhaps out of frustration, Executive Vice President Kim Sangho loosened his tie and threw it on the floor.
"What do you an nothing big? Are you kidding? If you're going to get dirty, do it in moderation. How am I supposed to cover this up? Do you think Lee Hyunmin is still a pushover? His influence in-house is growing by the day."
Lee Siwon awkwardly scratched his head and spoke.
"Wouldn't it actually be better to attack Lee Hyunmin over this, though? Public opinion in Nonsan is already bad because of the firings. Especially for stuff like this. Oh, and then there's Choi Hyena. Lee Hyunmin totally gave her special treatnt. When she was on our team, there were major issues with her personnel assessnts."
Executive Vice President Kim Sangho suppressed his anger as much as he could and started calculating calmly.
Kim Cheol-jin began to plead.
"Executive vice president, I'll work even harder to help you from now on. Whatever you ask, I'll do it. Please, I beg you."
"If we use Choi Hyena, there might be a way. Yeah, and with the other things as well. Haaa... I'll see what I can do."
***
"Hello, executive vice president. You must be busy, what brings you to the Reform Division?"
I greeted Executive Vice President Kim Sangho with as pleasant a smile as possible.
I nudged Choi Hyena with my elbow.
I spoke with my face:
Smile.
As soon as she saw Kim Sangho, Choi Hyena made a face as if she'd just spotted a cockroach in the room. I know she hates him, but still, if you want to do big things, you must be able to hide your feelings.
The executive vice president asked to clear the room. So I entered my private office with him.
"Division director, I ca all the way here to ask for a favor."
"You're even asking for favors now?"
"We're all one family at Next Planet, after all."
Family, huh.
Seems his definition of family is a little different from mine.
"Yes, please speak freely, as we're family."
"Can you overlook Kim Cheol-jin's case with your broad generosity? I'll make it up to you later."
He spoke in a gentle tone, not giving off even a whiff of authority. He'd always had a soft way of speaking, but now he seed particularly gentle. Was it because he was trying to win over?
I tapped the table with my finger as I spoke.
"Recompense, huh... Do I really need it? Usually, those kinds of deals never end well."
"You're trying a lot of new things as division director. But there must be many things you can't accomplish because of manpower, right? To now on, I'll fully support your projects."
"You said we're family. Among family, support is a given. And the things I do are not for my own gain, but to save Next Planet."
"That's true, but..."
Wrinkles ford on his forehead. Apparently, he wasn't pleased.
"Division director, the vice CEO and I will make sure you're well looked after."
"What exactly does that an?"
"You know what I'm getting at. Even division directors are salaried employees, after all. How much could you possibly earn? And executive jobs are even more unstable—you must feel uneasy."
"Yes, I could be fired at any ti next year."
"Exactly. You're still young, so the anxiety must be worse. You really should make sure you get so compensation for that anxiety in advance."
"What exactly do you an?"
"We'll fill in the parts the chairman fails to take into account."
Executive Vice President Kim Sangho held up all ten fingers.
"In five years, the vice CEO and I can provide at least this much for you. As you probably already know, we'll prepare it so there's no risk to you. And we'll adjust the categories so you can also cover various items on the corporate card as expenses. Enjoy all the perks."
He wore the look of an enlightened sage.
Ten fingers must an one billion won per finger—ten billion in total?
That ans at least two billion a year on top of my salary and bonuses, plus other benefits.
Honestly, it's tempting. I'm only human, after all.
It's the kind of offer you could never get as an ordinary office worker. Coming here has given truly unique experiences.
The problem is, this offer is not from the light side, but the dark side. Even in gas, I never choose the dark side.
"Do you think I'll accept an offer that would expand Next Planet's deficit, when I'm already sacrificing my sleep and patience to cut the deficit?"
"I an, since you're working so hard, you should be compensated."
"Compensation, huh... We usually call that corruption."
"Try to think of it as a just reward. Young people are so earnest these days."
"Once mold takes root, a place is quickly overrun. Why? They think, 'There's a lot to eat here. Looks like it's okay for to help myself too.' That kind of thinking invites everyone to jump in."
"What are you saying...?"
"I'm going to wipe out all the mold dirtying Next Planet."
Did I raise my voice?
Executive Vice President Kim looked flustered. But, as a seasoned veteran, he soon regained his composure.
"Do you really have to be so extre?"
"I don't understand why doing the right thing is considered extre."
"If you keep this up, this will be ruin for us. There will never be reconciliation. Naturally, the vice CEO will start acting openly as well."
"Are you threatening —as family?"
Kim Sangho montarily seed at a loss for words and finished off his empty cup of tea.
He sighed. His gaze grew unexpectedly sharp.
"Haaa... I wanted to resolve this amicably, but I'm telling you this because I still wish to work with you, director Lee Hyunmin."
"I'm listening."
"The vice CEO will start stirring up public opinion that the Reform Division is only interested in firing people. What will you do if that happens?"
"You must have seen how I handled the cafeteria case. When it cos to personnel cuts, I always act with contingency plans in place. The docuntation is ready, so you don't need to worry."
I could see Kim Sangho biting his lip.
"The budget for the Reform Division has been rising steadily. Lately, you've spent quite a bit on things like building a photospot and producing videos. You talk about reducing the deficit, but your actions don't match your words, do they?"
"Didn't you see visitor numbers increasing? It's not just revenue—we've even reduced the level of deficit. If that's the case, is our spending a cost, or investnt?"
"Haaa... Choi Hyena. That's blatant favoritism. You promoted her so openly. This is what we call unfairness."
"My definition of unfairness seems a bit different, but go on."
"Staff morale at Next Planet is at rock bottom because of Choi Hyena alone."
"To what I know, morale was always at rock bottom..."
"Other employees get promoted and get raises according to rank, no matter how hard they work. But so person gets a preferential deal just for catching the eye of soone above. Naturally, people are resentful. This could be misunderstood as a romantic relationship issue."
As expected, he brought up Choi Hyena. That's fine. It's all within my expectations.
And this business about romantic relationships.
In conglorates, the most common way to get rid of a male executive is an alleged romantic involvent. The concept or bounds are ambiguous, and it packs a huge blow to one's reputation, so it's quite effective.
"I would appreciate it if you raised the issue publicly."
Kim Sangho flinched in surprise at my confident attitude.
"It'll be a great chance to show in numbers just how much manager Choi Hyena has dedicated and contributed to the company. I've been wanting to brag about her to everyone. Please take care of it."
Truly, I ant it. Actually, I'd planned to keep quiet on this and then counterattack at just the right mont. That would be more effective.
But as soon as the discussion about Choi Hyena's "special treatnt" hits the public in earnest, she'll inevitably suffer a psychological blow.
Especially if she's summoned by the Legal Audit Team on accusations of having seduced physically, she'll be in pain, and I don't want to see her like that.
That's why I want this matter resolved here and now.
If I respond this confidently, Kim Sangho will avoid making it public.
With nothing else to say, Kim Sangho got up.
He looked at for a mont, and then pointed a finger at .
"You can't go through life with no flexibility."
In the past, I probably would have just said "yes" and ended things here because it was all too troubleso anyway.
Am I becoming more like Choi Hyena by spending so much ti with her?
"Executive vice president, you really shouldn't eat spoiled food. At your age, a stomachache isn't just embarrassing—it might an you never get back to your seat at all."
I suppose that's softer than Choi Hyena would put it. At least I didn't say I'd cut his head off.
Or is it the sa thing—saying he'll never get back in his seat as saying I'll cut off his head?
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