The Beginning of the Parachute Legend (2)
No one can truly know a single mont ahead in life.
"They sent soone from headquarters to save our Next Planet. Now! This handso man here is Director Lee Hyunmin of the Reform Division! Co on, everyone, let's give a big, enthusiastic welco. Applause!"
The sound of hundreds of people clapping at once hurt my ears.
Just recently, I'd been an ordinary office worker—I never imagined I'd receive this kind of reception.
It was surreal to the point where I was losing my sense of reality.
A man in his mid-fifties, lips sticking out a little, gently patted my back with his palm.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask . Let's work well together."
That was Executive Vice President Kim Sangho of Next Planet. He gave a bright smile.
I wasn't the type to be suspicious or distrustful of people, but for so reason, his eagerness to treat well bothered .
It was an awkward situation.
Executive Vice President Kim Sangho was one of Deputy CEO Choi Younghoon's closest
associates.
Deputy CEO Choi Younghoon had once worked at the group's headquarters, Next Global, alongside the Chairman from the early days.
His reputation during his ti at Next Global was not great.
The Chairman had placed Choi Younghoon as the General PD of Developnt Departnt 3, providing him with a lot of support.
But Developnt Departnt 3 was famous for failing to deliver proper results.
Back then, General PD Choi replicated already successful gas in the market.
His assignnt as the Deputy CEO at the the park was essentially a demotion.
Frankly, even if he had been let go, no one would have objected, but it was thanks to old tis shared with the Chairman that he was given a spot.
No one else wanted to run the the park, anyway.
How did I know all this?
Thanks to Min Ji-na.
She must have been worried about being sent to the the park.
[Oppa, keep what I told you a secret, okay? These are things that'll be good to know in advance.]
That, too, was fascinating.
Everyone referred to Next Global as "headquarters," but in reality, the the park was set up as a separate, independent legal entity. The Chairman had bought out all its shares.
It wasn't even a subsidiary.
But how did Min Ji-na know internal information about the the park?
Ji-na... she's more capable than I thought. She's almost on par with the Chairman's inner circle.
That must be why he entrusted her with work related to the the park.
I should stay close to her from now on.
"So! How do you like it? Nice view, right? I put a lot of effort into setting up your office, director."
"Thank you. It's really great."
It wasn't just empty words.
Maybe Nonsan's land is cheap?
My office was quite large—much bigger than the studio apartnt I used to live in back in Seoul.
Potted plants brightened up the room, and with the huge windows, an open view of the outside spread out before .
Is this what a promotion feels like?
"I'll see you at the welco party later."
The EVP smiled kindly and left the room.
Having never risen above the level of team leader before, I was clueless about company factions or political maneuvering.
But just in terms of common sense, neither the EVP nor the Senior Executive Vice President could have a positive view of .
After all, I was an outsider brought in, much younger than both of them, and ca for the purpose of transforming the company.
Hence the division's na: the Reform Division.
Are those two genuinely kind people trying to look after ? Who knows...
But it wasn't a pressing issue. There was no need to be overly conscious right now.
It's not like I needed to engage in any power play right away—it would only exhaust .
Sitting in my newly provided seat, I felt a rush of emotion. This is my place from now on.
Where should I start? I had no clue yet.
I'd only experienced the the park as a ga. I'd never sat at such a high position, either.
First, let's check the internal office data. I logged onto the intranet.
"Wow..."
An exclamation slipped out without realizing.
It was a world a staffer could never have experienced.
I could view virtually everything besides the information sent directly to the Chairman: personnel data for all company staff, cash flow, budget allocations, and more.
So this is the power a high-ranking ID grants.
While searching the internal materials, I learned sothing.
In the center of the the park, they'd built a military base from the parent company's main IP, battle Fire.
They must have borrowed the idea from Disney's Magic Castle.
Whether a military base fits a the park for the whole family is a separate issue for now.
There were buildings like watchtowers at the base, and at the topmost floor of the watchtower, there was said to be a room only a select few could enter.
A secret room with a panoramic view of the park, apparently.
I realized I could enter it with my ID card.
If you love the the park, you can't pass that up.
I hurried over.
I gripped the secret room's doorknob.
My heart was pounding.
As I opened the door, a bright light greeted .
There was nothing especially unique inside the secret room.
You could step out onto the terrace and take in the park from all around.
I went out onto the terrace.
The breeze was chilly—it was early spring—but bearable if it ant I could gaze over the the park.
"Nice."
Even if there weren't many visitors, a the park was still a the park.
Riders on the roller coaster scread and cheered as they plunged down the tracks.
A little kid with cotton candy tumbled near the carousel.
Lovers, hands tightly held, whispered to each other as they entered the haunted house.
And a young couple, resting on a bench with their two children.
All these monts looked like tiny dots from up high—but their happiness seed to reach even , standing above them.
I snapped a photo and sent it to Min Ji-na.
[I want to fill the the park with scenes of happiness.]
That was the ssage I sent, along with my hope.
Just then, a parade began.
Characters from the parent company's gas had all co out, though there wasn't anything especially distinctive or attention-catching otherwise.
You see things differently from up here.
The timing and spacing for each character group's procession was perfect.
Each perford their roles with complete focus—a testant to their extensive practice.
I felt proud for no reason.
But that feeling didn't last.
Soon, I noticed things that made frown.
After the parade ended, the participants were supposed to go to a room at the east end to get changed.
But so people ca outside the building, removed only the head of their mascot costu, and smoked while chatting.
There were even people walking around the park still fully dressed in their character costus.
It was grating. Quite grating.
No—it actually made angry.
A the park is a place that instills dreams.
You can't shatter that illusion for visitors, especially kids.
At Disney, they're so strict that no two of the sa character are allowed to appear in the park at the sa ti, to preserve children's illusions.
So what are those people doing?
It made tilt my head.
Sothing didn't add up.
Usually, practicing extensively ans you're proud of your work. Do so many people act this poorly?
As I was thinking this, a ssage arrived.
[Kim Sangho: Where are you? We're moving to the welco party venue.]
It was the EVP.
I set my doubts aside and left the room.
The welco party was held at a nearby barbecue restaurant.
At Next Planet, there are three main divisions: Business Strategy Division, The Park Operations Division, and External Business Division.
With my arrival, a new division was added, but since no staff had been assigned, it barely counted as a division yet.
Attendees at the welco party included the EVP, the directors of each division, and all the team leaders under them.
Around twenty people had gathered for , which was... quite overwhelming.
The welco party proceeded normally. We grilled at and drank just enough soju.
Sitting beside , the EVP spoke up.
"You're not upset because the Deputy CEO didn't show up, are you?"
He smiled and raised his soju glass.
"He's got a lot to hash out with the local governnt, so he barely cos to the company at all."
"I see."
"The Deputy CEO's motto is faith and trust. For most things, he leaves them to us without even needing reports. He respects our decisions, so he's an easy boss to serve. Isn't that right?"
We probably had less than 500 visitors today.
Business is this poor, and the effective head of operations doesn't even show up to work.
It felt less like faith and trust and more like neglect.
It didn't make sense to , but I nodded anyway.
The welco party went into a second round. Without exception, everyone attended.
Did they usually get along this well?
Normally, there's tension when departnt or team heads et—there are always conflicts during assignnts or argunts over results.
But everyone seed so friendly.
Was it because EVP Kim Sangho was skilled in dealing with people?
I watched the EVP, whose face was flushed as he chatted with other team leaders. Then he suddenly spoke.
"Director Hyunmin, where did you go earlier?"
"Ah! I went to the room at the top of the watchtower."
"Ah... That view of the the park from up there is sothing special."
He then poured a drink for the team leader of the Event & Performance Team sitting across from him.
"Our Team Leader Cheol-jin goes up there often, too. You need to check the progress of the shows and parades."
Team Leader Kim Cheol-jin, refilling my glass, said,
"Our new director knows his stuff. Only division directors and I, and the facility managent team leader, can go up there. Whenever I'm having a tough ti, I run up there to heal. Next ti, let's go together."
Team Leader Kim Cheol-jin looked to be in his late thirties. He had a warm, friendly smile.
"Director Hyunmin and Team Leader Cheol-jin must be about five years apart? Here, you're both among the youngest, so treat each other as hyung and dongsaeng. I hope you'll both contribute to the park's developnt."
"Yes, I'll do my best."
"Great. Tell us—how did you feel spending your first day at our the park?"
I wasn't used to it.
The the park was so deep in debt that it wouldn't be surprising if the Chairman shuttered it tomorrow.
Yet no one here seed worried.
That confused .
The behavior of the parade staff, which I'd witnessed earlier—should I talk about it here?
Well, this was my welco party—no need to bring it up right now.
But the warm camaraderie here—my gut told it'd be a bad idea to ntion anything even at a eting.
The instant I brought it up, I'd beco the one who shatters this stable and cozy organization.
But rembering the anger I'd felt earlier, I couldn't hold back.
"There's a problem among the parade staff."
I explained what I'd seen from the secret room.
Imdiately, an awkward silence fell and sharp glances ca my way.
Team Leader Kim Cheol-jin, his smile gone, knocked back a shot of soju and spoke.
"Our new director is really zealous, huh? On your very first day... There's a reason for everything. If you push people too hard these days, they quit on the spot. Plus, you know—a lot of the parade staff are foreigners. If you try to boss them around Korean-style, it causes trouble. That's why we cut them so slack."
The sudden change in mood pressed heavily on . But if I was going to back down, I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place.
"What is the essence of a the park? A place that gives visitors an unforgettable day of wonder. That's all that matters most. But for the sake of easier managent, are we supposed to ignore that essence? I just don't get it."
At that mont, the EVP waved his hand.
"Oh dear! Director Hyunmin, I love your passion. For now, Team Leader Cheol-jin, please look after this. Do it for , okay?"
"Yes, sir. I'll pay extra attention. Salute, salute!"
"Alright, now that's settled—how about the three of us have a toast?"
As we clinked glasses, I watched their faces. Now that the uncomfortable topic had passed, their expressions brightened up again.
I see.
These two had no intention of listening to my opinion to begin with. The others probably felt the sa.
So that's why I felt a sense of alienation.
In a ga, if an employee wasn't to my liking, I could just fire them and hire a new one.
But in reality?
You'd have to find a replacent.
That was the first big hurdle.
If you fire soone, the resulting tension spreads to others. Even people who were working fine might leave.
While I had the authority to make personnel decisions, I didn't have the ability to run the the park without their help.
With no experience as a team leader, just a regular office worker, what could I do in this situation?
***
"My, my, what brings my nephew to call ?"
A smile broke across Jung Kyung-chul, chairman of Next Global's, face.
"You want to properly study managent? Well... that's a good decision. What position do you want? Just say the word."
Jung Kyung-chul had two sons, but never let them take part in the company's managent.
He believed they lacked the ability to run a ga company.
No matter the blood ties, if you lacked competence, you didn't participate—that decision was famous within the company.
"What? The the park? Why on earth!"
His brow furrowed imdiately.
He cared greatly for his nephew.
He thought his nephew had the qualities of a true executive, and wanted to give him much.
But with his managerial experience, he knew: sending his nephew to the the park now would leave him powerless.
"Not now. I already sent one parachute in. I do need soone to support him, but now would only bring chaos."
He tapped his finger on the desk.
"Let's see what that guy can do. If he fails, the the park is finished, anyway. My job now is to trust Hyunmin—trust that guy and wait."
As he hung up, he felt a pang of guilt.
Not to his nephew, but to Lee Hyunmin.
He could only imagine the hardships Hyunmin would face.
'It's still too much to face those grizzled old foxes in the organization. But this is the crisis he has to overco by himself. Only if he can show he's the real deal can there be a next step.'
He felt he should give at least a bit of advice.
He sent a ssage.
[Believe in yourself. And find people who believe in you.]
Suddenly, he felt proud.
'Hang in there...'
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