Chapter 14
First Day at Work (2)
“See? I told you he’d make it.”
As Chairman Kang approached, someone laughed and casually threw out the remark.
Four men, two women, and Chairman Kang.
There were seven new hires in total this year.
Since all of them had worked as interns in the Sales Division, they seemed fairly close.
Yet none of them could take their eyes off Chairman Kang as he appeared.
It wasn’t because the biggest fool among them had somehow passed.
It was because of the coat he was wearing.
A truly luxurious item looked different even when the brand wasn’t visible.
A wool coat shouldn’t shine, yet his seemed to gleam almost like velvet. Its perfectly tailored silhouette fell neatly to his knees, making Chairman Kang look like a professional model.
Compared to the other new hires wearing mid-range outlet-store coats and padded jackets, he looked completely different.
The contrast was so stark that everyone felt a strange sense of discomfort.
Just then, an HR employee approached.
“You’re the new hires, right? Everyone, please follow me.”
***
Following the HR employee into a small conference room, they found seven small cardboard boxes filled with office supplies placed on the table.
“You see your names on the boxes, right? Those boxes contain all the ammunition you’ll need. There are business cards and employee IDs inside. Let’s put on the IDs first.”
Everyone immediately began searching for their boxes and checking the department printed on their ID cards.
While they compared assignments with each other, Chairman Kang simply stared blankly at his own.
Choi Sung Trading Executive Office.
Employee Hwang Jun-hyun.
The Executive Office?
I’m President Choi’s errand boy?
What kind of nonsense is this...?
At that moment, another new hire happened to glimpse his ID card and froze.
He wasn’t entirely sure, but he had heard that employees assigned to the CEO’s Executive Office were usually assistant managers or higher.
Departments typically competed to send their most capable assistant managers there.
He had never heard of a brand-new employee being assigned directly.
He had guessed that the dim-witted guy must have connections.
But the connection being the company president himself?
Everyone stared in shock.
The HR employee continued.
“This year’s placements are five in Sales Headquarters, one in Support Headquarters, and, unusually, one in the Executive Office.”
Even HR acknowledged how unusual it was.
While everyone looked at Chairman Kang with envy, believing he had some powerful backing, the HR employee concluded:
“You may now report to your assigned departments, introduce yourselves to your supervisors, and begin work. Do your best, and good luck.”
***
Chairman Kang checked his business card.
The Executive Office was on the 30th floor, where President Choi’s office was located.
Surely they weren’t planning to promote him straight to the 36th floor?
Leaving the conference room, he headed for the 30th floor.
Following the sign that read Executive Office of the CEO, he entered and found a man buried in front of a monitor.
The employee glanced up and stood.
Anyone carrying a cardboard box and looking around uncertainly was obviously a new hire.
“Congratulations on joining the company. I’m Manager Oh Tae-ho.”
“Hwang Jun-hyun.”
“I heard you’re a pretty strange guy. Do you admit it?”
“Huh?”
What kind of question was that to ask someone you just met?
“President Choi said so. He told me to keep an eye on you because you’re weird. I’m curious how strange someone has to be for the president himself to take an interest.”
Come to think of it, it really was strange.
A mind inhabiting someone else’s body.
It was a common movie premise, but that was precisely because it was so strange.
It couldn’t happen in reality.
“If that’s the case, then the president who assigned a strange guy to the Executive Office is just as strange. Let’s leave it at that.”
Chairman Kang casually dropped his box onto an empty desk and sat down.
Only then did Manager Oh realize that a truly odd individual had arrived.
The two female employees in the Executive Office needed less than a day to conclude that he wasn’t merely strange.
He was completely insane.
***
“Mr. Hwang Jun-hyun, when the president receives guests, we handle the tea service. But whenever the Executive Office prepares drinks for internal meetings or outside visitors, that responsibility is now yours. Understood?”
For the first time, the two women had someone beneath them.
One had recently been promoted to assistant manager.
The other was a regular employee.
Whenever the Executive Office expanded, it usually received senior assistant managers or managers.
No matter who joined, they were always senior.
Now, for the first time, an ordinary employee—and a rookie at that—had arrived.
It felt as though they had finally gained a private.
But the new recruit was far beyond anything they had imagined.
“I can’t do it. Coffee errands and stuff.”
They thought they had heard wrong.
The fact that he outright refused was so shocking that they didn’t even notice he had spoken informally.
“What?”
“Did you just say you can’t?”
“I know how to drink coffee and tea. I’ve never made them in my life. You’re asking me to do something I’ve never done before, so I’m saying I can’t.”
The women misunderstood.
“Who makes coffee by hand these days? The machine does it. The break room has capsule coffee and an espresso machine. It’s easy.”
“Machine or no machine, I can’t do it. So stop thinking about assigning that kind of work to me. The two of you can keep handling it yourselves.”
What kind of lunatic is this?
That expression appeared simultaneously on both women’s faces.
***
Chairman Kang already knew how difficult it was for people to coexist.
Especially when there was a huge gap in environment and status.
Sometimes it wasn’t merely difficult—it was impossible.
And Chairman Kang knew how to bridge that gap.
“Then let’s do this. Consider me to have already prepared a few hundred cups of coffee in advance. How’s that?”
“What are you even talking about? Prepared them in advance?”
The women had become irritated enough to start speaking casually as well.
“Come with me. You won’t lose anything.”
Curiosity got the better of them.
They followed behind the rookie carrying his backpack.
Chairman Kang stopped in front of the Starbucks on the first floor lobby.
“Just in case, do either of you dislike Starbucks? Prefer another café?”
The question was sudden, but both women shook their heads.
“Then Starbucks it is.”
He walked inside and approached the counter.
“You have prepaid cards, right?”
“Yes, sir. They range from 5,000 won to 500,000 won.”
“Huh? Nothing higher? Like one million won?”
“I’m sorry, sir. Five hundred thousand is the maximum.”
“Okay. Then give me ten of the 500,000-won cards.”
“Pardon? Ten cards?”
“Yep.”
“One moment, sir.”
Chairman Kang pulled out a bundle of fifty-thousand-won bills and placed it on the counter.
The expressions of the two women changed instantly.
The arrogant lunatic was rich.
Very rich.
After receiving the ten prepaid cards, Chairman Kang handed them to the assistant manager.
“These are for personal use. We’ll use the corporate card for guests. If they run out, let me know. This is replacing the coffee duties I’m supposed to handle, so cut me some slack. Fair?”
The Starbucks cards were already in their hands.
To Chairman Kang, that settled the matter.
He turned around and walked away.
As he headed back toward the elevator, he suddenly stopped.
He knew Starbucks well enough.
But how did he know Starbucks sold prepaid cards?
He had never once visited a Starbucks himself.
Nor had he ever used a prepaid card.
Executive Director Lee Sang-jae of the Group Strategy Headquarters was halfway through devouring kimchi stew when he suddenly stopped eating.
The information being relayed by Department Manager Oh Sang-tae from Choi Sung Trading’s Chemical Team was simply too bizarre.
“Seriously? They still haven’t fired that guy?”
“No. He’s a full employee now.”
“Why not fire an intern? After the stunt he pulled?”
“I don’t know the exact reason either. But apparently they thought firing him over what could be viewed as a simple accident might create an image problem, so they decided to keep him around longer before letting him go.”
Reasonable enough.
Avoiding the appearance of throwing someone out for merely bumping into someone made sense.
“Then why did you want to see me? That alone isn’t exactly...”
“Executive Director, do you know where that intern was assigned?”
“Where?”
“The CEO’s Executive Office.”
A new employee in the Executive Office?
And one who was lucky not to be expelled after causing such a huge incident?
But the next piece of information was even more shocking.
“Do you know what he said during the final presentation?”
Lee Sang-jae set down his spoon with a sharp clack.
“Just tell me.”
“Yes, sir. The guy specifically named four intermediary companies managed by the Chairman and claimed that cutting ties with them alone would generate tens of billions of won in additional annual profit. That was his presentation.”
Lee Sang-jae knew exactly what “companies managed by the Chairman” meant.
His face stiffened.
How could an intern know that?
How?
Unaware that President Choi had been asking the exact same question, Lee Sang-jae became suspicious of President Choi’s intentions.
“I normally wouldn’t bother reporting something like this, Executive Director. But this is just too strange.”
Department Manager Oh carefully watched his reaction.
He couldn’t even remember when Lee Sang-jae had first approached him.
Or perhaps he himself had approached Lee Sang-jae first, hoping to curry favor.
Either way, one thing was certain.
Lee Sang-jae was terrifying.
How many informants had he planted throughout the group?
Every subsidiary.
Nearly every department.
Then again, if someone could secure the favor of a power player like Lee Sang-jae, most people would gladly become an informant.
Finally, Lee Sang-jae spoke.
“Everything you told me is accurate?”
“Yes. He started work today.”
“I understand. Finish your lunch.”
The moment he finished speaking, Lee Sang-jae bolted from the cafeteria like lightning.
***
Chairman Kang had been idly flipping through materials that Manager Oh had tossed onto his desk.
When the office door suddenly burst open, he nearly jumped.
Then a wave of joy washed over him.
So overwhelming that he nearly cried.
A man more reliable than his own son.
Closer than his wife.
A comrade.
Sometimes even a friend—the only person to whom he had ever revealed his true thoughts.
Executive Director Lee Sang-jae.
But Lee Sang-jae didn’t spare him even a glance.
“Executive Director? What brings you here?”
Manager Oh jumped to his feet.
“Is the president in?”
“Yes.”
“Alone? May I go in for a moment?”
“One moment.”
After Manager Oh knocked and entered the office, Lee Sang-jae followed.
“Oh? Director Lee. What brings you here?”
“Do you have a moment?”
“Come in. It’s fine.”
Lee Sang-jae sat down on the sofa and steadied his breathing.
“Did something happen? You seem in a hurry.”
“My apologies, but I’ll get straight to the point. I heard you personally took interest in a new employee. May I ask why?”
President Choi was slightly surprised but showed nothing.
“That was quick. Just how many straws have you stuck into my people?”
“A lot. Gathering information is part of my job.”
President Choi had always liked Lee Sang-jae’s straightforward attitude.
People viewed him as the Chairman’s right-hand man and mastermind—a scheming manipulator.
But he wasn’t like that at all.
He was honest, direct, and efficient.
Because of that, he never left loose ends.
“Does it seem strange? Putting the guy who crashed into the Chairman right beside me?”
“I heard he isn’t particularly talented. That’s not what’s strange.”
“Then what is?”
“The fact that an intern somehow knew information that should only be known internally—and publicly revealed it. That’s what’s strange.”
“What? You think I’m pulling some trick?”
President Choi’s eyes sharpened like a predator stalking prey.
“You think I’m trying to cut off the money flowing to the Chairman’s family?”