Chapter 20
A Father Cleans Up His Son’s Mess (2)
“Lee Sangjae...”
President Choi looked back at Manager Oh.
“But why are you trying to hold onto this? This seems like the perfect opportunity to wash our hands of it. Let the politicians fight over whether it belongs in Incheon or Donghae. What does that have to do with us?”
“Because it’s a business opportunity. If it moves to Donghae, it’s a project worth over 600 billion won. If our role is clearly defined, we can make at least 10 billion won from it. More if operating rights are included.”
The answer was so obvious that President Choi found himself speechless.
“Of course, I don’t want to proceed with this project while being dragged around by Construction. That’s why I originally wanted out. But circumstances may be changing. We might be able to carry the flag ourselves.”
Finally, President Choi had something to say.
“You realize both you and I are acting very strangely right now, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“If we stick to the facts, a new employee skipped work for a day, came back, and started talking nonsense. Yet you’re excited, and I’m worried. Embarrassing as it is, that’s the reality. What do you think?”
This time, Manager Oh was the one left speechless.
Yet deep down, he couldn’t completely dismiss the new employee’s words.
He didn’t know why, but the newcomer’s relaxed confidence always inspired trust.
“Bring him in.”
“Sir?”
“Bring that guy here.”
“Ah, yes.”
***
Dragged into the office by Manager Oh, the new employee didn’t look nervous at all.
If anything, he looked like he was suppressing a smile.
“Sit.”
The newcomer dropped onto the sofa and even took the time to casually look around the office.
Look at this guy.
Chairman Kang liked the Trading president’s office.
Unlike other presidents, Choi wasn’t particularly materialistic.
At times, it almost seemed like he was excessively cautious.
Aside from his salary and incentives, he never used company money for personal purposes.
Even the furniture in the office had been inherited from the previous president.
He was the perfect example of a corporate employee who wanted to survive by keeping a low profile and staying employed for a long time.
“Why did you suddenly run off to Gangwon Province?”
“Huh? Ah... Manager Oh wanted two versions of the report. One explaining why Trading should withdraw. One explaining why we should participate.”
“And?”
“Business projects are risky enough even when you proceed carefully. A project as awkward as this one seemed best avoided altogether. While thinking of reasons to withdraw, I decided the ideal scenario would be for the project to collapse because of external factors.”
“And your solution was to run off to Gangwon and meet the governor? Is that something a normal person would think of?”
“Maybe I’m not normal.”
“What?”
A new employee shamelessly saying something like that in front of the company president.
Both President Choi and Manager Oh stared at him in disbelief.
“Local elections are coming up, aren’t they? And when people think of coal, they think of Gangwon, not Incheon. If the project moves to Gangwon, it becomes a political issue and may end up restarting from scratch.”
“You never considered that the governor might refuse to meet you?”
“I happen to carry a business card from the Choi Sung Trading President’s Secretariat. It carries a little more weight than an ordinary employee’s business card. People assume whatever comes out of my mouth reflects the president’s thoughts.”
“So you sold me out?”
“I sold Choi Sung Trading. If this project could be started under our leadership, wouldn’t you do it?”
“I haven’t decided that.”
Chairman Kang calmly met President Choi’s gaze.
So what?
All he cared about was preventing his son from becoming someone else’s puppet.
If the Incheon project collapsed and moved to Gangwon, that alone would be a blow against ST.
A chairman could afford to be indifferent about a project worth hundreds of billions.
A salaried subsidiary president could not.
If it could be done, he would absolutely want to do it.
For the first time, President Choi felt burdened by the silent stare of a new employee.
This guy spoke with his eyes instead of his tongue.
You’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you?
Trying to shake off the strange feeling, President Choi spoke first.
Not to the newcomer.
To Manager Oh.
“Manager Oh.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If the governor’s office responds positively, re-evaluate the project. Form a TFT with the Resources Division.”
“Understood.”
“That’s all. You can go.”
When the two left, President Choi lit a cigarette.
“That guy... something about him just doesn’t sit right with me.”
***
As soon as they exited the office, Chairman Kang spoke before Manager Oh could say anything.
“About the TFT the president mentioned.”
“Hm? Ah, that... Why? Got a good idea?”
As if.
He had never done that kind of work before.
TFTs were the very definition of practical operations.
“No. I’m saying don’t put me on it. I won’t be any help, and I don’t know anything useful anyway. Just letting you know in advance.”
“Hey! You started this whole thing. And now you’re just going to walk away?”
“The Resources Division started it. I just cut through the tangled mess. Now they’re tying the knot again from the beginning. People who’ve done it before are better suited for that. Anyway, I’m out.”
Manager Oh already knew the newcomer did whatever he wanted.
He wasn’t even angry anymore.
Just dumbfounded.
Besides, there hadn’t been any response from Gangwon yet.
Nothing could begin until the governor actually agreed.
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. The governor still has to decide wheth—”
“Shh.”
Chairman Kang held up his ringing phone.
“Politicians facing elections are always impatient. One night is enough time to think.”
Smiling, he answered.
“Hello?”
—Mr. Hwang Junhyun? This is the person you met yesterday...
“Yes. I recognize your voice. The governor’s aide.”
—That’s right. We discussed it thoroughly with the governor yesterday and also reached an understanding with the mayor of Donghae. We’ve decided to begin efforts to bring the coal terminal to Donghae.
“I see. Then Choi Sung Trading will make preparations as well.”
Manager Oh’s face brightened as he listened.
A project worth hundreds of billions, led directly by Trading.
It had been a long time since they had touched a project of this scale themselves.
—In that case, please prepare a business proposal and send it over as quickly as possible. Given the timing, we need to move fast.
The warmth vanished from Chairman Kang’s face.
“Why would Choi Sung Trading prepare the business proposal?”
—Excuse me?
“The Donghae coal terminal project. Who’s leading it? Isn’t Gangwon Province? If we gave you a brilliant idea to use during the election, shouldn’t your first words be thank you? Then you can write a proposal and use it for your campaign.”
—You can’t suddenly change your position like this. Choi Sung Trading was the one that proposed the project in the first place.
“I’m telling you to start with a thank you. A business proposal? Why should we write it?”
—What the hell are you talking about?
The aide’s raised voice was loud enough for Manager Oh to hear.
“Listen, Mr. Aide. I don’t know your name. I don’t know your surname. I don’t know your phone number. Yet I handed over an idea because I trusted you were the governor’s aide. But after hearing you talk, I’m starting to think you aren’t one. How can someone who doesn’t even understand basic order of operations assist a governor?”
Chairman Kang took a long breath.
“Listen carefully. You prepare the proposal and send it to us. We’ll review it and tell you what needs improvement. That’s the proper order. And don’t think about cutting us out and partnering with someone else. If we decide to sabotage this, Gangwon won’t get the project. We’ll nail it down in Incheon instead. We’re all busy people, so let’s do things properly. Get your head straight and learn to think before you speak. Understood?”
He hung up.
Then he clicked his tongue.
“That idiot helps someone win elections? The governor must be incredibly lucky.”
The moment he finished speaking, Manager Oh exploded.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing? That was Gangwon on the phone, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why are you destroying the very thing you started? Are you insane?”
“Who’s destroying anything? We’re just getting started.”
“That was practically a declaration of war! He’s the governor’s aide! Why the hell would you talk to him like that?”
A project doesn’t collapse because of one small attitude problem or an offhand comment.
But when projects fail, the people involved often point to those things as the reason.
In reality, projects fail because the side that isn’t desperate decides to walk away.
In that sense, business was similar to dating.
The person who wants to end the relationship finds some trivial excuse and uses it to justify the breakup.
Right now, the desperate side was the politician facing an election.
The side that wasn’t desperate was Trading, which wanted an excuse to withdraw.
“Why should a corporation worry about offending politicians? Especially some aide.”
“What?”
“The power relationship between corporations and politicians shifted long ago. The side holding the money is the one in charge. They’re the ones who are desperate. We just wait. I guarantee you the governor himself will call the president before the end of the day.”
He smiled.
“And the card to move this project forward is still in the president’s hands. Until the final decision-maker gives a final order, the correct move is to wait.”
Ignoring the stunned Manager Oh, Chairman Kang returned to his desk.
It was true that President Choi still held the final card.
He might decide to withdraw completely.
That was fine.
Preventing his son from making a fool of himself was already enough.
Now it was time to prepare for something more important.
Specifically, retrieving some money from the secret vault in the chairman’s office.
Last time, stuffing cash into a small backpack had worked.
This time, that wouldn’t be enough.
He needed boxes.
And he couldn’t use the same excuse about losing consciousness in the elevator to fool the security guards twice.
How should he do it?
Looking over the partition at the two women quietly working nearby, Chairman Kang spoke.
“The Starbucks card I gave you last time... does it still have any balance left?”
***
The biggest difference between men and women in the workplace was competition and cooperation.
Men tended to see everyone as competitors.
Women were different.
They shared information and willingly helped one another.
The reason was the same thing everyone complained about:
The glass ceiling.
When advancement was blocked anyway, competition became meaningless.
So instead, they chose harmony and comfort beneath that ceiling.
Of course, some women broke through it.
But they paid the price of giving up that harmony.
The two women sitting across from Chairman Kang were members of that harmonious group.
Women carrying the title of secretary in this building would never break through the glass ceiling.
Sitting in Starbucks, drinking beverages with absurdly complicated names, the two women chatted nonstop.
Chairman Kang barely listened.
Though it sounded like they were complimenting him.
“There’s something I’m curious about... Can I ask you something?”
The two women nodded.
“Are you close with the employees on the thirty-sixth floor? I mean the chairman’s secretaries.”