Chapter 1488: Contributing (3) |
Kang Jin-Ho, the directors, and Lee Hyeon-Ju sat around a large table in MK’s conference room.
Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but feel a hint of inexplicable repulsion at the complexions of the people in here.
Are we shooting a zombie movie or something?
Not only were the dark circles below their eyes really dark, their skin was also completely ruined. Some people might see this scene and think that MK was one of those black companies that abused its employees.
Kang Jin-Ho hadn’t paid much attention to MK’s situation since he was never that interested in running a business, but he believed he was doing his best for the welfare of the employees. So the idea of some random person looking at all these gaunt faces and mistakenly thinking that he was an evil boss really got on his nerves.
He didn’t really care about his public image, but still! Wouldn’t a misunderstanding like that be so… unfair to him?
“You guys could have taken vitamins, you know?”
Hwang Min-Su replied with a wry grin. “It’s not that we’re sick, sir…”
“But you guys look ill, though?” Kang Jin-Ho helplessly chuckled. “Maybe you are all being too anxious about this?”
That certainly sounded like a problem, didn’t it?
Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “I see. That means all the preparations are finished?”
“No, sir!” Lee Hyeon-Ju shouted, her fierce glare locking on Kang Jin-Ho. “Tomorrow! You must! Film the ads!”
“…?”
That’s weird. The ad shoot was tomorrow? Because I don’t remember hearing about it?
“Our future depends on the success of this venture, sir! Chairman, you must actively help us!”
“Now that you’ve brought it up… You know, I was thinking about something.”
“What is it, sir?!”
Kang Jin-Ho cautiously studied Lee Hyeon-Ju’s mood before saying what was on his mind. “I think me being in the ads won’t be much of a help to us, so do I really have to do this? Maybe asking Miss Choi to appear by herself is a better id…”
“Chairman!”
Lee Hyeon-Ju’s bone-chilling icy glare burrowed painfully into Kang Jin-Ho’s face. That forceful aura reminded him that she was indeed Lee Jung-Geol’s granddaughter. He could feel a shudder run down his spine just then.
“You’ve given us your word, sir.”
“Uhh… Mm, yeah, I did. I’m not saying I’m going back on my word, but when you, uh, think about it rationally…”
“Chairman.” Lee Hyeon-Ju coldly cut Kang Jin-Ho off. “You don’t have to worry about a thing, sir. I’ve analyzed you very thoroughly, you see?”
“M-mm?”
Lee Hyeon-Ju smartly pushed her glasses up her nose and coldly laid out her case. “Sir, you are basically a charmless person.”
“Eh?”
“Your fashion sense is a disaster. Your sense of humor is despair-inducing. And hanging out with you will bore people to death. Worse still, you are not even that intellectual, either.”
What was this? Was she declaring war on him or something?
“Not only is your personality extremely poor, you even have a short fuse, so you immediately start nagging people even at the first hint of a delay. And because of how petty you are, you can’t stand the idea of suffering even the tiniest losses and will do anything to get even.”
President Hwang Min-Su and the other directors all silently turned their heads and stared openly at Kang Jin-Ho. Their gazes said, “Holy sh*t, are you really like that, sir?”
Unfortunately for Kang Jin-Ho, he couldn’t do much to defend himself against that ruthless character assassination. If he was being honest with himself, most of what Lee Hyeon-Ju had said was true, after all!
“Even now, I can’t figure out what Director Choi Yeon-Ha even saw in you to choose you as her man, sir. No matter how low her standard in the opposite sex is, this is a bit…”
Unable to endure the assault anymore, Kang Jin-Ho rebuked her in the most dignified way he could think of.
“What about you, then?”
“…!”
“…”
Lee Hyeon-Ju’s brows ominously quivered. She was too smart not to figure out the actual meaning of “Oh, is that why you’ve picked Lee Hyeon-Su? Because your standard is so much higher?” in Kang Jin-Ho’s question. Now rendered speechless, she tightly clenched her fists as anger boiled inside her.
Thankfully, or unfortunately depending on who was looking at this situation, her anger was not meant for Kang Jin-Ho.
She muttered through her clenched teeth. “Yes, sir. You’re right. I don’t know why I had to pick someone like him, too!”
“Be careful. You might, uh, crack your teeth…”
Kang Jin-Ho grimaced a little while feeling sorry for what he had done to Lee Hyeon-Su just now.
Lee Hyeon-Ju quickly withdrew her killing aura before groaning loudly. “In any case… Such qualities of a person won’t show up in ads, sir. No, only your face will. And your face is more than enough to excuse all of your personality flaws. At least your face is, that is.”
Kang Jin-Ho wanted to retort with, You didn’t have to say that last part out loud, though.
“The fantasy will remain as long as you don’t open your mouth, sir. And I’ve made sure you won’t speak during the ad! All you have to do is become a static object during the shoot, so stop complaining and do this for us! Our company’s future depends on it! Sir!”
It was now Kang Jin-Ho’s turn to groan. “Isn’t there any other way?”
“There were! Lots of them!”
“Eh? Then, why?”
Lee Hyeon-Su’s scary glare locked on Kang Jin-Ho once more. “If only you didn’t spend all that time in China and America! Or if only you had spent more than three days in a month in your office! For the past several months! Then! We could have thought of other options!”
“…Fine. I’ll do it.”
Argh, okay, fine! I’ll do this dang thing. Stop stabbing me with that scary glare, will you?
The directors all stared weirdly at the grimacing Kang Jin-Ho, their expressions obviously implying how unimpressed they were.
When they thought about this, wasn't Kang Jin-Ho the one who instigated this whole thing? Yet he barely showed up at his own office in the company. Worse still, didn’t he even rope his own father into this business venture, too?!
“O-of course, you don’t have to get involved in every facet of our operation, Chairman. After all, your duty is to set the overall direction of the project and periodically confirm if we’re on the right track. It’s unnecessary for you to get into the details.”
Hang Min-Su hurriedly came to Kang Jin-Ho’s rescue out of pity after his chairman got punted around nonstop.
Kang Jin-Ho’s expression brightened a little. “Y-yes, that’s true.”
Hwang Min-Su smiled and added one more thing. “However, sir? You need to show at least some interest in the project to keep everyone motivated.”
“Understood,” Kang Jin-Ho whispered while sinking even deeper into the cushions of his couch.
Lee Hyeon-Ju nodded. “Then, we’ll proceed with your ad shoot tomorrow. You don’t have to be nervous about it, sir. I’ve already taken your condition into account and told the production to give you a role where all you have to do is stand still like a wooden statue. As a matter of fact, you can just sit and drink coffee during the shoot.”
“Really? I think I can do that,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered. Even if he didn’t have any talent for acting, that didn’t sound so hard, now did it?
“As soon as they finish editing the footage, we’ll roll out our large-scale ad campaign right away. Although, we should have finished shooting and editing the footage already, talked to the TV stations about the airing schedules, and waited for our ads to start airing right about now…!”
Crack, chew…!
Lee Hyeon-Ju began chewing on her nails. Her anxiety had even begun infecting Kang Jin-Ho now. So much so that he wanted to use the loo.
“Kuh-hmm. What about the franchisees, though?”
At least Kang Jin-Ho found a way to change the topic, which was wonderful news!
Lee Hyeon-Ju replied, “Their training program ended without a hitch, sir. Other than the odds of the franchisees doing something nonsensical being a bit too high, considering what they are like, they should be fine.”
Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Really? But that sounds like the most concerning problem we might have?”
“No, it’ll be fine, sir. If they dare misbehave, I told them I’d kill them myself.”
“…”
When Kang Jin-Ho stared at her in a daze, Lee Hyeon-Ju chuckled helplessly. “I’m kidding, sir.”
“Y-yes, of course.”
“In reality, things are even stricter than you think. They are keeping tabs on each other, after all.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
Lee Hyeon-Ju casually shrugged. “It’s a side effect we didn’t see coming, but as the franchisees all know each other… If any branch offers poor customer service, leading to bad reviews online, they will descend on the franchisee like a flock of enraged vultures and tear him apart themselves. Or so they say.”
“…?”
Eh? That’s, uh, a sensible way of handling it, I guess? I mean, they are all in the same boat, after all. And rather than peers, aren’t they more like friends at this point?
“They’ve even set up an online community among themselves, sir. I’ve seen images of them cleaning their stores and even adding extra interior décor being posted there. All for bragging rights, no less.”
“Why… would they do that?”
“That’s how youngsters roll these days, sir.”
Miss Lee, you speak as if you’re not a youngster yourself.
Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head, as if he just couldn’t understand it.
“Since their online community is helpful to the business, I’m planning to leave it alone for now,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju.
“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho nodded. He was glad to hear that everyone was eager to do this. “Well, I’m happy to know that at least they can joke around like that.”
“Joke around?” Lee Hyeon-Ju tilted her head. “Chairman… No, Assembly Master. It seems you consider those people as ordinary civilians now that they are no longer a part of the Assembly, but please do not forget that they are fully capable of dangling anyone interfering with their livelihood under a tall bridge.”
“…”
“They can’t do that to an actual ordinary civilian, so they will have to hold it in, but against each other? I’m pretty sure dozens of them will pounce on the moron offering poor customer service and make utter mincemeat out of whoever it is.”
“Uh…”
Kang Jin-Ho’s forehead was now caked in a thin layer of sweat. Now that he thought about it, these idiots were fully capable of doing that, and then some, weren’t they!
“But that only means they know their future is at stake. That’s why you must think about the weight of this burden, too, sir. You might have started this venture with a light heart, but things can no longer be called light at this stage. At least a few hundred, maybe even more, people are depending on this business venture.”
Kang Jin-Ho firmly nodded. “I’ve never underestimated the scale of this venture.”
“I know, sir. You’re not the type to do that, after all.”
Lee Hyeon-Ju said that while staring at him with unshakeable faith in her eyes. Although, the direction of that faith was a bit of a problem for Kang Jin-Ho!
“And that’s why, please do your utmost best tomorrow during the shoot, sir! And talk nicely to Director Choi as well.”
“…!” Kang Jin-Ho staggered up to his feet. “I… I’ll try.”
“Get some rest, sir. For a successful tomorrow!”
Kang Jin-Ho powerlessly nodded, then staggered out of the conference room. “T-then, later. Keep up the good work, everyone.”
Once Kang Jin-Ho exited the conference room, everyone inside sighed deeply.
Lee Hyeon-Ju glanced at the others. “Please excuse me, as well. I still have things to prepare.”
“Ah, I see. Then, let us speak later, Miss Lee,” said Hwang Min-Su.
With that, Lee Hyeon-Ju was also gone from the conference room. While looking at the people remaining in the room, Noh Tae-Gwang chuckled softly and muttered, “What a great character.”
“You mean, Miss Lee?” Hwang Min-Su tilted his head. “Yeah, I agree that she’s one hell of a great businesswoman.”
“Oh, not her, sir. I meant the chairman.”
“Eh?” Hwang Min-Su stared in confusion at Noh Tae-Gwang.
“I’ve heard plenty of times about the defeat of authoritarianism and whatnot, but seriously? This is my first time I’ve seen someone who doesn’t use his authority like our chairman. Can you imagine seeing a similar scene back in Jaegyeong?”
“…Nope. I can’t.”
A mere department head talking back to Hwang Jeong-Hu every single time, and even telling the boss how to do things?
Of course that would be unthinkable.
Hwang Jeong-Hu wouldn’t even have to lose his cool in such a case. Because the board of directors and presidents of various divisions would have blown their tops first, after all!
In Jaegyeong, Hwang Jeong-Hu was basically THE king. And when having an audience with the king, no matter how minor the matter at hand was, one must observe proper procedures and show respect toward authority!
On the other hand, what about Kang Jin-Ho in MK?
He’s even more than a king here.
In terms of authority he possessed within this company, Kang Jin-Ho might as well call himself the emperor. Hwang Min-Su didn’t think he’d ever find another businessman in South Korea who boasted even greater authority and commanded just as much respect as Hwang Jeong-Hu. But Kang Jin-Ho’s authority in MK easily surpassed that of what Hwang Jeong-Hu boasted in Jaegyeong. And the level of respect he got even exceeded what Hwang Jeong-Hu enjoyed, too.
In short, Kang Jin-Ho really was an emperor, someone who could do whatever he pleased in this empire called MK. But here he was, getting nagged on by a mere head of department before shuffling out of the conference room, his tail tucked between his legs!
What an irony that was.
“Yes, he is… an amazing character, alright,” Hwang Min-Su chuckled softly.
Kang Jin-Ho’s mindset, the way he viewed things, seemed to differ quite a lot from regular people.
Authority and power were like a treasure sword. Everyone knew that incorrectly wielding this blade could get them hurt badly, but as long as this sword was in their possession, they would want to pull it out of its scabbard and wield it at least once. That was human nature.
However, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t seem to possess that desire. And maybe that was why people felt comfortable around him. Because they knew the blade wouldn’t fall on top of them.
Choi Byeong-Chan, who had been silently observing the banter, finally broke his silence. “Who cares about someone being amazing and whatnot? We should be focusing on the launch instead, you know? Because, if we don’t do this right, that amazing person’s gonna beat us up to a pulp, okay?”
“…”
“…”
Choi Byeong-Chan casually shrugged. “We’ve worked on a few ad campaigns during our time in Jaegyeong, but let’s be honest here, folks. We’ve never met a dude with a face that good-looking until now, right? With him in it, our ad will definitely have an impact. Sure, the public doesn’t know who he is, not necessarily, but Miss Choi will take care of that, anyway.”
“Well, sure. That’s right.”
“In that case, we should exploit this situation to our advantage and prepare various ways to improve the ad’s impact, sir. Like, say, holding a competition where anyone who successfully uploads our chairman’s photo on their social media profile wins a prize.”
Hwang Min-Su tilted his head. “Huh? Can we, uh, do that without his permission?”
“I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? Once that ship sails, I’m sure he won’t be able to do much, sir. Besides, getting our heads bitten off is infinitely better than watching the company go down the drain, isn’t it? Our primary concern should be all about having a successful launch, after all.”
Hwang Min-Su slowly nodded in agreement with what Choi Byeong-Chan said. “Right. We should bring younger folks in and have a brainstorming session. I get the feeling that we might have a few innovative ideas on our hands soon.”
“Got it, sir.”
Unfortunately, these executives had no idea that this seemingly innocent-sounding suggestion would soon plunge Kang Jin-Ho into the depths of unimaginable torment.
