Chapter 110
Chapter 110
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Hyunmu's Executive Call
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Hyunmu’s… Director Seo Si-hwan, right?”
Seo Si-hwan gazed at the name on his phone screen with keen interest.
Jo Yi-ruk. None other than Song Woo-yeon’s closest confidant and founding pillar. His personal abilities weren’t widely known, but…
‘It couldn’t have been just Song Woo-yeon building such a solid company all by himself. This guy must’ve been the one supporting him from the side.’
It was an assessment that subtly dismissed the young, inexperienced Song Woo-yeon. It clearly revealed a firm bias that the reliable aide by his side had to be the real power behind the throne.
“Ah~. Mr. Jo Yi-ruk. Long time no talk. I gave you my number a while back, and since you didn’t reach out, I figured you weren’t interested.”
-…I needed time to think.
“Haha. Is that so? I laid out an offer anyone would be tempted by, but you’re quite cautious. Or should I say loyal?”
Arrogant words.
The natural rudeness unique to someone perched atop countless others.
Seo Si-hwan considered even taking a personal call from someone like Jo Yi-ruk a monumental waste of his time.
‘If it weren’t for Chairman Hyun Jeong-hu’s words, I’d have no reason to deal with a small fry like this.’
Seo Si-hwan gave a casual wave to someone calling him from afar.
“I’m in the middle of golf right now, so let’s cut to the chase. Are you accepting my proposal?”
-…….
“No downside for you, right? You won’t find a better deal. This is when your value’s at its peak.”
Seo Si-hwan pressed Jo Yi-ruk, frustrated by his hesitation.
“Anyone who can do basic math—even an elementary school kid—would accept this. Let’s be real: doesn’t Hyunmu offer way better welfare and name value than The Song?”
-…I have one question.
“Go ahead. Keep it short.”
Seo Si-hwan glanced sideways. One of his group swung the club, and with a crisp sound, the golf ball arced through the air.
-Why make this offer to me? As you said, it’s more than I deserve.
“Haha. Why wonder about that? What other reason is there for headhunting talent?”
-It doesn’t feel like simple headhunting.
“Really? Hmm. Wonder why.”
Seo Si-hwan tapped the grip of his golf club with his fingertips.
“Oh, right. The Song swallowed our entire team first, didn’t they?”
-…….
“That stings a bit~. But hey, it wasn’t even a high-performing team. We got to offload our dead weight without layoffs. Thanks for that.”
Seo Si-hwan forced a smile.
His words were haughty, but losing a bunch of solid mid-career hires to an obscure outfit like The Song did smart a little.
Still, no point showing it. Seo Si-hwan lied with effortless nonchalance.
“Hyunmu does this all the time. That’s what headhunters are for, right? Spotting talent and bringing them to Hyunmu is our skill. And lo and behold, you caught my eye. Haha!”
-…….
“Everyone’s fixated on Song Woo-yeon, but I don’t fall for the smokescreen.”
-Smokescreen?
“Yes. That company called The Song. Running an unreal streak of success. Not a single failure.”
It bordered on the impossible.
Even Hyunmu slipped up now and then. Not every new product could be a hit.
Hyunmu’s R&D team was staffed with top national talent—PhDs, sure, but they’d shelled out premiums to poach creative minds from around the world.
Even so, missteps were inevitable. Innovation meant risk.
But The Song?
“Knocking grand slams one after another? Can’t chalk that up to one guy’s talent. Haha. There’s gotta be staff propping it up. I figured you’d fit right in at Hyunmu.”
-…….
“So, I’m ready for your answer. Have you made up your mind, Mr. Jo?”
-…Yes. Thanks to you.
“Haha. Of course?”
Seo Si-hwan nodded, thinking, ‘Knew it.’ No loyalist could resist terms like these.
Startups didn’t have the cash to compete. Factor in bonuses, perks, and steady raises—anyone could see the smarter choice.
‘Heh. A second-hand rookie with no real track record, angling for this salary?’
Jo Yi-ruk’s defection was just a stepping stone to rattle Song Woo-yeon.
He’d sweet-talked him plenty, but if he actually jumped ship to Hyunmu… he’d get shipped off to some remote site as field staff.
A way to squeeze out employees they wanted gone.
Cycle them through backwater outposts doing grunt work year after year—they’d quit out of sheer disgust.
Once they resigned voluntarily, no severance or bonuses owed. Leverage Hyunmu’s influence to blackball them from the industry?
Job done on Jo Yi-ruk.
‘Perfect plan. Suck ’em dry and toss ’em. Heh heh heh!’
Seo Si-hwan smirked, half-convinced already. No fool would turn this down.
-My answer is…….
Clunk.
“This is live, right?”
I fiddled with the camera and asked. No direct reply, but chats started popping up next to the broadcast screen.
-What’s this?
-Oh, Song Woo-yeon
-Lmao hi~
“Hello.”
I bowed politely, and the chat exploded.
“Yes, yes. This is [My Small Television], and I’m Song Woo-yeon~. I’m seeing all your chats.”
I replied to a few, and the excited viewers chatted even faster.
I skimmed them, roughly gauging viewer count.
Not as many as expected.
Pilot episode, maybe. Or with a famous male idol as a guest, viewers were clustered there.
Didn’t matter. I just had to deliver what I prepared.
“Yes~. Today’s show is mukbang meets cooking—[Song Woo-yeon’s Golden Recipes]!”
-Golden Recipes?
-Using that Chinese spicy pork ramen recipe from your fridge raid~ Make it at home sometimes
-Wow! Say hi!
-ENG plz
-You talk to Oga-eul?
-Cooking? Snoozefest;;
Plenty of noise, but I skipped it and pulled out ingredients.
“I’ll share easy home recipes. Lately, fridge raids feature fancy stuff that’s hard to replicate, right?”
-Yep fr
-Do fridge raiders stock caviar and foie gras normally? Lol
-Setup shot total BS
-Feeling like old-school fridge raids are fading T_T
-Wow~ Excited!!
-There’s a ghost behind you
“Here’s everything you need: lemon, perilla leaves, soju, soda, and sugar.”
The odd combo filled the chat with question marks. Most wondered what dish paired perilla and lemon.
Knew it.
“You all like Maldives, right?”
I grinned and raised a prepared glass.
“How about a Maldives in your mojito today?”
-Mojito??
-Perilla in mojito?
-Huh??;
“Yes, yes. Shocked, huh? Mojito’s tasty but tough at home. Need limes, mint, rum—most folks don’t stock that. If you do, congrats. You’re top 10% in Korea.”
I tossed in light jokes to keep the vibe up. It was cooking, sure, but still internet streaming.
Key was sprinkling in fun to retain viewers.
“Today’s recipe: [Perilla Leaf Mojito]! Everyone has perilla leaves at home, right? If not, oh well. Easier to find than mint. No mint or perilla but want mojito? Greedy.”
No leaves? Just straight soju.
“Lemon instead of lime. No lemon? Lemon juice works. It’s good quality these days.”
I added ice to the glass, halved a lemon—squeezed juice from one half in, sliced the rest pretty.
“Then sugar… about this much, two spoons. Like it sweeter? Three.”
I scooped heaps with a big spoon into the sizable glass. Three would fit fine.
“Rest is easy. Tear perilla leaves in, half soju. Stir lightly to infuse aroma~. Top with rest of soju and soda…”
Clink!
Perilla leaf mojito, looking legit.
“See? Super easy.”
I grinned at the chat.
Expecting ‘Wow, awesome!’, ‘Mojito this simple?’, ‘Gonna make one now!’
But reactions were the opposite.
They latched onto something totally unexpected.
-Putting in that much sugar???
“?”
I tilted my head. Sugar… why?