The Chairman's Unexpected Visit
‘What is going on, seriously?’
Was she embarrassed because she had chased after him to the bar? Or was it because they had slept together at the hotel? No, that couldn't be it. Even when they were dating, they had gone on "hotel vacations" from time to time. She had even asked him to massage her breasts before, complaining that they were getting too big and starting to sag.
"Haa..."
He couldn't make sense of it. Why was she acting so shy? What for? He had no idea that she had been forced to reach the peak dozens of times the previous night until she passed out, and that she was currently feeling intimidated and bashful after hearing the rough, commanding language he had used while treating her as someone who had no choice but to submit. He couldn't even fathom that possibility; it wasn't even in his memory.
‘...That woman wouldn't be shy just because we had sex. Obviously.’
With that thought, he headed to the office. The employees were looking at him with pitying expressions, and he exhausted himself trying to explain the situation here and there.
"...Director, we’re all on your side..."
"Oh, come on. That’s all a lie. My wife isn't the type to curse at people..."
"We know you're trying to cover for her... Is there anywhere you're bruised? You wear a suit even in the summer to hide the bruises..."
"Wh-who told you that!"
He just didn't like showing his skin and hair! It was a purely personal preference!
"We know everything. We're all rooting for you, Director..."
"Look, the reason I wear this is, you see..."
"You don't have to explain..."
They cut off his explanation before it could even sprout. Was he supposed to talk or not? A deputy from the sales department, who often greeted him in passing, handed him a business card.
"...? What is this..."
"He's my junior from college. A divorce lawyer. He's quite skilled. If I tell him, he might even do it for free."
"...?" I'm already divorced, though.
"You said you weren't divorced, so I thought of this. Even if you haven't yet, I figured you might want to..."
Of course, the fact that her image had become like this was entirely her own fault. It was back in the early days of their marriage, perhaps. At that time, due to the company's urgent situation...
"Director!"
"Ah, yes."
An employee from the Support Division had come to call him. Wondering what was going on, he crushed out his cigarette and stood up. Seeing the employee's urgent expression, he worried, Could it be?
"Guests from Seongjeong have arrived..."
"Ah! That's right. They were supposed to come. Are they waiting now?"
"Th-that is, you need to come out quickly..."
What now? Don't tell me Seo Jia showed up at the company again? He entered from the pilotis, had the employee lead the way, and boarded the elevator. He headed to the first floor. His heart raced. If that woman—no, he hadn't even been at work for an hour yet. He had only just finished lunch...
In the lobby, employees who were going about their business bowed their heads when they saw him, while others waved. Those who bowed were employees who had no reason to cross paths with him. Those who waved were people who had worked with him or knew him well. That was how he could distinguish them. However, as he took a few more steps forward, the employees stopped one by one and looked somewhere, their gazes fixed on the lobby's guest station. His anxiety grew.
As he tagged his employee ID at the guest station and went inside,
"Oh, oh! Why, here..."
"Haha. I was waiting for you."
He had seen him on the news and perhaps met him once or twice in person? Even then, it wasn't a formal meeting. It would have been at an economic gathering where he followed his father around to meet various people, and when the Chairman introduced him, saying, "This is my son," he would have bowed deeply to greet him. This was the first time they were meeting formally like this.
"I apologize for the Chairman coming without notice... Ah, right, I was working elsewhere, so my business card, that..."
"No, no. It's fine. We should start with a handshake. Haha."
He had been listening to what other employees were saying while smoking, only to suddenly encounter the Chairman of Seongjeong Construction. Unable to hide his embarrassment, he stretched out his hand for a handshake. He automatically bowed his waist and held his hand steady for the shake, while the Chairman, as his tone suggested, moved his hand up and down cheerfully. It was the complete opposite of his father, who always tried to be extremely serious and thoughtful in business situations. It wasn't meant in a bad way. Many people in the construction industry were like this. And it was an industry where you couldn't survive unless you were like this.
"Please forgive my rudeness. I will go and bring the relevant documents and business cards right away..."
"Hey. I'm the one who's sorry for coming without saying anything. Hmm... Then, how about we..."
The Chairman, who had been trying to discuss things spontaneously, whispered something to the Vice Chairman he had seen yesterday, and then said, "Ah, this isn't the place for this, is it? Our company usually holds meetings on the first floor..."
"I will guide you."
"Thank you."
With him, the Vice Chairman, the Chairman, the Deputy General Manager he saw yesterday, and two working-level staff members—it felt like a whole family had swarmed in. He was dumbfounded and signaled to the employee standing by to catch an elevator. He gave a slight nod of thanks to the employee who quickly pressed the executive elevator button. No matter how much wealth he had, some of it still belonged to his father, and he was still a salaried employee. Even if he had assets, they were company shares, so he couldn't manage them as he pleased. He hadn't been officially recognized as the successor yet, and even if he added everything up, it was common courtesy to show respect to the Chairman of Seongjeong, who was two or three times his age, regardless of his money. That was why he was so nervous and cautious.
He had thought that even other conglomerate heirs with fewer assets than him acted however they pleased, so why couldn't he? But first, he had built countless friendly business relationships by maintaining these manners, and they had always provided him with favorable help. Secondly, as he had said in an interview on a documentary program:
"Many ordinary citizens are curious about how the education of conglomerate heirs is conducted so specially. Could you tell us about your personal experience regarding this?"
He had hesitated for a moment then, and said, "...I think I was about 10. I must have made a slip of the tongue. I don't remember it well, but... I was beaten at home by my father, the Chairman, with the handle of a broom..."
The interviewer's expression had twisted. As always, they had expected him to boast about his elite education in a pretentious way, but he had been too honest—
"Reporter, have you ever been hit with a vacuum cleaner hose?"
"...? N-no..."
"I've been hit with a hose quite a few times when I said I didn't want to study."
"Ah... Haha... Yes, I see. And next, for the others..."
"Thinking back, I was scolded a lot. There was a time my father threw his shoes at me when I came home grinning after drinking at night, and another time I was grabbed by the collar and thrown because I said I wanted to change my major to Korean Literature because Business Administration classes were boring..."
That was how he was "forcibly" raised to be polite. Of course, the broadcast that aired on public television recorded over 10 million views on YouTube. It had become such a hot topic that the video comments included things like, "People really do grow up right when they get beaten," and "They're only doing drunk driving and hit-and-runs because they were coddled... That's the right way to do it."
So, he entered his office, brought his bag inside, and sat his guests in the pre-arranged conference room. Then, he sent a messenger to the Chairman.
Reporting was his lifeline. If he left his seat without telling him, he would come down and tear everything apart. With that, he entered the conference room. Before entering, he thought of her for a brief moment this morning, but, ‘Wh...whatever, let's not think about that... it's disgusting.’
And so, he walked into the conference room.