The Weight of the Past
He walked slowly between the rows where the placards were hung. Security guards were everywhere. He kept his head bowed low, entering the building like a criminal. The noise of loudspeakers blared all around him. He hated every bit of this situation. But as he walked further inside, his father patted him on the shoulder.
"I am passing down what is mine to my son. I truly cannot understand what could possibly be wrong with that."
"...Father, even now..."
"Don't speak so weakly."
He stepped inside. It felt like a massive movie theater. There was a podium at the very front, and he sat in the seat placed behind it.
"We will now open the 117th Regular General Shareholders' Meeting of Doowon Corp."
The moment the gavel struck, noise erupted from the countless seats placed in front of him.
"I have a question for the board. Isn't it problematic to appoint someone to an executive position simply because they are a direct descendant? I cannot accept that an unverified individual is being placed in a position of such heavy responsibility."
"I have a question for Vice Chairman Park Dongseok. I am curious if this position was created solely for the sake of inheritance and succession. I want to know if you, as an executive of this company, realize that appointing an incompetent person is no different from a breach of fiduciary duty."
Each executive went up to the podium one by one to answer, but there were simply too many questions.
"Vice Chairman Yoon Seok-hyun, you stated in a TSN interview on the 29th that you [judged the candidate to be verified and that there were no issues with entrusting him with the work]. What is the basis for that? Please provide the data on how he was verified. We demand that this information be disclosed to the shareholders."
His father listened to their words and gripped his hand tightly. He stared at it blankly.
"It's just a formality."
"..."
"Don't look at the people sitting in front as human beings. Just... just think of them as noisy speakers."
"Father, even so, these are important opinions from the people..."
"Be quiet. You are the one who will lead this group in the future; why do you keep speaking so weakly?"
Soon, one of the vice chairmen, seemingly angered by the questions, shouted, "Everyone! We haven't even voted on the appointment yet! If you act like this from the start without even hearing the explanation, you are only hindering the proceedings!"
"Hindering? Damn, did you say hindering? Who are you? Come out here!"
Security guards intervened, and other executives began to raise their voices as well.
"Other companies appoint people even less verified than candidate Han Suhyun to executive roles. Why do you come to a company that is doing well and insist on digging this up..."
"Digging it up, you say? As a shareholder, how can I not question this and let it pass?"
"Digging up—what did you just say? Your choice of words while obstructing the decision-making process is truly...!"
He slowly closed his eyes.
"From a shareholder's perspective, this is clearly a parachute appointment."
"A parachute is something you only know after you open it—"
"Wasn't this decided without the independent directors?"
"The board is independent..."
"Who among you is independent from the decision-making body? Who is it?"
"Stop!! Do not obstruct the proceedings!!!"
As the old memories suddenly surfaced, he let out a deep sigh and buried his head in his desk.
'I just want to do nothing.'
He wanted to live off his father's allowance; that was his only thought. For a moment, he had imagined himself succeeding, being recognized by everyone, and returning home in glory. But hadn't those attempts all ended in failure? He could make excuses, but he didn't want to live a pathetic life.
He reminisced for a moment before looking out the window. Then, before starting his preparations to leave work, he went out to smoke a cigarette. Someone was standing in the piloti area, and he sat on a bench, staring straight ahead without paying them any mind. Then, from beside him,
"Oh, General Manager."
"Ah... yes. Hello."
"You look like you have no energy. Lately."
It was a familiar face, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. The memories of the past were still acting like a painful wound.
"...I think I shouldn't have done it back then."
"What do you..."
"That thing. The one we did together."
"..."
The employee standing next to him listened to his words, fell into thought for a moment, and realized what he meant.
"Wouldn't we see the light eventually?"
"...They wouldn't give a second chance to a failed business."
"General Manager, that wasn't a failure. It was the timing, and the incident..."
He let out a deep sigh. The cigarette smoke spread into the air and soon vanished.
"...To say it was just bad luck, I think it's because I couldn't respond properly."
"..."
"Are you still doing that work?"
"Yes. We're on the 7th floor."
"..."
He looked at the employee and felt a sense of guilt. It was the regret of someone who had acted incompetently and failed to take proper responsibility. It felt like seeing a child he had irresponsibly abandoned and left behind, only to meet them again years later.
"Please don't worry too much. We are doing well."
"...If there is anything you need, please contact me."
"..."
The employee looked at him for a moment, preparing to say something, then asked, "...You wouldn't be able to come back, would you?"
"Well..."
He answered with his expression. It seemed difficult. That was what he meant.
"We are working hard. You know, we've reached a certain orbit. I hope you can forget about the accidents and the bad things that happened in the past. We are being recognized in the market... though there are some problems."
"What kind?"
"We need to maintain 99% similarity to gasoline, but the quality control fails every time we produce it. I'm not sure if it's a problem in the production process or the raw materials. But it's hard to find talent capable of solving that. I've been studying day and night, but it's tough."
"..."
He looked up at the sky for a moment. Someone who knows chemistry well. Someone with expertise in that field. Who could it be?
"I will try to find someone."
"Thank you, General Manager."
"Go home now. You've worked hard."
— It was on the way home.
"You've worked hard today."
"You weren't waiting since the morning, were you?"
"Ah, I heard the news and was waiting at the headquarters. If you call me when you are outside, I will come to pick you up."
"Thank you just for the offer."
The car turned smoothly and entered the parking lot. The driver told him they had arrived, and as he opened the door, he greeted the driver and went inside the house. He was increasingly filled with the thought of what kind of crazy woman she would have transformed into this time. He wondered if she might jump out the moment he opened the front door, but,
"..."
The house was quiet. There was no sound of cooking. He stood there with a puzzled expression, placed his briefcase next to the sofa, went inside, and as soon as he came out after changing his clothes,
"Ah..."
"...Y-you're here...?"
She, who was looking at him with flushed cheeks, slowly emerged from the study.
"...?"
"Umm... m-meal..."
"..."
He didn't know how to take this. It seemed like she had returned to the original Seo Jia, in a way. But while she didn't seem normal, she also didn't seem abnormal. The strange, over-the-top tone had diminished, but instead, she was acting as if,
"W-when would you like to eat...?"
She was acting shy, like someone experiencing their first love. He went inside and took a shower. After saying he would eat after showering, he washed his hair and tried to understand why she was acting like that. She had been a bit strange since this morning, but looking at her now, it seemed like she was just being bashful. But she was dressed well.
After washing and drying his hair, he slowly went out to the master bedroom and saw her slowly placing food on the dining table. Whether she was preparing it or not, he sat in the chair to eat, but unlike his thought, 'This crazy woman is going to sit on top of me again...', the utensils were neatly placed in front of him, and she was just standing to the side, watching him.
"...?"
"Ah, well... I thought I was putting too much pressure on you... so I decided to help you with your meal only if you want me to, Master..."
"Ah..."
"If you want, I can do that..."
"No, it's fine."
He spoke in the same tone and manner, but she flinched and bowed her head. It wasn't that she was feeling an orgasm or anything. It was a gesture that looked like she was genuinely startled.
"T-then, enjoy..."
"Are you going to keep standing there?"
"Ah... s-should I go somewhere else...?"
Sigh. She was just an uncomfortable woman wherever she was.
"Do whatever."
"T-then, is there anything I can help you with..."
"There isn't, so just go for now."
"Ah... yes, yes... the, the food, is it... ah, no..."
She struggled to say something, but it felt like she was blocking herself. Whether she was or not, he stared at her intently,
"If you have something to say, just say it."
"Ah, no. I'll... go quickly."
I thought she was just strange, but now she's even frustrating...