Gaining One Point of Extra Credit
"Secretary...?"
The executives stared at her. She sighed softly, looking at Suhyun, who had spoken up despite her repeated instructions to stay quiet. The Chairman looked at her, his brow furrowed. "What... what do you mean by that?"
"If you listen to what I say and follow it exactly, it will work out," Eunbyul said, quietly picking up her tablet. She leaned in and whispered to him for quite a long time, ensuring only he could hear.
At first, Suhyun had thought, Let's just hear what kind of nonsense she's spouting, but his attitude shifted quickly.
"The National Assembly Speaker, Jeong Gyeong-eun, is on bad terms with the President."
"And all the assemblymen questioning you today are on bad terms with the President, too. They're from the opposition party."
"Especially this person—he's a leading candidate for the next presidential election, so he's going to criticize whatever you do, no matter what."
Since memorizing faces was one of his greatest strengths, Suhyun stared intently at the tablet, committing the faces to memory. He didn't even bother to wonder where she had gotten this information. She had already shown him enough eccentric capabilities on her first day.
"So this isn't just about the accident investigation?"
"Of course not. From what I know, the President views what you did very favorably. He's even planning to give you a commendation..."
How does she even know that? he thought, but he kept listening to her words.
"The National Assembly is only thinking about how to drag down the President's approval rating. They're going to try to attack both of you—the President for being irresponsible and letting a private citizen step in, and you for acting recklessly because the President couldn't control the situation."
"...Then I should say I was wrong. I have no choice..."
"What are you talking about? Are you an idiot?"
I ought to...
"While protecting the President, you need to argue and insult them enough to make the citizens watching the broadcast feel that the assemblymen in front of you are all trash. Human scum. You need to make them wonder, 'Are these people even human?' I think you'll be good at that, General Manager."
"....?"
"Your specialty is, well, I think it's not just that you're good at your job... but that you have a knack for explaining complex things simply, rather than trying to look like an expert by using difficult jargon. In any case, most of the public won't understand even if you talk about tugboats or barges there."
"Ah... well, that's true. It's complicated, and even I was at first..."
"So you need to be simple, pick out the key points, and latch onto them. To the point where it seems excessive. And while managing your facial expressions, you need to look like you're truly aggrieved to death. From the moment you walk in, you have to wear a face that says, 'I don't know anything. Why am I here? This doesn't seem related to me. What is this?'"
By then, he was completely absorbed in Eunbyul's words, listening intently.
"What if they're friendly?"
"First of all, there's almost no chance of that, and even if they were, they would secretly view this accident as an opportunity for themselves. That's the only way it becomes more advantageous for them to seize power."
"...I feel like I'm caught in a whale fight."
"That's how politics always is. Anyway, you should give examples and push the narrative that this society has become so cold and heartless because of you, the National Assembly members. Say that you tried not to be like that. Say that you did a good deed and the world recognizes it, so why are you people making a fuss? You have to push back like that."
"What if I get on their bad side by doing that...?"
He hesitated, but Eunbyul replied simply.
"It's fine either way. Doowon is close to conservative figures, and we don't even have any connections with the opposition anyway. And Doowon isn't a conglomerate that will wobble just because of a few political remarks. So, go out there with confidence."
Then, a question suddenly occurred to him. "Why do I have to protect the President?"
"First, the President has no choice but to be favorable to the General Manager who handled an incident that could have caused chaos in state affairs. He will definitely give you a commendation at a level that won't cause any problems for you to be recognized by society and promoted within the organization."
"Second, the President is very positive about Doowon. He helps with fast approvals when we develop vaccines and medicines. He doesn't ask for bribes separately, either. That's why we even received a commendation for paying our taxes well. Was it last year? Easing regulations is also good. Then we should help him as much as we've received."
"..."
"Third, I heard on the company messenger yesterday that the President decided to cover the costs of your maritime vessel rescue operation with national funds. It's a kind of signal. 'It's too early for a lame duck, so please help me out a bit. I'll send the money in advance, so please save me!' Isn't that what it is?"
"Hmm..."
There was a lot of information he hadn't heard, but he had no particular rebuttal to Eunbyul's words, so he slowly nodded in agreement. Then Eunbyul added, "Don't go around telling people I told you this."
"I don't want to."
"Ah, how embarrassing!"
"Hey, you're doing all this work using my mouth anyway. Then this is all your work, and you should be the one getting praised. Why are you hiding?"
Eunbyul hesitated at those words for a moment, then blushed and fidgeted with her hands. "...There's a reason for that."
"Anyway, that is how it happened. Father, honestly, I... I just said what came to mind, but the one who did well is my secretary."
"Hmm..."
"So, as Secretary Eun said, even if I receive an award or something... that should all go to Secretary Eun and the other field staff. I just want to step back."
The expressions of the executives, especially the Chief of Staff whom he had followed like an uncle, softened. The Chief of Staff nodded with a gentle smile upon hearing his words. Excellent—that was the only word for it. Showing courtesy and humility, and the sincerity behind it, only amplified one's influence. Just like right now.
The Chairman slowly opened his mouth. "Even so, you did well."
"But Father, no... Chairman."
Only then did he seem to realize that this was also a company, and he corrected his title, adjusting his words. "As I said before, I didn't do anything. An executive who should be managing the business just followed the words of other employees and did as they suggested. I didn't judge anything separately..."
"No, you did plenty."
Then the Chairman's praise continued, and his secretary, Eunbyul, and the other employees watched the Chairman with surprised eyes, keeping their mouths shut at such high praise.
"You said the secretary told you to change the shipping company?"
"Yes..."
"And the secretary asked you how it would be to go and save the ship?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then who is the person who actually changed the shipping company and decided to go save the ship?"
He had nothing to say for a moment.
"The surrounding employees didn't force you. They just gave you various options. You are the one who chose. You made the choice, and the result turned out so wonderful and excellent, so you did plenty, and you did well."
"..."
"Doesn't everyone think so? When I was that age, I got slapped on the cheek by my father with... paper."
"You said he told you to be careful with the ink because you did single-sided copying. I still remember that."
The Chief of Staff added a word, and the Chairman nodded.
"You did well. Likewise, the fact that you had to say that today was probably told to you by your secretary, but who else but you actually put it into action?"
"..."
"So take pride in it. Honestly... I was very worried today. As a father, I felt sorry, thinking you might be having a hard time. It's amazing that you went to such a place in the middle of the night and came back alive, and you're acting as if nothing happened, so composed and without showing a hint of it."
The others all went quiet. "Well, that's enough praise for General Manager Han, and, hmm. Secretary?"
"Yes...!"
"Your personality is very bright."
The Chairman slowly looked at Eunbyul. He was skeptical about assigning a female secretary introduced by his friend to a married man, but he had heard enough to know. He knew she was successfully accomplishing quite significant tasks. However, it was unexpected to see her helping him directly and guiding him toward a path where he could be recognized so early on.
"I heard your entrance exam scores were the best."
"...Ah, haha... Yes, that... but it's still very difficult..."
"In my view, this job looks even more difficult."
"...I apologize for causing such a commotion..."
The Chairman finally chuckled, told them to eat, and said, "Just keep doing as you are now."
"..."
"The idea that large corporations hate people who stand out is nonsense. I stood out a lot when I was a new employee, too. And look how I ended up."
"..."
"The Planning Director, the affiliate presidents. The Chief of Staff here is the same. Do you think they all lived quietly and became executives? No. Some went to India to do business and came back, and some said they had to go out into space. Those are the people who are all doing things like president, vice chairman, vice president, and so on."
She bowed her head modestly and remained silent at the Chairman's words.
"So, just keep doing as you are now."
"...Yes, I understand. Chairman..."
What a truly amazing secretary. If our General Manager Han weren't married, she would have been worth pairing him with.
With that thought, the Chairman regretted, just a little, that he had told her father, Eun Seongmin, to come to the office and let them meet. He couldn't regret it too much because he thought the daughter-in-law (whom he firmly believed and was being deceived by) was also a good person. However, during all that, only one thought floated in her mind as she smiled and ate.
'I scored points... A whole lot of them...!'