At the Paper Mill (1)

"Good morning, Manager."

Manager Baek Gyumin responded warmly to his subordinate's greeting.

"Oh, right. Good morning, Assistant Manager Kim."

But his expression quickly stiffened.

Ah, I hate Mondays.

As expected, Monday was the enemy of all office workers.

It was no different for Manager Baek.

Especially that guy. What I hate most is having to see Director Tae again.

Director Tae was Baek Gyumin's arch-rival.

Though they had joined the company at the same time, they had clashed over every little thing for decades, and their relationship was terrible.

And yet...

He'll probably bring up the water treatment facility replacement again at this morning's meeting.

For some reason, the man had been pushing that agenda hard lately.

Insisting that they had to replace the treatment facility before next year.

Of course, it does need to be replaced, but...

Since the new law wouldn't take effect until next year, they still had plenty of time. There was no reason to rush so desperately.

In fact, given the massive scale of the expense, it was better to take their time and monitor the situation before proceeding.

Yet, seeing him act like this...

It was impossible not to be suspicious. Especially since he had gone as far as personally putting a team together, the motive was obvious.

There's definitely something going on.

However, since nothing problematic had turned up in his investigations so far, Baek was just keeping an eye on things for now.

Tsk.

Just then, a stranger stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Excuse me."

A student?

It was a student in a school uniform.

Since there was no reason for a student to be here,

"What is it?"

he responded somewhat sharply.

He was already irritated from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thinking about the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyesore that was Director Tae, and a student showing up here was highly unusual.

But then, the boy spoke.

"I have something I'd like to discuss regarding the eco-friendly water treatment facility."

"Huh?"

At the words "eco-friendly water treatment facility," Baek Gyumin flinched.

He was already wondering what Director Tae was plotting regarding that project.

What is this?

The student spoke with confidence.

"You know what I'm talking about. If you don't listen to what I have to say right now, you'll regret it."

"Ha?"

It was so sudden that he couldn't quite grasp what was happening.

However, he felt he needed to hear what the student had to say. Curiosity and anticipation were beginning to stir.

"Kid. Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"

"Yes. As long as you are someone with the authority to match."

"Me? Wow, what a cheeky brat."

He tried to act slightly angry, but—

"If you want to listen, let's go somewhere quiet."

The boy didn't even blink.

How fascinating.

Since he was still a minor, one would expect him to lose his nerve when confronted by an adult in a place like this.

Is this just bravado, or does he actually have the skills to back it up?

Driven by curiosity, he smiled and nodded.

"Fine. Follow me."

I followed the manager to his office. My father, of course, came along.

"Have a seat. I'll be right back after handling a few urgent matters."

"Understood."

We sat on the sofa and waited.

Meanwhile, my father leaned in close and whispered to me.

"Son, how on earth did you pull this off?"

"I didn't really do anything. He looked like he held a high position, so I just grabbed him, and it worked."

In truth, depending on the organization, a manager could be a somewhat ambiguous position.

But I didn't have any other choice.

I couldn't just wait around forever for someone higher up to appear.

Still, since the company wasn't massive, I figured it would work out. Even if I had to go through one more person, as long as I persuaded him well.

And it was the right choice.

He had understood immediately and brought us all the way here.

That meant he was someone connected to this project.

And highly interested in it, too.

"We got lucky. Anyway, now we just need to pitch it to him, convince him, and get a meeting with the president."

Thinking back, trying to meet the president right off the bat was an unreasonable idea to begin with.

After all, this place was still a mid-sized enterprise.

"Mmm, but is it really okay to tell him everything?"

"Yes. He seems to be involved in the project."

Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to bring us to his office.

"Then what should we start with?"

"I'll handle that."

I didn't know his exact stance yet either.

I would have to figure it out through conversation and adapt my pitch accordingly.

"Hm, alright. I'll trust you and stay quiet."

Just as I finished talking with my father,

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Manager Baek Gyumin, having finished some work at his computer, approached and sat down on the sofa opposite us.

"Now, tell me what this is about."

His tone was pressing.

Either he was busy, or he found us to be a nuisance.

Probably both.

My father stepped forward, attempting to introduce himself first.

An introduction Manager Baek likely wouldn't care about.

"I am working at the factory over there..."

So, I cut in.

"I have developed an eco-friendly water treatment system."

He immediately turned to look at me and asked,

"An eco-friendly water treatment system? You, a student?"

"Yes."

His expression turned to one of utter disbelief.

"...And?"

I understood his reaction.

If a high schooler suddenly claimed to have built such a thing, I wouldn't believe it either.

Which is why I need to grab his attention immediately.

Without pausing, I pressed on.

"I know the situation this company is in regarding the need to adopt one. I also know you already have a specific system in mind. I can provide a system with comparable performance at one-third of that price."

It seemed my hook had worked to some extent.

Manager Baek couldn't find his words immediately and fell silent, a complex expression crossing his face.

"..."

Then, he asked in bewilderment,

"How do you know about our situation?"

"I heard it from my father."

At my reply, my father nodded beside me.

He was wearing his company jumpsuit with "Wondong Paper" printed on it.

"Hmm... Even for an employee, normally they wouldn't know about such details."

"True. But we had no choice but to find out. Because if that system is introduced, my father would be laid off."

In truth, what the company had mentioned wasn't a layoff, but a reassignment.

But it was a notice that was practically no different from being fired.

Since they were transferring him to a dead-end position with that exact intention.

Understanding the implication, Manager Baek asked,

"I see. He must work in the water treatment team. Did the team leader tell you?"

"Yes."

"So... you made this for your father?"

"Yes. That's part of it. But more than that, I made it because I could. And because making it would bring in money. That's why."

At this, Manager Baek spoke with a face still full of doubt.

"Well... it's a heartwarming sentiment, but this isn't something a kid can just build..."

"Here is the prototype data. Testing is complete. It has even been tested by the municipal waterworks office and certified as fit for drinking."

"What?"

I handed over the documents I had prepared.

It was the water contamination test results from the Waterworks Headquarters, along with detailed records of the testing process.

It included photographs comparing the original color of the water with the purified water.

As Manager Baek reviewed them, his eyes sparkled.

"Is this real?"

"Of course. Why would I tell a lie that would be exposed the moment you run a brief test?"

"Hmm..."

Groaning softly, he quickly asked another question.

I answered without hesitation, exactly as I had prepared.

"How did you calculate that one-third price you mentioned earlier?"

"I heard this company is planning to import a German product. It's likely Veolia's SL-20. If their estimate for that is 4 billion won, our system can cover the same scale for around 1.4 billion won."

"Heh..."

Hearing this, Manager Baek looked quite astonished.

This time, he pondered in silence for a long moment before raising his head and asking directly.

"Can you pitch this just as well in front of the president?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then let's go up in five minutes. There happens to be a meeting. You can present exactly what you just told me there."

It worked.

It seemed I was done convincing Manager Baek.

As a result, I had secured an opportunity to meet the president.

"Ah, by the way, what is your name?"

"I'm Ji Hyunwoo. And this is my father, Ji Yong-gun."

"Alright, Hyunwoo. And Mr. Ji. I'm counting on you."

"Likewise."

He shook our hands, then frowned slightly before speaking.

"Hmm... but one thing. I should warn you about this in advance."

"What is it?"

"Someone might try to object aggressively. There's a problematic guy named Director Tae Ki-sung."

A short while later, we followed him to the floor where the conference room was located.

However...

"We can't go straight into the conference room. Wait in the waiting room next door, and I'll call you in when the time is right."

"Understood."

We decided to wait for his call in the small room adjacent to the conference room.

The moment the door closed, my father let out a deep breath.

"Whew! I was so nervous. Having a conversation like that one-on-one with a manager and coming all the way here... man, my hands are shaking."

This is a side of him I haven't seen before.

Though he was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠usually playful and bold, it seemed he couldn't help but feel intimidated by a superior at his own company.

He shook his head and asked me,

"Hey, Hyunwoo. How did you speak so well?"

"I just said what I prepared."

"No, but still, he's a manager at your dad's company. Weren't you nervous at all?"

"Why would I be? Like I said, if it doesn't work out here, we can just look elsewhere."

Therefore, there was no need to be nervous about the upcoming meeting with the president either. No need to cling to this opportunity.

"Ugh... right. It's easy for you to say. But your dad... never mind. Hmm, more than that, I'm worried about Director Tae."

Director Tae...

He was referring to the man Manager Baek had warned us about.

But it seemed my father knew who he was.

"Do you know him?"

"Of course. Director Tae is famous. Even I've heard of him. They say he's extremely good at his job. But he's also incredibly meticulous and exhausting to deal with..."

Is he that kind of person?

Given that Manager Baek had gone out of his way to warn us, I figured he wouldn't be an easy opponent.

But if he's good at his job, that might actually work to my advantage.

As I was thinking this, my father muttered,

"Hmm... but there are also rumors that he's involved in a lot of corruption."

"Corruption?"

"Yeah. But, well, I don't know the details."

Corruption... Then it might not be to my advantage after all.

But in the end, it didn't matter.

I won't let myself be swayed by someone like that.

Just then, a knock sounded, and a staff member spoke.

Knock, knock.

"Ji Hyunwoo?"

"Yes."

"Manager Baek says you can enter the conference room now."