The Power of a Foreigner's Misfortune
The message that had been checked on my phone one last time appeared on the TV screen.
[You can see the near future.]
[There are two options.]
1. Your luck viewing ticket.
2. The misfortune viewing ticket of another person.
Two people could be viewed in the future.
Of course, choosing to view my own luck seemed like the obvious good decision... I thought.
But from the moment I first saw the reward content, the ambiguous "another person" kept nagging at my heart.
There was no reason for the message to reveal the misfortune of someone unimportant to me.
What if the person referred to in the options was someone precious to me, like family?
*Could it be that my little brother gets into an accident on his way to the US? Gun violence is common there...*
That would be a disaster.
If my only brother ended up in trouble because of me and was beaten black and blue in the US, I would never be able to show my face to my parents for the rest of my life.
"Even if it's luck, it's more than enough right now, so this time I'll stop the misfortune of another person."
In the end, after long consideration, I decided on option 2.
If I didn't choose 2, I felt a vague unease that would linger forever.
None of the information the TV had given me so far had been unimportant.
Knowing another person's misfortune would clearly help me.
When I selected **2. The misfortune viewing ticket of another person**, the video began to play.
*
A dark evening.
A shabby office with the lights off.
Over half the floor space was piled with untouched cardboard boxes up to the ceiling.
A man sat in the corner of the office, clutching his head and sobbing.
It seemed his business had failed.
I felt a twinge of pity for the man in the video, but since it was not an accident in my family, I was relieved.
So I could focus on the video with a clear mind.
A short while later.
The door burst open and a man in a suit appeared.
*Huh? That's the secretary, Oh Seung-won.*
Oh Seung-won rushed over to the crying man.
"Hyung! Are you okay?"
"Sob. Seung-won-ah, what am I going to do now? The investments I made... they're all going to disappear."
"Don't worry. I'll figure something out."
"I should have been more diligent in finding investors... I was a fool for trusting just one idea and selling my house to invest. I really can't show my face to my parents. Sob. I should just die. I really should! Aigoo!"
It seemed the house he sold was his parents' house.
When the boss slapped his own head in self-reproach, Oh Seung-won quickly stopped him.
"Why is that because of hyung?! Startups either succeed or fail; that doesn't matter. The chaebol that stole your idea is the one at fault!"
"No. If I had been more diligent in promotions, the chaebol might not have entered before I could establish my market position. Because I trusted the product and neglected the promotions... I was too naive."
Hearing that, Oh Seung-won snapped.
"How much more diligent can you be? For three years, you chased venture awards, hunted investors one by one for demos, and never got a day off!"
Reminded of his past hardships, Oh Seung-won finally broke.
"Sob. It's all my fault. If I hadn't recommended hyung to our company's incubating system... that damned bastard wouldn't have stolen hyung's idea."
Stolen the idea?
The boxes over there must be...
*Nutrient dispenser?!*
*
The situation was roughly understood.
Oh Seung-won had recommended his brother's idea product to Iljin Group's venture incubating system, and Lee Jung-wan, the responsible person at the time, had written the plan as if it were his own idea.
*Haha. There was an unexpected ally in an unusual place.*
I had planned to approach Lee Jung-wan soon and invest in the company whose idea he stole anyway.
I had worried that if the business was going too well, the company might not want investment, but it seemed not.
If I used the situation well, I could secure a substantial portion of the company's shares.
After the video ended.
I was certain.
The message sent by the TV was helping my success.
Thanks to that, I could completely erase the lingering regret of "What if I had chosen my own future luck?"
Now was the time to set the board.
To drive Lee Jung-wan out of Iljin Group and shake Han Se-ah's position within it with a massive board.
To return the harsh price for using others for his own desires.
That day, I went to bed early.
To win in a big war, one must not neglect small wars.
It was the night just three days before my first war with Han Se-ah.
*
Tuesday morning.
I approached the serious-faced Kim Team Leader.
"Have you prepared?"
"Of course."
"Good. Then let's go."
I arrived at the meeting room thirty minutes early, set it up, and waited for the others.
Fifteen minutes before the meeting, members of Team 2 started arriving one after another.
Lee Jung-wan, Team Leader of Team 2, greeted me with a glance and then spoke to Kim Team Leader.
"Since you arrived early and prepared, it's so nice to see. Don't you think?"
"Huhuh. As you said, it's relaxed and good."
Kim Team Leader smiled with his trademark "Huhu" laugh and nodded.
Five minutes before the meeting time,
Han Se-ah, who had been sharpened, arrived last with Oh Seung-won,
and immediately Kim Team Leader began his report.
"I will report on the new business carbon capture device under review by New Business Development Team 1."
Han Se-ah glanced at me, who was manipulating the PPT behind Kim Jun-seok, and nodded with a dull expression.
That listless look was a deliberate strategy.
To make the opponent complacent and then strike.
I had seen that expression often in the early days of my marriage.
When I proposed something, he would casually say he understood and then spend over an hour listing twenty reasons why he didn't want to.
Sitting next to Han Se-ah, Oh Seung-won met my eyes and quickly looked away.
His gaze was a mix of envy and resentment.
*Wonder if he was scolded by Han Se-ah after I slipped out of the elevator.*
The immediate target of revenge would be none other than his secretary.
An employee, not even a body slave.
Using high-level corporate talent as emotional trash.
It seemed his personality had grown even dirtier after entering the chaebol world.
As the presentation began.
As I expected, within ten minutes, Han Se-ah's concentrated attack started.
"Regarding the application of the carbon capture device, I understand there are no tax benefits yet in our country. Do we need to invest expensive money to develop it?"
Her sharp question seemed to come after she had diligently studied yesterday.
But Kim Team Leader handled it flexibly, countering the question.
"Developing CCS does cost a lot. But with the climate crisis looming, the world's voice for carbon neutrality will only grow stronger.
STK Group has already developed products to international standards, uses them in overseas building examples, and our company entering the business now would prevent the technology gap from widening.
In that case, the chance to seize the market would be even higher."
Kim Team Leader's answer was perfectly apt, like flowing water.
Since I and Section Chief Seo had mainly written the report, we only had the weekend to review it and related materials, yet we had fully memorized the content with no obstacles in the presentation.
Even if others might not realize it, Kim Team Leader had been given the go-ahead to turn me into his man.
Han Se-ah, as if wanting to hinder our team's business at any cost, latched onto every point.
After nearly an hour of back-and-forth, Kim Team Leader finally declared surrender.
"I understand. As you said, we will abandon the CCS project and prepare a new project with lower costs next week."
A victorious smile appeared on Han Se-ah's lips.
*How stupid.*
I laughed inwardly.
She had no idea this whole thing was a scheme prepared by Kim Team Leader and me, and she was satisfied with the apparent victory in front of her.
Since we had achieved a satisfactory result in our team, Han Se-ah seemed relaxed and did not end the meeting abruptly but immediately moved to Team 2's report.
Lee Jung-wan stepped forward before the meeting hall and swept the room with his gaze before beginning his confident presentation.
During the entire report, Han Se-ah did not add a single word.
*I wonder if the method I taught her was quite effective.*
Of course it was.
The coat Han Se-ah was wearing today was the pearl cashmere coat presented at the Ertes F/W fashion show I secretly told Lee Jung-wan about last week.
Even after becoming a chaebol, he could not shake off his miserly nature.
During her celebrity days, she had caused a fuss to get sponsorships from luxury brands, but after becoming rich, she hoarded bribes.
That was all invisible debt.
One day she would get a proper backhand.
Anyway, it seemed the nutrient dispenser project of New Business Development Team 2 was definitely one Han Se-ah had promised to actively support.
Han Se-ah had been lavishing only exaggerated praise on him.
Throughout the meeting, I carefully watched Oh Seung-won's expression.
He tried hard to maintain a poker face, but his eyes were filled with hostility toward Lee Jung-wan.
Team 2's presentation flowed smoothly like water.
Then Team 3's project to absorb solar energy and supplement insulation functions in ski wear was presented.
As expected, Han Se-ah furrowed her brows the whole time Team 3 Team Leader spoke and listened to the content with an uncomfortable expression.
"Since it's winter wear, functionality is more important than design, right? Team 3, continue as is."
The project passed in one go, and ecstatic Woo Jeong-hwan sent me an internal thank you.
I gave him a slightly proud look and maintained my gloomy expression.
It was to make Han Se-ah complacent from her victory.
"Today's meeting is over. Team 1, do not forget to plan new projects until next week."
"Understood."
As Han Se-ah left the meeting hall, she looked back at me without forgetting to mock.
*Ugh! That bastard.*
That was the price of embarrassing her last Saturday, wasn't it?
Even if it hadn't been that, I would have done the same.
*Let's see who laughs last.*
Our team left the meeting room with gloomy expressions, exchanging meaningful glances.
Back in the office, we immediately gathered in the small meeting room.
Section Chief Seo spoke with a serious expression.
"Until the meeting ended, I kept thinking 'no way,' but it really is as Gang Dae-ri said."
"Yeah. Gang Dae-ri predicted it exactly, which is fortunate."
Kim Team Leader and the team members' gazes all poured toward me.
Their eyes were filled with admiration and trust.
When we had gathered before the meeting to prepare yesterday,
I briefed the team members on today's situation.
When Seo Section Chief strongly opposed Han Se-ah's unilateral attack on our team, saying even if she didn't know how the company worked, she wouldn't handle business as she pleased.
But today, I saw with my own eyes that my words were true.
"This much is holding our ground. At least we weren't unilaterally crushed like Team 3 in the last meeting."
"That is so."
"Before the monthly report, prepare exactly the same way for the next three weeks. Of course, we must keep the eco-friendly plastic containers strictly confidential. Ah, what about Director Nam?"
"Don't worry about that. When I told him about our situation, he said he would pretend not to know as much as possible."
Whether Director Nam would truly keep the secret to the end without following Han Se-ah's lead was honestly uncertain.
Therefore, we needed to create a connection with Vice President Oh Sang-do before that.
Fortunately, I already had a plan for that method.
"But... the CCS is really a shame. If we succeed, won't our Iljin Group seize the future market?"
"We have no choice. According to Gang Dae-ri, Han Se-ah Deputy is likely to be transferred to another department in a year, so we have to leave it hidden and bring it out next year."
No, there won't be such a thing.
The carbon capture device is something Zeroes Group will handle.
Seeing my regretful look made my mouth water, but I had to hold my tongue.
Achieving great things seems to require a lot of patience.
The meeting topic immediately shifted to the projects to be reported next week.
Of course, the next project was also one of the business items I had already discovered in advance.
I distributed basic materials to the team members and briefed them on the business.
Unlike the past when we had lived passively day by day, the way the team members looked at me was filled with trust.
I planned to gradually increase their subtle sense of existence every day.
So that when a crisis hits the team, the team members would fully trust and follow me.
*Han Se-ah, it seems you won today. Enjoy it while you can. The hell gate will open soon.*