The Second Parachute (2)

Until he revealed his identity himself, I had every intention of playing dumb. I might need to form a temporary alliance with Chairwoman Heo Ji-hye, which meant I needed to get a read on Han Ha-jin's character as well — her puppet.

"If there's anything you're curious about, just ask. I'm not the uptight type."

"Yes, sir! Thank you! Deputy Kang, have you had coffee yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then I'll brew you a cup."

"Thanks. Two packets of mix, go easy on the water — make it extra strong."

"Yes, sir!"

A booming voice, and so eager to please. I liked him already.

I was worried all the extra work would mean overtime. This is a relief.

I'd left everything related to real estate leasing and promotion entirely in Amy's hands, but turning the Xeros Building into New York's finest system was my responsibility. I needed time to study, and now that I had one more person to help with the office work, I considered myself lucky.

The old instinct to curry favor with anyone upstairs just to survive had already died in me. To me, parachute Han Ha-jin was nothing more than a sharp-looking new Staff member. Nothing more, nothing less.

The team members trickled in one by one, and Team Leader Kim arrived last.

"Hey, Deputy Kang. Looking good."

"Haha. Must be because I actually got some rest."

"You two already introduced yourselves?"

"Yes. He even made me coffee this morning. He's got the basics down pat — not what you'd expect from his generation. Haha."

The color drained from Team Leader Kim's face, replaced by sheer alarm.

"What? Ha-jin, you didn't tell him?"

"Ah... it's a little awkward to introduce myself as a parachute. Haha."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"A parachute?"

I asked, feigning surprise. Team Leader Kim smacked me on the back with a loud thwack and spilled the truth.

"Can't you tell just by looking? He's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠CEO Han Seung-woo's son. Honestly, you have zero instincts."

Well now. He'd never intended to hide it from the start.

Was that why? Yesterday, when Han Se-ah had threatened to fire the entire Team 1 and I'd told her to go right ahead, she'd gone silent?

Even better that he'd volunteered the parachute label himself. This was like they'd dropped a shield straight into my lap, purpose-built to bounce Han Se-ah's tantrums right back at her.

Only then did I pretend to catch on, laying the sarcasm on thick.

"Oh my. A parachute, huh? If I'd known, I wouldn't have asked him to make coffee — I'd have told him to buy me the expensive stuff."

"What?"

Team Leader Kim seemed to take it as hostility toward a chaebol parachute. He grabbed my arm and dragged me into a corner of the office.

"Deputy Kang — seriously, what's with you today? You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trying to get yourself marked?"

"I think you're the one without instincts, Team Leader. Why would Staff Member Han Ha-jin come to a nobody team like ours?"

"Why else? To learn the business, obviously."

Team Leader Kim looked at me, baffled.

"They skipped Team 2 — the one with actual results — and sent him to us on purpose?"

"Well, we had an open slot."

"If I were CEO Han Seung-woo, I'd have transferred a Team 2 staffer somewhere else and put Han Ha-jin there."

"W-well, maybe..."

Even Team Leader Kim seemed to find it odd. He tilted his head.

"Anyway, go easy on him. If you go running to the higher-ups, you're the one who'll suffer."

If he was that short-sighted, I should use him as a shield and send him packing sooner rather than later. He'd only leak valuable business intel otherwise.

I already had Amy — an ally with massive capital. Chairwoman Heo Ji-hye had become nothing more than a safety net to complete my revenge against Han Se-ah. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Come on, Team Leader. He's not a millstone. Why would I grind him? I'm going to use him as a shield."

"What are you talking about now?"

I calmly laid out my thinking for the bewildered Team Leader Kim.

"CEO Han sent his youngest son to our team as a check on Department Head Han Se-ah."

"What?"

Of course, it wasn't CEO Han who'd sent him — it was Chairwoman Heo. But still.

Team Leader Kim glanced over at Han Ha-jin, then whispered.

"A check?"

"He knows Department Head Han Se-ah hates our team, so he sent him to make her extra careful. To test whether she'd still throw her tantrums with Han Ha-jin sitting right here. That's why they announced him as a parachute from day one, isn't it?"

"Hmm."

Team Leader Kim finally grasped that Han Ha-jin's arrival was no ordinary matter.

"Then isn't that good for us? It means Department Head Han Se-ah can't shoot down our projects anymore."

"Is it really that simple? Every move our team makes will be reported straight to the very top. Including the fact that we're ignoring the company system and quietly preparing a separate business."

The thought of having to watch not only external power players but now a subordinate as well drained the color from Team Leader Kim's face.

"So what are we supposed to do now?"

Han Ha-jin's appearance had complicated the calculations — specifically, for the project we were presenting today.

Cultured meat, clean meat — a new protein source riding the vegan wave.

Singapore had recently become the first country in the world to approve the sale of cultured meat, and Korean food companies had started taking notice. I'd specifically chosen this project because Han Se-ah had been dieting so obsessively that she was already familiar with vegan ingredients.

Whatever we brought her, she was going to tear it apart anyway. Might as well let her show off whatever knowledge she had and get drunk on her own expertise. That way, she might loosen her grip on Team 1 just a little.

But now I was worried Han Ha-jin's presence would make her hold back.

"I think it's best if we don't bring Staff Member Han Ha-jin to the department head briefing. If Han Se-ah green-lights this project because she's watching CEO Han Seung-woo, we could end up running two projects at once."

"Two at once? That sounds brutal."

"Exactly. We have to tank this project somehow."

"But how?"

I already knew how to force Han Se-ah into shooting down our project no matter what. It was doable — as long as Team Leader Kim Junseok had the nerve.

I grabbed Team Leader Kim's hand and looked him straight in the eye.

"Team Leader!"

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's scary."

"Does today's presentation absolutely have to be you?"

"Don't tell me — you want to do it again?"

"Yes. We need at least a 'revise the content and report back.' That's the only way our team survives. If we're not careful, we'll try to catch two rabbits and lose the one we already have."

Ugh. Team Leader Kim pressed his forehead, clearly pained, then offered an alternative.

"Then maybe Section Chief Seo this time."

"Absolutely not!"

I nearly jumped out of my seat.

If Team Leader Kim Junseok was a leader who led with heart, Section Chief Seo Eunho was a strategist so sharp you couldn't slip a needle through the gaps.

"This is a project Section Chief Seo prepared himself. What if he answers every one of Department Head Han Se-ah's questions without a single hole?"

"Ha... Fine. We have to fail no matter what, is that it?"

"Yes!"

The moment I stepped up to that podium, Han Se-ah would lose her mind. Her eyes would roll back in her head. The only person who could pull this off perfectly was me. Just me.

Team Leader Kim bit his lip and made the hard call.

"If that's how you see it, then so be it. All right. Make sure it fails. I'll take full responsibility for whatever comes after."

"Yes, sir! I'm putting my complete trust in you, Team Leader."

It was a brutal enough era just to survive on your own. Some people stole their teammates' projects and claimed the credit, or robbed entrepreneurs of their ideas just to make a buck. And here was a team leader who couldn't sit still at the thought of one of his people falling out of a superior's favor.

Just his existence was something I was deeply grateful for.

Team Leader Kim scratched his head as he headed back to his desk.

"But is this even the right call? Ha... I honestly don't know."

It is the right call.

Because this project must never, ever proceed at Iljin Group.

I wasn't about to hand out a delicious pie for free. Every tasty, nutritious business was going to be swallowed whole by Xeros Group.

I was still hungry, after all.

"Kang. Min. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hyuk!"

Han Se-ah spat out Kang Minhyuk's name one syllable at a time, her expression terrifying. Song Jiho and Oh Seung-won stood in a row before her, heads bowed like criminals.

She glared at the two of them in turn, snorting like a rhino swallowing its rage.

"...I told you to find out about him."

Every last line was about how Kang Minhyuk's life had taken off after the divorce.

"What the hell is this nonsense?"

Han Se-ah flung the single sheet of A4 paper at Song Jiho. Flutter — it kicked up a big gust of air, then drifted weakly, helplessly to the floor.

Song Jiho locked eyes with her and stammered, an awkward smile plastered on his face.

"Th-that's... I even staked out in front of his house all weekend, but he never showed. When I looked into it, he'd gone to America..."

"Then you should have followed him to America!"

"B-but how was I supposed to know where Kang Minhyuk was in a country that big..."

"Ha! Deputy General Manager Song!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

Han Se-ah's bloodshot eyes looked ready to bulge straight out of her skull.

"Did I call you two here to listen to this garbage? Do you know where we are? This is Iljin! Iljin — one of Korea's top ten chaebols! And you're telling me you don't know where he is because he's not in Korea? If you don't know, you spend money and you find him!"

"I... I-I'm sorry."

"And Section Chief Oh?"

"Yes?"

The target switched to Oh Seung-won.

"Section Chief Oh, what exactly do you do sitting in that office all day?"

"I-I write the reports you requested, analyze each team's business, and then the approval documents to sign—"

"Stop! Do you think I asked because I'm curious about your job description?"

"......"

Han Se-ah tapped the table with the tip of her fake nail, looking thoroughly exasperated.

"What about the thing I told you to look into before?"

"If you mean the woman who was with Kang Minhyuk at the hotel, I identified her."

"If you found out, why haven't you reported it yet?"

"You didn't ask."

Han Se-ah's face, still twisted with irritation, let out a hot, frustrated breath.

"Ha! So who is she?"

"Here."

Oh Seung-won handed her the file he'd been holding.

"She's a partner attorney in her second year at Im & Jung. A specialist in family law."

"Family what?"

"An attorney who handles personal civil cases like divorce and custody disputes."

"......!"

Han Se-ah thought hard for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Puhahahaha. So he wanted to try something after the fact? And he's seeing another woman while he's at it? What a complete lunatic."

The two men, who had no idea why she was laughing, looked bewildered at the sudden reversal. Then the smile vanished. Her face went ice-cold as she issued orders to Oh Seung-won.

"Section Chief Oh, you know the law firm that handles our family's affairs, right?"

"Yes, I do. You mean Law Firm 2K."

"Contact them and have them send a specialist with a good win rate in divorce cases. No — send me a lawyer with a 100% win rate."

"Yes, understood."

Oh Seung-won answered immediately, then asked with a slightly puzzled look.

"But... why would someone who isn't even married need a divorce attorney...?"

Han Se-ah's face went bright red.

"Do I have to explain my reasons to you, Section Chief Oh? Just do what I tell you. Don't talk back!"

"Ah, yes. Understood."

"Section Chief Oh, get out and get to work."

"Yes, ma'am!"

After Section Chief Oh left, Han Se-ah turned her blazing eyes on Song Jiho.

"I think Kang Minhyuk has a sponsor backing him."

"A sponsor?"

Han Se-ah added, her expression loaded with meaning.

"Han Ha-jin. Why else would he suddenly show up here?"