The Eco-Container Project: A Shortcut to Victory
Originally, according to our plan, the eco-friendly plastic container project would have been presented at the executive committee meeting with the help of Vice President Oh Sang-do. Even if the agenda passed, there was still at least two weeks, or even up to a month, before execution was finalized. That would have locked our entire team into a project that might not even see the light of day by year-end, draining every ounce of energy we had.
Without Xeros Building, we could have simply prepared for next year's business in peace. But focusing on revenue generation right away instead of chasing an unfinished project felt incredibly unproductive.
Yet what if we could convince Vice President Oh Sang-do to pass the eco-friendly plastic container project today?
We could jump straight into commercialization without the usual labyrinth of procedures. Concentrating all our efforts on a single initiative would naturally boost efficiency.
I had originally planned to approach Vice President Oh Sang-do myself to request his support in advancing the project. But that move would have made sharp-eyed Han Se-ah sense something off and sink her claws even deeper into my trail.
So I had been waiting for the perfect timing. Now the need for that wait had vanished.
Thanks to Han Ha-jin entering our team.
Instead, I would have to sway Kim Team Leader.
But how?
To sway Kim Team Leader, the only option was to push him to the edge.
“Actually, I ran into Deputy Han Se-ah by chance last night, and she said some pretty strange things.”
“Strange things?”
“Something about the project we’re reporting on today—if it doesn’t pass, she’s going to disband the entire 1st team. You know, that sort of thing.”
Kim Team Leader’s face drained of all color.
“Of course, even if Deputy Han is Chairman Han Choong-won’s granddaughter, she couldn’t make such a decision alone.”
“You knew Deputy Han is Chairman Han Choong-won’s granddaughter?”
“Everyone hushed about it, but the rumor has been spreading since she started. I heard it from the very beginning.”
“Hah…”
Kim Team Leader let out a deep sigh, his expression heavy with the weight of reality.
“I couldn’t say anything because I was worried about the team members.”
With those words hanging in the air, Kim Team Leader explained the grim reality our team was facing.
The department had just entered its third year, and a reorganized business team had been decided at the last executive meeting: the worst-performing team would be dismantled and rebuilt within a month.
“This is serious.”
I already knew from Lee Jungwan’s earlier briefing, but I made a face as if hearing the news for the first time.
“Then we’re trapped. We have no choice but to do something.”
“Yeah. Kang Deputy is right. Deputy Han actually said she would dismantle the team herself. We have to act fast. Go get Han Ha-jin and bring him to the small meeting room.”
“Understood.”
I confirmed Kim Team Leader had entered the small meeting room, then headed there together with Han Ha-jin.
Kim Team Leader stood before us with a heavy expression, outlining our situation.
Deputy Han Se-ah had rejected our project again and again, forcing Vice President Oh Sang-do to take direct responsibility for advancing it.
After finishing his explanation, Kim Team Leader cautiously dropped his next line.
“I hate to ask you, a new employee, but our team is currently dead last in performance. If we don’t secure a new business by the end of this month, the team might be dissolved at the beginning of next year. So… would you be willing to help us?”
“How exactly can I help?”
I quickly added my plan.
“Leave everything to Han Ha-jin. Just sit beside Kim Team Leader like a rock.”
“Really? Just that?”
“Yeah. The project explanation will be handled by Kim Team Leader anyway. This business is a guaranteed success.”
“I understand. I’m part of 1st team too. Of course I’ll help.”
Han Ha-jin accepted without hesitation.
Moreover, he actually took the initiative.
“I’ll contact Vice President Oh Sang-do myself.”
“What? Ha-jin? No need to force it.”
“We have enough closeness.”
“Then we’ll owe you one.”
Kim Team Leader’s initially skeptical expression brightened with hope.
Han Ha-jin immediately called Vice President Oh Sang-do on the speakerphone.
“Hello, Vice President. This is Han Ha-jin.”
- Oh, everything’s going well with your new department?
“Yes, thanks to the team members treating me without reservation, I’m settling in nicely. But there’s one favor I’d like to ask.”
- A favor? What kind?
When Han Ha-jin explained the situation, Vice President Oh Sang-do immediately agreed to make time.
We scheduled the meeting and ended the call. Han Ha-jin turned to Kim Team Leader with a satisfied smile.
Kim Team Leader poured endless praise onto Han Ha-jin.
“Our team has gained its own guardian angel. Oh no, I can’t afford to slack off now. We need to get ready to report.”
Kim Team Leader was about to leave when he turned back to me.
“Kang Deputy. I’m truly sorry. I’ll personally convince Vice President Oh Sang-do no matter what, so just stall for time until we return.”
“Is thirty minutes enough?”
We had agreed on a thirty-minute meeting right before the official start. Even in the worst case, I calculated that an hour would be enough to secure approval.
Kim Team Leader checked the time and nodded.
“Thirty minutes it is.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll serve as the perfect target until then. Oh, and Team Leader, take Section Chief Seo with you when you go.”
“Why take Seo?”
If Kim Team Leader left, Han Se-ah’s attacks would naturally fall on Section Chief Seo.
He was just a deputy; she wouldn’t waste energy berating me. But Seo’s meticulous nature would be crushed under endless personal attacks.
It would have been easier for my own heart if he stayed.
“The eco-friendly plastic container project is our team’s lifeline. Two people are better than one when persuading someone. If Section Chief Seo joins, there’ll be no hesitation in the explanation.”
Kim Team Leader hesitated, then decided this rare chance had to be seized. His eyes burned with resolve.
“Yeah. Kang Deputy’s right. It’s better this way.”
After Kim Team Leader left, I thanked Han Ha-jin at once.
“Ha-jin, thank you.”
“Not at all. It wasn’t that difficult.”
“Let’s go too. We need to help Team Leader.”
“Just a moment, Deputy.”
“Hm? What?”
“I have one question.”
“What?”
Han Ha-jin’s eyes sparkled as he stared straight at me.
“Who exactly is the main body of New Business Development Team 1?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
“Main body? Naturally Kim Team Leader. He’s the team leader.”
“I checked every report Team 1 submitted since Deputy Han’s arrival, and every single draft was written by Deputy Kang.”
The question was laid out too plainly.
But I could not answer with such bluntness.
“That’s because I handled the data collection.”
“A single deputy’s opinion on data collection being taken so seriously by the team leader… isn’t that a bit odd?”
“Well, our team leader is extremely cautious, so he values everyone’s input. Didn’t you see Ha-jin? He entrusted the task to me because he believed I could persuade Vice President Oh Sang-do directly.”
Han Ha-jin swept his falling hair aside and met my eyes.
The innocent expression of a pampered young master from a wealthy family had vanished long ago.
“You don’t know why my mother sent me here, do you?”
Han Ha-jin clearly knew I had met Chairwoman Heo Ji-hye.
So why was he constantly probing me?
“No, I didn’t know Ha-jin was coming to our team.”
“My mother seems to hold New Business Development Team 1 in high regard.”
Hm? High regard for Team 1’s ability?
What was that supposed to mean?
Was Han Ha-jin sent here not just to counter Han Se-ah?
No way…
Had Chairwoman Heo Ji-hye actually assessed the value of the business ideas our team had developed over the past month?
Then we might not escape this quietly after all.
“My mother told me to observe Team 1 directly and assess my capabilities. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed. She assigned me a ladder-pulling role from the start. I think a full re-evaluation is in order.”
“Re-evaluation?”
“My team is one I want to build myself. Especially something as important as a New Business Development team. We can’t entrust it to the worst-performing group.”
Hah, this is interesting.
I’m supposed to convince the investor—Chairwoman Heo Ji-hye—to hand over capital, yet I get to run the actual company. Is that what he’s implying?
“So what exactly are you getting at?”
“If you want to join my company, you’ll have to prove your worth while I’m here.”
What audacity.
I offered him a cold, cynical smile.
“Doesn’t it seem like the order is backwards? Ha-jin, you’ve never even read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, have you?”
“What does that have to do with it?”
Deep wrinkles formed between Han Ha-jin’s brows.
“A leader isn’t someone who simply raises his hand because he wants to lead. If you want capable people to follow you, you have to make them want to.”
“……”
“What I asked Chairwoman Heo Ji-hye for was to prevent Team 1 from collapsing and surviving inside Iljin Group. She was the one who proposed we could move to another company when the situation turned bad.”
“What’s the difference?”
“It’s completely different. If our team members quit Iljin Group, other large companies would roll out the red carpet and welcome us with open arms, right?”
Of course that possibility was slim.
But to a chaebol grandson who believed Iljin Group was supreme, it was a powerful argument.
“You can go to any large company under excellent conditions. Why would anyone happily join a startup that’s barely been established? And not just any startup—this one isn’t even created by Chairman Han or CEO Han Seung-woo. It’s a company run by a grandson who’s just starting out. How long do you think it will survive?”
Kim Ha-jin’s eyes lost focus at my words.
To make talented employees your loyal followers, you must first prove your own competence. Ha-jin’s background, connections, and money can only give him an unfair head start. They cannot guarantee success.”
Han Ha-jin mulled over my words.
“You’re asking me to prove my own abilities first?”
A clever boy.
Yet his words still carried weight.
“Yeah. If you manage to bring Vice President Oh Sang-do into the meeting room before it starts, I will recognize that Ha-jin can lead our team. After that, you can evaluate us however you like.”
If an unrelated Kim Team Leader could accomplish the impossible in one hour, then the far more powerful Han Ha-jin should manage it in thirty minutes.
Han Ha-jin accepted without hesitation.
“I’ll be there before the meeting starts.”
However, despite his confident promise.
Kim Team Leader and Vice President Oh Sang-do entered the meeting room only five minutes after it officially began.
That was the reason Han Ha-jin had given me only a flustered nod from his seat.
I leaned toward Han Ha-jin and whispered in his ear.
“You’re five minutes late.”
Han Ha-jin gave me an aggrieved look and answered.
“I was in the bathroom when he arrived.”
“Anyway. This time I won.
“Hoo-.”
Nod. Nod.
Han Ha-jin reluctantly accepted the outcome.
To win a contest against an opponent, you must first gauge when they will crack and make the bet accordingly.
‘My strategy was good, but too hasty.’
With a satisfied smile, I listened to Kim Team Leader’s presentation.
As expected, Vice President Oh Sang-do performed the role Chairwoman Heo Ji-hye had entrusted him with perfectly.
He immediately approved our project, promised to support it personally, and insisted we move forward as quickly as possible.
Han Se-ah, who ranked lower in the Iljin Group hierarchy, could only watch in bitter silence.
Since Han Ha-jin had done his ladder-pulling job perfectly, we would now truly turn the project around starting tomorrow.
‘Where should we start? Pyeongtaek? Yeoju? Or perhaps Pocheon would be better?’