Earth's Worst Chairman (3)
The next day at the office, Seo Han-gyeol was summoned by Seol Hwi right in the middle of the day. [President's Office.]
[President's Office.]
"……."
Didn't something like this happen before? It was déjà vu territory now.
But Seo Han-gyeol boarded the elevator without a word.
Call it adaptation in the best light, resignation in the worst. Refusing wouldn't stop her from calling anyway, and since a visit to the president's office was inevitable, meekly complying was the smart play. He'd realized that much.
The elevator climbed endlessly upward.
-Ding.
But someone stopped it midway. Seo Han-gyeol reflexively checked the floor.
'53rd floor?'
What was up here? He'd been through all sorts of spectacles in his month on the job, yet he still barely knew the company layout.
But the question vanished quickly.
"Ah, Senior Secretary Seo Han-gyeol."
The woman who stepped in was Team Leader Yu Seo-yeong. She gave a light bow and firmly pressed her floor button.
Seo Han-gyeol brightened at the familiar face—it had been a while—but filtered it through his psycho secretary act.
"It's been a while, Team Leader Yu."
"I heard you accomplished something huge at the Busan Oncheon Gate. Calming a pissed-off heavy equipment crew isn't easy. Impressive maneuvering."
Seo Han-gyeol, who'd done nothing but touch a machine, felt embarrassed by her lavish praise. Times like this called for flawless acting. He deliberately kept his tone even colder.
"It was nothing. It wasn't going to drag on anyway."
"Indeed. But there was something I needed to apologize for."
An apology? Hearing the word from Yu Seo-yeong's lips, Seo Han-gyeol first pictured fruit.
He hadn't imagined she'd ever have reason to apologize to him. But when you didn't know what was up, best to keep quiet and wait. He'd learned that.
Yu Seo-yeong inwardly admired his composure.
'Ex-Gray agent habits, maybe? Every mannerism screams layered camouflage. We tried wiretaps and surveillance—zero personal calls all weekend. Impossible for a normal adult. He's definitely ghosting signals.'
A former special forces lieutenant colonel tormented by a hyperactive superior's nonstop calls, she couldn't fathom someone whose phone stayed silent even on weekends—no friends, no colleagues.
'Account management is airtight too. Biggest expense last week? In-game merch? Bullshit. Dummy account for deception. Real one's shuffling hundreds of millions—offshore in Lithuania or the Virgin Islands, probably. Even the FSC couldn't trace it.'
If he'd splurged on booze or luxury goods, she might've suspected it was legit. But this guy outshining everyone at Nebula, even wrapping Seol Hwi around his finger? She couldn't picture him blowing cash on kid stuff and giggling over games!
"You must've anticipated even the president's orders. Saved my face, no hard feelings. Thank goodness."
Yu Seo-yeong was genuinely grateful. They'd scoured calls, accounts, transactions—nothing. If it stayed clean, it wasn't her problem anymore. 'What the hell happened that month? Looks resolved, at least...'
Seo Han-gyeol had outfoxed every probe with his keen insight(?). He had no clue, but went with his gut.
"Glad relations remain smooth. Looking forward to continued cooperation."
"Wouldn't have it any other way. Ah, this is my stop. Have a good day."
She left a brief farewell at the intermediate floor. Seo Han-gyeol rode up a bit farther before stepping out.
-Knock knock.
"It's Seo Han-gyeol."
[Come in.]
The usual drawling voice. Seo Han-gyeol opened the door without hesitation.
'Transform!'
Aaah, this is why I didn't wanna show it. If I act like this, she'll make me her secretary forever~!
And so his heartfelt psycho act unfolded. He'd never put this much effort into his tree A role back in drama club.
These were the days he was most sincere about acting. Sure, existential dread hit sometimes—Did I major in Korean lit for this?—but...
'Financial therapy is the best.'
All woes vanished the moment his first paycheck hit after a month. Acting? Whatever, he could do it. They paid for this! And paid big!
'Save up enough and bail.'
At this rate, retirement fund in 1-2 years!
Seo Han-gyeol creaked the door open and strode in, no hesitation.
'Whatever it is, bring it!'
He'd seen so much absurdity, nothing fazed him anymore.
Then the sight hit him.
"Seat's kinda messy, huh? I'll tidy soon. Don't mind it."
Rock dust blanketed the luxury furniture and sofa, a massive blue boulder sprawled on the floor.
-Rock rock?
A hallucinated voice from the hulking stone: 'Whatcha staring at, human?'
His sense of absurdity short-circuited.
In the president's office? Why? A rock?
Seol Hwi grunted, rolling the behemoth to a corner before flopping onto the sofa. She squirmed into comfort, then spoke in a bored tone.
"Picked it up at the weekend open auction. Mana stones get rarer and pricier the bigger the chunk."
Seo Han-gyeol knew that. Mana stones were next-gen energy from gates or monster kills. But you couldn't hunt monsters for ones this size—anything that big would trigger national emergency, Korea collapsing mid-debate.
Only gate expeditions yielded 1.8m-diameter giants like this. Rare even there, so auctions made sense.
The problem...
'So why'd you buy it?'
As if hearing his thought, Seol Hwi muttered.
"Atlas was eyeing it. Their R&D needs it for some big project."
"……."
That explained the massive stone's saga perfectly. Atlas, Korea's second-top corp. Their team had wanted this colossal prize—now it rolled forgotten in Seol Hwi's corner.
Atlas was the dog that lost the chicken...
"Pissed me off with their nagging pebble. Serves 'em right for sloppy staff control."
Heh heh heh. Her low, feral laugh chilled Seo Han-gyeol's spine.
He'd forgotten amid recent kindness. No matter how stunning, she was the evil org's final boss!
'Move!'
He sprang into action, casually (or so it seemed) strolling the room, gathering scattered stone with [Organization]. Into the infinite subspace of his magic secretary bag.
"What're you doing?"
Repeating the process. To Seol Hwi, it made no sense. Top-grade, high-value sure—but not precious to her.
But he kept at it: collect, wipe with cloth sometimes, bag.
To her question, he replied.
"No matter the source, now that they've reached your display case—essentially your collection—they're yours. Right?"
"Well..., yeah."
She grudgingly agreed. Floor-rollers were still collectibles, just lower tier.
"As I've observed, your collectibles' upkeep ties directly to your condition and mindset. So these fall under my purview too."
"……!"
"Pardon the intrusion."
Leaving her thunderstruck, he zipped around, efficiently scooping stones.
At the same time—
-Fwoosh!
A massive surge of her power swirled around. Mana raging from emotional turmoil, control slipped momentarily.
Enrapt, she approached and tapped his shoulder, engrossed in stone care.
A top Korean 1st-grade hunter within centimeters—preprogrammed routine locked him up. No other reaction possible.
He silently polished away, crunch crunch. She kept her hand there, murmuring quietly.
"Senior Secretary Seo. Others bet money, lives, everything for one of these. Not rare to me doesn't make 'em worthless. Yet you fret more over my added hassle than the stones on the floor."
"……Of course."
Instinctively activating [Organization], immune to her power—but he sensed her mood shift. Carefully, he deployed flattery tailored to her ego.
"You're the most precious asset under my care. Letting mismanagement diminish you isn't secretarial duty. I'll brook no risk to your value."
"Heh, heh ha, heh... "
His words ignited a thrill through her veins.
She'd seen fools daring claim her as a woman—limbs shattered personally. Parasites climbing to her at Nebula? Disposed of.
But this man...?
'Sees me as a perfect asset.'
Unfamiliar thrill. Lifetime collector now, for once, being managed. Joy, plus indescribable emotions swirling into something potent.
Brief silence. Then her low whisper, sticky with inescapable emotion.
"Take it."
"...Begging pardon, but premium-grade mana stones are trade-regulated, special gift tax items. Taxes alone near a billion."
A billion. A billion...
"Just,"
Nothing. Compared to his worth.
"Take it. A gift for your efforts, Senior Secretary."
And Seol Hwi smiled.
"Let's keep this going a long time."
"……."
Suddenly, Seo Han-gyeol's spine iced over.
Eerily prophetic.