A Certain Conspiracy (1)
Kim Chirok found himself wondering why a man of the Director's rank would carry on in such an unseemly fashion. He knew Jang was trying to sing his praises, but the whole display struck him as excessive.
Bang Mihee, for her part, ate her meal without so much as a flicker of expression crossing her face. This woman was nothing like the female employees he had known at H Chemical. For one thing, she scarcely spoke a word. Perhaps that was only to be expected of a beauty who had majored in dance and now served as the Chairman's secretary.
Is it because she's so haughty? Just how special does she think she is?
Bang Mihee did not grant Kim Chirok so much as a glance. When he stole a look at her face, however, a faintly chilly air seemed to radiate from her.
Is something wrong with this woman? Or does she look down on ordinary group employees because she serves at the Chairman's side? And why did Oh Ha-young from H Chemical's General Affairs Department call her a monster?
After finishing his meal, Kim Chirok went back up to the office. He sat with his mentor, Deputy Song, over coffee, and the two of them fell into idle conversation. Deputy Song grinned as he spoke.
"You must've had quite an appetite today, Kim. Eating in front of a beauty like that."
"She barely said a word the whole time, though."
"That's because she looks down on the rest of us like we're nothing. Even when you greet her, all you get is a little nod of the head. That's why her nickname is Bang Yeo-jeong, isn't it?"
"Looking at her more closely, she was wearing nothing but designer pieces, wasn't she?"
It was true enough. Bang Mihee dressed far more elegantly than Oh Ha-young, the hotel owner's daughter from Incheon, and her makeup was considerably bolder. As for her looks, whether or not she had had work done, she was the more striking of the two.
Oh Ha-young probably called Bang Mihee a monster out of jealousy. Women are always envious of each other, aren't they?
Deputy Song spoke up again.
"Still, she really is a beauty. And that figure of hers is killer, isn't it?"
Deputy Song was well into his mid-thirties and still a bachelor without a girlfriend.
"Then why didn't you join us when the Director invited you to eat together? Wouldn't it have been nice, dining across from Bang Mihee? A beauty sitting right there in front of you."
"Ah, I couldn't handle a woman like that. How is an ordinary guy like me supposed to deal with someone as haughty as Bang Yeo-jeong?"
"Haughty or not, she's still just a woman."
"And honestly, I just didn't want to eat in front of Jang Zhuge. I don't think I could digest a thing sitting across from that man."
"Is Director Jang going to eat you alive, Deputy Song?"
"Jang Zhuge has a habit of treating employees without connections like dirt."
"Doesn't seem that way to me. He was pretty friendly with me. I don't have any connections either, you know."
"He's got some angle. Bound to."
"What kind of angle would he have on a low-level employee like me?"
"Look at yesterday. Assistant Manager Park from Team 3 made a mistake, and Jang just let it slide. Park happens to be the brother-in-law of the Minister of XX."
"Is that so?"
"If I'd made a mistake like that, he'd have shipped me off to some affiliate company on the spot."
"Haha. No way."
"And you know how he treats that new hire on Team 1 — the one who looks a bit gay? He even pats the kid on the shoulder and tells him he's doing a great job. How well can a new hire possibly be doing?"
"Does that new hire have good connections too?"
"That kid's father is a three-star general sitting in a key military post."
"Our group really is full of people with some serious lifelines, isn't it?"
"Which is why you and I need to work hard and not make any mistakes."
Hearing this left Kim Chirok with a faintly bitter taste in his mouth. His father was neither a minister nor a three-star general — just an obscure poet living deep in the mountains.
At that same moment, in President Choi Jung-hee's office at the Strategic Planning Office, a man and a woman were engaged in a private conversation. One was President Jung-hee herself; the other was the head of the Strategic Planning Office. They were speaking in hushed voices, which suggested the matter was of some importance.
This was a secret discussion between President Jung-hee — the power behind the power at H Group — and Jang Zhuge, that notorious bag of tricks. Was some grand new business venture in the works? The conversation, however, did not seem to be about business at all.
President Jung-hee spoke with her head slightly bowed.
"So today in the company cafeteria, Secretary Bang Mihee and Kim Chirok from Strategic Planning sat together and had a meal?"
"Heh heh heh. That's right."
"How was the atmosphere?"
"Right now they're looking at each other like a dog regarding a chicken — no interest at all — but it won't be long before they're drawn together like magnets. They're both in the prime of youth, after all."
"If this all works out, I intend to give Bang Mihee the authority to establish her own corporation."
"As expected, President, your consideration runs deep."
"First, I plan to have her set up a company that supplies uniforms and holiday gifts for all group employees."
"That kind of business would be quite nice. Heh heh heh."
"Our group has fifty thousand employees in total, so even just supplying Chuseok gifts would generate five billion won in revenue."
"That's true. If we typically give each employee a gift worth a hundred thousand won, that would indeed generate that kind of revenue."
"On top of that, there's the Lunar New Year holiday, and if we give her the exclusive right to supply uniforms, the revenue would be quite substantial."
"If Bang Mihee sets up and runs that corporation, ten billion won in annual revenue would be well within reach."
"If we set her up with a modest office, Bang Mihee could play representative director of a twenty-person company."
"For a young woman not even thirty, that would be quite a rise in the world."
"And I plan to buy Bang Mihee a house as well."
"A house?"
"A standard-size Gukpyeong apartment in Banpo. For around five billion won, we should be able to get a decent unit."
"Good heavens. Banpo is a neighborhood even our own executives struggle to get into. In this country there's an apartment caste system — if you live in Banpo, people treat you as upper class."
"And if Kim Chirok marries Bang Mihee, I intend to guarantee his rise all the way to executive rank."
"That's truly generous of you."
"I don't know why Father had to go and put his hands on a young girl and dump this mess on me. Aigoo, I suppose this too is just my lot in life."
"The Chairman getting involved with Bang Mihee is actually a blessing for the group."
"A blessing?"
"Isn't it proof that the Chairman is still vigorous and in good health? Heh heh heh."
"If this got out, can you imagine the moral condemnation we'd face?"
"That's true, but if we handle it well, there shouldn't be a problem. Buy Bang Mihee a Banpo apartment in Gangnam, set her up with a corporation so she can play president — there shouldn't be any lingering trouble."
"This is a girl who even had an abortion. Will that really be all right?"
"If we pair her with a handsome elite employee from Seoul National University, there won't be much for anyone to say."
"And if Kim Chirok finds out about this later?"
"He must never know, not for the rest of his life. And even if there is a blemish, once they have children and settle down, it won't matter. Besides, Bang Mihee is a beauty, isn't she? Kim Chirok will like her just fine."
"I hope that's the case, but..."
"Still, who else is going to clean this up? It has to be you, President — you're his daughter."
"Honestly. Father! What was he thinking, doing something like this!"
"It's been a long time since the Chairman was widowed. Why didn't you introduce him to a nice older lady to spend his later years with?"
"As a matter of fact, someone did introduce a retired university professor. She'd been divorced when she was younger."
"Oh, I wasn't aware of that."
"But I opposed it. She had a son of her own."
"A poorly considered remarriage would create complicated inheritance issues, of course."
"That's why I opposed it."
"That seems to have been the right call."
"To be honest, even persuading Bang Mihee to have the abortion was quite a struggle."
"You've done a great service, President."
"Still, the plan to pair Kim Chirok with Bang Mihee really does seem like a good one."
"Being matched with a handsome young elite employee — Bang Mihee would have no reason to refuse."
"I hope the plan we've laid out works out well."
"As I've said more than once, for this kind of matter, a man from a humble family is better than one from a good one. A man with no money but good looks and an excellent academic pedigree — there's no one but Kim Chirok."
"It seems the Strategic Planning Office did a thorough job investigating that."
"Kim Chirok was the only person who couldn't submit a guarantor's property tax assessment certificate when he joined the company."
"You said he substituted a guarantee from a surety insurance company, didn't you?"
"That's right. We knew immediately that his parents didn't own a home. If the parents are humble, it makes our work that much easier."
"You said you'd looked into his parents as well?"
"For some reason, the parents are living separately. Kim Chirok's father is currently listed as residing in Kimhwa-eup, Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province."
"What does Kim Chirok's father do there?"
"He's a man with no recorded income. He receives basic livelihood assistance, so it seems he has no particular occupation."
"Is that so?"
"Kim Chirok currently lives with his mother in a villa in Bongcheon-dong. Since the property has a different owner, they appear to be renting."
"They're truly poor, then."
"That's right. He comes from a very poor family."
"When I saw Kim Chirok in Osaka, he made such a good impression that I had no idea he came from a family that poor."
"And yet you remembered Kim Chirok's name, didn't you, President?"
"The name was rather unusual, so I remembered it."
"When you said you'd like a good-looking bachelor to take Bang Mihee off our hands, I recommended him, and you recognized the name immediately. That's why I had Kim Chirok transferred here from H Chemical."
"Ho ho. You did very well indeed, Director Jang Zhuge!"
"Just wait and see. The two of them will come to like each other."
"I hope so."
"This is a matter between a man and a woman, so there's no need to rush. We should let it progress slowly and naturally."
"I'll leave this matter entirely in your hands, Director Jang."
"Bang Mihee has met a handsome Seoul National University graduate from a humble family but with a promising future — she won't have any complaints. On top of that, she'll get a Banpo apartment and become president of her own corporation. She'll be fine."
"I truly hope this puts an end to the whole affair, cleanly."
"And Kim Chirok hit the jackpot too. He'll be living in a five-billion-won Banpo apartment, and his wife will be the president of a twenty-person company."
"I hope the two of them have children and live quietly, without any fuss."
"In return, I hope you'll cultivate Kim Chirok well. He's a hard worker and a sincere young man. He'll make a capable servant of H Group."
"If Kim Chirok and Bang Mihee have a child, I'm even willing to hire that child as a group employee."
"As expected, President, your generosity is on a scale we men couldn't hope to match. Heh heh heh."