Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Royal Family
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Seo Ji-hyeok stood in front of the Taesung Group headquarters building and tilted his head back to gaze up at the top.
Passersby snickered at him as if he were some country bumpkin fresh off the bus from the sticks, but he paid them no mind.
His eyes were fixed on the top floor of the building—the 43rd.
More precisely, he was boring holes into the one person who had to be up there.
'I'll make you regret calling me.'
He muttered under his breath and strode forward, passing through the revolving doors into the building.
A grand, spacious lobby of elegant proportions unfolded before him.
It was the kind of place that might make a first-time visitor shrink back a little, but Ji-hyeok marched straight toward the information desk with unwavering confidence.
"Hello. Welcome to Taesung Group. How may I assist you?"
True to her role as the face of the company, the staff member was impeccably groomed, with a touch of cool professionalism.
A gold name tag on her left breast bore the neat letters: Lee Yun-suk.
"I was told to come in today."
"Pardon?"
"I'm Seo Ji-hyeok. HR said to show up today."
Lee Yun-suk eyed him with a look that said, What on earth is this guy talking about?
The biggest reason for her head tilt was his outfit.
A slightly faded white cotton tee, gray slacks, and sneakers.
By her standards, this was the kind of getup an unemployed layabout might throw on to run out for cigarettes.
And this was Taesung Group headquarters, no less.
It was unacceptable even for an employee—let alone a business partner.
'HR? Where does this liar even...'
But Lee Yun-suk plastered on her friendliest smile and asked again.
"Which HR team member were you looking for?"
"Hold on a sec."
Ji-hyeok pulled out his phone and scrolled to the recent text.
And...
"Lee Chan-su Team Leader."
"Pardon?"
"It says Lee Chan-su Team Leader."
"Ah, yes. Please wait a moment. I'll confirm your visit."
Even after hearing the name, Lee Yun-suk's expression remained dubious.
But she couldn't very well ignore it.
She picked up the phone, dialed the extension, and a voice answered on the other end.
"Yes, Team Leader Lee Chan-su. There's a Seo Ji-hyeok here in the lobby to see you."
"........."
"Oh? Yes. Understood."
Whatever was said on the line made Lee Yun-suk's face flush noticeably red.
She hung up and turned to Ji-hyeok.
"This way, please. I'll escort you."
Stepping away from the desk, she stood by the turnstile, swiped her ID, and opened the gate.
As Ji-hyeok slipped through with light steps, she guided him to the elevators.
"Get off on the 9th floor, and a staff member will be waiting."
"Thanks for your help."
Ji-hyeok gave her a warm smile and slight bow before boarding the elevator and pressing the button for the 9th.
He took a moment to check his reflection in the elevator doors, glancing side to side.
'Yeah, I do look like an unemployed slob.'
Just then, the elevator dinged its arrival on the 9th floor, and the doors slid open.
"Seo Ji-hyeok?"
"Yes, that's me."
A middle-aged man waited just outside the doors.
This must be Lee Chan-su Team Leader, Ji-hyeok figured.
But Lee Chan-su looked Ji-hyeok up and down as he stepped out and frowned in clear disapproval.
"Mr. Seo, I distinctly recall telling you that you'd passed the entrance exam and should report for your first day today."
"Yes, that's right."
"Then what about those clothes..."
"Didn't you say casual dress when I asked yesterday?"
"Yes, but... even so, this is a bit much."
"Am I misunderstanding what 'casual dress' means?"
This little punk...
Lee Chan-su seethed inwardly at Ji-hyeok's retort but held his tongue.
He was the HR Support Team Leader at Taesung Group, after all.
In plain terms, he was a department head—someone rank-and-file employees barely dared to glance at.
And here he was, personally waiting at the elevators.
This thunderbolt idiot had no idea what a big deal that was.
And now he was talking back?
'What the hell? Why would the Vice Chairman contact him directly? Is he really some secret son of the Chairman?'
Of course, that was ridiculous.
The Chairman was 81 this year.
Not just the age—group-level investigations had already ruled out any illegitimate children.
They'd mapped out every connection of the three warring daughters, too.
So politics, maybe...?
Whose kid was he?
One thing was clear: this guy was a parachute drop from some heavyweight.
Big enough for the factionless Vice Chairman to handle personally.
"Let's go for now."
"Sure."
Lee Chan-su led the way for the inexplicably grinning Ji-hyeok, arriving on the floor above—the 10th.
Moments later, they stood before a door at the end of a quiet hallway.
"Here it is. Come on in."
The office they entered was spacious.
Big enough for thirty desks, with about twenty actually set up.
A glass-walled conference room sat off to one side—it had everything you could want.
But only three people occupied it.
And they weren't working; they were silently packing their desks.
Pulling items from boxes and arranging them, it was clear this was their first day here too.
"Manager Oh Tae-hyung!"
Lee Chan-su raised his voice slightly, and a man at the farthest desk looked up from his packing.
"Ah, Team Leader Lee."
The man approached with a welcoming smile.
Oh Tae-hyung Manager...
He had one of those faces that perfectly embodied "nice guy"—warm and approachable.
"What brings you here in person, Team Leader?"
"Ah, it just worked out that way. Manager Oh, this is Seo Ji-hyeok. Our new hire."
"New hire? The public recruitment results aren't even out yet."
"Well... hold on."
Lee Chan-su whispered something in Oh Tae-hyung's ear for a while.
Oh nodded gravely, glanced at Ji-hyeok, and let out a small sigh.
His outfit had clearly rubbed him the wrong way.
"Hm, got it. So he's under me now, anyway."
"Yes, that's how it is."
"In that case... can I assume you'll handle Mr. Seo's personal gear, ID, and basic manual, Team Leader?"
"Yes. I'll send a staffer right over."
"Thank you."
"Then call if you need anything. I'll get going."
"Yes. Thanks."
Lee Chan-su left with a relieved expression, as if a huge weight had lifted.
Oh Tae-hyung then placed a light hand on Ji-hyeok's back and ushered him further in.
"Everyone, attention for a moment."
At Oh's voice, the other two paused and turned.
"I was going to wait until we'd finished unpacking, but since we have a new face, let's pause and do proper introductions."
Huh? So none of them knew each other?
As Oh finished, the man and woman packing glanced at each other.
They were sizing up who should go first.
But then—
"I'll start. I'm Oh Tae-hyung. I worked in the Electronic Secretariat and was just transferred here. Seventh year as manager, forty-nine this year. Nice to meet you."
The bespectacled man hesitated briefly before speaking softly.
"Bang Mu-seok. Senior—well, section chief for two years—in the SNS Solutions division. Thirty-one years old. Nice to meet you."
Bang Mu-seok looked every bit the computer guy.
Thick horn-rimmed glasses, turtle neck...
Prejudice, sure, but what could you do?
Especially since he'd actually worked in SNS.
As Bang finished, the last woman—face stiff—finally spoke, as if resigned.
"Han Ji-young. Transferred down from the Group Strategy Office. One year as assistant manager, twenty-six years old."
Han Ji-young was a beauty.
If you had to compare, a white rose.
Pretty, but her icy aura made her hard to approach.
Still, Ji-hyeok thought the classic office look suited her perfectly.
"Alright, lastly—Mr. Seo Ji-hyeok. Your turn."
"Yes. Seo Ji-hyeok. Joined today. Twenty-eight years old. Looking forward to working with you."
No perfunctory applause followed.
With introductions done, Oh spoke again.
"None of us knows what this place does. Judging by my case, you all probably got sudden transfers yesterday, so I get the confusion. But in my experience, no one gets 'demoted' to Group HQ. Let's keep the faith and wait it out."
So that's how it is.
No wonder everyone's faces were so glum.
Especially Han Ji-young's dark expression—it all made sense now.
Oh and Bang had moved into HQ from Electronics and SNS.
But Han had come down from Strategy.
And Strategy Office? That was the brain trust pulling Taesung's strings, splashed across headlines endlessly.
No wonder she was sour.
Secretary, strategy, dev staff...
Odd mix that didn't quite add up.
"Mr. Seo, take this desk. Not crowded, but let's sit tidy-like."
"Got it."
Ji-hyeok's spot was the third on the right from Oh's central desk.
Bang had the first on that row; Han the first on the left.
A small meeting table sat in the middle between the lines.
As Oh returned to unpack, Ji-hyeok sat and ran his palm across the desk.
Expecting dust, he was surprised to find his hand clean.
This place hadn't been abandoned...
Then—
Knock! Knock!
The door opened, and a suited man entered.
"The Vice Chairman is coming in."
At that, Oh and the others shot up from their chairs, facing the door.
Ji-hyeok, meanwhile, stayed seated, eyeing the entrance with a So what? look.