Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Royal Family 9-1
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Becoming an executive at Taesung changes everything.
Every year during promotion season, the media scrambles to publish articles about the compensation and perks that come with the position.
Details on salaries, improved treatment, stock options, and so on...
That was the status of a Taesung executive.
The epitome of success, a pinnacle for any career man—one that no words could overstate.
But who could know?
That the very Taesung executives, held in such awe and respect, were groveling on the floor, getting beaten like dogs.
Yet perhaps it was precisely because they'd clawed their way to that lofty perch that they endured such humiliation.
- Crack!
Seo Ji-hyeok's expression was utterly emotionless as he lightly grabbed Kang Jun-woo's raised wrist.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Can't you see? Punishing the screw-ups."
"I see. So this is how Taesung Card dishes out punishment."
"Chosun bastards need a beating to get their heads straight."
"Got it."
"Eek!"
In the instant Ji-hyeok replied, he yanked Kang Jun-woo's hand while hooking his foot behind the man's ankle.
With a thud and clatter... Kang Jun-woo sprawled across the president's office floor, covered in its expensive carpet.
Ji-hyeok had clocked it from the moment the guy stepped up with his half-baked judo moves, trying for a hip throw. Kang Jun-woo couldn't control his body at all, let alone manage a proper fall—he just rolled around pathetically.
And in no time, the golf club now in Ji-hyeok's hand began to swing.
- Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!...
No mercy whatsoever.
Sparing only the head, Ji-hyeok's golf club mercilessly battered every inch of Kang Jun-woo's body.
Then...
"Urk! What! What the—! Aaagh! Ack! Guh! St-stop! Aaaagh!"
No one could move amid the sudden absurdity unfolding before them.
The executives, still kneeling with faces to the floor, could only stare blankly, wondering if what they were seeing was even real.
But as Ji-hyeok's clubbing passed the tenth strike, Kang Se-hee finally sprang up from the sofa, screaming her lungs out.
"St-stop it! You crazy bastard! I said stop!"
Yet in that moment, the golf club that had been aimed at Kang Jun-woo whipped toward Kang Se-hee like a blade, jabbing her shoulder.
"Aaack!"
It shouldn't have hurt.
It was just a light nudge.
But Kang Se-hee shrieked as if she'd taken a full-force blow and collapsed back onto the sofa.
Ji-hyeok then slowly advanced to within a step of her.
"What's wrong? Does it hurt seeing your daddy get hit? You didn't bat an eye when it was those other guys. What was it? 'Chosun bastards need a beating'? Even if you're the one holding the leash as an executive, wrong is wrong. It's so ridiculous I can't even speak. Kim Sung-jae, president of KM Credit Information, is at headquarters audit right now. You know what that means, don't you? 'They deserve a beating if they're wrong'? I'm just giving it back exactly as you said. What's the problem?"
Kang Se-hee was infamous for her foul mouth, but one look at Ji-hyeok's stone-cold face and she froze in terror.
She clamped her mouth shut, not daring to utter a word in response.
Ji-hyeok stared down at her blankly before turning back toward the groaning Kang Jun-woo.
He raised the golf club and resumed the beating.
- Thwack! Thud! Thwack!...
After about ten more strikes, Kang Se-hee staggered toward the intercom on trembling legs.
The moment she picked up the receiver...
"Kang Se-hee! Think carefully. Do you really want this getting out of the president's office? Hearing about it is one thing—seeing it is another. If the employees catch wind of this, how far do you think the fallout will spread? Can you handle that?"
At Ji-hyeok's icy voice, Kang Se-hee dropped the receiver with a clatter.
Watching her, Ji-hyeok raised the golf club once more.
As Ji-hyeok opened the president's office door and stepped out, the secretariat staff were all gathered in the hallway.
They'd probably been ready to rush in if things got out of hand.
But when Ji-hyeok emerged on his own, they parted with flustered expressions to let him pass.
'Well, Vice Chairman Kang Hun. What now?'
Ji-hyeok's face remained cold as he left the office and waited for the elevator.
Descending to the twentieth floor, he entered the conference room and came face-to-face with Dong-hwi, who looked like he was dying of curiosity.
"I'll fill you in later. Let's call it a day and head home. You got everything squared away?"
"Yeah, sent it to Executive Director Oh and Section Chief Han too."
"Good work. You've been grinding for days—take tomorrow off. Day after, we're off to Asset Management."
"Huh? We're done here?"
"Yep. KM Credit Information got the message. They showed up at headquarters with all the docs. Apparently, they were delivering thirty billion in cash to Kang Jun-woo every month."
"Whew, that's at least three hundred billion skimmed off the top."
"Exactly. So we're good here."
"Got it. Then I'm heading out. Adrenaline's crashing—I'm sleepy now."
"You earned it. See you the day after."
"Yeah. You too, hyung."
"Go on ahead. I'll wrap things up."
"Sorry, hyung. I'm totally wiped. Heading out first."
After sending Dong-hwi off, Ji-hyeok sat in a chair for a bit before standing to slowly erase the notes Dong-hwi had scribbled on the glass wall.
He sorted the piled-up documents and cleared away the late-night snack trash, tidying the conference room.
It was an hour after Dong-hwi had left when Ji-hyeok finally stepped out through Taesung Card's first-floor entrance.
'Hmm, swing by headquarters?'
But he decided against it.
Whatever Oh Tae-hyung the executive director and Han Ji-young the section chief were dealing with right now was all uncharted territory for them.
They needed to staff up the special task force, but with the condition of loyalty to them...
They were probably going through the most mentally tangled days of their lives.
'Best to leave them be in times like this.'
In the end, Ji-hyeok headed home.
At that same time, the special task force office was filled with silence and stillness.
The only thing occasionally breaking the quiet was Han Ji-young's soft sigh.
"Haah..."
In her hand was her cellphone, the screen displaying her contacts list.
She'd already scrolled up and down that list hundreds of times.
In her conversation with Executive Director Oh Tae-hyung, they'd agreed not to limit recruitment to just Taesung people.
So the contacts she was eyeing encompassed her company, friends, acquaintances, schoolmates, and business partners—a full roster.
'This one? Nah, too personal. This guy... skills unproven.'
- Thud!
Scrolling to the bottom again, Han Ji-young slammed her phone on the desk, mirroring her frustration.
Her gaze naturally drifted toward Executive Director Oh Tae-hyung's office.
Finally, she rose from her chair and approached his door.
- Knock! Knock!
"Come in."
"Executive Director, you got a minute?"
At Han Ji-young's visit, Oh Tae-hyung flashed a warm smile and gestured to the sofa.
As she sat, he took the opposite seat—not the central one—and spoke casually.
"Tough, huh?"
"Yes. Harder than anything I've ever handled. Honestly... I have no clue where to start. Loyalty? How do you even demand that? Can't we just hire competent people?"
There was a hint of whining in Han Ji-young's voice.
Not because she'd crossed a line, but because she saw herself and Oh Tae-hyung as bound tightly to Seo Ji-hyeok.
And Oh Tae-hyung was the type to indulge a bit of that.
He'd be turning fifty after this winter,
while she was only twenty-six.
To him, Han Ji-young was still a green, inexperienced employee, so he empathized with her struggles.
Plus, having seen the cutthroat lives of Taesung's elite track employees up close, he felt a touch of pity.
For someone like Han Ji-young, who'd clawed her way here treating everyone as rivals, loyalty was...
Was there a tougher assignment?
So with a gentle smile, Oh Tae-hyung spoke calmly.
"Have you ever been loyal to anyone, Section Chief Han?"
"No. Never, as far as I can recall. To be frank, I'm committed to riding Seo Ji-hyeok's coattails at Taesung. If that's loyalty, then sure. But if things go south, I'll carve my own path—maybe a foreign firm, or study abroad. Does that count as loyalty with those thoughts?"
"Of course it does. We're in business, not looking for a soulmate. Let me ask one thing: How do you view the secretariat staff?"
"Pardon?"
"Especially the chief of staff position, closest to the president. Do you think every chief is loyal to their president?"
Perhaps the question was too direct.
Han Ji-young hesitated to answer.
One wrong word could offend Oh Tae-hyung, with his twenty-two years in the electronic secretariat.
Reading her mind, Oh Tae-hyung continued without waiting.
"Some presidents command loyalty; others don't."
The answer was simpler than expected.
Han Ji-young's head tilted slightly.
"You're twenty-six now, right? Twenty-seven after this winter. How easy do you think it is to earn respect at that age? Loyalty's even more absurd."
"But..."
"Yes, I know your capabilities well. But competence doesn't guarantee respect from followers. Loyalty's the same."
"So what do we do?"
"First, fill our special task force with the best talent. Then show them who we are—Section Chief Han and me. Leaders worthy of respect and loyalty. What do you think?"
Han Ji-young was sharp.
She got it immediately and kept her head bowed for a while.
Her shame and embarrassment plain to see.
Moments later, when she looked up at Oh Tae-hyung again, her eyes were clear.
"Were you waiting for me to come in here, Executive Director?"
"Time to wrestle with dilemmas is crucial. If I'd said this on day one, it wouldn't have hit the same."
As Oh Tae-hyung finished, Han Ji-young stood from the sofa.
She clasped her hands, bowed deeply with utmost courtesy.
"Thank you, Executive Director. I've received a profound lesson."
Leaving the room after her bow, Han Ji-young's face was bright.
She sat at her desk, picked up the phone she'd tossed earlier, and began meticulously reviewing her contacts from the top.
It was around the time Ji-hyeok, fresh from Taesung Card, pulled into his officetel parking lot.
- Ring... Ring...
The name on his phone screen was Cha Dong-hwi, whom he'd just parted ways with.
But for some reason, hearing the ringtone gave Ji-hyeok a bad feeling.
"Yeah, it's me."
"Hyung, I got nabbed."
"What?"
"Someone was waiting at home. Busted. They tied my arms too."
"Where are you?"
"Uh, no idea. Hey, where the hell is this... Guh!"
"Dong-hwi!"
Ji-hyeok shouted at the rough cry from Cha Dong-hwi.
But hearing the voice on the other end, Ji-hyeok chuckled.
"You fucking pricks! I'm on the phone! No goddamn manners, you shits. Ow, fuck! I said I'm not talking! He asked where we are— you tell him!"
Pure Cha Dong-hwi.
The same guy who'd screamed bloody murder even when his wrist was getting hacked off in the past.
Moments later, a gravelly voice came through.
"Sending you the address. Come quietly. Or this punk really dies. Got it?"
"Got it. Just send the address. On my way."
Hanging up, Ji-hyeok killed the engine and waited.
The address text arrived about a minute later.
But Ji-hyeok tapped his phone screen a few times, reclined his seat, and lay back.
He didn't stir until after a short nap.