Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Royal Family
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The man who had shouted that the vice chairman was coming stepped aside by the door, and an elderly man with white hair slowly entered the office.
He glanced lightly around the room before locking eyes with Ji-hyeok, who was sitting in a chair.
"Aren't you going to stand up?"
"Just in case."
"In case of what?"
"On TV, I saw that foreign companies don't do it, but in Korean companies, when a superior enters, everyone stops what they're doing and stands up. I wanted to see if it's really true. Hmm, looks like at Taesung Group, you do have to stand."
Ji-hyeok nodded as if he'd gained some great insight, then slowly rose from his chair. Han Ji-young, who had been watching him, looked horrified.
'What the hell? And from a newbie? Is he insane? Did I just get a lunatic under me?'
While Han Ji-young reeled in shock, the vice chairman turned his head nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened.
"I know the sudden personnel shuffle must be confusing for everyone. First, I should explain about this department. Officially, the name of the department you'll be working in from now on is the Special Sales Department."
"Um... Vice Chairman, did you say Special Sales? I've only worked in the Secretariat for twenty years."
"I know. Section Chief Oh was in the Secretariat, Section Chief Bang was in Development, and Ms. Han Ji-young there was from the Strategy Office. But as we all know, a company can't just let people do only what they want. Above all, I believe in your capabilities."
It was hard to tell if he was teasing or praising them.
When Ji-hyeok turned to look at the three, their faces clearly showed they took it as teasing.
They all looked like they'd just bitten into shit.
Then Han Ji-young cautiously spoke up.
"Vice Chairman, what exactly do you mean by Special Sales?"
"All products handled by our group."
"Pardon?"
"Just as Associate Han heard. Everything our group handles."
To Han Ji-young, it might have sounded easier if he'd said to handle the group's M&A deals.
She had actually participated in a few M&A projects before.
But everything in the group...
'What? Are they really telling me to get out?'
She had thought it might not be a demotion.
While organizing her desk, she'd wondered if this was the formation of a major project team, and maybe this transfer could be an opportunity.
Otherwise, no matter how she thought about it, the assignment made no sense.
She'd reached the associate level in just two years, something that took others four.
She'd been on a steady rise with nothing in her way.
She'd even received direct praise from the chairman once.
She figured that unless it was a major task force team, there was no reason for someone like her to be here.
But hearing the vice chairman now, Han Ji-young's mind went blank, turning pitch black with no thoughts surfacing.
This was definitely a demotion.
While Han Ji-young despaired, Manager Oh cautiously spoke up.
"Vice Chairman, if I may ask boldly, what about reinforcements?"
"None."
"Pardon?"
"You four are it. But the group will support you as much as possible, so don't worry too much. And since this is under my direct supervision, come to me if there's anything to report. For now, get started with that in mind. I wish you all the best."
With the same expression he'd entered with, the vice chairman left the office.
The remaining people fell silent.
Of course, Ji-hyeok had a rough idea of what this situation was.
'They want me to go wild. Fine. If they want to play, I'll play.'
But the others were pure chaos.
A moment later, it was Han Ji-young with her rotten expression who moved first.
"Manager, could we start with our meeting?"
"Let's do that. First, let's summarize what we've confirmed."
Manager Oh grabbed his notepad and headed to the small conference table in the center. Section Chief Bang brought his laptop and a small notepad, while Han Ji-young brought her laptop and a tablet for notes, and sat down.
Just from that, their generational differences were apparent.
And Ji-hyeok sat empty-handed.
Then Manager Oh gently spoke to Section Chief Bang.
"Section Chief Bang, if you have a notepad and pen, could you lend some to Mr. Seo Ji-hyeok?"
"Ah, yes."
Section Chief Bang pushed his chair back, went to his desk, then rolled back with a scrape.
"Here, use this."
What Section Chief Bang handed over was a notepad of yellow paper with black lines and a yellow pencil.
With Ji-hyeok now ready to take notes, Manager Oh spoke again.
"First, Associate Han Ji-young, did you hear anything about this situation from the Strategy Office?"
"No, nothing at all. I only heard about it suddenly right before leaving yesterday."
"Hmm. You too, Section Chief Bang?"
"Yes. I came without even finishing my ongoing project. I have no idea what's going on."
"Mr. Seo Ji-hyeok must find it even more baffling since it's his first day... Anyway, one thing clear is that our department name is Special Sales Department. Associate Han."
"Yes, Manager."
"Since you were in Strategy, I'm asking you. Skip it if it's hard to answer. Any recent unusual signs?"
"Yes. It's not hard to answer—there really weren't any special issues. With the season being what it is, it was all just new hires, right?"
"That's true. All affiliates are busy preparing for new recruits..."
Suddenly, the three pairs of eyes turned to Seo Ji-hyeok.
A moment later, Manager Oh cautiously asked.
"Mr. Seo Ji-hyeok. Special hire?"
"No. I took the exam and had an interview a week ago."
At Ji-hyeok's response, suspicion deepened in their eyes.
"Mr. Seo Ji-hyeok. You know results aren't out for another three weeks, right?"
"Yes. The recruitment notice said so."
"Then how did you..."
"I got the call yesterday too. To come in."
Manager Oh's eyes suddenly sparkled.
He felt like there was something about Ji-hyeok.
And in this absurd situation, maybe it was because of Ji-hyeok.
But with twenty years in the Secretariat, he knew there were things you shouldn't know even if you didn't, and things you had to know even if you did—that was a secretary's fate.
Above all, Ji-hyeok's casual attire added another layer to Manager Oh's suspicions.
How many parachutists had he seen while working in the Electronic Secretariat?
'I should ask Team Leader Lee Chan-su.'
But Manager Oh nodded without showing any of his thoughts.
"I see. Got it. By the way, Mr. Seo Ji-hyeok, today was sudden, so fine, but you're not planning to dress like that tomorrow too, are you?"
"I asked Team Leader Lee Chan-su yesterday, and he said dress code is casual, so I wore this. It does look a bit sloppy, doesn't it? I'll be more careful starting tomorrow."
"That would be best. My views might be a bit old-fashioned, but I don't think the company should be too casual either. At least while working with me, I'd prefer suits if possible. Do you not have one? If so..."
"No, that's fine. I'll wear a suit starting tomorrow."
"Thank you. Continuing to brainstorm among ourselves like this seems pointless. I'll go upstairs and check directly what the company really wants."
Manager Oh seemed like a decent guy.
He quickly grasped his position.
And he was ready to take responsibility.
His long time in the Secretariat had ingrained a considerate tone that Ji-hyeok appreciated.
As Manager Oh finished speaking and stood, he added one more thing.
"Associate Han, contact the HR Support Team again to get Mr. Seo Ji-hyeok's personal supplies, employee ID, and basic operations manual. Once the ID comes, show him how to use the intranet."
"Yes, got it."
"Section Chief Bang, you'll need to act as intermediary. Set up a group chat for basic communication. And since this office was thrown together, the security setup looks messy—request the Security Team to reinforce the access facilities first."
"Yes, got it."
"Then I'll go see the vice chairman."
"Yes, safe travels."
Once Manager Oh left, Associate Han and Section Chief Bang grabbed their phones and made calls for a while.
Then they resumed organizing their desks.
A bit later, someone from HR Support Team arrived, and the Security Team installed access facilities, making the office briefly bustling.
In the midst of that, Seo Ji-hyeok received the blue-lanyard ID badge—trademark of office workers—and learned about the intranet and other basics from Han Ji-young.
Manager Oh returned to the office about an hour later.
As Section Chief Bang and Associate Han fixed their eyes on him, Manager Oh sat at his desk, pondered briefly, then slowly spoke.
"Hmm, no special notes. It's just as the vice chairman said earlier. Section Chief Bang and Associate Han, please compile the products handled by all group affiliates. Better to contact the affiliates directly for the data rather than compiling yourselves."
"Yes, got it."
"And Mr. Seo Ji-hyeok, did you get the manual?"
"Yes, this one?"
Ji-hyeok held up a thick blue book.
"Yes. You should familiarize yourself with that first."
Having given all his instructions, Manager Oh sat down and let out a quiet sigh.
Section Chief Bang and Associate Han glanced over curiously at the meaning, but soon turned back to their desks.
While the three created that awkward atmosphere, Ji-hyeok propped his chin on his desk, bored expression on his face, and began flipping through the operations manual.
The first day passed like that.
"Manager, this is the compilation of all affiliates' handled products. I assigned overlapping items to the stronger affiliates."
"Good work. Now, the question is what to do with this... Honestly, even though I'm leading this department, I have to admit what I don't know. I'm not familiar with this field. And you two probably don't know much beyond the surface of sales either. So, over the past three days, you've each had thoughts—let's hear them honestly. Section Chief Bang, Associate Han, how should we direction our work?"
From watching over the past three days, Manager Oh was definitely straightforward.
He didn't wield authority just because he was manager, nor did he speak too casually.
And above all, like now, he wasn't ashamed to admit what he didn't know.
It meant he wasn't afraid to learn.
But in contrast, Section Chief Bang and Associate Han had some issues.
"May I go first?"
While Section Chief Bang hesitated, Associate Han spoke up first.