Deputy Hong's Humiliation (2)
Thinking that this would be his last meeting at LK Electronics, the past six years of his working life flashed through Young-hoon's mind like a revolving lantern.
Since LK Electronics was the first company he'd ever set foot in as a working adult, he had given his absolute best right up to the final moment, out of a wish to leave with only good memories.
Section Manager Kim presided over the meeting in place of Deputy General Manager Cho, who had resigned.
"The audits are scheduled to run from 10 a.m. this morning, in order — Marketing Team 1, Team 2, then Team 3 — so ours will most likely fall in the afternoon. That being the case, let's all stand by in the office after lunch. And when your audit comes, make sure you bring every last one of your supply documents with you."
Young-hoon had a business trip to China planned for Friday, so he spoke up to report his planned leave to Section Manager Kim in advance.
"Sir, I'd like to take a half day this Friday."
"What for? This is the first I've ever heard of Assistant Manager Kim taking a day off. Just take a full day. There's nothing special going on anyway."
"Would that really be all right? Things are on edge with the audit coming up and all..."
"Assistant Manager Kim, do you have some problem with being audited for supplies? Or are you angling for some extra untaxed leave allowance? Skip the excuses and just take the full day."
"Understood, sir."
As far as Section Manager Kim could see, Deputy Hong had made a sorry spectacle of himself preparing his documents for this supply audit. And yet today, with the audit looming, he showed no trace of nervousness whatsoever.
That could only mean he'd cut some kind of deal with the higher-ups inside the company — but whether the supply audit would actually go as smoothly as Deputy Hong hoped remained to be seen.
"Deputy Hong, anything you'd like to add?"
"Nothing to say. I just need to be back by one, right?"
"Planning to run off somewhere?"
"Where I go and what I do is none of your business. Just worry about doing your own job, Section Manager. If you'll excuse me."
Deputy Hong seemed entirely unbothered by the supply audit. Apparently he intended to stop by the sauna as usual before drifting back in.
Once Deputy Hong had strutted out the door, the rest of the team moved on to their meeting about Girin Entertainment.
"Director, I consulted with President Kim earlier... What do you think about resigning the moment the audit results are announced?"
"I'd been mulling over the same thing, and I think that's exactly the right timing. We need to wrap things up cleanly and leave the company, or we'll be the ones catching flak later."
"And shouldn't we divide up the work while we're at it?"
"Director, I have no intention of involving myself in Girin Entertainment at all. Discuss the division of duties directly with President Lee Jae-man."
"You heard him. Let's settle it that way, then — now let's go out and do a final check on the paperwork."
By the time the meeting wrapped up, Deputy Hong had already vanished, and the audit team had come down from upstairs and was chatting with the Marketing Team 1 leader.
Just then, a KakaoTalk message arrived from Hwang Dae-ri.
Park Dae-ri, bored out of his mind, suggested they grab a coffee. The two of them whiled away the time shooting the breeze in the lounge, then went out for lunch and returned.
The Marketing Team 2 audit would be starting any minute now.
About an hour later, Team 2's audit came to an end. It seemed to have wrapped up without any particular problems.
Manager Yun walked over to Section Manager Kim and greeted him like an old acquaintance. In that instant, Young-hoon's instincts pinged — he realized that Manager Yun was the person in the audit team whom Section Manager Kim knew.
Their own audit was set to begin in thirty minutes, at 2:30.
At 2:20, Marketing Team 3 assembled in the conference room, ready to receive the audit team. When 2:30 arrived, four people including Manager Yun filed into the room.
After the customary round of greetings, the audit began with Section Manager Kim. Given that he lived and breathed the field manual, there wasn't the slightest problem.
Manager Yun turned to Section Manager Kim and spoke.
"Section Manager Kim, your documentation is thoroughly prepared — no issues whatsoever. You're free to step out."
Section Manager Kim gathered up his prepared documents and walked out of the conference room.
"Next is Deputy Hong Ji-sam, correct? Please hand over the supply documents you've prepared."
Deputy Hong just fidgeted and shuffled in place, showing no intention whatsoever of handing anything over.
"Deputy Hong, can you not hear me? I'm asking for the documents you prepared."
"There aren't any. I was told the higher-ups would handle it."
"Who told you that? I've heard nothing of the sort."
"Uh, no~ that's not it. The head of the audit team said he'd take care of it."
"Then we have Teams 1 through 4 here — which one of them supposedly said they'd take care of it?"
"I wouldn't know about that, but Deputy General Manager Cho said he'd handle it."
"Deputy General Manager Cho... do you mean Cho Jae-ho, the man who resigned?"
"Er, hold on. Let me call Deputy General Manager Cho."
"Look at this, Deputy Hong! Does taking a supply audit look like a game to you? I said hand over the documents you prepared!"
Suddenly, Deputy Hong began to throw a fit.
"I told you there aren't any! Ah, damn it! You're getting on my last nerve!"
"Deputy Hong, what exactly are you trying to do here? Are you picking a fight with me? And did you just curse at me?"
"You're damn right I did, you son of a bitch! If the higher-ups said they'd handle it, you should've read the room! Do you even know who I am?"
"Who are you supposed to be? Is there any human being lower than this?"
The atmosphere turned murderous. Deputy Hong's cursing carried straight out of the conference room — so loudly that a startled Section Manager Kim came rushing in.
"My uncle is the chairman of the LK Group. And my father is the president of LK Chemical. Got that, you bastard?! If you knew who I was, you'd have had the sense to bend the knee — what's with the attitude and all this garbage out of your mouth, you sons of bitches?!"
"What? Then go work under them. Why come to LK Electronics and spew nonsense? You are an employee of LK Electronics, and nothing more than a subject of this audit. And right now, you are in the middle of a supply audit. Am I wrong?"
"You son of a bitch — you think I'm going to let any of you get away with this? One phone call from me and you'd all be fired, and you're running your mouths in front of me? Ah, damn it all!"
"So, to be clear — you're refusing the audit?"
"That's right, you bastard! Do whatever you want. Like I'd even blink."
"Deputy Hong Ji-sam. Don't come crying later."
"Why the hell would I regret anything, you pathetic bastards? You're the ones who shouldn't regret it, you pieces of trash!"
Manager Yun quietly beckoned over the audit team staffer sitting beside him.
"Assistant Manager Kang, you got all of that recorded? Deputy Hong Ji-sam refusing the audit and throwing a tantrum in the conference room?"
"Yes, sir. All of it."
"Good. Then Deputy Hong Ji-sam, you're free to go."
"Fine, you bastards! Just wait — I'm not letting any of you off."
But something was strange. If this were any other day, the likes of Deputy Hong would have stormed out of that conference room ten times over by now — yet there he stood, huffing and posturing, still refusing to leave.
Manager Yun paid him no mind and issued another instruction to Assistant Manager Kang.
"Assistant Manager Kang, send me the recording. I'm reporting it to the group audit division. Spoiled brats who do nothing but strut around on their parents' coattails need a serious wake-up call once in their lives. Otherwise, that one will live out his days as a piece of gutter trash."
Deputy Hong kept up his bravado, but his ears were glued to the exchange between Manager Yun and Assistant Manager Kang. The moment the word recording came up, his swagger flickered.
"Why would you be reporting that to the group audit division?"
"Why? Scared? You've already crossed the river of no return, you little punk. We have other people's supply documents to review, so get out. Yes?"
"What the hell is wrong with you people, recording me without my consent! Don't you know that's illegal?!"
"Save the crap and get out, like I said. Assistant Manager Kang, throw this bastard out. I'm worried he'll haunt my dreams."
Now it made sense why Deputy Hong was hanging around and talking back instead of leaving. If that recording made its way to the group audit division, Deputy Hong's days at the LK Group were finished, plain and simple.
He'd presumably still have his mother's distribution group to fall back on, so he wouldn't starve — but he'd be in for one colossal humiliation.
In the end, Deputy Hong was tossed out of the conference room without accomplishing a thing.
He'd turned the room ugly for a few minutes, but the moment that bastard was ejected, the air returned to its usual calm, as if nothing had happened.
Young-hoon, Park Dae-ri, and Jin-man passed their audits without a single problem.
With that, Young-hoon knew, everything at LK Electronics was wrapped up. Next week, once the audit results came out, he would submit his resignation on the spot.
With the audit behind him, Young-hoon felt as light as air, and when Marketing Team 2 proposed a rematch, he headed with them to the billiard hall near the office for a game of loser-pays-dinner billiards.
Team 3 was currently up 2–0, so they ought to throw this one — but the world of competition knows no mercy. Once again, riding on the heroics of Team 3's ace Jin-man, they absolutely demolished Team 2.
Perhaps because it was a free dinner and free billiards all in one, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty. Team 2, who had paid for both the table fees and the food, wore the expression of men chewing dirt. They demanded a rematch next week... Young-hoon felt genuinely sorry for them.
And with that, his ties to LK Electronics were truly severed.
When Young-hoon got home, Su-jin was watching TV. It was a Wednesday-Thursday drama airing on MBS, with its final episode tomorrow. When he asked if it was any good, she said she was only watching because there was nothing else on.
Starting next Wednesday, Love After Separation would air in the same time slot. It occurred to Young-hoon that he could just have Su-jin keep an eye on it for him.
Then, quite suddenly, he found himself wondering whether Su-jin knew the songs he'd written and composed — "A Loving Heart" and "After Farewell."
"Hey~ sister."
"What? Can't you see I'm watching TV? It's right at the climax."
Su-jin snapped back irritably.
"Do you, uh... happen to have any good songs you've been listening to lately?"
"Why? Did you finally get a girlfriend? What's gotten into you all of a sudden — the man whose entire repertoire is the national anthem and children's songs?"
"Stop that. Do you have any songs you know, yes or no?"
"There are two songs lately that are absolutely killing it. They're so good I listen to them ten times a day. When I go out for coffee, they're playing in the café. When I go to a bar, they're playing there too."
"Really? What are they called?"
"One is 'A Loving Heart,' and the other is 'After Farewell.' They're supposed to be the OST for Love After Separation, which starts next week, so my expectations are through the roof. Oh, and oppa... you know that the group singing these songs is the one Hye-in from the house across the street back home belongs to, right?"
"Is that so? Well, Hye-in's about to make some serious money then. By the way, sister — do you think the drama coming out next week will be any good?"
"Obviously. Do you know how brilliant Lee Na-yeon's writing is? And with Seo Jae-won as the lead, it's game over before it even starts — and on top of that, 'A Loving Heart' and 'After Farewell' are the OST. Speaking as a professional, I'd guarantee 30 percent ratings."
Su-jin, it seemed, did not yet know that a song called Returned Love was also slated to be used as an OST.
"By the way, oppa — did you really get a girlfriend?"
"What are you even talking about? I'm exhausted — I'm going to bed. Goodnight, you too."
Young-hoon wanted to tell her that the lyricist and composer of those songs she loved so much was standing right in front of her — but he judged that now was not the time, and held his tongue.