Marketing Team 3 Resigns En Masse

Young-hoon had taken Friday off last week for his business trip to China.

He'd assumed nothing much could happen in the single day he was gone — but Deputy Park had come pressing him about Director Park, and so he'd only slightly adjusted the truth of what had been said.

"Nothing unusual happen on Friday?"

"Do you want the LK Electronics news first, or the Girin Entertainment news first?"

"Let's start with LK Electronics."

"Well, for starters… Deputy Hong quit."

"Really? So he ended up resigning ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after all."

"But you know what's even funnier?"

"What could possibly be funny about that jerk quitting?"

"When he was packing up his stuff, someone came to pick it up for him. Some employee from his mom's company, apparently. Anyway, that's how it went."

Just as Young-hoon had predicted, Deputy Hong had left the company.

Judging by Wednesday's antics, he deserved to be fired outright, not to tender a resignation. But a dismissal would have stained his career record, so he'd evidently worked the upper echelons to steer things toward a voluntary exit — and now he would go dark until public opinion cooled off.

Eventually, though, he would crawl back out into the world. At that point, he most likely wouldn't return to LK Electronics, but to LK Distribution, LK Department Store, or LK Hotel.

That was simply the order of operations for golden spoons after they wrecked something: retreat, wait, then resurface somewhere even softer.

"So what about Girin Entertainment?"

"At six in the evening the day before yesterday, they released Five Girls' Returned Love as a digital single — and it's still sitting at number one. On top of that, it's the top trending search online. Oh, and we finished dividing up the work on Friday."

"Then I can hear about that later. So when are you and Manager Kim submitting your resignations?"

"Us? We handed them in on Friday. HR is in complete chaos right now. You're the only one left. If you quit too, well — no need to watch the video to know how it ends. Hehehe."

At most companies, when a colleague you work alongside submits a resignation, everyone except the chronically underperforming gets talked out of it at least once. Assistant managers and managers in the prime of their careers were considered untouchable — their resignations were always refused as a matter of course.

Yet his had apparently been accepted on the spot, which left Young-hoon genuinely puzzled.

"HR just accepted your resignation without a fight?"

"Of course there was a fight. But Manager Kim ended it in one stroke."

Young-hoon felt a flicker of interest.

Manager Kim's usual conduct was that of a steadfast ox — a textbook by-the-book man who faithfully did what was assigned to him and was not the type to boast about his own results. But that kind of person, the moment they finally lost their temper, transformed into someone truly fearsome.

"What did he say?"

"He laid out every last bit of Deputy General Manager Cho's and Deputy Hong's corruption. And the fact that the Supply Audit was meant to make him the sacrificial lamb. Then he said there was no way he could keep working at a sewer of a company like this."

That was Manager Kim for you.

If that moment ever came, Young-hoon would have done exactly the same and walked out — which, viewed one way, made Young-hoon essentially Manager Kim's temperament with a fox's cunning bolted on.

"And what about you and Jae-man?"

"Us? We told them the same thing. They didn't say a word back."

"We agreed to finish the handover by this week, but there's nobody left to receive it, so we're just going to tidy up the paperwork and pass it over. And starting tomorrow, I'm heading to work at Girin Entertainment."

While Young-hoon chatted with Deputy Park, the rest of the office finished trickling in. Before long, Manager Kim called a meeting.

"You may have heard from Deputy Park, but we all submitted our resignations on Friday. Deputy Kim, are you submitting yours today?"

"I suppose that's the only way forward."

"Then do it. You've also heard that we'll all be commuting to Girin Entertainment starting tomorrow, yes?"

"Won't the company have something to say about that?"

"I've settled it with HR. As a gesture of goodwill, they're giving us a week off. I plan to come in Friday and collect our things."

"Then if I submit my resignation today and finish up the pending work, I can go to my own office starting tomorrow, right?"

"Wait — you're not coming to Girin Entertainment?"

"Well, I don't particularly intend to. You'll have President Lee Jae-man, the Head of Operations, Team Leader Park, and Deputy Kim there. What business would I have showing up to meddle? If something comes up, I'll drop by briefly then."

Manager Kim shot Deputy Park a silent signal, and Deputy Park, catching it, spoke up.

"Care to hear how we divided up the work?"

"Rather not do it here. Couldn't we go over it tomorrow at Girin Entertainment? You said you're starting there tomorrow anyway. I'll come by around ten — let's have a meeting with the staff then."

"Works for me. Then Manager Kim and the rest of us will head over to Girin Entertainment and wait for you."

After wrapping up the meeting in short order, Young-hoon went straight to HR and submitted his resignation. The HR manager had evidently heard the gossip from somewhere too, and begged him to at least do a proper handover.

But that wasn't the end of it. The dealership owners kept calling one after another, demanding to know why on earth he was quitting the company — to the point he could barely fill out his handover documents.

So this is how much the dealership owners love me? Well, I'm touched.

After surviving that bout of the measles, he was diligently writing out his handover documents when Deputy Hwang from Marketing Team 2 sent him a KakaoTalk message.

Young-hoon simply ignored Deputy Hwang's messages. Whereupon Ms. Lee Ji-young pounced on him too.

"Deputy Kim, I'm absolutely crazy about celebrities… couldn't I transfer to your company?"

"Ms. Lee Ji-young, you just keep working hard here."

"Deputy Kim, do you not know this company is cleaning house among its female employees right now?"

"No? This is the first I'm hearing of it…"

"They're replacing office support staff like me with contract workers or temps. It's not like I can go out doing sales calls to the dealerships either. So these days I can barely sleep at night — I'm practically the breadwinner for my family."

Young-hoon knew at least something of Ms. Lee Ji-young's family circumstances. He understood she came from a rural town in Gyeongsang Province like himself, and that she had three younger siblings.

"Let me talk it over with the president of that company first. They won't be replacing anyone with contract workers or temps right away, so when that time comes, give me a shout."

In that instant, laughter returned to Ms. Lee Ji-young's face, which had been brimming with worry — as if a ray of light had broken through over an anxious future.

With her resignation, Marketing Team 3 would be down to zero. Even at LK Electronics, this had to be an unprecedented case.

Young-hoon worked on his handover documents until quitting time, emailed them to HR, and left the office. As it happened, Su-jin was getting off work at the same hour, so they agreed to head home together.

Meeting Su-jin in front of their building, Young-hoon stopped by a Chinese restaurant and they kept dinner simple with a bowl of jajangmyeon. Not long ago he'd tasted every delicacy mountain and sea could offer in China, but the familiar jajangmyeon still suited him best.

After filling his stomach, Young-hoon returned home and settled onto the sofa with a cup of coffee, enjoying a moment's idle ease — when out of nowhere, Su-jin spoke up.

"Big brother, it sounds like Hye-in's been making good money lately. Guess what — Hye-in's mom bought our mom a designer handbag."

"A designer handbag? Why would a woman farming out in the countryside need a designer handbag?"

"That's exactly why you still don't have a girlfriend, big brother — you know nothing about women. A man's dream is a car; a woman's dream is a designer bag. Is Mom not a woman?"

"Fair enough, but why Hye-in's mom, of all people?"

"Mom says it's because she raised her son well. Second brother's in Chuncheon, so he's out. That leaves only you… Is there something going on between you and Hye-in? It's a mystery, honestly."

"Is that all Mom said?"

"She said to ask you about it."

Back when their parents had come up from the countryside, he'd asked them to keep it under wraps for the time being — apparently she hadn't spilled it yet.

"Hmm, well? There's nothing between me and Hye-in. I'll give them a call tomorrow."

"Suspicious. If something's eating at you, spit it out fast. If you get caught later, you won't even get the broth out of it."

"Since when do you know how to threaten your own brother? Don't talk nonsense and go to bed."

"Even MORE suspicious now? It's barely early evening and you're telling me to sleep? That's the classic line you pull when you're hiding something. Ahem — Detective Kim shall step in, then?"

"Good grief, why are there so many detectives around me today? Deputy Park the detective at the office, Detective Kim at home."

"What about Deputy Park?"

"Huh? When have you ever met Deputy Park?"

"Big brother, do you even know where I work?"

"Your hospital? Chunghyo General Hospital, obviously. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Honestly, your memory is hopeless. Last year around the holidays, I had dinner with Deputy Park once, remember? And he kept popping in and out of our hospital, so we've said hello a few times since."

"You two… you're not, like, something, are you? Because if so, I am absolutely against it."

"What are you talking about? Deputy Park and I just know each other's faces! And why would you be dead set against it?"

"That guy's got the wandering-eye gene in his blood — absolutely not!"

"Oh-ho~ So that means Director Park's stepping out too… my, my, Detective Kim is about to get busy."

Young-hoon had the sinking feeling that one careless remark had just landed him in enormous trouble. He needed to untangle this situation, and fast.

"Wh-what are you talking about? I was saying Deputy Park is the womanizer. Anyway, you don't get it, you don't get it. I'm going to bed."

"So suspicious. I've got a hunch but no hard evidence. Hye-in, Director Park… just let both of them slip up, that's all."

Afraid of what else he might get snagged on if he kept talking, Young-hoon beat a hasty retreat into his room.

This isn't my fault. It's just that Su-jin's instincts are too sharp. Honestly, why does Mom have to go bragging about handbags to Su-jin of all people.

Piling up excuses for himself, Young-hoon shoved his blunder into a corner of his mind. After a short while, he settled his thoughts and tallied up everything he'd earned from selling the elixir so far.

Cash alone, the staggering sum of 610 billion won was sitting in Young-hoon's account.

Compared to Kim Seon-dal, who'd famously sold the water of the Taedong River in Pyongyang, this was a popcorn-inflating venture worth dozens of times more — no, hundreds of times more.

Just a little more and it'll hit a trillion won. Where am I going to spend that? First things first, I should set it aside as business capital. That way I won't have to reach out to Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi for small change. Still — feels good. Hehehehe. Now then, time to copy over the drama script.

Young-hoon transcribed episodes one through four of the fifty-episode drama and went to bed.

Tuesday.

There was no need to go to his old workplace, LK Electronics, today. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠All he had to do was attend a meeting at the Girin Entertainment office at ten in the morning.

The office was a five-minute drive from his place — roughly a twenty- to thirty-minute walk — so he'd planned to rise lazily, but Su-jin nagged him awake, telling him to get to work.

He couldn't tell Su-jin yet that he'd quit. The moment he did, the news would be relayed straight to their mother. Their country parents thought LK Electronics was some magnificent enterprise, and there was no need to needlessly worry them by announcing he'd thrown away a promising job.

He picked at the breakfast Su-jin had made, dawdled around the house, then left around nine thirty and walked to the Girin Entertainment office. At first he'd considered driving, but he decided to treat it as exercise and go on foot.

It was December, so it was fairly chilly — but brisk enough to make for a decent walk all the same.