The True Power of the Elixir
While Young-hoon was still turning various worries over in his mind, Deputy Hong finished drafting a fake delivery requisition, got Deputy General Manager Cho's sign-off, grabbed his coat, and strolled right out of the office.
Given that he was bundling up in an overcoat on his way out, there was a good ten thousand percent chance he was playing hooky again.
Cho wasn't far behind — he printed two pages from the printer, slipped them into his approval folder, and headed off somewhere himself.
Young-hoon was one hundred percent certain he was headed for the Managing Director's office.
Something about the situation clearly wasn't right, so Young-hoon called Manager Kim, Assistant Manager Park, and even Lee Ji-young, the lone woman on the team, into the conference room.
"Manager Kim, the atmosphere at the electronics market is heading somewhere seriously ugly. According to President Jung of Seoul Distribution, some dealership dumped phones on the market again at the start of this month."
"That'd be Gyeongin Distribution, right? I already know about it. I know the Seoul regional dealers' association has stepped in, too. Once the culprit comes to light, and it's only a matter of time before they do, this whole thing is going to get very serious very fast."
"Yes, sir. But that's not the problem," Young-hoon said.
"Then what is?"
"Just now, Deputy Hong filed another fake delivery requisition for approval. Five hundred of the latest-model TVs this time."
"What? Five hundred TVs? And the dealership is Gyeongin Distribution again?"
Manager Kim visibly flinched at Young-hoon's words.
"Then this really is bad… That's three strikes on Gyeongin Distribution. Long tails get stepped on eventually — this is a disaster waiting to happen."
"Actually, what comes after is the bigger problem."
"I'd imagine so. Once Gyeongin Distribution gets caught, a supply audit is bound to land on our team, and our team's numbers will come crashing down without question… Which is exactly why I can't understand it. Why would Deputy General Manager Cho — a man with his eye on the department head seat next year — push through fake deliveries? He must have gotten himself into a corner he can't escape."
"That's my read on it as well."
"And if fraud turns up in our team, the supply audit will almost certainly expand to every marketing team in the country. That's the kind of thing that spirals into a full-blown catastrophe… Looks like we're in for a rough year-end."
"Then we should start preparing for it now, sir."
"Right — that's why I called this little meeting. And that includes you, Lee Ji-young. So here's what we'll do. Everyone goes back and double-checks every piece of work they've handled this year for anything questionable, and gets ready. If an audit shows up, they'll be gunning for any excuse to nail us. Ji-young, I especially want you going through your expense vouchers and fund disbursements with a fine-tooth comb — make sure every transaction is properly processed and every supporting document is in order. The audit team checks the money flow first, every single time. And the rest of us gather up the documentation on every delivery we've handled this year. Let's brace for the tsunami that's coming."
"Understood, sir."
Manager Kim took a moment to steady his breath, then went on.
"Now, the other issue is Jin-man, since he's away on training. Assistant Manager Park, give him a call and give him a heads-up. Speaking from experience with supply audits — there's no way one comes down before late November at the absolute earliest, so there's no need to scramble. The auditors always do their preliminary research before they ever show up. Best case is no audit at all, but let's assume it's coming and be ready. And keep this absolutely secret from the other teams. Spreading rumors will do nothing but hurt us."
"What about Deputy Hong, though?" Assistant Manager Park asked, as if the thought had only just occurred to him.
"Leave that bastard alone. This whole mess is his fault in the first place. That punk needs to be taught a lesson."
While Manager Kim was talking to Assistant Manager Park, Young-hoon thought to himself: Manager Kim is only saying that because he doesn't know who Deputy Hong really is. He assumes this scandal will burn Hong, but that punk will slip out of it without a scratch — you can count on it. It's Deputy General Manager Cho who'll take the worst of the blow. And if either of them decides to throw one or two of us under the bus as scapegoats… that's exactly why we need to be ready.
The brief meeting of Marketing Team 3 wrapped up, and shortly after everyone returned to the office, Deputy General Manager Cho came back as well. He flung his approval folder down onto his desk, snatched up his overcoat, and marched straight back out. He wore the sour expression of a man being dragged somewhere against his will — like he was off to blow off steam somewhere. The morning hours slipped by just like that.
Young-hoon couldn't be bothered to go out, so he grabbed a quick lunch at the company cafeteria and returned to his desk — where a hurricane of KakaoTalk messages from the Five Girls members came pouring in. It seemed President Lee Jae-man had distributed the one hundred million won to the members and staff that morning, exactly as Young-hoon had instructed.
With Kyeong-hwan added to the mix, the group chat now had seven members. Add in the road manager, the coordinator, the stylist, and the accountant, and it came to eleven. Any more and it would turn into pure chaos. Young-hoon decided he'd have to set a few ground rules for the chat room.
Meanwhile, Chairman Jang was at Chunghyo General Hospital. He'd had Secretary Byun book a full executive checkup for today, all the way back on Saturday. The morning tests were done, and now he was waiting in the VIP ward for his results.
Before long, Director Park entered the VIP ward with two physicians in tow — presumably the doctors who would be walking him through his checkup results.
"Well, well. What brings Director Park all the way down here?"
"You come to my hospital, Chairman, and you expect me to pretend I didn't notice? I'd rather not have lightning strike me later for it."
"Hah, come off it, you rascal. When have I ever done such a thing?"
"Everyone who's anyone knows your grudge has a five-hundred-year shelf life, Chairman."
The easy back-and-forth banter made it plain that Chairman Jang and the hospital director were old friends, thick as thieves.
Just then, one of the doctors stepped forward.
"Chairman, I'm Lee Young-hwan, head of the Comprehensive Checkup Center. The detailed report from today's examination will be ready in about four days. What I can confirm today is limited to what the eye can see and the results of a few quick tests."
Center Director Lee eased into it, then launched into the full explanation.
"First, your body fat has dropped from 28 percent to 20 — a reduction of eight full points. That's an excellent figure, the kind you'd expect from a man in his early fifties. And while these aren't final numbers, your biological age came out to fifty-two. The detailed report will confirm it precisely, but I doubt there will be much deviation. At your last examination in September, your biological age was sixty-nine. It has dropped by roughly seventeen years — you've become a man in his prime again, Chairman."
Director Park already knew all of this, having heard it from Center Director Lee beforehand. But he played ignorant and teased the Chairman anyway.
"Chairman, just where did you go to eat a five-hundred-year-old wild ginseng root, hmm? Your body's younger than mine now — and you're a full ten years my senior. I'm genuinely envious."
Chairman Jang had been caught completely off guard. He'd had no idea the elixir Young-hoon had given him carried effects like these. Young-hoon had mentioned it could slow aging, sure — but he had never once said it would actually reduce his biological age. The Chairman had only asked Secretary Byun to arrange the checkup because, after drinking the elixir, he'd noticed a surge of vitality and a new strength in his voice. And now the tests were telling him his body had gotten younger? There was no way that didn't feel good. In a word, he was on cloud nine.
But the fact that he had drunk the elixir and grown younger was a secret he could never breathe to another living soul. Still — the joy was real, and it thrummed through him. So he dampened his excitement a touch and gave Director Park's teasing a deliberately nonchalant reply, allowing himself only the faintest trace of a smile.
"Oh? My biological age dropped to fifty-two, did it? All that exercise I've been putting in must finally be paying off, eh? You ought to hit the gym yourself instead of just hitting the bottle, Director."
"Oh, come now, Chairman. Don't feed me that nonsense. The idea that you got younger from exercising is harder to believe than a virgin giving birth. Come on — out with the truth. Where did you get the elixir you've been drinking?"
Director Park knew perfectly well that no tonic, however potent, could shave years off a man's biological age. A sudden change this drastic had only one possible explanation: Chairman Jang had consumed an elixir straight out of legend.
"Oh, come on. Tell me. My mother's been ailing lately, you see."
"Hm? How old is your mother this year?"
"Ninety-two. She was in perfectly good health before, but as soon as winter set in, she weakened all of a sudden."
"You're rich as sin, my friend. Hire someone to brew her tonics with all that money."
"Chairman. I'm begging you. Just tell me."
In that instant, Chairman Jang's heart softened at the sight of the man's filial devotion. After all, Young-hoon had never asked him to keep the elixir a secret when he handed it over. So, almost without meaning to, he let the truth slip out.
"Not a chance. I paid three hundred billion won to a Taoist master for it myself."
"Wh-what? Three hundred billion won?"
"Which is why you should wake up from that dream of yours."
Director Park fell into a brief contemplation. He had less wealth than Chairman Jang, to be sure — but he was no pauper himself. If it meant restoring his mother's health, one hundred billion seemed… just barely within reach. Three hundred billion, admittedly, would be a stretch.
"Chairman, then… could you possibly ask the master whether one hundred billion or so would do? For my mother, I'm prepared to spend up to one hundred billion won."
"My, what a devoted son you are. Very well — I'll make inquiries and let you know the day my checkup results come in. When was that, again?"
Director Park spun toward Center Director Lee with urgent eyes.
"Center Director Lee — when exactly can I expect the full results?"
Center Director Lee shot a glance at the doctor accompanying them, and the doctor answered in his place.
"Good afternoon. I'm Choi Tae-su, one of the physicians who handled the Chairman's examination this morning. We will do everything in our power to have the detailed results ready for you by Wednesday afternoon."
"Got it. So I won't need to come in person, then?"
But Director Park was already halfway out the door, unable to contain himself.
"I'll come pick them up myself. Chairman — do look into whether I can buy that elixir for one hundred billion."
"Fine, fine. I'll contact the master and give you an answer on Wednesday."
It had taken its share of twists and turns, but Chairman Jang left the hospital gates with a spring in his step.