Deputy General Manager Cho's Humiliation
Most of the staff, Manager Kim included, had finished clocking in by now.
The strange thing was that Deputy GM Cho, who was supposed to be on administrative leave, had shown up at the office too.
Young-hoon decided not to pay it any mind — in a few days, they'd all be strangers to each other anyway.
But the moment Deputy GM Cho arrived, he called a meeting.
It was obvious that bastard Hong Dae-ri had fired off an SOS begging for help.
"Where's Assistant Manager Park? I don't see him anywhere."
Manager Kim answered the question.
"He's out in the field doing an on-site inspection of our distribution partners."
Deputy GM Cho snapped at him, irritation dripping from his voice.
"Did you not hear that this supply audit is a DOCUMENT review? And if a team member is swamped with work and can't get the delivery paperwork in order, your solution is to go tramping off on field trips every single day instead of helping him? You're supposed to build teamwork! How do you expect to function when the team is scattered like grains of sand?"
Hearing this, the normally mild-mannered Manager Kim bristled.
"Team Leader, why on earth should we do Hong Dae-ri's work for him? Did he win his position in a game of cards? Does Hong Dae-ri have no hands? No feet? Tell him to do it himself. And if he absolutely can't, then tell him to hand back his title. A title like Deputy is wasted on someone who can't even out-work Kim Jin-man, a rank-and-file employee."
"What? Manager Kim, what the hell are you saying right now, in front of me? Are you messing with me? When the team leader gives an order, you shut up and do it. What's with all this noise?"
"Are you saying we should carry out unreasonable orders just because you give them? Who caused this whole mess and dragged it out to this point? The dealers know it, and most of the people in this company know it. And now you want us to help a criminal who committed the crime and is trying to pin it on someone else? I would rather die than do that."
The moment Manager Kim — usually so docile — stood up to him, Deputy GM Cho felt a cold spike of fear. He'd said it was all Hong Dae-ri's doing, but even a three-year-old could see that he himself had been in collusion with the man.
Still, if he backed down now, there would be no coming back. No, he thought. When cornered like this, the only option was to push harder.
"Manager Kim, what on earth are you talking about? Did you not hear that this is a routine company audit?"
"Then shall I tell you one more thing? If I receive disciplinary action of any kind over this — no, if Hong Dae-ri receives no disciplinary action at all — I will expose the internal corruption to the Group audit office. You know perfectly well why I was booted out of China and sent back to Korea, Team Leader. Now, if you'll excuse me — I have a busy day."
Having said his piece, Manager Kim kicked open the meeting room door and walked out.
Deputy GM Cho just sat there with a dazed expression, still unable to collect himself.
Young-hoon, meanwhile, realized that if he didn't leave now, he'd be late for his appointment.
But Deputy GM Cho grabbed his ankle.
"Then Kim Dae-ri, you go help Hong Dae-ri."
"Team Leader, I'm sorry, but… I have no intention of getting tangled up with Hong Dae-ri either. What happens when he pins the blame on me later? Isn't that his specialty?"
"Now what kind of nonsense is that? Why would Hong Dae-ri pin anything on you?"
"Team Leader, stop plugging your ears and start listening to the office rumors. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
"Hey, Kim Dae-ri! Stop right there! Are you deaf?"
Young-hoon, too, left the meeting room behind him, leaving the Deputy GM shouting at empty air.
Only three remained: Deputy GM Cho, Hong Dae-ri, and Jin-man.
Sensing that things had taken a serious turn, Deputy GM Cho turned to Jin-man.
"Kim Jin-man, why did Manager Kim storm out angry just now? And what exactly are these 'office rumors'? Answer me with everything you know!"
Jin-man hemmed and hawed, shuffling his feet — then, seemingly steeling himself, he laid out everything he knew.
"So you're telling me… you and Hong Dae-ri had the dealers process fake deliveries last month, and those dealers dumped the inventory in the commercial district? And the Dealers' Federation caught wind of it and reported it to the audit office, and Managing Director Kim worked out a cozy little deal with the audit team, so you're getting a light reprimand and Manager Kim gets a heavy one — and it's already been decided? And the document review is just for show?"
"Yes, that's right. Which is why I won't be doing anything Hong Dae-ri asks of me either. What if he pins it on me later? Now if you'll excuse me."
With Jin-man gone as well, only Deputy GM Cho and Hong Dae-ri were left in the meeting room.
Hong Dae-ri, his face drained white, finally managed to speak.
"Team Leader, those bastards all know everything… What do we do?"
"It looks like this is going to blow up… What are we supposed to do? I'll go see the Managing Director first, so just wait here, Hong Dae-ri."
Deputy GM Cho sprinted to the Managing Director's office, his eyebrows practically flying off his face.
Instead of Managing Director Kim, it was his secretary, Ms. Choi Ji-yeon, who greeted him.
"Good morning, Team Leader."
"Ms. Choi, is the Managing Director in?"
"No, sir. He's on a business trip to China with the Vice President of Korea Marketing. He's expected back Tuesday."
Deputy GM Cho had no choice but to trudge back to his office in a daze.
Only Hong Dae-ri and Lee Ji-young remained in the office; every other team member had already fled the building.
A superior whom his subordinates refuse to follow has no further reason to exist. He could already feel it — he was finished in this organization.
And yet that bastard Hong Dae-ri, wanting something from him, kept hounding him relentlessly.
Hong Dae-ri physically dragged the dazed Deputy GM Cho back into the meeting room.
"So? How did it go?"
"The Managing Director's overseas. I couldn't even get a look at his face."
"Ah, for fuck's sake! Then what are we supposed to do?"
"You think I have an answer?"
"Then YOU take full responsibility, Team Leader. Everything I did, I did on your orders. Ah, fuck's sake!"
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that? Hong Dae-ri, you've had a comfortable year sitting under me, haven't you?"
"What kind of fucking garbage is that? Do you have any idea how much money I've funneled to you over the past year? Whatever — I'm done. Clean up your own damn mess. I had a bad feeling all last night, and now every little shit-stirrer is crawling out of the woodwork. Ah, DAMMIT!"
Even Hong Dae-ri kicked open the meeting room door and stormed out.
Deputy GM Cho concluded that there was no hope left. The one person he'd counted on, Hong Dae-ri, had kicked him to the curb without a second thought.
Managing Director Kim would clearly cut off the tail to save the body, and Hong Dae-ri would dump the entire responsibility onto his head.
He couldn't understand how everything had tangled up so badly. There was a time when he'd been riding high — and then, at some point, he'd tumbled straight into an abyss of ruin.
While Young-hoon was heading to the Hilton, a KakaoTalk message arrived from Hwang Dae-ri.
Young-hoon met the Girin Entertainment party at the Hilton's coffee shop at precisely 10:10.
After a short rest, they moved to the business room.
Before long, the people from Zhonghua Media Group made their appearance as well — a party of five led by Xu Linhong, CEO of Zhonghua Music, who filed into the business room. Thanks to an early study-abroad stint in America, Xu Linhong spoke English at a native level, so most of the conversation was conducted in English.
Before the meeting began in earnest, the hotel staff came around to take drink orders.
When the beverages arrived a few minutes later, Young-hoon asked the group for a moment of their patience, then mixed a dose of the herbal powder into each drink and handed them out.
"What I've just mixed into your drinks is a powder made from herbs harvested in the deep mountains of Mount Taebaek here in Korea. It enhances the flavor of coffee or tea and offers considerable help with fatigue recovery. It is completely harmless to the human body — please try it and judge the taste for yourselves."
Xu Linhong had woken that morning brimming with vitality, thanks to the elixir she'd drunk the night before. And when she'd gone to the mirror to put on her makeup, she'd discovered her once-dull skin now glowing with a fresh, lustrous sheen. That was proof enough — what she'd had last night had definitely been the elixir.
Which meant she absolutely had to drink whatever tea Young-hoon handed her.
And once again, from the very first touch on her tongue, a fragrant tea aroma bloomed through her mouth, the flavor so impossibly smooth it nearly unraveled her composure. She suspected she'd never be able to drink another tea again.
Just to be sure, she ordered a coffee as well — and of course, it was delicious too.
"CEO Kim Young-hoon, this tea is truly wonderful. And the coffee is superb. I've had two cups and I feel like the fatigue has drained right out of me — twice over. That herbal powder of yours is really something."
All around the room, one voice after another chimed in with the same chorus — the coffee and tea were excellent.
From there, the meeting proceeded with remarkable ease.
Needless to say, Young-hoon had no intention of signing anything just yet. The proposals from Shanghai Media Group and Zhonghua Media Group were virtually identical, which meant he couldn't favor either side. From what he could judge, these two Chinese buyers seemed far more interested in the songs he'd written than in the drama rights themselves.
Young-hoon remembered the basic principle from Economics 101 in college — when demand outstrips supply, prices rise — and after six years of dealing with dealers at LK Electronics, he knew perfectly well that playing hard to get was how you drove your price even higher.
"We have received your proposal with great interest. As you may already be aware, Ms. Xu, we met with Shanghai Media Group yesterday. The terms you've offered are almost exactly on par with theirs. So the decision isn't an easy one to make. I ask for your understanding on that point."
"Not at all — we fully understand your position. But this much I can guarantee: we will under no circumstances offer less favorable terms than Shanghai Music. On that point, you can rest assured."
"Then could you give us a little time to consider?"
"Of course. We'll be waiting."
After that, Young-hoon moved on to discuss drama production and rights sales with Wu Gangdun, president of Zhonghua TV. Wu Gangdun exchanged a few words with Xu Linhong, then accepted Young-hoon's proposal without fuss.
Young-hoon also discussed selling wine, coffee, and tea into the Chinese market with Xu Linhong. The moment she heard his proposal, she pestered and wheedled until he agreed that her company would absolutely handle the imports — then made him promise, over and over, never to sell to Wang Mimi.
Once the discussions of drama rights, wine, coffee, and tea appeared to be roughly wrapped up, Young-hoon decided it was time to change the subject.
"By the way, is Chairman Xu Jiayin out on the course with the two chairmen?"
"Oh! How did you know that?"
"Chairman Wang Chenchen went out to the course and came back yesterday, too."
"Ah… I see. We should have been the ones to meet you first, CEO Kim. I'm a little put out that we had to meet that wretched Wang Mimi's crowd first."
Young-hoon had long known that Chairman Xu Jiayin and Chairman Wang Chenchen couldn't stand each other — but he hadn't realized that Xu Linhong and Wang Mimi hated each other every bit as fiercely as the two chairmen did.
It occurred to him that if he skillfully exploited this feud, he could extract an even better outcome.
From there, the meeting sailed forward without a hitch.
When lunchtime arrived, Chairman Xu and the two chairmen returned to the hotel. The three of them had already grown as thick as thieves, like sworn brothers.
No doubt he'd lured them out to a golf course and seduced them with the elixir as bait — while agreeing to sell it at 30 billion won a bottle.
Handing over the elixir sales to the two chairmen had been an inspired choice after all.
Though now the question was: how much of a cut should they get? Unlike with Shanghai Media Group, most of the meeting's business had been wrapped up by morning, so the afternoon session was cancelled. Instead, since Sinabro Production had invited both companies to a banquet that evening, they agreed to meet again there.