Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Parachute Landing
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Of course, it might just be speculation, but for now, there was no other way to see it.
A smile spread across Kim Dae-min's lips.
"…You've changed a lot."
"I'll change even more going forward."
Hearing Kim Dae-min's response, Lee Dae-hyuk felt his suspicions confirmed.
This man had immediately picked up on the implication behind his words.
Yet instead of being surprised or mocking him, he remained perfectly composed.
On the contrary.
"I'll be watching with great anticipation."
He even launched an unexpected counterattack.
For a chief secretary speaking to the chairman's son, it bordered on rudeness.
'A test, huh.'
He was probably gauging his reaction.
The correct answer in a situation like this was obvious.
Lee Dae-hyuk responded with a relaxed smile.
"I will certainly live up to those expectations."
"……!!"
A few short words and a fleeting glint in his eyes.
Even so, Kim Dae-min couldn't help but flinch.
In Lee Dae-hyuk's demeanor, he saw Lee Myung-guk.
'Ha… Blood truly can't be deceived, can it?'
A confident smile.
And eyes gleaming with ambition that subtly revealed his intentions.
It was the spitting image of Chairman Lee Myung-guk.
'Blood can't lie? Or maybe that family forced him to hide this side of himself.'
A tiger's cub was still a tiger.
But he couldn't get caught up in a fight between tigers.
Kim Dae-min continued while maintaining a careful distance.
"I'll watch with pleasure."
'I can just see how things play out from here.'
No matter what battle Lee Myung-guk's children waged, he had no intention of taking sides.
Complex fights like that weren't his concern.
Besides, he had some insurance in place, so there was no need to worry.
Kim Dae-min conveyed Lee Myung-guk's instructions.
"Now, let's get to the main point. You've heard from Manager Yoon where you'll be reporting to, right?"
"Yes. Thank you for handling it so well."
Lee Dae-hyuk bowed his head in gratitude.
He had received the report on his assigned department from Yoon Tae-ho last night.
"I heard it's the PR Department at Daehan Construction."
"That's the one I recommended to the chairman. It should be more comfortable to work in than the other departments."
Lee Dae-hyuk sensed some consideration in Kim Dae-min's choice of department.
Daehan Construction had over ten departments.
Naturally, to work smoothly in any of them required some knowledge of construction.
Lee Dae-hyuk had been concerned about that but hadn't mentioned it to Lee Myung-guk.
The purpose of his disguised entry into the company was to uncover the spy at Daehan Construction.
There was no time to be picky about departments.
Plus, he was confident he could handle whatever department he landed in.
Still, he had some inner worries.
If he ended up in a department requiring specialized knowledge, he might waste all his time learning the job instead of hunting the spy.
Kim Dae-min had resolved that concern.
'He definitely has sharp instincts. That's why he's been by Chairman Lee Myung-guk's side for thirty years.'
Lee Myung-guk had a keen eye for people.
The mere fact that he'd kept him close for so long proved Kim Dae-min's capabilities.
And from his time as Kim Geon-woo, Lee Dae-hyuk knew this man had his own sense of loyalty.
'After the Daehan Group collapsed, Yu Jae-man tried to recruit him somehow. But he emigrated to the US with his family and didn't return until 2021.'
As Lee Dae-hyuk recalled Kim Dae-min's future, the explanation continued.
"I've registered you in the HR system as my distant nephew from my wife's side. Since your face isn't well-known, there shouldn't be any issues with the procedures."
"Yes."
"Young Master. Do you know what's most important for a new employee? Excluding salary, that is."
"……."
What was most important for a new hire?
Lee Dae-hyuk, who had no way of knowing, held his tongue.
Kim Dae-min smiled warmly and gave the answer.
"It's the mentor who teaches you the ropes. Wherever you go, meeting the right senior sets you up for success, doesn't it?"
"Ah, yes…."
"I've secured a mentor for you, Young Master. He's a sharp one, so follow him around and give him hell. Haha."
Kim Dae-min chuckled heartily as he spoke.
In truth, the request to assign a mentor hadn't come from Lee Dae-hyuk—it was Chairman Lee Myung-guk's order.
And Kim Dae-min had been genuinely surprised by that.
It was rare for Lee Myung-guk to show such affection toward his child.
He had even asked not to mention it to Lee Dae-hyuk, perhaps out of embarrassment.
'He can be cute sometimes.'
As the only person in Korea who could think of Lee Myung-guk as cute, Kim Dae-min continued.
"It won't be long, but make the most of it—learn properly and do the work right. You'll gain something from it."
His advice was sincere.
Experience as a regular employee would help him no matter what position he rose to later.
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded thoughtfully as he mulled over Kim Dae-min's words.
He was someone who would one day run the company.
Rubbing shoulders with ordinary employees would be a huge help down the line.
But there was one thing to address first.
"I'll learn a lot. But… who is this mentor you mentioned?"
"That would spoil the fun if I told you now. Once you get to the PR Department, he'll sneak up and start picking a fight."
Just imagining the upcoming scene made Kim Dae-min grin with mischief.
"Ah, you've never commuted to work before, right? Normally, you go to HR first thing, get your employee ID, and that's it. Then…"
Kim Dae-min avoided revealing the mentor's identity and instead rattled off random advice.
And Lee Dae-hyuk.
"……."
He bit his lip to suppress the rising irritation.
'Unlike his image, he's full of mischief.'
Part of him wanted to use Psycho Metry right then.
'It's my first day. No need to waste energy.'
The mentor would come to him on his own.
No point expending effort needlessly.
Instead, Lee Dae-hyuk was devising a plan to root out the spy.
'There's an MT a month from now, right?'
From his investigations, Daehan Construction held an MT once a year in the fall.
A gathering where executives and employees mingled.
That would be his chance to use Psycho Metry.
'Enjoy it while you can for that month. After that, you'll probably be smashed by my hand.'
Lee Dae-hyuk silently declared war on the spy hiding in Daehan Construction.
***
Daehan Construction HR Team.
HR Team Leader Kim Jin-mu rubbed the back of his neck as he reviewed the new hire paperwork with Lee Dae-hyuk standing before him.
They hired new employees through regular recruitment, special hires, or open recruitment as needed.
But the guy standing in front of him reeked of parachute hire.
He liked the eager look in his eyes.
But his instincts, honed from dealing with countless parachutes, were screaming.
'This one's a real, top-tier parachute.'
Moreover, he stank of parachute, yet nothing seemed off at first glance.
Family background was clean, academic credentials and diploma all checked out.
But no certifications or TOEIC score.
Not even a word processor certificate, and the TOEIC section was blank.
Meaning he'd never even taken it.
Yet here he was, standing tall before the Daehan Group HR team leader—himself.
And the fact that this guy was here meant upper management had approved him.
'Ha, damn it. This one's a special ultra parachute.'
Anger bubbled in his chest.
And this parachute.
"Looking at your resume, military exemption?"
"I was a bit ill. I'm fine now."
Had this kind of history too.
Meanwhile, despite his calm expression, Lee Dae-hyuk felt puzzled inwardly.
Kim Dae-min had said.
"Usually, when a new hire comes in, HR staff do a quick interview. Then explain the procedures briefly, guide them to their department, and done."
…Hadn't he?
But the one interviewing him now was the HR team leader.
'No way rumors have spread already…'
Lee Dae-hyuk stayed puzzled but kept his expression neutral, waiting for what came next.
There was a reason Kim Jin-mu had taken the interview himself.
Obvious parachute.
A person of interest who might cause trouble.
Better to memorize his face and keep tabs personally.
'Haa… Let's deal with some actual work and meet some actual people.'
Sighing deeply, Kim Jin-mu bluntly revealed his thoughts to Lee Dae-hyuk.
"Where'd you parachute in from?"
"I'm not a parachute."
Lee Dae-hyuk answered immediately.
He was joining for the company's sake, so not a parachute.
But Kim Jin-mu, unaware of the context, glared, clearly displeased with the response.
"Ah, it's obvious, so let's just lay it out from the start. That's easier if you want to work here."
"Easier?"
Irritation crossed Kim Jin-mu's face at Lee Dae-hyuk's retort.
"This isn't some airborne unit, damn it. Seriously."
Kim Jin-mu suppressed his rising anger.
In truth, Kim Jin-mu had pride in Daehan Construction and took pride in his HR work as a diligent businessman.
But ever since Daehan Construction began losing ground to Seojin Construction and started its decline, they'd been hiring nothing but parachutes.
Naturally, his loyalty and pride had vanished long ago.
Now he was just a foul-mouthed curser.
And this foul-mouthed man sometimes unleashed sharp insults at people he disliked.
Like now.
"If it pisses you off, go cry to your backer. I have no attachment to this shitty company either."
Whew-!
After venting at Lee Dae-hyuk, Kim Jin-mu barely calmed his anger.
What was the point of getting more worked up?
It would just raise his blood pressure.
In a slightly subdued tone, Kim Jin-mu advised Lee Dae-hyuk.
"Assistant Manager Im will handle your ID and the rest of the briefing, so listen up. I don't know how long you'll last, but don't cause trouble. Especially stay away from the female employees."
Kim Jin-mu was already worrying.
Parachutes landing at Daehan Construction were always from well-off families.
Kids used to doing whatever they wanted, prone to incidents that gave HR headaches.
Regular employees could be fired easily or handled legally.
But parachutes couldn't be touched recklessly.
Having dealt with it multiple times, as Kim Jin-mu turned back to the personnel files, Lee Dae-hyuk could gauge the situation.
'I can see how things are run around here.'
Just from Kim Jin-mu's reaction, Daehan Construction was messier than expected.
If the HR team leader was this pissed from the start, it meant rot from the bottom up.
Even rooting out Seojin Group's spy wouldn't change Daehan Construction.
'To really clean house… it'll take quite some time.'
Clenching his fist slightly as he thought of the tasks ahead, Lee Dae-hyuk said.
"None of the things you're imagining will happen from now on. And the people you're worried about won't be around either."
"What bullshit. Well, the people I'm worried about are parachutes like you…"
As Kim Jin-mu raised his voice at Lee Dae-hyuk's out-of-left-field remark, a neatly dressed Assistant Manager Im approached.
"Team leader. Here to pick up the new hire. Whoa, I thought you might've eaten him since he hadn't shown up, but he's intact."
"Quit exaggerating. I wouldn't touch parachute trash even if you paid me."
Kim Jin-mu waved Lee Dae-hyuk off irritably.
On the other hand, Lee Dae-hyuk was smiling.
At least he now saw Kim Jin-mu as useful.
If he took over Daehan Construction, he'd put this man in a key position.
"See you again."
"Get lost."
Unaware he'd been marked for promotion, Kim Jin-mu shooed away the Daehan Group chairman's son.