Tumor (3)
Seung-hyun drove to the park playground near the company.
It was still broad daylight, and the children were in class, so the playground was empty except for Team Leader Jo Han-gyeol, sitting on a bench with a cap pulled low over his head.
The sight stirred up a bitterness that was hard to name, because only a few hours earlier the man had been rampaging like a silverback gorilla.
"Boss."
The team leader's greeting was flat, stripped of color.
He was already in a situation that amounted to a dismissal, so formal speech felt awkward, but neither of them had the luxury of worrying about that now.
"So, you said you had something to tell me."
Seung-hyun asked first, his voice cool.
Jo let out a long sigh and began.
"Yes. Well... since it's come to this, I'll tell you everything honestly."
He drew in another long breath and seemed to gather his thoughts. Several times his lips moved as if he wanted to speak, but when he met Seung-hyun's icy stare, he finally hardened his resolve.
"About a month ago, Taesung Apparel contacted me."
There was even a trace of determination on his face now, as if he had realized he couldn't shoulder the blame alone.
"So Taesung told you to wreck the company, is that it?"
Seung-hyun reacted with obvious indifference. He had already guessed as much.
"That's right. To be exact, they told me to 'increase the defect rate just enough to squeeze down the unit cost and ruin the equipment image. Make sure the representative couldn't take it anymore.' It wasn't just me, either. A few of the people who'd already said they were quitting moved with me. Breaking machinery, or tampering with inspection data when QC came through."
There was resignation in Jo's lowered voice.
It seemed he had judged that hiding anything was pointless now that a major bomb had already gone off in the boss's office.
Seung-hyun twisted his face in disgust.
"How many people?"
"Four. We'd all been subcontract laborers for more than ten years, and we thought Haesol Textile would end up going under sooner or later. What Taesung offered... was very sweet. They said that if the company went bust, they'd start a 'new factory' and bring us in as core personnel. They even promised better pay..."
At that, Seung-hyun trembled with anger.
"Ha. Seriously? You really thought the company was going to collapse? Just because Father passed away?"
Jo lowered his head, realizing even himself that it had been reckless.
"At the time, I thought it would be easy. Furniture? Bedding? Even if those took off, it didn't seem like the market would expand that fast... I figured the company couldn't survive long if it kept fighting Taesung. No, do you think there was anyone at the plant who saw it differently from me? There are probably a lot of employees thinking the same thing. They just don't say it out loud."
"So you messed with the company because you thought it was doomed anyway? You conspired with other people too? In the end, that's no different from stabbing the company in the back in broad daylight. You saw with your own eyes how much my father worked to protect this factory."
"I'm not saying I don't feel guilty. But Taesung really was trying to swallow Haesol whole. With my skills, they said they'd give me a decent position in the new factory. Whatever I say now, it's already too late, but still... that's the truth."
Seung-hyun let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine. So what do you want?"
"...The lawsuit... I know I was wrong, but please, I'm asking you. I have a recording here. Listen to it."
Jo played the recorded audio on his phone.
"Use your judgment... huh? Just enough to make things hard. You know what I mean, right? Don't worry about having nowhere to go..."
The recording went on for about three minutes.
You could understand the gist of it, but unfortunately there was nothing in it that directly showed Department Manager Lee Sang-moo giving concrete instructions.
"Well?"
Even after hearing the recording, Seung-hyun's expression didn't soften. Jo Han-gyeol, who had been charging around like he wasn't afraid of the world, now turned meek as a lamb and dropped to his knees on the spot.
Anyone else would have been flustered to see him kneeling like that and told him to get up at once, but Seung-hyun was not the kind of man Jo had assumed.
"I'm going to file the complaint. That won't change."
The words were colder than anything in the world.
His refusal to alter his decision was unmistakable.
"No..."
"However."
"Yes?"
"Bring me evidence showing that you were acting on Taesung Apparel's instructions. If you do that, I won't file a civil suit. You'll still be in trouble on the criminal side, but you should be satisfied if you can avoid getting hit with a claim for hundreds of millions in damages."
Jo Han-gyeol bit his lip, then, realizing that was the best he could hope for, nodded from his kneeling position.
"Thank you."
"How soon can you give it to me?"
"That... I'll go home tonight, organize everything, and send it over."
Seung-hyun gave the hesitant man a low warning.
"Team Leader, you're standing at a very important crossroads right now. At the very least, I can guarantee one thing: Taesung Apparel won't be able to stop us from suing you. So think carefully. The moment Taesung learns what's happened, they'll try to win you over."
"..."
"If they tell you to hide the evidence you have and promise they'll cover any damages claims against you with money, then fine... do whatever Taesung tells you. What else can we do? We can only proceed with the lawsuit. But do you really think a conglomerate will pay off a claim worth hundreds of millions that lands on your head?"
Having lived long enough in the world, Jo Han-gyeol knew at least this much: conglomerates were not especially kind to subcontract laborers.
"That's why I'm telling you everything like this, Boss."
"Even if you waver, I don't care. But you need to judge carefully what the best choice is for you. Today is the deadline."
With that said, Seung-hyun stood up.
Then he glanced down at Jo, still kneeling there, and turned on his heel.
Left alone in the playground, Jo wiped away his tears with his sleeve, got to his feet, and walked off somewhere.
*
Seventeenth floor, Taesung Apparel's Gangnam headquarters.
The executive-only conference room was chilled with a creeping cold.
Three men sat side by side on opposite sides of a high-end table made of solid wood.
Executive Director Kim Ho-yeol of the Strategic Planning Division, Department Manager Lee Sang-moo in charge of sales operations, and Director Go Jeong-gyu, who also served as legal adviser.
A cold, dark sheen sat on their faces, and an unusually heavy silence hung in the room.
"A breakup with Haesol... what exactly are we supposed to report to the chairman?"
Kim Ho-yeol broke the silence in a sullen voice.
His hand trembled faintly as he turned over the proposal.
The very reason they'd kept that little subcontracting company on a leash for so long was now becoming useless.
The recent QC trouble, Haesol Textile's declaration that it was cutting ties, and the collapse of their internal saboteur management had all combined to put the entire plan on the verge of collapse. It was truly an unexpected turn.
Lee Sang-moo rushed to defend himself.
"I didn't think things would get this bad either... I had no idea it would fall apart like this. As it turned out, one of the employees we used to steer defects was stupid enough to get caught on CCTV, and that created a problem. That young representative has a rather sharp eye..."
Before he could even finish,
"Sharp eye? Manager Lee. Are you out of your mind?"
"I'm sorry."
Lee Sang-moo broke into a cold sweat and sprang to his feet, bowing ninety degrees.
Director Go let out a sigh, shook his head, and spoke.
"More importantly, we need another plan quickly. If Haesol Textile doesn't go under, then that land in Chungmuro will... and the chairman's anger will be considerable."
Kim Ho-yeol looked at Director Go with a grotesque expression.
"What plan is there? We can only buy it outright and pay in cash. Damn it, this is driving me insane. How much money are we supposed to pour into this... I thought things had worked out when the old president croaked, but now look at this."
Lee Sang-moo didn't dare move and kept his back bent.
Kim Ho-yeol paid him no mind and went on.
"If Haesol doesn't collapse right away, then what, is there some legal method?"
Director Go shook his head with a bitter look.
"The safest way would have been to let it fail and then take it over. If we try to acquire it now, the previous president already used the land as collateral to the maximum loan limit, so we'll have to buy the site at least above the officially assessed price. The problem is that if they realize we want that land, they definitely won't sell it at the assessed price."
"Exactly. That's why I had Manager Lee run that little show. It all went to hell because somebody else did a lousy job."
Listening from the side, Lee Sang-moo felt a chill run down the back of his neck.
"Hmm... if we drag this out any longer, things could get even more tangled. Maybe we should just acquire the land..."
"Oh, and how much do you think they'll ask for?"
"If they're naive, they might let it go for the assessed price alone, but if not, it'll be at least double. Then the land alone would come to nearly twenty billion won."
Kim Ho-yeol's face twisted.
"Jesus... that's insane. If the chairman hears that number, he'll blow a gasket... As if that old miser has ever bought anything at full price."
"That is true, but..."
"Damn it, what possessed him to decide he wanted a hotel on that site?"
"It's been a factory there for a long time, so the land is now part of a commercial zone, and the location is good. The chairman probably has his eye on it for that reason. Of course, the fact that the lot next to it is owned by Taesung International is the decisive factor."
At once, Director Kim's snake-like gaze slid to Lee Sang-moo, who was still trembling and unable to straighten up.
"You. Answer me properly. Did you leave any evidence behind?"
"No, sir. Everything was done in person, and there isn't a call record at all."
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely."
Lee Sang-moo wanted to say, If I wanted to stay alive, I'd never do something that stupid, but he swallowed it back hard.
If he failed to read the room and blurted that out in front of Director Kim, he had no idea what kind of wrath he would invite.
Director Go spoke again.
"The young representative is more persistent than I expected. I heard he's hanging on with that ridiculous move into furniture and bedding, or whatever it is. It would be fine if he just collapsed, but if he hangs on and actually turns a profit..."
"Damn it... what's Haesol's cash flow like?"
Even if Lee Sang-moo was the one being asked, how could he possibly know every detail of a subcontractor's finances?
But the reason he had managed to survive this long was because he had one thing the others didn't.
"I'm certain that until the previous president died, they didn't even have enough to pay the employees' salaries for this month. But after we pushed those defective high-density silk blends onto a small furniture company, they said they managed to put out the immediate fire."
"High-density silk blend? That works with furniture?"
"Apparently."
"Where did they even get a combination like that?"
As he felt the atmosphere tilt further against him, Lee Sang-moo gathered the fragments of his faltering mind and answered.
"It's technology we got when we acquired a Japanese textile company last year. We didn't really have any use for it, so we just kept it around and then used it to induce defects..."
His voice kept shrinking.
"Hell... you stuffed bread and milk down a beggar's throat and called it a meal."
"I'm sorry."
Even though he had reported on it and executed it himself, Lee had no choice but to bow his head.
"Fine, let's say that patchwork worked. Then Taesung can keep feeding them for at least two months, right?"
"Yes. But as far as I know, beyond that..."
"You sure?"
Lee Sang-moo snapped to attention and answered.
"They're doing something with the remaining stock fabric, but I still don't know exactly what..."
"Damn it, I don't have anyone I can trust to handle this."
"I'm sorry."
"Forget it, and keep a proper handle on those subcontract workers. Unless you want your head rolling."
"Understood."
"Go on."
After sending Lee Sang-moo out, Kim Ho-yeol also spoke to Director Go.
"Just in case, estimate a reasonable price. If we have to, we'll even take out a dollar loan and buy it."
"Yes, understood."
Once Director Go had also left the conference room, Kim Ho-yeol was alone. Even though he was indoors, he was just about to light a cigarette when his phone rang.
His expression soured the moment he checked the caller ID, but by the time he answered, his face had already turned warm, like spring sunlight.
"Well, well, my little brother. What's up at this hour?"
[Hyung, you know that thing? The one with that... you know...]
"Ah, you mean that little factory owner from Haesol Textile?"
[Right. You said things got messy? How's it going?]
He slowly put the cigarette back into the pack and said in a low voice, his eyes cold,
"We've decided to end our dealings with Haesol after this last transaction."
[Really? So that bastard's done for, right?]
"Who knows. If he's got the ability, he'll figure out a way to live."
[Haha, that guy? As if he could. Anyway, thanks, hyung! I'll tell Mom properly!]
"Yeah. Thanks."
Click. The call ended...
Kim Ho-yeol stared at his phone with a frosty look and muttered,
"Trash."