Not a Pervert
KJ Group was in the middle of a turbulent period.
A sweeping purge, and the massive wave of promotions that followed. With personnel shifts so sudden and so extensive that the company's very skeleton had been rebuilt, every day felt nothing like the ones before.
And the person feeling that change most keenly was none other than me.
I could tell just by looking at the reports that landed on my desk every morning.
— New Business Planning Team: New Project Proposal.
— Production Innovation Task Force: Operational Plan.
— Sales Team 2: Quarterly Performance Report.
— Marketing Team: New Campaign Proposal.
Every department was filing reports that they had launched new projects, and word of actual results was starting to come in with surprising frequency. The employees who had been promoted to fill the vacancies left by the corrupt executives were moving with far more drive than before.
Not bad.
A company that had done nothing but bleed red ink since Kang Taeseong took office was finally showing signs of turning a profit. You could feel it — the place was coming back to life.
Of course, busy was still busy. The stack of documents waiting for my approval was mountain-high, and between meetings and one-on-ones with the newly elevated executives, a single day was barely enough.
There was pressure, too. A single decision of mine could change the company's direction and affect hundreds of employees. The weight of that responsibility sat heavy on my shoulders — that much was true.
But there was a feeling larger than the pressure.
This is… pretty satisfying.
The quiet pleasure of watching the company improve with my own eyes. Seeing a dead organization regain its pulse, watching employees throw themselves into their work with real energy — my mouth kept twitching upward for no good reason. Was this what parents felt, watching their children grow day by day?
There was still plenty lacking, and a mountain of things left to fix. But what mattered was that we were moving forward, one step at a time.
So this is… the weight of being president.
The responsibility was heavy. But the heavier the load I carried, the greater the sense of fulfillment that came with it.
I was picking up a report, basking in that quiet satisfaction, when—
Knock, knock.
"Mr. President, Executive Director Song is here to see you."
"Come in."
The man who opened the door was Song Taejin, Executive Director.
"What is it?"
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Song Taejin spoke carefully.
"Since the reorganization, the company atmosphere has improved noticeably. Employee morale is up as well."
I nodded. I had felt it myself. The old culture of reading the room and doing just enough work had largely faded away.
"However, there is one thing I find regrettable."
"And that is?"
"The company has changed too quickly."
Song Taejin cut straight to the point, as if this were the real reason he had come.
"With so many personnel transfers, there are quite a few employees who don't even know each other's faces."
"…"
"That goes for the newly promoted executives as well. Interdepartmental collaboration has increased significantly, but there's still an awkwardness lingering in the air."
"I see. That is a problem."
Hearing it laid out, it made sense. Thinking back on recent approval documents, collaboration had definitely increased — but most of it was happening through messengers and email. Opportunities to sit face-to-face and actually talk had been almost nonexistent.
"Which is why I have a proposal."
Song Taejin smiled.
"A company-wide workshop."
"…A workshop?"
"Think of it as the launch ceremony for the new KJ Group."
That was an interesting way to put it. Song Taejin continued calmly.
"The reorganization was a success. Now it's time for the new organization to become one."
A chance for departments to mingle, for people to learn each other's faces, and for everyone to share the direction the company was heading.
"A time to solidify the organizational culture, so to speak."
I fell silent for a moment, thinking.
The new KJ Group…
The KJ Group of today was becoming a genuinely different company from the one it used to be. In that case, a gathering to mark the start of that change seemed more than appropriate.
"…Very well."
Song Taejin's face brightened at my words.
"Let's prepare the workshop."
Accepting an employee's input was one of a president's essential virtues. Even if the final decision rested with the president, you had to keep listening to the people who knew the ground best. Besides, looking back, we had been charging forward with our eyes fixed only on what lay ahead. The employees, too, had been scrambling to adapt to the changes with no room to breathe.
They need a moment to catch their breath as well.
"This workshop will be the launch ceremony for the new KJ Group. I hope it becomes a place where employees can get to know one another and look toward the same goal."
"Understood, Mr. President."
Song Taejin bowed firmly.
The new KJ Group. The time to take its first step was drawing near.
"All right, everyone! You've all memorized your bus numbers, right?"
An HR staff member raised a megaphone and projected her voice.
"Bus One: Management Support, HR, Marketing!"
"Bus Two: Finance, Sales!"
"Bus Three: Production, Materials!"
The day of the workshop had arrived. In front of the company gates, several large tour buses stood lined up in a long row. Even at this early hour, the employees' faces looked nothing like they did on a normal commute.
"Window seat! That window seat is mine!"
"Manager! I saved you a spot over here!"
Laughter erupted from every direction. Employees who normally exchanged nothing more than quiet greetings in the office were as giddy as students today.
"Want to grab the back row?"
"I heard Deputy Han is great at grilling meat?"
"They say the drinking starts at dinner!"
A stampede. The younger employees raced for the buses as if competing. The more senior staff, by contrast, strolled over at a leisurely pace.
"Heh heh, everyone's all fired up."
"That's a young person's game."
"I get carsick, so I'm taking a front seat."
"Front works for me too."
People fighting for window seats. People trying to sit next to close colleagues. People claiming the front under the pretext of motion sickness. In no time at all, a miniature battle for seats broke out inside the bus.
"Soyeong! Over here!"
Lee Juhee waved her hand. She had already claimed seats near the middle of the bus with Choi Yuri.
"Hurry up!"
"Unnie, over here!"
Park Soyeong chuckled and climbed aboard.
"You already saved seats?"
"Obviously. Who do you think I am?"
Choi Yuri grinned and waved her over.
"Unnie, come on, sit down."
The three of them settled into their seats naturally. Then Lee Juhee spoke first.
"Soyeong, you take the window."
"Huh?"
"You get carsick."
"…Ah."
Right. Long bus rides never sat well with her stomach.
"Then I'll take the window."
Park Soyeong sat by the window. Across the aisle, Choi Yuri and Lee Juhee settled in side by side. That left one empty seat next to Park Soyeong, on the aisle side.
"One seat left."
Lee Juhee muttered without much thought.
"Who knows? Maybe we'll leave with it empty."
"If it's empty, Soyeong can just lie down the whole way!"
Choi Yuri nodded as if it were no big deal. Park Soyeong looked out the window and let out a breath.
"Hoo."
It really did feel like being back on a college MT trip.
"But where's the president riding?"
Choi Yuri asked, glancing around.
"Yeah, good question."
Lee Juhee scanned the area as well.
"You think he's going separately?"
"Would he take a bus? He'll take the company car, right?"
"True."
That was when it happened.
"The president is here."
At someone's words, every employee's gaze swung toward a single point. In the distance, a massive man dressed in casual clothes was walking slowly toward them.
Kang Taeseong.
The employees parted naturally to clear a path.
He's the president — of course he'll take a private car.
He'll go separately with his secretary.
That was what everyone assumed. And then Kang Taeseong casually stepped onto the stairs of Bus One.
"Huh?"
"…The president's taking the bus?"
The bus fell silent. Kang Taeseong surveyed the employees once, then spoke evenly.
"Why the surprise?"
"…"
"A workshop like this only tastes right if you take the bus."
At that single line, soft laughter rippled through the bus.
"Haha! The president knows what's up!"
"He's not wrong."
The atmosphere that had gone heavy for a moment began to loosen. Kang Taeseong stood at the entrance and slowly scanned the interior.
Where should I sit?
It was a harder question than expected. The front seats were occupied by employees worried about motion sickness. The very back was already packed with young male employees who had gathered in clusters and were already making a racket. Everywhere in between, people who knew each other had claimed their spots, and the laughter never stopped.
His gaze stopped near the middle of the bus.
There was one empty seat.
The one next to Park Soyeong.
"…"
Park Soyeong's fingertips began winding a strand of hair around themselves without her noticing.
…Why am I like this?
She tried not to think about it, but her attention kept drifting toward the aisle. What if — just what if — he came this way? No, that was ridiculous. There were plenty of other seats. She denied it over and over in her head, but her sidelong glances kept finding Kang Taeseong anyway.
Across the aisle, Choi Yuri was watching him with a faintly hopeful look of her own.
It'd be fun if the president sat here.
It had been the same when he taught her how to work out at the gym. He was easier to talk to than expected — not the intimidating figure she'd imagined. Of course, if he actually sat next to her, she'd probably freeze up and not get a single word out. Still.
I'm a little excited, though.
Lee Juhee, who had been quietly observing the two of them, looked back and forth between her friends.
…What is this?
Was she imagining things? Both Soyeong and Yuri somehow looked like they were hoping the president would come their way.
Must be my imagination.
Lee Juhee tilted her head and turned her eyes back toward the aisle — just as Kang Taeseong began walking slowly in their direction.
Thud. Thud.
He stopped directly in front of Park Soyeong's group, looked at the empty aisle seat, and said calmly,
"Excuse me."
"…!"
Park Soyeong's heart plummeted. She carefully drew her legs in, and Kang Taeseong settled his body into the aisle seat.
Thump.
That massive frame dropped into the seat beside her. He was much closer than she had imagined. A clean scent — soap mixed with fabric softener — drifted over. And woven through that fragrance was something harder to name, a scent unique to Kang Taeseong alone, faint but unmistakable.
She had smelled it before. That day they left work together — the scent that had come off him then. Lately they hadn't been leaving at the same time. Both of them had gotten too busy, and their schedules no longer lined up.
Maybe that was why. The moment she caught that familiar scent, a strange sense of ease settled over her. Even the heart that had been racing for no reason a moment ago seemed to calm down.
…Huh?
In that instant, Park Soyeong realized she was sniffing the air without meaning to.
"……!"
She froze solid in pure shock.
What am I… doing right now?
She had been unconsciously breathing in his scent. Her face flushed crimson in an instant.
I've lost it. I'm not a pervert.
She was so mortified she couldn't even lift her head. Park Soyeong hurriedly turned her gaze out the window. Fortunately, Kang Taeseong seemed not to have noticed — he was looking around the bus interior.
…Thank god.
Park Soyeong adjusted her posture for no reason and stared fixedly out the window.
Hehe, the president really sat here.
Across the aisle, Choi Yuri was equally delighted.
"We're departing! Everyone, please fasten your seat belts!"
And so the workshop marking the new beginning of KJ Group got underway.