The Sponsor of My Niece (1)
After that, an awkward silence settled over the three people in the car until Jang Mi-ye finally spoke again, her face ruined by melted makeup. “That’s enough. Let me out. Let’s never see each other again, all right?”
Screech.
“Have a good day. I’ll make good use of that recording.”
“......”
Once Jang Mi-ye stepped out, Cha Ye-na let out a long sigh she had clearly been holding in. “Counselor, I’m done for the day, right?”
“Yeah. Perfect. You did great today. Why? Last time Oh Il-mu’s secretary was giving you grief about graduating from law school while you came from theater and film?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“If she does it again, talk to her in that haughty tone you used earlier. Ask her what good a law degree without a bar license has ever done the company.”
At my remark, Cha Ye-na ducked her head slightly, smiling in embarrassment. “Does my way of speaking change that much?”
“It does. You really put that theater degree to work. I almost wondered if the person I sent was even you. Telling her to call you ‘ma’am’ only if she was your sister-in-law? That was the highlight. Are you not on good terms with your sister-in-law?”
“Heh. It’s been a while since I got praised for my acting. I don’t have any sisters-in-law I’m not on good terms with.”
Delivering that performance must have taken more energy than usual; in the rearview mirror, I could see Cha Ye-na’s eyes starting to droop. “Work hours are over and there’s no need to go back to the office. What do you want to do? If you’re uncomfortable staying with your boss after hours, I can drop you here. Otherwise, I’ll take you home.”
“Counselor, I’m really sorry, but I don’t even have the strength to walk to the subway station right now. Could you possibly take me all the way home just this once?”
“Sure. I already offered earlier, so there’s nothing to apologize for. Besides, taking the subway in that outfit would look strange anyway.”
Huh? At the mention of clothes, Cha Ye-na’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh, this outfit—can I really keep it?”
“Yeah. I promised to buy it for you as a bonus if this job went well. You exceeded my expectations, so the clothes, shoes, and bag are all yours.”
“Wow! Thank you! If there’s any other special mission I can do, please call me anytime.”
‘Wow!’ is what I should be saying. The girl who could barely keep her eyes open from exhaustion just moments ago was suddenly this lively at the prospect of keeping the clothes she was wearing. Even though she always worked responsibly and handled today’s difficult task flawlessly, she was still young after all.
“Ah, could you hand me the recorder that’s in the bag right now?”
“Yes! Here you go.”
A little later, after receiving the recorder and dropping Cha Ye-na off at home, I returned to the office and began editing the amusing recording she had secured—making it even more amusing.
* * *
The next morning after finishing the edits, it was finally time to bring Chae Hee-geon, the PR Team Leader, on board—the last objective of this project. While I resolved the matter without informing anyone outside, the school violence scandal surrounding Park Da-hyun had spiraled out of control. As with many online incidents, suspicions were accepted as fact, and more lies were piled on top. Self-proclaimed additional victims who didn’t even exist appeared, and Park Da-hyun was branded an undeniable perpetrator of school violence. As a result, she was forced off every broadcast program she was appearing on, and even our group’s advertisements were pulled from airing. Chae Hee-geon had insisted on continuing to run the ads, but the networks reportedly told him they would rather pay the penalty than proceed. The same Chae Hee-geon who had always been cold toward me had been sending me message after message, practically begging for any hint of what was happening because he was so anxious. The anxiety from the PR Team had spread throughout the Central Management Headquarters, and even the Legal Team sent an opinion paper suggesting we sue the whistleblowers for defamation. Under current law, defamation is punishable whether the statements are false or true, so they argued a hardline response would be best. I’m a lawyer too, but at times like this, I’m reminded how narrow the perspective of people who deal with the law can be. Legally speaking, the Legal Team’s opinion is correct a hundred times over, and punishing the self-proclaimed victims wouldn’t be difficult. But even if they are punished, what benefit does that bring our company beyond the Legal Team racking up another win? I already know the truth of the incident, but the public doesn’t. In people’s minds right now, Park Da-hyun is stigmatized as a school violence perpetrator. If QS Group headquarters steps in to shield the perpetrator at this point, it would be playing right into Jang Mi-ye’s hands—sinking the massive ship that is QS along with Park Da-hyun. I issued instructions to both the Legal Team and the PR Team, just like Park Da-hyun’s agency, to stay completely still until I personally commented on the matter. Then a small but amusing incident occurred: the heads of the Legal Team and PR Team went to the Chairman’s office together. They couldn’t openly say they were defying my orders, so they asked Chairman Kwon Byung-do what they should do. It was proof that I still hadn’t completely taken control of the Central Management Headquarters. Of course, this uncomfortable dynamic wouldn’t last long. Fortunately, Chairman Kwon Byung-do backed me up, and the false school violence accusation case was continuing to worsen under our deliberate non-response. I felt truly sorry for Park Da-hyun, the person directly involved, but from my perspective, there was also an aspect where I was intentionally letting the situation deteriorate. Only when the entire Central Management Headquarters was desperate because they couldn’t resolve the incident would my stepping forward to deliver a perfect conclusion have the desired impact. And things were unfolding exactly as I intended. Not only were the PR Team and Legal Team so anxious that my company messenger was practically on fire, but even the Director of the Social Trends Research Institute—who usually had little interest in practical matters—asked me if everything was all right. At this point, the fruit seemed ripe enough, so it was time to start harvesting.
* * *
- Team Leader Chae, could you stop by the Audit Team for a moment? I have something to show you.
Just five minutes earlier, Chae Hee-geon had been begging me for any hint about what was happening, yet strangely, there was no reply. The message was marked as read, but could it be...? When I started wondering if some kind of urgent bathroom emergency had occurred, the door to the Audit Team Leader’s office where I was burst open. “Yes, Team Leader. I’m here. You said you had something to show me?”
Pfft. So he rushed over immediately because he didn’t even have time to reply to the message. And why were his ears so red? If I had said I had something to show him instead of tell him, would his eyes have been bloodshot too? “Yes. Come in and have a seat.”
A moment later, as Chae Hee-geon listened to the edited recording I had prepared, his face filled with both joy and respect toward me. “Young Master, so this conversation means JB Group fabricated the Rainy Girls Da-hyun incident to sabotage us, right? I didn’t mishear, did I?”
“No. That’s correct. You heard it right.”
“How on earth did you...? I don’t mean to be rude in front of the Team Leader, but this recording wasn’t fabricated, was it?”
If he didn’t mean to be rude, why ask something like that? He must still lack sufficient respect for me. In that case, I should let him know. “It wasn’t fabricated, and it wasn’t obtained illegally either.”
“If we release this to the media, this incident should be perfectly resolved. But just in case JB Group tries to interfere, our PR Team needs to have some idea of how to respond, so could you give me at least a hint about how you obtained it?”
At my gesture, Chae Hee-geon brought his reddened ears closer to my face. “I happen to own one share of Jangbaek Corporation stock.”
Whoa. Before the satisfaction of whispering that could even settle, Chae Hee-geon’s voice shot toward the ceiling in the very next moment. “What? The stock that even Chairman Kwon Byung-do couldn’t obtain?”
“You know yesterday was the regular shareholders’ meeting for Jangbaek Corporation, right? My proxy attended and recorded it. The man you just heard in the recording is Jang Gang-tae of JB Construction, and the woman is Jang Mi-ye of M Mart.”
Whoosh. Not only Chae Hee-geon’s ears but his cheeks flushed bright red, and our conversation—which had been building in tempo—came to a brief halt. Enough time passed that even if someone else had been sitting beside us, they would have felt the awkwardness, before he finally spoke again. “Team Leader—actually, is it all right if I call you Young Master now, even if it’s late?”
Right. This guy always called Seong-gyun and Je-gyun “Young Master” without fail, but with me he kept saying “Team Leader” or “Audit Team Leader” as if we were equals. It was a declaration of surrender in the same manner Oh Il-mu had shown before. I deliberately shrugged as if it were nothing. “Call me whatever’s comfortable.”
“Thank you. Young Master. Can I go ahead and deliver this recording to Top Entertainment and the reporters now?”
“Go a little later. I have more to say.”
Chae Hee-geon, still seated across from me, awkwardly bowed his head as if in greeting. “Yes. I’ll do that. What is it you wanted to say...?”
“Once that file is released, the major aspects of this incident will be resolved, but there are still small details to clean up, aren’t there? I was wondering if you could handle those according to my instructions.”
Chae Hee-geon nodded once, firmly. I had deliberately used the word “instructions” right in front of him. That nod meant he was accepting that I was no longer just another team leader at the same level in the Central Management Headquarters, but someone who could give him orders as his superior. “Among the people who made false accusations, the first whistleblower, Go Mi-jin, has already spoken with me separately, so leave her alone. For the other additional accusers, tell them to upload apology videos revealing their faces and real names. If they refuse, proceed with the lawsuit as per the Legal Team’s opinion paper.”
Chae Hee-geon rolled his eyes around as if regretting not bringing paper and pen to take notes, but he tried his best to memorize my words. “Yes.”
“And please tell Park Da-hyun that I’m sorry for being so late, and that it took time to find the connection with JB Group. Ask if there’s any meaningful way our group can offer her comfort.”
At these words laced with implication, Chae Hee-geon nodded once more, even more firmly. “Yes. I’ll do that.”
Just now, I had essentially asked him to find a way to convey condolences to Park Da-hyun on behalf of QS Group. The man, reputed to be sharp even within the Central Management Headquarters, couldn’t have missed the meaning. This could be seen as an implicit signal that he was supporting me in the succession race. “I’d like the matters we just discussed to be handled promptly. I’ll see you again this evening, Team Leader Chae. There’s something I’d like to ask you personally.”
“Pardon? Personally, with me?”
Chae Hee-geon’s pupils trembled. Well, if he could guess what I was about to ask, one side of his chest was probably being stabbed repeatedly.