Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Team Leader Han Joo-hee
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Team Leader Han Joo-hee's nickname was the Ice Witch.
She was ruthless with her team members and rarely smiled.
Her cold gaze, expressionless face, and complete lack of tolerance for mistakes.
Because of that, quite a few team members had quit while working under her. I was one of them.
Her clipped speech, flawless work processing, and icy, merciless demeanor.
It suited the name Ice Witch perfectly.
And yet, there were plenty of employees who followed her.
Her ruthless personality blended with her stunning looks to create a powerful charisma.
She was intimidating, but there was a lot to learn from her. Even if it was exhausting, your skills definitely improved.
That's why people cursed her out but ended up following her again in the end.
Her personality might suck, but her work efficiency was top-notch.
The problem was...
'She looks down on people.'
If two people had similar skills, she favored employees from universities in Seoul.
Especially alumni from Korea University got extra preferential treatment.
So as a graduate from a provincial university, I suffered a lot because of it.
It was her decision to suddenly hand over the item I'd nearly closed to Choi Seok-hyun.
'That bastard Choi Seok-hyun just took it all without a second thought.'
Didn't he feel sorry for his colleague at all?
Couldn't be helped, sorry about that—he just took it all and even got promoted to Section Chief.
'Her figure could even rival Lee Se-jeong's.'
Han Joo-hee, dressed in a white blouse and black skirt.
Her 170cm height and C-cup bust exuded an insane sexiness.
Her waist and hip lines were perfect too, to the point where male employees wondered how a married woman could have such a body.
Honestly, her face and figure were a big reason I looked forward to coming to work.
Her face looked like it belonged to someone in her twenties, not matching her 33 years—that was part of her charm too.
'Married for two years now. Her husband's a Section Chief in External Affairs, out on a business trip overseas.'
Her husband was a Section Chief at the same company.
I'd occasionally seen them having coffee together.
"I heard something unfortunate happened, Team Leader."
"Yes."
She glanced impassively at the spot where I'd originally worked.
It was piled high with white chrysanthemums.
So they did pay their respects to a former colleague.
"We lost a great employee. Such a shame."
"That's right."
As expected, Han Joo-hee's speech was dry and emotionless.
To some ears, it might come off as cold and stiff.
"I saw that video circulating of him saving his grandmother even while dying. You saw it too, right, Team Leader?"
"Yes, I did."
"He was an employee with exceptional self-sacrifice. I remember him working incredibly hard for the company too. What kind of employee was he in your eyes, Team Leader?"
I wanted to ask.
Why discriminate against provincial university grads?
What the hell was the reason?
She claimed to value ability and performance, but I couldn't understand it.
I'd never once thought my skills were inferior to Choi Seok-hyun's.
"Just as you saw, CEO. He was responsible and always gave his all to any task assigned. Thanks to him, I got a lot of help in many ways. He was a truly reliable subordinate."
Hypocritical.
She didn't want to get chewed out by the CEO, huh?
"Is that so? Even in your eyes as his Team Leader, he was a reliable subordinate?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. I see. But that doesn't quite match what I heard."
I deliberately lowered my voice to make it cold.
The entire Knowledge Team, who had been watching, tensed up and held their breath.
"......"
Han Joo-hee's expression barely changed.
She was hiding her inner thoughts, not wanting to reveal them.
"I heard he faced some contempt and disdain for being from a provincial university. Don't you know anything about that, Team Leader?"
As I said it, I looked around the room.
A few people averted their eyes.
They were all people who knew at least vaguely about the discrimination I'd faced.
"......I don't know."
Disgusting.
But it was better than flat-out denying it ever happened.
"You really don't know?"
"......I think there might have been some misunderstandings."
"Misunderstandings?"
"......Yes."
Finally, a change appeared on her face.
With the CEO pressuring her, she couldn't just lie outright.
"What kind of misunderstandings?"
Choi Seok-hyun jumped in.
"F-From my perspective as his colleague, I think Manager Jang might have taken some of my casual jokes the wrong way......"
"What kind of jokes?"
"......Ones related to provincial areas......"
"Be specific."
"Like, 'What fun things are there in the provinces?'... something like that."
"So you tormented him by bringing up regional discrimination?"
"N-No, it wasn't discrimination. Just jokes between colleagues......"
His excuses were pathetic.
Still, seeing him squirm almost made me smirk.
"Section Chief Choi Seok-hyun's promotion was unusually fast. Did Manager Jang suffer any losses in that process? You were colleagues, after all."
This time, I directed the question at Han Joo-hee.
I deliberately brought up the promotion, as if I knew all about it.
"It was based solely on ability and performance."
"I see."
As my speech dragged on, all eyes from the surrounding teams focused here.
"Because he was my employee. Because the employee I personally hired met such a tragic end."
I looked around at everyone present.
"What I want to know is whether there were any injustices. Any harassment. Any unfair treatment."
"......"
"Unlike what you two said, from what I heard, Manager Jang seems to have faced some unfair treatment."
Han Joo-hee and Choi Seok-hyun were struck dumb.
"He's already passed away, but if there was any such thing, shouldn't we resolve that resentment?"
I looked at Kim Gi-woo.
"Secretary Kim Gi-woo."
"Yes, CEO."
"Put up a company-wide notice. We're launching a full investigation into Manager Jang Min-hoo. We'll guarantee confidentiality for any reports related to it."
"Understood, CEO."
"And if the investigation uncovers anything."
I alternated glances between Han Joo-hee and Choi Seok-hyun.
"You two will take responsibility as their superiors."
Han Joo-hee's expression didn't change.
Choi Seok-hyun bowed his head with a shit-eating grimace.
"On top of that."
I needed to pile on more pressure.
"Announce that we'll also conduct a full investigation into harassment and unfair practices across all departments."
"Yes, CEO."
This would make both Han Joo-hee and Choi Seok-hyun targets for everyone.
The rumors would spread fast too.
That they pissed off the CEO.
⚙ AI SEARCH SYSTEM ⚙ [Tell me the current psychology of Han Joo-hee and Choi Seok-hyun.] [Search Results] Han Joo-hee feels uncomfortable and uneasy. She knows her self-justification—that it was for the good of the company—won't hold up. She's worried about a stain on her perfect career. Choi Seok-hyun instinctively senses something is wrong. He's gripped by fear that company injustices related to Jang Min-hoo will come to light. A hollow laugh escaped at their psychology.
Only now they were worried?
They should've treated him better while he was around.
I'd proceed with their punishment exactly as I'd originally planned.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hoo."
Grilling Han Joo-hee and Choi Seok-hyun had cleared my mind quite a bit.
"Let's grab lunch, Gi-woo."
"Yes, CEO."
When we got to the cafeteria, waiting employees bowed and greeted me.
Being treated well wherever I went felt refreshingly different.
"Enjoy your meals, everyone."
When I smiled at them, the female employees smiled back.
It was amazing that this kind of life existed.
"CEO."
"Yeah, Gi-woo."
"Where did you hear about Manager Jang Min-hoo?"
"Just picked it up somewhere. Why?"
"You seemed more emotional than usual."
"I felt bad about losing a good employee."
"He was a good one. Even from what I saw in passing, he worked really hard."
"We need to stamp out looking down on provincial university grads. And dumping your work on subordinates isn't okay either."
"Of course."
"From now on, let's shape the company culture so there are no such employees."
"Understood, CEO."
After lunch, I visited other departments I hadn't gotten to yet.
I inspected the cafeteria and facilities too.
As I went around, I spotted some inconveniences.
Now that I really felt like the CEO, I wanted to fix those issues.
Might as well live up to the role without any shortcomings.
"Gi-woo. Wanna splurge a little?"
"Pardon? Wh-What kind of splurge?"
"Money splurge. You heard me."
"Ah, no. I was just surprised because you don't usually use words like that."
"I'm trying to loosen up a bit now. Break out of the mold."
Kim Gi-woo laughed.
"Yes, Big Brother. That feels more human and looks good on you. So, how do you plan to splurge?"
"I'm the CEO who came back from the brink of death, right? When a company CEO attempts suicide, how anxious do you think the employees are? Some are probably thinking of jumping ship."
"Probably."
"So, it might be good to spend some on welfare. Give them faith that they can keep working here."
"Please be specific."
We headed to the CEO office and talked it over with Kim Gi-woo.
"Sounds good."
"Right? Then gather all employees in the auditorium in an hour. I'll announce it myself."
"Got it."
It was for welfare, sure.
But a big part was wanting to stand on that stage and really feel like the CEO.
When I got to the auditorium, everyone except those with urgent tasks was gathered.
"Hello, everyone. CEO Jang Min-hoo here."
Clap clap clap clap—
My heart pounded a little.
Me, a mere Manager, now CEO—looked up to by all.
They hung on my every word, listening intently. It made my shoulders rise with pride.
I felt accomplished and satisfied, like I could live an awesome life now.
"As CEO, I apologize to everyone for my irresponsible actions."
I bowed my head briefly first.
After some polite formalities,
"To that end, I promise several improvements for a better company."
I planned to address the complaints I'd had as a Manager.
The former CEO Jang Min-hoo had a great personality, so employee welfare was solid.
But since he'd never worked as an employee, some details were lacking.
No matter how good his search ability, there were limits to questions, so he couldn't know everything.
'Money's meant to be spent on stuff like this.'
I gave everyone a faint smile.
"We'll replace all equipment with the latest models. PCs, desks, chairs—everything."
Oooh—
Exclamations rose up.
It was inevitable.
Our General Affairs team was pretty stingy.
They neglected equipment upgrades to save budget.
"Still usable? Keep using it." That was the norm.
And since it tied to company assets, even former CEO Jang Min-hoo probably didn't know.
The employees' faces lit up instantly.
"And we'll expand various welfare benefits."
I laid out everything I'd thought of.
Raising cafeteria budgets for tastier, more reasonable meals.
Installing coffee machines from famous brands in the break rooms.
Upgrading bathrooms with bidets, high-end ACs, and more.
Hiring professional trainers for the employee gym, opening a massage shop to care for fatigued workers' health.
Plus loan interest counseling, psychological support and education aid for employees with kids, company support for those about to marry.
Applause poured in.
But it wasn't over.
"Performance bonuses, vacation pay, holiday bonuses—all increased. Hard workers will get the rewards they deserve. So please work hard for the company."
Woooow!
Some might prefer more vacation, but you need money to enjoy it.
This would boost morale. Make them work harder.
Good for the company, good for me.
Might as well be a great CEO.
And finally, the personal company welfare I'd truly wanted.
"Lastly."
Everyone focused intently.
"To comfort all employees distressed by my incident, I'll give each one million won as solace pay."
Woooow!!
The biggest cheers yet erupted.
Yes. This is it.
Companies run on money, after all.
A million in the bank would spark loyalty even where there was none.
For me, just 10 billion won to build company loyalty—not bad at all.
It'd lead to company growth anyway.
"Beyond this, post any welfare requests on the company board anytime. I'll consider them."
Seeing their satisfied faces...
Spending money was starting to feel fun.