The Fall of a Petty Tyrant
The day after meeting Lee Da-hae, Ma Seok-il met with Managing Director Park to discuss the plan in greater detail. The very next morning, as soon as Managing Director Park arrived at work, he headed straight for the president's office.
“President, I’m resigning.”
“What? Suddenly? Why?”
It wasn't as if the company wasn't already hemorrhaging talent; all the capable, experienced employees had been leaving in droves recently. The claim he’d made to Ma Seok-il two days ago about the low defect rate was only true back when Ma Seok-il was still working there. Lately, with the exodus of skilled staff, the defect rate had been climbing daily. Of course, there was no way Ma Seok-il didn't know that, but he hadn't mentioned it yesterday because he already had a plan in motion.
“I’ve been feeling physically exhausted lately. I think I’ll just head back to my hometown and try farming with my younger brother.”
“What? What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how grueling farming is?”
Kim Hak-soo tried to stop him. Managing Director Park was, for all intents and purposes, the only capable middle manager left. But his method of persuasion was the problem.
“How much farming could I possibly do? I just want to recuperate by my brother’s side. Anyway, I apologize, President.”
“No, how can you just drop this on me? We’re signing the contract with YK next week and starting production, so the company will be back on its feet. Why would you quit now?”
“I am truly sorry….”
Seeing the listless Managing Director Park, Kim Hak-soo felt nothing but frustration.
“No, I’m telling you not to quit! The company is going to recover soon!”
Kim Hak-soo, even if he were to die, would never utter the words, “I’ll raise your salary!” He always stuck to vague, empty expressions. But now, Managing Director Park finally saw through those ambiguous platitudes.
‘You son of a bitch. So what if the company recovers? Did you ever treat me well when the company was doing great?’
Managing Director Park recalled what Lee Da-hae had told him yesterday and cursed Kim Hak-soo under his breath.
The salary Lee Da-hae had mentioned for Kim Hak-soo, based on 2010s standards, was about 25 million won. That was 25 million won *excluding* the living expenses and entertainment costs he wrote off as corporate expenses. Meanwhile, Managing Director Park’s salary was a mere 2.5 million won. Kim Hak-soo was the one who had refused to raise Park’s salary every single day, claiming the company was in dire straits, yet he was pocketing a massive sum for himself. Of course, it was natural for a president to take a large share—that was the point of starting a business. But wasn't it absurd for a president to claim the company was struggling while freezing his employees' wages and raising his own every year?
Managing Director Park, who had truly believed the company was in trouble, felt a deep sense of betrayal. That was the catalyst that pushed him to join Ma Seok-il’s plan.
“I apologize. I’m heading down to my hometown starting today.”
At the word “today,” Kim Hak-soo’s eyes widened.
“Hey, what? Managing Director Park, are you crazy? You’re quitting today? Are you joking? What am I supposed to do if you quit so suddenly?”
“I am sorry.”
Finally, Kim Hak-soo’s eyes blazed with rage.
“Managing Director Park, you don’t seem to grasp the situation. Do you know how much loss the company will suffer if you quit like this? I’m going to sue you for those losses!”
The trademark of small and medium-sized enterprise presidents: threatening to sue employees who quit because they couldn't stand the company's treatment. But it was an impossible threat. There are three pieces of nonsense that SME presidents in the 2010s love to spout: “No employment in the same industry for several years after resignation,” “I drive a foreign car for the sake of the company,” and finally, “I will sue you for the company’s losses.” Of course, there were rare exceptions, but there was absolutely no legal ground for Kim Hak-soo to sue Managing Director Park for quitting.
“Ah, yes…. Is that your answer to someone who has worked for you for so long?”
Kim Hak-soo was momentarily speechless at the hostility in Park’s eyes.
“A lawsuit…. Yes. Go ahead and file it. *Sigh*… what on earth was I loyal to a person like you for….”
Managing Director Park let out a long, lamenting sigh and remembered Ma Seok-il’s words from yesterday.
If not for Ma Seok-il’s bold assurance, Managing Director Park would never have been able to stand so calmly before Kim Hak-soo. He would have been dragged around by Kim Hak-soo forever, terrified by the word “lawsuit.”
“Then, goodbye.”
Managing Director Park offered a final, formal bow, opened the door to the president’s office, and walked out.
“Hey! Managing Director Park! Managing Director Park! Hey, you bastard!”
Even at the very end, Kim Hak-soo didn't offer to raise his salary. But Managing Director Park was only the beginning.
About 30 minutes later. *Knock, knock.*
‘I knew it.’
Hearing the knock, Kim Hak-soo assumed Managing Director Park had returned.
“Who told you to come in! Get the hell out!”
Thinking he needed to seize the initiative firmly, Kim Hak-soo shouted at the door.
*Creak!*
“Tsk! Who said you could open the door?”
Kim Hak-soo glared at the door with wide eyes, but it wasn't Managing Director Park who had opened it.
“President, I came because I have something to tell you….”
It was Assistant Manager Cheon, who was quite capable among the younger staff. “I’m submitting my resignation….”
The hellish relay of resignations had begun.
***
What happens if a factory has no employees? In reality, it’s an absurd scenario. How could a factory have zero employees? Yet, it actually happened. If you counted Kim Hak-soo as an employee, it could technically be a one-man factory. But Seonggang Mulsan had suddenly become a one-man company. They couldn't fulfill even the existing orders.
If even one or two experienced workers had remained, he could have somehow scraped together some drifters to keep production going. But because not a single person remained—everyone had handed in their resignations—Seonggang Mulsan’s operations ground to a complete halt.
“Assistant Manager Cheon, I’m telling you I’ll double your salary! So come back, okay? What’s a double salary? If this deal goes through, I’ll add a generous holiday bonus too. How about that, sounds good, right?”
Kim Hak-soo, clutching the receiver in his office and speaking desperately, looked like he was about to cry. He had worked up the courage to offer double the salary, but not a single former employee wanted to return. Having realized exactly what kind of person Kim Hak-soo was, and with Ma Seok-il having already persuaded them, who would change their mind?
Thanks to this, Seonggang Mulsan became a one-man company in just three days, and a few more days passed until the day of the contract with YK.
“Huh? Is the factory on holiday?”
Thinking he had to secure the contract somehow, Kim Hak-soo tried to lie his way out of the situation.
“Yes? Ah, yes. I gave everyone the day off.”
“The factory is on holiday? Hmm, well, I need to see the factory running, so I’ll come back tomorrow to sign.”
“Yes? No, wait…. Hey! No…!”
Leaving the flustered Kim Hak-soo behind, Ma Seok-il returned to Seonggang Mulsan the next day.
“Is it a holiday again today?”
“No, that is….”
Several days passed like that.
“Wow, does this factory give five days of holidays? You guys are practically a developed nation.”
It was a biting, sarcastic remark from Ma Seok-il, but since Kim Hak-soo didn't know Ma Seok-il was involved in this, he had no choice but to hang his head.
“I am truly sorry. I’m currently hiring new staff, so if you could just wait a little longer….”
“Well. I’ll wait three more days.”
Three days passed, but since there was no way to hire staff, Seonggang Mulsan had to shut its doors. He couldn't cover the promissory notes coming due, and because he couldn't deliver goods on time, he wasn't receiving payments from clients—he was even being hit with penalty fees. In the end, all that was left for Kim Hak-soo was to declare bankruptcy and sell the factory site.
In a situation where the factory was waiting for bankruptcy with no employees, who would buy it at a fair price? With many people salivating over the site, he had to sell it to the person who offered the best price, even if it was like swallowing bitter medicine.
His company, which he had cherished so much. Kim Hak-soo became a man drowning in debt overnight. The same went for his family. Kim Hak-soo’s wife, who used to call the employees' wives to make *kimchi* and prepare holiday food as if she were the queen of the company, had to start working as a maid, and his children, who used to treat the employees with contempt and speak down to them, were forced to find jobs in factories.
The “Rose-colored Life” had turned into a “Debt-ridden Life.” A few days after selling the site, Kim Hak-soo found himself walking toward the Seonggang Mulsan factory he had sold, almost without realizing it.
“Haa….”
Kim Hak-soo sighed as he looked inside. But what caught his eye was the sight of Managing Director Park, who had submitted his resignation.
***
“That concludes the report on this matter.”
In the study, where only close aides could enter. Ma Seok-il, who had been able to enter thanks to his association with Ryu Geun-tae, was reporting to Yoon-gi.
“Manager Ma.”
“Yes, Chairman!”
“You perfectly understood and executed my intentions regarding this matter.”
“Thank you!”
At Yoon-gi’s high praise, Ma Seok-il’s mouth stretched into a wide grin. Yoon-gi was indeed satisfied. Why had he given the order to Ryu Geun-tae? It was a matter of manufacturing goods. It would have been faster and more stable to give the order to Kang Seok-ho, who actually managed new business. But Yoon-gi had given the order to Ryu Geun-tae, not Kang Seok-ho.
If he gave the order to Ryu Geun-tae, who would Ryu Geun-tae give the order to? It was obvious. Ma Seok-il. And how would Ma Seok-il handle the task? It was natural for the quick-witted Ma Seok-il to consider Yoon-gi’s style, which detested subcontracting. Yoon-gi had foreseen this far ahead and assigned the task to Ma Seok-il.
“As a reward for this work, I will grant you the rights to 20 percent of Wow Mulsan’s shares.”
By combining the “Wa” from YK and the “U” from Samwoo Mulsan, Seonggang Mulsan had become “Wow Mulsan.”
“Y-you’re giving me that much?”
“If you do the job properly, you deserve a generous reward. And I will give 10 percent of the rights to Secretary Ryu, your superior.”
“Thank you!”
Although Ma Seok-il received a higher stake, Ryu Geun-tae didn't feel greedy. In reality, it was Ma Seok-il who had carried out the work, not him. The remaining 70 percent of the shares became Yoon-gi’s personal stake. Of course, he didn't put them in his own name, but in Jung-ah’s. It was a matter Ma Seok-il had reported on before he even bought the factory site. If he bought the land in his own name, the real owner of YK, it might raise suspicions. But with Jung-ah’s name, it was a different story. People didn't know Jung-ah’s name well. Furthermore, even if something happened to him in the future, some of Jung-ah’s assets would remain, making it a deal with a two-for-one effect.
“By the way, I wonder if the president of Seonggang Mulsan came looking for you to cause a scene?”
Ma Seok-il couldn't hold back his laughter as he spoke to Yoon-gi, who was chewing on popcorn placed on the table.
“It was beyond words.”