Two Choices! (2)
"Why are you so surprised?" Manager Park, Jung Jae-woon's superior, asked with a puzzled expression.
"No, I mean... the Soviet Union, all of a sudden?" Jung Jae-woon countered, his voice starting high but trailing off into a mumble by the end.
However, Manager Park had no intention of listening to his excuses. After all, he was merely the messenger relaying orders from the higher-ups. "What do you mean, 'all of a sudden'? Isn't it something everyone expected—that YK could establish a company in the Soviet Union?"
Of course, Manager Park hadn't expected it either. But what could he do when the higher-ups ordered him to say exactly that? Even Manager Park had been told this by his own superiors:
[Think it's too much to send him to the Soviet Union? Oh, then I guess Manager Park should go instead. Right?]
Surprisingly, this was a very common type of corporate culture. Manager Park had no intention of defending Jung Jae-woon at the cost of his own safety, so, in the end, it was decided that Jung Jae-woon would be the one going to the Soviet Union.
Of course, Manager Park didn't browbeat him. If he pushed too hard and Jung Jae-woon handed in his resignation on the spot, the person who would have to go to the Soviet Union might end up being himself. So, following his previous statement, Manager Park quickly added, "Manager Jung, you recently had a baby, right?"
Jung Jae-woon reacted immediately. "Yes, so..."
Just as he was about to say, 'So, it's a bit difficult for me to go to the Soviet Union,' Manager Park cut him off with impeccable timing.
"Exactly, so you'll need a lot of money, won't you? Do you think the company won't recognize your efforts if you go to the Soviet Union? If you want to put beef in your wife's seaweed soup and buy American formula for your baby, it's going to cost a lot. Are you really going to give up this golden opportunity just because you're a little tired?"
Jung Jae-woon thought of his child, born just a month ago. A child he cherished more than his own life. For the sake of that child, he had been fully prepared to show loyalty to the company and drag Kim Moo-jin into the abyss. But now, it was his turn to fall into the abyss.
"Um... if I go to the Soviet Union, what about the compensation..."
"Don't worry. I'll take responsibility and talk to the higher-ups to get you a good deal."
"But, specifically..."
At Jung Jae-woon's persistent prodding, Manager Park let out a sharp "Tsk" and furrowed his brows. "Manager Jung, don't you trust me? I'm the one who pulled you up from the bottom. How can I tell you the conditions right now? Nothing is set in stone yet. But I'm telling you, just as I've taken care of you until now, I will ensure you get a solid deal. Manager Jung, don't you trust me?"
"Ah, no. I will trust only you, Manager."
Manager Park's "sandwich" method of persuasion. Jung Jae-woon had no choice but to wave the white flag. In any case, if he refused to go to the Soviet Union, he would be fired that very day. With his bank account not exactly overflowing, losing his job would make daily life difficult immediately. Furthermore, there was a high chance he wouldn't even receive his proper severance pay, so playing hardball was not an option for him. Thus, Jung Jae-woon had no choice but to swallow his pride and accept Manager Park's proposal.
'Phew... thank goodness.' Manager Park let out a sigh of relief, thinking how fortunate it was that Jung Jae-woon remained a pushover. 'Manager Jung, don't blame me too much. This is just how corporate life works.'
Most likely, Jung Jae-woon would be used for three to five years, and the moment his cover was blown, he would be discarded by the company. After all, the company wouldn't keep someone in their mid-to-late thirties who had no real practical experience.
"Honey, I'm home." Manager Jung opened the front door with a somewhat listless voice.
"You're home? You're early today." His wife's voice was equally drained. It was only natural, given she had given birth just a month ago.
"Yeah, they told me to leave early today."
"Well, the baby was fussing all day saying she missed her daddy, so she'll be happy."
Seeing his wife say something to cheer him up even while she was exhausted, Jung Jae-woon felt his heart sink.
"Oh, my little princess. Did you eat lots of milk today?" Jung Jae-woon forced a bright smile as he looked at his daughter, who was only a month old. She was sleeping soundly, looking like an angel. But the fact that he wouldn't be able to see this sight for much longer was heartbreaking.
"Honey, is something wrong? Your expression doesn't look very good..."
Jung Jae-woon was startled. "Huh? Oh, no. What could possibly be wrong?"
It was Jung Jae-woon's mother who naturally interrupted their conversation. "Oh, you're home already?"
"Yes? Oh, Mother. When did you get here?"
"My daughter-in-law just gave birth, so of course I have to come by often. Did you have lunch?"
"Yes? Oh, no. Not yet..."
"Then sit down. Eat with your wife."
Before he knew it, a third rice bowl had been placed on the table. Beef seaweed soup with steam rising from it. Steamed abalone, served whole. Pumpkin porridge that looked sweet just by looking at it. And even yam juice. It was a table filled with food good for a pregnant woman; the seasoning was mild, but one could feel the mother-in-law's sincerity.
"Mother, it must have been hard to prepare all this..."
"What's hard about it? When I was young, my mother-in-law never did anything like this for me, so I promised myself I would do it for my daughter-in-law when I got one. If anything, you're the one granting my wish."
"Mother..." Jung Jae-woon's wife teared up.
"What's with the tears... Come on, eat up. Eat." With a hearty laugh, the mother-in-law handed a spoon to her daughter-in-law and placed a piece of steamed abalone on top of her rice.
"You, don't be sad. Once you've given birth, you're a queen. A queen."
At his mother's words, Jung Jae-woon looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you a grandson..."
"Oh, honestly, how many times are you going to say that? My mother was kicked out of her home because she couldn't give birth to a son, and I grew up watching that happen right next to me. Do you think I'd give my daughter-in-law a hard time for not having a son? Life and death are in the hands of heaven anyway, so don't feel guilty. What's wrong with a daughter? She's so precious."
Wasn't she arguably a top-class mother-in-law by 80s standards? But because of this warm atmosphere, Jung Jae-woon found it even harder to muster the courage to speak. He felt that the moment he opened his mouth, this harmony would shatter.
'I can't just resign from the company...' It was obvious, but Jung Jae-woon wasn't confident he could find another job that offered the same treatment if he quit. After all, Jung Jae-woon was the one tasked with the company's dirty work. Because of that, he was paid a higher salary than other laborers. If he went to a similar industry, he would face the same risks, and if he didn't, his salary would inevitably plummet. For Jung Jae-woon, who firmly believed that his current happiness came from money, changing jobs was out of the question.
"By the way, why is your expression so gloomy? Is something the matter?"
"Mother thinks so too, right? It seems like something is bothering you..."
As the two women began to press him, Jung Jae-woon gradually found himself in a difficult spot.
"No, it's nothing."
"If it's nothing, why do you look so gaunt? It's certain that something is wrong."
"Honey, tell us. Why do you think people say family is the best?"
"No, I told you, it's nothing..."
In the end, his wife even got a little angry. "Honey, are you going to keep hiding it? We promised when we got married that we wouldn't have any secrets between us."
When his wife even brought up their old promise, Jung Jae-woon had no choice but to wave the white flag after a bit more back-and-forth.
"Haa... I was going to tell you later..."
"What on earth is going on?"
Jung Jae-woon tapped his index finger on the table for a long time before finally opening his mouth. "For a while... I think I have to go to the Soviet Union."
"Yes? The Soviet Union? Yes? Huh? The Soviet Union? Wait, did you just say the Soviet Union?" His wife was so flustered that her words were almost incoherent.
"The Soviet Union? Oh my goodness! The Soviet Union? Are you saying you're going to the land of the Reds?" His mother's words were much more direct than his wife's. Jung Jae-woon squeezed his eyes shut. However, he quickly regained his composure and forced a smile.
"Oh, 'Reds'? Who calls the Soviet Union 'Reds' these days? Look at how much YK is investing in the Soviet Union right now. If it were truly a land of Reds, they wouldn't be able to invest like that."
"Even so, wasn't it the Soviet Union that helped North Korea during the Korean War? Why are you going to the land of those Reds? What if you go there and get tortured?"
His mother's words hit the nail on the head. What if he was caught by the Soviet government while digging into YK's secrets? The fear that he might actually be tortured was already deeply rooted in Jung Jae-woon's mind. However, he couldn't admit that to his family.
"Oh, it's a business trip, why would something like that happen? There's no such thing. It's 100 percent safe."
Perhaps because Jung Jae-woon lied so convincingly, his mother was somewhat persuaded. But his wife remained.
"Then, how long will you be gone? Two weeks? A month?" It was a question filled with wishful thinking. But Jung Jae-woon couldn't give her the answer she wanted.
"Well... I think it will take two to three years..."
"No, what did you say?!"
"Son, what is this? Leaving a baby like this and being away from home for three years?" Both his wife and mother were in an uproar.
"Wait a minute. You're not going to be in the Soviet Union for the whole three years, right? You'll be coming back to Korea often, right?" It was his wife's final hope, but this, too, was a wish he couldn't grant. Since his position required him to communicate with industrial spies, he couldn't just leave his post.
"No, I'm afraid that's going to be difficult..."
"No, honey... what kind of company is that? How can they send someone to the Soviet Union for three years? Just resign. Okay? I'll live frugally, so just stay here in Korea with us."
"Son, do as she says. How can you leave your wife and baby and go abroad for three years? Even if you have to do manual labor, just live here in Korea. Okay?"
However, Jung Jae-woon couldn't accept his mother's and wife's words. After nearly an hour of pleading and refusal, Jung Jae-woon finally stood up, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Ah, seriously! How are we supposed to live and raise a family like this while doing manual labor! My head is hurting too, so please stop!"
"Waaaaaah!" The baby woke up at Jung Jae-woon's shout, and the house turned into absolute chaos. And in the end, Jung Jae-woon boarded the plane to the Soviet Union.
Jung Jae-woon settled in the Soviet Union under the pretext of importing Soviet seafood. He had arrived in the Soviet Union after leaving behind his wife, who was sobbing and begging him not to go even at the airport. It had already been a month since then. He had been periodically contacting Kim Moo-jin to gather information, but he hadn't received much of significance. Perhaps the only unique point was that they were conducting research in Korean?
'Haa, it's boring.' Truly, it was so boring. And he missed his family in Korea so much. His unweaned baby kept appearing before his eyes, he missed his wife who had always taken care of him, and he missed his mother's warmth. But he couldn't go back. He was in a situation where he might catch homesickness if he slipped up even a little. Just as Jung Jae-woon was sighing, his phone suddenly rang.
[Jae-woon!] It was his mother's voice. He had given his family his phone number because he had come for a seafood-related business on the surface. Of course, he had never called them because international call rates were too expensive.
"Oh, Mother? What's going on?"
[Da-eun is sick! And very sick at that! What do I do!]
After hanging up the phone with his mother, Jung Jae-woon felt like his sanity was flying away. However, he barely managed to hold onto his reason, picked up the phone, and immediately called Manager Park.
[Hello?]
"Manager!"
[Oh, Manager Jung. What's the matter? Didn't we agree not to call except at designated times?]
There was no friendliness in Manager Park's voice. However, Jung Jae-woon was in no position to notice that. He had an urgent matter to attend to.
"Manager! My child is very sick! I think I need to return to Korea immediately!"
However, the answer he received was all too expected.
[Manager Jung, have you lost your mind?]