Stress Relief as a Management Strategy (1)
"Cheol-gyu, please, just let me stay for one day. Please?" Choi Cheol-min pleaded desperately with his younger brother. However, Choi Cheol-gyu had absolutely no intention of granting his brother's request. There was no benefit to be gained from helping a brother who had already firmly planted himself on Yoon-gi’s bad side.
"Brother, I’m truly sorry, but you saw how Father reacted. If I help you, I don’t know what kind of trouble I’ll face, so I can’t do it. I’m sorry..." Faced with Choi Cheol-gyu’s look of profound regret, Choi Cheol-min begged once more.
"Please... I can't sleep outside in this sweltering heat..."
"I’m sorry... I’m really scared of Father... I’m so sorry..."
Choi Cheol-gyu closed the gate and locked it tight. Choi Cheol-min stared at the shut door, his eyes welling up with tears. 'Even Cheol-gyu won't help me...' Because Choi Cheol-gyu had handled the situation so well, Choi Cheol-min felt resentful, but he didn't feel outright rage. Of course, he would be grabbing his own throat in frustration later when he found out that Cheol-gyu was Yoon-gi’s closest confidant.
"Honey, if this keeps up, we’re really going to be sleeping on the streets." It was Park Gyeong-ja’s job to carry their son, Choi Jeong-gi, who was already fast asleep, and her voice was also drenched in exhaustion.
"Shut up! Do you think I’m having an easy time?"
"Don't yell. What are you going to do if the kid wakes up again..."
"Ugh!" Choi Cheol-min groaned and clamped his mouth shut, knowing that the moment his son Jeong-gi woke up, another annoying chore would be added to his plate.
"Let's just keep walking for now."
In the end, Choi Cheol-min had managed to get the amount in the bank account from his second younger sister in exchange for the bankbook itself. It was barely enough to cover two weeks' worth of wages. In a situation where they had to scrape by with that money, a high-end lodging was out of the question, and for the first time in their lives, they had to stay in a cheap, run-down inn.
"No... what is this... it’s not even an army barracks..." Having lived a life where he never knew hardship—aside from his time in the military—Choi Cheol-min fell into despair as he looked at the room, and the same went for Park Gyeong-ja.
"Ah... I can't believe I'm back in a place like this..." Since Park Gyeong-ja had been a failed singer, she was well-acquainted with living in such places. But that was only before she was married; after marriage, she had lived in relative luxury thanks to her husband's family. Naturally, the palm-sized room reeking of musty mold was nothing short of a shock. But there was a bigger problem.
"What is this! I don't want to sleep in a place like this!" As soon as their son Jeong-gi woke up, he started throwing a tantrum, pounding on his mother’s back, forcing Park Gyeong-ja to put the sleeping boy down.
"Haa..." It was a situation that only invited sighs. But Choi Cheol-min chose a faster method than sighing.
SLAP!
"Waaaaaah!" Choi Cheol-min’s expression as he looked at his son, who was crying while clutching his cheek, could only be described as 'trembling' with irritation.
"H-Honey!" A startled Park Gyeong-ja looked at her husband while checking their son's cheek, but Choi Cheol-min showed no sign of regret.
"How long are you going to keep indulging his tantrums in this situation! We have to do this at least!"
"We’re having a hard enough time as it is, how hard must it be for the child to process this? How can you even call yourself a father..."
"Isn't it all because you didn't educate the kid properly!"
"What did you say?" Park Gyeong-ja wasn't exactly a model of virtue herself, but Choi Cheol-min simply lacked any affection for his child. Eventually, the two stood up and began screaming at each other, but they were forced to shut their mouths when a sound came from outside, accompanied by a kick to their door.
It was the voice of a thug, plain and simple. Choi Cheol-min and Park Gyeong-ja covered their mouths with their hands, neither knowing who would act first, and fell asleep while suppressing their anger. The wretched room, where all sorts of noises could be heard from the ceiling and walls, gave them the worst memory of their lives. Though, that was only 'as far as their memories went so far.'
* * *
"Excuse me, Manager... please, could you lend me just 200,000 won..." Choi Cheol-min spoke to the manager in a polite tone for the first time since he was hired at Samwoo Trading. Of course, he was no longer an employee of Samwoo Trading, having been fired.
"Well, that is... orders came down from above..." The manager’s flustered voice echoed through the office, and the other employees watched the situation unfold with nervous hearts.
[The Chairman has said that if anyone is caught associating with the former Assistant Manager Choi, they will be in big trouble.]
Although they had already received the message from the secretaries, the person in question was the Chairman’s second son. The manager was in a position where he had no exit, fearing that if he treated him coldly now, he might face dire consequences if Choi Cheol-min ever returned to the company.
"So, you can just lend it to me secretly. I won't say anything, so who would tell?"
The manager wanted to shout, 'Look at how many people are in this office right now!', but he couldn't bring himself to say it and changed the subject instead.
"200,000 won isn't a small amount, I think it might be difficult..."
As of 1980, the monthly salary for a new employee at a large corporation or public enterprise was roughly 300,000 to 400,000 won. For the manager, 200,000 won was not an amount he could just lend out carelessly.
"Don't you trust me? I’m really begging you. I don't even have a place to stay right now."
He wanted to scream "I don't trust you!" at the top of his lungs, but the manager had no choice but to deflect again.
'Ah, please, just get lost...'
Thirty minutes later, the office door suddenly swung open, and Choi Ki-hyun appeared.
"What the hell are you doing right now!"
"Ah, Father." Seeing his second son looking at him with wide, rabbit-like eyes, Choi Ki-hyun roared again.
"Did I tell you not to associate with him, or did I not! Manager Lee! Did you not deliver my words to the offices?"
Chief Secretary Lee Seong-won, who was standing next to him, bowed his head and waist toward Choi Ki-hyun.
"I apologize, Chairman. I will educate them again."
"Drag him out immediately! If I see anyone associating with that brat one more time, I’ll dismantle this office! And you! Manager, you bastard. You’re fired!"
The secretaries dragged Choi Cheol-min out of the office, and the manager narrowly avoided being slapped by Choi Ki-hyun.
"Since you were in the same department, I’ll let it slide this time, but if it happens again, I’ll really slap you across the face!"
Watching Choi Ki-hyun leave in a state of high agitation, the manager sat down, trembling in fear, and the office staff let out sighs of relief before finally getting back to work. But about 40 minutes later.
"Um... Manager..." Looking at Choi Cheol-min, who had somehow crawled back into the office, the manager shouted.
"Ah, get lost! You oblivious bastard!"
* * *
"Oh, so he managed to get a job?" Yoon-gi, who had been studying, turned his head at Choi Deok-bae’s words with a very intrigued expression. Yoon-gi shook his head.
"Hey, even if I hear nagging, the fact that he's earning money is not something I can just leave alone. He needs to suffer more. What was the name and location of the rice shop?"
Choi Deok-bae decided he shouldn't provoke Yoon-gi too much. Judging by Yoon-gi’s current demeanor, if things went south, he felt like he’d be forced to eat hundreds of jujubes a day.
"Let's see, I need to make a call."
Yoon-gi went out to the living room and dialed the phone.
[Hello?]
"Uncle, it’s Yoon-gi."
[Oh, Yoon-gi. What’s up?]
"Did you hear? The eldest uncle got a job."
[What? Where?]
"A rice shop."
[A rice shop? Wow, that’s going to be really tough.]
Listening to the voice on the other end of the line, Yoon-gi wore a deep smile on his lips.
"I don't think it's quite time for the eldest uncle to be getting a job yet."
[Ah, I see what you mean. Can you tell me where he got the job?]"
Yoon-gi gave the name 'Mandeok Rice Shop' along with the location, and Choi Cheol-gyu said he would handle it for sure before hanging up.
'Did you hear that?' Choi Deok-bae looked puzzled at Yoon-gi, who was speaking to him in his mind since they were in the living room.
'Go and see how the situation turns out.'
Yoon-gi fiddled with his pocket as Choi Deok-bae groaned. 'What? You don't like this?' Choi Deok-bae gulped as Yoon-gi pulled out a glossy, purple plum from his pocket.
'Guess he doesn't like it.'
Seeing Yoon-gi bring the plum to his own mouth, Choi Deok-bae went into a frenzy. Yoon-gi chuckled, went into his room, placed the plum on his desk, and offered a bow. Yoon-gi whispered into the ear of Choi Deok-bae, who was intoxicated by the taste of the plum.
"Next time, I'll chill it in the refrigerator..."
Before the words were even finished, Choi Deok-bae packed up the souls of the remaining plums and left the house.
'It really is cost-effective.'
Watching the plums that would be edible for the living in a little while, Yoon-gi also swallowed his saliva.
* * *
"Hey, if you're that weak, do you think you can even work at a rice shop?"
During the Japanese colonial period, if Joseon people wanted to work at the port, they had to be able to carry two bags of rice—about 160kg—on an A-frame carrier with ease. Otherwise, they wouldn't even be hired. In the present year of 1980, while it’s true that people’s overall physical strength has weakened because there is less manual labor than before, one still had to be able to carry about 40kg at a rice shop without issue. Of course, Choi Cheol-min could carry it. The problem was that he was trembling like a leaf. For this reason, Choi Cheol-min was cursed at dozens of times a day, but he was holding on by force because he couldn't quit the job he had barely managed to find after only two days.
'Damn it, a guy who couldn't even meet my eyes a week ago...'
As Choi Cheol-min cursed inwardly while moving the rice, he heard the shop owner talking to someone.
"Mr. Kim, is business good these days?"
Choi Cheol-min turned his head without realizing it, and his eyes met a police officer in uniform. "Oh, it's not easy, maybe because people aren't buying rice as much these days. By the way, Officer Lee, you look a bit thin, aren't you eating well? You should eat well when it's this hot." The shop owner scooped a generous amount of rice into a small sack and handed it to Officer Lee.
"I come here for this taste. If any thugs bother you, let me know. I’ll crush them to pieces."
"Thank you. Thanks to you, Officer Lee, other ruffians don't come near my shop at all."
"Of course they shouldn't. By the way, is that guy an employee?"
At Officer Lee’s words, the shop owner nodded with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Yes? Ah, yes."
"Mr. Kim, are you a bit hard of hearing? That guy was taken in by the military regarding the 'Red' issue last time. If it were me, I’d be too scared to hire him."
"Yes? Re, re, re, Red?"
"That’s right. Anyway, be careful. I think I shouldn't come here for a while either."
Officer Lee waved his hand and left, and at the same time, the shop owner glared at Choi Cheol-min.
"How dare a Red bastard like you work here!"
As the shop owner kicked him, Choi Cheol-min, who was trying to move a sack, fell face-first into a large basin full of rice.
"Whoops!"
"Get lost! Get out of my shop!"
The owner, who had grabbed Choi Cheol-min by the scruff of his neck and thrown him out of the shop, even picked up a club. "Boss! Th-the wages for yesterday's work..."
"Wages, my foot! It’s enough that I fed you and gave you a place to sleep. Are you not leaving yet?!"
Faced with the shop owner swinging the club, Choi Cheol-min had no choice but to flee in tears. And two weeks passed. Choi Cheol-min tried to get a job somehow, but no matter where he went, police officers would soon appear and label him a Red, so he was kicked out almost immediately. Thanks to that, his two weeks' worth of cash ran out quickly, and he was on the verge of being kicked out of the inn as well.
"Cheol-gyu, please, just help me once. Please? I’m really trying to survive somehow, but if this keeps up, I’m going to die. What am I supposed to do about my family..."
Choi Cheol-min, with tears in his eyes, had developed a little affection for his family since they were the only ones sticking by his side. Of course, whether or not such affection grew made absolutely no difference to Choi Cheol-gyu.
'Should be fine now, right?'
Choi Cheol-gyu didn't particularly pity Choi Cheol-min, but he nodded with a slight smile as he recalled Yoon-gi’s instructions.
"It might be a bit tough for you, Brother, but I think I can introduce your wife to a job."
"What? Really?" Since his wife, Park Gyeong-ja, was in the exact same situation as him, Choi Cheol-min’s face brightened.
"Yes. How about working at the cafeteria at that construction site? I’ve been helping them out 'from the very beginning'."
Choi Cheol-gyu said something that would make him an enemy of others for the first time, all on Yoon-gi’s orders.