The Gold Spoon's Perspective
"Hey, don't call it exploitation. Isn't it just give and take?"
"You have to consider the scarcity. Out of billions of people on Earth, I'm the only one who can set up a memorial table for you, right?"
"So, it's an equal trade."
Choi Deok-bae licked his lips once with his tongue and stood up from the chair. When he stroked the back of the white ghost's head, the ghost instinctively flinched, but soon returned to its usual blank expression and didn't show any particular reaction.
"Do I have to be the one to ask?"
Yoon-gi looked at the white ghost and shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think we'll be able to communicate."
"Does that mean, perhaps..."
Choi Deok-bae gave a bright smile.
"Aigoo."
When Yoon-gi held his forehead, Choi Deok-bae looked sullen, as if asking why he was acting that way.
"Yeah, well... I get it. But, can't you control other ghosts besides that guy? It seems like it would be easier if you controlled more ghosts."
"It's not that it's hard, it's just that you can't?"
Choi Deok-bae nodded.
"So, in the end, I'm aware of that guy, but I need Grandfather's help to control him. And if I want to control other ghosts, I need to be aware of them first. Is that it?"
"Then, haven't there been ghosts like you around me all this time?"
Choi Deok-bae nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"What about ghosts like that guy?"
"I see."
"Yes, to some extent."
Yoon-gi grinned as he looked at the relaxed Choi Deok-bae.
"If I only need to employ one person, why would I bother increasing the amount of memorial food?"
Hearing Yoon-gi's requirements, Choi Deok-bae sighed and began to be exploited for his labor.
The white ghost glided into the house of one of the four candidates selected by Fernandez. With a towering height of 190cm and massive feet that must have been 320mm long, combined with a face as long and thin as a carrot, he was the kind of figure that would easily manifest as a nightmare if seen in a dream. His name was Johnson. According to the memories Choi Deok-bae learned while subduing him, he was a subordinate of Stevens, an American who tried to sell Joseon to Japan at the end of the 19th century. That must be why he was beaten so thoroughly by Choi Deok-bae.
"If I get hired this time, I think I'll have to work in a country called Korea. Will you all be okay while I'm gone?"
In Johnson's eyes, he saw a family of four eating dinner. This family, a typical white household in the 80s, was eating a rather meager dinner because the head of the household had been unemployed for over six months. The main dishes were meatloaf made by mixing flour with meat, and chicken. Of course, if ordinary people had seen this table, they would have thought, 'It's fine,' but in America, this was a table that could justify the word 'poverty.' After all, even during World War II, the common people of the 'Heavenly Kingdom' (the US) enjoyed beef.
"Don't worry about the house, just go and work hard. We're starting to fall behind on taxes, so we really need the money. Is there any chance you could get an advance on your salary?"
"Well... I haven't even been accepted yet..."
"But since Leanna introduced you, isn't it obvious you'll be accepted?"
The head of the household shook his head.
"That's not it. Leanna said she would only pick about two people. She was asked to recommend six people in the first place, so there's nothing she can do."
"Try asking Leanna to put in a good word for you separately."
"Leanna is in a situation where she's desperate for things herself, so that's difficult. So what can we do? We have no choice but to wait."
While the frustrated husband and wife were puffing cigarette smoke around the table, Johnson glided his body and headed to the house of a new candidate.
"Just when are you going to get a job and move out of this house!"
At the words of a middle-aged black woman who had become somewhat stout from eating only cheap, high-volume food, a black man in his mid-20s shouted with veins popping in his neck.
"Am I just playing around? I'm trying hard to get a job too!"
"Ha! Is trying hard just sitting at home stuffing your face with the chicken I make? Between your college tuition and living expenses, how long do I have to keep eating chicken because of you?"
"Even if you say that, I really have a chance this time! I went for an interview last time!"
At her son's words, the middle-aged woman sneered again.
"Ha! I've heard that over 20 times now. Are you really even going to the interviews? No more talk. If you don't get a job by next month, just go down south and farm corn!"
"Mom! Are you crazy? Do you think I went to college to farm?"
"Do you think I worked as a maid in other people's houses until my fingernails fell off just to make you farm?"
The two were fighting with veins popping, but surprisingly, the meal continued, and there was no physical violence. It was quite an interesting scene to watch from the side. However, Johnson just watched with a blank expression again before disappearing, as if he had never been there in the first place.
"Is the construction going well?"
At Yoon-gi's question, Ryu Geun-tae nodded.
"Yes. It is going very well. Since the Chairman and the President of the Heavy Industries have more personal assets than expected, there will be no setbacks in the current construction schedule. In fact, it might even be accelerated."
Yoon-gi nodded at the reassuring report and gave a sly smile.
"You seem pleased with the progress."
"That, too, but I just found myself laughing a little."
"Why?"
Yoon-gi opened his mouth toward the curious Ryu Geun-tae.
"If it weren't for my grandfather and father, the construction would have taken about seven years to finish. I started the construction with only about 10 percent of the money needed for the department store."
At Yoon-gi's words, Ryu Geun-tae nodded with a chuckle.
"That is true. Actually, you were so firm about it back then that I didn't say anything, but looking at how well the construction is proceeding, it seems you had this kind of solution in mind."
"That's not wrong. Of course, I thought it wouldn't matter even if the construction took over seven years. Starting a full-scale business after becoming an adult is by no means slow compared to others. I was just short on money now, but I wouldn't be short on it in a few years, right?"
"That is correct."
"The only reason I'm laughing is because I realize how important it is to have good parents. If I weren't my grandfather's grandson or my father's son, would I have dared to even think about building a department store? Even if I received money related to Jeil Spinning as pocket money, I would have gone bankrupt while building the department store."
Ryu Geun-tae, not knowing how to react, decided to just listen quietly.
"In that sense, Gold Spoons are truly blessed lives because they can learn from failure."
"Gold Spoons...?"
"Ah, I guess you don't know the term Gold Spoon?"
The term Gold Spoon was actually used in Korea since the 1960s. However, Yoon-gi thought Ryu Geun-tae didn't know it because he was using modern Korean terminology, and Ryu Geun-tae really didn't know the term, leading to this reaction.
"I apologize. I will study popular terminology more."
"No, it's fine. You might not know it. A Gold Spoon just means a child who eats with a gold spoon when they start eating baby food. It means they were born into a wealthy family."
"Ah!"
Ryu Geun-tae let out an exclamation as if he understood perfectly.
"Even if a Gold Spoon fails, their family solves everything. I suppose even if I had failed, I could have at least been an executive at Samwoo Group."
Ryu Geun-tae returned to listening mode.
"But if a Dirt Spoon tries a business like this and fails, their life is just over. Or rather, they wouldn't even be able to start such a business in the first place. In that sense, I am truly a blessed life."
Watching Ryu Geun-tae listening quietly, Yoon-gi recalled the things he heard when he was young during his 43-year-old laborer days.
[Hey, my house is poor like yours too. We have tens of billions in debt, you know?]
[Honestly, what's the difference between you and me? I eat tteokbokki, sundae, and ramen too.]
[Hey, you have an annual salary of 30 million, why can't you save even 20 million a year? Just use your parents' card for money and save all your salary.]
[Ha, my house has one place in Cheongdam-dong, but they won't give me a national scholarship because of that. Is this even a country?]
'Ah, damn it.'
No matter how much of a Gold Spoon he was now, recalling the things he heard back then made Yoon-gi feel nauseous at the behavior of Gold Spoons who deceived the common people.
'At the very least, I shouldn't be deceptive like those bastards.'
Having lived at the very bottom of life, he knew better than anyone that being poor didn't mean being good. However, resolving at least not to live while deceiving those poor people, Yoon-gi placed four documents on the hotel room table.
"You were wondering why I called you here, right?"
"Actually, yes. I came because you told me to, but I was very curious about what it was about."
"Check the documents."
At Yoon-gi's words, Ryu Geun-tae took out the four documents and read them lightly, and soon asked, "Are you planning to hire an interior designer?"
"That's right. I've already secured one architectural designer from a very promising construction company called Gensler. However, because hiring only one person reduces flexibility in work, I'm going to hire two new personnel to assist. In that sense, I wanted to see if you understand me well, Secretary Ryu."
Yoon-gi heard the sound of Ryu Geun-tae swallowing hard.
"Ah, there's no need to be too nervous. It's just that it would be good to know about me in advance to work more efficiently in the future."
"I understand. Then what should I do?"
"It's very simple. If I were to pick two out of these four, who would I pick? Put yourself in my shoes and pick two."
It was truly a top-difficulty problem dropped on Ryu Geun-tae.