I Am a Businessman (4)

‘If I don’t get the answer to this problem right, I’m in big trouble!’

Ryu Geun-tae was genuinely feeling this sentiment. With talented people gathering around Yoon-gi one by one, Ryu Geun-tae was constantly worried that he might lose his position as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠secretary if he wasn’t careful. Even Choi Chul-kyu alone was a capable man who could easily replace him. He had managed to stay by Yoon-gi’s side thanks to the advantage of being there first, but he didn’t know how long that would last. After all, the human world was fundamentally a competitive society.

‘I have to get this right, even if it kills me.’

Yoon-gi had posed the problem nonchalantly, but Ryu Geun-tae began checking the documents in detail with a life-or-death determination.

At first glance, it seemed like hiring any of them wouldn’t be a problem. “May I ask a question?”

Yoon-gi shook his head. “Everything you need is written in the documents. They should be written in much more detail than you’d expect, right?”

Just as Yoon-gi said, the documents contained quite detailed personal information. ‘Let’s see…’

First, Ryu Geun-tae organized his thoughts. ‘The white head of household has children, so he’ll likely work with a sense of responsibility. The unemployed black man must be desperate for a job. And the person with 20 years of experience will surely do a great job.’

The Latino candidate was immediately excluded. ‘And since the Chairman is putting so much effort into the department store construction, he’d want someone responsible, right? If so, a head of household is better than someone unemployed.’

When he thought this far, Ryu Geun-tae felt a sense of incongruity. ‘Yes, that’s right. This is only my judgment, not the Chairman’s.’

Ryu Geun-tae expanded his thinking as much as possible. He extended his thoughts not just to the problem of hiring, but to what would happen in the future by hiring them. ‘I would have been in big trouble if I had just blurted out my first answer.’

Ryu Geun-tae nodded slightly and looked up at Yoon-gi. “I have definitely decided on one person.”

“Who is it?”

“I will choose Pike.”

The 26-year-old unemployed black man. At Ryu Geun-tae’s answer, Yoon-gi asked for the second successful candidate. “Who will you choose for the second one?”

“Before that, I intend to definitely exclude one person.”

“Who is it?”

“The white head of household with two children… This person is definitely out for now.”

“I see. Then who is the successful candidate among the remaining two?”

“Before that, there is one thing you must answer for me.”

“Didn’t I say everything you need is written in the documents?”

“No, there is one fact not written there.”

“What is it?”

“How many years of experience does the designer from Gensler have?”

At Ryu Geun-tae’s question, Yoon-gi smiled broadly. “Seven years.”

“Then I have decided. I will choose Aaron, the Latino American.”

Yoon-gi clapped lightly and nodded. “Correct. What is the reason you chose those two?”

“Don’t you have one more problem in mind?”

Yoon-gi’s smile deepened. “Perfect.”

“If that problem is the one I’m thinking of, first of all, the head of household must be excluded. He would have to work in Korea, and if it’s someone who has to come all the way to Korea to work, there’s no need to match the salary to the US standard. They might be satisfied at first because they got a job, but later on, there’s a high possibility they will embezzle something under the excuse of ‘for the family.’ They might also become dissatisfied.”

“That’s right. But since we are hiring in the US, why did you think the salary would be matched to Korea?”

Ryu Geun-tae’s answer was without hesitation. “Because the scouted person would have been only one person. The rest are the type of people who are fine to have, but fine to lose… Since they are people who volunteered to work in Korea, I thought they were people who couldn’t find a proper job in the US at the moment.”

“Then is the reason you excluded the experienced person also because of the salary?”

“That’s not it. Even if the US is a country that doesn’t care about age, it’s hard not to care about experience when working. In that sense, if the main designer has 7 years of experience, the possibility of a clash of opinions with a designer with 20 years of experience would be high.”

Yoon-gi, with a very satisfied expression, sat on a chair placed next to the table. ‘Seeing him sit down, he’s definitely satisfied.’

As Ryu Geun-tae was letting out a sigh of relief, Yoon-gi told Ryu Geun-tae to sit down as well and posed the second problem. “The second problem isn’t very difficult. How much salary do you think it would be good to provide for the two?”

Ryu Geun-tae thought for a moment before opening his mouth. “I think it would be good to set it slightly lower than the per capita national income. They lack experience, and if we provide accommodation in Korea, we can lower the wages to some extent.”

“The main designer thinks the same. In fact, the main designer’s salary is the same as our country’s per capita national income.”

Ryu Geun-tae was surprised to hear Yoon-gi’s words. “Pardon? Was the market value of a promising designer only that much?”

“I can’t tell you, but there was another deal. According to that main designer, he didn’t really like being paid more than himself.”

“…As expected, people live the same way everywhere.”

“Well, the three people I hired this time will be used extremely long-term and worked to the bone unless there’s a special reason, so all three of their salaries will rise very quickly later on.”

Watching Ryu Geun-tae, who was clicking his tongue, Yoon-gi continued. “Anyway, the form of hiring right now is my future path. You know what that means, right?”

“I understand.”

“Good. Then shall we head back to Korea?”

“Is all the work finished?”

At Ryu Geun-tae’s words, Yoon-gi nodded. “I called you because I need Secretary Ryu by my side.”

Ryu Geun-tae, relieved that he had once again solidified his position as secretary, boarded the first-class seat with Yoon-gi.

* * *

“My goodness…”

Yoon-gi shook his head while looking at Ryu Geun-tae. It was an expression Yoon-gi had never shown before. The look Yoon-gi gave Ryu Geun-tae was so serious that it was almost mixed with disgust.

“I’m sorry…”

At the sight of Ryu Geun-tae, whose face was full of sorrow, Yoon-gi shook his head. “No, it’s not something to be sorry about. However, I really didn’t know you were living while enduring like this.”

What Yoon-gi was looking at was Ryu Geun-tae’s rooftop room. Yoon-gi shook his head repeatedly at the sight of the rooftop room, which made him doubt if a human could even live there.

“Surprisingly, it’s livable. There’s even a tent set up inside…”

“No… if you’re going to live with a tent in your house, you don’t need a house… No matter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what, living in a house like this really isn’t right. Are you going to invite guests to a place like this when you welcome them as my secretary later?”

Ryu Geun-tae realized what he had been missing. “I’m sorry. Regarding that point, I will invite them to a place like a hotel…”

“What if the hotel rooms are full? And there will be people who ask to go to your home instead of a hotel.”

“I’m sorry. It’s my negligence. I will find a proper house right away.”

Ryu Geun-tae found it a bit painful that money would be spent on finding a house, but he comforted himself by thinking of it as an investment for the future. However, an unexpected word came out of Yoon-gi’s mouth.

“No, Secretary Ryu doesn’t need to find a house.”

“Pardon?”

“I came out to look at staff accommodations for employees who need them anyway, so let’s find Secretary Ryu’s accommodation at the same time.”

“Ah, no. I have the salary I receive…”

“I’m not giving it to you, it’s a free lease. So you don’t need to feel burdened.”

“Even so…”

“It’s fine, Secretary Ryu deserves it.”

Yoon-gi began to go around real estate agencies with Ryu Geun-tae, and at the same time, they were enthusiastically welcomed by the real estate agents. It was only natural, as Ryu Geun-tae had been conducting a significant level of real estate transactions under Yoon-gi’s instructions, and through this, there was a perception among the agents that he was a ‘gold mine.’

“Oh my, was it President Ryu who lived there?”

At the words of a real estate agent in her 40s wearing dark pink lipstick, Ryu Geun-tae gave a bitter smile. “Since I have some greed for investment, it ended up like that.”

“Oh my, investment is good. Isn’t it the best to live while suffering for about 10 years and then hit the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠jackpot once?”

Listening to the real estate agent’s words, Yoon-gi shook his head inwardly. ‘Certainly, I had days when I thought like that too.’

Yoon-gi at 43 thought it was good to suffer when young and live in luxury when old. He felt that way seeing people in the area who became nouveau riche after holding onto their houses for decades without selling them, and he felt that way looking at the stocks of the nation’s top companies. However, hadn’t he already experienced it himself? He suffered until he was 43, only to find out his parents had been switched, and depending on the case, life could be completely turned upside down.

‘No one knows if suffering when young will return as a reward in old age.’

Of course, his life had changed now. But that was only because he had moved his time axis through suicide; if he had just lived settling for reality, there would have been no such thing as receiving a reward.

‘What is the meaning of living while tightening your belt until 40 and then dying in an unexpected accident at 41? Who compensates for that person’s life? If you can spend it, you must consume it within a reasonable line. Spending money when old and spending money when young are clearly different things.’

This thought was consistent with Yoon-gi’s management philosophy. If Yoon-gi had really made up his mind to only earn money ruthlessly, there would have been no reason to build a department store like this. He could have just invested all his money in companies he clearly remembered the names of, including Microsoft.

‘But people who earn money like that eventually look to the future again.’

There would be constant opportunities to hold out and hit the jackpot, but people who can’t cut that off eventually have their lives eaten away by numbers. They would only think about increasing their wealth from their teens to their 70s.

‘Well, does it matter to me what the real estate agent thinks?’

Thinking that he must ensure that his close associates like Ryu Geun-tae don’t have their lives eaten away by numbers, Yoon-gi contracted several houses. It was a bonus that Ryu Geun-tae was surprised inwardly during the process.

‘Now I finally know for sure what the Chairman’s philosophy is.’

Ryu Geun-tae, who realized that the house he would live in and the accommodations of others had a difference that could be called a class, felt grateful to Yoon-gi inwardly. Even the main designer’s house was at a lower level than his own. The general designer’s house was far short of that. Of course, it wasn’t a trashy house like his rooftop room, but Ryu Geun-tae, who realized that his master definitely treated his close associates preferentially, renewed his loyalty once again.

‘It’s to this extent even now, so if the Chairman becomes even richer later, he will bring benefits that transcend imagination.’

Thinking that he wouldn’t have to set up a tent at home starting tomorrow, Ryu Geun-tae smiled contentedly to himself.

* * *

Yoon-gi, who had enjoyed watching Choi Chul-min and Park Kyung-ja sweating on the construction site again today, had a private talk with Choi Chul-kyu.

“Yoon-gi, how much do you hate Chul-min?”

“Actually, it’s closer to saying that the first uncle needs to be stepped on rather than hated, and what I really hate is that woman, Park.”

Yoon-gi distanced himself from Park Kyung-ja by using the expression ‘that woman’ instead of aunt.

“Well, it’s true that your life could have been changed if things had gone wrong. If your parents had been switched with a poor family, your life would have been truly ruined.”

At Choi Chul-kyu’s words, which scratched exactly where it itched, Yoon-gi laughed and nodded.

“That’s why it’s even more unforgivable.”

“Are you planning to make them live like that for the rest of their lives?”

“Well… Grandfather hasn’t said anything yet, so I don’t have any particular thoughts. I’m thinking of watching them for about 10 years.”

“Well, after suffering a bit like that, Chul-min will also know what the value of labor is.”

Watching Choi Chul-kyu nod, Yoon-gi entered the main point of the story.

“Anyway, the reason I called you, Uncle, today is because we are going to enter the second phase of the department store plan.”

“Hmm…? Don’t tell me you’re going to build a second department store? The budget won’t allow it…”

Yoon-gi shook his head.

“No. That’s still impossible. The second phase is something else. Why do you think I bought the land around the department store so extensively?”