How a Salaryman Became an Underworld Boss

“Sola, are you upset?”

Chairman Yoon Jongu looked at Yun Sola, who was sitting there with a pout on her face, with gentle concern in his voice.

“Not at all.”

“You liked Cha Jiham that much?”

“Well... he’s the best man I’ve ever met.”

“Hahaha! It seems our Sola has fallen head over heels if she’s seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.”

At that moment, Chief Secretary Song Dosok stepped into the conversation, feeling it necessary to voice his opinion.

“Chairman, Sola’s affection for Cha Jiham is most likely temporary.”

“And why do you think that? Explain.”

“The effect of the herbal calming medicine that Cha Jiham took will gradually wear off over time.”

“Hmm... That’s entirely possible.”

As Chairman Yoon Jongu nodded thoughtfully, Yun Sola curiously joined the conversation.

“Secretary Song, could you tell me what you were discussing with Grandfather?”

“They say that after Cha Jiham took the calming medicine, women started strangely gathering around him.”

“You mean... there’s some kind of ingredient in it that attracts women?”

“Otherwise, this anomaly surrounding Cha Jiham simply can’t be explained.”

“It really is an unbelievable phenomenon.”

“You know yourself that every medicine gradually loses its effect after being taken. It’s obvious that the effects of the calming medicine Cha Jiham drank will soon disappear completely.”

However, Yun Sola fundamentally disagreed with Chief Secretary Song Dosok’s reasoning.

“Ten days ago, I smelled that medicine on Cha Jiham. But right now, not only is my mind much clearer than it was back then, my confidence has also noticeably increased.”

“Hmm...”

Chief Secretary Song Dosok trailed off as though lost in thought. Fortunately, he didn’t think for long.

“What if the effect of the herbal calming medicine hasn’t even reached its peak yet?”

“That’s possible. If there are any changes in my body, I’ll definitely tell you.”

“Yes, do that.”

At that moment, Chief Secretary Song Dosok noticed a clear expression of deep regret on Chairman Yoon Jongu’s face.

“Chairman, what’s wrong?”

“If Sola feels this effect simply from smelling it, then what must it be like for Cha Jiham, who actually took it?”

“You’re right... now that I think about it.”

“No matter what it takes, I must obtain that herbal calming medicine.”

Bzzzt!

Just as Chairman Yoon Jongu was reaffirming his determination, Chief Secretary Song Dosok’s phone rang. After checking the caller and exchanging a few brief words, he covered the receiver with his hand and addressed Chairman Yoon Jongu.

“Chairman, it’s Chairman Park.”

“Oh? Hand me the phone.”

Taking the phone from Chief Secretary Song Dosok, Chairman Yoon Jongu began speaking with Chairman Park Yeongil.

“Chairman Park, what’s happened so early in the morning?”

[Why are you so irresponsible?]

“What’s with those words first thing in the morning?”

[Think carefully about what you promised Jiham last night.]

Chairman Yoon Jongu inwardly gasped. He had promised to pay one hundred thousand won for taking away Cha Jiham’s personal time. Yet he had completely forgotten and gone home without a care.

“Ah! It completely slipped my mind.”

[One hundred thousand won may be pocket change to you, but it’s a considerable amount of money to Jiham. I hope you remember that.]

“I’ll keep your words in mind. By the way, do you know why Cha Jiham clings so tightly to money?”

[Jiham is the sole breadwinner supporting his entire family.]

“So that’s it. Those are the circumstances.”

[A promise is a promise, so deliver those one hundred thousand won to him as soon as possible.]

“I’ll do that. Now then, another matter. When will you be able to get that herbal calming medicine for me?”

[Looking for water in a well that hasn’t even been dug... Proverbs about haste must have been made for people like you.]

“Just think of me as being very impatient and understand.”

[Fine, fine, I understand. I don’t want to hear anything more. I’m hanging up.]

Click.

After hanging up, Chairman Yoon Jongu returned the phone to Chief Secretary Song Dosok and said worriedly,

“We need to give Cha Jiham the hundred thousand won. What’s the best way to do it?”

“I’ll make time and personally go to see him.”

At that moment, Yun Sola curiously joined the conversation.

“Grandfather, what’s going on? Tell me.”

“Well, you see, in order to find out what kind of person Cha Jiham is...”

Chairman Yoon Jongu briefly recounted the events of the previous evening to Yun Sola.

“...And that’s how we ended up owing Cha Jiham one hundred thousand won.”

“Well, that’s hardly a difficult problem.”

“I take it you have a good solution?”

“We can simply include the hundred thousand won in the orientation allowance.”

“But we still need to explain it to Cha Jiham somehow.”

“Write an explanation on a note and put it directly in the envelope with the money.”

“Haha, right. We’ll do exactly that.”

“Well then, I’m off to the orientation.”

***

As I entered the conference room where the intern orientation would be held, I sensed a strange, oppressive atmosphere.

Everyone here had survived an extremely competitive selection process, overcoming odds of two hundred seventy applicants per position. Logically, they should have been sitting with their heads held high and faces full of confidence. Instead, they sat with their heads lowered like guilty criminals, absentmindedly staring at their phones.

As I wondered about it, my eyes caught Yun Sola waving cheerfully at me. Happy to see a familiar face, I walked over and sat in the seat beside her.

“Yun Sola, congratulations on being accepted into the internship.”

“You stole my words, Cha Jiham. I sincerely congratulate you as well.”

“Haha. Thank you. By the way, why is the atmosphere so gloomy here?”

Back then, Yun Sola had honestly told Chairman Yoon Jongu and the others everything that had happened in the interview room. After hearing her account, Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun ruthlessly dismissed President of Human Resources Kim Jinho and two other senior executives responsible for personnel matters. But Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun did not stop there. He initiated a large-scale audit of all personnel departments throughout Hangang Group and its subsidiaries.

Naturally, the employees directly responsible for the current intern recruitment process were also subject to the audit. The newly accepted interns quickly sensed the gloomy mood among management and now kept their heads down, trying not to attract attention.

Yun Sola knew the entire story, but she had no intention of telling Cha Jiham.

“I just arrived myself, so I don’t really know what’s going on.”

“Maybe... everyone’s gloomy because they’re afraid some of us might still be eliminated?”

“I doubt it.”

Yun Sola shook her head.

“Well, better safe than sorry. Anything’s possible.”

“Let’s change the subject. To be honest, I thought you wouldn’t make it.”

Right now, Yun Sola was blatantly lying.

If she had really expected my failure, she should have been shocked to see me. Instead, she greeted me with a radiant smile and happily waved, as if she had known all along that I would be here.

Still, I had no desire to expose her lie and damage our relationship.

“I thought exactly the same. I’m still shocked myself.”

At that moment, Yun Sola instinctively realized that Cha Jiham had seen through her little lie. His expression had twitched for a split second before returning to normal.

Afraid that he might form a bad impression of her, she carefully decided to reveal some genuine information.

“Since you’re here, it means justice still exists in this world.”

“What do you mean? Why do you say that?”

“I heard through internal channels that the interviewers who tried to humiliate you were all completely fired.”

I had expected those panel members to be punished. Chairman Yoon Jongu, after learning the truth, certainly wouldn’t have let the matter slide. But I never imagined they would be thrown out of the company entirely.

“Chairman Yoon is much more terrifying than he appears.”

“To fire people over something so trivial?”

“When selecting talent, personal biases are unacceptable. They acted on their own ambitions and subjected you to unfair humiliation.”

“Even so, I feel uncomfortable thinking people lost their jobs because of me.”

“They merely received the punishment they deserved for their professional misconduct, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“Alright, then. By the way, Yun Sola, you seem very knowledgeable about the company’s internal affairs.”

“I studied management and business administration at university. Personnel audits are a basic part of human resources management.”

Yun Sola answered in a light, slightly flirtatious tone.

***

Right on time, the door opened and Recruitment Team Leader Oh Jaeseong entered the room.

All of us newly accepted interns immediately stood up together to greet him.

Slowly surveying the line of employees standing before him, he calmly began.

“I sincerely congratulate all of you on successfully being accepted into our company’s internship program.”

“Thank you!”

“It’s pleasant to hear such energetic voices. Please, have a seat.”

We quickly sat down in unison.

Oh Jaeseong adopted a more serious and official expression and continued.

“I don’t know what rumors regarding internal changes in the company have reached you, but they have absolutely nothing to do with you. Therefore, there is no reason for depression or anxiety.”

“Yes, understood.”

“From this moment, we will begin the intern orientation. If you have any questions during the process, don’t hesitate to ask them immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As you already know, the final number of accepted interns is thirty-one. You will be assigned to various subsidiaries of Hangang Group for a period of six months. Based on your performance and final evaluations, up to twenty percent of you will be converted to full-time employees.”

At that moment, one of the young men raised his hand.

“Team Leader, may I ask why the quota for full-time employment was increased from ten percent to twenty percent?”

“That is due to the exceptionally high quality of your resumes and the excellent results demonstrated by the candidates during the interviews.”

“Ah, I understand now. Thank you.”

“As for the financial aspect, which I’m sure concerns you most, intern salaries have been set at eighty percent of the salary of full-time employees.”

“Oooooh...”

A muffled gasp of shock spread throughout the conference room.

Everyone’s jaws practically dropped.

Naturally, I was no exception.

While everyone was still in shock, someone raised another question.

“May I ask why intern compensation has been increased so significantly?”

“I’m not aware of the precise details behind management’s decision, so I cannot answer that question.”

But I thought I understood perfectly where this generosity came from.

Chairman Yoon Jongu knew that I supported my family by working as a delivery rider. He also knew that if I gave up delivery work for the internship, my income would plummet.

It was obvious that he had increased the compensation because he sympathized with my °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° financial situation.

“But why is Chairman Yoon showing me such excessive concern?”

While I was puzzling over that question, Oh Jaeseong continued.

“However, please note that in proportion to the increase in wages, your working hours have also been fixed within standard business hours—from nine in the morning until six in the evening.”

At that moment, a wave of disappointment washed over me.

Until now, I had believed that interns worked from ten in the morning until five in the evening. I had planned to quickly change clothes and begin delivery work by six o’clock. But if I only got off work at six, I would miss the most profitable rush hour, and my delivery income would drop to almost nothing.

I couldn’t very well ask for a personal schedule ending at five o’clock while everyone else worked until six.

“Sigh... this really hurts the wallet.”

While I lamented inwardly, the question-and-answer session continued.

“Tomorrow morning, all of you are required to report to our corporate medical center for a full comprehensive examination.”

“But such a requirement wasn’t included in the original conditions for intern selection.”

“That’s correct. However, this order came directly from top management. Naturally, all expenses for the comprehensive examination will be fully covered by the company. Employee health is the most valuable asset of our corporation, so I expect one hundred percent attendance without exception.”

“Yes, understood.”

After Team Leader Oh Jaeseong’s firm statement, the interns answered with loud agreement.

“If no issues are found during the medical examination, we will immediately sign official employment contracts with you.”

“Understood.”

“And lastly, your first official working day will be next Monday.”

“There isn’t much time to prepare.”

“Take it as a sign that the company is eager to see you in action as soon as possible.”

After that, Team Leader Oh Jaeseong patiently answered the interns’ minor organizational questions for some time.

“In conclusion, each of you will receive a one-time allowance of one hundred thousand won. That concludes the orientation. Thank you all. You are dismissed.”