Vol. 1 - Ch. 1 - Anger Drawn from the Dantian

The foreboding of doom was never wrong. It was never merely a coincidence or a hunch. It was a rational prediction honed from years of experience.“The broadcast just suddenly got canceled?”

“… I’m sorry.”

Inside the shabby office, an old heater sputtered pitifully with a dreary noise.

Jae-Yoon put down the pen in his hand and let out a soft sigh. It was a shoddy place, but he was not one who could make a fuss about it. Still, just for a moment, just this brief moment, he needed time to think.

A day before the home shopping broadcast, and it gets canceled? How is this even remotely acceptable?

“Manager Yang, why are you acting like this too? I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“I’m sorry.”

“The broadcast is tomorrow, and you’re telling me now that it’s been canceled? Look me in the eye and tell me straight.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lee. What are we going to do now? Haha… Hahaha…”

In the end, the team leader buried her face in her knees and burst into tears. The sound of her crying was so loud and mournful that it created an atmosphere reminiscent of a funeral home. But, Jae-Yoon was not fazed anymore. He was used to the waterworks.

He pulled out a few tissues and handed them to Deputy Manager Yang. Then, he flipped up the hood of his t-shirt—It was a habit he had when he was troubled.

“I knew it. The day didn’t seem right... It wasn’t supposed to be a lucky day.”

Things had been going too well. The supplier did not cut even a single won from the delivery price. The down payment was made promptly. The raw materials arrived on time without any holding, and production was comfortably scheduled. The broadcast was scheduled for prime time, and a popular show host was assigned as the MC.

With all this, it was smooth sailing, to the point that one could say the heavens were helping.

That was exactly the problem. It was strangely like this: whenever things went smoothly, something went wrong at the most crucial moment. He had not anticipated that it would be a broadcast failure, though.

Jae-Yoon calmly parted his bangs and spoke up, “Stop crying and get up.” He forcibly pulled Manager Yang up. Her long hair was plastered all over her face. “Who told you the news?”

“The person in charge…” sob, “the section chief…” sob, “suddenly...he said he’ll pay the penalty… He said something happened…”

“Was it Team Leader Kim Tae-Hyeong from It’s Home Shopping? Did he call you personally?”

Instead of answering, she slowly nodded her head. Jae-Yoon fixed his gaze on Deputy Manager Yang and calmly assessed the situation again.

“Is that even possible?”

“Mr. Lee, what are we going to do? President Oh was so happy that we got into It’s Home Shopping. If this happens, he might collapse…”

OhGa Kitchen.

It was a small company that supplied stainless steel kitchenware as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for large corporations. It belatedly gained popularity online and even made it to home shopping. Seven years in, just when things seemed to be looking up, this broadcast cancellation would halt all production and cut off their funding.

A complete disaster.

“I’ll go and see for myself.”

“But, it’s… It’s my responsibility…”

“Responsibility or not, we need to solve this first.”

“No, I’ll take responsibility for my own mistakes…”

To be blunt, what blame does she have, if there is any?

If he had to nitpick, was it because she was in charge of It’s Home Shopping? Except for the occasional, unexpected outbursts of crying, she was a decent employee. She was meticulous and efficient.

He simply concluded that it was the usual bullying by a large corporation. He preferred that. It was easier on his mind.

“Going like that is a bit…”

Even a virgin ghost would be better than this; tousled hair, smeared mascara, wrinkled shirt. A picture of despair.

“Security there is intense… You need to get a visitor pass from the information desk on the 1st floor…”

“Send me the contact information or ID via text. I’ll take care of it, so stop crying already. Do things get solved by crying?”

Jae-Yoon clicked his tongue and took off the car keys hanging on the wall. As he took out a jumper, the shabby office came into his eyes. A sudden sense of inexplicable guilt washed over him.

Although his title was ‘Team Leader’, Jae-Yoon had been shouldering all sorts of miscellaneous tasks. And he had endured that for a whopping seven years.

He was the one who took what was once just an OEM production company and built it up into an established kitchen appliance brand. It grew, starting online and advancing into home shopping. { OEM: generally perceived as a company that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. }

But now he was sick of it.

The shabby office filled with noise, the employees working soullessly like mannequins, the president laying around limply, not giving a damn about the company.

He had devoted himself to the company, but the only reward he got was a pittance. Yet, like an idiot, he had endured. It was not out of a grandiose sense of mission or loyalty to the company, but out of loyalty to the president. The moral obligation that one must repay a favor. Just that much.

He believed that his efforts would pay off someday. That the president would surely recognize that 90% of the company’s growth was thanks to him.

Perhaps he even dared to dream that he could lead the company in place of the president, who was in poor health. But… Because of this arrogant brat who barged in, everything went down the drain.

“Hey, Mr. Lee, not even a dog in heat moves that fast. Where are you rushing off to? You little punk, sneaking out during work hours…”

“I don’t have time to deal with your nonsense right now.”

“Nonsense? Hey, look at this guy. You’ve been doing a good job, so you think you can talk back to the managing director?”

It had all been arrogance and delusion, because he failed to consider the fact that the president had a son. It all went to shit since that bastard appeared with the managing director title six months ago.

That was when he realized: He was not part of OhGa family. The president valued blood relations above all else.

“Talk to Manager Yang for details. I don’t have time for this. Goodbye.”

“Mr. Team Leader Lee Jae-Yoon has grown up a lot, hasn’t he? It seems like just yesterday that he was a little acorn. He doesn’t listen to the managing director just because he has a big head. You don’t have time? Don’t you have to make time?”

It was funny to see a managing director in such a small company, but Jae-Yoon moistened his upper lip with his tongue and replied, “Then, why don’t you go instead? The broadcast is going to be canceled tomorrow. It would be good for Managing Director Oh to show his capabilities.”

The fluffy rabbit keychain attached to the car key shook pitifully.

“You bastard, watch your mouth! Oh?! You little punk. Do you want to quit working here?”

“Yes, I want to quit. I really do, but would I have to go through the resignation process myself? Ha. That’s a bit too much. Anyway, until I process my resignation, I’m still an employee who receives a salary from President Oh, so I’ll finish what I have to do for now. Well then, I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”

Managing Director Oh blocked Jae-Yoon’s path and spoke, his voice slightly lower, “You little... You can’t be serious, right? I thought we were close like brothers, so I joked around a bit, and you’re getting all bent out of shape. You’ll sort this out and come back, right?”

Without looking back, Jae-Yoon headed straight for the parking lot.

Manager Yang, sensing something suspicious in Jae-Yoon’s behavior, stared at Managing Director Oh. That was definitely not being bent out of shape. That was the anger drawn from the dantian. He was acting so differently than usual. Manager Yang had a gut feeling that something bad had happened.

Even in this atmosphere, Managing Director Oh continued to grumble without realizing it.

“Manager Yang, why are you looking at me like that? Is the show over? Jae-Yoon can’t be serious, right? Where would he go? Ah, it would be troublesome if he really ran away.”

The messy tattoo under the rolled-up sleeve of his shirt was revealed. Manager Yang frowned and turned her head away at the sight.

Should I send a text or make a call? Or should I just go straight to the information desk on the 1st floor and go up?

Jae-Yoon cleared his throat and took out his cell phone. Should I unleash a tirade of curses, or would groveling be the best approach? As he ran through various simulations, someone with an excessively cheerful smile approached Jae-Yoon. Who is it? He checked the employee ID hanging around the person’s neck.

[ Deputy Manager Na Cheon-Woong ]

“Oh my, Team Leader. You’re here early.” He greeted Jae-Yoon like a puppy welcoming its owner.

Jae-Yoon looked up at Deputy Manager Na. It was the first time Jae-Yoon had seen him. Literally, the first time, so he had no idea how he knew him or why he was greeting him so cheerfully.

“I almost couldn’t recognize you because of your outfit. At a glance, you can pass off as a college student. Haha.”

“Was in a rush to get here.”

“Oh, oh. I see, I see. You do need to dress comfortably sometimes. Follow me this way.”

Is this some kind of backhanded compliment for coming in casually? What exactly is this situation? Is he trying to pick a fight? Who does he think he is? Did Manager Yang contact him? If I had known this would happen, I would have changed my clothes before coming.

As he brushed his cheek and followed Deputy Manager Na…

“There’s a rumor that you’re going to be the next president. Is it true?”

Huh?

It was something the Production Team employees joked about. They said that he might become the CEO of the company. That he should take over the company while the president was sick, and run it. It was just something they said among themselves, but it reached the ears of the deputy manager of a business partner. The world was small.

“Shh.”

When Jae-Yoon put his index finger to his lips, Deputy Manager Na covered his own mouth with both hands and smacked his lips repeatedly, acting coquettishly.

“Oops. Classified. I talk too much. But it’ll be tough with so many enemies. I’ve prepared iced coffee for you. Please come in.”

He was pleased to see the security guard on the first floor saluting him at a 90-degree angle.

I guess that’s what happens when you’re a deputy manager of a home shopping company affiliated with a large corporation.

As soon as he sat down, Jae-Yoon got straight to the point. He needed to grasp the facts first. “Is it really okay to cancel a broadcast overnight like this?”

“Ah... I also found out about OhGa Kitchen this morning. I should have informed you earlier. I’ll be careful.”

“I need an explanation of what happened.”

Clearly, Jae-Yoon was determined to turn everything upside down when he was driving here. But he was not going to go as far as calling him ‘father’... Well, maybe not ‘uncle’ either. When a balding man in his thirties came out like this, he had to be polite.

Deputy Manager Na hurriedly put away the pile of documents he had taken out and replied, “Team Leader Park Choong-In suddenly brought in another company… This kind of thing doesn’t usually happen. Ha, this is ridiculous.”

“We’ve already prepared all the products. What are you going to do?”

“Team Leader, calm down for now...”

“Deputy Manager Na, this isn’t a neighborhood grocery store. You’re talking about It’s Home Shopping, and you’re suddenly changing the schedule? What about the customers who are waiting for the broadcast?”

“You’re right. The customers must be baffled, too. Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. Team leader, your words are 100% correct.”

Well, it was not like he was being hit with a club in the rain, but Deputy Manager Na kept repeating ‘right, right’ like a parrot.

Jae-Yoon rubbed his forehead with his palm. This was also a skill. He wondered how he could be so smooth. Even if he got angry here, it would only be like spitting on a smiling face.

Since things had already gone this way, it was time to change plans. Since tomorrow’s broadcast had already sunk, he just had to somehow smoothly negotiate and secure the next available spot as quickly as possible.

“When can you reschedule it?”

“Excuse me?”

“Just give us a date now, and I’ll let this one slide.”

“Excuse me? A date? Oh, OhGa Kitchen… Let’s see.”

Deputy Manager Na fumbled through his densely written diary with his index finger and pointed to a space with relatively little writing.

“The week after next. Yes, the week after next. Wednesday, 11 a.m. That works.”

“Then, I’m counting on you to make sure there are no issues.”

“Oh, of course. Who do you think I am? Don’t worry about a thing. Oh, right. Look at me. I’m talking about Team Leader Kim Tae-Hyeong."

“Team Leader Kim Tae-Hyeong is in charge? I don’t have time today, so I’ll be leaving now, but you need to manage your employees properly. I feel like hitting him in the back of the head in the middle of the night, but whatever. Anyway, make sure the broadcast the week after next goes smoothly.”

Jae-Yoon finished his remaining iced coffee in one gulp and got up from his seat.

Things had gone more smoothly than he thought. A deputy manager would be better than a team leader. He seemed to be a reasonable person. There must have been some internal circumstances.

Time was of the essence. Jae-Yoon had to explain the situation to the raw material supplier and inform the logistics center about the changed date. He let out a sly laugh, feeling ashamed of himself for worrying about the company even after hearing such things from Managing Director Oh.

In any case, he was glad that it ended well. He let out a sigh of relief that no one else could see.

Deputy Manager Na, who saw Jae-Yoon’s back, tilted his head and muttered, “What has he been eating wrong? And why’s he dressed like that, too? Looks exactly like someone else. Sigh, it’s good that I didn’t tell him about Team Leader Kim Tae-Hyeong. Young team leaders are hard to please.”

Deputy Manager Na was talking to himself, saying things that made no sense.

Jae-Yoon walked quickly down to the underground parking lot. There was someone in the parking lot, waiting for him to come down. As he headed towards his car, he heard his name being called from behind.

“Jae-Yoon.”

Jae-Yoon was not expecting anyone here. He thought he had heard wrong and started walking again. But...

“OhGa Kitchen Team Leader Jae-Yoon.”

He had not misheard. Jae-Yoon looked back at the voice calling him.

“Let’s have a quick chat.”

When he turned around, there were two men waiting for him.

As their exact silhouettes were revealed, Jae-Yoon froze in place. It was not because of the cool appearance of the man in front of him, or his emotionless, robotic voice, or the luxury sedan next to him. It was because the man standing behind the man looked like a wooden statue.

Like looking in a mirror, a man who looked exactly like him was staring at him with empty eyes. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.