Corporate Villain
Copyright© 2025 by K.W
Chapter 12
“I am Joo Dong-jin, appointed as the executive secretary. I look forward to working with you.”
After finishing the formal greetings with the president and vice president, I came down to the office I would be using.
At the info desk-style seat prepared in front of the European Division Director’s office, a man who looked to be at most thirty, perhaps just starting his social life, stood up.
When I visited last week at the suggestion of President Min Byung-jin, there was a woman in this seat.
It meant that with the change of the director, the dedicated secretary had changed as well.
“Is this your first day at work?”
“Yes.”
“And yet, you’ve already settled into your space quite well. Do I have any schedule assigned to me today?”
“I haven’t received any schedule yet.”
“Then let’s take it easy today.”
It was when I was about to turn towards the director’s office I’ll be using.
“Inside...”
Should I ask for their age?
There’s enthusiasm, but something is definitely awkward.
I turned my head again at the secretary’s words.
“What’s inside?”
“The group’s executive secretary has been waiting for you for about 10 minutes now.”
The executive secretary?
I entered the director’s office.
“Executive Secretary!”
Mr. Jang Dong-ju, the executive secretary, who serves closest to Chairman Kang Man-ho.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’s my only colleague in the group’s secretariat.
To me, who started my day commuting to Pyeongchang-dong for the past three years, he was the only person I could comfortably talk to in Pyeongchang-dong.
There he was, smiling at me with a slightly mischievous expression, bowing his head.
A subsidiary director of Daeyoung. The heart of Daeyoung, the executive secretary of the group’s headquarters.
Strictly speaking, even if he bows, I should be the one bowing first, and much deeper.
But that subtlety existed between us, and I had to see it as the executive secretary bowing first to eliminate that subtlety.
“It seems your initiation on the first day was quite something?”
When did he arrive?
The secretary said he came about 10 minutes ago.
But if he came straight here, he shouldn’t know that I had my initiation.
Well.
The meeting with the president and the executive director took longer than I thought.
“Please, make yourself comfortable.”
That’s when I noticed quite a number of potted plants had been brought in next to the office desk.
Each pot was labeled with the names of executives from other affiliates who had sent them.
For a moment, I wondered what all this was about, when the director handed me a shopping bag. It was narrow but quite long, held firmly in both hands.
One hand on the handle, the other supporting the bottom of the bag.
“The chairman sent this.”
A wooden box.
Just by the weight and the brand on the shopping bag, I could tell it was champagne.
And there was also an envelope with the newly changed logo of Daeyoung Department Store.
This too was a gift from the chairman, exclusively for the newly promoted executives.
Following the lobby welcome ceremony, now a gift of champagne.
No doubt, inside the department store envelope would be three 1 million won gift certificates.
“Since it’s your first day at work and you must be busy, the chairman asked if you’d like to have lunch together tomorrow.”
The chairman?
I forced down my surprised expression and smiled.
“Please have a seat, Director.”
“Executive Director Yoon.”
It felt awkward.
But it was a title I would have to get used to soon.
“Yes, Director.”
He was smiling, but I couldn’t quite decipher the exact meaning behind the director’s smile.
“It may seem obvious, but despite our long commutes to Pyeongchang-dong together, we’ve never had a drink, just the two of us.”
As the director said, it was perhaps inevitable.
“As you know, champagne is something you pop after a victory, not something you open in advance and wait to win.”
He was someone favorable to me.
A fussy owner’s VIP escort.
During the time when Vice President Kang Young-jin’s executive secretary changed three times, I had consistently stayed by Executive Director Kang Moon-jung’s side.
In that sense, it was true that I had made things much easier for Director Jang Dong-ju.
Perhaps that’s why, Director Jang, the master secretary of the Seoul National University alumni group, had always rated me higher than my abilities, regardless of school ties.
The things he was telling me now had no reason to be twisted.
Rather, it was right to take them as sincere concern for me.
“If you open it now, all the steam will escape and it won’t be enjoyable to drink later. If you drink it before winning because you hate losing the steam, you might even be accused of cheating. I’ve been serving the chairman for eight years now, haven’t I?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve seen many fall from grace by immediately opening and drinking what the chairman has given. This isn’t the time to open it, Director.”
“ ... Yes.”
“You open it after you’ve won everything.”
“Please, have a seat, Manager.”
Despite my invitation, Manager Jang Dong-ju declined with a neat hand gesture and consciously lifted the corners of his mouth once again.
“I must go, I’ve spent too much time here than I expected. I have to see to my duties.”
If only he had told me he was coming early, I would have ended the meeting with President Min as quickly as possible...
“While coming here to deliver this on behalf of the chairman, I suddenly thought, ‘I’ve been commuting to Pyeongchang-dong with you for over three years, and there’s nothing much I’ve done for you.’”
“That’s not true. You’ve taught me so much over the years.”
At my words, Manager Jang smiled faintly and confirmed tomorrow’s lunch appointment with the chairman.
“I’ll arrange for the secretary outside to let you know the venue as soon as it’s decided.”
“Are you really leaving without even having a cup of coffee?”
“During your meeting with the president and the executive director, I couldn’t just wait around doing nothing, so I got a cup from Deputy Director Jeon Chung-heon.”
So, the initiation ceremony I had in the European Division office had reached Manager Jang’s ears...
After Manager Jang left, I looked around the office that I would be using in the future.
The potted plants gathered on one side under the office desk.
“...”
Among those plants, I found the name of Vice President Kang Young-jin.
Kang Young-jin, Vice President of Chemicals.
There was a potted plant sent by him.
Fortunately, the lunch with Chairman Kang Man-ho was also attended by Director Kang Moon-jung.