Corporate Villain
Copyright© 2025 by K.W
Chapter 32
As soon as I arrived at work, I received a call from Kang Cheol-jin, the owner of the Daeyoung Monsters baseball team.
The moment I saw his number, I couldn’t help but laugh.
This man was serious.
That day, at the Pyeongchang-dong garden party, we had casually made a promise.
Of course, I hadn’t forgotten that promise either.
It could be an event beneficial to Daeyoung Group, and perhaps even to Executive Kang Moon-jung personally.
In fact, Executive Moon-jung also seemed to think it would result in a very interesting outcome, saying that if, just if, the Monsters and the Giants were to face off in this fall’s baseball season, he was very positive about me throwing the first pitch.
“Yoon Seobang, you saw yesterday’s game, didn’t you?”
His tone was as if he was coming to collect something he had entrusted.
“Hahaha, yes, I saw it. Congratulations on making it to the fall baseball playoffs.”
“Hmm. Do you think I called to receive congratulations from you, Yoon Seobang? Do you remember the promise we made?”
“Of course. It’s only natural.”
“The first pitch of the first game. You have to do it, right?”
The whole world knows I’m a fan of the Giants.
As Daeyoung’s future son-in-law, the scene of me cheering for the Giants in their uniform next to Executive Kang Moon-jung has been preserved like a meme since our marriage, still floating around various online communities and SNS.
In fact, even though the Giants’ home corporation has a department store, the sales of Daeyoung Department Store went up by more than 10 percent after the image of me cheering in the Giants’ uniform spread.
This fall, the Monsters and the Giants will clash in the baseball playoffs.
If the two teams were to face off in any way this fall, Executive Moon-jung asked if I could throw the first pitch as a special event, and I had gladly agreed with his permission.
Team owner Kang Cheol-jin firmly believed there could be no more entertaining event than this.
“But you remember the condition I set at that time, right?”
“The uniform?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, that’s no big deal. I can prepare that right away if needed.”
Well, it’s just a matter of cutting two uniforms in half, sticking them together, and then just stamping my name on the back...
“I’ll go to the stadium with Moon-jung on that day.”
“Okay. The manager called me right after yesterday’s game, at that late hour, and asked me to make sure to confirm the first pitch with Yoon Seobang. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt pressured by a manager. Haha.”
“Haha. Then, I’ll see you on that day, brother. Congratulations again on making it to the fall baseball.”
Thank you. Then, I’ll let the manager know it’s been confirmed and get the uniforms ready.
Just past 11 AM, Chief Choi Jang-ho came to my office with a few selected business proposals.
My current situation.
I had to immediately hit a follow-up to the Kinzone Sherry Wine.
The performance that I, and the European Division, produce is directly linked to the perception in Pyeongchang-dong, to the capabilities and discernment of Executive Kang Moon-jung.
And Executive Kang’s capabilities and discernment are inevitably compared to the objective qualities of Vice President Kang Young-jin, who, aside from being the bloodline of Daeyoung, has little else to boast.
The part where I secured a favorable re-contract with the olive farm, the achievement of securing Kinzone Sherry Wine.
It still wasn’t enough.
Now wasn’t the time to relax, to take a breather. It was time to press the pedal to move forward by any means necessary.
And that pedal, if it wasn’t currently available to me, had to be created no matter what.
If we compare my current performance in Mulsan to baseball, it’s just a no-out situation with runners on first and third base.
I haven’t scored yet.
I needed one more hit.
A follow-up hit that could bring the runners home.
It didn’t have to be a clean hit.
Even an outfield fly would be enough to bring in the runner from third base.
Until Executive Kang Moon-jung scores a definitive lead against Vice President Kang Young-jin, I won’t be swayed by any sweet temptation, won’t look elsewhere.
“Hmm...”
Chief Choi Jang-ho began to gauge my reaction as he reviewed the business proposal.
“Sigh...”
I went through each one, as meticulously as possible.
Business is about solidifying the domestic market before expanding outward.
That’s the business philosophy always emphasized by Chairman Kang Ki-young.
The domestic market mentioned here isn’t the broad sense of the national market, but the internal market that can be circulated within the Daeyoung Group.
It’s not just the Daeyoung Republic in name; Chairman Kang Ki-young truly perceives Daeyoung as a nation unto itself.
Over 120,000 employees of the Daeyoung Group.
Of those, about 1 percent, or 1,143 executives.
Looking broader, including domestic and international partners of Daeyoung, the group has an infrastructure of over 300,000.
With the figure of 300,000, what can’t be done? Before expanding overseas, it’s crucial to solidify and confirm our domestic business, a stubbornness held by Chairman Kang Ki-young.
Whether it’s right or wrong isn’t what’s important.
What matters is showing that our executive director fits perfectly with his business philosophy, proving that he has the qualities to move his heart and carry out a business that aligns with it.
Among the business proposals brought by Director Choi Jang-ho, none stood out.
They were all just mediocre.
Were they bad plans?
Not necessarily.
But there was nothing that could directly link to the distribution side where Executive Director Kang Moon-jung resides ... Well, not entirely.
This could work.
A coffee machine.
“Marco? Isn’t this a brand held by Taekyung Corporation?”
It’s a brand already established in Daeyoung Department Store.
Rasimvali, Lamarzocco, Aristoria, along with being one of the four major Italian coffee machine brands.
Priced higher than Germany’s WMF, it’s more recognized as a luxury coffee machine, a high-end brand, rather than just one of the four major Italian brands.
“Yes, that’s correct. The license agreement was completed last month, and since the subsequent licensee hasn’t been decided, Taekyung is maintaining their inventory through distribution outlets.”
The planner behind this is Manager Jo Seong-won from Bulldog.
I immediately asked Director Choi if he could prepare for a presentation.
“A presentation right now?”
“I’d like to check something more concretely with the planner before the official financial presentation. There’s no need to spend time preparing materials. Just get ready to present verbally using the keywords from this proposal. We need to eat lunch ... How about 3 PM?”
After Director Choi left, I immediately called the executive director.
-Yes.
“Are you busy?”
-I wish I were, but there’s nothing to do.
“That’s good to hear. You know Black Bean, right? Have you decided on the coffee machine supplier?”
Under Daeyoung Distribution’s FP (Foodservice Franchise Division), there’s an ongoing project called ‘Black Bean,’ a coffee shop franchise.
The second coffee shop brand in preparation.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.