NFS 1.11

Though Jin-won had only slept for two hours before work, he was more alert than ever due to the tension.

“Jin-won, if you’re ready, let’s go now.”

At his superior’s words, Jin-won nodded, picked up his laptop, and followed. His hand gripping the laptop trembled slightly, but his mind was filled with thoughts of how he could avoid making any mistakes. It had all started two weeks ago.

Jin-won was in charge of supporting a running action game that had been released about 2 years ago, and he had submitted ideas for an in-game year-end event. Being an employee of less than a year and seeing his proposals as nothing special, he never dreamed it would be chosen. But a few days later, his superior informed him with a serious expression on his face, ‘Work on making the proposal more detailed. The CEO liked it.’

Since even his superior looked puzzled, Jin-won could only be bewildered. It was truly an idea he’d submitted without giving it much thought. He’d casually proposed linking the game with animal shelters after a colleague mentioned wanting to help more after visiting one.

But to catch the CEO’s eye? No, does the CEO even check such minor events? He still couldn’t believe  whether this plan was worth the CEO’s attention or not. The company was already buzzing about the CEO firing the planning team leader from the development department recently.

Though the planning team leader had a bad reputation, firing him right before development completion was going to be a loss for the company. They say the CEO even cursed while firing him. Though surely exaggerated, that detail made everyone feel more satisfied in the end.

And all employees clearly realized one thing: the CEO was no joke. That made Jin-won more nervous. What if I get cursed at too for this kind of planning? When he shared these concerns with his mentor, they seriously advised, ‘Hey, don’t worry. Even long-timers’ proposals aren’t much. They’re all about the same.’

‘It’s all a mess’—this truth from his mentor provided small comfort, but he was still nervous. Though the CEO was only two years older than him, the man before him seemed like an entirely different species. 

“…When a player selects a dog from the shelter to sponsor, for example, Gureumi, that dog runs along behind the player’s character. When the player clears a stage, Gureumi’s food bowl fills up, and when they reach the target number of completions, the bowl becomes full and Gureumi eats. Below that, there will be a message saying ‘You’ve sent Gureumi a meal’ along with an actual photo of Gureumi’s face.”

As Jin-won tried to move to the next screen with trembling hands to explain the proposed game in more detail, Seo Ahn-jae’s question stopped him in his tracks.

“Which shelter will you partner with?”

“Ah, well…we haven’t contacted any yet, but perhaps a major dog protection organization…”

“That’s too common.”

Seo Ahn-jae glanced up at him while writing something on his tablet.

“Let’s choose somewhere smaller but distinctive, that uses social media well.”

“Ah, yes…”

“Do you know any places?”

How could I know any…Suddenly Jin-won remembered what had started this proposal.

“Yes, there’s a small one that operates with transparent accounting and has become known through members voluntarily promoting it on social media, called Irae Shelter…”

“Set up an appointment this week.”

Seo Ahn-jae threw those words out and left the room. Though the proposal presentation ended quicker than expected, Jin-won blinked, feeling he couldn’t leave the meeting just yet.

“Team leader, will the CEO be joining that appointment?”

When there was no answer, he turned to see the team leader staring seriously at the door the CEO had left through.

“Hey, Jin-won. That’s not the issue.”

“Then what is?”

“Today’s Thursday.”

“…Huh?”

***

Joo Seung-ha heard the news on Friday while in the middle of an office meeting. As a salesperson, he had to take customer calls even during meetings, so he checked her smartphone without thinking when he got a social media notification. The sender wasn’t a customer but Dallae’s Mom, one of the shelter’s staff.

—Are you going to Million today too, Sunny?

What? Go where? Seo Seung-ha forgot he was in a meeting and replied in surprise.

—What do you mean Million?

—Oh? Didn’t you hear from Jjang? Ah, right, it was suddenly decided yesterday evening when Million came by.

—What was decided?

—They want to make our shelter dogs into characters in Million’s game for a sponsorship event.

Dallae’s Mom explained some more, but Joo Seung-ha’s eyes only saw the word ‘Million.’

“Team Leader Joo.”

At the president’s voice, Joo Seung-ha barely seemed to regain his senses and looked up.

“Is something wrong?”

No, Joo Seung-ha shook his head and looked at his laptop, but throughout the meeting, he couldn’t hear anyone else’s words. So as soon as the meeting ended, he went outside and called Jjangi Nuna. When he heard her voice, Joo Seung-ha asked almost at once, “Are you really going to Million?”

[Ah, did Dallae’s Mom tell you? They contacted me. She asked if you didn’t know.]

“Why are you going to Million?”

Jjangi Nuna seemed taken aback by the demanding tone and couldn’t speak for a moment there. Only then did Joo Seung-ha realize the words he had spoken just now sounded sharp and accusatory.

“Sorry, I mean…”

[Is there someone at Million you’re uncomfortable with? Someone who acted like they knew you when people from Million volunteered at the shelter before?]

The kind-hearted Jjang Nuna asked with a worried voice, not even close to being angry. Joo Seung-ha bowed his head with guilt and mumbled, “No, there’s no such person.”

“I was just sensitive because this hasn’t happened before. Sorry.”

[I also didn’t understand why they suddenly wanted to meet today with just one day’s notice, but it seems their CEO likes to proceed with decisions right away. The employee who came to meet us was practically begging.]

“…CEO?”

[Yes. I’m going to meet the CEO today. I’m so thankful to be a freelancer at times like this. Dallae’s Mom said she’ll come with me, so we’ll handle it well together.]

Jjang-yi’s voice was bright and filled with anticipation. Joo Seung-ha lifted his head to one side and silently swallowed a sigh.

“What time is the appointment?”

***

Secretary Choi was having a hectic day. Because the CEO had suddenly made an appointment yesterday out of nowhere, he had been making calls all morning to arrange schedules and barely managed to create an opening at 5 p.m.. While sudden schedule changes weren’t rare, it was questionable this time since Seo Ahn-jae typically wouldn’t arbitrarily change appointments unless it was fairly important.

The game development event connected to the shelter didn’t seem that important. But this shelter was familiar to Secretary Choi. It was related to the land Seo Ahn-jae had purchased, and he had been particularly sensitive about this place.

Does he have a first love at the shelter or something? Secretary Choi grumbled internally as he entered Seo Ahn-jae’s office for an important report. Seo Ahn-jae, who had missed lunch while trying to arrange the appointment time with the shelter, was having a simple sandwich meal while looking at his monitor. Even as Secretary Choi came in with important reports, he kept his eyes trained on the monitor while taking big bites of his sandwich.

“…Due to rumors about next year’s IPO, the over-the-counter stock price is rising more than expected, but there’s another reason. There’s someone actively buying up over-the-counter shares. Though they’re using an investment company’s name, the funding is coming from a foreign company that’s been shopping for Korean companies lately. The exchange said it’s noticeable but not yet at a level to be concerned about.”

However, the person who shared this information added casually, Well, about being concerned…the employee stock options will be the variable later. Though the conditions are strict, seeing Million’s over-the-counter stock rising is unsettling. It seems like it’s just a matter of time before it goes public and the conditions are met. In this field, getting backstabbed isn’t uncommon.

Secretary Choi immediately thought of Executive Director Hwang, who had joined with a large stock option package. For some reason, he came to mind at the moment. The amount he received upon recruitment was substantial.

‘Well, this part doesn’t need to be reported.’

Naturally, Secretary Choi didn’t report it, but Seo Ahn-jae, who had finished one sandwich and was unwrapping another, muttered while looking at the monitor, “Then the person to be wary of is inside.”

As the surprised Secretary Choi stood there blinking blankly, Seo Ahn-jae lifted his gaze from the monitor.

“Don’t you think? The person closest to you ultimately delivers the final blow.”

Well…Secretary Choi answered ambiguously while carefully observing him. Is he already suspicious? However, Seo Ahn-jae, returning his gaze to the monitor, said something slightly different.

“That’s why to win, targeting the closest person is best.”

Win against whom? Isn’t this about Executive Director Hwang? Secretary Choi left his office tilting his head to one side in confusion. Has the company gained an enemy I don’t know about?

***

Fortunately, they didn’t have very many appointments on Friday, so Joo Seung-ha could make time in the afternoon. Million, which had grown rapidly in less than 10 years, occupied more than half of a 15-story building. He had read in the newspaper that their new headquarters, being built in an IT company district, would be completed by the end of this year.

The blueprint of the palace-like new headquarters seemed to announce Million’s success to the world. It drew more attention because Million’s owner was just like a prince from a fairy tale palace. To Joo Seung-ha too, he was once a prince. Though now he feels more like a demon king.

“I’ve seen Million CEO’s photos online and they’re no joke,” Dallae’s Mom said excitedly while waiting for an employee in the first-floor lobby.

“It was his college photo, and he was super famous at school.”

“Ah, I saw that photo too. The one where he looks young with bangs?” Jjang Nuna chimed in with sparkling eyes.

“He was more handsome than most celebrities. Wow, I never saw anyone even half as good-looking during my four years of college. Those who went to school with him were so blessed.”

“Blessed indeed. And have you seen the video of him playing basketball? My goodness, he’s even good at sports too! At that level, everyone—students, professors, staff—all must have had crushes on him, and then some.”

Joo Seung-ha swallowed a bitter smile at their exuberant conversation. They were right. Those who admired Seo Ahn-jae were countless in number. He too had been one among the many secret admirers. He had struggled to become special but ultimately remained just one of the ant-like masses who admired him.

Loving someone was an overwhelming and grand emotion, but it was equally pathetic. Because to the other person, you were just one of the ant colony. That fact stripped the brilliant light from the memory of love. Now it was just an old, trivial memory. My love was nothing special. It was just like everyone else’s. Back then, not realizing this, he had tried to make his love more and more special. Either way, the desperate attempt ended disgracefully.

“By the way, Sunny, you must have been super popular as a student too, right?”

Super. At any other time, Joo Seung-ha would have teased the late-thirties woman’s way of speaking, but he still felt guilty about getting annoyed on the phone this morning.

“Not really.”

When he answered in a mumble, Jjang Nuna asked in disbelief, “Why? Were you a mess personality-wise when you were young?”

“Ha, noona.”

As Joo Seung-ha burst into an exasperated laugh, Jjang Nuna laughed back.

“Hey, that’s right. Keep laughing like that.”

Just as she playfully hit his arm, someone crossed the lobby and bowed in greeting.

“Thank you for coming all this way.”

Jin-won, with a somewhat tense expression, quickly guided them while holding out visitor passes.

“If you could go up right now to talk with the CEO…Ah, I heard there was one more person coming. Hello.”

When Jin-won bowed again after seeing Joo Seung-ha’s face, his eyes couldn’t leave Joo Seung-ha’s face. While Joo Seung-ha was used to such reactions and wasn’t particularly bothered, he had been brewing over this appointment since morning, so his words came out harsh.

“Is this how Million usually pushes things through without planning? If someone suddenly comes the day before saying we can meet the CEO tomorrow, are we supposed to just show up?”

Jin-won quickly glanced at the other two people with tense eyes before clearing his throat.

“I apologize for how suddenly this was arranged. But it will definitely be beneficial for the shelter…”

“Even if the shelter needs help, we don’t accept just any help. Help given unilaterally without giving us time to consider only looks like disrespect.”

“Sunny,” Jjang Nuna grabbed Joo Seung-ha’s arm while watching Jin-won, who looked like he was frozen in place and couldn’t speak.

“I’m sorry. We absolutely didn’t mean any disrespect. It’s just that things progressed a bit quickly…”

“Didn’t you say the CEO is waiting? Let’s go up and hear what he has to say.”

Only after Jjang Nuna mediated with a smile did Jin-won finally exhale and quickly lead the way. As Joo Seung-ha followed Jin-won, he noticed the two women watching him carefully and regretted his behavior again. Though he felt sorry for them, he had no intention of dropping his confrontational attitude. Especially not in front of Seo Ahn-jae, whom they would meet in the conference room. Fortunately, he kept giving reasons to maintain it.

While Secretary Choi didn’t take interest in Seo Ahn-jae’s private life, he was curious about the shelter he was concerned about. What had caught Seo Ahn-jae’s attention enough to make time to meet the shelter people immediately? Honestly, he thought it might be difficult to find the real reason.

Seo Ahn-jae was more tight-lipped than he appeared and moved for objectives rather than emotions. It was hard to know his true intentions until he revealed his goals. But the moment he saw the shelter representatives in the conference room, something clicked in his mind.

One person particularly stood out. He was exceptionally handsome, but there was also something familiar about him. Secretary Choi found the answer soon after sitting down. He was the man in the photo Seo Ahn-jae had been looking at on his smartphone. What’s this? Does the CEO know him? However, they acted like they didn’t know each other.

Still, Secretary Choi was certain that this man, Joo Seung-ha, was the reason for the CEO’s recent unusual behavior. Why wouldn’t he be? He was completely the CEO’s type. Right in the strike zone, even. But throughout the meeting, he became confused again. He thought he had arranged this meeting because he was interested in their shelter, but Seo Ahn-jae was being more prickly than usual.

“Right now it’s a one-time event, but we’re thinking of moving toward more systematically promoting and supporting the shelter. Of course, we need to verify the shelter first. We can’t sponsor just any shelter.”

“If not just any shelter, then what’s your reason for choosing us?”

There was a prickly person on their side too. Jin-won, knowing there were no particular selection criteria, swallowed hard while looking at Seo Ahn-jae. Jjang Nuna and Dallae’s Mom also rolled their eyes, looking back and forth between Joo Seung-ha and Seo Ahn-jae. Unlike the tense atmosphere around them, when Seo Ahn-jae looked up from checking something on his tablet, his face was clear.