SURE 4

Team Leader Shin Taeyoon slightly bent his waist to match Team Leader Im’s short stature, smiled with his eyes, and accepted her greeting. Perhaps she hadn’t expected the prickly person she’d heard about to offer such a warm greeting, because a startled Team Leader Im let out a small, awkward cough and showed Shin Taeyoon to his seat.

Once seated, Shin Taeyoon looked at me. His face wasn’t pink like that day, nor were his lips swollen. His face, devoid of the flush, had a colder impression than I thought. The first impression I had of him being pretty that day must have been… a misconception due to the spiciness. He had an intellectual and sharp image, to the point I could believe that. It was no wonder Team Leader Im was taken aback by his greeting.

“Thank you for coming all this way. I am Lee Jungwoon, the CEO of JW Food.”

As I took out my business card and offered it, Shin Taeyoon held it between his fingers and looked down at it for a few seconds before lifting his head to gaze steadily at Team Leader Im. It was a look that seemed to say, ‘Aren’t you going to give me yours?’ Team Leader Im quickly offered her business card. But Shin Taeyoon only glanced at Team Leader Im’s card. As if just to confirm her name.

“Team Leader Im Sojung?”

“Oh, yes. Mr. Team Leader Shin.”

“I don’t have my business card with me right now. If we end up having a second meeting, would it be alright if I give it to you then?”

“…What? Ah, yes, yes. That’s fine.”

“For urgent matters, please contact Assistant Manager Park Joosung, whose information is on the proposal. Or you can ask the CEO for my contact information.”

Team Leader Im’s eyes, having no idea what was going on, rolled over to meet mine. It was a look that demanded an explanation, but I didn’t turn my head, which was fixed on Shin Taeyoon. His business card, which I had received by chance when we first met at the main branch, was mixed in with someone else’s names in my wallet.

“There was something I wanted to ask you first when I met you today, Mr. Team Leader Shin. May I ask before we discuss the contract?”

Team Leader Im asked, hiding her nervousness. It seemed the mettle forged through her time at numerous startups was finally showing. Shin Taeyoon, who had taken a tablet PC out of his pouch, just stared at Team Leader Im instead of answering.

“Why our company?”

It was a fundamental question. It was also the question I was most curious about. A scene reminiscent of a pressure interview was unfolding, but Shin Taeyoon wasn’t the least bit intimidated and was instead relaxed, with his hands clasped. Was it just my imagination? It felt like the roles had been reversed.

“That’s a good question.”

…What?

“…Eh? Pardon?”

Team Leader Im was so flustered that her pronunciation slipped, and when she asked again, her voice was half-cracked. There should have been at least three business-appropriate answers, but his rude response was so unexpected. Even I was about to lose my composure, but Shin Taeyoon was nonchalant. If his intention was to deliberately embarrass us, I could understand, but his gaze as he looked back and forth between us was nothing but bored.

“When the higher-ups mentioned JW Food, I was against it. The team leaders of each team gathered and crunched the numbers, but it just didn’t add up. Marketing is done to make a profit, and I didn’t think it was necessary to pour money into something that would be lucky not to run a deficit.”

“…Ha.”

“We’re busy enough as it is, and this would just be more unprofitable work.”

His eyes, which had delivered his opinion without hesitation, moved to me. They scanned what must have been my furrowed brow and the facial muscles that must have been twitching minutely. In contrast to Shin Taeyoon, who wore a faint smile, I couldn’t relax my stiff expression. Team Leader Im’s ears were burning bright red with humiliation.

“But if we didn’t crunch the numbers, there were other advantages. For example, externally, we could gain a corporate-friendly image by promoting economic revitalization through collaboration with a small and medium-sized enterprise. Or.”

Shin Taeyoon turned the tablet PC toward us. On the screen was a photo of the most popular male idol group these days. Even I, who am out of the loop with the entertainment industry, recognized his face, so his actual popularity must be beyond imagination. Shin Taeyoon pointed to the member in the center.

“This is a member named Tae from the idol group New Season. I heard this friend loves Jungwoon’s tteokbokki. He even proved it with a delivery app during a live broadcast.”

When I looked at Team Leader Im, she nodded her head furiously.

“I mentioned it before, didn’t I? He’s the most popular kid in the idol scene these days, and he used to really love our snack shop’s tteokbokki. Then he quit for about four months because of his activities, and this is the kid who even trembled on an Instagram live, saying he had tteokbokki withdrawal symptoms. The moment his album promotions ended, he ordered our A set with an extra side of tteokbokki and did a mukbang! I reported to you that the fans flooded the ‘Voice of the Customer’ section with posts asking us to use him as a model.”

I was aware of the rapid-fire report. We had actually contacted his agency, but the deal fell through because they demanded an absurdly high contract fee. So what was the connection between this idol and Shinyoon that made them change their tune?

While Team Leader Im fired off her words like a machine gun, Shin Taeyoon was staring only at me. As I received his direct gaze, which was a jumble of subtle caution and curiosity, I guessed the condition he would present next.

“So, Shinyoon is going to use this idol as a model.”

“Yes. We will handle the contract fee. And if we see a noticeable increase in sales, we will guarantee a contract extension even after the collaboration period ends.”

The more I heard, the stranger it became. Unlike a moment ago, it was clearly Shin Taeyoon who was taking a subservient position. But he wasn’t in the position of the weaker party; rather, he wasn’t hiding the attitude of a predator hoping its prey would flee.

“In the end, it will only benefit us. Making the efforts of you and the other team leaders who crunched the numbers seem futile.”

He pretends to dissuade while steering the conversation to our advantage. To make the line between the dominant and subordinate party clear. Shin Taeyoon shook his head.

“No. If you want to be technical, it’s a win-win.”

“In what way? By adjusting the profit ratio?”

“I believe I told you… we put away the calculator. It may be temporary, but isn’t it a gain just to lower the target audience to teenagers?”

“But Mr. Team Leader Shin’s attitude doesn’t seem the least bit favorable.”

Team Leader Im looked at me, surprised by my direct way of speaking. What was supposed to be just feeling things out was escalating. Shin Taeyoon’s lips curved up smoothly. As if he had been desperately waiting for this kind of situation.

“Is this a meeting where we should be discussing something like favorability? There are times when even the weaker party isn’t desperate for a contract, and unfortunately, this is one of those times. Ah, speaking of which, may I ask a question too?”

This person is someone who will turn any corner he’s backed into into an opportunity for himself. My impression of Shin Taeyoon was gradually solidifying. But does he know that the more he does this, the further away a positive evaluation of the contract becomes?

“Team Leader Im.”

“Yes.”

Team Leader Im seemed to have a similar thought, as her polite smile had vanished. Shin Taeyoon, unconcerned by our disapproving attitude, threw a question.

“Team Leader Im, what do you think of the CEO sitting right next to you?”

“…Wh-what all of a sudden…?”

Team Leader Im is getting flustered in many ways today. No, seeing her forehead flush red and blotchy, this was closer to embarrassment than fluster. For what felt like the umpteenth time, Shin Taeyoon’s gaze swept over me again.

“Just by looking, I can tell that CEO Lee Jungwoon is an easy-to-work-with boss and also the CEO. Am I more or less correct?”

Team Leader Im shot up from her seat.

“Excuse me, Mr. Team Leader Shin! You’ve gone too far! Could you please restrain yourself?!”

As for me, who was being evaluated by a business contact I was meeting for the first time, I was less offended and more curious about Shin Taeyoon’s intentions. He seemed to want the deal to fall through, yet when he took the tablet PC, turned it to the proposal screen with the confidential stamp, and offered it to us, he was impeccably polite. I have seen many people in my life whose words and actions didn’t match, but no one had ever been as blatant as Shin Taeyoon in a first meeting.

Perhaps that’s why. Shin Taeyoon’s ungentlemanly attitude and obnoxious way of speaking felt more like a smokescreen. He had probably done a thorough investigation of the company called JW Food, me as the CEO leading this small company, and even the marketing team, one of the company’s core departments. He was deliberately provoking us. To see if we would be swayed by the other party’s eloquence, or stand firm with our own convictions. If I were to compare him to an animal, he’d be the fox type.

I must not be agitated. I tapped the chair of Team Leader Im, who was standing there, seething with anger.

“Team Leader Im, sit down. Calm down.”

“Mr. CEO. I really don’t think this is right. I know better than anyone that Shinyoon is a big corporation, but, no, there’s a limit to how much you can disrespect another company…!”

“Go outside and cool your head for a bit.”

Team Leader Im would probably start smoking again after having quit. I should have met with Shin Taeyoon alone from the beginning. Now I understand why Team Leader Im’s friend described Shin Taeyoon as a jerk and prickly. Shin Taeyoon is the type of person who won’t work with companies he doesn’t get along with. Throughout his career, though he may have been the weaker party on paper, he must have always operated from a position of power.

Overbearing doesn’t have another meaning. This situation itself was sufficiently overbearing. Team Leader Im, realizing belatedly that she had lost her temper in a meeting with a client, hesitated and looked at me. I gestured with my eyes toward the outside, meaning it was okay and she should go calm down.

As soon as Team Leader Im opened the glass door and left, I asked.

“Is the situation now to your liking?”

“Do you know when work is the most tiring?”

His non-sequitur response to my question was also intentional. I get it now. I decided to hand over the reins, just to see how far he would go.

“When is that?”

Shin Taeyoon’s face now had a look of annoyance, unlike before.

“A company that messes up a project that was proceeding with sufficient communication? That can happen. A company that violates a contract by demanding a last-minute revision can also happen. Most of the mistakes my team members make, I can cover for them, so that’s fine. But directives from an owner who doesn’t strictly separate their personal and professional life are really tiring.”

“…”

“Team Leader Im won’t get to hear the answer, but I can tell you, Mr. CEO. You asked why JW Food? It’s our chairman’s order. His great-granddaughter is crazy about this idol. Unfortunately, our chairman is someone who would cut off his own hands and feet for his great-granddaughter.”

It was a reason I had never anticipated. The content was so unexpected that I couldn’t even think of a response. I just hoped my expression didn’t look foolish. So, this whole thing has escalated because of a doting great-grandfather’s single word…?

Even I was this bewildered, so Shin Taeyoon took a swig of water as if the mere thought of that time gave him a headache.

“Couldn’t you have just refused?”

Shin Taeyoon crumpled the water bottle and tore off the plastic label, folding it into a small note. His eyes remained fixed on me.

“What kind of guts does a salaried worker have to turn down an owner’s order?”

Couldn’t he have at least tried to object? It wasn’t my place to say from a CEO’s perspective, but. The whole thing was so absurd that I was even having these thoughts. And Team Leader Im had definitely said that Shin Taeyoon was a golden parachute. That means he has connections at least to the executive level. With that kind of connection, he should have been able to secure at least some reconsideration.

“From what I hear, you have good connections, Mr. Team Leader Shin.”

Since it was just the two of us, I decided not to hide anything either. Shin Taeyoon shrugged as well. His attitude was one of indifference to a background check.

“They’re good, aren’t they? That’s probably why he called me out of all the employees and told me directly.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. What’s important is the company’s name on it, not the size of the project, so I didn’t do a half-assed job. You’ll definitely like the proposal.”

“If you were going to be like this, why did you act so hostile in front of Team Leader Im?”

“Me? I would never.”

So nonchalant. So shameless. So brazen. I looked at Shin Taeyoon, who was smiling a smile that fit well with all these similar descriptions, and then looked over the tablet PC. The profit share, as well as the conditions, were not bad. They were conditions that made me wonder if a large corporation could be this generous to a small company. That’s why, even after learning the inside story, the uneasiness didn’t go away.

No matter how much of a fool the chairman is for his great-granddaughter, does it make sense for a business to be affected because of her? It’s a situation I’ve never experienced, so frankly, it’s bewildering. I don’t understand it either. Just how much must he love his great-granddaughter to be able to grind several of his employees into a new project?

“If there is a second meeting, you’ll be continuing contract negotiations with Team Leader Im, and you’re still saying that?”

“I won’t be coming to the second meeting. In case you didn’t know, I’m extremely busy, Mr. CEO. You probably won’t find anyone as busy as me even if you combine all the employees of JW Food.”

Is he starting to play with words again?

“Is this how you normally do business?”

As I put down the tablet PC and asked, Shin Taeyoon let out a deflating laugh.

“I wonder what you mean by ‘this way.’ And normally, Assistant Manager Park Joosung would have come. Not me.”

“…”

“So, for my sake, please take a good look. As I keep saying, we’ve put away the calculator and completely shifted to an investment-based approach. It wasn’t easy for us to pull this off either. Moreover, there’s a lot to do with fan marketing.”

“You speak as if you expect us to accept it.”

“Wasn’t I supposed to? We had a good time that day.”