Chapter 166: A Necessary Evil

“Bringing in fresh blood is essential, but don’t disrespect the old guard. Ensure those who leave do so with dignity. Humiliating them would be a grave mistake.”

His words conveyed concern for those who had dedicated their lives to the company.

It was our first direct meeting, and I might have come on a bit strong, so I wanted to put his mind at ease.

“Their positions will remain unchanged for the time being. If they demonstrate sufficient competence, I see no need for replacements.”

“No.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s just a matter of timing. Those fellows will all be let go eventually. The entire company needs to understand that times have changed. The most effective way to signal that my era has arrived, not yours, is to cut off some heads.”

Just as I thought.

This wasn’t about concern for people.

“We need to minimize the negative impact when those men are removed. They were loyal to Soonyang. We don’t want others to see their ruthless dismissal as a glimpse into their own future. A man who feels betrayed is bound to betray. Do you know why?”

“Because it justifies their own betrayal, perhaps?”

“Precisely.”

My grandfather gave me a satisfied smile.

“If their final days are flawless, treat them generously enough that they won’t feel resentment. If they provide a valid reason for dismissal, then be ruthless. Their departure from Soonyang must serve as a lesson for everyone else, for better or worse.”

“I understand.”

I was on the verge of a dry laugh.

Did my grandfather lack even an ounce of compassion or sentimentality? Yang Woo-chan, the president of Soonyang Life Insurance, had been through thick and thin with him for over thirty years, yet there wasn’t a hint of consideration for him.

Is that what I’ll become?

“Ah, yes, I’ll meet with Executive Director Jang Do-hyung. We can decide what to do after that.”

“Executive Director Jung is someone I don’t know well, but his reputation is solid. Remember, he won’t be an easy opponent.”

“He wouldn’t have reached executive director at Soonyang at his age if he were.”

“If you two get along, it could be a powerful combination. Heh.”

We need to get along.

Executive Director Jang Do-hyung would climb to vice president but ultimately stumble.

When Jin Young-ki took the chairman’s seat and started a reshuffle, he disapproved of Jang Do-hyung’s aggressive and ambitious approach to business.

For Jin Young-ki, Soonyang’s financial affiliates were merely places to park controlling shares, piggy banks to raid when needed.

Someone like Jang Do-hyung, who wanted to transform those companies into global financial powerhouses, was bound to clash with Jin Young-ki.

Jin Young-ki promoted those who agreed with him to CEO positions, and Jang Do-hyung was discarded like an old shoe.

This is the inside story I know, but I need to confirm it.

Will Executive Director Jang Do-hyung and I get along? Does he truly have the capability to build a global enterprise?

* * *

“This place feels a bit… unsettling, doesn’t it? It doesn’t quite suit Director Jin. Oh, may I call you ‘Director’?”

“Yes, that works for me, Executive Director.”

The size of an apartment, yet the only furniture was a comfortable sofa set and a table. A vacant officetel.

Executive Director Jang Do-hyung’s first words upon entering were about the unsettling atmosphere and how it didn’t fit me.

What exactly doesn’t fit?

“Would you like a drink? Perhaps coffee? Tea?”

“If you have a cold beer, I’ll just wet my whistle.”

I pulled two cans of beer from the refrigerator and placed them on the table.

“President Yang seemed quite upset, joking about being thoroughly defeated. Is that true?”

Executive Director Jang Do-hyung asked with an awkward chuckle.

“Would he tell a subordinate if he had been thoroughly defeated? He strikes me as a proud man.”

Look at this guy.

Was this guy testing the waters, trying to find out what was said that day?

“Haha. So, you were just teasing to intimidate me. And here I was, taking it seriously. I just made myself look foolish.”

I took a sip of beer, trying to brush it off.

“So, why did you want to see me?”

“I have a few questions. As you know, I will be inheriting the financial sector of Soonyang Group.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“But I’m different from my uncles. I have no desire to hold a significant executive position within the company.”

“That’s unexpected.”

Executive Director Jang Do-hyung put down his beer and straightened his posture.

“What goes on inside a building is never truly understood from the outside. Financial records aren’t the whole story. The energy in the air when you enter the lobby, the expressions on the employees’ faces, the murmuring in the offices—that’s the real face of the company.”

“Is that so?”

I feigned surprise, listening intently to what he had to say.

“Chairman and Vice-chairman aren’t official positions within the company structure. Yet, everyone bows ninety degrees to the person wearing that title when they walk into the lobby.”

“I don’t like that. Isn’t it a bit old-fashioned? Like something out of a gangster movie….”

“You don’t understand.”

“Understand what?”

“The snobbery of salaried workers.”

“Snobbery?”

This man is unusual. Is this what my grandfather meant by ‘not easy to deal with’?

“Ninety-nine percent of salaried workers who bow deeply to the owner’s family, as you said, like bowing to mob bosses, will leave the company without ever exchanging a word with the chairman.”

“Probably.”

“Don’t they know that? Of course, they do. But if the chairman personally comes over and shakes their hand, everything changes. They start to believe they’re special, not part of the 99%. It creates an illusion.”

“So, what’s your point?”

“Not wanting an executive position means you’ll only check performance figures annually and replace CEOs and executives when those figures are poor, correct?”

“Precisely.”

“That’s a Western approach. Implementing Western systems doesn’t automatically lead to advanced management. The people also need to fit the Western system, but in our country, the master-servant, lord-loyal retainer mentality is deeply ingrained.”

“Are you aware it’s the 21st century?”

I said it, but I was genuinely surprised.

Executive Director Jang Do-hyung is truly unique.

I know it well.

The slave mentality ingrained in ordinary people, who draw a line and never look above it, never even dream of it.

Even the most ambitious people see CEO as the ultimate goal. Dreaming of becoming chairman is considered madness.

But it’s considered normal for the second generation, who haven’t accomplished anything and might even lack ability, to take that position. Those who built the company into a conglomerate see themselves as loyal servants to the founding family. That’s their limit.

But he’s the first person to acknowledge this fact and analyze it. Does he have no pride?

“I’ll ask again. What’s your point?”

“My point is that you should occupy the top position, even if you don’t actively manage things.”

“Is that necessary? We have excellent presidents running each affiliate.”

“Even those excellent presidents are no exception. They’re people who have always operated under orders, whether right or wrong. Their entire careers. They’re serfs. They’re comfortable following instructions. Following instructions means they don’t have to take responsibility.”

“Responsibility… it weighs more than you think. Sometimes, it’s an unbearable burden.”

Executive Director Jang Do-hyung’s eyes gleamed.

“Someone who understands that so well is just going to remain a shareholder and stay out of the fray? Is it because of your age?”

“Ostensibly, it’s because of my age. Internally, it’s because I need to be cautious about my health.”

Did he understand the meaning behind those words?

“Ah….”

His expression suggested he did.

Executive Director Jang Do-hyung took a refreshing gulp of beer, then lowered his voice.

“Things must be pretty intense, then?”

“It’s a bit much, yeah. I didn’t inherit an apartment building, after all.”

Executive Director Jang Do-hyung nodded, muttering to himself.

“Director Jin seems to be seen as a kind of Jaws within the family.”

“Jaws? Like the movie? The shark?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you say that? Surely, you don’t think I’m some terrifying creature that devours everything?”

“Not exactly… In the movie, everyone knows there’s something beneath the surface of the water, but they don’t know its exact identity. They don’t know its size or how aggressive it is. But they know it exists. And they know it will attack eventually. That’s what they fear.”

“So, they’re wary of me?”

“Actually, Jaws would be scared too. It would think that the creatures above the water might harm it. Director, your situation is probably even more precarious. The moment you take control of a core Soonyang affiliate, the elders in your family will attack. Someone like me can’t really comprehend that kind of pressure, so it’s hard to say.”

Does this man know something?

Or is he just aware of the general anxieties?

Jaws. It’s an apt analogy. But thankfully, no one knows the size of my teeth yet.

“Can you handle it?”

“Handle what?”

“If my trust in Executive Director Jang becomes known, you’ll face a lot of difficulties. Some will threaten you, others will try to win you over. Anyway, all sorts of things will happen.”

“If you grant me the authority to use those ‘all sorts of things’ to my advantage, I have no reason to refuse.”

His voice rose again, and his lips curled into a smile. His face flushed slightly. He wasn’t even trying to hide his excitement.

Is he the type who enjoys a good fight?

“You’re not much of a deep thinker, are you? I only mentioned trust; I haven’t made any concrete offers yet, but you’re already eagerly accepting.”

“I haven’t accepted anything. I was planning to hear what kind of authority you were proposing before making a decision.”

Seeing his sly grin, I could get a sense of what kind of person he was.

This man has no slave mentality.

He’s the kind of person who would thrive in a Western-style system.

But in Soonyang, he hasn’t been frustrated by the fact that such a system doesn’t exist, nor has he tried to change it. If he had, his meteoric rise wouldn’t have been possible.

He accepts the present as it is and is finding his own way to navigate it.

“Shall we wrap it up for today?”

“Pardon?”

“Wasn’t this a sort of interview, figuring out what kind of person the other is? We can make decisions slowly, over time.”

“It’s not an equal playing field. Director Jin is the one choosing, I’m the one who needs to be chosen. There’s a clear difference.”

“Haha. For someone who needs to be chosen, you seem awfully confident and relaxed. You don’t seem to lack anything.”

“That’s just an act. I’m quite nervous.”

It’s hard to tell if he’s being honest or just being slick. I suspect the latter…

“Executive Director Jang, even if it’s not me, someone else will choose you. Everyone praises you as the future CEO of Soonyang Life Insurance.”

“Vice-chairmen Jin Young-ki and Jin Dong-ki are less appealing than Director’s guidance.”

“Mine?”

“Yes.”

“Why is that? Ah…! Is it because I’m still young, so you can manipulate me as you please? Is that it?”

“Absolutely not. If you were someone I could control, Chairman Jin would never have entrusted you with a core affiliate. Despite your young age, it means you’re already exceptional enough to have earned the chairman’s approval, doesn’t it?”

I have to admit, Executive Director Jang Do-hyung is quick-witted. And there seems to be something more to him. What is it?

It seems like we might need to have a longer conversation today.