TOIGC 52

Chapter 52 …

I Am a Businessman (4)

“If I miss the mark on this one, I am in serious trouble.”

Ryu Geuntae genuinely felt that way. With talent steadily gathering around Yoongi these days, Geuntae lived with the constant, nagging anxiety that he might lose his secretary position at any moment.

Take Choi Chulkyu, for instance—he was more than capable of replacing him. The only reason Geuntae had managed to stay by Yoongi’s side so far was because of the first-mover advantage, but there was no telling how long that would last. Human society was, at its core, a ruthless meritocracy.

“I have to get this right, even if it kills me.”

Yoongi had tossed out the question as if it were nothing, but Geuntae was treating it like a matter of life and death as he reviewed the candidate portfolios once again.

• A 37-year-old white family man with two children.

• A 26-year-old Black man who is currently unemployed and living with his 45-year-old mother.

• A 35-year-old Latino bachelor living alone.

• A 52-year-old Asian American with twenty years of interior design experience.

At a glance, any of them seemed like a viable hire.

“May I ask a question?”

Yoongi shook his head.

“Everything you need is in the files. You’ll find they’re a lot more detailed than you think.”

True to his word, the portfolios contained remarkably thorough background information on each candidate.

Let’s see here…

Geuntae started by organizing his own thoughts.

The white family man has kids, so he’ll probably work with a strong sense of responsibility. The unemployed guy needs a job desperately. And the guy with twenty years of experience is obviously going to be great at the job.

Right off the bat, the Latino bachelor was eliminated from consideration.

Also, the boss cares deeply about the department store construction, so he’d want someone responsible, right? In that case, a family man beats an unemployed kid.

Right as he reached that conclusion, Geuntae felt a subtle sense of unease wash over him.

Wait. No. This is just my perspective, not the boss’s.

Geuntae forced his mind to expand further, looking beyond the immediate hiring decision to consider the downstream consequences of bringing these people on board.

I would have really messed up if I went with my first thought.

Nodding slightly to himself, Geuntae looked up at Yoongi.

“I’ve made up my mind on the first one.” “Who is it?” “I’ll choose Pike.”

The twenty-six-year-old unemployed Black man.

Hearing Geuntae’s answer, Yoongi prompted him for the second pick.

“And who are you choosing for the second spot?” “Before that, there’s one person I am definitively ruling out.” “Who’s that?” “The white family man with two kids… He is completely out.” “I see. So who is the successful candidate between the remaining two?” “Before I answer, I need to ask you one thing.” “Didn’t I say everything you need is already in the documents?” “No, there is one crucial fact missing from the files.” “What’s that?” “How many years of experience does the lead designer from Gensler have?”

Yoongi broke into a gentle smile at the question.

“Seven years.” “Then I’ve made my decision. I choose Aaron, the Latino applicant.”

Yoongi nodded, giving a light round of applause.

“Correct. What’s your reasoning for these two?” “Is there another question waiting for me if I get this right?”

Yoongi’s smile widened.

“Spot on.” “If my assumption aligns with yours, the family man has to go first. Since he’ll be working in Korea, there’s no reason to match his salary to American standards. Even if he’s happy just to land a job initially, down the road he’s very likely to start siphoning things off under the excuse of ‘providing for my family,’ which could breed resentment.” “True. But why did you assume we’d pay him a Korean-standard salary when we’re hiring out of America?”

Geuntae didn’t hesitate for a second.

“Because we were only scouting one top-tier position to begin with. The rest are nice-to-haves… Since these people are volunteering to work in Korea, I figured they must be individuals who couldn’t secure a proper foothold in the US job market.” “And did you rule out the veteran designer for salary reasons as well?” “Not exactly. Even if America is a country that supposedly doesn’t care about age, it’s hard to completely ignore seniority when working. With a main designer who has seven years of experience, bringing in a twenty-year veteran would inevitably lead to constant clashes over authority.”

Yoongi wore an expression of absolute satisfaction as he settled into a chair near the table.

Judging by the fact that he’s sitting down, I must have passed.

Just as Geuntae let out a quiet sigh of relief, Yoongi gestured for him to take a seat as well and dropped the second question.

“The second question isn’t too difficult. What kind of salary range do you think we should offer these two?”

Geuntae thought for a moment before speaking.

“I believe we should set it slightly below the per capita national income. Considering they lack major experience, and with company-provided housing in Korea, we can justify a moderately lower wage.” “That’s actually what the main designer thinks, too. In fact, the main designer’s salary matches our country’s per capita income right now.”

Geuntae stared at Yoongi in sheer disbelief.

“Pardon? A promising designer’s price tag is really only that low?” “I can’t share the details, but there was another trade-off involved. Besides, the main designer himself said he’d feel uncomfortable making more than that.” “People really are the same all over…” “Well, barring any unusual circumstances, the three people we hired today are going to be worked to the bone for the very long term, so all three of their salaries will be climbing quite rapidly later on.”

Watching Geuntae shake his head in astonishment, Yoongi continued.

“Anyway, the way I’m handling these hires reflects how I operate overall. You catch my drift, right?” “I understand.” “Good. Shall we head back to Korea then?” “Are you finished with everything here?”

Yoongi nodded at Geuntae’s question.

“I called you over in the first place because I simply need Secretary Ryu by my side.”

Reassured that his position as chief secretary was secure once more, Geuntae boarded the first-class flight back alongside Yoongi.

“Good grief…”

Yoongi looked at Geuntae and slowly shook his head. It was an expression he had never once shown him before—a look so severe it was practically tinged with disgust.

“I’m sorry…”

Seeing Geuntae’s face darken with anxiety, Yoongi waved a hand.

“No, this isn’t about you needing to apologize. I just genuinely had no idea you were living like this out of sheer stubbornness.”

Yoongi was currently staring at Geuntae’s rooftop studio apartment. Observing a space that barely looked fit for human habitation, Yoongi kept shaking his head in disbelief.

“It’s surprisingly liveable once you get used to it. I even set up a tent inside…” “No… if you have to pitch a tent inside your own home, you don’t really have a home at all. Living in a place like this is a bridge too far. Later on, when you’re welcoming guests in your capacity as my secretary, are you planning to invite them here?”

That was when it hit Geuntae. He had completely missed the bigger picture.

“I apologize. Moving forward, I’ll make sure to host people at places like hotels—” “What are you going to do if the hotel rooms are fully booked? And there will always be people who prefer visiting a home over a hotel.” “My apologies. It was a lapse in judgment on my part. I’ll secure a proper residence right away.”

Though the thought of dropping money on a new place stung a bit, Geuntae comforted himself by framing it as an investment in his future.

However, Yoongi’s next words caught him completely off guard.

“No, Secretary Ryu doesn’t need to go find a place on his own.” “Pardon?” “I came out here to look at housing options for employees who need company lodgings anyway, so we might as well sort out your living situation at the same time.” “Oh, no, I couldn’t! I’m drawing a steady salary…” “I’m not gifting it to you, I’m providing it on a rent-free loan basis. No need to feel burdened.” “Still…” “It’s fine. Secretary Ryu has earned it.”

Yoongi started touring real estate agencies alongside Geuntae, immediately drawing an enthusiastic welcome from local brokers. That wasn’t surprising, given that Geuntae had previously handled massive, high-level property acquisitions under Yoongi’s instructions, cementing a reputation among agents as a walking goldmine.

“Wait a minute, you were the one living in that place, President Ryu?”

A middle-aged real estate agent heavy on pink lipstick shot Geuntae a wry, knowing look.

“Well, I’ve always had a bit of an ambitious streak when it comes to investments, so it just kind of happened.” “Oh, investing is great! Suffering through a decade of hardship before hitting it big—isn’t that the ultimate dream?”

Listening to the agent chatter away, Yoongi privately shook his head.

I certainly used to think that way back then.

At age forty-three, past-life Yoongi had genuinely believed that suffering through youth to enjoy luxury in old age was the way to go. He’d seen local folks become overnight millionaires by holding onto properties for decades, and looked at the stock charts of the country’s top conglomerates as proof.

But look where that had gotten him. He had lived through the reality of it.

Struggling until age forty-three only to discover your parents aren’t your real ones—an awakening that could completely shatter a person’s entire existence.

No matter how much you suffer in your youth, nobody can guarantee it will actually pay off in your twilight years.

Of course, his life had changed now. But that was only because he had crossed the boundary of time through suicide; if he had simply stayed put and endured reality passively, no cosmic reward would have ever come his way.

What’s the point of pinching pennies until you’re forty, only to drop dead in a sudden accident at forty-one? Who compensates you for that life? You need to spend money reasonably while you can. Spending money when you’re young is a completely different experience from spending it when you’re old.

This philosophy aligned perfectly with Yoongi’s approach to business. If he had been dead set on hoarding every single penny through sheer ruthlessness, there would have been no reason to build a department store from scratch in the first place. He could have simply dumped all his capital into Microsoft and other corporations he remembered guaranteed futures for.

Yet, people who chase money purely like that end up trapped in the future, too.

They constantly chase the next big break, unable to break the cycle until numbers completely consume their souls—obsessed with accumulating wealth from their teens all the way to their seventies.

Well, what a real estate agent thinks doesn’t really matter to me anyway.

With the quiet resolution that he needed to ensure close aides like Geuntae never let numbers consume their lives, Yoongi proceeded to sign contracts on several properties.

And naturally, Geuntae was left gaping in silent shock throughout the process.

Now I finally understand the boss’s true philosophy.

Realizing the vast gap in quality between his new home and the standard employee lodgings—even the main designer’s accommodation was ranked slightly below his own, while standard staff housing sat a tier below that—Geuntae felt a profound wave of gratitude toward Yoongi. While his new place wasn’t some ultra-luxurious mansion, the fact that his master clearly went out of his way to privilege his close staff solidified Geuntae’s loyalty once and for all.

If this is how he treats me now, the perks he brings my way once he gets even richer are going to be beyond imagination.

Smiling warmly to himself at the thought that he wouldn’t have to pitch a tent inside his bedroom starting tomorrow, Geuntae felt completely at peace.

After thoroughly enjoying the spectacle of Choi Chulmin and Park Kyungja sweating profusely at the construction site once again, Yoongi sat down for a private one-on-one with Choi Chulkyu.

“Yoon-gi, just how much do you despise older brother Chulmin?” “Honestly, it’s not so much that I hate our eldest uncle as I feel he needs to be kept under my heel. The one I truly despise is Aunt Park.”

Yoongi deliberately distanced himself from Park Kyungja, refusing to even call her his aunt and instead referring to her as ‘that woman with the Park last name.’

“Fair enough. Your life could have easily been upended because of her. Imagine if your parents actually got swapped with a dirt-poor household instead. Your entire life would’ve been utterly ruined.”

Hitting the nail right on the head, Chulkyu’s words drew a satisfied nod from Yoongi.

“That’s exactly why I can never forgive her.” “Planning to keep them living like that forever?” “Who knows… Grandfather hasn’t said anything yet, so I don’t have any special plans right now. I figure I’ll let them sweat it out for about ten years.” “Well, after weathering that kind of hardship, even Chulmin hyung might finally learn what the value of honest labor actually is.”

Watching Chulkyu nod in agreement, Yoongi pivoted to the main topic of discussion.

“Anyway, the reason I called you over today is because we’re about to kick off Phase Two of the department store project.” “Huh…? Don’t tell me you’re building a second department store already? We don’t have the budget for that…”

Yoongi shook his head.

“No, that’s still out of the question. Phase Two is something else. Why do you think I bought up all that vast acreage surrounding the department store site?”

Follow-up Question: Would you like to explore what Phase Two of Yoongi’s department store master plan entails, or focus on a specific character’s perspective next?