TOIGC 83

“So far, Min-guk Bank, Nae-hwan Bank, Sun-han Bank, and IB Savings Bank have all put forward concrete interest rate terms. Of course, there’s still room for adjustments once we dive into detailed negotiations.”

Seeing Geun-tae rattle off the update without missing a beat, Yoongi nodded in satisfaction.

“In that case, I’d like Uncle to take charge of handling those four banks. Would that be alright with you?”

“I don’t mind at all.”

As Chul-gyu readily nodded, Yoongi gave a slight bow.

“Thank you.”

“No need for that, this is the proper way to handle it anyway. There’s zero reason for Ryu and me to get caught up in some pointless power struggle.”

Geun-tae also bowed his head toward Chul-gyu.

“My apologies. Technically, Chief Choi should be the one sitting in the president’s chair…”

“Aw, does the order really matter? I’ll end up taking a seat of my own down the road anyway. I’m not the kind of guy to kick away my future meal ticket just because I’m impatient today.”

Yoongi carefully entrusted this responsibility to Chul-gyu because of the current hierarchy within Yaikai Department Store. Officially, Geun-tae ranked first and Chul-gyu ranked second. Furthermore, Yoongi was intentionally reinforcing that dynamic. If Geun-tae became too widely perceived as an overly “approachable president,” it could end up harming Yaikai’s brand image.

I’m just glad Uncle’s personality prioritizes practical gains above all else. Anyone else might’ve clashed head-on with Secretary Ryu.

Thinking of his eldest aunt’s husband—who was probably sitting at home right now, anxiously waiting and praying for the district prosecutors’ office to summon him—Yoongi smiled inwardly and spoke up.

“Secretary Ryu, just so we’re clear, Uncle is not your subordinate.”

“Yes, of course. That’s something I keep in mind at all times.”

Yoongi turned his gaze to Chul-gyu.

“Uncle. Whatever the reasons may be, Secretary Ryu is my number-one talent.”

“Naturally. Though, honestly, a part of me wishes I’d gotten close with your hyung sooner, ’cause then I would’ve been the first guy on your team.”

Chul-gyu’s joke drew laughs from both Yoongi and Geun-tae, instantly melting the tense atmosphere that had threatened to settle over the office.

“If only I became an adult a bit faster, I could save you two a lot of trouble.”

When Yoongi joined in on the banter, Geun-tae practically panicked, jumping out of his chair and waving his hands wildly.

“No way! We only get to be useful to you if you age slowly! The thought of you growing up—frankly, I’d prefer it if you stayed a minor forever.”

“Pwahahaha!”

With Chul-gyu, who had started the joking, bursting into laughter, the office atmosphere thawed completely, turning into a honey-sweet environment.

“Good. Since the two of you get along so well, this next phase should go smoothly, too. Uncle, phase one is wrapped up—I’m counting on you to nail phase two.”

“Leave it to me!”

Phase one involved Ma Seok-il dealing with the low-level sales reps. Phase two, targeting the heavyweight reps, was about to kick off through Chul-gyu.

“Hmm, so these are Sun-han Bank’s terms?”

At Chul-gyu’s words, Ahn Dae-ho, the sales manager at Sun-han Bank’s Jongno branch, bowed his head.

“Yes, sir. Is there anything in particular that isn’t to your liking…?”

Since these terms had been hammered out after grueling meetings with the branch manager and other top executives, Dae-ho’s heart was beating a frantic rhythm against his ribs. With the branch manager himself personally invested in this push, a failure here would inevitably crater Dae-ho’s standing within the branch.

“Hmm.”

Chul-gyu set Dae-ho’s documents down, picked up his coffee cup, and deliberately took a loud, echoing sip.

“Manager Ahn.”

“Yes? Y-yes! Please go ahead.”

“As I’m sure you’re aware, Yaikai Department Store isn’t just looking to dump a massive pile of cash into an account.”

“Oh, I know. Of course I know.”

People generally assume companies get special treatment from banks purely because of astronomical deposit volumes. But that is actually a misconception. From a bank’s perspective, large corporate deposits aren’t always a welcome sight. Since banks make their profits off the spread between loan and deposit interest rates, paying out heavy incentives on massive corporate deposits can sometimes end up costing the bank money.

Of course, 1980s South Korea was an economy where any investment turned straight to gold, so deposits were rarely turned away outright. By the 2010s, however, banks would occasionally start outright rejecting corporate deposits. If that’s the case, why do banks chase corporate clients so hard?

“Provided the terms are right, we are fully willing to transition all of our employees’ payroll accounts over to Sun-han Bank.”

That was the primary hook they had come for in the first place, but knowing it was just standard negotiation posturing, Dae-ho kept his cool and didn’t push back.

“Goodness, if you’re willing to do that, we’d be more than grateful.”

For a bank to turn a profit, it needs a large base of everyday individuals depositing funds. If a corporation consolidates all its employees’ salary accounts into one bank, that single deal instantly secures anywhere from hundreds to thousands of new customers for the bank in one fell swoop, as very few everyday people juggle multiple banks.

“For now, I’ll submit a favorable report upstairs. I’ll be in touch.”

As Chul-gyu stacked the documents neatly on his desk and tapped them straight, Dae-ho carefully slid a small box across the table.

“Chief Choi, um, about this…”

“What might this be?”

Accepting the box with an entirely deadpan expression, Chul-gyu opened it right away to inspect the contents. Inside sat traditional medicinal sweets alongside two thick bundles of ten-thousand-won bills. Without missing a beat, Chul-gyu shut the box and pushed it straight back across to Dae-ho.

“Ah…”

Dae-ho’s face drained of color. If he asked, “Is the amount not to your liking?”, he’d be crossing an unspoken taboo in these situations, leaving his expression twisting into pure agony.

However, Chul-gyu hadn’t rejected the money out of hand.

“I don’t think it’s quite time to accept this yet.”

“Ah… I understand.”

Regaining his box with a wave of relief, Dae-ho hurriedly tucked it back inside his paper bag.

“Let’s wrap things up for today, then.”

At Chul-gyu’s prompt, Dae-ho bowed deeply and hurried out of the office. Chul-gyu took a sip of his coffee and settled in to wait for the Nae-hwan Bank sales rep scheduled to arrive in twenty minutes.

I wonder which bank will ultimately bring the best interest rates alongside the heaviest gifts.

Yoongi had instructed Geun-tae to tell Seok-il to return the cash outright. Yet, despite seeing Seok-il’s example, Chul-gyu hadn’t completely slammed the door on money. And for good reason: the unique nature of hard cash.

Ginseng or hotel stay vouchers, no matter how expensive, have a physical ceiling on their value. “Cash gifts,” on the other hand, have no limit. That’s why everyday gifts can be accepted while conveniently turning a blind eye, but cash is a different beast entirely. Cash could only be accepted once a deal was locked in stone—just like with the mini department stores, where payouts were only taken from banks whose contracts were officially finalized.

This chief of staff gig isn’t half bad, I gotta admit.

Geun-tae’s aura of mystery was great for brand image, but it came with the major downside of making it tough to catch any falling crumbs. Since everyone Geun-tae met had to be a superior in status, receiving perks was practically impossible. Chul-gyu, on the other hand, managed to rake in the practical benefits while playing the “chief of staff” role. From his perspective, this was a setup without a single complaint to be made.

This coffee hits the spot.

Sipping the brew poured by Geun-tae’s niece, Chul-gyu happily moved on to his next appointment.

“When you crunch the numbers, Sun-han Bank and Min-guk Bank came back with the best offers.”

Hearing Chul-gyu’s report in the study, Yoongi nodded.

“Are their terms essentially equal?”

“The tiered rates vary slightly depending on the deposit brackets, but the bottom line ends up matching.”

“What do you think, Uncle?”

“If the terms are identical, wouldn’t it be better to go with the larger institutional scale?”

“So you’re recommending Min-guk Bank?”

“Strictly speaking, yeah. But since either choice gets us the same result, we could also just leave it up to Manager Ma’s discretion if you want.”

Chul-gyu trailed off for a moment, deep in thought, before speaking up again.

“Or… wait, is there a phase three?”

At Chul-gyu’s question, Yoongi flashed a bright, knowing smile.

A diligent laborer gets a single day of rest, but a diligent executive gets none. Still, on this particular Sunday, Yoongi was enjoying a rare, leisurely drive.

“Taking a break like this every once in a while is a fine thing.”

At Cha Pil-gyu’s remark from the passenger seat, Yoongi, sitting in the back, nodded along.

“Agreed. The scenery around Seoul isn’t half bad to look at.”

“Are President Ryu or Chief Choi not joining us today?”

“Nope, not today.”

A drive accompanied only by the driver and Pil-gyu. Since this was a first, Pil-gyu felt a lingering sense of intrigue from the front seat. At first, he wondered if Yoongi had something specific he wanted to discuss, but after an hour of driving passed in relative silence, Pil-gyu figured he must have been mistaken, feeling a slight twinge of disappointment.

That thought didn’t last long, though. Seizing the chance, Pil-gyu struck up a conversation he usually never had time for with the perennially busy Yoongi. Though he frequently stood guard right by Yoongi’s side as a bodyguard, Yoongi’s frantic schedule meant they rarely exchanged casual words.

“Come to think of it, you hardly ever take time off like this. Don’t you ever feel like you want at least one day off a week?”

“Hmm? Are you trying to convert me to a new lifestyle?”

At Yoongi’s lighthearted tease, Pil-gyu let out a startled gasp and frantically waved his hands.

“No, no! I’m completely non-denominational.”

“Just kidding.”

Breathing a sigh of relief with a dry chuckle, Pil-gyu resumed.

“It’s just… seeing you up close, I’m constantly struck by how incredible you are. Your relentless, passionate drive every single day is something else.”

A smile touched the corners of Yoongi’s lips.

“If I don’t live life to the fullest, it’s an insult to people who actually have raw talent.”

“Pardon?”

Yoongi let his mind drift back to his past life as a dirt-spoon laborer.

“There are plenty of people out there born with brilliant talents who let them wither away without ever realizing what they had. For their sakes, I have to live fiercely. Squandering the right to make your talents bloom by throwing it in the trash is the absolute worst thing a person can do.”

Pil-gyu looked genuinely moved by the words, though in truth, Yoongi was mostly directing that reminder at his past self.

If I somehow squander this miraculous second chance at life I’ve been handed, there won’t be a next time.

Could Pil-gyu even begin to fathom that Yoongi was literally betting his entire existence on the present? In reality, today’s drive wasn’t a casual joyride or a vacation—there was a very specific purpose behind it, though Pil-gyu remained completely oblivious to Yoongi’s true machinations.

It’s a rare day off, so I better make sure I guard him properly.

It was a slightly misguided interpretation, but thanks to Pil-gyu’s dedicated escort, Yoongi successfully toured Seoul, Suwon, and Anyang before laying down the groundwork to issue phase three instructions to Chul-gyu.

Got ’em. Nailed it!

Convinced that Sun-han Bank and its Jongno branch had officially locked in their status as Yaikai’s chosen partner the moment Chul-gyu summoned him back, Dae-ho rushed over in a single breath.

“Ah, welcome.”

Chul-gyu’s demeanor was visibly warmer than their previous encounter. Smiling brightly, Dae-ho bowed deeply.

“Greetings, Chief Choi. I’ve been waiting for this call all day.”

With the deal supposedly sealed, there was no longer any need for exhausting psychological warfare. Right on cue, Dae-ho slid a package forward across the desk.

“Chief Choi. Do you have some free time after work today? I’d love to treat you to a proper full-course dinner.”

As Dae-ho produced the very same style of box he had brought last time, Chul-gyu simply shook his head.

“This isn’t what I called you here for.”

Assuming Chul-gyu was just playing the mandatory game of polite refusal, Dae-ho’s smile only grew wider.

“Oh, come now, why be like that? I packed a little extra compared to last time. You won’t have anything to complain about.”

“No, no, no. That’s not it. I actually called you in today because of a very important matter.”

“Pardon…?”

Finally detecting an abnormal shift in the air, Dae-ho froze mid-gesture.

“Take a seat first.”

Dae-ho sat down in a daze. Yet, Chul-gyu kept his mouth shut.

What on earth is going on here?

Unable to bear the suffocating silence, Dae-ho ended up breaking the ice first.

“Chief Choi, did something major happen?”

“In a way, yes. A very major thing.”

Phase three. The very directive Yoongi had laid out.

Those words finally slipped from Chul-gyu’s lips.

Follow-up Question: What kind of unexpected twist or condition do you think Yoongi’s “Phase Three” directive holds for Sun-han Bank?