Corporate Villain
Copyright© 2025 by K.W
Chapter 7
“So, it’s not just in a professional sense, but you mean to say you share those feelings personally too?”
Unable to immediately answer the question of whether the two people liked each other, my mother asked the same question again.
I’ve always been a son who lies well to my mother.
The strange lie that my superiors at the company are smitten with me.
The lie that I’ve never been particularly intimidating, yet my juniors seem to fear me, causing them to make mistakes in front of me that they shouldn’t.
What was I trying to gain with all those lies?
Did I want to show my mother that her son is loved by everyone, anywhere, and that at work, he has a sharp charisma?
Or ... did I just want to leave behind an image of myself as I wished to be...
I wet my lips once more.
“So, you mean you want to introduce her to mom.”
After taking a deep breath, my mother began her silence.
“Were you surprised?”
“No, what’s there to be surprised about? It’s good news that you’ve found someone nice.”
“But why do you look like that?”
“Because I’m worried.”
Knowing full well the nature of the worries my mother had just begun to have, I asked nonchalantly as if I didn’t know.
“What worries?”
“Do they know at that house?”
I looked at my mother quite confidently and nodded.
“What do they say at that house?”
Throughout this time, I never thought I was sinning against my mother with these lies, but this time the lie ... it didn’t go as planned, as I had prepared.
Yet, I try to pull myself together again.
“At first, they both laughed. The chairman and the senior chairman.”
“Laughed? Why?”
“The senior chairman, given his age, must have been delighted by the story of his grown granddaughter’s marriage.”
“...”
“But the chairman, at first, seemed somewhat displeased.”
“Why? What’s displeasing about it? What’s wrong with my son? How dare they look down on my wonderful son?”
“No, listen. Why are you getting so worked up without even hearing the full answer? Their son has been married for less than a year.”
I quickly calmed my mother’s excitement with a witty response and continued the conversation.
“They were shocked when the remaining daughter came out so soon. And frankly, if I were the chairman, I’d be worried too. It would be nonsensical not to worry.”
“What worry?”
“What are you worried about, Mom? Isn’t it similar to the worries you have?”
“...”
“They’re not much different from us, you know? It’s not like the outrageous dramas you enjoy every morning, but there are certainly realistic concerns.”
Not wanting to hurt my mother deeply, I had to unravel the story with a dose of reality, as if administering an anesthetic.
“But the chairman has always liked me. That’s why he had his daughter’s executive assistant stick with his son for over three years, right?”
“He originally ... thought well of me?”
“Would my son ever be disliked anywhere? Would he endure such treatment? The chairman really adores me. Sometimes to the point of being overwhelming. At first, he was quite surprised, but now he seems to like me even more.”
“He likes you?”
“That’s the case with the promotion too. No matter how well his son works, a promotion from manager to executive in a major corporation like Daeyoung is unheard of. Who do you think made that impossible promotion happen? It’s the senior chairman, the chairman. They trust me enough to place me next to the director.”
My mother gulped down her beer can.
“Even famous celebrities who marry into chaebol families are ostracized, speaking foreign languages among themselves, and blatantly disregarded under the guise of ‘chaebol education.’ I wonder if that family is any different?”
“Goodness, Mom. Your son graduated from the foreign studies university. On a four-year scholarship. Spanish, English, and a fair bit of French. Who in that house could compete with your son in languages?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“You didn’t raise me to be bullied or openly disregarded.”
The memory of being discarded by the corporation surfaced.
I remembered being coldly abandoned, hearing that someone like me was useless, that a being like me could easily be replaced.
Despite being ostracized and thoroughly ignored by a powerful few, I pictured myself pleading and clinging on, not to be cast out, even though I hadn’t seen it myself.
“I didn’t grow up like that either. They’re good people, Mom. Really, you don’t have to worry about that part. When have I ever lied to you? I’m always honest with you, whether it’s right or wrong.”
I tossed and turned in bed, deciding to send a message to the executive director.
It was the first time I initiated a non-work-related chat with the director at this hour.
– Director, I apologize for messaging late at night. Are you asleep?
Fortunately, the ‘1’ indicating an unread message disappeared immediately, and a reply came swiftly.
– No. My schedule ended very late today. I just got home, showered, and lay down. But what’s up at this hour?
– Director. There’s one thing I overlooked when drafting the contract.
– What??
I hesitated, typing and erasing my words repeatedly.
– My mother is quite worried about our marriage.
– You didn’t tell her the truth, did you?
– No.
– I was momentarily startled.
– That seems to make her worry even more.
The ‘1’ had long disappeared, but there was no reply.
So, I decided to be frank.
– During the contract period, except in special cases, you won’t have to meet my mother in person.
There was no reply, but the ‘1’ vanished immediately every time I sent a message.
– When we are together, could you help ensure that my mother doesn’t worry about this marriage?
Then, a reply came.
– I understand what you mean. Of course, I’ll do that.
– Thank you.
After my word of thanks, there was a long silence again.
I thought the conversation was over ... but then a message arrived.
It was an image file.
“What’s this?”
Opening the file sent by the director, it was the last page of the marriage contract we had authenticated two days ago.
On that last page was a new clause, clearly handwritten by the director just moments ago.
“During the contract period, Party A shall fulfill the role specified in the contract to the best of their ability towards Party B’s family.”
And then, the following message from Director Sang:
-Is this enough?
-Yes, thank you.
-Now, delete all the records of this chat conversation. Just in case.
I was about to reply that I would do so when another message came in.
-No, let’s just blow up this room. There’s been too much talk about the contract these past few days. Delete this room and add me again.
-Yes, I understand.
-And let’s not talk about the contract marriage over chat anymore. We need to be careful with records.
-Yes.
-After all, it’s an act we have to perform, going method might be a good idea too, haha.
Director Sang just typed ... haha.
Did he know how to use such expressions?
-Method?
-I think that would be more comfortable for me. Anyway, I’m going to sleep. I’m tired.
-Yes. Have a good night.
-Goodnight.
The morning dawned in Pyeongchang-dong.
In the study of Chairman Kang Ki-young.
With his hands respectfully clasped in front, Team Leader Son Jeong-hyun continued his report.
The background check on Deputy Head Yoon Tae-sik.
“Was the expansion of the Madrid overseas branch in Spain by Mulsan originally Deputy Head Yoon Tae-sik’s planning?”
After adjusting his reading glasses once more, Chairman Kang Ki-young focused on the documents.
The olive oil business related to Mulsan’s European division had been the only one to produce results befitting of Mulsan, regardless of sales size, over the past several years.
Thanks to the success of this business, which started with establishing a small office concept in Granada and successfully exporting top-grade oil made from olives from large farms in Andalusia to the world, the branch had now expanded to Madrid.
“Due to that performance, Deputy Head Jeong Chang-ho, who was a manager at the time, was promoted to deputy head. And now, Executive Director Park Je-dong, who is currently in charge of the European division, was promoted from deputy head to director and last year to executive director.”
It was the moment Chairman Kang Ki-young’s eyes fiercely lit up.
“Tell me more in detail.”
For Team Leader Son Jeong-hyun, it was as if he had already finished his report in the style of Chairman Kang.
He was not one to ask lengthy questions.
Especially not the kind of chairman who would show interest in such trivial internal personnel issues.
Team leader Son Jeong-hyun could guess how curious the chairman was about Deputy Chief Yoon Tae-sik.
“According to the investigation, Deputy Chief Yoon Tae-sik submitted that proposal right after his promotion to assistant manager in the trading company. So, it seems that the proposal first came out five years ago.”
“Five years ago? Wasn’t the Madrid overseas branch established two years ago?”
“Yes.”
Chairman Kang Ki-young began to calculate the years in his head.
“He argued that we should set up a task force in Granada and persuade the olive estate owners in Andalusia.”
“Yoon Tae-sik did?”
“Yes. He foresaw that persuading the estate owners wouldn’t be easy and made such a claim.”
“On what basis did he make that claim?”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.