Chapter 24
When the door on the sixth floor opened, the space revealed beyond it looked somewhat familiar to Kim Si-min. There were partitions dividing the workstations, and each desk was equipped with a laptop or computer.
At the entrance visible after stepping out of the elevator was a sign that read “Investment Operations Department.”
There were quite a few employees, and the department seemed to be laid out much like a typical small venture capital firm.
“Come to think of it, you’re probably quite familiar with this kind of office atmosphere, Representative.”
Park Won-jung walked toward a room marked Director’s Office, knocked lightly, and opened the door.
“Old Man! How long has it been since you’ve come down to the sixth floor?!”
The director’s office was slightly smaller than the representative’s office, but it was still quite spacious. A nameplate reading Jin Hyeong-sik sat on the desk, and the man seated behind it sprang to his feet to greet them.
Was it really that surprising for Manager Park Won-jung to come down to the sixth floor?
They worked for the same company in the same building, yet apparently he hadn’t come down here for quite some time.
Director Jin Hyeong-sik was dressed in a neat suit and wore black-rimmed glasses. Interestingly, his somewhat unkempt hair and faint stubble gave him a strangely unbalanced appearance.
“Ah, this is…”
“I’m Kim Si-min. I just joined the company.”
“Ah, so you’re the one. I hear you’re the successor to Old Man Park, whose name has been making quite a stir.”
Everyone called Park Won-jung “Old Man Park.” No matter how much one exaggerated his age, he still looked no older than middle-aged, yet everyone called him Old Man Park without exception.
Come to think of it, he was probably about to introduce me as the representative.
Since coming here, only Park Won-jung and Kim Woo-jin knew that Kim Si-min was actually the representative. Ah, and now Lee Hyun knew as well, making three people in total.
Everyone else believed that he was simply a new employee recruited by Park Won-jung.
And Kim Si-min intended to keep that title for the time being.
Anyone who had experienced office life would know this, but the title of “new employee” carried more power than one might expect.
From the perspective of someone learning the ropes, Kim Si-min knew better than anyone that he absolutely needed to keep that title.
“What brings you all the way down here? You, of all people, who hardly ever leave the eighth floor.”
“Ah, I came to teach Employee Kim Si-min… about investment operations…”
“So the rumors were true. You’re really raising him as your successor. In that case, I can’t just sit back and do nothing. How much time can you give me?”
“I have far too much work to do… so please make it as intensive as possible and just cover the essentials.”
Director Jin nodded.
Park Won-jung left with a casual request to take good care of him, then quickly walked out of the room.
“Working under Old Man Park isn’t easy, is it? That man is a monster who can handle practically every job in this lighthouse, so learning from him won’t be easy for you either. Still, there’s no changing the fact that Old Man Park is the most powerful person among the people running this lighthouse. If you play your cards right, you’ll be able to live comfortably for generations, so work hard.”
His words were different from the kind of encouragement one would normally give a new employee.
What kind of pep talk is that supposed to be for a new hire?
“By the way, do you know what our department actually does?”
“I heard you make investments.”
“That’s right. We do invest. For now, come with me.”
No sooner had Director Jin finished speaking than he sprang to his feet.
Kim Si-min couldn’t know everything about him, but just from that single action, he could tell that Jin wasn’t the sort of person who spent all day sitting behind a desk.
“Now, these people are the key personnel in our department. Introduce yourselves. This guy is the newest person under Old Man Park—and practically the next big shot in our company.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Si-min.”
“These people are responsible for reviewing the companies discovered by our field employees.”
“Is that a profitability analysis?”
“You could put it that way. The difference is that our definition of profitability isn’t simply about how much money a company makes.”
If this was an investment company, what else could they possibly be looking at besides money?
“Here. Take a look.”
Director Jin showed him a large monitor set up on one side of the office.
Numbers were changing in real time on the screen. The rankings kept shifting according to the amounts displayed.
“What is this?”
“This is the key thing you need to understand if you’re going to work with me from now on.”
The constantly changing numbers were obviously related to profitability, but Kim Si-min couldn’t imagine a company called Lighthouse ranking things simply by how much money they made.
“Could you call Team Leader Im?”
“Yes.”
The secretary standing beside Director Jin soon returned with a man.
“Team Leader Im, work with him for a week. Since he’s Old Man Park’s successor, make sure you teach him the job properly.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man, who looked stern at first glance, gave Kim Si-min a brief sideways glance before abruptly turning his head away.
With a slight motion of his hand, Team Leader Im Dong-joo told him to follow.
Then he walked away without even checking whether Kim Si-min was actually following him.
Nothing about this place is normal, no matter where I go.
Kim Si-min let out a small sigh and followed closely behind Im Dong-joo without complaint.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to look at some candidates for investment.”
“Ah, so we’re going to review them.”
Nod.
The man behind the wheel barely spoke except when necessary.
An awkward silence stretched between the two during the drive.
“When did you join the investment department, Team Leader?”
“Twenty years ago.”
Silence again.
“Do you have a family?”
“No.”
Kim Si-min tried to start a conversation to change the atmosphere, but the conversation showed no sign of continuing.
Amid the suffocating awkwardness and silence, the car entered a narrow alley.
“Is there really a company worth investing in around here?”
“I never said we were investing in a company.”
“Ah…”
After getting out of the car, Im Dong-joo arrived at a shabby little shop.
Inside, a man who looked to be in his early forties was sweating profusely as he fried chicken in the kitchen.
Since Kim Si-min had never seen the brand before, it seemed the man had started the business himself. There weren’t many customers inside, but people occasionally came in and out.
“This is the investment target?”
Nod.
Im Dong-joo nodded.
Are they planning to invest in a chicken franchise? Why have they brought me to a place like this?
“Over the next week, determine whether this place is worthy of receiving an investment from Lighthouse.”
“…You still haven’t told me the conditions for investment.”
“Consider that your assignment for the week. I heard you need an intensive course. You’ll learn faster if you think things through and figure them out yourself rather than having someone simply tell you the answers.”
Shouldn’t you at least give me some kind of guideline?
Before Kim Si-min could even ask that brief question, Im Dong-joo stood up, ordered a whole chicken, and walked out of the shop without another word.
…
Left alone in the shop without warning, Kim Si-min blinked several times in disbelief. Then he sighed lightly and slowly looked around.
Have there even been any independent chicken restaurants these days that aren’t franchises?
They said there were hundreds of chicken brands operating in South Korea, so there was no telling what might happen with this particular shop.
Crunch.
The chicken arrived before long. It was crispy and delicious. The texture was somewhere between old-fashioned whole fried chicken and the modern style of fried chicken.
It’s good.
Thanks to how unexpectedly tasty the chicken was, Kim Si-min had already finished one drumstick and was reaching for a wing when a large man who looked like a gangster entered the shop.
The man was covered in tattoos from his neck down to his forearms.
Wondering if he had come to extort money, Kim Si-min slowly studied the gangster-like man.
Then the man’s booming voice echoed throughout the restaurant.
“Boss Choi! Busy as always!”
“Hyung-nim, you’re here?”
“Yeah, Boss Choi… I’m sorry, but… I asked our CEO about it. He says it’ll be hard to give you more than last month. You know how bad business has been lately.”
“Ah… I see. Well, it’s all right. You’ve already been giving me plenty.”
“Yeah. The CEO said that even if things get worse, he’ll somehow make sure you still get the same amount as before. So I hope you can understand.”
“Of course. I’m sorry for putting you in an awkward position.”
It seemed the man who might have been a gangster was apologizing because he couldn’t provide some kind of goods.
But what could a chicken restaurant possibly need more of?
Kim Si-min carefully looked around, wondering if there was something unusual, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
Time passed as he continued eating his chicken.
There weren’t many customers, and there didn’t seem to be many delivery orders either, yet Boss Choi continued frying chicken busily, sweat pouring down his face.
About thirty minutes later, when quite a few bags filled with chicken had accumulated in the dining area, a truck suddenly stopped in front of the restaurant.
A huge man climbed out, opened the door, and walked inside.
“Boss Choi! It’s ready!”
“You’re here, Uncle! I’m busy right now, so could you load these up first?”
“Roger!”
The large man, who even had a bushy beard, was covered in tattoos just like the man who had entered earlier.
He looked like someone who must have had quite an intimidating presence in his younger days. Without saying another word, he entered the restaurant and began loading the chicken piled on the tables into his vehicle.
“Same distribution as before, right?”
“Yes, Uncle!”
“All right! Keep up the good work today!”
Only after the chicken had been taken away did Boss Choi wipe the sweat from his face and smile brightly.
It was such a refreshing smile that even Kim Si-min, who had been watching, felt his own mood brighten.
“It’s pretty hot outside, isn’t it?”
By then, Kim Si-min was the only customer left in the dining area.
Boss Choi wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke to Kim Si-min, who was sitting alone.
“Ah, yes. It’s really hot.”
Seeing that Kim Si-min’s answer sounded somewhat drained, Boss Choi took a beer glass from somewhere and placed a 500cc glass of beer on Kim Si-min’s table.
“Do you drink beer?”
“I like it.”
“It’s on the house. You don’t seem to be from around here, but you came all the way here, so have one.”
Boss Choi smiled brightly as he set down the beer.
The more Kim Si-min looked at him, the more refreshing that smile seemed.
“Thank you.”
Kim Si-min gave a slight bow in thanks before taking a large sip of the beer.
It was refreshingly cold all the way to his bones.
“This is my tenth year. I’ve been running this shop for ten years now.”
Boss Choi had somehow taken a seat beside Kim Si-min and continued talking as though he were simply venting his frustrations.
If Kim Si-min had shown even the slightest sign of discomfort, Boss Choi—being a polite man—probably wouldn’t have continued.
But since Kim Si-min quietly listened, he felt comfortable opening up.
“I quit the company I was doing well at and came out here. I thought I’d do this for maybe two or three years, but somehow I’ve kept going all this time… But these days, I wonder how much longer I can keep it up… The economy is bad, people aren’t spending much money, and there are just too many franchise chicken restaurants.
“Still, thanks to this shop, I managed to raise my kids through elementary school. But I don’t think I can keep going much longer.”
These were difficult times.
Before leaving his previous job, Kim Si-min had seen countless people falling behind on payments because of the worsening economy, people closing their businesses, people entering personal rehabilitation proceedings, and even corporations declaring bankruptcy.
So he knew better than anyone just how difficult the economy had become.
“Even though you’re having a hard time yourself, it seems like you do a lot of good for other people.”
“Ah, well… It’s getting pretty tough for me these days too… But there are so many people who can’t even afford a proper meal. So I give away whatever I can.”
The owner scratched the back of his head, seemingly embarrassed.
He really is a good, down-to-earth person.
Just then, a light rain began falling outside.
Strangely, there hadn’t been any delivery orders that day, and with the rain coming down, even fewer people were out on the streets.
As Kim Si-min silently watched the rain grow heavier, the door to the chicken restaurant opened.
An elderly man walked into the shop.
