My Company Is Black

#003

Jung Hwi-kyung had returned to his twenties, but his mind was that of a fifty-year-old.

His body was young, but his mentality was that of the older generation. Having returned thirteen times and living diligently, he couldn’t relate to his peers who whined about quitting at the slightest difficulty.

It was inevitable. Anyone who works this much would go crazy. Having returned thirteen times and taken the TOEIC exam twelve times, anyone who could maintain their sanity wouldn’t be normal.

Hwi-kyung mechanically bought stocks before getting employed. He bought everything that seemed likely to rise and did everything a 13th-time returner should do. This time too, Hwi-kyung planned to get a job at ‘BK International’ where he had soared high before.

Higher salary, better conditions… Jung Hwi-kyung, half out of his mind, kept getting certifications and was repeatedly startled by his young face reflected in the mirror. The body of a 20-year-old without shoulder stiffness and back pain was truly amazing. What was most amazing was that he was experiencing this body for the 13th time.

Unlike before, Hwi-kyung entered the HR team, an externally golden department with almost no openings, and faced a different situation.

A parachute appointment appeared at BK International, which had been the best company up to the twelfth return. This hadn’t happened until the previous return! This must be a vicious trick by the return system to push Jung Hwi-kyung into his 14th return.

“You know the new director coming in?”

“Yes.”

“He’s just two years older than you, Hwi-kyung.”

“…Pardon?”

Jung Hwi-kyung instinctively counted his age. Jung Hwi-kyung’s current age was twenty-seven. Since his HR team boss couldn’t know about Hwi-kyung’s returns, it meant the new director was twenty-nine years old.

Becoming a director at twenty-nine? It was clearly a parachute appointment. If they were going to make a parachute appointment, they could at least try to hide it, but they were blatantly inserting someone, leaving Hwi-kyung speechless.

“As you might have guessed, the new director is the chairman’s youngest son.”

Of course…

Insufficient conditions: It’s a family business.

Insufficient conditions: The director is a parachute appointment.

Jung Hwi-kyung tried to ignore the insufficient conditions window that popped up in front of him. He couldn’t be forced to return again when it had only been a year since his last return.

HR was a cushy position, but it was entangled with too much corruption. Hwi-kyung couldn’t decide whether to appreciate that the new director wasn’t coming through the open recruitment process that tormented job seekers with false hope.

However, regardless of Hwi-kyung’s confusion, his boss just laughed good-naturedly. He advised that there would be many such incidents in the future while working at the company. Hwi-kyung silently nodded at the advice. A parachute appointment was nothing compared to the black companies Hwi-kyung had experienced so far.

Moreover, the man said to be the chairman’s youngest son had quite impressive qualifications. He had been modeling in the United States, and he had majored in business administration. His final academic credential was even a doctorate.

Hwi-kyung suddenly doubted whether the chairman’s youngest son had really earned this degree through his own efforts. This degree at this age? It must have been bought with money.

“He’ll start work from next week, but he’s not familiar with this kind of corporate life.”

“Ah…”

“So, I was hoping you could stick with him for a few months and act as his secretary, Hwi-kyung.”

“……”

“Just until we hire an official secretary. There will be a separate incentive. You’re the only one close to his age on our side, so it ended up like this.”

Insufficient conditions: Additional work that doesn’t match your position.

“Does the HR team… also handle secretarial duties?”

“Well, that’s how company work is.”

“……”

“Experiencing various tasks is more beneficial for your career.”

Once again, an insufficient conditions window popped up. Jung Hwi-kyung contemplated for about 30 seconds, ‘Ah, should I just return?’ But he was already sick of taking the TOEIC exam again. He was tired of retaking the HSK, and it was annoying to go back and start buying and selling stocks from the beginning.

“It should be fine though. The new director is quite reasonable.”

Numerous unreasonable chaebol personnel flashed through his mind. Unable to gauge the level of ‘reasonableness’ his boss was referring to, Hwi-kyung helplessly nodded. On his 13th return, Jung Hwi-kyung was still a ‘nobody’ in the company. He had no choice but to do as he was told.

As long as I don’t get forced to return, I’ll show them how I work.

Even while thinking this, Jung Hwi-kyung always diligently prepared for work. He ironed his dress shirts stiffly, spraying water on them, and always polished his shoes before wearing them.

Even in the morning subway filled with zombie-like commuters, Hwi-kyung alone was neat. Hwi-kyung always knew exactly where to transfer. It was natural. After commuting to work so many times, he knew which car to board at what time to get a seat.

After getting off at the station near the company, Hwi-kyung went straight into a large franchise coffee shop and bought two cups of coffee. One was an iced Americano for himself, and the other was a café latte to offer to the new director who was coming today.

How many hardships there had been to become such an excellent slave to this company. It was an office worker’s horror story that couldn’t be heard without tears even thinking about it again.

To escape this office worker’s horror story, Hwi-kyung had desperately searched for the Gwaneum Bodhisattva grandmother for a long time. He even went to a private detective agency and put up missing person posters.

But the Gwaneum Bodhisattva grandmother was an existence he could never meet again no matter what. Grandmother! Where on earth are you! A person is trapped in a company!

No matter how desperately Hwi-kyung searched for her, not even a strand of the grandmother’s hair could be seen. At some point, Hwi-kyung gave up on finding the Gwaneum Bodhisattva grandmother. Well, if I just work until retirement, I’ll become something, right?

If he retired after working full term and they still forced him to return considering it as leaving the company, he planned to set fire to the company he had worked for and jump in. He never wanted this kind of immortality… Just let me die…

However, Jung Hwi-kyung had not yet worked until retirement. If he added up all the periods from his thirteen returns, it wouldn’t be strange for him to take early retirement soon, but he hadn’t officially completed his full term.

Working safely at the company until the retirement age of 55 and escaping the return. That was Hwi-kyung’s ultimate goal at present. A goal that seemed ordinary if viewed positively, and impossible if viewed negatively.

Whenever the government talked about increasing the retirement age from 55 to 60 to reflect the current era of higher life expectancy, Hwi-kyung felt like he would collapse from stress. No! Increase it after I retire!

Anyway, to maintain a normal work life until 55, he had to endure both unpleasant and difficult tasks. Not just in companies, but in any group where people gather, incidents and accidents were bound to happen. It’s natural that those who pretend not to see and live with cloudy eyes last longer no matter what happens.

Jung Hwi-kyung entered the company building carrying a carrier with coffee. He planned to leave the café latte in the director’s office, not the HR office, and leave a note asking to call if anything was needed. No matter how he thought about it, he didn’t think the parachute director would come to work on time.

“Jung Hwi-kyung?”

But what’s this? A man dressed sharply in a three-piece suit like a model stopped Jung Hwi-kyung in the company lobby. Jung Hwi-kyung froze on the spot.

Insufficient conditions: Your parachute superior recognizes you.

The notification window immediately informed him of the existence of this three-piece suit man. In fact, even without the notification window, he would have realized it quickly. It’s rare to see someone with such a good fit in a suit among company employees.

They said he had a long modeling career in the United States, and no matter how you looked at him, he seemed more like a model than an office worker. Jung Hwi-kyung carefully avoided frowning and bowed politely.

But despite Hwi-kyung’s polite attitude, the parachute director’s expression was subtle. To top it off, his gaze was directed at the notification window floating in front of Jung Hwi-kyung rather than at Jung Hwi-kyung himself.

In his thirteen returns, no one had ever recognized the insufficient conditions window. Hwi-kyung stood awkwardly in front of the parachute director, not even thinking to dismiss the notification window immediately.

“I’m Lee Gyo-ha. I heard you’ll be helping me as a temporary secretary starting today?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Let’s go up to the office together.”

The parachute director, Lee Gyo-ha, naturally led Jung Hwi-kyung. In the elevator, Jung Hwi-kyung offered the coffee he had bought to Lee Gyo-ha, but was immediately refused. When he said he didn’t drink coffee, Jung Hwi-kyung felt his world go dark. He had failed to understand his superior from the start.

“Did you buy this for me?”

“Yes… I didn’t know you didn’t like coffee.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, I’m sensitive to caffeine.”

“I see. I’ll be careful in the future.”

“There’s no need to be that careful…”

The two, having taken the direct elevator to the director’s private office, sat facing each other across a table, unable to completely shake off the awkwardness.

A new contract was exchanged for working as a temporary secretary. Jung Hwi-kyung was surprised at how large the incentive amount was. Although he couldn’t judge based on this brief encounter, Lee Gyo-ha didn’t seem to lack social skills that much. He seemed like someone who could quickly adapt to corporate life even without a secretary after fumbling a bit.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Lee Gyo-ha extended his right hand to Jung Hwi-kyung, who had finished signing. For the youngest son of a chaebol family, he seemed to have manners. Thinking that it wouldn’t be too bad to endure for a few months, Jung Hwi-kyung grasped Lee Gyo-ha’s outstretched hand.

The moment their hands met, a tingling sensation spread as if someone had passed an electric current. Jung Hwi-kyung was the first to withdraw his hand, startled.

“What is this…”

It was too intense to be static electricity. Jung Hwi-kyung checked his hand again. As if that sensation had been a lie, there was nothing wrong with his hand.