The Dignity of the Chaebol

Faced with the unprecedented national upheaval caused by the economic adversary known as the IMF crisis, Hong-myung struggled while Hong-jun turned it into an opportunity.

Should I blame Hong-jun for these results, or should I praise him?

I was conflicted.

“Well, there’s no way to scoop up spilled water.”

I bit my lower lip and made up my mind.

Hong-jun, you rascal.

I have no choice but to acknowledge you for holding Jaekyung together, even after seeing all of this.

But from now on, you’d better stay on your toes.

This father of yours suddenly has the desire to live a little longer through your son’s body.

And I feel compelled to restore the Jaekyung you’ve altered back to the Jaekyung I desire.

From now on, I will meticulously examine everything you’ve done.

I need to determine whether your version of Jaekyung—built at the expense of your brother and nephew—makes sense to me or not.

I turned my gaze back toward the house.

Assistant Manager Jung was still sitting on the sofa.

I went inside and asked him,

“Where can I buy a newspaper?”

“A newspaper?”

“Yes, I want to get a better sense of what’s going on in the world, but I can’t seem to find anywhere to buy one.”

Assistant Manager Jung tilted his eyes toward the ceiling, pretending to think deeply before nodding.

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere selling newspapers lately either.”

“Are people not reading newspapers at all anymore?”

“I wouldn’t say not at all, but smartphones have mostly replaced them.”

“These things?”

“Yes. People only look at the trending news on their phones these days. Hardly anyone reads a physical newspaper like they used to.”

“I’d like to subscribe to a newspaper. Can you help me with that?”

“That’s easy enough. Which newspaper would you like to subscribe to?”

“The major, well-known ones. Maybe three or four of them.”

“That many?”

“Every newspaper has its own bias. You have to read several simultaneously to get a more objective view of the world.”

***

I headed to work with Assistant Manager Jung.

As expected, there was no one in the office who was warm toward me.

The department head and deputy department head merely exchanged perfunctory glances with me. Neither of them showed any intention of assigning tasks or giving instructions to the second son of the chairman.

“Manager,” Assistant Manager Jung said softly, keeping an eye on the office’s atmosphere.

“Yes?”

“I have a lot of tasks to handle today. That’s actually why I stopped by your house this morning. Once I’m at work, I won’t have time to give you the same kind of briefing as yesterday.”

“I see. Understood. Focus on your tasks and don’t worry about me.”

“Thank you. Still, if you have any questions, feel free to ask anytime.”

“Alright, I’ll do that.”

It must have been past 10 o’clock by then.

After leading a morning meeting with his subordinates, Assistant Manager Jung returned to his desk and made a phone call.

It seemed that he had been handling the responsibilities I, as a manager, should have been taking care of.

While I merely sat at my desk, Assistant Manager Jung led the meeting, assigned tasks, and returned as if it were second nature.

Even the other team members seemed to think it was only natural for him to take charge.

“Hello, Manager Oh? This is Jung Hyun-soo from the HR department,” he said.

Since I had nothing particular to do, I observed the overall office dynamics and focused on Assistant Manager Jung’s phone conversation nearby.

“Yesterday, I had to step out briefly for an outside errand, so I wasn’t able to follow up properly. My apologies. When I got back, Hong brought Jun-young’s resignation letter and had been waiting for me,” he continued.

Ah, it’s about that employee he mentioned yesterday—the one in his third year of employment who holds the title of sales team leader and has already won the Employee of the Month award twice.

“I’ll conduct a separate resignation interview with Jun-young, but before that, I wanted to check if you, Manager, know anything about why he’s resigning.”

Jung Hyun-soo.

The more I observe him, the more impressed I am by his smooth handling of work.

That’s right.

In situations like this, instead of directly asking the employee why they’re leaving, it can be effective to first gather some context from their colleagues.

If the employee had frequent conflicts with coworkers, it would be a different story. But this particular employee had earned enough recognition that their department head had even nominated them for Employee of the Month again, hoping to expedite their promotion.

Moreover, from what I heard, they were also maintaining good relations with other departments.

In such cases, gathering information from the surrounding environment first is often a good strategy.

“You don’t know either, Manager? They didn’t say anything at all? Hmm… Is there anyone else in the sales department who might know why Jun-young wants to leave? I see. Well, I guess I’ll have to ask him directly. Thank you.”

After Jung ended the call, I asked,

“Really? Even the manager doesn’t know why that employee wants to quit?”

“Yes, it seems that way. It doesn’t seem to be due to conflicts with team members… In situations like this, the most likely reason to suspect is being scouted.”

“Scouted?”

“Yes. Although he’s only been with us for three years and hasn’t been promoted to assistant manager yet, he’s a desirable candidate that would be easy to recruit.”

“You mean another company would take an employee who’s doing well and being recognized here?”

“Well, in today’s world, you can’t really fault that.”

You can’t fault it?

“Even within the same industry?”

“…Yes, moving between companies for better terms is common these days.”

Switching jobs for better conditions is common?

Just as I was starting to adjust, another jarring revelation came my way.

“But there’s no point in jumping to conclusions without concrete information. We’ve received his resignation letter, but I haven’t spoken to him yet. Once I call him in for an interview, we’ll find out.”

About 30 minutes later, Cha Jun-young, a sales department employee, walked into the HR office with an awkward smile.

I, Son Joong-gil.

From starting with a small fabric shop in Hapdangpo to building that shop into Jaekyung Group, the sixth-largest conglomerate in the country before I closed my eyes.

Luck was on my side, and the timing was favorable, but even beyond those factors, I prided myself on my keen eye for people.

Recognizing talent and relentlessly recruiting those I deemed essential for myself and my company—that was everything.

People are everything.

So, this is Cha Jun-young, is it?

The fact that he had already submitted his resignation letter to HR meant he had made up his mind. Could counseling like this really change anything?

Still, it was clear this young man was a promising talent.

Sales department, was it?

He definitely had the makings of a great salesperson.

You could tell just by the way he walked into the room.

His strides were large but never rushed.

That kind of confident walk came from knowing exactly where you’re headed.

As Assistant Manager Jung stood up to greet Cha Jun-young, I quickly grabbed his wrist.

“Why…?”

“When employees submit their resignation letters, does Assistant Manager Jung usually handle all the counseling?”

“Technically… it should be you, Manager, doing it.”

“But you’ve been taking care of my responsibilities, haven’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s handle this one together with Cha Jun-young.”

“Pardon?”

“Are you well-acquainted with him?”

“Not personally, but we’ve had a good working relationship within the company.”

“Good. Then let’s hear why he’s leaving—together.”

I smiled at Assistant Manager Jung, who looked puzzled.

“I’ve got nothing to do anyway. Should I just go off and roam around like I usually do?”

“No, no! Where would you even go? I got up at the crack of dawn to visit your house this morning!”

“Then let’s do this together. I need something to do, don’t I?”

***

In the HR department’s small counseling room, I sat across from Cha Jun-young, alongside Assistant Manager Jung.

“I heard you stopped by yesterday while I was out on an errand?”

Jung initiated the conversation, placing the resignation letter on the table and setting the tone to ask about his reasons for leaving.

Meanwhile, I observed Jun-young more closely—his face, posture, and expressions—from this shorter distance.

“Yes, it was a bit of a challenge. They told me you weren’t in, and Assistant Manager Hong said I’d need to wait for you to handle the counseling. It wasn’t easy to make the trip over.”

He had a good voice—moderately low, with a tone that exuded sincerity and reassured the listener.

Jung nodded and smiled lightly in response to Jun-young’s words.

“I can imagine. I was surprised myself when I got back from my errand and saw your resignation letter. I wanted to call you right away, but it was already too late. What’s prompting you to leave?”

Jun-young repeatedly wet his lips, hesitating to respond.

Jung simply waited patiently, not pressuring him.

“Did my manager not say anything in particular?”

“No. I called earlier to ask if he knew what was going on, but he thought it might be a sensitive issue and suggested it’d be better to hear it directly from you.”

Silence descended again, and during that moment, I noticed something in Jun-young: his deliberation.

Most people can’t endure the tension of silence in such situations, but Jun-young seemed to be choosing his words carefully, ensuring he communicated his situation effectively.

I could see it in him.

“Could it be that another company offered you better terms?”

Jung asked, but Jun-young quickly shook his head. The speed of his reaction suggested he wasn’t lying.

And why would he?

After all, wasn’t it just moments ago that Jung remarked how common it was these days for people to switch companies for better opportunities?

Once someone has made up their mind to leave the company, there’s no reason to hide anything during an HR counseling session.

“No, that’s not it,” he said.

“It’s not…?”

“Yes, it’s not.”

“It’s not an issue with your colleagues, either, is it? If nothing else, Jun-young, everyone—not just in the sales department but across related departments—seems to think highly of you.”

“I’m always grateful for that.”

“Hmm… then what could it be? I’m really curious.”