How a Salaryman Became an Underworld Boss

“Cha Jiham, treat me to lunch,” Yun Sola said in a cheerful, flirtatious voice.

She possessed almost perfect, dazzling beauty, and there was only one reason why this girl showed such obvious interest in him. The pheromones contained in that herbal calming medicine. Fully aware of the real reason behind it, Cha Jiham simply could not blindly accept her advances.

“Sorry, but I have something important to do,” he answered calmly.

Yun Sola took great pride not only in her brilliant intellect but also in her appearance. Yet during the recent meeting, Cha Jiham had bluntly told Chairman Yoon Jongu that he had seen girls prettier than her. Driven by wounded pride and burning curiosity, she had insisted on having lunch with him. Of course, she also couldn’t deny that she genuinely liked the guy. However, Jiham was now shamelessly lying just to get rid of her as quickly as possible.

“Cha Jiham, on such a festive day, surely you can take a break from your delivery work, right?”

“How do you know I work as a delivery rider?”

“During orientation, your phone kept vibrating. I accidentally saw the screen.”

“Well, it’s good that you know how I make a living now. I should get going.”

“Even if you’re leaving, let’s eat first.”

“I had a late breakfast, so I won’t be hungry again anytime soon.”

“Why am I even explaining myself to her?” Jiham thought irritably.

“Lunch is on me! How about some simple ramyeon and kimbap at a snack bar?”

“You really are stubborn. But I have my pride too. How can I let a girl pay for both of us? Fine, let’s go already.”

“Hehe, excellent choice!” Yun Sola followed him, glowing with happiness.

***

They entered a small restaurant near the company office.

After placing their order through the kiosk, Jiham pulled out the envelope he had received during orientation from the inside pocket of his jacket. He had expected to find the standard two fifty-thousand-won bills, but to his surprise, there were four of them inside. Feeling that something was off, he looked closer and discovered a small note.

“Cha Jiham, sorry that I couldn’t personally keep my promise.”

Actually, Jiham had thought Chairman Yoon Jongu had long forgotten about the promise to give him one hundred thousand won. Since the chances of meeting again were practically zero, he had already forgotten about the matter.

But Chairman Yoon had forgotten nothing and had simply added the money to the travel allowance for attending orientation.

Jiham was putting the note away with warmth in his heart when his companion’s voice interrupted him.

“What kind of note is that inside your envelope?”

He couldn’t exactly admit that it was a personal message from Chairman Yoon Jongu himself.

“I don’t really know either. Looks like Human Resources reused an old envelope and accidentally left someone else’s note inside.”

Yun Sola looked at him in surprise.

Anyone else in his position would have taken advantage of the opportunity and boasted about having lunch with the chairman. But contrary to expectations, Cha Jiham concealed the fact and instantly came up with a perfectly reasonable lie.

She didn’t want to ruin the pleasant atmosphere that had developed between them, so she decided not to expose him.

“Yes, that’s possible. So what does it say?”

“She sure is curious...”

“Nothing special,” Jiham muttered, slipping the envelope back into his inner pocket.

During lunch, Yun Sola constantly bombarded him with questions, trying to learn more about him.

Remembering the side effects of the calming medicine, Jiham answered dryly and vaguely.

He had hoped they would part ways immediately after the meal, but the girl clearly had no intention of letting him go.

“Since you treated me to lunch, coffee’s on me.”

“I’m really in a hurry. How about another time?”

“No way! We have to drink it right now.”

“Sigh... Why did I have to drink that herbal calming medicine...”

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

As soon as they entered a café and sat down, Jiham’s phone vibrated violently in his hand.

The screen showed Lee Ujin’s name.

After quickly telling Yun Sola that he wanted an iced Americano, Jiham answered the call.

“What?”

“You bastard! Why are you ignoring my messages?!”

“I was at orientation. I didn’t have time to check my phone.”

“What?! You got accepted as an intern?”

“Well, somehow.”

“Wow! Congratulations! We absolutely have to celebrate. How about drinks tonight?”

Jiham saw right through his hidden motives.

That rascal undoubtedly wanted to use drinking as an excuse to drag along the foreign students, Tracy and Gloria.

“Not happening. I’ve got a full medical examination tomorrow morning, so no drinking today.”

“Interns get full medical exams too?”

“Apparently. So tell Tracy and Gloria we’ll meet another time.”

Click.

The moment he hung up, Yun Sola returned with the tray.

As she sat down, she immediately narrowed her eyes.

“And who exactly are Tracy and Gloria?”

***

Three days later.

Chairman Yoon Jongu summoned Cho Sonil, the director of Hangang Medical Center, to his office.

“Doctor Cho, report Cha Jiham’s examination results.”

“Remarkably, the condition of Cha Jiham’s internal organs and blood corresponds to that of a healthy fifteen-year-old teenager.”

Jiham was nearly thirty. Natural aging should already have begun in his body. Yet his biological age was equivalent to that of an adolescent.

Yoon Jongu looked at the doctor in obvious confusion.

“There’s no possibility of an error?”

“We doubted it ourselves, so we called him back yesterday for another examination. But the results were actually slightly better than they were two days ago.”

That could mean only one thing.

The miraculous effects of the herbal calming medicine he had consumed were still being completely absorbed by his body.

“And what do you think is causing this, Doctor Cho?”

“The figures can fluctuate slightly depending on overall condition and physical state.”

“Hmm, reasonable. Continue.”

“There are no traces of foreign substances in his blood, including pheromone components.”

Chairman Yoon Jongu had remained convinced that women flocked to Jiham because of some special pheromone ingredient in the ancient medicine.

But the tests were completely clean.

“Doctor Cho, are the results from both tests identical?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“I see... Interesting.”

While Yoon Jongu nodded thoughtfully, Chief Secretary Song Dosok broke the silence.

“Doctor Cho, you know how to keep your mouth shut, don’t you?”

“Of course. Medical confidentiality is strictly protected by law. Disclosing patient information carries severe criminal penalties. You needn’t worry.”

“Good. I’m only telling you this because I trust you.”

“I’m listening.”

“Interns aren’t normally required to undergo comprehensive medical examinations since they haven’t officially become employees yet. We arranged these tests solely because of Cha Jiham.”

“Is there some problem with him?”

“He consumed a calming medicine with an unknown composition and an extremely unusual effect.”

“Ah...”

Cho Sonil finally began to understand.

“We assumed,” Song Dosok continued, “that it contained pheromones causing strong attraction from the opposite sex. But you say nothing of the sort exists in his blood.”

“Is there any real proof that women are attracted to him?”

“Our vice chairman’s daughter, Yun Sola. She has everything—intelligence, an elite education, beauty, status. Pride is one thing she certainly doesn’t lack. Meanwhile, Cha Jiham is just a boy from an ordinary family with nothing to his name except a handsome face.”

After taking a breath, the chief secretary declared sternly,

“Yet Sola shows astonishing, unnatural interest in him. Even Cha Jiham himself admitted that women’s attitudes toward him changed dramatically after taking the medicine.”

“I see... That truly is strange.”

“Exactly. Which is why I want you to conduct a complete medical examination every six months.”

“Regular checkups require an official reason.”

“I’ll provide the reason,” Chairman Yoon Jongu interjected heavily.

“Yes, sir.”

“And as I’ve already said, if even a single piece of information leaks out, the punishment will be exemplary and merciless.”

“You have my word. That won’t happen.”

“You may leave. Return to work.”

After the chief doctor departed, Yoon Jongu muttered thoughtfully,

“What was Chairman Park thinking when he gave the boy that medicine?”

“If Chairman Park knew about these hidden effects himself, he would never have given it to an ordinary delivery rider,” Song Dosok speculated.

“Perhaps... You’re right. And what is our protégé doing now?”

“The same as always. Delivering orders on his motorcycle again.”

“Hahaha! What an oddball. I can’t believe it.”

The boy had become an intern at Hangang Group, the country’s leading conglomerate. By the chairman’s personal order, he had been given a salary equal to eighty percent of a full-time employee’s wages.

Anyone else would have relaxed by now, but this stubborn fool was still racing around making deliveries as if nothing had changed.

“I completely agree, Chairman,” Song Dosok smiled. “Which is why I have a suggestion. Why don’t we place Cha Jiham in a department where we can personally keep an eye on him?”

“Why are you asking about something so obvious?”

At that very moment, it was decided which department Cha Jiham would begin his internship in.

***

That same evening.

Jiham sat in the luxurious living room of the enormous mansion in Pyeongchang-dong, chatting with Chairman Park Yeongil.

“I’m curious about the terms of your intern contract,” the old man said, narrowing his eyes.

“The internship lasts six months. The salary is eighty percent of a full-time employee’s pay.”

“Hmm. Chairman Yoon has been surprisingly generous to you.”

“I agree completely. That’s why I believe you no longer need to compensate me for the difference compared to my delivery income.”

Park Yeongil glanced meaningfully at Kang Inhan, who was standing nearby.

The stern chief secretary immediately understood his master’s hint, quickly performed some calculations on his phone, and spoke.

“Chairman, Cha Jiham will earn roughly 5.5 million won a month from the conglomerate. After deducting twenty percent tax, he’ll take home around 4.4 million.”

“And how much was Jiham making through deliveries?”

“Around 6.5 million won. But after motorcycle maintenance and fuel expenses, his net income was approximately 5.2 million.”

“Then we’re obligated to compensate him with eight hundred thousand won every month so he won’t lose money.”

“I fully agree with you, Chairman,” Secretary Kang nodded.

Realizing it was time to intervene, Jiham spoke firmly.

“Chairman Park, I worked as an independent contractor. That means every May I have to pay income tax myself. Taking those yearly payments into account, my actual average monthly income was about 4.1 million won. So I’m already making more.”

“I don’t care about your taxes. I’ll give you one million won every month as an allowance, and that’s final.”

“I refuse.”

“Hey, brat!” Park Yeongil barked, clearly displeased by the boy’s stubbornness.

Jiham didn’t even blink.

He knew perfectly well that the old man was incredibly attached to money and never threw it away carelessly. Which meant this was another hidden test.

“Wrong is wrong. I won’t take the money.”

“And where did you get that stubborn head of yours?”

“My grandfather always said, ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.’”

“This keeps getting more interesting. I’d really like to meet your grandfather someday.”

“Let’s consider the matter of compensation closed,” Jiham declared.

“Haha... Fine, have it your way. By the way, your sister will be returning to university soon. She’ll have to move back to Seoul, won’t she?”

“Yes. She’s planning to come in the middle of next month.”

“I see. And where do you intend to live? Found a place yet?”

“I’m actively looking. But rent and deposits in Seoul are insane.”

“Jiham, you remember our previous agreement, don’t you?”

They had indeed made an agreement.

If Jiham successfully became a full-time employee, Chairman Park would buy a spacious house where his entire family could live comfortably as a gift.

That was exactly what the old man was hinting at.

“Of course I remember.”

“Well then, I’ve developed a desire to give you that house right now, without waiting for the end of your internship. What do you say?”

“I’m deeply moved by your boundless kindness, Chairman, but I must decline.”

“Explain.”

Dangerous, commanding undertones appeared in Park Yeongil’s voice, but Cha Jiham was not afraid.

He understood perfectly well that swallowing the bait now was the behavior of fools and weaklings.

Yoon Jongu’s conduct had already proven that the old man sitting before him was an incredibly dangerous and calculating player in the underworld.

Until Jiham completely understood his true motives, every step had to be measured down to the millimeter.

“Chairman Yoon has shown me favor, but my actual chances of becoming a full-time employee are only about twenty percent. Among all the accepted interns, there isn’t a single person inferior to me in skills or knowledge. They’re all formidable competitors.”

“Chickens are counted in autumn, Jiham. Only time will tell.”

“I think so too. That’s why I’ll only accept a house for my family when I’ve rightfully earned a permanent position in the company.”

“What a personality... Who did you inherit such stubbornness from?” the old man grumbled.

And so, Chairman Park’s luxurious gift was postponed until a later time.