How a Salaryman Became an Underworld Boss

“And now, Intern Cha may leave.”

Those were the words Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun had been waiting to say. Being trapped in the same room with so many top executives had been incredibly exhausting.

I quickly rose from my seat, gave Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun a slight bow, opened the conference room door, and stepped outside.

At that very moment, as though he had been waiting for it, Ha Cheolhun, Vice President of Hangang Electronics, spoke up.

“Vice Chairman, are we really supposed to take the words of some intern at face value?”

“Hm...”

Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun’s expression darkened unpleasantly, and he fell into thought before finishing his sentence. Sensing from his face that the mood had turned dangerous, everyone else wisely kept their mouths shut. As a result, the conference room fell silent, interrupted only by the deep rumbling of the aircraft engines.

After some time, the Vice Chairman finally broke the silence.

“Vice President Ha, let us imagine that you are an intern and have met me in this room. What would you have done?”

“I would have been too uncomfortable, so I would have sat quietly in a corner and tried not to attract your attention.”

“I would have done exactly the same. But Intern Cha did the exact opposite.”

“What? Is that really true?”

“Indeed. Right here, he fiercely criticized me and the entire upper management of Hangang Electronics, calling us incompetent.”

“Hah! What an insolent brat! That guy has completely lost his mind.”

“Quiet!”

At Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun’s thunderous shout, Ha Cheolhun shrank in fear.

“I cannot reveal all the details, but circumstances are such that Intern Cha is guaranteed to be hired anyway. And despite that, he said he had nothing to lose and spoke the bitter truth right to my face.”

“...”

“Even the Chairman acknowledged that his criticism was justified and humbly accepted it. So why is it that instead of praising the young man for his courage, you, Vice President Ha, are slandering him and calling him insolent?”

“...I apologize. I am sincerely sorry.”

Ha Cheolhun answered in a barely audible, fawning voice, fully aware that he had made a fool of himself.

Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun glared at him with displeasure for a long while before continuing.

“The irony is that someone as stubborn as you occupies a position in the upper management of Hangang Electronics.”

“...My apologies.”

“So that you understand who Intern Cha is, let me tell you something. Just half a month ago, his English was absolutely terrible.”

“That can’t be...”

Pieces of the puzzle seemed to be falling into place inside Ha Cheolhun’s mind, and he stopped himself.

“Oh, it can. No matter how brilliant a person is, becoming fluent in English like a native speaker in two weeks is impossible. Yet Intern Cha achieved results that border on a miracle.”

“...”

“Just imagine how much effort he must have put into mastering the language so perfectly.”

The executives attending the meeting nodded in agreement, acknowledging Cha Jiham’s tremendous efforts.

“If Hangang Electronics is to make a major leap in the system semiconductor industry, we must secure the HBM memory contract manufacturing deal with Endivia. For the sake of that contract, we must use every means available. And yet...”

Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun deliberately paused to emphasize his next words.

“None of the people here, myself included, had any idea what had happened between Chairman Hudson and John Prime. Yet Cha Jiham, an ordinary intern, knew every detail of their past. Even an intern is giving his all to help us secure this contract, so what exactly have you executives been doing?”

“...”

Under Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun’s fierce rebuke, everyone lowered their heads in shame. But that was not enough for him.

“If not for Intern Cha, we would be flying to America full of anxiety and completely in the dark. Am I wrong?”

“...You are absolutely right, Vice Chairman.”

“And knowing all this, you still dare say that we should not trust Intern Cha’s words?”

“There is no excuse for me. Even if I had ten mouths, no, a hundred mouths, I would have nothing to say in my defense.”

“Prepare a plan to secure this contract and submit a report to me.”

Throwing out those words, Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun abruptly stood up and left the conference room. However, his right-hand man, Chief Secretary Cho Seongjin, remained seated.

While the others exchanged puzzled glances, Cho Seongjin spoke.

“The Vice Chairman is extremely unwilling for rumors about Intern Cha’s accomplishments to spread throughout the company. I trust you understand the meaning behind my words?”

“Yes, we understand.”

“The Chairman himself is taking a tremendous interest in the Endivia deal. If reality fails to meet his expectations, I leave the consequences to your imagination. Well then, I wish you productive work.”

Leaving behind that chilling warning, Chief Secretary Cho Seongjin opened the door and walked out.

The moment he left, deathly silence filled the room.

Everyone understood perfectly what Cho Seongjin’s warning implied.

After a couple of minutes, Director Jeong Sunho broke the silence.

“Vice President Ha, there is another reason why the Vice Chairman pays such close attention to Intern Cha.”

“And what might that be? Please enlighten me.”

Director Jeong Sunho meaningfully pointed upward with his finger.

“I trust you understand whom I’m referring to?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Excellent. Now then, let us discuss how we’re going to seize this contract.”

***

“Intern Cha, we joined the company together. Isn’t this a little cruel?”

As soon as I returned from the conference room, Yun Sola immediately began pestering me about how we were going to defeat Micron and TMSC and secure the contract with Endivia. I stubbornly maintained my defenses, brushing her off with vague answers like, “Everything in its own time. You’ll know soon enough.” In response, she started playing the sympathy card, reminding me that we had entered the company on the same day.

“Phew... curiosity really is a vice.”

“Do interns even have camaraderie?” I asked.

“What kind of question is that? Of course we do!”

“Sigh, fine. Explaining everything would take too long, so I’ll just give you a hint.”

“I’m listening very carefully!”

“Endivia was founded by three people. If you carefully study their relationships and the path they took together, you’ll easily find a way to leave Micron out in the cold.”

“That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that immediately?”

Yun Sola shouted so loudly that we instantly attracted puzzled looks from everyone in the cabin.

“So you’ve figured it out?”

“After all, I did graduate from Harvard.”

“And that’s supposed to be a joke?”

“...Haha. Naturally. As for TMSC, they have one huge weakness related to geography.”

“Ah, I know what you’re getting at.”

“Can I sleep now?”

“And what exactly were you doing last night? Surely you weren’t...”

Her thoughts were written all over her face.

“Let’s not go there and start crossing personal boundaries. A friend came over, and we stayed up late drinking soju.”

“Oh, please. Stop lying.”

“Believe it or not, that’s your choice. Anyway, I’m going to sleep.”

Reclining my seat, I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

***

After a ten-hour flight, Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun’s private jet landed safely at San Francisco International Airport.

After enduring a thorough immigration inspection and collecting our luggage, another hour passed. Following Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun, we entered the arrivals area, where employees from Hangang Group’s American branch were waiting for us. We boarded the prepared minivans and headed toward downtown.

As I curiously admired the scenery passing by outside the window, Deputy Manager Woo Changhun spoke to me.

“Intern Cha, what do you think of America? First impressions?”

“Everything feels unfamiliar and interesting.”

“People here are just like everywhere else. You’ll get used to it soon.”

“I understand.”

“By the way, Cha... why is the inside of your jacket bulging like that? What are you hiding in there?”

As a reward for correctly answering Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun’s riddle, I had received an envelope from him. Opening it in front of him would have been terribly rude, so I put it into my inner pocket. As soon as I left the conference room, I rushed to the restroom and checked inside.

Ten thousand dollars.

If I told Woo Changhun honestly, his eyes would probably pop out of his head. Deciding there was no need to make a scene, I answered vaguely.

“It was a bonus from the Vice Chairman for answering his question during his visit to our department.”

“Oh, right! I’d completely forgotten! Must be around ten thousand dollars, huh?”

“...How do you know?”

“The Vice Chairman’s generosity is legendary. I once got a ten-million-won check from him as a personal bonus.”

“Ah, I see.”

“By the way, our team has an unwritten rule. If someone receives a personal bonus, half of it goes toward paying for a group dinner.”

My heart tightened painfully, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

“All right. Once we’re back in Korea, I’ll put half toward dinner.”

At that moment, Support Team Leader Heo Yeongjin, who had been quietly listening, intervened.

“Intern Cha doesn’t need to follow our team’s traditions.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, Intern Cha isn’t a full-time employee yet.”

“Wonderful! My money is safe. Still, I should at least protest once for appearances...”

“Team Leader, I’m still attached to the Support Team as an intern.”

“If it weren’t for you, Intern Cha, the Vice Chairman would’ve skinned us alive on the plane. We owe you our lives. Instead of thanking our savior, we’re supposed to fleece him? Absolutely not.”

“If you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”

“All right, enough of that. Tell me, what kind of plan does Hangang Electronics have to crush those monsters called Micron and TMSC?”

A perfect opportunity to divert attention.

“Team Leader, why don’t we hear the plan from Intern Yun?”

At my words, everyone in the van turned toward Yun Sola. She gave me a complicated, piercing look, then calmly began speaking.

“First, let me clarify that Intern Cha provided me with the key hint. Endivia was founded in 1993 by three partners: Chairman Hudson, John Prime...”

***

At the same time, inside the limousine leading our convoy, Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun was having a serious discussion with Hong Hyeonsu, head of the American branch.

“Director Hong, have you managed to obtain any new information about Endivia?”

“The market is buzzing with rumors that the contract will go to Micron.”

“Those are only rumors. Don’t let them bother you.”

“I’m afraid this time it’s much more serious, Vice Chairman. According to our information, Micron has brought in a former Vice President of the United States as a lobbyist to pressure Endivia.”

Dark clouds began gathering over Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun once again.

Lobbying was perfectly legal in America, and hiring lobbyists was common practice. To improve their own chances, they should also establish such connections. The problem was that Hangang Group had no access to lobbyists of that caliber. And even if they did, the price would be astronomical.

“Phew... one problem after another. Anything else?”

“Both Micron and TMSC have already submitted their official proposals to Endivia’s management.”

Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun frowned in confusion.

After receiving valuable information from Cha Jiham, Hangang Group had hastily assembled a task force and rushed to prepare the documents. The amount of material was enormous, so drafting the proposal had taken nearly two weeks.

Yet Micron and TMSC, who should have learned about everything much later, had already managed to submit theirs.

He turned to Hong Hyeonsu.

“How is that possible?”

“As for Micron, that former Vice President leaked all the information to them in advance.”

“I see. And how did TMSC react so quickly?”

“Rumors that Endivia was drowning in orders and couldn’t handle production alone had long been an open secret. TMSC’s management reasonably concluded that Endivia would eventually outsource HBM chip production and prepared a proposal in advance.”

“Vice President Ha! While Micron and TMSC were acting ahead of us, what exactly was Hangang Electronics doing? And after that, you still dare claim you’re competent?”

Hearing the Vice Chairman’s harsh rebuke, Ha Cheolhun lowered his head deeply.

“...I’m very sorry.”

“What’s done is done. No point crying over spilled milk. Let this serve as a bitter lesson so that such blunders are never repeated.”

“I will remember your words for the rest of my life, Vice Chairman.”

Ignoring his apology, Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun turned back to Hong Hyeonsu.

“So Endivia is currently reviewing our competitors’ proposals?”

“Most likely.”

“We must submit ours today, before noon.”

“It will be done, Vice Chairman.”

“And by the way, when is our meeting with Chairman Hudson scheduled?”

“They agreed to meet us only after fully reviewing our proposal.”

Which meant that their personal meeting, contrary to the original plan, had been postponed indefinitely.