Chapter 10
KJ Group was going through a turbulent period.
A massive purge, followed by a wave of promotions.
With sudden personnel changes reshaping the very structure of the company, every day was completely different from before.
I was the one who felt those changes most directly.
I could tell just by looking at the reports that landed on my desk each morning.
- Proposal for a new project from the New Business Planning Team.
- Operational plan for the Production Innovation Task Force.
- Quarterly performance report from Sales Team 2.
- Proposal for a new campaign from the Marketing Team.
Reports came in from every department about new projects getting underway, and news of their achievements was becoming more and more common.
The employees promoted to fill the vacancies left by corrupt executives.
They were working with far more enthusiasm than before.
'This is good.'
Since Kang Tae-seong took over, a company that had been running at a loss was finally showing signs of turning a profit.
It really felt like the company was coming back to life.
Of course, the workload was heavy, too.
There was a mountain of documents to approve, and I barely had enough time in a day to meet with all the newly appointed executives and hold meetings.
There was pressure, too.
Every decision I made could change the company's direction and affect hundreds of employees.
It was true that the weight of responsibility was pressing down on my shoulders.
But there was a feeling even stronger than that pressure.
‘I feel kind of proud.’
It felt good to see with my own eyes that the company was gradually improving.
Watching a dead organization regain its energy and its employees work with enthusiasm made the corners of my mouth turn up without me realizing it.
Was this what it felt like for a parent to watch their child grow day by day?
There was still plenty we lacked, and a mountain of things left to fix.
Still, what mattered was that we were moving forward, one step at a time.
'Is this... the weight of being a CEO?'
The responsibility was heavy.
But the more I bore that weight, the more rewarding it felt.
I was feeling quietly satisfied as I picked up a report.
Knock, knock.
-Mr. CEO, Managing Director Song is here.
"Come in."
The person who entered was Managing Director Song Tae-jin.
"What is it?"
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Song Tae-jin cautiously began to speak.
"Since the restructuring, the atmosphere at the company has improved noticeably. Employee morale has gone up a lot, too."
I nodded.
I had noticed that myself.
The atmosphere of people just keeping their heads down and doing the bare minimum had mostly disappeared.
"But there's one thing that's unfortunate."
"What is it?"
"The company has changed too quickly."
Song Tae-jin got straight to the point, as if this were what he had come to discuss.
"With so many personnel changes, quite a few employees don't even know one another properly."
"...."
"The newly promoted executives are still getting used to their roles, and there's much more collaboration between departments than before. But things still feel awkward."
"I see. So that's been an issue."
Now that he mentioned it, it made sense.
I thought back to the approval documents I'd received recently.
There certainly had been more collaboration.
But most of it had been done through messages and emails.
They'd hardly had any chance to talk face-to-face.
"So there's something I'd like to propose."
Song Tae-jin smiled.
"A company-wide workshop."
"...A workshop?"
"You could think of it as the launch ceremony for the new KJ Group."
It was a fairly intriguing idea.
Song Tae-jin calmly continued explaining.
"The restructuring has been completed successfully. Now it's time for the new organization to come together as one."
A chance for employees to interact across departments and get to know one another.
A place to share the company's future direction, too.
"It'll be a chance to build a sense of unity across the organization."
I fell silent, lost in thought for a moment.
‘A new KJ Group….’
KJ Group was truly becoming a different company from what it had been before.
If so, it made sense to hold an event to mark a new beginning that matched those changes.
"...Sounds good."
Song Tae-jin's expression brightened at my words.
"Let's get the workshop ready."
Listening to employees' opinions was also one of a CEO's important virtues.
Even if the CEO was the one who made the decisions, he still had to keep listening to the advice of people who knew the workplace best.
Besides, thinking about it, we'd been charging ahead without looking back lately.
The employees must have been too busy adapting to all the changes to catch their breath.
'They probably need a chance to take a breather.'
"This workshop will be the launch ceremony for the new KJ Group. I hope it'll be a chance for employees to get to know one another and work toward the same goals."
"Understood, Mr. CEO."
Song Tae-jin bowed firmly.
The new KJ Group.
The time had come to take its first step.
*
"All right, everyone! You've memorized your bus numbers, right?"
An HR employee raised their voice through a megaphone.
"Bus 1 is Management Support, HR, and Marketing!"
"Bus 2 is Finance and Sales!"
"Bus 3 is Production and Materials!"
The day of the workshop had arrived.
Several large tour buses were lined up in front of the company entrance.
Though it was early in the morning, the employees looked quite different from how they did on an ordinary commute.
"The window seat! That one's mine!"
"Manager! I saved you a seat over here!"
Laughter burst out here and there.
Employees who usually exchanged no more than a quiet greeting at the office were as excited as students today.
"Let's head for the back, shall we?"
"I heard Assistant Manager Han is great at grilling meat."
"They say the drinking starts tonight!"
A rush of footsteps.
The younger employees raced toward the buses as if competing with one another.
By contrast, the more experienced employees strolled at their leisure.
"Heh, everyone's excited."
"That's how you are when you're young."
"I get motion sickness, so I'll take a seat up front."
"I prefer the front, too."
There were people trying to claim window seats.
People trying to sit beside coworkers they were close to.
And people using motion sickness as an excuse to secure seats up front.
In no time, a mini battle for seats had broken out inside the buses.
"So-young! Over here!"
Lee Ju-hee waved.
She'd already found seats around the middle of the bus with Choi Yu-ri.
"Hurry up!"
"Unni, over here!"
Park So-young smiled and climbed onto the bus.
"You saved seats already?"
"Of course. Who do you think I am?"
Choi Yu-ri smiled and waved.
"Come on, unni."
The three of them naturally looked over the seats together.
Then Lee Ju-hee spoke first.
"So-young, you sit by the window."
"Huh?"
"You get motion sick."
"...Oh."
Now that she mentioned it, that was true.
She tended to feel queasy on long bus rides.
"Then I'll take the window seat."
Park So-young sat by the window.
Choi Yu-ri and Lee Ju-hee took the seats across from her.
That left the aisle seat beside Park So-young empty.
"There's one seat left."
Lee Ju-hee murmured without thinking.
"Who knows? Maybe we'll leave with it empty."
"If it's empty, So-young can lie down on the way!"
Choi Yu-ri nodded as if it were no big deal.
Park So-young took a breath as she looked out the window.
"Phew."
The whole atmosphere felt just like going on a college retreat all over again.
"By the way, which bus is the CEO taking?"
Choi Yu-ri asked, looking around.
"Good question."
Lee Ju-hee looked around, too.
"Maybe he's going separately?"
"Would he take a bus? He'll probably go in the company car."
"Right?"
Just then.
"The CEO's coming."
At someone's words, everyone's eyes turned in the same direction.
A huge man dressed casually was walking toward them in the distance.
It was Kang Tae-seong.
The employees naturally stepped aside to make way.
'Of course the CEO would take a car.'
'He'll probably go separately with his secretary.'
That was what everyone thought.
When Kang Tae-seong casually stepped onto the first bus.
"Huh?"
"...The CEO's taking the bus?"
The bus fell silent.
Kang Tae-seong looked around at the employees before calmly speaking.
"Why are you all so surprised?"
"..."
"A workshop like this is best enjoyed by bus."
At that, a few people on the bus chuckled.
"Haha! The CEO gets it!"
“That's true."
The heavy mood that had settled over the bus began to ease.
Kang Tae-seong stood at the entrance and slowly looked around inside.
'Where should I sit?'
It was a harder decision than he'd expected.
The employees worried about motion sickness had taken the front seats.
The younger male employees had already gathered in a noisy group at the very back.
In between, people who were close to one another had claimed seats, and laughter filled the bus.
His gaze stopped around the middle of the bus.
There was one empty seat.
The seat beside Park So-young.
"...."
Without realizing it, Park So-young began twirling the ends of her hair around her fingers.
'...What's wrong with me?'
No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, she kept noticing the aisle seat.
What if—just what if—
he came over here?
No, that was ridiculous. There were plenty of other seats.
Though she told herself that over and over, her sidelong glances kept drifting toward Kang Tae-seong.
Across from her, Choi Yu-ri was also looking at Kang Tae-seong with a glimmer of anticipation in her eyes.
'It'd be fun if the CEO sat here.'
It had been the same when he'd shown her how to work out at the gym.
They'd gotten along better than she'd expected, and he wasn't just some intimidating person.
Of course, if he actually sat next to her, she'd be so nervous she wouldn't be able to say a word.
Still...
'I'm a little excited.'
Lee Ju-hee watched the two of them in silence, looking back and forth between them.
'...What is this?'
Was she imagining things?
So-young and Yu-ri both seemed to want the CEO to come over here for some reason.
'I must be imagining it.'
Lee Ju-hee tilted her head and turned her gaze back toward the aisle. At that moment, Kang Tae-seong began walking slowly in their direction.
Clomp, clomp.
He stopped right in front of them, looked at the empty aisle seat, and said calmly,
"Excuse me."
"...!"
Park So-young's heart lurched.
She carefully drew in her legs, and Kang Tae-seong sat down in the aisle seat.
Thump.
His huge frame settled into the seat beside her.
He was much closer than she'd imagined.
A clean scent, faintly blended with soap and fabric softener, drifted over to her.
But mingled with that scent was a subtle, hard-to-describe fragrance that seemed unique to Kang Tae-seong.
She'd smelled it once before. It was the scent she noticed on him when they walked home from work together.
They hadn't gone home together recently.
They'd both gotten busy, and their schedules no longer lined up.
Maybe that was why.
The moment she caught that familiar scent, she felt strangely at ease.
Even her heart, which had been beating nervously just moments ago, seemed to calm down.
'...Huh?'
At that moment, Park So-young realized she was sniffing the air without even noticing.
"......!"
She froze, startled.
'What did I just do?'
She'd been unconsciously smelling his scent.
Her face turned red in an instant.
'I'm crazy. I'm not a pervert or anything.'
She was so embarrassed by her own behavior that she couldn't bring herself to lift her head.
Park So-young hurriedly turned her gaze toward the window.
Fortunately, Kang Tae-seong seemed not to have noticed. He was looking around inside the bus.
'...Thank goodness.'
Park So-young adjusted her posture for no reason and kept looking out the window.
'Hehe, the CEO really did sit here.'
Choi Yu-ri, sitting across from her, was just as excited.
"We're about to depart! Everyone, fasten your seat belts!"
And so the workshop marking the new beginning of KJ Group got underway.
Indiscernible.