They walked forward and stood on a wide, open space. Minjae positioned herself at the front—Sang-tae to her left, Jung-shin to her right—while the rest of the shareholders of Choi Company stood behind them.
At first, the staff didn't recognize Minjae. But after a few moments of contemplation, gasps spread through the room, eyes widened in surprise at her sudden appearance. The atmosphere instantly shifted; the temperature seemed to drop as tension filled the air.
Most of them had never seen Minjae in person. They knew and adored Min-sol, but Minjae had always been kept away from her father's companies. And yet, here she was—standing in front of them.
Mr. Nam stepped forward and began to speak.
"This is one of the staff sections. We have about fifteen in total," he explained as Minjae's eyes scanned the entire room.
"How many staff altogether?" she asked.
"Five hundred and twenty-two," he replied.
She nodded slightly, her gaze drifting across the room until it landed on the team leader. The woman flinched, nervously looking away to avoid eye contact. Jin-young and Na-ra, who stood beside her, instinctively stepped back when they noticed Minjae's piercing stare.
Mr. Nam turned to address the gathered employees, who stood frozen in silence.
"From now on, Miss Choi Minjae will take the position of CEO of this company."
A ripple of nervous glances passed through the staff, but no one dared speak. Some exchanged looks with the colleague who had spread rumors of a fight between Minjae and the executives, but judging by the scene before them, the executives seemed perfectly fine with the new arrangement.
Mr. Nam continued,
"Our late CEO, Mr. Choi, willed this company to his first daughter, Miss Min-sol. We all know her current condition. Therefore, her sister, Miss Choi Minjae, will take over temporarily until she wakes."
Sadness washed over the room at the reminder of Min-sol. Many remembered fondly the times she had assisted her father in running the company.
Mr. Nam sighed.
"There will be no inaugural ceremony, as Miss Minjae is only representing her sister for now. Please inform the others, as not all—"
The door suddenly burst open, interrupting him.
All eyes turned. Sarang entered, carrying a large tray filled with drinks. Two cups balanced precariously in her other hand—the tray unable to hold them all.
The room was silent as she walked forward. Not realizing the higher-ups were there, she turned to the staff.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she said with a polite bow before placing the tray on a desk. Pulling a paper from her pocket, she read aloud:
"Mr. Chan, you asked for an Americano, right?"
Mr. Chan gave her a nervous look, gesturing frantically with his eyes for her to turn around.
"Huh?" she asked, confused. She turned in the direction of his gaze—and froze. The executives stood before her, all staring intently.
Her breath caught. As she bent forward to bow and apologize, her eyes accidentally met Minjae's. In shock, the cup slipped from her hand, crashing to the floor.
"Forgive me! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, bowing deeply.
Na-ra, Jin-young, and Mrs. Wang smirked at her humiliation, quietly scoffing to themselves. But their expressions quickly faded when they noticed Minjae's stare.
To their surprise, Minjae wasn't frowning. Instead, there was the faintest smile on her lips, almost as if she was intrigued.
Meanwhile, Sarang panicked. She rushed to get a mop, but Mr. Nam called out, "Sarang—"
"Let her," Minjae interrupted.
Everyone watched as Sarang quietly and quickly cleaned the spill, returned the mop, and bowed once more. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, terrified that she might lose her job.
Minjae stepped forward, glancing at the name tag on her chest.
"Lee Sarang. The intern," she read aloud. "How long?"
"…Four years," Sarang admitted hesitantly.
Snickers broke out. Jin-young, Na-ra, and Mrs. Wang chuckled along with a few others.
"Four years," Minjae repeated, her voice sharp. "Why stay an intern for so long? Isn't that enough time to realize you can't go any further in this company?"
"I know," Sarang replied softly. "But I can't give up. I've always wanted to work for a Choi company. Now that I'm here, I can't quit so easily."
"I see," Minjae said, smirking faintly. "Is that why your colleagues called you slow-witted and dumb?"
Shock rippled through the room. Everyone realized she had overheard their earlier conversation. Slowly, the staff edged away from the three culprits.
"Even I might call you dumb for that," Minjae continued. "But on second thought… determination and persistence are the marks of an ambitious person."
Her gaze shifted to Na-ra, Jin-young, and Mrs. Wang, who all stiffened under her eyes.
"All my life, people have criticized me. That's fine—so long as those people are prominent enough to judge me. But this is the first time I've heard it from people far below me." She paused, her tone cold. "A nobody."
Gasps filled the room. Even the executives exchanged uneasy glances. Everyone knew Minjae was ruthless, but such words were normally spoken behind closed doors—not out in the open where gossip could spread.
Amusement flickered in Minjae's eyes as if she read their thoughts.
"It's fine. My reputation is already entertaining enough. Do with this information as you like," she said with a smirk.
The staff looked at her in disbelief. Normally, someone in her situation would try to soften their image in the front of the public, At least for the media sake. But Minjae clearly wasn't concerned.
Turning back to Mr. Nam, she asked, "You said the number of staff is five hundred and twenty-two?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Why not make it a round number?"
Mr. Nam hesitated, unsure of her meaning. Behind her, Sang-tae rubbed his forehead. He already knew what was coming.
Minjae's eyes landed on Mrs. Wang.
"Team Manager."
"Yes, Ma'am," Mrs. Wang straightened instantly.
"I want you to drop two people… out of the three of you."
Mrs. Wang blinked, stunned. "Y–Yes?"
"Shall I do it myself?" Minjae asked.
"No!" Mrs. Wang shouted quickly. She spun and pointed at Na-ra and Jin-young.
Na-ra seemed resigned to her fate, but Jin-young stared at her manager in shock, betrayed. Still, Mrs. Wang couldn't bring herself to sacrifice her own position.
Minjae smiled.
"I would have dismissed all three of you. But that would ruin the round number I'm aiming for. Then I'd have to fire nineteen more people."
Her words made the rest of the staff stiffen, nervous glances passing between them.
"You made the right choice, Mrs. Wang. Besides, Na-ra and Jin-young suggested quitting in the first place. You simply made it easier for them."
Mrs. Wang nodded faintly, though her face betrayed guilt.
Minjae exhaled deeply, her chin lifted high as she began