Koo-oong—
Lee Sung-moon, who was picking up a pen that had fallen under his desk, was startled by Kim Byung-soo's sudden call and bumped his head.
"Ouch... Mr. Kim. I'm here."
"What? You were here? You should answer right away when I call you."
"What's going on?"
Lee Sung-moon was puzzled by his urgent appearance.
"Um... well! The CEO of MH Future Security is looking for you."
"...Excuse me? Where?"
"Don't you know MH Future Security? It's a new affiliate that was spun off from headquarters this time!"
"There's an affiliate like that?"
Lee Sung-moon had been at MH Group headquarters for over eight years. He was originally a manager, but three years ago, he was demoted due to an unfortunate incident and transferred to MH Retail.
Since then, he had lost interest in headquarters affairs and didn't know what was going on.
"It's a hot place these days. Anyway, go to the conference room on the 5th floor. He's waiting there."
"Why is the CEO looking for me?"
"I don't know! I think I should tell the branch manager, so hurry up and go!"
Kim Byung-soo disappeared like the wind.
Perhaps because his voice was so loud, the eyes of other employees nearby were fixed on Lee Sung-moon.
Lee Sung-moon kept tilting his head, even feeling worried. He walked to the conference room and searched for MH Future Security on his phone.
"...The owner's family?"
A photo and name of Baek Shin-woo, a brief history. In addition, his recent achievements before MH Future Security were listed in articles.
"Twenty-three this year? Why is someone like that looking for me?"
Then, he knocked on the conference room door, guarded by security, and went inside.
The atmosphere was intimidating from the start.
Shin-woo was sitting alone inside, surrounded by Lee Doo-heon and security guards in black suits.
"I... I heard you were looking for me."
"I'm Baek Shin-woo from MH Future Security."
Shin-woo handed over his business card again and continued.
"Are you Deputy Lee Sung-moon, who was in the Future Strategy Planning Office at MH Group headquarters until three years ago? You were a manager back then."
Lee Sung-moon, still bewildered while holding the business card, felt uneasy.
"...That's all true... but what's this about?"
Lee Sung-moon had been quietly working at MH Retail. It had been three years since he came down to the Daegu branch from headquarters, so there shouldn't be any problems from headquarters.
"I wanted to confirm something with you, Mr. Lee."
"What is it?"
"I understand that you had talent in real estate planning projects, even when you were in the Future Strategy Planning Office. Then you had a bad experience."
Lee Sung-moon frowned at the unpleasant memory.
"Did Myung Woon-seok send you?"
"No. Don't mention that unpleasant name here. I just personally looked into you, Mr. Lee."
"Really?"
"I didn't come with bad intentions. Depending on your answer, Mr. Lee, there may be good things in store."
Lee Sung-moon fiddled with the business card and thought for a moment.
"Speak..."
"Do you want to work on real estate planning projects again?"
"Of course... of course. That's why I was able to get into MH Group headquarters in the first place."
"It's been three years since you've been involved in planning work. Have you prepared anything in the meantime?"
The complex feelings in Lee Sung-moon's heart began to change from unease to anticipation.
"Y-yes! Since I have to travel around the country a lot here, I've been thinking about it and organizing my ideas."
"Can I see them?"
"J-just a moment! It's on the tablet I left on my desk."
With that answer, Lee Sung-moon ran quickly and brought the tablet.
However, he didn't immediately hand the tablet over to Shin-woo. Lee Sung-moon had a bad experience with showing his ideas to others.
"By any chance..."
"Ah, you don't have to think I'm going to do something like Myung Woon-seok."
Shin-woo knew very well what that was.
"...Really?"
"How can I make you believe me? Or would you like to sign our MH Future Security employment contract first?"
"...Excuse me? Me?"
"That's why I came."
With that answer, Shin-woo received the envelope that Lee Doo-heon had been holding and handed it over.
Lee Sung-moon looked at the contents and confirmed that it was indeed an employment contract, just as he had heard.
"...A department head?"
"Yes. The position of planning department head."
"An annual salary of 120 million won?"
"There's also a profit-based incentive clause, so please check it carefully."
"Heok—!"
Even the annual salary of a department head at MH Group was less than 100 million won, so he couldn't help but be shocked.
Shin-woo smiled as he watched Lee Sung-moon's surprised expression.
"Do you believe me now?"
"O-of course!"
The tablet was handed over to Shin-woo. The number of real estate planning project portfolios written inside was considerable.
Meanwhile, Jang Man-soo's voice echoed in Shin-woo's ear, who had been wearing a small earphone from the beginning.
[It's the Lee Sung-moon I know. Fortunately, it seems like nothing has changed from the original future.]
In fact, Jang Man-soo had been sharing the entire situation through the tie pin that Shin-woo was wearing.
In response, Shin-woo pretended to touch his ear and tapped the earphone as a sign of affirmation.
"Good. If there are no problems, come over to our side."
"...Really?"
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
"A-ah, no..."
He knew for sure who Baek Shin-woo was from the search he had done earlier. The illegitimate son of the MH Group owner's family. At the same time, a famous person who had risen to the position of CEO of a newly established affiliate in less than a year.
"Internal transfers are complicated and troublesome, so it would be good if you could resign from MH Retail and transfer to our side."
"I will."
"I like that you make decisions quickly."
Shin-woo stood up and shook hands with him.
At that moment, the branch manager of MH Retail carefully knocked on the door and entered.
"Have you finished talking?"
"Yes. I've finished my business, so I'll be going back."
"If you're okay with it, why don't you have a meal before you go!"
To the branch manager, Shin-woo was important not only as the CEO of an affiliate but also as a member of the owner's family.
He believed that if he treated him well, he could leave the branch and enter headquarters.
However, Shin-woo could see through the branch manager's obvious intentions.
"It's okay. And Deputy Lee... no, I should call you Department Head now. Housing is also prepared, so if you need it, you can contact the Security headquarters and use it. I hope you can wrap things up quickly and come up."
Shin-woo left with his security guards.
The people left in the conference room were dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on. Then, Deputy Kim Byung-soo, who had followed the branch manager in, recalled Shin-woo's words earlier and said.
"Deputy Lee! What did the CEO say earlier? Department head? Are you talking about you?"
Lee Sung-moon also didn't understand whether the situation he was experiencing was a dream or reality.
"...That's what he said."
* * *
Shin-woo, who returned to Seoul, visited the Pyeongchang-dong residence at Myung Joong-hwan's call.
All members of the Myung family were sitting around a large dining table. At the same time, cold gazes like bullets were fixed on him from everyone except Myung Joong-hwan and Lim Hee-yeon.
'They're going to eat me alive. They're really going to eat me alive.'
Myung Joong-hwan stared at Shin-woo, who was standing for a moment.
"What are you doing standing there? Aren't you going to sit down?"
"I was just thinking about something."
Shin-woo sat down on the chair at the end of the table.
Since they were there for dinner, everyone began to eat quietly as the food came out. Then, Myung Joong-hwan scanned his children with a displeased expression before stopping his gaze on Myung Woon-seok.
"Woon-seok said he's going on a business trip to China this time."
"It's a contract with Baipo to lease our MH Electronics patent. China is going there to audit the technical implementation equipment and the technical support system."
"To be honest, it's just a nominal technology patent lease. When the period is over, they'll take everything and use it for domestic consumption."
In the end, it was technology patent theft.
Of course, MH Group couldn't have been unaware of that.
"You can't stop the water from leaking out by blocking it. And we can make a lot of money from it."
"It's good to use it that way. Do a good job."
The next question was directed to Myung Jin-seok.
"Jin-seok, I heard you moved your workplace to the Management Support Division. Is it manageable?"
"...Well, yeah."
Myung Joong-hwan's lips twisted at the lukewarm answer.
"You were just like that when you were at MH Food, and you were just like that when you were under Hee-yeon. If you're going to keep working like that there, then quit."
"Ahem, ahem..."
His father, Myung Sung-cheol, coughed as if telling him to read the room.
In response, Myung Jin-seok stuttered slightly.
"Huh? Ah, no, that's not it. I'm just getting used to going to the Management Support Division."
Myung Jin-seok had moved to the Management Support Division because he didn't want to go under Shin-woo when the Strategic Investment Division was promoted to an affiliate, MH Future Security.
Of course, the process was not smooth, and he was busy watching Myung Joong-hwan's every move.
"...I will keep that in mind."
It was like getting homework checked in order.
Then, his gaze went to Myung Sung-cheol's second child and only granddaughter, Myung Yoo-hee.
"Yoo-hee, how's your college life these days? You're going up to your fourth year next year, right?"
"Yes, Grandpa. But I'm also thinking about taking a leave of absence."
"What's the reason for that?"
The reasons for a typical college student's leave of absence are tuition or financial difficulties.
But Myung Yoo-hee, a third-generation member of MH Group, couldn't have such difficulties.
"I was thinking of doing something else properly before I graduate from school."
Myung Yoo-hee was working as a model for small and medium-sized shopping malls, thanks to the fact that she resembled her mother, Lim Ji-soo, who had been an actress with outstanding beauty.
"Are you talking about that part-time job? It seems more interesting than I thought."
"It's not bad. And I've also received offers from several agencies."
At those words, Myung Sung-cheol, who was sitting next to her, was startled.
"Yoo-hee. Wouldn't it be better to talk about that later, just the two of us?"
In fact, Myung Yoo-hee was like her mother in terms of appearance, but her brains were on the Myung family side. That's why the university she was currently attending was also Korea University, the best prestigious school in Seoul, majoring in business administration.
On the other hand, Myung Jin-seok went to Yeonjung University, which was worse than Korea University.
Because of those things, Myung Sung-cheol desperately hoped that Myung Yoo-hee would come to MH Group and work there rather than Myung Jin-seok.
However, unlike Myung Sung-cheol's wishes, Myung Yoo-hee wanted to pioneer her own path.
Of course, she had worked hard to study and entered the Department of Business Administration at Korea University in order to meet her father's expectations in her own way.
But while attending university, her goal became clearer.
"Grandpa asked me."
"Yes, that's right. It seems like an important matter, so let's continue talking about it."
Myung Sung-cheol had no choice but to stop talking at Myung Joong-hwan's answer.
In response, Myung Yoo-hee smiled slightly and continued.
"I'm considering accepting contract terms with the goal of debuting as an actress."
I don't know about other people, but Myung Yoo-hee, who was famous for her appearance as well as her family at Korea University, had received offers from entertainment agencies several times even in high school.
But at that time, Myung Yoo-hee was accepting Myung Sung-cheol's expectations in her own way, so she put them all on hold.
"Oh... now that I think about it, Yoo-hee, you liked acting when you were in kindergarten."
"Do you remember that?"
"Of course. You used to come to my study and show me several times."
Frankly, it was so long ago that even Myung Yoo-hee didn't remember it well.
"Did I do that?"
"You did. Hahaha—!"
For some reason, the dinner atmosphere was friendly.
Myung Joong-hwan looked at Myung Yoo-hee with a smile.
"You don't have to worry about company matters, either. So if there's anything you want to do, don't hesitate to do it."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
Only Myung Sung-cheol was wearing a bitter smile at the table.
Then, Myung Joong-hwan finally met Shin-woo's eyes.
"MH Tech is urging us to find out when research collaboration is possible."
"MH Future Security is almost finished, so it will be done soon. Originally, it could have been done sooner, but it was delayed because someone was pushing some ridiculous executive candidates."
Everyone knew who he was talking about. It was rumored inside headquarters that Myung In-cheol had suggested Executive Director Lee Byung-jin and executive candidates and had been countered.
At the same time, the executives who had problems were audited through Lim Hee-yeon.
"It must have been quite a headache."
"Not really. They were so openly hostile that it was easier to deal with."
It was an answer that would make anyone involved uncomfortable.
Perhaps because of that, Myung Woon-seok put down his spoon