Chapter 138

    TL: KSD

    ‘Being fired’ doesn’t just mean losing your job.

    It carries a meaning far beyond ‘no paycheck starting next month.’

    Getting fired means that all the long efforts, loyalty, joys and sorrows, time, and human relationships one has devoted to the company have turned into mere bubbles.

    A financial crisis can break a person, but a mental crisis can render them unable to rise again.

    Lim Yang-wook knew many people who were ‘unable to rise again.’

    After the disbandment of the Publishing Management Task Force, Lim Yang-wook and his colleagues were thrown out of their nest at Baekhak Publishing and cast into the concrete urban jungle.

    The cruel law of the jungle shows no mercy. Financial difficulties, divorce, serious illness, depression, difficulty finding jobs, jumping off the Han River bridge...

    Of course, not everyone met an unfortunate fate. But some did. That is the cruel law of nature.

    Lim Yang-wook suddenly recalled attending the funeral of a colleague, six years his junior, dressed in a black suit and black tie.

    It was around the time his hair started thinning noticeably, so he looked quite disheveled.

    But the former colleagues he met at the funeral shared soju with him willingly, forcing bitter smiles without any sign of discomfort.

    Yeah. That’s how it was back then...

    What was I thinking at that time?

    Regret that if I had done just a little better, I could have prevented the team’s disbandment? Guilt over the young colleague’s death? A desire for revenge, thinking I must avenge this grudge?

    Or maybe a compulsive fear that I must not end up like that?

    “Haah...”

    I don’t know.

    I don’t know anything anymore.

    It’s all so long ago.

    Emotions are like volatile substances. The stronger they are, the faster they evaporate.

    The self-loathing when accepting the failure of the Task Force, the shock of discovering a madman’s appearance in the mirror, the grudge that had piled up over two years spent in the underground parking lot – they’ve all become hazy now.

    A fog of emotions clouds my vision.

    The only clear thing is that I survived another day in this jungle.

    That’s all.

    “Improving our global market position in company management, and actively linking with affiliates within the group to diversify the One Source Multi-Use model...”

    Watching Baek Seol, the new CEO, stumbling through her inaugural speech,

    Lim Yang-wook thought to himself.

    EP 9 – Sound

    The political structure of chaebol corporations is closer to ‘feudalism’ than ‘capitalism.’ It’s medieval, in other words.

    Therefore, if one has the right bloodline and support base, they can sit on the throne even at a young age.

    But wearing a crown and ruling a nation are entirely different matters.

    When a young person with not a single wrinkle on their face becomes king, ignoring all seniority, the ministers, while bowing down, can’t help but think, ‘This guy is really going too far.’

    Because there’s no particular reason for me (who seems much more capable than that young brat) to serve him.

    This is why revolts happen when the king is young.

    What’s needed at this time is precisely ‘achievements,’ and the reason newly enthroned rulers often go to war and throw tantrums is all a kind of ‘achievement building.’

    Even if it’s trivial, the achievement isn’t to glorify the ruler.

    It’s for the ministers.

    Once the king does something, the ministers can think, ‘Alright, that’s enough for me to bow down.’ and thus their pride wouldn’t be hurt.

    Then, they don’t have to go through the tiring and difficult process of revolting, and the king can wear the crown and leisurely eat and play, so it’s a win-win for everyone.

    In Baek Seol’s case, being ‘nominated for the Booker International’ served as that reason.

    CEO Baek Do-hyun, who had lived his whole life in power struggles, understood this precisely.

    “Oh, my dear daughter. Congratulations.”

    “Th-thank you, CEO~nim...!”

    Baek Do-hyun gently patted his niece’s shoulder. The feel of the luxurious suit against his palm was almost too extravagant for Baek Seol to be wearing.

    However, Baek Do-hyun insisted on forcing Baek Seol into such attire. He wanted his subordinates to look at Baek Seol, wearing clothes they couldn’t afford even with their annual salary, and resign themselves to the thought, ‘Yes, she’s from a different world.’ Power, after all, stems from that resignation.

    But for smooth governance, it’s essential to also consider the pride of the subordinates. In this regard, Baek Seol was the perfect candidate.

    If an ordinary chaebol kid from a conglomerate family becomes the CEO, everyone would bow their heads but harbor boiling resentment inside. However, if they were to bow to someone who was at least nominated for the world’s most prestigious literary award, they might think it’s somewhat acceptable.

    The paranoid attitude Baek Do-hyun displayed in front of Managing Director Kim Myung-woon was nowhere to be seen as he transformed into the polite and immaculate executive of a conglomerate family. He gently guided Baek Seol and introduced her to the VIPs attending the inauguration ceremony. Among those dignitaries, Baek Seung-won, CEO of Baekhak Entertainment, was there, flashing a gum-revealing smile as he extended his hand to Baek Seol for a handshake. Baek Seol, feeling overwhelmed, returned the handshake with a forced smile.

    “.......”

    Lim Yang-wook watched the scene from a distance.

    Arms crossed, deep in thought.

    At that moment, someone approached Lim Yang-wook from behind.

    “Department Head Lim.”

    It was Kim Myung-woon, the right-hand man of CEO Baek Do-hyun, the skilled surgeon who led the major restructuring of Baekhak Publishing, and the Head of Organizational Innovation at Baekhak Group’s Headquarters.

    “Ah, Managing Director...”

    “You’ve worked hard this time.”

    – We need to expand into the comprehensive agency business.

    It was the business expansion he had dreamed of.

    – It’s not enough to just put authors on TV like celebrities. We need to build a system that can diversify the literary content business, from publishing, translation, media appearances, to media mix. Waiting for proposals to come in isn’t enough. We need to actively create an environment where we can regenerate content.

    At 26 years old, as a new employee, Lim Yang-wook had resolved to become the hero who would change the industry.

    At 36 years old, after being demoted, Lim Yang-wook thought the industry and everything else was fucked.

    But now, Lim Yang-wook was taking the first step to change the industry.

    It’s a late start, but at the same time, it’s a significant leap forward.

    – We can’t do it alone. But with Baekhak’s strength, it’s possible. A leap that can end the long dark age of the publishing industry and elevate the status of Korean literature on the global stage...

    “And when I presented it like that, the board burst into applause—clap, clap, clap—so I seized the momentum and said, ‘We can’t do this on our own. We need to join forces. So instead of whining for help, we need to launch a business together as partners!’”

    “And that’s Baekhak Entertainment?”

    “Exactly. If Baekhak Publishing and Baekhak Entertainment join forces... we can take over the world! The energy of the universe is surrounding us! When I said that, everyone started clapping and cheering...”

    Thus, a subsidiary jointly funded by Baekhak Publishing and Baekhak Entertainment, BH Agency, was born.

    Of course, this company exists only on paper; in reality, it’s just the Publishing Management Division moving to the Baekhak Entertainment building to collaborate more actively.

    After hearing all of Lim Yang-wook’s explanations, Moon In said,

    “So, that’s the reason for moving back to the Baekhak Entertainment building?”

    “That’s right.”

    “Then you could have just told me that, why give such a long-winded explanation...”

    A vein popped on Lim Yang-wook’s smooth scalp.

    “Hey! After I went to all the trouble of explaining it to you...!”

    “In the end, it’s just back to Baekhak Entertainment. Isn’t this basically the same as the old Publishing Management Task Force?”

    “No, it’s not! It’s different!”

    “Ah, well, if you say so.”

    Leaving the fuming Lim Yang-wook behind, Moon In packed his belongings into a box and got out of the van.

    The Baekhak Entertainment building, which he hadn’t seen in a long time, was still boldly cutting through the clear sky.

    This was on a moving day.

    * * *

    “Uuughh...”

    The massage chair behind him was precisely kneading his stiff muscles. The gentle massage from a machine worth tens of millions of won made him let out an odd sound.

    “This is nice...”

    Thanks to once having toured all of Baekhak Entertainment’s amenities courtesy of Kim Byul, he memorized all sorts of places—like the in-house cafe?, the aromatherapy rooms, and more.

    But the massage chair was still the best. The moment he returned to Baekhak Entertainment, it was the first thing he sought out.

    It’s a massage chair worth tens of millions of won, but the staff felt too self-conscious to use it, and the celebrities were too busy enjoying better aromatherapy treatments to bother with it, making this chair a hidden gem.

    As expected, the facilities at Baekhak Entertainment are far better than those at Baekhak Publishing.

    He hadn’t returned by choice, but it seemed like a good decision nonetheless.

    He’d heard that Lim Yang-wook’s department had become a bridge between Baekhak Publishing and Baekhak Entertainment.

    Since Baekhak Publishing couldn’t always come running to Baekhak Entertainment like Doraemon every time, they decided to go all-in and launch a joint business venture with Baekhak Entertainment.

    It reminded him of the early days of the Publishing Management Task Force, but the scale and capital now were said to be incomparable to before.

    Of course, this wasn’t something he could really feel firsthand.

    The most tangible change for him was that, just like before, he could now freely visit Baekhak Entertainment and use the massage chair, which said it all.

    After finishing a full 35-minute massage chair session, he walked out to the lobby.

    The lobby was still bustling and dazzling as ever.

    As he considered buying a strawberry yogurt smoothie at the cafe while people-watching for a bit, when,

    “Excuse me!”

    Someone grabbed his shoulder.

    “Are you by any chance, Author Moon In?”

    “Ah, yes.”

    A man suddenly bowed to him at a 75-degree angle.

    Startled, Moon In quickly bowed his head in return.

    “Hello! I’m Team Leader Kim Sung-geun from Management Team 2, in charge of Actress Kim Byul.”

    “Yes, hello...”

    “Could we possibly talk for a moment?”

    With a dubious look, Moon In nodded.

    And shortly after, his eyes widened in surprise.

    *****

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