The Parachute Hire is Too Competent

The Beginning of the Parachute Legend (2)

No one can truly know a single moment ahead in life.

"They sent someone from headquarters to save our Next Planet. Now! This handsome man here is Director Lee Hyunmin of the Reform Division! Come on, everyone, let's give a big, enthusiastic welcome. Applause!"

The sound of hundreds of people clapping at once hurt my ears.

Just recently, I'd been an ordinary office worker—I never imagined I'd receive this kind of reception.

It was surreal to the point where I was losing my sense of reality.

A man in his mid-fifties, lips sticking out a little, gently patted my back with his palm.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Let's work well together."

That was Executive Vice President Kim Sangho of Next Planet. He gave me a bright smile.

I wasn't the type to be suspicious or distrustful of people, but for some reason, his eagerness to treat me well bothered me.

It was an awkward situation.

Executive Vice President Kim Sangho was one of Deputy CEO Choi Younghoon's closest

associates.

Deputy CEO Choi Younghoon had once worked at the group's headquarters, Next Global, alongside the Chairman from the early days.

His reputation during his time at Next Global was not great.

The Chairman had placed Choi Younghoon as the General PD of Development Department 3, providing him with a lot of support.

But Development Department 3 was famous for failing to deliver proper results.

Back then, General PD Choi replicated already successful games in the market.

His assignment as the Deputy CEO at the theme park was essentially a demotion.

Frankly, even if he had been let go, no one would have objected, but it was thanks to old times shared with the Chairman that he was given a spot.

No one else wanted to run the theme park, anyway.

How did I know all this?

Thanks to Min Ji-na.

She must have been worried about me being sent to the theme park.

[Oppa, keep what I told you a secret, okay? These are things that'll be good to know in advance.]

That, too, was fascinating.

Everyone referred to Next Global as "headquarters," but in reality, the theme park was set up as a separate, independent legal entity. The Chairman had bought out all its shares.

It wasn't even a subsidiary.

But how did Min Ji-na know internal information about the theme park?

Ji-na... she's more capable than I thought. She's almost on par with the Chairman's inner circle.

That must be why he entrusted her with work related to the theme park.

I should stay close to her from now on.

"So! How do you like it? Nice view, right? I put a lot of effort into setting up your office, director."

"Thank you. It's really great."

It wasn't just empty words.

Maybe Nonsan's land is cheap?

My office was quite large—much bigger than the studio apartment I used to live in back in Seoul.

Potted plants brightened up the room, and with the huge windows, an open view of the outside spread out before me.

Is this what a promotion feels like?

"I'll see you at the welcome party later."

The EVP smiled kindly and left the room.

Having never risen above the level of team leader before, I was clueless about company factions or political maneuvering.

But just in terms of common sense, neither the EVP nor the Senior Executive Vice President could have a positive view of me.

After all, I was an outsider brought in, much younger than both of them, and came for the purpose of transforming the company.

Hence the division's name: the Reform Division.

Are those two genuinely kind people trying to look after me? Who knows...

But it wasn't a pressing issue. There was no need to be overly conscious right now.

It's not like I needed to engage in any power play right away—it would only exhaust me.

Sitting in my newly provided seat, I felt a rush of emotion. This is my place from now on.

Where should I start? I had no clue yet.

I'd only experienced the theme park as a game. I'd never sat at such a high position, either.

First, let's check the internal office data. I logged onto the intranet.

"Wow..."

An exclamation slipped out without me realizing.

It was a world a staffer could never have experienced.

I could view virtually everything besides the information sent directly to the Chairman: personnel data for all company staff, cash flow, budget allocations, and more.

So this is the power a high-ranking ID grants.

While searching the internal materials, I learned something.

In the center of the theme park, they'd built a military base from the parent company's main IP, battle Fire.

They must have borrowed the idea from Disney's Magic Castle.

Whether a military base fits a theme park for the whole family is a separate issue for now.

There were buildings like watchtowers at the base, and at the topmost floor of the watchtower, there was said to be a room only a select few could enter.

A secret room with a panoramic view of the park, apparently.

I realized I could enter it with my ID card.

If you love the theme park, you can't pass that up.

I hurried over.

I gripped the secret room's doorknob.

My heart was pounding.

As I opened the door, a bright light greeted me.

There was nothing especially unique inside the secret room.

You could step out onto the terrace and take in the park from all around.

I went out onto the terrace.

The breeze was chilly—it was early spring—but bearable if it meant I could gaze over the theme park.

"Nice."

Even if there weren't many visitors, a theme park was still a theme park.

Riders on the roller coaster screamed and cheered as they plunged down the tracks.

A little kid with cotton candy tumbled near the carousel.

Lovers, hands tightly held, whispered to each other as they entered the haunted house.

And a young couple, resting on a bench with their two children.

All these moments looked like tiny dots from up high—but their happiness seemed to reach even me, standing above them.

I snapped a photo and sent it to Min Ji-na.

[I want to fill the theme park with scenes of happiness.]

That was the message I sent, along with my hope.

Just then, a parade began.

Characters from the parent company's games had all come out, though there wasn't anything especially distinctive or attention-catching otherwise.

You see things differently from up here.

The timing and spacing for each character group's procession was perfect.

Each performed their roles with complete focus—a testament to their extensive practice.

I felt proud for no reason.

But that feeling didn't last.

Soon, I noticed things that made me frown.

After the parade ended, the participants were supposed to go to a room at the east end to get changed.

But some people came outside the building, removed only the head of their mascot costume, and smoked while chatting.

There were even people walking around the park still fully dressed in their character costumes.

It was grating. Quite grating.

No—it actually made me angry.

A theme park is a place that instills dreams.

You can't shatter that illusion for visitors, especially kids.

At Disney, they're so strict that no two of the same character are allowed to appear in the park at the same time, to preserve children's illusions.

So what are those people doing?

It made me tilt my head.

Something didn't add up.

Usually, practicing extensively means you're proud of your work. Do so many people act this poorly?

As I was thinking this, a message arrived.

[Kim Sangho: Where are you? We're moving to the welcome party venue.]

It was the EVP.

I set my doubts aside and left the room.

The welcome party was held at a nearby barbecue restaurant.

At Next Planet, there are three main divisions: Business Strategy Division, Theme Park Operations Division, and External Business Division.

With my arrival, a new division was added, but since no staff had been assigned, it barely counted as a division yet.

Attendees at the welcome party included the EVP, the directors of each division, and all the team leaders under them.

Around twenty people had gathered for me, which was... quite overwhelming.

The welcome party proceeded normally. We grilled meat and drank just enough soju.

Sitting beside me, the EVP spoke up.

"You're not upset because the Deputy CEO didn't show up, are you?"

He smiled and raised his soju glass.

"He's got a lot to hash out with the local government, so he barely comes to the company at all."

"I see."

"The Deputy CEO's motto is faith and trust. For most things, he leaves them to us without even needing reports. He respects our decisions, so he's an easy boss to serve. Isn't that right?"

We probably had less than 500 visitors today.

Business is this poor, and the effective head of operations doesn't even show up to work.

It felt less like faith and trust and more like neglect.

It didn't make sense to me, but I nodded anyway.

The welcome party went into a second round. Without exception, everyone attended.

Did they usually get along this well?

Normally, there's tension when department or team heads meet—there are always conflicts during assignments or arguments over results.

But everyone seemed so friendly.

Was it because EVP Kim Sangho was skilled in dealing with people?

I watched the EVP, whose face was flushed as he chatted with other team leaders. Then he suddenly spoke.

"Director Hyunmin, where did you go earlier?"

"Ah! I went to the room at the top of the watchtower."

"Ah... That view of the theme park from up there is something special."

He then poured a drink for the team leader of the Event & Performance Team sitting across from him.

"Our Team Leader Cheol-jin goes up there often, too. You need to check the progress of the shows and parades."

Team Leader Kim Cheol-jin, refilling my glass, said,

"Our new director knows his stuff. Only division directors and I, and the facility management team leader, can go up there. Whenever I'm having a tough time, I run up there to heal. Next time, let's go together."

Team Leader Kim Cheol-jin looked to be in his late thirties. He had a warm, friendly smile.

"Director Hyunmin and Team Leader Cheol-jin must be about five years apart? Here, you're both among the youngest, so treat each other as hyung and dongsaeng. I hope you'll both contribute to the park's development."

"Yes, I'll do my best."

"Great. Tell us—how did you feel spending your first day at our theme park?"

I wasn't used to it.

The theme park was so deep in debt that it wouldn't be surprising if the Chairman shuttered it tomorrow.

Yet no one here seemed worried.

That confused me.

The behavior of the parade staff, which I'd witnessed earlier—should I talk about it here?

Well, this was my welcome party—no need to bring it up right now.

But the warm camaraderie here—my gut told me it'd be a bad idea to mention anything even at a meeting.

The instant I brought it up, I'd become the one who shatters this stable and cozy organization.

But remembering the anger I'd felt earlier, I couldn't hold back.

"There's a problem among the parade staff."

I explained what I'd seen from the secret room.

Immediately, an awkward silence fell and sharp glances came my way.

Team Leader Kim Cheol-jin, his smile gone, knocked back a shot of soju and spoke.

"Our new director is really zealous, huh? On your very first day... There's a reason for everything. If you push people too hard these days, they quit on the spot. Plus, you know—a lot of the parade staff are foreigners. If you try to boss them around Korean-style, it causes trouble. That's why we cut them some slack."

The sudden change in mood pressed heavily on me. But if I was going to back down, I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place.

"What is the essence of a theme park? A place that gives visitors an unforgettable day of wonder. That's all that matters most. But for the sake of easier management, are we supposed to ignore that essence? I just don't get it."

At that moment, the EVP waved his hand.

"Oh dear! Director Hyunmin, I love your passion. For now, Team Leader Cheol-jin, please look after this. Do it for me, okay?"

"Yes, sir. I'll pay extra attention. Salute, salute!"

"Alright, now that's settled—how about the three of us have a toast?"

As we clinked glasses, I watched their faces. Now that the uncomfortable topic had passed, their expressions brightened up again.

I see.

These two had no intention of listening to my opinion to begin with. The others probably felt the same.

So that's why I felt a sense of alienation.

In a game, if an employee wasn't to my liking, I could just fire them and hire a new one.

But in reality?

You'd have to find a replacement.

That was the first big hurdle.

If you fire someone, the resulting tension spreads to others. Even people who were working fine might leave.

While I had the authority to make personnel decisions, I didn't have the ability to run the theme park without their help.

With no experience as a team leader, just a regular office worker, what could I do in this situation?

***

"My, my, what brings my nephew to call me?"

A smile broke across Jung Kyung-chul, chairman of Next Global's, face.

"You want to properly study management? Well... that's a good decision. What position do you want? Just say the word."

Jung Kyung-chul had two sons, but never let them take part in the company's management.

He believed they lacked the ability to run a game company.

No matter the blood ties, if you lacked competence, you didn't participate—that decision was famous within the company.

"What? The theme park? Why on earth!"

His brow furrowed immediately.

He cared greatly for his nephew.

He thought his nephew had the qualities of a true executive, and wanted to give him much.

But with his managerial experience, he knew: sending his nephew to the theme park now would leave him powerless.

"Not now. I already sent one parachute in. I do need someone to support him, but now would only bring chaos."

He tapped his finger on the desk.

"Let's see what that guy can do. If he fails, the theme park is finished, anyway. My job now is to trust Hyunmin—trust that guy and wait."

As he hung up, he felt a pang of guilt.

Not to his nephew, but to Lee Hyunmin.

He could only imagine the hardships Hyunmin would face.

'It's still too much to face those grizzled old foxes in the organization. But this is the crisis he has to overcome by himself. Only if he can show he's the real deal can there be a next step.'

He felt he should give at least a bit of advice.

He sent a message.

[Believe in yourself. And find people who believe in you.]

Suddenly, he felt proud.

'Hang in there...'