The Parachute Hire is Too Competent

Blackmail (2)

"I really wanted to meet Division Director Lee Hyunmin, and now I have this opportunity. Hahaha."

Choi Hyena and I visited 'Evening Star'.

The person who greeted us was Jeon Chul-hwan, the CEO of Evening Star. He appeared to be a congenial man in his fifties.

"I also wanted to meet you, CEO. Thank you for setting up this meeting."

I was as polite as possible, but honestly, I wasn't fond of him.

Except for this time, Evening Star had never once responded to any of our meeting proposals.

Still, there was no need to act hostile.

"It's almost embarrassing that Next Planet even takes care of Evening Star's image for us."

My heart skipped a beat.

After all, the rumor that Evening Star, funded by Chinese capital, was disrupting the local business sector, was all something I'd made up.

How should I play it?

Should I inflate the lies further?

Like some kind of fear-based marketing? The problem is, I'm not exactly talented at that.

For now, let's focus on reading the other party. Maybe I should throw out a light jab?

"It was unfortunate that Evening Star was misunderstood. From my perspective, you're actually contributing greatly to regional price stability."

"Hahaha... That's just how business is, isn't it? Sometimes there's this, sometimes that. We're just steadily focused on our own work."

He wasn't the least bit shaken. He clearly didn't care much about the rumors I'd started.

So then, why did he want to see me?

Jeon Chul-hwan continued, in his characteristic slow yet gentle manner.

"We're all busy people, so let's stick to key matters. I believe the main topic is that Next Planet would like Evening Star to help with job placement, correct?"

Contrary to his appearance, he was getting straight to the point. And calling it 'job placement'—how aggressively he chose his words.

"It's not placement. It's cooperation."

"Cooperation sounds great. But here's a question. Even if we do have trouble recruiting, is there any real reason for us to hire workers dismissed by Next Planet?"

"There are two advantages."

"Ah! No need to tell me it's because they're all elderly people from Nonsan, which will improve our image locally. That's not that important to us."

As expected! He really wasn't concerned about the suspicion of Chinese capital from the start.

He probably already knew I lied just to set up this meeting.

But then, why did he want to see me? There must be a reason. But there's too little information to even guess.

In that case, what I need to do here is not to show any hesitation. I cannot let myself or Next Planet look weak.

"The reason for the dismissals wasn't poor job performance, but rather because they weren't suited for working at a theme park. There is a significant difference between the two, so I wanted to clarify that."

"So, you're saying the issue isn't with the employees, but with Next Planet's hiring process?"

"That's right. Fortunately, those people may actually be well suited for the kind of work done at Evening Star, so I hope we can discuss that."

"Hmm... Are you asking us to hire a fixed number of them?"

"No, not at all. I'm only asking that they be given hiring priority."

"I see. So, what I'm most curious about: for you, Division Director, is it about the process, or the result?"

The moment I heard that, something clicked.

I understood why he accepted a meeting proposal for the first time.

It wasn't because of Next Planet's situation, but because he wanted to evaluate me as a person.

Until now, the reason he'd refused all meetings was because I was producing achievement at Next Planet on my own.

In those circumstances, if we met, they might only expose their own strategies or secrets.

But this time? I must have looked like I was in trouble, coming to ask for external help.

That sets the stage for strategy.

I did not come here to ask for help. I have big plans. So, accept my proposal!

"I didn't come here to arrange some token project for show. I truly believe that if Evening Star and Next Planet join hands, we'll both gain much from it."

What did he mean by asking if I was after process?

They would easily have signed an MOU promising to cooperate on hiring. Why?

Because they already intended to help me.

But actually proceeding to real hires is something else entirely. They might make a show of hiring one or two people.

An MOU is just a memo saying they could hire people.

To be honest, for me, even that would be enough. The Operations Division would accept that as success. We can't force hiring.

But if I compromise here, it would be disrespectful to the Operations Division, and even more to the people being laid off.

I was going to be dismissing more than a hundred elderly workers in the future.

I didn't feel guilty. Just having been employed at Next Planet was already more than enough for them.

But since I was the one advocating for their dismissal, I still wanted to at least open up another opportunity for them.

"I have no intention of imposing a burden on Evening Star. Only those with good internal evaluations will be connected with Evening Star."

"Still, I worry because they must be quite old."

"They're not so old as to be unable to work. In fact, if you look at cases in Japan, elderly workers often achieve better results in cleaning or organizing roles."

"Hmm... But we can't match Next Planet's salary. Will that be an issue?"

"If you let us know about that in advance, we'll coordinate. If someone has no intention of working because of the salary mismatch, we're not going to refer them. Wasting time and opportunities benefits no one."

He nodded.

But that's not enough. I want to leave with the certainty that Evening Star genuinely intends to cooperate.

At any cost!

And Evening Star is still hiding something. I don't know exactly what it is, but I want to force it out quickly.

"I'd like to make a proposal, precisely because Evening Star hasn't raised the prices at its lodgings."

"That sounds almost like you're pressuring Evening Star to maintain its current pricing."

"No way. I don't believe in stripping a traveler's coat by blowing a cold wind."

"So you want to warm us up a little. I'm curious what you have in mind."

You have to give to get.

If you want something bigger.

"For now, I'll offer our Super Day Tour slots exclusively to customers staying at Evening Star's lodgings."

"Ah! I know what those are. They're very popular, aren't they?"

"They make a significant contribution to increasing Next Planet's visitor numbers. When selected at random, the competition rate is about 500 to 1."

"Haha... That's impressive."

"I'll also provide slots for the music video challenge. That's already proven to be very popular. Considering that most of Evening Star's customers are in their 20s, it's quite a benefit."

"Wow! This is so warm that I'm sweating. I've already half taken off my coat."

Jeon Chul-hwan pretended to take off his suit jacket. It felt like he was agreeing to at least cooperate on the employment issue.

But that's not enough.

Take more.

I'll make it swelteringly hot, enough to dry every drop of moisture!

The goal isn't just to get him to remove one coat.

"I hope we can discuss even more moving forward. For instance, about package deals for Next Planet admission and Evening Star accommodations, or joint shuttle bus routes."

"Hahaha... That sounds great for us, but I do have one concern. I don't believe Division Director Hyunmin has that kind of authority yet."

So you're pushing back now.

That's why not just anyone can be the CEO of a company.

Here, what I need to show is my own worth, not Next Planet's.

I raised my index finger.

"That's why I said, moving forward. I'm going to rise to a position where I have that authority."

A look of surprise appeared on his face. I must not stop here. I have to keep pressing the attack.

"I have a big question for Evening Star. Isn't it more logical for you to have come to me for the proposals I made today?"

"Haha... Well, I suppose you could say that..."

"Wasn't it just because you weren't sure what kind of person I was? Isn't that why you hesitated to reach out to me?"

He fell silent. The cheerful, friendly look he'd had a moment ago disappeared.

"I don't intend to make Next Planet just a famous theme park in Nonsan."

"Then what kind of theme park do you intend to make it into..."

"I'm going to turn Nonsan itself into Next Planet's city."

"Ah..."

"Beyond that, I'll create a Next Planet metropolitan zone that includes Daejeon Metropolitan City, Chungcheongnam Province, and part of Jeollabuk-do."

Why did local governments waste their budgets trying to build theme parks everywhere?

And why did a certain large corporation draw up plans to spend astronomical amounts establishing a theme park in Hwaseong?

It's because just a single, properly built theme park can single-handedly energize a local economy. This has already been proven by overseas cases.

The trigger for my idea was a conversation with Division Director Oh Kang-il.

I wanted to create Next Planet even outside of Next Planet.

If you only think about growing Next Planet, you're bound to hit your limits.

I want to go further, and to do that, I have to draw out the real owner of Evening Star.

***

Jeon Chul-hwan made a phone call.

"Chairman, I'm reporting the contents of today's meeting with Lee Hyunmin."

He detailed not only everything Lee Hyunmin had said, but also each behavioral change during the meeting.

[Maybe it's because he's young, but he sure knows how to bluff. Well, I guess you need that much guts to achieve anything at Next Planet.]

"We'll hire staff as far as our resources allow."

[You don't need my permission for that. Handle it as you see fit.]

A faint chuckle came from the other end of the phone.

[He says he'll create a Next Planet metropolitan zone. All talk, no concrete plan. I'd like to see how he'll pull it off.]

"It is interesting, but I'm not sure how realistic it is."

[Start moving on the hotel in Nonsan.]

"Pardon? Isn't that a bit hasty of a decision?"

[Look into suitable plots so we can build a hotel outside of Nonsan as well.]

Jeon Chul-hwan was so surprised that he couldn't immediately reply. The chairman he served never made reckless investments.

He always calculated, coldly and thoroughly, before taking any action.

That's why, even though Evening Star owned land for a hotel in Nonsan, they'd never proceeded with construction.

[The young man's provoking us. He's saying he'll make it work no matter what, so if you want to do something, act fast. That way, you can monopolize the achievements.]

"He did... provoke us, I suppose."

[It's been a long time since I felt like investing in a person.]

Jeon Chul-hwan realized that Evening Star was about to embark on business on a far larger scale than ever before.

[I think I understand now why Chairman Jung Kyung-chul and my daughter trust that young man. I'll have to meet him in person soon.]