Strawberry Waffle Fairy (3)
There is no parent who can win against their child.
I intended to use this point to target Yunjung's father.
"Yunjung is now an adult. I hope you'll allow her to do what she wants."
"Division director, our Yunjung—she may be an adult, but she's still only in her early twenties. At that age, a lot of what you think you want to do is decided by fleeting emotions."
"She might regret it. There could be some lingering regrets as well. But if all those things are choices made by Yunjung's own will, I believe that alone is enough. It's the same even if the decision was made in a moment's emotion."
"And yet, she might end up hitting the ground in regret later. Thinking, 'I should have listened to the adults back then.'"
"It's all part of the process of finding what Yunjung truly wants in her life."
The two of us stood at a tense stalemate.
If I kept clashing head-on like this, a solution would not easily emerge.
Now that he'd held strong against my direct approach, it was time to probe at his weaker side.
"Sir, you need to minimize your own risk too."
"Risk? What risk?"
"Yunjung insists on going to Korea to work, but you stood in her way. Later, when she grows older, she might not talk to you anymore. I'm sure you've seen plenty of these cases around you."
Yunjung's father twitched his eyebrows and immediately looked at Yunjung.
"You... you will still talk to me... right?"
His voice was surprisingly timid despite his earlier bravado.
Yunjung just shrugged her shoulders with an innocent smile instead of replying.
Soon, Yunjung's father's face fell into serious concern, but he quickly slipped back into a grave tone.
"She could just inherit the dessert shop. Yes, of course. Inheriting the family business is the Japanese way."
"Why is Mom's family shop your family business?"
"Husbands and wives are one flesh!"
"And besides, my older brother can take over Mom's shop, can't he?"
The issue was now developing into a father-daughter dispute.
I needed to step in and settle things.
I hadn't come here unprepared; I had at least one hidden card up my sleeve.
"I heard your family used to run a steel factory. You yourself didn't want to work there, so you joined a trading company."
"You did research to find out all that. You're quite prepared."
"Then you got hooked on desserts and moved to Japan about thirty years ago. It must have been unimaginably difficult for a Korean with no one to rely on to settle in Japan at that time. I truly respect you for that."
Yunjung's father cleared his throat several times, then turned his head away and spoke.
"Well... It was very hard. But you don't need to respect me that much..."
He was embarrassed.
"I think your reluctance to send Yunjung to Korea stems from your personal experience. You don't want your precious daughter to go through the same hardship."
"Now you're finally making sense."
"But that way of thinking might actually be denying Yunjung herself."
"How could you say that? Denying her?"
"Whose daughter is Yunjung? She's the daughter of a man who took on those difficult challenges. Didn't you ever think she'd have inherited the same spirit?"
"Uh... well... she is cute because she takes after me..."
"Dad... I got my looks from Mom. Don't say silly things."
This was the moment to firmly seize the atmosphere.
Putting strength into my voice, I spoke loudly.
"Even if Yunjung doesn't go to Korea this time, she will likely end up choosing it one day."
"Th-that's—"
Yunjung's father stared at her in shock.
She made a V sign with her fingers.
"Times have changed. Korea today isn't as tough for Japanese to adapt to as it was when you first tried to settle in Japan. Besides, strictly speaking, Yunjung is only half Japanese, and she could even take Korean nationality."
"That's true, but..."
"And I heard you estranged yourself from Yunjung's grandfather when you moved to Japan and started your family."
"Why on earth did you go telling people our family matters?"
Yunjung turned her head away to avoid her father's eyes.
"You were heartbroken until you reconciled with him, weren't you? Please, don't let your daughter go through the same pain."
Yunjung's father clamped his mouth shut.
We were almost there. Now was the time. If we showed just how sincere we were, this would work.
Let's go!
"I used to be an ordinary office worker. I was content with life, working a normal job and earning a moderate salary. Then the chairman gave me a chance. He told me to throw myself wholeheartedly into what I loved. To live that way."
I told Yunjung's father about my connection with the chairman, what kind of attitude I brought to my work at the theme park, and my plans for the future.
Yunjung's father was silent for a long while.
Then,
"At your level as division director, you can probably handle a bottle of alcohol, right?"
His tone had softened, becoming more respectful.
"Yes... I can manage that much."
"Dear, please bring out a table for drinks."
"I'll bring it out right away."
"Dad!"
Yunjung immediately ran up to her dad and hugged him tight.
"I haven't given my full permission yet. I still need to hear how you'll treat her. If it's good, I'll let her go."
"I love you."
"Let go. What are you doing in front of your boss? Show some dignity."
"Dignity? Dad, I don't understand such difficult Korean words."
"Don't pretend you don't know."
Seeing the friendly father-daughter interaction, I couldn't help but smile.
Soon, Korean soju and some snacks were served at the table.
Yunjung's father shared tales of his struggles after moving to Japan.
And I explained what treatment Yunjung would receive at Next Planet.
"We plan to support Yunjung's strawberry waffle as its own independent brand at the company level."
"That wouldn't be a loss for the company? Giving an individual so much authority?"
"No, if Yunjung succeeds with our support, it will be a driving force to keep her at Next Planet for a long time."
Yunjung's father bowed deeply at a perfect 90 degrees.
"Very well. I'll trust you, division director. Please take good care of our Yunjung at Next Planet so she can adapt well and fulfill all her dreams in Korea."
I bowed in return.
Then Yunjung's mother chimed in.
"Do you think our shop could join Next Planet in the future?"
I was taken aback.
Yunjung's maternal family's brand was quite famous in the region. No wonder her family was well-off.
Yunjung grumbled.
"Division director, please say no. Geez, mom, why are you trying to become my rival?"
"Competition brings about growth. I want to teach you the power of the original recipe."
"Hmph! Bring it on. I'll never lose to you, mom."
After finishing a bottle of soju, I stood up.
I would be staying at a hotel for the night then flying back to Korea on the morning flight.
Yunjung's father grabbed my hand and earnestly pleaded.
"Please treat Yunjung like her real older brother would. Not like a church oppa, a real oppa."
What kind of request was that?
"There's over a decade's age difference between Yunjung and me. Why are you even worried?"
"My husband and I have a thirteen-year age gap. That's why he keeps saying things like that."
I looked at Yunjung's father in shock.
What?
The problem's not on my side—it's with the father.
***
Next Planet's HR team leader, Jang Min-sam.
He had been worrying lately about gaining weight.
An order came down to him from the executive vice president.
"Lee Hyunmin brought someone for strawberry waffle. He wants to hire her as a full-time employee in the Reform Division, but since it's a different division, I can't intervene directly. So use your HR team leader authority and come up with reasons why she can't be hired as a full-time employee. Suggest consignment sales instead. Delay it as much as possible for now."
The executive vice president's goal was to delay whatever Lee Hyunmin was trying to do as much as possible.
That was the nature of reform. The brilliance always fades over time.
So he tried to make time work in his favor.
Jang Min-sam, loyal to the vice CEO and executive vice president's faction, relayed the order to his subordinates.
"Don't just flat out deny it. If the Reform Division pushes back hard, we'll have a headache. Who knows what Lee Hyunmin could pull? So, ask for proper justification. Let's delay it under that pretense. We can't totally oppose them anyway."
Everyone nodded.
Then the long-haired HR deputy, Kang Dae-hyun, raised his hand.
"Team leader, no matter how much the executive vice president orders, if we swallow this, it's like eating bad food."
"What do you mean?"
Team leader Jang Min-sam tilted his head.
To what he knew, Kang Dae-hyun was clever but not someone to involve himself so actively in company matters.
"If the Reform Division claims this is essential personnel supplementation, we'll be the ones in trouble. If we raise financial issues, they'll bring up the salary savings from the marketing/promotion team."
"That may be true, but..."
"And look at this."
Kang Dae-hyun showed the anonymous company message board.
There were posts full of cheers when Lee Yunjung's strawberry waffle was allowed to be sold at Next Planet.
"Really now, what's so special about that strawberry waffle...?"
"This is the internal sentiment, team leader. If you pick a fight, your own reputation could suffer and you'll face issues down the road. You have to play this smart."
"You're right. But we can't ignore the executive vice president's order."
"I'll go directly and explain to him. You just need to show that you tried to look for ways to block it. If HR just opposes this, it could rebound against even the executive vice president. So it's best to pass this to the finance team."
"Wow... Kang Dae-hyun, what's with you lately, being so helpful?"
"You need to get promoted too, team leader. And so do I."
Jang Min-sam looked at Kang Dae-hyun with satisfaction.
Kang Dae-hyun bowed politely, smiling.
'The finance team leader may look like he's on the executive vice president's side, but... that's not truly the case. Division Director Lee Hyunmin, I've handled this for you. You now owe me one.'
He went to see Executive Vice President Kim Sangho.
After listening to his explanation, Kim Sangho nodded.
"Young fellow, you're quite thoughtful. I'll take your advice. Thank you."
Kim Sangho then went directly to the finance team.
He shared his opinion with the somewhat soft-looking finance team leader, Kang Sangsu.
"Why are they trying to make the girl selling strawberry waffles a full-time employee? We need to cut labor costs however we can. Right, finance team leader? Please take care of this appropriately."
Kang Sangsu's expression became troubled.
"Executive vice president, I really want to follow your orders, but I can't reject this one. There's no justifiable reason. No justification at all..."
***
A strange message arrived.
[Kang Dae-hyun: Division director, this is Kang Dae-hyun from HR you met last time. I made sure there would be no delay in processing Lee Yunjung's full-time employment. Please remember me going forward.]
What on earth is this person after?
There's something I can guess.
The executive vice president tried to block Yunjung's hiring through the HR team. That was entirely plausible.
I'd have to find out more about it later.
And this Kang Dae-hyun fellow—he was the long-haired man next to the HR team leader when I visited, right? He made a strong impression.
Is he favorable to me? At the very least, he's not an enemy. I should look into that too.
There was another Reform Division meeting today.
The usual attendees were joined by Yunjung—now employee Lee Yunjung.
"Let's take some time to gather ideas on how to compose the photospot."
We needed to create a beautiful photospot, but since there wasn't any clear concept or idea yet, this remained a hurdle.
Next Planet's signature photospot was the giant statue right past the main entrance.
It was the main character from 'Battle Fire'. A man holding a gun and wearing a dress shirt, but with a ramen pot on his head.
This mismatch became a unique charm and won popularity.
But if you asked where else the photospot was, you'd get nothing but question marks in response.
Just decorating the theme park with pretty characters didn't make it a photospot.
And if you obviously labeled something as "Here's the photospot!" people could find it off-putting.
In one city, they spent hundreds of millions of won to make a proposal zone next to the fountain... Of course, no one used it, making it the subject of ridicule.
Some suggestions were made, but none matched my preferences.
So I took a walk inside the theme park to clear my head.
How on earth could we handle the photospot?
This thought lingered in my mind. If I could just solve this, the foundation for the recruit promotion would be set.
After repeatedly pondering this problem, a message arrived.
[Min Ji-na: Oppa, I'm planning to visit Next Planet tomorrow.]
[Me: All of a sudden? For what reason?]
[Min Ji-na: You know—I've got a lot of secrets in my job.]
She sent the message jokingly, but from my perspective, it felt different. She was probably one of the chairman's direct agents.
[Min Ji-na: You're free tomorrow, right?]
[Me: I don't have any external appointments or meetings.]
[Min Ji-na: Great. Then can you walk around the theme park with me? Just us two?]
What was this suggestion?
A shiver ran down my back.
The chairman's spy? Was she coming to check up on me? I suddenly felt like declining.
But...
Ji-na's SNS account. Even as just a regular office worker, she had many followers, and every photo she posted was quite popular.
She was beautiful, but she also knew how to bring out the best in a photo's atmosphere.
Maybe Ji-na could give new ideas for the photospot.
[Me: Okay. But you'll have to do me a favor too. Can we take some photos together?]
[Min Ji-na: That's a pretty interesting request.]
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
I think Ji-na likes Hyunmin...
I ship them...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】