I’d Rather Live as a Villain

“I’d Rather Live as a Villain” – Episode 22

(After all, I belong to Kang Moon-jung)

-Cheering in a Giants uniform next to Kang Moon-jung? Talk about a man’s courage.

-Whether you’re in love or playing the male Cinderella, I don’t care about personal lives, but don’t mess with the home team! The Giants are eternal! Giants forever!

The first exclusive scoop launched by Hanshin Daily.

Although the spark started with a photo of a former executive assistant, now a Daeyoung Corporation executive, who had never even heard of Kang Moon-jung, sitting side by side in the skybox, cheering for their respective teams, the aftermath was tremendous.

Various communities, portals, and online posts began to carry the feature articles from Hanshin Daily, and given that the paper was Kang Moon-jung’s family business, the rumors of the two dating were accepted as fact from the start.

-At this point, shouldn’t the Giants be paying Daeyoung Group for advertising? Not only Daeyoung but also the Giants’ name is being dragged down.

-Kang Moon-jung really gets more refined the more you look. This isn’t just about having a pretty face or figure; it’s a completely different level. Born to be nobility. Who is that guy? Why am I envious of him?

-Look at the contrast in their expressions. The guy is hilarious. Cheering that seriously there? Is it only me who sees lasers shooting out of Kang Moon-jung’s eyes?

-You see lasers? I see hearts. Do whatever you want. I’ll handle the consequences. Isn’t that the exact expression?

For a while, the baseball community, known for its provocative subjects, was plastered with posts about Kang Moon-jung and her man.

At the same time, the couple’s marriage announcement burst forth within a few days.

Until then, even those who dismissed it as mere speculation or exaggerated articles began to take new interest in the news, as the strategic planning team of Daeyoung Group’s secretariat and the PR offices of Daeyoung Distribution and Daeyoung Trading officially acknowledged the marriage.

It was only a matter of time before the personal details of Yoon Tae-sik, an executive director at Daeyoung Trading, were revealed.

A typical underdog.

Except for the part where he served as the exclusive assistant to Kang Moon-jung, the sole legitimate heir of Daeyoung Group, for three years, he was a man with an exceedingly ordinary background and unremarkable credentials.

The fact that such a man was chosen by Kang Moon-jung, and that Kang Moon-jung chose such a man, created a subtle nuance of difference, stirring up a great topic and fanning even bigger flames of interest.

Hannam-dong UN Village.

The house of Kang Young-jin, vice president of Daeyoung Chemical.

“Ma’am, could I have a little more coffee, please?”

“Yes, Director.”

The breakfast table of Vice President Kang Young-jin was a bizarre sight even to the eyes of the housekeepers who managed the household.

A long rectangular table for ten.

Four chairs on each wide side, amicably placed, with Vice President Kang Young-jin and Director Joo Yeon-hee sitting opposite each other at the head of the table.

Yet, the two rarely looked at each other during the meal.

Even their breakfast menus differed.

Vice President Kang Young-jin, who always ate Korean food, and Director Joo Yeon-hee, who finished her breakfast with oatmeal soaked in chia seeds, a cup of coffee, and a boiled egg.

However, both had large smart pads on the table, looking at the screens while eating.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kang Young-jin was focused on another article about Kang Moon-jung in today’s Hanshin Newspaper.

“Kang Moon-jung, Executive Director of Daeyoung Distribution, sees a rise in national interest and favorability following marriage announcement. Expectations are high.”

No matter how sensational the headlines are, adding the word ‘national’ in front of interest and favorability is too much.

Vice President Kang Young-jin chuckled at the thought.

The content of the article was as follows.

[Hanshin Economy Special=Reporter Do Won-ho] National interest and favorability towards Kang Moon-jung, Executive Director of Daeyoung Distribution, have increased.

According to Data Plus Research on the 12th, interest in Kang Moon-jung, Executive Director of Daeyoung Distribution, tripled and favorability rose by 1.8 percent before and after the marriage announcement.

The survey channels included communities, blogs, cafes, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, knowledge platforms, corporations/organizations, and government/public sectors, excluding news media, totaling 12.

The research analyzed 190,000 search terms related to Executive Director Kang Moon-jung, comparing the number of online postings and their favorability 20 days before and after the marriage announcement.

The number of online postings with the keyword ‘Kang Moon-jung’ was 2,101 in the 20 days before the announcement, but after the announcement, it soared to 24,669 postings, more than ten times the amount.

Simultaneously, the corporate favorability of Daeyoung Group is also rising significantly.

A representative from Data Plus Research stated that since the Daeyoung Group entered the hotel business 42 years ago, there has never been such a rapid increase in hotel sales in such a short period. It is a very unusual case, and this month’s sales for Daeyoung Hotel are expected to reach an all-time high.

At the same time, thanks to the increased interest and favorability of Executive Kang, significant sales increases of 23 percent and 19 percent are projected for Daeyoung Department Store, duty-free shop business, and the supermarket business division.

…

The wedding of Kang Moon-jung, Executive of Daeyoung Distribution, and Yoon Tae-sik, Executive of Daeyoung Mulsan, is scheduled to take place privately at the Daeyoung Hotel Sogong-dong branch on the 16th.

Source: Hanshin Economy Special (Kang Moon-jung, Executive of Daeyoung Distribution, announces marriage and simultaneously sees a rise in public interest and favorability. Expectations are high…)

Vice President Kang Young-jin read the article carefully, word by word, and a wicked smile curled up at the corner of his mouth.

“If there’s a decent painting in the gallery, set one aside.”

“Which painting?”

As if they were video calling through their tablets, Vice President Kang Young-jin and Director Joo Yeon-hee continued their conversation without looking at each other for even a moment.

The participants in such a conversation, as well as the housekeeper assisting with the homeowners’ breakfast, were all too familiar with this scene.

“Just any. It’s not every day that my only sibling is getting married. As an older brother, I should at least prepare a painting as a gift.”

“Are you going to hang it up and see?”

“Why worry about that? I don’t even care. Whether she hangs it in the house, stuffs it in storage, tears it up, or sells it, that’s for Moon-jung to decide. We just need to do our part as a family, within reason. Why waste time on such hollow thoughts?”

Having arranged for his half-sister’s wedding gift through his wife, Director Joo Yeon-hee, Vice President Kang Young-jin thought to himself:

She’s truly remarkable.

I can’t help but acknowledge it.

How much thought must she have put into trying to change the game?

The fact that she could even pull off such a public opinion stunt, even if momentarily, is possible because it’s Moon-jung.

Definitely better than me.

Not just better, but several times more so.

To the point where I feel sorry for making her content with that position…

She’s not just ‘Little Kang Ki-young’ for nothing.

Over the past 10 years, has there been a time when Grandfather’s name was mentioned more during a specific period in all the news related to Daeyoung?

Even when Grandfather stepped down from the management front ten years ago and Father took over to start the third-generation succession, Grandfather’s name was mentioned more than Father’s.

There have only been two occasions when someone surpassed Grandfather’s presence for a moment.

And Moon-jung achieved both of them.

When she first jumped into management as the Executive of Distribution, and now with this marriage announcement.

Even the marriage that forged the grand strategic alliance between Daeyoung and VR Group, overshadowed by grandfather’s name, ended as a three-day wonder. Oh, this is just…

Yes, wasn’t this what was expected?

But this is where it stops.

This is the last card you can play, Moonjung.

It should have been more realistic.

Not a one-off event-like marriage, but a background that could somewhat protect you, Moonjung. You should have sought such a background.

Because Daeyoung’s succession is not an event, but reality.

With that thought in mind, Vice President Kang Youngjin turned off his tablet and finished his breakfast.

His rice and soup bowls were so untouched, one might doubt whether someone had actually eaten, the contents remaining just as they were first served.

***

Before the wedding, I wanted to give the executive director a gift of some sort.

Was it a moral obligation, unrelated to our marriage?

It started simply with ten billion won, and to that, human emotions and loyalty towards the executive director were added, leading to the decision for a contractual marriage.

Along the way, greed attached, and new goals were added, but the term ‘contract’ could never be omitted from this marriage.

A house that would serve as our hideout under the guise of a newlywed home.

All the preparations and costs related to the marriage.

Even the family meeting, which, contrary to my worries, concluded too smoothly.

In a way, it was natural that the executive director, who proposed this contractual marriage, took responsibility and prepared everything.

Yet, I received far too much.

A promotion to division head?

Since I demanded it, I can’t say it was an extra benefit.

But when I demanded the position, I hadn’t thought much about the executive salary at Mulsan.

With five billion won immediately deposited in my account, the executive salary seemed like a trivial number at the time.

But after receiving two months’ pay, it felt enormous by my standards.

And then there was the deposit for the monthly rental apartment I had lived in alone.

There were lies I often told my mother.

That my superiors at work liked me too much.

That my subordinates seemed to fear me for no particular reason.

That I was living a work life recognized by everyone.

Those lies, when told to my mother, were just that, lies. But to myself, they were the person I aspired to be.

In the past two months, the person who completed the image of myself I aspired to be.

For various complex reasons, I felt the urge to convey my feelings to the executive before the wedding.

It seems my true desire to covet the woman named Kang Moon-jung had also been mixed in.

“A gift? What gift?”

“I’ve been on the receiving end too much while preparing for this marriage.”

“It’s welfare. Although the title is Executive Director Yoon of Daeyoung Corporation, from the moment we stamped the contract, you belong to Kang Moon-jung. Think of it as receiving welfare benefits.”

“I am thinking that way. But that aside… I just want to give the executive a personal gift.”

“Why?”

“Feeling. We decided to go through with this marriage methodically, didn’t we? Both you and the executive. It’s the first marriage for both of us, so I wonder if there’s a need to go about it so mechanically.”

Then she asked me to buy a ring.

“What kind of ring are you talking about?” I asked, “Didn’t we already fit the wedding rings, albeit formally, when preparing the bridal gifts?”

“How can you wear that big stone around? Just a daily ring that’s comfortable to wear. I thought it wouldn’t be bad to have one each to wear around.”

We bought rings perfect for daily wear from Boucheron and shared them.

Left ring finger.

Even if we hadn’t fabricated the reason known only to the executive and me, that our marriage was a contract, it was true that I too felt burdened by the large bridal ring for daily wear.

I briefly took off the ring I had calculated and entered the wedding hall.

The path of flowers laid out before me.

The guests seated on either side of the flower path seemed to scrutinize me as I walked down it, as if their gazes were judging me.

I had to walk down that path first.

Filled with doubt and curiosity, countless gazes rushed towards me.

As if asking, why are you walking down that flower path, as if it’s a path that doesn’t suit you.

But it didn’t matter.

I definitely wanted to walk this path, and I had to walk first for the executive’s turn to come.

June 16th.

And so, the executive and I finally finished the burdensome preparations and successfully turned the first page of our contract marriage about to officially begin.