I’d Rather Live as a Villain - I’d Rather Live as a Villain chapter 52

52 I will become your pride.

Did Great Aunt really say that to him?

In the president’s office of Daeyoung Distribution headquarters.

Kang Moon-jung began twirling an automatic fountain pen between his fingers, seated at his office desk.

Recalling the conversation with his husband from this morning.

It was when he had returned home after completing his morning exercise routine, which he hadn’t done for the past few days while living in Pyeongchang-dong.

Perhaps due to the short overseas business trip, his husband’s day and night had reversed. He had hurriedly finished his exercise and returned home to prepare breakfast himself, only to find his husband, looking more refreshed than usual, already preparing the morning meal.

“Sleep a little more. You came in at that time yesterday and seemed to go straight to watch something.”

It was after that when he felt something out of place in the space where his husband was preparing breakfast.

There were separate commemorative magnets representing Italy, France, and Germany on the refrigerator.

“What’s this?”

“Oh, these? I picked one up whenever I had some time during the business trip. For remembrance.”

“Remembrance?”

“Have I ever told you about it?”

“About what?”

“Now that I’m this age, I think I understand why my late father would go sailing far away and always bring back stamps or local currency from each country to give to me as gifts whenever he returned to Korea.”

“……?”

“There must have been a sense of gifting to his son, but I also wonder if my father wanted to record his life in such a way… When I think about it, the first thing I received from my father wasn’t stamps or currency, but a stamp collection book that was already somewhat filled. He had that hobby even before he passed it on to me. From now on, whenever I go on overseas business trips or travel, I want to collect magnets like these. So later, when our baby is born, I can give them to him.”

He playfully expressed his disappointment to his husband without any particular reason.

“So, you had time to buy these but not a gift for me?”

“I’ve prepared a more thoughtful gift for you, not something you can buy with money.”

“……What?”

“Sit down first. Let’s talk while we eat. You should like it.”

His husband spoke at the dining table.

He mentioned what the Great Aunt had said to him on the day of the general shareholders’ meeting for his inauguration as president.

“Your great-great-grandfather, Chairman Kang Byung-ryul. I never actually met him, so it’s a bit awkward to speak only from what I’ve heard. And certainly, there must be a lot of embellishment of his achievements at the group level. But as far as it’s publicly known, he established the company Daeyoung during the war-torn times to contribute even a little to this impoverished country.”

“Why are you bringing up the great-great-grandfather whom I’ve also never actually met?”

“And Grandfather, Chairman Kang Ki-young. The true protagonist who created what Daeyoung is today. Grandfather had a clear goal and vision to grow Daeyoung into South Korea’s number one company, a global enterprise.”

“……”

“Focused solely on that goal, he spent his lifetime creating a new vision, constantly encouraging the employees to strive forward.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“And your father, my father-in-law, Chairman Kang Man-ho.”

From that moment, Moon-jung felt chills from her husband’s analysis.

“Please don’t misunderstand, this is an objective statement. Inevitably, appearing after the giants of the era, Kang Byung-ryul and Kang Ki-young, he has been quite underrated despite his abilities.”

“……?”

“As you say, under Grandfather’s guidance, the hidden contributions of my father-in-law were absolutely crucial in shaping Daeyoung into the republic it is today.”

“That’s something Grandfather acknowledged.”

“Then, my father-in-law must have had a clear goal as well.”

“What goal?”

“Not the personal goal you or your brother have, to become the successor of Daeyoung, to eventually become the chairman of the Daeyoung group, but the concerns and goals befitting that position, on how to further grow the Daeyoung group.”

At that moment, she felt goosebumps all over her body, regardless of the weather outside.

“Grandfather must have thought of Daeyoung as Chairman Kang Ki-young himself. The world would have given absolute trust to Daeyoung, centered around such a historical figure. So, to grow Daeyoung even larger, to expand its global reach, he must have decided it was necessary to deify Grandfather, or at least, to package him as a giant of the era if deification is too grand a term.”

“……”

“So, according to what you said, even though my father-in-law grew the electronics division, which is now the core of Daeyoung, from the early 2000s when they first entered the mobile phone market to the current smartphones, he attributed all those achievements to Grandfather’s name.”

Moon-jung was left speechless before her husband’s continued questioning.

“Do you have such a thing?”

“Such a… thing, what do you mean?”

“I’m asking if you, as the successor of Daeyoung and currently in my father-in-law’s position, have a goal and vision for leading Daeyoung, aside from the goal of simply taking over that position.”

She felt her mind turning blank.

It was as if she was receiving sharp criticism from Grandfather at the breakfast table in Pyeongchang-dong, unable to think of anything at the moment.

“I’m asking out of curiosity. If you don’t have one, let’s create it together. If you take that position, for the past efforts of the previous chairmen, for the history of Daeyoung, for the current employees of Daeyoung, for the future of Daeyoung, what will you do, what role will you definitely play… Do you have such goals and visions?”

Moon-jung was ashamed.

Both in front of her husband and herself.

She thought she had shown everything to her husband, that there was nothing left to hide, nothing to be ashamed of, but for the first time, she felt more embarrassed than when she was naked in front of him.

It felt like she had revealed her bottom line, not her nakedness.

To such a self, her husband said,

“If you still don’t have such a thing, then your current competitor is not your brother, but rather yourself, who still lacks any vision or plan. That’s what I’ve been thinking about on my business trip.”

“……”

“As I quietly reflected, it wasn’t Grandfather but Father-in-law who seemed to have no limits when it came to Daeyoung’s sake.”

“……What do you mean?”

“At least Grandfather clung to his honor. But Father-in-law, despite being undervalued as a third-generation executive compared to the titans of the era, Kang Byeong-ryul and Kang Ki-young, continues to move forward.”

Moon-jung understood.

The goals and vision leading Daeyoung.

If they were absent at the moment, her husband had said, let’s create them together.

Yet, strangely, this part seemed like an area she couldn’t significantly help with, an area she couldn’t ponder and create on his behalf—it sounded like her husband’s confession.

And she knew that even if her husband could help, it was something she must create on her own.

“The gift I brought from my business trip. Do you like it?”

“……Thank you.”

“I’m relieved to see your expression. It seems you feel the same way I do.”

“How is that a relief? I’m just now realizing that I hadn’t even considered such thoughts, and not from someone else but from myself.”

“We’ll create it somehow. Better than anyone.”

“……”

“Do you think I don’t know Kang Moon-jung?”

* * *

One day, two days, three days……

Time was slipping away relentlessly.

Then, in front of Moon-jung, the first half-year advertising plan draft from the distribution headquarters’ PR department arrived.

An advertisement encompassing both the department store and duty-free shop businesses.

A large billboard in the airport baggage claim area, airline magazines, even a TV commercial for the first half-year advertisement.

As it was the first advertisement executed after her inauguration as president, it inevitably concentrated attention on Moon-jung, the new president of Daeyoung Distribution, both externally and internally.

Asia’s largest scale, number one in domestic sales, top in brand preference……

Certainly, when initially entrusting the advertisement to the agency, these were the points she thought most crucial to mention. But now, looking back, the ad copies sparked no emotion.

Eventually, Moon-jung summoned the department heads of the department store and duty-free shop, and additionally, the hotel business sector head and the PR director, all to the conference room.

“What do you think?”

The advertising plan draft from the PR department was displayed on the portable TV screen.

Upon President Kang Moon-jung’s question, the department heads of the department store and duty-free shop business, excluding the hotel business sector head, and the PR director began to feel their thoughts grow complicated.

It was President Kang Moon-jung who had given the final confirmation to send this concept to the agency for the ad copy.

And the copy seems to be of a professional level, evident to anyone who sees it.

Yet, the president’s expression, as he goes out of his way to ask what we think, suggests that the copy has not met his expectations.

“It’s still a draft plan, so instead of developing it in this state, it might be better to divide the points a bit more and strengthen each point,” replied the department head of the department store division.

President Kang Moon-jung simply nodded in response.

This time, the duty-free division’s department head, sensing instinctively that the president wanted something else, continued the conversation.

“It’s passable, but even within that passability, the phrase ‘Asia’s largest scale’ in the copy now unavoidably feels cliché. Wouldn’t it be better to remove that part?”

Again, President Kang Moon-jung nodded as if to agree.

After nodding for a while, President Kang Moon-jung cautiously, very cautiously, opened his mouth.

“Is this the right thing to do?”

“……”

“Asia’s largest scale, number one in domestic sales, top in brand preference. Is this really the direction Daeyoung Distribution should continue to follow in the future?”

Only then did the department heads and the director of public relations gathered realize that the president was not questioning the copy itself, but rather seeking their help to chart a new direction.

“Furthermore, is it right for not just Daeyoung Distribution but the entire Daeyoung Group to keep focusing on being the largest in scale, number one in sales, number one in the market, the best, the best…?”

At that moment, the department head of the hotel division realized why President Kang Moon-jung had called him to this meeting concerning the advertising plan for department stores and duty-free shops.

The department head of the hotel division thought to himself.

The president is not just raising questions about the advertising plan.

As he just said himself, he is questioning the direction Daeyoung Distribution, which he has led as president, should take in the future, and even more so, the direction the entire Daeyoung Group, which he is part of the succession structure, should take.

“People have increasingly started to equate the image of Daeyoung Hotel with that of the president.”

The department head of the hotel division spoke up with difficulty.

“In the future, not just Daeyoung Hotel, but various divisions of Daeyoung Distribution will gradually change in the same way.”

At those words, President Kang Moon-jung and the other three people present all nodded simultaneously.

“Largest scale? Number one? The best? That’s not the image of the president. Nor is it the image of Daeyoung Hotel. There’s a clear disconnect with the image of the department store and duty-free divisions.”

At that moment, the word ‘disconnect’ swiftly struck President Kang Moon-jung’s heart.

Indeed.

Largest scale, number one, the best… That was not his image, but his grandfather’s.

“What do you think my image is, then?” President Kang Moon-jung asked earnestly.

He genuinely wanted to know.

How he should lead Daeyoung Distribution in the future, and… how he should lead the Daeyoung Group.

“My opinion isn’t what’s important, sir.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s how the world views a person like you, the president, that matters.”

“……”

“The sophistication and elegance born from confidence and assertiveness. Typically, everyone imagines you with such an image, sir.”

“Confidence and assertiveness? Do you really see that in me? Do I possess such qualities?”

At this moment, the division head of the hotel business realized what kind of wall Kang Moon-jung was facing.

The hero who led Daeyoung Hotel to the top of the domestic market was none other than President Kang Moon-jung, who was then Executive Director Kang.

It wasn’t the achievement known to the public, where the best experts in each field were scouted with high salaries and seated, and a massive investment was made for a major hotel renovation.

It was the persistence in always asking the division head to doubt the thoughts and calculations he was making, and the persistence of doubting his own thoughts and calculations.

That persistence was something only President Kang Moon-jung himself didn’t know, a persistence that couldn’t come without his own tremendous confidence and assertiveness.

Knowing this, the division head of the hotel business could say this.

“If you say you don’t have such qualities, sir, then there’s no one around me who does.”

“……”

“If it were during the previous president’s time, this copy could have been developed into a splendid one. But now, with the current president, who is constantly followed by the title of Daeyoung’s sole legitimate successor, it feels somewhat out of place to use it in the department store and duty-free business. How long can Daeyoung Department Store and Daeyoung Duty-Free appeal to people only with sales and business size? Consumers who don’t know that are now nonexistent.”

Feeling uncomfortable and apologetic for having to point out the content of the related advertising copy in the presence of the two division heads of the department store and duty-free business, he immediately looked at the two division heads for agreement.

“Wasn’t it the same with our hotel business? We never appealed with just size and facilities. We never claimed to be the best ourselves. Even after hitting number one in the country, have we ever flaunted that achievement with our own hands? Not even once. Yet, consumers know. They know Daeyoung Hotel is the best. Perhaps it’s because we didn’t flaunt such aspects that many consumers feel the dignity of the Daeyoung Hotel brand itself. Perhaps the context is the same for department stores and duty-free shops?”

Everyone gathered was waiting for the hotel business division head to continue.

“After all, what consumers purchase is not the product, but the image. Distribution is ultimately just the last step in maximizing the image of those products for the customers.”

President Kang Moon-jung felt as if something that had been obscured by a dense fog these past few days was gradually taking shape before his eyes.

“Confidence. And assertiveness?”

“……Yes.”

“Can we connect that to the department store and duty-free shop and create a copy out of it?”

To this, the director of public relations confidently said,

“People at agencies are the ones who accomplish such tasks. As soon as the meeting is over, I’ll send the copy concept to a few companies and start the bidding.”

Two weeks later.

Representatives from four selected agencies were gathering in the main conference room of Daeyoung Distribution for an open presentation.

Among them was Daeyoung Planning, led by President Kim Daeyoon, known to be the closest aide to Vice President Kang Youngjin.

It was the advertising deal for the first half of the year for Daeyoung Distribution.

In Daeyoung, distribution has the second-largest advertising budget after electronics.

Secure the deal, and 20 billion won will be executed.

An amount corresponding to a year’s worth of billing for a decent mid-sized agency.

The eyes of the agency officials were sharper and more sensitive than at any advertising bid.

President Kang Moon-jung was seated at the top of the conference room.

Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, and a jacket hung over her shoulders, unbuttoned.

Her eyes, sharper and more hawk-like than those of the agency officials, meticulously scrutinized each presentation, creating an explosive light during the final bidding round.

From noble mtl dot nete

“Daeyoung Planning’s CD, Na Seong-taek.”

Click!

The moment the lights in the conference room turned off for the last time, the presenter created movement on the screen with the laptop keyboard.

On the screen was only one copy phrase.

[The pride of South Korea, we will become your pride.]

President Kang Moon-jung uncrossed her arms in front of her chest and propped her elbows on the conference table.

At that moment, Deputy Manager Roh Kyu-hyung quickly took the jacket from her shoulders and hung it on the back of the conference chair.

The presenter had begun his presentation.

“After receiving the advertising concept through bidding, we proceeded with the conviction that no competitor could visualize Daeyoung Distribution’s needs as precisely as Daeyoung Planning could with this concept. Here is the AI video image.”

It was a presentation so succinct and powerful that it couldn’t even be compared to the three companies that presented before.

The presenter’s audacity and confidence, suggesting to discuss further after viewing the video image, had already earned high internal marks from President Kang Moon-jung.

She had been holding back in front of many eyes as the video played, but in her imagination, she had been hitting her forehead and knees several times.