The Bottom of a Large Company Does a Good Job - Chapter 272



Only Noblemtl

Episode 272. Bidding Competition (3)

The Noryangjin Redevelopment Association’s general meeting was held in the explanation hall on the first floor, below the association office.

Originally, it was the location of a neighborhood mart, but as the redevelopment process gained speed after the approval for the establishment of the cooperative was granted and the promotion committee was disbanded, people began to move one by one.

So the combination was put into the empty space and used.

Since it was a mart, after taking out all the furniture, a fairly large space appeared.

Usually, they have a few tables there to welcome the residents who come to visit, but today, they have given it a makeover.

Tables were lined up in the front, and on them were paper nameplates with the names of several construction companies and union leaders written on them.

Facing the table, dozens of chairs were placed side by side.

Some people had already arrived early and taken their seats in the front row, while others were gathered in small groups chatting.

Since we lived in the same neighborhood and knew each other, we quickly gathered together and formed a group.

“Who is the union leader this time?”

“Please live with some interest. Redevelopment is not someone else’s problem.”

“They’re busy trying to make a living, so what… … So the new union leader didn’t take any money?”

“I don’t know. The previous union leader pretended to be a nice person on the outside, but he was actually taking advantage of the construction company behind the scenes.”

The union members’ distrust of the union leader was quite great.

This was especially true because it had already been overturned twice.

“I’m sick of this now. I hope it works out this time. How many years has this been?”

“But this time, it feels a little different. I thought it would work out, didn’t I?”

“It shouldn’t be the same, it should be!”

“No, the union leader said it looked okay.”

“Didn’t the last union leader say something like that? You can’t tell a person by looking at their appearance. What did Mr. Kang say back then? He said he’d never reveal his money because he’d lived frugally his whole life? Wow, he’d eat even more!”

“Ahem. Are you talking about something that happened in the past? I didn’t know people could change like that.”

“When a person puts on a hat, his true nature comes out.”

“No matter what, how could someone so honest and clean take bribes? … There is not a single person in the world you can trust.”

Gossip about the former union leader was in full swing everywhere.

So, expectations for this union leader did not seem to be that high.

“This union leader has probably already had a lot of work to do.”

“But this time, wasn’t there any bribery during the union leader election? Last time, during the union leader election, they bought food and drinks and gave you a little bit of money to make you vote well.”

The benefits of becoming a union leader are quite significant.

The amount of money that can be made by joining hands with construction companies or service providers is also large.

That’s why there were many people who took action from the candidate stage to become the union leader.

It was like that until the last election.

Candidates sometimes tease each other by saying, “We’ll give you this much if you resign,” and sometimes they subtly poke at union members who are voters.

But this election wasn’t like that.

“Hey, there was already someone who got caught doing it that way, so if you do the same, are you human? That’s stupid.”

“The previous nobleman was caught because a union member reported him. Would he be willing to pay back money after seeing that? But I don’t know. We wouldn’t know if he was a co-worker with the construction company.”

As the number of people in the briefing room increased, more and more people began to participate in the story.

A large crowd formed in the back corner where there were no chairs.

“But as we were talking, a thought occurred to me. How on earth do you actually eat it?”

“I don’t know about that. Isn’t it just that the construction company is giving cash to the union leader? So that they can pick him?”

As suspicions were growing among the union members, a young man suddenly intervened.

“I don’t give cash outright. Of course, cash is the best if you handle it well so that there are no traces, whether it was in the past or now. But these days, there are many better methods.”

“What method?”

He seemed quite young for a union member, but I was more curious about his methods than his identity.

People here have only heard of the term ‘backdoor money’ but have never actually seen how it is done.

The young man explained with a grin.

“When signing a contract with a service provider, they charge excessive amounts and make a loss. For example, let’s say the business cost is 500 million won.”

“What business?”

“Whether it’s for advertising, model houses, or even for the salaries and rent of these employees, there are many ways for money to flow out.”

The young man pointed around and spoke, and people gave the union member who asked the question a scolding look.

It means to listen quietly and not to disturb.

“The service provider charges 600 million won. The union will pay 600 million won. This is clean money because they issue a tax invoice and the transaction history is clear. The remaining 100 million won is given to the union leader.”

People hit their knees.

“Oh, I see! That’s how it was done!”

“Wait a minute, then wouldn’t it be okay to just look into the union leader’s bank account? If the company gave money to the union leader, there would be a trace, right?”

“Hey, you idiot. Are you going to give and receive money through a bankbook like that? It would be better if you gave it to me in cash.”

“Oh, that’s right!”

As the people whispered among themselves, the young man shook his head.

“No. I don’t pay in cash. If something goes wrong later, there will be an investigation. If they find out that you overvalued the 500 million won to 600 million won, there will be no trace of the money, so you will have to pay 100 million won again. From the company’s perspective, it’s another 100 million won in cash.”

“Should we at least leave a trace so that we don’t have to pay more if something goes wrong?”

“That’s correct. By the way, we don’t accept accounts in the name of the union leader or family members. It’s too obvious. We accept accounts in the name of friends or employees.”

“Oh.”

People gasped in admiration.

“Then if you work with construction companies, you can make a ton of money. The money you put in isn’t just 100 or 200 million won, right?”

“I guess it’s not like they’re just throwing money around to be the union leader. If it was going to be like this, maybe I should have tried running for union leader too.”

“No one will pick you?”

“Oh, this guy?”

Amid the commotion, someone raised a hand.

Now people were standing around the young man.

“But isn’t bidding a vote anyway? We vote to decide on the construction company.”

“Hey, has this guy been doing this for a day or two? If you pretend, you pretend. Isn’t this voting fraud?”

“no way?”

“Didn’t the construction company decide this among themselves in advance? It’s just a set-up, and we’re the only ones getting played around.”

“Let’s see. What construction company does it have?”

“First of all, let’s leave out Daehyun. I hate it because the construction there is so shoddy.”

“What about DA Industrial Development? The apartments there have a good name value. Won’t the house prices go up a lot?”

“I hope it is built sturdily since I plan to live there. I am worried because construction companies are already in chaos these days.”

People were murmuring.

“Come to think of it, there’s been a lot of chaos on the news lately. Why did this have to happen now? I’m so… .”

“I originally voted for Daehyun Construction in the last election. But I changed my mind after the accident this time.”

“Don’t even bring up Daehyun! The people who got the apartments there are crying. It’s fortunate that they collapsed this time.”

“Oh my, it gives me goosebumps to think that we might have done that… .”

As a member of a cooperative facing redevelopment, it seems that he has been paying attention to news from the construction industry.

After that, the names of construction companies such as DA Industrial Development, Homyeong Industrial, and Naero continued to appear.

Among the names mentioned was Taesung Construction.

No one noticed that the young man flinched the moment the word Taesung came out.

“What do you think? Which company would you like to work for?”

Questions were also raised about whether the young man was a member of the same union.

Then suddenly everything around became quiet.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for the young man’s answer.

“I saw this guy earlier and he seems to be good at this kind of thing. He’s an investor who bought one or two houses in each redevelopment area, right?”

Not using the word speculator was a matter of respect for the young man.

“Young friend, you seem very smart. Tell me. Which company do you think is the best?”

The young man looked embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, but I’m a stakeholder. It would be difficult for me to tell you which is better.”

People were confused.

“Oh, of course we are stakeholders too. Aren’t we stakeholders because we are union members?”

The young man scratched his temple as if embarrassed.

“No, that’s… … I’m not a union member, but an employee of the construction company that’s bidding today. So it wouldn’t be fair if I told you what to do.”

“Huh? You were a construction company employee? You seemed so young.”

The young man nodded toward the crowd of people.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first. I was waiting for the manager, and you started talking about bribes, so I had to stop… … This is all I can do to help you.”

Is it because the young man confesses so readily, or is it because of his kind impression?

Maybe it was because of the honesty with which he told the information, but people didn’t criticize him too much.

Even people with drowsy expressions soon nodded their heads.

“What could be wrong with the employee? He just does what he’s told, right?”

“Well, it’s okay since we heard some good things thanks to you.”

“The young friend came earlier than the boss and is having a hard time waiting. But is that really okay? Can you tell us that?”

Some people were worried about the young people.

“It’s okay. Our company doesn’t do that. We’re confident we can win without doing that, and we can stop them from doing it.”

“Wow, that’s quite some confidence.”

I don’t know which company it was, but if an individual employee was confident that they were clean, I thought it would be okay to trust them a little bit.

“What company do you work for? Just tell me the name.”

“I won’t tell you because it could affect the vote. What I’ve told you now is just information I’m giving you as an industry professional. When bidding, listen to the construction company’s proposal and choose the one that is most beneficial to the union members.”

The more I heard it, the more I liked it.

Anyway, we will soon find out which company the young man will work for.

When the construction company briefing session starts, just keep an eye on where he stands.

But I also liked the fact that it wasn’t mentioned here, and that we were asked to choose the one that was more beneficial.

“How many years has it been since you joined the company?”

“Oh, it’s the second year now.”

“also.”

Then, the union members nodded their heads in agreement.

This young man must be innocent, having only recently joined the company.

So, I couldn’t stand seeing the residents suffering, so I took action.

Taking the side of the residents rather than the company.

“What a genuine young man. From now on, when you go to places like this, don’t talk like that to people like us. I’m worried that you’ll get caught by bad people and end up telling them everything about the company.”

The young man looked around at the union members with a strange, indescribable expression, then smiled awkwardly.

“Thank you for your concern. I will be careful.”

“Oh, the briefing session is starting. Then, young man, you should work hard too.”

“yes.”

As they returned to their seats, the union members looked at the young man’s back with worried eyes.

A young woman caught up with a young man running towards the table set up in front of him.

“Did you hear? The team leader said I was innocent.”

The woman chuckled.

“Oh, don’t laugh. I went in there with the intention of creating a good image, but somehow it ended up looking like I was deceiving you.”

“Well, so what? I didn’t lie and I didn’t mention Taesung’s name. Compared to other companies, this is fair.”

The young man, Chae Kyung-jun, looked at Chae In-ha with renewed eyes.

“Wow, the day has come when Inha-ssi says something like that.”

“Hehe, I learned it from the team leader.”

“Excellent.”

The two sat down happily against the wall.

I felt like the union members sitting on the chairs were looking at me.

They were following with their eyes where the young man was standing.

Chae Kyung-jun deliberately loitered around a table with a nameplate that read “Taesung Construction.”

“Wait a minute, is this too obvious?”

“Team leader, please stand this way.”

While the two were adjusting their positions, the people involved in each construction company began to take their seats one by one.

The head of the housing division was about to sit down when he bowed to Chae Kyung-jun.

I could sense that the union members who were watching Chae Kyung-jun were feeling puzzled.

But Chae Kyung-jun didn’t even have time to look at them.

Because from the entrance far away, a young man appeared leading several people.

Chae Kyung-jun’s eyes followed the man.

The man glanced at Chae Kyung-jun, then his face suddenly distorted.

“Oh, you recognize me.”

Tak Jae-min personally went there.