RPAGF Chapter 63 Recruiting Soldiers
Chapter 63 Recruiting Soldiers
The place Kim Dong-wook had arranged to meet was a knife-cut noodle shop near Daegu Station, which had been open for forty years. Faded old photos hung on the walls, and faded posters were pasted on the door. When Su Yu arrived, Kim Dong-wook was already eating. There were two bowls of noodles in front of him, one empty and the other just served.
"I ordered this for you." Kim Dong-wook pointed with his chopsticks. "I've been eating at this restaurant for ten years. It's the best knife-cut noodles in Daegu."
Su Yu sat down without touching his chopsticks. "What did you find out?"
Kim Dong-wook took a brown paper envelope out of his bag, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Su Yu.
"Jung Cheol-min bought a building on the banks of the Han River last year for 12 billion won. On the surface, the Jung Group paid for it in full, but I checked the cash flow and the money was transferred from a company called 'Taekwang Industrial'."
What is Taekwang Industrial?
"A shell company." Kim Dong-wook took a sip of noodle soup. "The registered address is in a mixed-use commercial and residential building in Seoul. The legal representative is an elderly woman in her seventies. After checking her background, I found out she is Jung Cheol-min's maternal grandfather's cousin."
Su Yu opened the envelope. Inside were several photocopies of bank transfer records and Taiguang Industrial's business registration information. He couldn't understand the Korean financial statements, but the numbers were there: 12 billion, transferred from a shell company with a registered capital of only 50 million. This in itself was abnormal.
What do these materials prove?
"Looking at them individually, they don't prove anything." Kim Dong-wook put down his chopsticks. "But if you put these together with Jung Cheol-min's other transactions, you can see a pattern—he uses shell companies to launder money, then uses the laundered money to buy buildings, mortgages the buildings to banks to get cash, and then transfers the money back to the shell companies, continuing the cycle."
How many transactions do you have recorded?
"Three entries. We're still investigating the other two; it will take time."
Su Yu put the materials back into the envelope and put them in her bag. "That's enough."
"How do you plan to use it?"
"Save them for now, and put them all in together when you have enough."
Kim Dong-wook looked at him and nodded. "You're a steady person, not like someone who's only twenty-three."
What were you doing when you were twenty-three?
"Covering social news, I'd be squatting outside the police station every day waiting for news of car accidents." Kim Dong-wook chuckled. "Back then, I thought being a reporter meant just reporting the news. Now I realize that some news reports are useless."
"It worked this time."
Kim Dong-wook didn't reply. He lowered his head and finished the noodles in his bowl, even drinking the soup. He put the bowl down and wiped his mouth.
"Representative Su, I want to go back to Seoul."
Su Yu looked at him.
"I'm not asking you to help me find a job," Kim Dong-wook said. "I want to go back on my own. I've been here for two years, that's enough. Whether my articles get published or not, I don't want to hide anymore."
"I didn't tell you to hide."
"I know." Kim Dong-wook stood up. "So whether you use those materials or not, I've already decided. Investigating Jung Cheol-min isn't for you, it's for myself, for the Kim Dong-wook who was transferred to Daegu two years ago."
Su Yu also stood up, took out a business card from her bag, and handed it to him.
"Causal Entertainment"
Kim Dong-wook took the business card and smiled. "You're giving me this again? Didn't I say last time that I don't write entertainment news?"
"I'm not asking you to write news articles," Su Yu said. "The company needs a media consultant, you'll do that."
Kim Dong-wook was stunned for a moment.
"The salary isn't high, but it's more than you earn at the newspaper," Su Yu said. "Want it?"
Kim Dong-wook stared at the business card in his hand for a long time, then looked up, his eyes a little red. He had worked at the Daegu Daily for two years, earning less than two million won a month, living in a goshiwon (a type of dormitory accommodation), and being woken up every morning by the alarm clock next door. He was a top student who graduated from Seoul National University and was once recognized as the star of the social affairs department at Seoul Economic Daily, but now he was so poor that he could barely afford the rent.
"Let's do it," Kim Dong-wook said.
Su Yu nodded. "Report next Monday. The address is on your business card."
On the way back from Daegu, Su Yu made a phone call to Cai Xiubin.
"We've hired one person, a media consultant, who will start next Monday."
Cai Xiubin was silent for two seconds on the other end of the phone. "Who is it?"
"Kim Dong-wook, the reporter I told you about before."
"Isn't he in Daegu?"
"I'll be in Seoul next Monday."
There was another silence on the other end of the phone, then Cai Xiubin said "I understand," her tone sounding rather unhappy. Su Yu knew what she was thinking—the company only had five people, the building was still under renovation, the new project hadn't even started, and they were already hiring again. And not just any ordinary employee, but a reporter who had been exiled; it was clear they wanted to go against Zheng Zhemin.
"Cai Xiubin".
"Um."
Trust me.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Cai Xiubin sighed.
"When did I ever stop believing you? Are you coming home for lunch?"
"We'll be on the road in about an hour."
"Then I'll wait for you."
Su Yu hung up the phone, stepped on the gas, and the car sped along the highway.
At 9:00 AM on Monday, Kim Dong-wook arrived promptly at the temporary office of Yin Guo Entertainment.
He was still wearing that dark blue jacket, but his hair was shorter, and he had shaved clean, making him look much more energetic. He was carrying a bulging file folder, probably full of Zheng Zhemin's information.
Cai Xiubin poured him a cup of coffee, which Jin Dongxu accepted with both hands, bowed, and said thank you.
"No need to be so polite." Cai Xiubin smiled. "From now on, we'll all be colleagues."
Kim Dong-wook looked at Chae Soo-bin and recognized her. "You're Ahn Go-eun?"
"That's a character's name. My name is Cai Xiubin."
"Oh, sorry," Kim Dong-wook said a little awkwardly, "I don't watch many dramas, so..."
"It's alright." Cai Xiubin pointed to Su Yu's office. "He's inside. You can go in."
Su Yu's office was small, with just a desk and a chair, the desk piled high with documents. When Jin Dongxu entered, Su Yu was on the phone, speaking Chinese very quickly, and Jin Dongxu couldn't understand a single word.
Su Yu hung up the phone and pointed to the chair opposite him. "Sit."
Kim Dong-wook sat down and placed the file folder on the table. "I found the fourth transaction."
"So fast?"
"I didn't sleep over the weekend," Kim Dong-wook said. "The fourth deal was in Yongsan, an old building, which was sold last March for 9.8 billion won. The source of funds is the same as before, Taekwang Industrial."
Su Yu picked up the file bag and flipped through it; inside was another stack of bank statements and registration information.
"How many have you checked?"
"Four cases, totaling over 30 billion," Kim Dong-wook said. "If I had another month, I could find even more."
"No need," Su Yu put down the file folder. "That's enough."
Kim Dong-wook paused, stunned. "Enough? Are you sure?"
"Four transactions, totaling 30 billion, all funds transferred from shell companies. Isn't that enough?"
"From a legal perspective, these are all just circumstantial evidence," Kim Dong-wook said. "Jung Cheol-min's lawyer can completely deny it, saying that it's a matter for Taekwang Industrial and has nothing to do with him."
"I didn't say I wanted to go to court."
Kim Dong-wook frowned. "So what are you planning to do?"
Su Yu didn't answer, but picked up her phone from the table and glanced at it. 10:15.
"Someone will be coming for an interview at 10:30. You can listen in."
Kim Dong-wook opened his mouth, wanting to ask more, but swallowed his words when he saw Su Yu's expression. Before he started working at Yinguo Entertainment, Shirley called him and told him a lot about Su Yu. One sentence in particular stuck with him—"Only he knows his own pace of doing things. Don't rush him, don't ask questions, just wait and see."
Now he thinks Shirley is right.
At 10:30, the first person to be interviewed arrived.
She was a woman in her forties, wearing a dark gray suit dress, her hair up, and gold-rimmed glasses; she looked capable and professional. When she pushed the door open, she first glanced at the packages and documents scattered on the floor, her expression unchanged, then walked straight to Su Yu and extended her hand.
"Kim Eun-sook, interviewing the finance minister."
Su Yu shook hands with her and gestured to the chair. "Sit down. Introduce yourself."
Kim Eun-sook sat down and took a resume out of her bag, placing it on the table. "I graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Korea University, worked in finance at Samsung C&T for eight years, and then moved to a small to medium-sized enterprise as the finance manager. Last year, the company went bankrupt, and I took a six-month break. Now I want to find a job again."
Why come to Karma Entertainment?
"Because you made a good drama," Kim Eun-sook said. "I watched 'Model Taxi,' and the script was well-written, the actors performed well, and the production was excellent. I think an entertainment company that can produce this kind of work is worth a try for me."
Su Yu glanced at her. "Do you know that our company only has five people right now?"
"Know."
"Do you know our office is piled high with packages?"
"I saw it."
"Then why did you come?"
Kim Eun-sook smiled. When she smiled, her eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses curved, making her look less serious.
"Representative Su, I worked at Samsung for eight years and saw what big companies are like. To be honest, big companies are good, but they have too many rules and are too slow. The small and medium-sized enterprise I worked for last year, although it went bankrupt, was the place where I was happiest because everyone was doing their jobs and no one was shirking responsibility."
"Aren't you afraid the company will go bankrupt too?"
"I'm afraid," Kim Eun-sook said, "but I'm even more afraid of just getting by in a place that will never fall."
Su Yu's lips twitched slightly. "Salary requirements?"
"Annual salary of 60 million."
Su Yu thought for a moment. "Fifty million, plus the year-end bonus."
"Five thousand five."
"Five thousand two."
Kim Eun-sook stared at him for two seconds, then nodded. "Deal."
Su Yu took out a contract, filled in a few blanks, and pushed it over. Kim Eun-sook glanced at it and signed it.
"Starting work next Monday."
"Is the renovation finished?"
"No, just squeeze into the temporary office for now."
Kim Eun-sook glanced at the packages scattered all over the floor and sighed. "I'll sort out the accounts first. These packages need someone to manage them; they can't just keep piling up here."
"Mind your own business."
Kim Eun-sook glanced at him, said nothing, stood up and left.
Kim Dong-wook sat and listened the whole time, only speaking after Kim Eun-sook left.
"Your recruitment methods are quite unique."
"What's so special about it?"
"I don't play by the rules," Kim Dong-wook said. "Usually, bosses ask a lot of questions during interviews, but you decide the outcome in just a few words."
"Why ask so many questions? You can't learn anything about a person in ten minutes. Keep those who are useful, and fire those who aren't."
Kim Dong-wook paused for a moment, then laughed. "You've certainly taken on the role of a boss decisively."
At 11 o'clock, the second person arrived.
He was a man in his early thirties, surnamed Park, named Park Jung-hyuk. He was wearing a black jacket and jeans, looking quite stylish, but with a somewhat aloof demeanor and rarely smiled. He was there for an interview to become the head of the publicity team.
"I graduated from the Department of Journalism and Broadcasting at National Chung-Ang University. I worked in publicity at CJ Entertainment for three years. Later, I started my own public relations company, but it went bankrupt. Now I want to find a stable job."
"Why did it go bankrupt?" Su Yu asked.
"My partner ran off with the money." Park Jung-hyuk said this in a very flat tone, as if he were talking about someone else's business.
Su Yu looked at him. "How much did you roll?"
"One hundred and twenty million."
"Was it recovered?"
"No. The person has fled abroad, so calling the police won't do any good."
Su Yu leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice.
"Head of the PR team, responsible for all external publicity and public relations for the company. Can you handle it?"
"We can do it."
"Salary expectations?"
"Annual salary of 50 million."
Su Yu thought for a moment. "Four thousand five hundred, plus the year-end bonus. A raise after a full year of service."
Park Jung-hyuk nodded, signing the document even faster than Kim Eun-sook.
"Aren't you going to ask about the company's situation?" Su Yu asked.
"I checked before I came. The company has five people, filmed a TV series that got a rating of over 10%, and they're currently renovating a new building. That's enough."
Su Yu glanced at him but didn't say anything more.
The third person to arrive was a young woman named Li Xiumin, 24 years old, a graduate of Ewha Womans University with a degree in cultural management. She was there for an assistant interview, saying she wanted to be Su Yu's assistant.
"Why do you want to be an assistant?" Su Yu asked.
"Because I want to learn how to do business," Li Xiumin answered directly. "After graduation, I worked for two companies. One was a large corporation where I was in meetings all day and couldn't get anything done. The other was a startup where the boss kept making empty promises and couldn't even pay salaries. I want to find a place where I can actually get things done, and I heard that your place is a good option."
"I heard it? Who told you that?"
"It was recommended by a senior from the school. They said that although it's chaotic here, you can learn something here." Li Xiumin smiled, without mentioning any specific names.
Su Yu glanced at Kim Dong-wook. Kim Dong-wook shrugged.
"An assistant's job is very varied; you have to do everything. Are you capable?"
"I worked twelve different jobs during my four years of university, from coffee shops to convenience stores to tutoring classes, I did everything," Li Xiumin said. "There was no job I couldn't do."
Su Yu nodded. "Annual salary of three thousand."
"Three thousand five."
"Three thousand two."
"make a deal."
Li Xiumin signed the contract, stood up, and bowed. "Thank you, Representative Su."
"Come to work next Monday."
"OK."
After Lee Soo-min left, Kim Dong-wook couldn't help but smile.
"What are your requirements for hiring an assistant? Just being able to negotiate prices?"
Su Yu ignored him and took out her phone to check the time. 11:40, one more to go.
The last one is Director Cui. It wasn't an interview; Su Yu actively recruited him.
The head of the department, Choi, is named Choi Min-soo. He's in his forties and previously worked as a manager at another entertainment company, overseeing seven or eight artists. Su Yu met him through Yoon Shi-yoon's introduction. After talking to him once, she felt he was reliable and brought him to the company to manage artists.
When Choi Min-soo arrived, he was wearing a suit and tie, and his hair was neatly combed, making him look like a proper professional. When he walked in, he was first startled by the pile of packages on the floor, and then he saw Su Yu sitting behind the pile of packages, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Representative Su, your office..."
"It's a bit messy, but please bear with it."
Choi Min-soo sighed and sat down. "Since you've put me in charge of the management business, I need to ask you a question first."
"ask."
Does the company currently have any artists?
Su Yu thought for a moment. "Yin Shiyun counts as half."
"Half?"
"He signed a project contract with the company, not a full-time contract. As for the others, Sulli has her own company, Chae Soo-bin didn't sign a contract, Park Ji-yeon didn't sign a contract, and Lee Ji-eun didn't sign a contract either."
After listening, Choi Min-soo remained silent for five seconds.
"So I don't have anyone under my command?"
"Not at the moment."
"Then why did you poach me?"
"Let's build the framework first," Su Yu said. "We'll have people eventually, but we need to set up the framework first. Brokerage contract templates, profit-sharing ratios, promotional strategies, and crisis communication plans—all of these need to be prepared in advance."
Choi Min-soo stared at him for a while, then smiled.
"Representative Su, do you know what your most distinctive characteristic is?"
"What?"
"Thinking ahead," Cui Minxiu said. "Most people take one step at a time, but you think three steps ahead before taking one."
Su Yu didn't reply, but took out a contract and pushed it over.
Choi Min-soo looked at it and signed it.
"And the annual salary?" Su Yu asked.
"You decide how much to give."
"Can't we just not give it to them?"
"Okay, I'll go to SBS right away."
Su Yu smiled, a rare occurrence. "Sixty million."
Choi Min-soo nodded and put the contract into his bag.
Four people, all done in one afternoon.
When Kim Dong-wook came out of the meeting room, he saw Kim Eun-sook already sorting the packages. She found a trolley somewhere and stacked the cardboard boxes on it, arranging them neatly by category. Park Jung-hyuk was helping her, and the two worked together very well.
Li Xiumin went even further, starting to clean. She mopped the hallway, wiped three tables, and threw away all the expired food in the refrigerator.
Su Yu stood at the doorway, watching without saying a word.
Kim Dong-wook walked over and stood next to him.
"Your company may be small, but the people there are nice."
"Um."
"When do you plan to release information about that reporter?"
Su Yu thought for a moment. "No rush. Let's wait and see how things go."
Kim Dong-wook didn't quite understand the meaning of that sentence, but he didn't ask.
Cai Xiubin came out of the break room carrying two cups of coffee. She handed one to Su Yu and drank the other herself. She glanced at the busy new employees, then at Su Yu, and said softly.
"Your company is becoming more and more respectable."
Su Yu took a sip of coffee and remained silent.
Outside the window, Seoul's sky was a hazy gray. Street vendors hawked their wares below, and in the distance, dense clusters of buildings stretched out. This city was vast, so vast that new companies opened and closed every day. Yin Guo Entertainment was just a tiny fraction of it, so small it couldn't even be found on a map.
But Su Yu knew that this was just the beginning.
His phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw it was a message from Jiang Minying.
"Zheng Zhemin sent someone to the building you wanted to buy before today. He brought a designer with him. It seems like it's going to be a major renovation."
Su Yu read it but didn't reply.
He put his phone in his pocket, turned around, and walked into his office.
There is still a lot to do.