Chapter 1516 Specified (1)

[This is the footage of an incident that took place last Thursday in a cafe located in the Gyeonggi Province. As you can see, a man approached the counter, got into an argument with the salesperson, before throwing a cup of boiling coffee at them.]

The CCTV footage zoomed in on the assailant throwing the coffee.

[And when the angry salesperson walked around the counter, the assailant shockingly assaulted the victim next. That was when the salesperson was forced into subduing the assailant and dragging him outside.]

The news broadcast repeated the CCTV footage over and over again, focusing particularly on the shocking scene of the coffee being thrown at the victim.

[This is yet another example of the irresponsible actions of entitled people that have been plaguing our society of late, dear viewers. However, this problem goes even further than what you see on screen. We now know that similar acts had taken place roughly at the same time in other cafes belonging to the same franchise.]

The news broadcast now played different CCTV footage from other stores. And they vividly showed the so-called customers causing a scene. Of course, the shocking scenes of them throwing hot coffee at the employees were included as well.

[The police have determined that these weren’t isolated incidents and have launched an investigation. And they have uncovered a sinister plot where an unknown party had been behind these incidents all along.]

The broadcast now showed several men with their faces covered in a variety of ways being waltzed outside a police station. Countless microphones being shoved toward their faces proved just how many reporters were present.

[Can you tell us why you did it?]

[I’m sorry. I was merely doing what they told us, you see...]

[Who ordered you to do something so heinous?]

[I was just... Browsing online, and then...]

The scene changed once more to show a reporter standing before the same police station while facing the camera. The reporter spoke into the microphone, his expression grave.

[The suspects arrested by the police have all confessed that they stumbled into this job while looking for high-paying part-time work online. The police have informed the media that they are still investigating those who hired these suspects and will arrest the masterminds as soon as possible.]

[On the other hand, experts close to the case believe someone in the industry wanted to knock the up and coming and popular franchise down a peg, and...]

“God f*cking dammit!”

SMASH!

A stone nameplate flew through the air and slammed into the TV screen. The LCD screen cracked hideously, causing the images to distort and lose their color. Even the speakers hissed and crackled before going completely dead.

“You f*cking idiots! How could you have been this f*cking sloppy?!”

“Our apologies, President, sir!”

When the “president” roared in anger, his subordinates all bowed deeply.

The “president” scowled murderously while throwing whatever his hands could touch. “You f*cks! You can’t do anything right! Sons of b*tches! This is why! I can’t! Trust! Any of you f*cking losers! F*ck!”

“W-we’re sorry, sir.”

“How are you gonna fix this?! How, you f*cking idiots?! It hasn’t even been a week! A week! Just how sloppy were you with this sh*t?!”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol was the name of the furious “president.”

When a man already infamous for being foul-mouthed and short-tempered properly lost his cool, the subordinates around him could only hold their breaths and keep their heads bowed.

A man standing next to the irate Jeong Myeong-Cheol nervously swallowed his saliva before addressing his boss. “Please forgive me, sir, since it might sound like I’m making excuses, but even if the situation has reached this point, our company will not be affected directly.”

“What kind of bullsh*t are you spouting now?!”

“I’m being honest, sir. The police can investigate all they want, but they will never link us to this incident. That was how meticulous we were while covering our tracks.”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s expression softened just a tad. “Seriously?”

“Yes, sir. We’ve paid the utmost attention to that aspect of this operation, after all. Because we’ve been so focused on ensuring that no one could trace us no matter what happened, we ended up overlooking some minor details.”

“Hmm...” Jeong Myeong-Cheol rested his chin on his hand, then nodded slightly. “Well, at least you did good on that one.”

“Thank you, President.”

“So... Cops will never interfere with our business? How sure are you about that?”

“Very, sir. They can investigate all they want, but will find nothing. And even if they do, they still won’t touch us. After all, the amount of money we’ve dumped into their pockets over the years will ensure that.”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s expression completely relaxed after hearing that, but it stiffened rapidly once more.

“In that case...! Doesn’t this mean our plan to totally ruin those f*cking bastards has gone down the crapper?”

“...”

Everyone in the office clamped their mouths shut.

“No, wait a f*cking minute. Won’t their public image actually improve with this situation? What the actual f*ck? Did we just spend our own goddamn money to help their business grow?!”

When the mood in the office grew volatile once more, the subordinates cautiously studied Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s mood. From their perspective, this situation couldn’t be any unfairer even if it tried!

Why? Because the one who started this operation was none other than Jeong Myeong-Cheol. He was the one who hated the idea of a new competitor entering this crowded market. And he was also the one who despised the sight of the lengthy queue of people trying to enter a branch of Caffe Luogo located right next to his office!

Yes, he was the one who set things in motion by ordering his subordinates, yet they were the ones being forced to take responsibility for this failure. It was patently unfair, but also not all that surprising, either.

The subordinate who had been trying to pacify Jeong Myeong-Cheol until now, the executive director of the operations, Kim Sang-Ho, cautiously addressed his boss again.

“Sir, we still have many other options available to us. One failure doesn’t mean we must give up.”

“You think I don’t know that?!” Jeong Myeong-Cheol shot back in irritation. “Besides, why did you let them report this sh*t in the first place?! F*ck! Haven’t we been paying off those reporters all these years?! How dare they f*ck with us like this?!”

“Sir, if we had tried to stop the media from reporting this matter, we would’ve become prime suspects in the investigation. That’s why the best course of action right now is to simply observe the...”

“You f*cking fools! Is that all you know? Sitting back and observing?! F*ck! Why do I even pay you salaries? I might as well throw the damn money into the Han River or something!”

Jeong Myeong-Cheol shot up to his feet.

“Whatever! If this f*ck-up harms the company in some way, Imma get rid of you. All of you! And don’t think that will be the end of your f*cking troubles! Because, Imma throw you off the coast of Incheon afterward!”

He angrily kicked his desk, then left the office while huffing away like a bull. Only then did the subordinates in the office groan loudly enough to almost rock the building.

They finally opened their tightly shut eyes and began murmuring to each other.

“This situation won’t go away on its own. We’ve gotta do something!”

“The reporters are already buzzing around us as it is, you know? But why are they so interested? When this matter isn’t newsworthy enough? I don’t get it!”

“I heard that the people from the part-timer agencies are in hiding, with quite a few of them already arrested.”

“Really? Doesn’t that mean cops will get here sooner rather than later?”

“No, we did a thorough job of covering our tracks. They won’t find us no matter how much they investigate.”

“But we’re in an extraordinary situation here...!”

The expressions of everyone still in the office grew indescribably gloomy.

They all knew that this development was unprecedented. An incident that didn’t even warrant such an in-depth investigation suddenly ballooned into the hottest topic in town figuratively in the blink of an eye. On top of that, the South Korean police, renowned for their tardiness, began going all-out with their investigation, too.

Something like that could only happen in extraordinary circumstances.

...Such as when a powerful entity was orchestrating everything from the shadows!

“Damn... Just who are we dealing with, and who did we provoke...?”

Just as the subordinates worriedly muttered, Kim Sang-Ho’s weighty voice registered in their hearing.

“Have any of you contacted the higher-ups?”

“No, Mister Kim. No one here wants to be the one waking up the sleeping dogs, after all. Making that call will be the same as admitting that we are behind this whole thing.”

“Damn it...”

The air in the office grew even heavier. That was because everyone in this office knew what would come next. They all dreaded saying it, but someone still had to do it.

However, all they did was glance at each other in silence. No one stepped forward to say it out loud.

Kim Sang-Ho watched them dither about before subtly biting his lip. So, you want me to become the villain? Is that it?

Although he understood why these people acted this way, he still couldn’t do much about the irritation welling up in his heart. It was already taxing enough to endure his boss’s tyranny, but he even had to endure the silent pressure from his useless subordinates who only worried about saving their necks, too?

“Everyone, we... We should decide who would take the fall in case something happens.”

When Kim Sang-Ho said that out loud, tension immediately filled the office.

“But how high are we...”

“Well, there’s no need for us executives to get involved, no? Let’s make it look as if one of our departments, struggling under the pressure of meeting our sales target, was acting independently. Out of all the senior managers we have, who is the oldest?”

“Rather than age, the sales team no.3 has been failing to meet its targets for a while now.”

“I see. Then, tell the manager of team no.3 to sacrifice himself.”

“Will it work, though?”

“We must make it work, of course. Without the evidence of us forcing the team manager, the cops won’t be able to do anything. If we successfully convince the world that it was an independent action of a rogue individual within the company, the public might criticize us for a while, but things will eventually calm down, and everyone will move on. Things like this happen pretty often, after all.”

“Then... I’ll get in touch with the manager of team no.3.”

Kim Sang-Ho closed his eyes briefly.

The poor manager about to receive that call wouldn’t have a choice now. Not accepting the order meant he’d never get promoted again in this company. He’d aimlessly shuffle from one shunned post after another until finally getting the boot.

It was unfortunate, but he’d realize that accepting this offer would be for the best for all the parties involved, including himself. Of course, that last part was a lie, but he didn’t have to know that.

Kim Sang-Ho furrowed his brow. “Tell the manager that we’ll compensate him handsomely. Enough for him to not worry about his retirement plans once he’s done serving time.”

“How much should I offer him?”

“Make up an enticing-enough number, please. It’s not like we’ll really pay him, anyway.”

“Mm... We’ll need an upfront payment, though.”

“That’s true. We’ll have to think about that. Let’s wait and see how things develop first.”

“Understood.”

Kim Sang-Ho wearily rubbed his eyes. Bloody hell.

He wasn’t sure how this trivial incident had ballooned into something this threatening, but one thing was for certain now; he and his subordinates must find a way to navigate through this tricky situation somehow.

Dammit! If only that useless spoiled son of a b*tch kept his mouth shut! This company would have been at least twice as successful as it is now!

Not only was Jeong Myeong-Cheol foul-tempered, but he was also stunningly incompetent, to boot! But his identity as the chairman’s son meant he was not getting kicked out any time soon despite his poor performance. Even though he had been acting like a crazed tyrant for the past several years and ruined countless business ventures as a result!

Kim Sang-Ho chewed his lip. No, stop whining.

He got paid a sky-high salary every month precisely to deal with incidents like this, didn’t he?

“Everyone, keep your heads down for the time being. However, if the situation doesn’t look good, we need to do everything we can to overcome this threat. How can we let our company’s reputation suffer because of some random trash the winds blew in our way?”

“Yes, you’re correct, sir.”

“We definitely can’t let that happen, sir.”

When his subordinates obsequiously agreed with him, Kim Sang-Ho couldn’t help but frown deeply. What a bunch of useless bastards they were.

They all must’ve been whip-smart and motivated workers once upon a time. That was probably how they had gotten this high up in the hierarchy. However, an unmoving pool of water was bound to stagnate, and even the purest stream would become contaminated once sewage was mixed into it.

The corporate culture favoring self-preservation had turned these once-bright people into... a group of trash. All those people who fought for the sake of this company rather than playing company politics had already gotten the boot or were forced into retirement a long time ago.

Hah. Yeah, I know I’m no different from these people.

Kim Sang-Ho smirked weakly.

Who was he to point fingers at these people, anyway? After all, wasn’t he the head filth in this pool of sewage? He got this far in life by kissing more asses than anyone and playing politics harder and smarter than everyone else, didn’t he?

“MK, is it...?” Kim Sang-Ho gritted his teeth. Fine! Let us show you how underhanded our line of business can get!

Despite resolving himself, however, Kim Sang-Ho couldn’t get over this anxiety continuously gnawing at his heart. It felt as if someone, a devil perhaps, was looming behind him.

He shook his head repeatedly to get rid of his anxiety. Unfortunately for him, it only grew larger and larger with every passing day instead.