The Return of the Ruined Chaebol's Third-Generation Heir - Chapter 99

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Regression of a Fallen Chaebol’s Third Generation, Episode 99
“Lim Do-hyeon, come here for a moment.”
At nine in the morning, the day of Lim Do-hyeon, Team Leader of Planning Team 2 in the Management Planning Division of Seonjin Logistics, began like any other day.
It was not uncommon for Management Planning Division Director Oh Jin-su to beckon him over, so he followed him into his office.
“What’s the matter?”
As he entered the office, Lim Do-hyeon noticed that Oh Jin-su’s expression was uncharacteristically taut, and he asked what was wrong.
“Sit down.”
Once Lim Do-hyeon had taken his seat, Oh Jin-su opened his mouth with a rigid face.
“A new hire starts in your team today.”
“A new hire?”
Lim Do-hyeon’s expression showed surprise. While it was true that new employees were starting today, the Management Planning Division typically didn’t recruit new hires.
The structure was such that employees were reassigned from existing teams once they’d proven themselves.
“I didn’t hear anything from the HR team about a new reassignment.”
“He didn’t go through HR.”
Lim Do-hyeon’s eyebrows rose. If he hadn’t gone through HR, that could only mean one thing.
“Who is it?”
“The Chairman’s son.”
Lim Do-hyeon was momentarily lost for words. He’d thought it was just some parachute appointment from above, but it was the Chairman’s son.
“…The Chairman’s son?”
“Kang Seon-woo. He’s coming straight after graduating university.”
Within Seonjin Logistics—or rather, within the Seonjin Group’s affiliates—there was probably no one who didn’t know the Chairman’s son. A few years back, he’d become a major topic of discussion at the company after scoring a perfect on the College Entrance Examination.
And now such a figure was coming to logistics, and to his team no less.
“Why logistics specifically? Why not the head office or affiliates?”
“I don’t know either. The CEO told me this morning.”
Oh Jin-su let out a sigh. The CEO Yoon Sang-chul’s expression still lingered in his mind. He’d said he heard it directly from the Chairman, but there was no energy in how he’d conveyed it.
“The CEO’s stressed about it too. Honestly, I am as well.”
……
“The Chairman said not to give him any special treatment. Handle him like any other employee.”
Lim Do-hyeon looked at Oh Jin-su.
“Treat him the same? The Group Chairman’s son?”
“That’s exactly why it’s so stressful.”
Management Planning Division Director Oh Jin-su rubbed his face wearily. As Lim Do-hyeon said, the more special treatment you gave, the more he’d stand out; and if you didn’t, you’d worry about appearing rude. Either way, it was an uncomfortable situation.
“Where is he right now? He should be starting work soon, but hasn’t he arrived yet?”
“He has. He should be in the CEO’s office.”
Oh Jin-su said this while looking at Lim Do-hyeon.
“Take good care of him.”
Lim Do-hyeon’s expression hardened.
“You want me to look after an employee who’s meeting one-on-one with the CEO right after arriving? Couldn’t Planning Team 1 handle it?”
“Planning Team 1 reports directly to me. If I deal with him myself, it’ll look like the division director is babysitting the Chairman’s son. It’s more natural for him to work as a team member under a team leader.”
Lim Do-hyeon fell silent. The reasoning sounded plausible, but ultimately it was just deflection.
“Please take good care of him. Like I said, treat him like any other employee.”
“I don’t know how that’s supposed to work.”
Lim Do-hyeon sighed as he looked at Oh Jin-su, and seeing that no more words would come from him, he got up from his seat reluctantly, then paused and turned back.
“Do you know how long he’ll be here? A month? Three months? I’m guessing he’s just passing through here before heading to the head office since there’s the awkwardness of it?”
“I don’t know either. Even the CEO doesn’t seem to know.”
That made it even worse. If there was a set timeframe, you could just endure until then, but without one, every day felt like a test.
Lim Do-hyeon exhaled deeply, offered his parting words, and left the director’s office.
When he returned to Planning Team 2’s area, his team members approached and asked.
“Team Leader, is it really true?”
“The Chairman’s son is really coming to our team?”
In response to his team’s questions, Lim Do-hyeon sat down at his desk with a blank expression and opened his mouth.
“You heard?”
“…The rumor’s been going around. They’re saying he’s in the CEO’s office right now.”
Director Park answered in a low voice. As expected, rumors spread fast.
“What kind of person is he?”
Another team member asked, and Lim Do-hyeon shook his head.
“I have no idea. We’ll find out when we meet him.”
There was nothing more to say and nothing more to know. Lim Do-hyeon turned on his monitor. On the screen was the weekly logistics volume report he’d started writing yesterday but hadn’t finished.
Lim Do-hyeon stared at the screen for a moment, then placed his hands on the keyboard.
Until he’d been called to the director’s office, it had been an ordinary morning like any other, and he couldn’t understand how things had come to this.

* * *
“The CEO is waiting for you.”
I walked down the corridor following the secretary’s guidance.
Less than ten minutes after arriving at Seonjin Building, I was guided from the lobby and directed straight to the CEO’s office.
Knock knock—
When the secretary knocked at the CEO’s office door, a voice came from inside.
—Please come in.
“You may enter now.”
I gave the secretary a slight bow and opened the CEO’s office door to step inside.
“Welcome.”
As I entered the room, the CEO rose from his seat and came toward me.
“I’m Yoon Sang-chul.”
His expression wasn’t one of welcome, but neither was it one of displeasure. It was simply the face of someone resigned to the situation.
I made an effort not to let it show and bowed my head.
“I’m Kang Seon-woo. I appreciate the opportunity to work here.”
“Seon-woo… No, Kang Seon-woo. Good to meet you.”
“Thank you for having me.”
“Shall we sit down then?”
Yoon Sang-chul indicated a seat, and I sat on the sofa.
“How much has the Chairman told you?”
“Nothing beyond being told to report to Seonjin Logistics.”
It was the truth. My mother had said nothing beyond that. She could have wished me well or expressed worry, but she truly said nothing at all.
“I see. We’re planning to place you in the Management Planning Division. I understand you said you wanted to learn from the ground up—is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Yoon Sang-chul nodded, then paused briefly.
“Today is your first day, so you can meet with me like this, but from now on, I’ll treat you like any other employee. The Chairman said the same thing.”
A moment of silence passed before Yoon Sang-chul spoke again.
“It won’t be easy.”
As he said, it won’t be easy. I have no doubt that the other employees already know who I am, and it’s unlikely they’ll find it natural to treat me like a regular employee.
“I’m prepared for it.”
“Good. If you think that way, I won’t say anything more. I’ll trust that you’ll do well on your own.”
I nodded.
“If you have any questions, please speak through the division director or your team leader.”
“Understood.”
That was all there was to it. There was nothing more to say. I rose from my seat and bowed.
“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”
Yoon Sang-chul nodded and stood up. After exchanging farewells, I left the CEO’s office and walked down the corridor.
“Yoon Sang-chul…”
What I could read from the CEO’s face just now was apprehension and a wariness toward me.
But I couldn’t fault him for it. It wasn’t a situation he’d chosen, nor was it one he could refuse.
“He’s certainly not a decisive person.”
From my memories of my previous life, he was the type to keep a stable organization running smoothly without problems. When sales rose and volume increased, the company moved along well enough. But he wasn’t suited for a crisis. When competitors grew larger through mergers and acquisitions, unit prices hit bottom, and the group faced liquidity issues, Seonjin Logistics was put on the block for sale. What Yoon Sang-chul did then was nothing. More precisely, there was nothing he could do. When money wasn’t coming from the group, what could a single CEO accomplish alone?
“He didn’t even seem to have the will to fight.”
In stable times, he’s the type who steadies the ship, but he’s not the type to overturn the board when it needs overturning. When crisis comes, he just asks the group headquarters for more money; he can’t create answers himself. The difference is greater than you’d think.
As I walked, lost in thought, I soon found myself standing before the Management Planning Division office.
“I’ll stop thinking now and do this properly.”
I steeled myself and pushed open the office door.

* * *
“Kang Seon-woo?”
As I stepped through the door into the office, a man came toward me.
“I’m Oh Jin-su, the Management Planning Division Director. The CEO mentioned you.”
“I’m Kang Seon-woo. I appreciate the opportunity to work here.”
“Well… no, I’m confident you’ll adjust well.”
Oh Jin-su looked at me as if to say something, then simply nodded and walked toward the inner area. I followed him.
The Management Planning Division was a spacious office area divided by partitions.
About twenty employees were seated, and as I entered, heads lifted from various desks and then lowered. The rumor had clearly already spread.
‘Ah, I’m not getting used to this.’
This wasn’t the first time I’d been on the receiving end of such looks, but I still hadn’t grown accustomed to them. Following Oh Jin-su, he stopped in front of a desk in the inner area.
“Team Leader Lim.”
The man who stood up appeared to be in his late thirties. His expression was rigid.
“This is Kang Seon-woo, who’s being assigned to Planning Team 2. Please take good care of him.”
With just that, Oh Jin-su turned and left. A clean pass-off, that was.
“I’m Lim Do-hyeon, Team Leader of Planning Team 2.”
“I’m Kang Seon-woo. I appreciate the opportunity to work with you.”
“Of course, why don’t you come this way? Let’s introduce you to the team members first.”
Lim Do-hyeon led me to the team’s area. Four team members stood up from their desks. They all looked like they already knew.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m grateful to be working with you.”
The team members’ greetings were polite but distant. It was an awkward situation where being too casual with the Group Chairman’s son on their team would be even more uncomfortable.
There was probably no one in this building who felt at ease because of me.
“This is your desk.”
Lim Do-hyeon pointed to an empty desk. I set down my bag and sat.
“I’m Kim So-mi. This is your temporary PC password. You can change it however you like.”
The team member at the next desk slid a note over to me. It had a temporary password written on it.
“Thank you.”
When I bowed in gratitude, an awkward smile came back in return.
“Well then, now that introductions are done, let’s get right into a meeting. Seon-woo, you’ll participate as well.”
Less than five minutes after sitting down, I pulled a notepad and pen from my bag and followed them out.
Once everyone was seated in the small conference room, Lim Do-hyeon’s gaze turned toward me.
“Seon-woo, our team has a weekly meeting every Monday. Your job will be to tidy up the conference room before the meeting and to help if any of your seniors request materials.”
It was typical work for a new hire. I nodded.
“Understood.”
At my answer, Lim Do-hyeon nodded and looked at the other team members. He seemed deliberately trying not to make me the subject of discussion.
It didn’t feel like dismissal; rather, his expression showed that he understood keeping me out of the conversation was actually for my benefit.
“All right then, let’s begin the meeting. Director Kim, shall we start with you?”
“This week the Seoul Metropolitan Area’s logistics volume increased 3% compared to last week. Based on the Gunpo Hub, we processed an average of 102,000 boxes per day.”
“What about the Yeongnam Region?”
“Yeongnam is flat compared to last week. The Daegu Sub-Terminal issue still hasn’t been resolved.”
“What do you mean it hasn’t been resolved?”
“The lease renewal terms don’t match. The building owner is demanding a 15% increase, and approval hasn’t come through.”
“I’ll ask the division director about that again. Next.”
Numbers poured out. Unit price per package, logistics volume, terminal processing capacity, dispatch efficiency—the numbers were so overwhelming it was hard just to take them down.
I already knew the big picture from above. But the field numbers were different. Numbers broken down by sub-terminal, by route, were things only the Management Planning Division could see.
“So-mi, how’s the unit price renegotiation progressing?”
When Lim Do-hyeon asked, Kim So-mi, who’d been sitting next to me and shown me the PC password earlier, spoke up.
“We’ve renewed two of the three sub-terminals under existing terms. For the remaining one, they’re asking us to cut the price using Seyang Parcel Service’s rate as a reference.”
“How low has Seyang gone?”
“There’s talk of 2,300 won per package.”
Seyang Parcel Service is currently the industry’s second place with a 15% market share, but in my previous life, they’d acquired the industry leader through a merger and surpassed a 30% market share. That’s when the unit price war truly began in earnest, and even the 70 won profit per package vanished.
“At 2,300 won, the profit margin is almost gone…”
Lim Do-hyeon narrowed his brow.
“It’ll be less than 30 won. We shouldn’t match that rate.”
Another team member said.
“Don’t match it. Keep the existing contract volume and monitor price trends. For now, we maintain our rate.”
“Understood.”
It wasn’t a wrong judgment. Not for now, anyway.
But monitoring alone won’t be enough. Eventually, this market will become a battle of scale.
If scale is small, you can’t lower unit prices. If you can’t lower prices, volume disappears.
Seonjin Logistics currently doesn’t have the fundamental strength to endure that fight.
‘This is hard to sit through quietly.’
Pretending not to know what you know is harder than you’d think.
I felt the team members’ gazes during the meeting. Even as they reported, they chose their words carefully. Words they’d normally have thrown out casually, I could see them adjusting the tone of.
“All right, let’s end the meeting here for today and get to work. Everyone, report directly if there’s anything urgent.”
The meeting ended and everyone scattered back to their desks.
“Senior, what should I be doing?”
The moment I sat down, I asked Kim So-mi at the next desk. From what I could tell, she seemed to be my mentor.
“Oh, for now, why don’t you transfer the logistics volume trends to an Excel sheet? Here’s the data.”
“Understood.”
Following Kim So-mi’s instructions, I sat at my desk and began organizing data in Excel.
“Seon-woo.”
As I was inputting data into the spreadsheet, I heard someone calling my name and turned my head.
It was Team Leader Lim Do-hyeon.
“Let’s go visit the Gunpo Hub together.”
“The Gunpo Hub?”
“It’s our main logistics hub. I thought it’d be good for you to see the actual operation.”
The Gunpo Hub is the heart of Seonjin Logistics, handling both parcel and corporate logistics. It was sudden, but since the team leader had something in mind and was calling me out separately, I nodded.
“Understood.”
Lim Do-hyeon stepped out of the office, and I stood up, grabbed my jacket and bag, and followed him out.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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