Chapter 6
1213 Words
Inside the elevator, there were only Ji-Hwan and Baek Soo-in.
Ji-Hwan leaned casually against the wall, whistling softly, his expression relaxed—showing not a trace of guilt for what he had done in the lobby earlier. In contrast, Baek Soo-in stood stiffly in front of the elevator doors. Her body trembled faintly, her heartbeat uneven and chaotic.
Being alone with Ji-Hwan in such a confined space made her deeply uncomfortable. The youngest son of her employer was nothing like his siblings, who treated employees with basic respect.
Suddenly, Ji-Hwan’s voice broke the silence.
“Ya!.”
Baek Soo-in flinched so hard her shoulders jerked upward.
“What’s the name of that cleaner?” Ji-Hwan asked.
“I don’t know. She’s just a worker under a contracted company,” Baek Soo-in replied, her eyes fixed on the elevator doors.
Ji-Hwan smirked.
“The people downstairs should be thanking that cleaner. If it weren’t for her, I would’ve made sure you—and everyone who blocked me—got kicked out of this company. You hear me?”
“Y-yes… I hear you,” Baek Soo-in answered quickly, her voice tight.
“Tch.”
A few minutes later, the elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
Baek Soo-in immediately stepped out, then stood to the side with her head lowered, waiting for Ji-Hwan to exit.
“Even meeting my own father is a hassle, ssibal,” Ji-Hwan muttered as he walked out.
“This way, sir,” Baek Soo-in said, leading him toward a set of double doors in the middle of the corridor.
She knocked.
“Come in!”
A voice from inside answered.
Baek Soo-in opened the door, but her body was shoved roughly aside as Ji-Hwan barged in without a care.
Inside, Kang Dae-sung, who was sitting on the sofa, only watched calmly as his youngest son behaved so rudely.
“You may leave, Soo-in.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
The door closed from the outside.
Ji-Hwan walked slowly around the office, his eyes scanning the room. The framed photos on the walls, the displays on the cabinets—he observed everything without once looking at his father.
“Big office,” he said flatly.
“Of course it is. I’m the Chairman of this company.”
“What’s the use of that title if your own son can’t even come up without being blocked?”
Kang Dae-sung turned to look at him.
“They didn’t know who you were. Of course they would stop you. That’s their job as security officers.”
“Even after I told them my name, they still blocked me. They should’ve contacted that woman for verification,” Ji-Hwan sneered. “Trash stays trash.”
Kang Dae-sung let out a long breath.
“Why did you come to see me?”
“Give me a high position. I’m not starting from the bottom. I won’t bow to trash in your company.”
“Ji-tae, Ji-Seok, and your sister all started from the bottom, Ji-Hwan.”
Ji-Hwan turned sharply.
“That’s them, Father. Not me. Don’t compare me to them. I was raised by Grandma since I was young. I’m different.”
“If you can’t start from the bottom, then I can’t give you any position.”
Ji-Hwan let out a cold laugh.
“Fine. This is the last time I come to see you.”
He turned toward the door.
“Just pretend you never had a youngest son. Goodbye.”
“Wait, Ji-Hwan!”
His steps stopped.
Kang Dae-sung rubbed his face slowly, clearly exhausted by his son’s attitude.
“I’ll give you the position of Executive Manager.”
Ji-Hwan turned back. A satisfied smile spread across his face when he heard the title.
“But with one condition,” Kang Dae-sung continued.
“What condition?”
“Respect your subordinates, Ji-Hwan. Don’t be harsh. Don’t be rude. That’s all I ask.”
Ji-Hwan smiled faintly.
“If they respect me, I’ll respect them. But if they’re insolent and don’t follow my orders, I’ll fire them. And I’ll make sure they never get another job anywhere.”
He chuckled.
“Don’t worry, Father. Even if I’m rude, what can they do? There are plenty of people outside who want their positions.”
“And the company will suffer losses training new staff from scratch,” Kang Dae-sung replied.
“This company has stood strong since the end of the Korean War. It won’t go bankrupt just because it needs to train new employees,” Ji-Hwan replied with a faint smile.
Kang Dae-sung pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Do as you wish, Ji-Hwan. I won’t stop you.”
“When can I start working?”
“Start tomorrow.”
“Good.”
Ji-Hwan turned toward the door.
“But,” he said before leaving, “don’t forget to announce my appointment to everyone.”
And with that, he walked out of the office without looking back.
Kang Ji-Hwan walked out of his father’s office casually, a wide smile on his face. A soft laugh escaped his lips.
Baek Soo-in, who was sitting at her desk, immediately lowered her head, doing everything she could to avoid eye contact with him.
“Soo-in.”
Hearing her name, Baek Soo-in stood up at once and walked to the Chairman’s office door.
“Yes, Chairman,” she said as she opened it.
“Make an announcement. Inform everyone that Kang Ji-Hwan will be appointed as Executive Manager. Do it now,” Kang Dae-sung ordered firmly.
“Yes, Chairman. I’ll carry it out immediately,” Baek Soo-in replied.
The door closed again.
Baek Soo-in stood there for a moment, then let out a slow breath.
“Executive Manager? … ssibal,” she whispered.
“The staff in this company are finished.”
__________
In the lobby, Han Soo-min pushed her cleaning cart toward the back area after finishing cleaning almost the entire floor. She didn’t head to the break room prepared for the cleaning staff. Instead, her steps went straight toward the emergency staircase.
She placed the cart against the wall. Slowly, she pushed open the emergency door and stepped inside.
The girl took a deep breath, then sat down on the stairs. Her face was bleak, her gaze empty as it fixed on the white wall in front of her.
The fingers that Ji-Hwan had stepped on were still throbbing with pain. She gently massaged them, trying to endure the lingering ache.
For six months, she had worked in this company.
And today was the first time she had been treated like this.
Humiliated.
Treated as if she had no value, no dignity.
What hurt even more—no one had helped her.
They only watched.
They only observed.
And let it all happen.
Her lips trembled.
“Is being a cleaner really that low…?” her voice broke.
“I have feelings too…”
Tears fell one by one.
“I feel shame too…”
“I have dignity…”
Her hands covered her face.
Her sobs broke out in the narrow stairwell.
“Argh…”
“Argh…”
Her cries echoed in the silent emergency staircase.
No one came.
No one heard.
Only her—her pain—and the crushing humiliation pressing down on her chest.
- Writer
