Translator: HunterW
Editor: RED
Never in my life had I gone to an interview. Everything I knew about interviews came from movies and TV shows, but those were pretty close to the real thing, right? So I was beginning to suspect that this interview I was at right now was not a normal one. Somehow, I doubted normal interviews were conducted by top ranking members of the board, but they were sitting right in front of me: Song Daechul, Song Myungsoo, Han Kyungchul, and Park Manho. The Sunbin Group wasn’t a small company for the owner to conduct the interview himself. Oh, and I was the only one being interviewed, too.
“Interviewee Lee Jiwon,” Song Daechul called my name.
“Yes?”
“In your mind, do you think you’re qualified enough to work for the Sunbin Group?” It was a broad question, but it was asked because I only graduated from a vocational high school in the bottom twenty percent of my class. It was obvious I was very lacking for the company, but…
“I think I’m overqualified.” A hundred Sunbin Groups weren’t enough for someone like me.
“I see you’re very confident in yourself.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Do you mean what’s written on these six letters of recommendation?”
“No. Those letters were just to get me past the application process.”
“Then do you mean to say that you possess something more that separates you from the other applicants, something far greater than what is on the letters?”
“I do,” I replied, looking straight at Song Daechul.
Song Daechul chuckled at my response. “Then let me rephrase my question. Why would someone as great as yourself choose the Sunbin Group?”
“Because it’s the Sunbin Group.” I always knew that the Sunbin Group the nation’s biggest philanthropic corporation, but Song Haein was actually the biggest reason behind my desire to enter the company.
“Thank you. I think that’s all the questions we have for you today. We will call you with the results a week from now.”
“So that’s it?”
“Yes.”
I was a bit surprised from that. They only asked me two questions and the interview itself only lasted for about three minutes. But I couldn’t rightly tell them to ask me more questions when they said it was ove,r so I got up and left the room. Out in the hall, I saw Song Haein, who was clearly waiting for me.
“Hello. My name is Lee Jiwon.” Back then, Haein had introduced herself first at Store 72, but this time, I wanted to approach her first.
“Oh, hello. I’m Song Haein. Did you need something from me?”
“Hmm…did I make a mistake? I thought you had some interest in me. And I had some interest in you, too.”
In the past, Haein always had a bright and unbending personality, but that changed when she met me. It all started when her own brother, who was the pillar of the Sunbin Guild, fell into a twisted hole, and the guild and I had a falling out. It also didn’t help that I continued to ignore her feelings the entire time.
After all that, I just didn’t know how to approach Haein. I had never dated anyone before. But I didn’t think about it for too long. No matter how much I thought about how to approach her, I wasn’t going to find out the answer. If I didn’t know the answer, I just had to show my sincerity. It would have been nice if she had blushed from my answer, but Haein barely reacted. It was almost as if she was wondering if I was crazy or something. But thankfully, she didn’t completely turn me down.
“Well, I am interested in you, but probably not in the way you think.”
“I’m glad. Anyway, can I call you Sunbae the next time we meet?” {TN: Sunbae is the Korean equivalent to Senpai.}
“Did your interview go that well, that you think you already passed the interview?”
“Yes, it did. I’m very satisfied with how it went. Anyway, do you have time for a cup of coffee?”
“Hmm…sure, I do.”
——
Three months later…
“Oppa.”
“What is it?”
“Are you some sort of god?”
“Hmm…I’m not really a god, but more like I own the Earth.” Haein and I were currently heading towards India, riding on a flying carpet. It was possible, of course, with Earth’s help.
‘Tsk! Always making me do this kind of stuff…’
-Hey, I got rid of all that radiation in Japan last month like I promised. I even made them increase their national budget to three hundred trillion so they can enforce their new regulations.-
After all the nagging Earth gave me to clean up the radiation, I did as it asked by kidnapping Japan’s prime minister and his entire cabinet and bringing them to Bentin-jima off the coast of Hokkaido. There, I showed them my powers and completely submerged the deserted island below sea level. Then, I had Earth blow off some steam by creating a fifty-meter tall tsunami.
That was enough. The next day, they had increased their national budget to three hundred trillion Yen just to clean up the radiation.
“By the way, is this child your son?” Haein had a sleeping Shaman Ko in her arms and was brushing his hair. The Dungeon Mole and the Tendon weren’t too far from Shaman Ko, either.
“Hmm… yeah, he’s like my son.”
“Oh yeah? Does that mean you had a wife too?”
“No! I said he’s ‘like’ my son.”
And like that, Haein and I enjoyed a nice picnic in the air. As I ate from Haein’s packed lunch, I looked over to my left. We had just passed the Himalayas. We were getting close.
Soon, we finally landed in India and headed straight for the company I had set up not too long ago. It was a company that the Sunbin, Shire, Chloe, Asyut Groups and the Abu Dhabi royal family all had equal shares in, and was worth thirty billion dollars, with me as its president.
I used this company to start investing in the Ravi Group, owned by Lagus Aman and his father, to help the Dalit caste. The first thing I had them do was form stable jobs for them. There was a lot of pushback at first. Even if they said that their society was getting better, many of their laws and traditions were still deeply rooted in the caste system. The founding members of the Sahtashwi and the Behi-Kinant Guilds caused the most trouble, but it was easy to get them out of the picture by using Earth’s power to make them fall ill.
“Welcome, Mr. President,” Lagus greeted me when I entered my office. Lagus was originally supposed to help his father with the Ravi Group, but he entered my company at my behest as my executive assistant.
“How are things in India?”
“Things are going well. We’re still keeping close tabs on the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas. The shady mines and factories have now all fallen in line with our regulations.”
“That’s good to hear.”
As I continued to talk with Lagus about the state of the country, Lagus’s personal assistant entered my office with coffee in hand. I turned to her and asked, “When’s the wedding?”
Muskan, Lagus’s assistant, was also his fiancée. Honestly, I didn’t try to make the two meet, since Lagus was still a Vaishya and had lived a completely different world than Muskan. But they just somehow ended up meeting and grew very close.
“It is two months and a week from now, Mr. President.”
“Oh, it’s getting close. You guys better invite me,” I said with a small laugh.
“Shouldn’t you be worrying about yourself first, sir?”
Haein grew red at what Lagus said.
I laughed instead. “I suppose so. I better tie down my other half before she runs away.”
——
That night…
“When are you going to go meet your mother?”
“…” I had told Haein about my family situation, not wanting to hide it from her. But even though I had just about transferred the managing duties to Lagus and Muskan, I still hadn’t sought out my mother yet. Well, I did secretly go see her about ten times to see how she was doing. I even had Earth bolster her vitality a few times.
“I should go…”
“That’s what you said last time, and the time before, but you still haven’t gone.”
“I know. I’m going to, for sure this time.” I had already visited the von Agassi clan in Norway and Madun Yatekin in Turkey, and helped them out. Now, all I had left to take care of was my mother. I wanted to talk to her every time I secretly went to go see her, but I kept remembering how I had almost sacrificed her to save myself. In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to do it, which ended up killing Haein instead, but I could never forgive myself for even thinking about it.
I kept pushing it off over and over again, but now I no longer had an excuse. I had finished paying back everyone who had ever helped me during the Otadolon stage. I was going to go see her even if Haein didn’t bring it up again. I couldn’t rightly ignore my own mother forever.
“You promise?”
“Yeah, I promise. I’ll go with an armful of gifts.”
“Me too! Let me help.”
“You too?”
“Of course! It’s the least I could do as her future daughter-in-law.”
“…” I felt myself tear up a little. I hugged Haein tightly and whispered, “Thanks.”
——
A week later…
“Will this be enough, Jiwon?”
“Yes, thank you. But you really didn’t need to go this far.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s the least I can do as your father-in-law,” Song Myungsoo replied with a chuckle
“Father, your real son is standing right here. Will you quit it?” Song Haechang said, jokingly.
“Hahaha. Thank you. And I know how you really feel, bro.”
“Stop it, you’re creeping me out.”
“Dad, oppa, that’s enough already! We’re short on time as it is.” Haein finally stepped in and ended our little bantering.
Once we were ready, we departed, with gifts from all organizations in tow. I purposely told them I was going to show my mother that the son she thought was dead had become this successful.
——
Outside the small-scale construction site of Jugong Apartments at Kyungju City, Chuncheong Province…
“Mrs. Sung, your complexion is getting better every day! What’s your secret?”
“Oh, you!” Sung Sooyeon was sent to the construction site the company was working on to make food for the construction workers. She wasn’t paid, and was only a part of the company solely because she was the company owner’s daughter-in-law.
Suddenly, about twenty luxury sedans entered the construction site. Only presidents of large companies traveled like that. Curious, the construction workers forgot about their lunch break and gathered around their foreman. Sung Sooyeon followed the workers and managed to find a spot that had a good look of the people exiting the cars. A young couple exited from the middle car. Sung Sooyeon thought the woman was quite pretty before turning to the man, and then she dropped the tray she was carrying.
—
I slowly walked forward. Every step I took, the people in front of me moved out of the way to make a path. I kept walking until I met her; my mother who was silently sobbing at the sight of me. I carefully hugged her.
“I’m sorry it took so long to find you, mom. I never got to say it but… I love you.”
Finally, I was happy.
