Chapter 27: Karma

Ribbon Corporation is currently handling three businesses: wheat distribution, flour processing and distribution, and the Local Bakery franchise.  

Even managing just one of these would require at least a dozen people, and a franchise alone would need dozens more.  

That’s why this recruitment drive was set to be an unprecedented expansion of personnel.  

“You’re hiring a total of 65 people?”  

“Yeah, a lot, right?”  

“If any company announced they’re hiring this many people, it’d cause a stir.”  

In times like these, hiring so many people might raise suspicions.  

Suspicions about whether the company is up to something shady.  

Of course, Ribbon Corporation is safe.  

You can apply with confidence.  

Yuha flipped through the resumes one by one, then tilted her head.  

She scanned through them again and looked at me with a bewildered expression.  

“Boss.”  

“What?”  

“We’re hiring 65 people, with half being experienced hires, right?”  

“That’s right.”  

“There are 893 applicants?”  

“Yup.”  

893 applicants for 65 positions.  

That’s roughly a 13-to-1 competition ratio.  

This level of competition could rival that of a mid-sized company.  

Of course, the specifics varied.  

The food development department had about a 3-to-1 ratio, the distribution management department was 15-to-1, and the business development department was a whopping 30-to-1.  

The competition rates are all over the place.  

Still, every department was fiercely competitive, that much was true.  

“Why… why are there so many applicants? What do they see in our company?”  

“That’s what I’m curious about too.”  

Ribbon Corporation is, quite literally, a startup.  

Sure, we’ve accomplished a lot for a startup, but this level of attention feels a bit excessive.  

“I was even prepared for a shortage of applicants.”  

Yuha, still finding it odd, checked the resumes again and reviewed the job posting.  

Then, a moment later, she let out a SCREAM and stared at me.  

“Boss!”  

“What?”  

“Are you crazy?”  

“Hey, Vice President, watch your language in the workplace.”  

“How can I when you’ve made it impossible!”  

Yuha grabbed my shoulders and shook me as if she were about to throttle me.  

“Starting salary for new hires is 35 million won? And 58 million for someone with three years of experience? That’s more than me!”  

“Oh, yeah, you’re right.”  

Is this the first time in the country that a new hire earns more than the vice president?  

No, that could mess with workplace discipline.  

“I’ll raise your salary to 80 million. We’ll rewrite your contract.”  

“…Boss, we don’t have that kind of money. Everything we’re earning is being reinvested! Where’s this money coming from?”  

“It’ll come soon.”  

I glanced at the message the system had displayed.  

[Due to social reforms, expected production volumes have changed.]  

[Wheat production has increased by 165%, and iron ore production has increased by 290%.]  

[Additionally, five new cities will be established in the iron dimension, leading to further iron ore production.]  

I thought the emergence of private property would reduce the amount of offerings, but with the surge in production, the offerings actually increased.  

Thanks to that, both wheat and iron ore production far exceeded my expectations.  

The day to supply iron ore to Kangseong Steel is approaching.  

How much profit would we make just from selling iron ore to them?

Even after distribution costs, it’s around 3.6 billion won.  

Until now, the combined revenue from wheat distribution, flour distribution, and the franchise was about 1.2 billion won, so this is three times that amount in one go.  

With this money, we can easily cover employee salaries and have plenty left over.  

Of course, relying solely on this isn’t a great option.  

If it gets out that we’re dependent on Kangseong Steel, they’ll definitely try to pull something.  

We need to keep this information under wraps and wait until the franchise grows.  

Just half a year.  

In just six months, the franchise will generate enough revenue to cover employee salaries and more.  

We just need to hold out until then.  

“Don’t worry about the money. Focus on hiring capable employees. There’s probably an industrial spy or two in the mix.”  

“…What?”  

“Why are you so surprised?”  

“Do you think industrial spies are that common?”  

This kid’s saying something funny.  

“Why wouldn’t they be?”  

“Well…”  

“Look at our revenue graph. Does this look like a normal company’s growth curve?”  

Ribbon Corporation’s growth rate is, frankly, abnormal.  

Even a subsidiary of a conglomerate rarely grows this fast.  

That alone is reason enough for others to keep us in check.  

Of course, if you dig deeper, there are even more reasons.  

“And how many companies have we screwed over with our franchise business?”  

“…Yeah, that’s true.”  

They’ll do anything to sabotage Local Bakery and take a piece of the pie.  

“They won’t hold back.”  

“Even so, industrial spies…”  

“They’d definitely plant them. It’s the easiest way for them to profit without shedding a drop of blood.”  

Spies would steal our key information and reduce our efficiency.  

That alone would be a painful loss for us.  

The problem is, even if we catch a spy, the company behind them will just play dumb and claim ignorance.  

So they get all the reward with none of the risk.  

“That’s why we need to scrutinize the resumes. Filter out anyone who seems even slightly suspicious.”  

“…I’m not sure if that’s possible.”  

“We have to do it. We can’t let this business we’ve worked so hard to build go to waste.”  

“You’re right.”  

Yuha grumbled but diligently went through the necessary tasks.  

She checked the work experience listed on the resumes, cross-referenced them with cover letters, and even contacted previous employers when needed.  

She was determined to eliminate even the slightest hint of risk.  

I wasn’t much different.  

Resumes reveal more than you’d think, so I immediately filtered out anyone who might be linked to other companies.  

This process alone took roughly a day.  

“We’ve cut it down to about half.”  

“Yeah, but there’s a problem.”  

“What is it?”  

“The business development department is completely out.”  

The business development department.  

At Spectrum, it was equivalent to the Strategic Planning Team, the brain of Ribbon Corporation, overseeing and planning all future business ventures.  

Being such a key role, naturally, only the elite of the elite applied.  

But…  

“They’re all just looking for a quick buck and an exit.”  

None of them were genuinely interested in Ribbon Corporation.  

They only cared about their own careers and security.  

If we hire these people, they won’t come up with new business plans. 

They’ll just tighten the belt on existing operations to boost profits.  

“Like professional managers.”  

“Exactly, like those guys.”  

Personally, I don’t like those types.  

First, because they took my job, and second, because they’re bastards who prioritize their own careers over the company’s long-term health.  

“You know what professional managers usually do, right?”  

“Cut costs and squeeze workers dry.”  

“Exactly. It’s a huge loss for the company in the long run, but it boosts short-term profits. They use that to pad their resumes and jump ship to another company like migratory birds.”  

Ribbon Corporation already offers services and products at low costs.  

If those types come in and cut costs even further, someone’s going to suffer.  

And that’s usually the workers, whom the higher-ups call “the little guys.”  

“That doesn’t align with our business philosophy, right?”  

“Yeah, it doesn’t.”  

If we want our employees to take pride in working for our company, we need to nip these things in the bud.  

I tossed the applications into the shredder without hesitation.  

“So, for now, it’s just the two of us?”  

“Hmm, that’d be tough.”  

The business is going to scale up rapidly.  

To bring in new ventures with growing profits and prepare for the next ones before they’re fully established, two people alone won’t cut it.  

Not to mention, we won’t be able to manage the existing businesses properly.  

No matter how you look at it, we need people.  

As I stared at the shredded documents, a brilliant idea hit me.  

Truly a “Eureka!” moment.  

“Yuha.”  

“Yes?”  

“You said Spectrum fired the entire Strategic Planning Team, right?”  

“It was more like a department reshuffle. Essentially demotion or termination notices.”  

“So most of them left?”  

“Pretty much.”  

“Put on your shoes.”  

I grabbed my suit and took the lead.  

Yuha, flustered, followed close behind.  

“No way, you’re going to recruit the Strategic Planning Team? The ones who got fired?”  

“Yup.”  

“Boss, wait a second. Hold on!”  

“What?”  

“…They won’t come.”  

Yuha’s voice was firm.  

Like someone stating an unchangeable truth.  

“How can you be so sure?”  

“Because they absolutely hate you. I did too.”  

“It’s normal for employees to dislike their boss.”  

“It’s a bit different with you. You really treated people like parts of a machine.”  

Yeah, I did.  

“I never told you this, but some of the Strategic Planning Team members were seeing psychiatrists and taking medication.”  

“Because of stress?”  

“Because of depression. People like that won’t accept your offer, no matter how much money you throw at them. They’d rather deal with their anxiety and disorders than work for you.”  

My position has changed, and it keeps forcing me to reflect and repent.  

I rubbed my face and slapped my cheeks.  

“Still, we need to bring them in.”  

“Boss.”  

“Let them slap me, curse me, do whatever they want. I need them.”  

They were the ones who acted as my perfect limbs under Yuha’s leadership.  

I really did treat them like machine parts.  

I have to admit that.  

I was a complete bastard.  

“Tell them we’ll provide every welfare benefit they need. Say we’ll reduce their workload compared to Spectrum and offer a good salary.”  

“Boss, you’re so stubborn.”  

“You’ve got to have strong convictions to survive.”  

“That wasn’t a compliment. Ugh.”  

Yuha returned to her desk, changed her shoes, and grabbed her suit.  

“Let’s go together. If you go alone, you’ll just get kicked out.”  

“Yeah, having you there might make a difference.”  

“I’ll probably get kicked out too. I meant I’d take the hit with you.”  

“Is that so?”  

Well, two is better than one.  

With that thought, we left the company.  

As we got in the car and I set the navigation, Yuha, sitting in the passenger seat, blinked at me.  

“Boss, where are we going?”  

“Where else? Their house.”  

“How do you know their address?”  

“Why wouldn’t I?”  

I confirmed the shortest route on the navigation and pressed the accelerator.  

“It was all in their resumes when they applied. I memorized it.”  

***

You need to know everything about your employees to use them as you want.  

That’s why I always memorized their personal details.  

Especially for the Strategic Planning Team, who were my limbs.  

“So you memorized the home addresses of all 20 employees?”  

“Phone numbers and birthdays too. Want me to recite them?”  

“No, that’s kind of creepy, like a stalker.”  

“Stalker? This is exactly why they provide that information.”  

“No, it’s not. And if you know their numbers, just call them.”  

“Would they answer my call?”  

“…”  

Her silence was answer enough.  

Yeah, even I wouldn’t pick up a call from a former boss I couldn’t stand.  

“They’ve probably blocked me already.”  

So, going straight to their door is the way to go.  

I stood at the entrance to the house indicated by the navigation and adjusted my tie.  

Visiting a (former) employee’s home for the first time? 

Even I’m a bit nervous.  

DING-DONG.  

Who is it?  

“Is this Sung Jihoon’s residence?”  

Yes, but who are you?  

“Hello, I’m Kang Jisung, the CEO of Ribbon Corporation.”  

 …Who?  

“Kang Jisung. I’m here to offer Sung Jihoon a job…”  

EEEEK!  

CLICK.  

Before I could finish, a shrill SCREAM cut through, and the intercom went dead.  

Uh, well…  

I stood there, dumbfounded, unable to process the situation, when Yuha patted my shoulder.  

“I told you. It won’t be easy.”  

Yeah.  

This is going to be a tougher journey than I thought.