I’d Rather Live as a Villain

I’d Rather Live as a Villain – Episode 36

(It’s kind of like a Red Bull)

The numerous titles created by Daeyoung’s subsidiaries.

Notably, there’s the global top business division title created by Daeyoung Electronics for smartphones and semiconductors.

And riding on the wave of Hallyu, or rather at the forefront of creating it, there’s the Asian top business division title of Daeyoung Planning, related to international events, advertising, film, and video production.

Kang Moon-jung had lunch with Kim Dae-yoon, the president of Daeyoung Planning, on the bridge laid by her father, Chairman Kang Man-ho.

“PPL-related video list?”

It was when a puzzled expression appeared on President Kim Dae-yoon’s face.

“Yes. Among Daeyoung’s subsidiaries, which business division do you think could invest the most in PPL planning? Wouldn’t it be our distribution side?”

It wasn’t a wrong statement.

Within the group itself, distribution indeed has the most foundations for collaboration with planning.

But why would distribution, which had always outsourced its promotions to its own PR team and external planning companies, suddenly make such a proposal?

President Kim Dae-yoon’s thoughts began to deepen.

At the center of his thoughts was the inevitable question: had Kang Moon-jung, the executive director, finally started to expand her influence in the succession structure? And was this clashing with the current line he held with Kang Young-jin?

However, while looking at President Kim Dae-yoon, Kang Moon-jung, with a dignified smile, had a completely different calculation running through her head.

The presidents of Daeyoung’s subsidiaries.

They were beings with no influence whatsoever in the competition for succession.

What power or ability could they possibly have over the succession decision?

They merely believe themselves to possess some ability, a bit of power.

And the one who fostered such baseless belief, such illusion among the executives, was none other than Kang Young-jin.

Kang Moon-jung had lived nearly 20 of her 34 years in close connection with Daeyoung’s succession.

For her, reading such a situation was no trouble at all.

Right now, Kang Young-jin isn’t pulling the subsidiary presidents to his side to bolster his position in the succession race.

He’s simply securing field experts in advance to compensate for his lack of skills, should the succession fall in his favor.

That’s the way to understand it.

Because succession, even once confirmed, can always be overturned.

Once he’s confirmed as the successor, either at the group’s headquarters or in electronics, he must prove how well he can maneuver the subsidiaries from the heart of Daeyoung.

For that reason, Kang Young-jin is currently putting the subsidiary presidents through the wringer, not because they have any influence or power over the succession decision, but because he needs to establish relationships with them.

In that sense, Kang Moon-jung had deliberately cut off relations with the subsidiary presidents.

The moment the succession is confirmed in her favor, those presidents who had supported Vice President Kang Young-jin would inevitably be struck by fear.

By simply cutting off one or two of Kang Young-jin’s closest allies, that fear would soon turn into absolute loyalty towards Kang Moon-jung.

Kang Moon-jung, who had been dining at the breakfast table in Pyeongchang-dong since she began eating with a spoon on her own.

To her, this level of corporate politics was nothing.

Knowing the physiology of corporate politics all too well, Kang Moon-jung had deliberately played the role of Daeyoung’s politically inept princess until now. Would the foolish President Kim Dae-yoon even realize that?

A position built not on skill but on favor must continually update new favors for the other party to maintain its place.

To Kang Moon-jung, the current subsidiary presidents were not worth the effort.

Above all, she did not want to become like Kang Young-jin, who was desperately trying to curry favor with the subsidiary presidents.

Who would benefit the most from her doing so?

The subsidiary presidents themselves.

Supporting the subsidiary presidents in such a way was neither right for Daeyoung Group nor for the authority of the owner’s family.

“If I ask you for this in the chairman’s absence, it might take too long to get what I want.”

Whether Chairman Kang Man-ho was present or not, Kang Moon-jung’s actions were unflinching.

“What, what do you mean…”

“I’m currently showing consideration towards you.”

At that moment, Chairman Kang Man-ho’s eyes narrowed.

Consideration?

What did Moon-jung mean by using the word ‘consideration’ towards President Kim?

“The upcoming advertising requests from our distribution side will certainly boost sales from a planning perspective. However, considering the relationship with Vice President Kang Young-jin, there will have to be some limitations from your personal standpoint, Mr. President.”

“···!”

This woman, Kang Moon-jung.

How can she speak of such matters so nonchalantly in front of the Chairman?

President Kim Dae-yoon felt a cold sweat trickling down his spine.

“But if I make such a request in the presence of the Chairman, wouldn’t it completely eliminate any grounds you might have for refusal, Mr. President? It would create a clear justification for not being able to refuse Vice President Kang Young-jin’s requests in the Chairman’s presence.”

Only then did Chairman Kang Man-ho, realizing his cunning daughter’s meticulous calculations, burst into uncontrollable laughter.

As the lazy Susan turned, Kang Moon-jung picked up a piece of tofu, placing it onto her plate, and said,

“I’m short on time right now, Mr. President. The PPL-related video list I requested. It would be great if I could get it by today, is that possible?”

“···Yes, I’ll pull it up as soon as I return and send it to you immediately.”

It was late, but President Kim Dae-yoon finally realized.

Executive Kang Moon-jung, who brought up such sensitive topics without a hint of hesitation.

And the Chairman, who, in front of such matters, burst out laughing even more.

Instinctively, President Kim Dae-yoon realized that he had been standing in the wrong line all this time.

***

“Hey, Uncle. It’s me.”

After lunch, on her way back to the distribution headquarters, Kang Moon-jung called her uncle, An Cheol-hyun, the owner of Han Shin Newspaper.

“I think we need to rush out a special feature article.”

-A special feature? What about?

“The main framework will be titled ‘The Sudden Decline in Sales of Domestic Duty-Free Shops,’ and within it, we need an article about the withdrawal of Draff’s duty-free shop from the airport, which was the second in Asia to enter Korea.”

-Ha, ha, ha, ha… Why, what did they do to make our Moon-jung go to such lengths to need an article like that?

“That’s just it. There’s a limit to playing fox, but they’re getting too bold, thinking they can climb over our heads because we’ve been indulgent. It’s time to firmly correct their behavior.”

-Is it urgent?

“The sooner, the better.”

-Alright, got it. This is going to be costly, you know?

“Charge it to the distribution side. I’ll make sure we pack it with ads.”

The destructive power of an article crafted as a special feature by the most influential newspaper was immense.

Within just two hours of the Han Shin Newspaper’s special feature hitting the internet, a call request came in from Draff’s CEO on the other side of the globe.

But Kang Moon-jung refused.

“I’m off work and not at my desk right now, tell them to put in the request again at 9 AM Korea time tomorrow.”

“But Director, this matter is…”

“I’ve said before, if it’s not ‘extremely important,’ I don’t look at work-related matters after hours.”

“…Yes, I understand. I’ll pass that along.”

The next morning.

Upon arriving at work, Kang Moon-jung received a report that there was a call request from Jean Dimitri, the CEO of Draft.

She hung her jacket in one corner of her office and walked to the window with a cup of coffee in hand.

Holding the coffee cup in one hand, she pressed the call button on her smartphone with the other.

“Madam, it’s morning in Korea now, isn’t it?”

The haughty and almost arrogantly proud voice of Jean Dimitri was humbly speaking in English.

After taking a sip of her coffee, Kang Moon-jung slowly swallowed and began the conversation.

“Did you try to contact me yesterday? I’m sorry. It was a call from Draft, and I missed it.”

“No, it’s my fault. I only thought about our time here and forgot to consider the time in Korea.”

“Thank you for understanding. But what brings you to call…”

“I received a report that an article with somewhat negative content about Draft has been published, through our staff in Korea.”

“Oh, that article. Yes, we’ve checked it too. But that article is less about Draft and more focused on the overall economic phenomenon of declining domestic duty-free sales, so we’re not paying much attention to it.”

It’s the same for Draft.

In a few hours, such an article will be buried and forgotten.

What startled Draft was the part about the duty-free shop withdrawal becoming an official fact.

For Draft, Daeyoung is a partner in the Asian market that needs to be trained with a balance of carrot and stick, not one to be lost.

“But, Madam.”

“I’m listening.”

“How did the information about Draft’s duty-free shop withdrawal get out and become an article?”

“From our standpoint, we need another partner brand that can fill the spot as soon as possible.”

“…”

“In the process of recruiting that brand, it was inevitable that Draft’s withdrawal would come up, wasn’t it?”

“That may be true, but…”

“We’re fine with it. After all, it’s your company that wishes to withdraw, so it’s not something you need to worry about.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the call, halfway across the globe.

Breaking the silence, the other party spoke.

“Madam, I will arrange a trip to Korea as soon as possible.”

“Korean schedule?”

“Yes, regarding the withdrawal from the Korean duty-free shops, it seems there were parts where the person in charge’s wording was rather harsh.”

“That one line of wording has wounded our pride more than your company may realize. Its value is quite significant to us.”

-…

“If you’re considering setting up a Korean schedule because of us, there’s no need. Instead, I’m currently arranging a Paris schedule as I have meetings lined up with Chaumet and Boucheron.”

“With Chaumet and Boucheron?”

“We need to secure brands of the same caliber to fill the vacancy. I have a preliminary meeting with Chaumet in two days. There’s about two hours of free time after that meeting; would you be able to match that time?”

Two days later, Kang Moon-jung left for Paris.

Moon-jung was deliberately heading to Paris herself.

If the other party were to come to Korea, she would have to extend the courtesy of hosting them.

Conversely, by taking on the trouble of going to Paris herself, the other party would have to share the burden and consideration of the meeting.

It was a schedule that firmly reflected Kang Moon-jung’s resolution not to extend any more courtesies to Draft.

Because she decided not to be considerate, there was no need to feel the burden on behalf of the other party.

It was her first business trip without her husband, Yoon Tae-sik.

For Kang Moon-jung, who started at Daeyoung’s water resources department, her first business trip was to Spain with her husband, Yoon Tae-sik.

Since then, there hadn’t been a single trip without him.

Perhaps that’s why.

On the plane to Paris, Kang Moon-jung felt an inexplicable anxiety, though she couldn’t show it outwardly.

It was like wearing a T-shirt inside out.

Something so natural, she hadn’t realized its presence was so significant.

But now, embarking on this trip alone, without her husband, only with the distribution managers and Manager Noh Gyu-hyung, she realized how absolutely essential Yoon Tae-sik had become to her.

It was when she boarded the top-class limousine sent by Draft after spending a night at the hotel.

“Executive Director.”

Manager Noh Gyu-hyung approached her cautiously.

“Yes.”

“Are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been so quiet since last night.”

“Me?”

“…Yes.”

“Ah, that? It’s because I’m tired. Is a 12-hour flight an easy task?”

It wasn’t the body that was tired, but the mind.

The anxiety over the absence of her husband.

To shake off that anxiety, she had been running simulations in her head non-stop, planning to meet with Jean Dimitri of Draft and force the position of Great Britain.

As a result, she found yesterday and today annoying, even the presence of someone beside her was bothersome.

To such Kang Moon-jung, Director Noh Kyu-hyung extended his phone to her.

“Why?”

“Just a moment.”

Director Noh opened the KakaoTalk app and showed Executive Kang a photo sent from Executive Yoon Tae-sik in Korea the night before.

“…”

Through Director Noh’s phone, what Kang Moon-jung was looking at was none other than the painting Kang Young-jin had gifted her, signifying congratulations on her marriage.

The conference room decorated on the third floor of the house.

The painting hanging right in the center of that conference room.

“Don’t show it right away, but right before you go into the meeting with Draft,” he had said.

“…He did?”

“Yes.”

It was strange.

As soon as she saw this painting, any kind of anxiety that had been tightly packed melted away like snow.

Kang Moon-jung, who had been fueled by a competitive spirit every day from looking at this painting gifted by her rival Kang Young-jin.

Yoon Tae-sik, who had taken a photo of this painting and sent it to Director Noh, insisting that it be shown to her right before the meeting.

The thought that her husband, whose absence had made her anxious, was always with her in this way, allowed Moon-jung to completely free herself from the anxiety she had felt yesterday and today.

“But what is this?”

“What?”

“This painting?”

“Um… Red Bull?”

“Red Bull?”

A comfortable smile began to form on Moon-jung’s face.

“Yes, it’s sort of like Red Bull.”

“Energy drink you’re having, Red Bull? What is that···”

“There is such a thing.”

***

Draf Corporation’s headquarters meeting room.

The meeting was attended by the CEO, Jean Dimitri, starting with the marketing director, vice president, and even the top Asia region officer who had hurriedly returned to Paris for this meeting. From their perspective, it was a meeting of the highest courtesy.

Especially since the proud Draf side had first suggested conducting the meeting in English, it was clear how they regarded this meeting.

Kang Moon-jung took her seat at the very center of the Daeyoung Distribution side.

She opened her mouth.

“From your company’s perspective, the Korean market may feel like a peripheral market that can be abandoned at any time, but for us at Daeyoung, Draf is just one of many brands that wouldn’t significantly affect the trend even if we gave it up.”

Draf had to agree to such a blunt statement.

They were facing a partner whose proven sales skills, which they had used against various partners, no longer worked.

“Yet, the reason my colleagues and I have traveled halfway around the globe to sit here and face you is to make an effort once again to not just see Draf as another brand, to still think of it as a good partner.”

Kang Moon-jung then had someone pass the prepared documents to the other side.

The documents contained a total of 11 film and drama proposals currently in production and planned with Netflix, tra nslated into English.

And within those proposals, there were noticeable spaces marked with brackets for brands Daeyoung Distribution intended to systematically insert PPL advertisements into those 11 films and dramas, but which had not yet been decided.

“In any relationship, the slightly more desperate side becomes the weaker one. And your company has been very good at using this to your advantage in relationships with partners.”

“···”

“But we never wanted to have the upper hand in our relationship with Draf. We have too many brands, and we simply don’t have the capacity to care for each one as your company does.”

“···”

“We might just put your brand in those brackets. You’ve wanted that from our side, Daeyoung. Sorry for noticing too late. But usually, isn’t it right for your company to honestly propose such a thing to us?”

Kang Moon-jung had accurately grasped their intentions.

The counterpart swallowing their saliva.

Towards such a counterpart, Kang Moon-jung spoke coldly.

“If you want to put your brand there, then withdraw Draf from all other distribution channels in the Korean market except Daeyoung. Exclusive. If you agree to an exclusive contract with us, then we will put your brand there.”

Draf considered an internal meeting meaningless.

It seemed as if they had come to an agreement just by exchanging glances among themselves, and Jean Dimitri of Draf took out a Montblanc pen from the inside pocket of his jacket and wrote Draf’s name in the empty brackets.