Chapter 577. Tightening (2)
Humans naturally desired fame. Most people wished to become someone famous and respected.
Jo Gyu-Min couldn't understand why, though. Being famous naturally meant strangers would know about you far more than you'd feel comfortable with. And it'd invite so much inconvenience into your life, too.
As a somewhat self-centered person, Jo Gyu-Min simply couldn't wrap his head around the idea of people trying to advertise themselves even more. As an example, look at the case of celebrities.
It was unmistakably true that more fame brought in more money for celebrities. But they had to practically give up on living a private life. Paparazzo and unhealthily-obsessed fans would set up camp in front of the famous celebrities' homes, and trying to open a window would become a gamble.
Obviously, someone becoming famous wouldn't automatically mean their private lives were effectively over like top celebrities. Even so, similar consequences should still be in store for those seeking fame.
Imagine taking a stroll one day, only for every random stranger to recognize you and try to stop you. To them, this might be an awesome encounter worth a thousand selfies, but Jo Gyu-Min was not confident of enduring such a situation.
Simply put, he'd be waaay too uncomfortable to stand still. So, Jo Gyu-Min's honest opinion on this topic was... Living like a commoner was a far better alternative to being a famous somebody recognized by everyone in the world. However, he got to learn a valuable lesson today about why so many people sought fame.
“I'm sorry? It's already been taken care of?!”
While Jo Gyu-Min was holding the office phone's receiver, his jaw dropped to the floor. All he did was answer this call when he stepped into his office the first thing in the morning, but now...!
“I heard the screening process usually takes up to three months? So how...?”
That's what Jo Gyu-Min heard, so how could the government's screening process take only one week?
“Pardon? Oh, I'm just surprised at how quick it was. Oh, uh...”
How polite...! The voice coming from the phone's speaker was too damn polite!
'Weird. I remember this guy being rather overbearing, so what happened?'
Most bureaucrats occupying important positions tended to behave in the following way. They had sky-high self-esteem for doing crucial work for the country, and their confidence soared through the heavens as the government and its considerable might had their backs.
Due to their circumstances, these bureaucrats usually looked down on civilians petitioning the government. And Jo Gyu-Min couldn't rely on Jaegyeong's clout in matters related to Kang Jin-Ho's foundation, so he had no choice but to silently endure all the overbearing nonsense, but now...!
-Yes, we decided to be more attentive to this particular screening. Originally, it should've been pushed to the back of the queue and taken a long time to get processed, but, uh... We know that Chairman Hwang is a very busy person. So, we sped up the process as much as we could.
Jo Gyu-Min smiled bitterly. Not just the bureaucrat's polite and subservient voice, but even the contents of his explanation made him sound like a totally different person! And Jo Gyu-Min could only feel dismayed and hollow inside.
If the screening process could be shortened by this much just because some bureaucrats decided to do so, why were other screenings taking several months to complete? South Korea shouldn't have a long queue of folks wanting to set up their own foundations, after all!
Jo Gyu-Min was prepared to be more understanding if the screening process had to be thorough, thus requiring a lot of time to finish. However, that couldn't be it since this particular screening didn't take long at all!
'Gimme a freaking break...!'
Jo Gyu-Min would've dearly loved to hurl some choice words into the phone's receiver but held himself back. He knew that insisting on getting his way every time was the fastest way to ruin himself. “I see. Let me express my gratitude. Thanks to your help, we have taken a large step toward completing our goal.”
-Oh, no. Please don't mention it. Of course, we must be more attentive. I mean, you're trying to do something constructive for our society. And it is our duty to help you in any shape possible.
'Wow. You sure know how to run your mouth, don't you?'
Jo Gyu-Min wordlessly shook his head. He could still vividly remember the bureaucrat's annoyed face when he went to the government office to submit all the required documents. But now, this man dared to cosplay as your friendly neighborhood public servant? No wonder Jo Gyu-Min was flabbergasted!
Of course, he knew why this bureaucrat was acting like this. And it was 'Hwang Jeong-Hu'.
The rumors of a titan of South Korea's business world, Chairman Hwang, being interested in a welfare foundation spread to all corners of the country in mere days. Even if this fact hadn't been reported in the news outlets, and regular folks had no idea about it, those who should know already knew.
Unsurprisingly, all the related government departments were thrown into an uproar. And they must've investigated all the people related to Hwang Jeong-Hu until they spotted Jo Gyu-Min's name in one of the petitions.
'Should I be amazed by their diligence in finding me, even though I didn't give them any info?'
Actually, Jo Gyu-Min had been seriously considering dropping hints of Hwang Jeong-Hu's involvement for a while now. However, the bureaucrats being more proactive like this was pretty good, too. The phrase 'In the blink of an eye' might be appropriate to this situation!
'Still, I didn't think it'd be this effective.'
Jo Gyu-Min briefly pondered if he had greatly underestimated the power of Chairman Hwang's name. Obviously, he knew things would work out smoothly with Hwang Jeong-Hu onboard. Still, how smoothly things worked out this time exceeded his expectations.
At the very least, Jo Gyu-Min figured he'd have to subtly alert the bureaucrats about Hwang Jeong-Hu being the foundation's chief director, then prove that was the case. Only by doing so would the government officials pull their proverbial socks up and do some work for a change.
Jo Gyu-Min even thought Chairman Hwang would have to do some actual work to resolve several matters the people under him couldn't sort out by themselves. And he was fully prepared to apologize wholeheartedly to Hwang Jeong-Hu for inconveniencing him like that. But now, with how this situation unfolded...
'I haven't even started anything, but the other side has already finished everything...'
He didn't even need to lift a finger since the people around him finished everything on their own accord. Now that was one heck of a convenient resolution. A situation like this would've never been possible without the name of Hwang Jeong-Hu.
Even though there were potential benefits to be had by playing hard-to-get, the other side expressed their goodwill first. No, rather than goodwill, this was more like them dumping a truckload of benefits in Jo Gyu-Min's way!
'So... This is why you need fame, eh?'
Jo Gyu-Min finally understood why people struggled so much to become famous.
-Oh, and by the way, Mister Jo? I did some background checks, and you have several civil complaints lodged against your side.
“I'm sorry? Civil complaints against us?” Jo Gyu-Min frowned deeply. Complaints? What was that all about? Besides, his side? Did that mean the foundation?
-Yes, civil complaints. Let me clarify myself and say that the complaints received are regarding the cram school your side is operating.
“The cram school?” Jo Gyu-Min muttered as he fell deeper into the pit of confusion. What was wrong with the cram school now?
-Yes. Rather than complaints, though... Your cram school has been reported to us. And the complainants wanted us to find out if the education facility your side operates is even legal.
“Legal? What do you mean?”
-All education facilities need to register with us before starting their operation. If not, they will be declared illegal. Unlicensed.
“N-no, hold on for a second, please. We're not operating that cram school to make money, but to help the orphans catch up with school grades, so to say it's illegal is a bit... Are you telling me we still need to register and get licensed first?”
-Of course. Registering is a must. To make matters worse, we've heard that well-known and expensive private tutors frequent your cram school. If it was only one or two tutors, fine. But to see so many tutors commuting every day like clockwork ostensibly to provide community service? I'm sure you can tell what the problems are in such a scenario, Mister Jo.
Jo Gyu-Min was left speechless by that.
'Well, yeah. He's right, since we...'
Since the tutors were being paid under the table!
On the surface, the tutors were doing charity work. However, they were still being compensated appropriately for their time and expertise. Even a cursory investigation would reveal this truth.
-That is why I recommend you register your school as soon as possible. For the time being, we've halted the investigation on our side. In the meantime, please sort out what needs to be sorted out and deal with what needs to be dealt with. I'll fax you the details right away.
“T-thank you very much.”
Jo Gyu-Min silently wiped the cold sweat off his brow. This was a problem he had never considered before. He was reminded again that running a foundation was markedly different from running a corporation.
-Well, then... Mm... Uh...
Jo Gyu-Min sensed that the bureaucrat on the other side of the line sounded somewhat hesitant and hurriedly raised his voice. "I shall put in a good word for you with our chief director. That you helped us out a great deal."
“Oh! Thank you very much. I honestly wasn't wishing for that, but...
“No, no. It's fine. It's the truth, anyway.”
-Thank you! I shall pray for your foundation's success, Mister Jo. I will send the fax before the end of today.
“Thank you. Goodbye.” Jo Gyu-Min ended the call there and sighed at length. “Yup, having power is great.”
Or... was this the case of The Power of Money?
Just having Hwang Jeong-Hu's name associated with the foundation was enough to solve every problem at a breakneck pace. Even the issues Jo Gyu-Min weren't aware of had been dealt with already!
If the bureaucrat hadn't mentioned the issues related to the cram school, that situation could've snowballed into something major down the line. No matter how craftily Jo Gyu-Min dressed that up, not everything about that cram school was above board, after all!
'Is this why so many people are obsessed about acquiring power?'
Jo Gyu-Min always wondered why so many wealthy folks wanted so badly to become National Assembly members and display their ugly sides to the public. Now he had his answer. If the world willingly stepped up to kiss your ass like this, why would you care about a few barbed criticism thrown in your way?
This was the moment of Jo Gyu-Min gaining a comprehensive understanding on that oft-repeated assertion of South Korea being the best place to live for people with wealth and power.
“Fuu-woo...”
Jo Gyu-Min mouthed a fresh cigarette and lit it up. The tip sizzled as the unhealthy smoke rushed inside his lungs.
'For now, I've put out the urgent fires.'
How wonderful would it be if Jo Gyu-Min could do his work at a... more casual pace! Unfortunately, his situation didn't allow him much leeway... Even though there wasn't any tangible reason for it!
How exactly should he explain this...?
“Gee, whiz. Why are they so impatient, anyway?”
Jo Gyu-Min was the type to inspect every stone on the bridge before taking another step, but Hwang Jeong-Hu and Kang Jin-Ho didn't follow this mindset. As a matter of fact, they shouted to the high heavens that if the bridge collapsed during their crossing, they could simply jump over the gap! Their belief was that once they started something, they must not let anything stop them in their quest to reach their goal.
As for the poor Jo Gyu-Min stuck between the hot-headed Hwang Jeong-Hu roaring out his orders and Kang Jin-Ho giving off subtle pressure... He felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place!
“Eh-whew...”
Jo Gyu-Min powerlessly shrugged his shoulders.
'Oh, well. Not much I can do about it.'
This was what a salaryman's life was like, anyway. If work wasn't difficult, then maybe it wasn't work at all. Anyone wishing for an easy job while getting paid for it was no different from a thief.
Jo Gyu-Min glanced at the watch to check the time, stubbed the cigarette out, then hurriedly got up.
“Hmm...”
The time for their appointment was around the corner.
“He should be here any time now...”
Jo Gyu-Min leisurely walked out of his office to reach the front of the elevators. The display panel told him that an elevator was coming up from the ground floor.
'Here he comes.'
The top floor of this building belonged to the chairman's office, plus the Office of the Secretaries. Anyone wishing to visit needed to set up an appointment ahead of time. Even the presidents of Jaegyeong's divisions didn't come up here willy-nilly.
Not because they were prevented from doing so, though. It was more like the presidents avoided entering the chairman's office if they could help it!
Only one person waltzed in and out of here like it was his own living room. And that was...
Ding~!
The elevator door opened to reveal a familiar face.
Jo Gyu-Min smiled and bowed a little. “Good to see you, Mister Jin-Ho.”
Kang Jin-Ho greeted back. “Hello. I hope I didn't keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. I thought you'd be arriving around this time, so I came from my office only a few seconds ago.”
“Don't wait for me like this next time, Chief Jo. It's kinda putting me in a spot.”
“Hahaha. If it makes you uncomfortable, then I'll stop. Don't worry,” Jo Gyu-Min chuckled good-naturedly, then took the lead in guiding Kang Jin-Ho to the chairman's office. Soon, they arrived before the imposing doorway. Jo Gyu-Min glanced at the PA manning the desk next to the door. “Can you inform the chairman that we are...”
“Of course. Please hold,” the PA nodded before discreetly calling the office. Then he looked back at Jo Gyu-Min. “Please go inside.”
“Thank you.” Jo Gyu-Min stood before the large doorway crafted out of solid wood, then politely knocked on it. “Chairman, it's Jo Gyu-Min.”
“Okay. Come inside.”
When the elderly voice welcomed them from behind the closed door, Jo Gyu-Min cautiously opened it and stepped inside with Kang Jin-Ho in tow. And then... His eyes opened wide in shock.
“...Heol?!”
His gaze was fixed on Chairman Hwang's desk.
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