Lee Hyun-woo seems to have caught on.
‘Was I too blatant in buying all the songs?’
Even a man who is usually insensitive would look for someone in his circle of acquaintances who could buy such an enormous amount of songs, and among them, a wealthy acquaintance would inevitably be a candidate.
So it seemed like he was testing her, but Kim Ah-young want to feign ignorance until the end.
Simultaneously, she glanced back and made eye contact with Chief Secretary Park Min-sook.
At the time when she was trying to download all the songs, she had received her help.
Perhaps Park Min-sook also instructed the secretary staff to carry out the full song download, but she did not ask about it.
These days, Kim Ah-young was openly showing Park Min-sook that she had feelings for Lee Hyun-woo.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Park Min-sook signaled her discomfort with another clearing of her throat.
Ignoring the signal, Kim Ah-young turned back to continue her conversation with Lee Hyun-woo.
This time, they moved away from uncomfortable topics and talked about Jungle Japan, which was preparing to enter the Japanese market.
“When is the portal site and online shopping expected to launch in Japan?”
“Well, maybe in the first half of next year? The internet speed there is just so terrible.”
“Honestly, there are very few places that can match our country’s internet speed.”
“That’s true. But eventually, they’ll catch up, won’t they?”
“That’s reassuring to hear. We used to be behind, but now other countries are striving to keep up with us.”
“It’s just the truth.”
“Oh, I’ve read in the papers that there is also interest in your company from places in the USA and Germany?”
“That’s right. Everything is in progress. So, I’ve been very busy lately, and my philosophy of life has been shaken several times.”
“Your philosophy of life? Oh… you mean enjoying the evening after work?”
“Right. Sometimes, I even stayed past my working hours. So this time, I’m trying not to, and that’s why we’re having this workshop.”
“Is that the reason for this workshop?”
“Yeah. We’ll talk about business too, but mostly we’ll be discussing how to balance work and life with the employees.”
It was always fascinating to see Lee Hyun-woo.
In a country where working long and hard is seen as a virtue, he was trying to reduce working hours and find efficiency.
Moreover, Lee Hyun-woo made an unusual proposal to her.
“If you want, you can also attend the workshop on balancing work and life.”
“Really? In that case, I’ll do it.”
Kim Ah-young, who wanted to hear anything Lee Hyun-woo had to say, accepted his proposal without hesitation.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Park Min-sook cleared her throat once again from behind.
But Kim Ah-young firmly shut her ears.
‘I don’t care, I just want to keep listening to this person’s story.’
The result of ignoring the continuous throat-clearing on the plane to Jeju Island was, of course, nagging.
After arriving at the hotel, Kim Ah-young had to listen to Park Min-sook’s voice so much that it seemed to stick to her ears.
“Director, as I repeatedly say, your feelings are too apparent.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Men don’t like that.”
The direction of the advice had changed from before.
A few months ago, she would have tried to interfere with her relationship with Lee Hyun-woo, but these days, she pointed out ways to attract Lee Hyun-woo’s attention and criticized Kim Ah-young’s immature expressions of affection.
“Do they find it unappealing?”
“Exactly. It’s like not feeding a fish you’ve already caught.”
“We’re not even dating yet.”
“That’s the problem. From the beginning of the relationship, you’re showing that you’re more interested.”
“If I’m not doing that, he appears not to notice in the slightest.”
“……”
Park Min-sook closed her mouth and shook her head at Kim Ah-young’s words.
‘It’s really hard to teach her since she has no dating experience.’
Honestly, Park Min-sook had started to recognize Lee Hyun-woo recently.
He had built Jungle Soft with his bare hands and controlled assets worth trillions of Korean won, so she judged that there was no problem with him as Kim Ah-young’s partner.
However, she was worried that if they continued their relationship and got married in this way, Lee Hyun-woo might treat Kim Ah-young poorly.
“A woman has to raise her value. The more you blatantly approach him, the more the CEO will feel burdened and step back.”
“If I’m not making the first move, he rarely contacts me.”
“You have to endure it.”
“Even if it takes a month or two?”
“Yes, you have to endure it.”
“I had intended to have a good time on Jeju Island…”
“It’s not a good method. He’ll definitely notice your feelings. That’s when a woman’s value drops the most. Some men might even start to mistreat you once they know your feelings.”
“I don’t believe Hyun-woo would do that…”
“Men are all the same. Please listen to me. You have to trust me, Director.”
Although they were director and chief secretary, their relationship was actually very old.
Park Min-sook had been teaching Kim Ah-young economics and practical affairs since high school.
Their bond had lasted for over ten years, so it was no wonder their affection for each other was deep.
Like a mother, Park Min-sook began to advise Kim Ah-young.
“Instead, you get to attend the workshop tomorrow. That means the CEO considers you very important, so you can show your charm whenever you get the chance.”
“Charm… of what kind?”
“More than a few things. If I were a man, I’d fall head over heels for a lady’s charm combined with dignity. Moreover, you generously give a lot to the CEO sometimes. From tomorrow, you’ll provide free breakfast to all employees, and I noticed that he seemed to have caught on that you downloaded all the songs from Jungle Music…”
“Right? He appeared to notice that, didn’t he?”
“Of course. I told you back then not to make it too obvious.”
“Since it’s already done, let’s leave it at that. I understand. I shall refrain from being the one to propose a date first.”
Kim Ah-young felt a bit regretful.
The condition for getting a discount on the Seorabeol Hotel accommodation was a date in Jeju Island.
Of course, Lee Hyun-woo had no idea about this quid pro quo.
“It cannot be helped. I’d prefer not to have Hyun-woo treat me poorly in the future.”
The next day, Kim Ah-young was able to attend the first workshop after finishing breakfast.
The first topic was ‘Work-Life Balance.’
Just in case, she dolled herself up again before entering the workshop venue, where the employees of Jungle Soft warmly welcomed her shortly after.
“Director, breakfast was really great.”
“Me too.”
“Me too.”
“Oh, no. I wonder whether it was enjoyable.”
“It was the best. The best!”
“I’m so happy because I ate until my stomach was full.”
“By the way, how can you be so pretty?”
“Right. Among the chaebol daughters I’ve seen, you’re the most beautiful.”
Who taught them this?
Flattery poured out of their mouths.
Of course, Kim Ah-young let it go in one ear and out the other.
Instead, she looked around for someone.
‘There he is.’
She saw a man stepping onto the podium.
It was Lee Hyun-woo.
He grabbed the microphone and smiled happily at the seated employees.
“Today’s first session is about Work-Life Balance.”
Work-Life Balance?
A strange term came up.
“Does anyone know what Work-Life Balance means?”
Seeing several employees raising their hands, it seemed to be a commonly used term within the company.
Lee Hyun-woo pointed to one of them.
It was someone Kim Ah-young knew.
“Hello, I’m Han Se-jin, the sales team leader. Work-Life Balance is short for balancing work and life.”
“That’s right. It’s a term I’ve been using a lot lately, and I’ve explained the abbreviation to a few people.”
Listening to the explanation, Kim Ah-young finally nodded.
“I hope everyone here enjoys their work life. So, there will be some changes starting next year. We will introduce the country’s first 35-hour workweek!”
“Waaaaaah!”
“We will implement the so-called nine-to-five system, which means working from 9 AM to 5 PM. Some of you have mentioned that the current minute-based clock-in and clock-out time is ambiguous. We will adjust it to standard hours, excluding the one-hour lunch break from 12 PM to 1 PM, so you will work a total of seven hours. Of course, Saturdays and Sundays are excluded.”
“Waaaaaah!”
“However, due to the nature of some jobs, some of you might have to come in two hours early and leave two hours early, or work from afternoon to night. I will call this the flexible work system, and it will still be included in the 35-hour workweek. But for shifts that include early morning hours, the workweek will be reduced to 30 hours.”
Listening to Lee Hyun-woo, Kim Ah-young couldn’t help but be amazed.
‘Isn’t this too idealistic?’
She knew that Lee Hyun-woo was committed to employee welfare, but the way he was doing it required more employees.
While there wouldn’t be a problem with employment due to growth now, limits do exist.
So she couldn’t help but look at him with concern, but Lee Hyun-woo continued to propose groundbreaking ideas.
A work time savings leave system to choose leave instead of overtime pay when work inevitably piles up and requires overtime.
A cumulative leave system that allows a month of leave every five years of service.
A field clock-in system for sales personnel.
A system that allows expectant mothers to use reduced working hours.
“Most of you here will be thrilled to hear what I’ve said, but some may be worried. ‘Can a company operate like this?’”
“……”
“Of course, it can. We already have experience running the company with a 40-hour workweek. Don’t we?”
“That’s right!”
“We can do it!”
“We’ll work harder without slacking off during working hours!”
“We hope other companies follow suit.”
“Indeed!”
“I envision a happy scenario. Whether married or not, everyone will have a rich life after work, and on weekends, they can go anywhere. New industries will probably develop, right? Especially dining, tourism, and lodging industries will grow significantly. Also, we can provide related information through our portal, and sometimes, we can plan new businesses through business cooperation.”
When he finished speaking, Kim Ah-young felt Lee Hyun-woo looking at her.
Honestly, it was idealistic but very relatable.
‘That’s right. Giving people freedom will develop related industries.’
It was definitely something that required time but also something that needed to be prepared from now.
As far as Kim Ah-young knew, the government was also planning for a five-day workweek within five years.
So, she considered Lee Hyun-woo’s advice as futuristic and immediately began to ponder.
‘A five-day workweek.’
Even in the hotel industry, hiring more people and adjusting dates seemed feasible.
