Chapter 60: The Beginning of the 90s (2)

So, who is the traitor?

The traitor was surprisingly easy to find.

No matter how much I searched my mind, there was no one who could have leaked my information, so I checked the number of employees just in case, and sure enough, a few were missing.

“Huh? I don’t see a new face. Weren’t they on the list of new recruits?”

“…I’m sorry. Miss.”

It turns out that a page of documents went missing in the middle and was not delivered to me. It was either less printed or blown away by the wind in the middle… I guess.

Anyway, mistakes happen when people do things. This is why you should always have a backup or spare means for everything.

It’s a shame that the traitor came from the person I didn’t check. Still, the number of candidates was drastically reduced, so I was able to find them quickly…

‘It feels like the questions I didn’t study suddenly came out on the test…’

I definitely dealt with that person. Fortunately, there were some illegal activities within Daeha Securities, so I dumped them on him and sent him away.

-Thud.

Tilting my head, I stepped forward and stared at the new employee’s face.

The last person I hadn’t seen was this friend. Since I had already found the traitor, I stood in front of her with a light heart.

‘Of course. If she was this pretty, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed.’

The new employee, who was terrified when the owner of the company (the third-generation chaebol daughter) suddenly came to see her, bowed to me, trembling.

“H-hello, Miss. My name is Choi Yeonha, and I joined the company this time.”

I smiled and tapped her shoulder.

“Yes. I remembered your name. Choi Yeonha.. Ahah, it’s a unique name. I like it because it’s similar to my name.”

Cold sweat dripped down the new employee’s face.

I smiled brightly and had a happy concern.

“Hmm… what department would be good for our Yeonha?”

“I, I’m sorry! P-please… have mercy.”

Seeing her suddenly kneel and bow her head, I smiled and helped her up.

“Ahaha, it’s not like that, so don’t worry.”

I’m not that bad of a person.

“R-really?”

“It’s just a job assignment. Hmm, where would be good… Ah! That’s right, there was that place?”

She squeezed her hands anxiously and asked me.

“Where?”

“We need to dispatch people to Russia soon, so you can transfer there. Yes, yes. Ah, is it still the Soviet Union? Anyway, please do your best.”

Before I could finish my words, Choi Yeonha’s face turned pale.

This is a really good position, but this is why prejudice is bad.

It’s a bit difficult place for women to live, but well, you have to put up with it.

‘D-did she notice…?’

Choi Yeonha was terrified when she heard that Yu Hayeon, the owner of Daeha Securities, was coming to see her.

At first, it was nothing.

It was just that the company I entered without thinking was surprisingly great, and the fact that the famous fund in the United States was created by Yu Hayeon was so surprising.

‘…Of course, I thought the head office knew!’

But it turned out that it wasn’t.

-Huh… Alpha Fund? What are you talking about, Yeonha?

When a senior at the head office said that, Choi Yeonha felt something ominous.

Could it be that no one knows?

The words I blurted out without thinking at first gradually increased in weight as time passed. At first, I just felt a simple chill, saying huh…? But I realized later that the slip of the tongue was very big.

Black Monday? Japanese bubble…?

After learning that Yu Hayeon was involved in all of them, Choi Yeonha desperately wanted to quit.

The only reason I didn’t translate that delusion into reality was one thing. The last bit of reason left in her vehemently refused it.

‘I’ll die. I’ll die…!’

There were rumors that the company was searching for traitors, and a person working in the next department was suddenly ‘retired’ for embezzlement, and doing the reckless act of submitting a resignation in the meantime was not courage but recklessness.

No, I don’t even know if it’s possible to retire. Will the company really let a person who has such a huge secret retire?

Rather, is this really a company? Isn’t Daeha Group actually a secret society that dominates Korea? I heard that Yu Hayeon, the owner of the company, is still an elementary school student, but maybe she’s not human, but an alien like ET?

After barely making a natural greeting, Choi Yeonha lowered her eyes and waited, trying not to make eye contact as much as possible.

“Yes. I remembered your name. Choi Yeonha…”

“…!”

I couldn’t breathe.

The person who is like the owner of the company remembers my name…?

After that, I was rambling and couldn’t even think straight, and I begged for forgiveness.

What did I say..?

After bowing my head so hard that my hands became feet, I heard Yu Hayeon’s terrifying words a little later.

“We need to dispatch people to Russia soon, so you can transfer there. Yes, yes. Ah, is it still the Soviet Union? Anyway, please do your best.”

The Soviet Union, the Soviet Union.

And still? What does that mean? Is the Soviet Union going to collapse?

…But why me?

‘Ah, ah…’

The sin of speaking cheaply in front of the mastermind who dominates the world economy was too great.

Choi Yeonha blamed her foolish past self and slumped down.

Of course, if Choi Yeonha was a little wiser, she would have realized that her senior didn’t believe her words at all, and that she wasn’t even in a position to report directly to the higher-ups in the first place.

But if she was that kind of person, she wouldn’t have spoken carelessly in the first place, so it was a natural consequence for Choi Yeonha to fall into paranoia.

In December, I received the year-end report and was impressed.

Because I could see that the work speed suddenly increased at the end of the year.

It’s probably thanks to me going around the departments in the name of encouraging them to find traitors.

“Wow, when a high-ranking person goes on an inspection, the kids’ efficiency goes up a lot, right?”

Director Choi, who brought the report, nodded awkwardly.

“…Yes. That’s certainly true. Especially the new employees seem to be working hard.”

Of course they should.

The pretty, beautiful, and merciful super genius third-generation chaebol daughter is personally meeting her subordinates and encouraging them to work.

Of course, I gave them a generous bonus, too… Yes, yes, this level of performance must be due to my overwhelming charm. Especially Choi Yeonha, was it?

I think that friend did a very good job.

I’ll have to remember to give her a signal when I see her face later. Or… should I just make her my executive secretary when I send her to the Russian branch?

I glanced at Sihyeon next to me.

The depressed secretary, who was now counting down the D-day until she turned thirty, looked back at me.

-Why? What?

It was a gaze that contained something like that. I sighed deeply.

“Sihyeon is turning thirty now too…, you’re old…”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

Director Choi – currently 49 years old – suddenly flared up. Lee Sihyeon also joined in with a voice full of depression.

“That’s right, it’s really too much. Really…”

“Sigh, when you’re old, you should die.”

When I grumbled, Sihyeon was startled and waved her hand.

“It’s a bit scary when Miss says that. I, I was wrong.”

Hmm…, do I look that scary?

Anyway, young people these days lack courage.

“Don’t bother with empty words. Are you going to be the chief of staff from next year? Our Sihyeon is also at the executive level now, so you should start acting with some weight.”

“…Ah.”

Originally, the chief of staff is on the same level as an executive. If it’s the chief of staff of the group’s chairman, it’s on the same level as the vice chairman.

Sihyeon has improved a lot in her work skills these days, but most of it is because she’s waiting on me, so I haven’t been able to improve her abilities much.

I have to level her up quickly.

“Let’s go to the department store on January 1st next year and buy some nice clothes. It’s an allowance for maintaining dignity, so I’ll use the company’s money.”

“…Isn’t that day a holiday?”

Heh.

I smiled wickedly and snorted.

“Huh? I’m going, so of course, I have to gather the employees and open the store. The day I go is no longer a holiday.”

…Please don’t do that. If you do that at the department store, I won’t be able to wear clothes because I feel sick.”

You can’t wear clothes?

Wow, naked.

“Stop thinking strange thoughts. You’re going to do that to other secretaries too, right?”

“Hey, no way. I only do this to you, Sihyeon.”

“That’s strangely upsetting…”

As always, the eventful year 1990 came to an end…

And the new year of 1991 dawned.

The turning point when the Soviet Union collapses and Pax Americana arrives, the full-fledged beginning of the 90s.

‘Honestly, I’m more interested in other things.’

The 90s were also a time when interesting games were gradually coming out thanks to the gradually developed performance of computers.

Sonic, Final Fantasy 4, Street Fighter 2, Civilization…

“So, is that why you called me on the New Year’s holiday?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. I called you to play games together.”

I opened the arcade game machine with a throbbing heart for the New Year’s holiday. It was Street Fighter 2, the ancestor of fighting games, which is less affected by graphics and can still be enjoyed quite a bit even now.

Lee Sihyeon, who stared blankly at the game screen, asked awkwardly.

“…You said you wouldn’t bother me because I’m the chief of staff now?”

“Hey, today is a holiday.”

“Don’t you have any friends to call on the holidays?”

“…Friends, they’re right in front of me? Sihyeon, we’re friends, right? Ah, Iryeon can’t come today.”

Tsk.

I rummaged through the drawer and took out a check.

“Here, this year’s friendship fee. Is this enough?”

“…It’s fine.”

Lee Sihyeon looked at me with pitiful eyes and sat down.