Chapter 22

Chapter 22. Back to Mullae-dong Again (2)

Deputy Manager Geum Seokcheol bit his fingernail while thinking deeply.

Possession? Like those dramas? Is that why he suddenly became so incredible?

Normally, even Seokcheol would have dismissed it as a joke.

But now he was seriously listening to what had leaked from the Commercial District Analysis Team.

Recently, his thoughts had been filled with one person.

Department Head Kang Jinhyeok of the Commercial District Analysis Team.

Everyone had expected him to remain a manager forever.

His sudden change was shocking.

Jinhyeok’s ability had always been excellent.

Kim Seokhun had been the problem.

As long as Seokhun remained in place, it had seemed impossible for anyone in the Commercial District Analysis Team to grow.

And then, practically overnight, Jinhyeok became department head.

He shattered the only obstacle named Kim Seokhun along the way.

The most shocking part was how Jinhyeok had won Director Baek Kangjin’s favor.

Starting with the former president, Baek Kangjin had moved every team leader.

Naturally, every department head position remained empty.

That forced the four deputy managers into an unspoken competition for promotion.

Yet Jinhyeok had taken the position first.

It almost felt as though the massive personnel reshuffle Baek Kangjin carried out a year earlier had been preparation for this exact moment.

The dramatic change began with Baristers Gimpo Janggi Branch.

A direct order that bypassed the team leader.

Jinhyeok succeeded brilliantly.

No. Even before that, Étoile Sillim Branch was strange.

He received a salary reduction from the disciplinary committee.

Yet the media praised Seongun’s "kind mutual growth."

That pulled in the Future Strategy Office Head from headquarters.

Then Jinhyeok landed the decisive blow.

He became certain relics were buried in Yangjae-dong and prevented losses worth more than a trillion won.

That earned him the department head title.

Then he received the assignment to select the location for the chairman’s landmark project.

He’ll show something again this time. Then he’ll climb even higher. Who is it? Who entered Department Head Kang’s body?

Seriously entertaining such an absurd idea, Seokcheol took out a cigarette.

The other team leaders had received the same assignment.

Investigate and report a region that could become Seongun’s landmark.

But for some reason...

Seokcheol was certain this entire thing was only a stage prepared for Jinhyeok.

He and the other team leaders were just supporting actors.

There was only one person capable of designing such a massive board perfectly.

So Seokcheol decided to observe Jinhyeok closely.

He felt that if he got on the same ship as Kang Jinhyeok, he could rise upstream with him.

He headed toward the smoking room.

Then he heard another piece of information.

Voices leaking from the lounge.

The discussion about Jinhyeok’s transformation had continued during break time.

Choi Iseul and Senior Staff Oh Ilman?

Pretending to make a phone call, Seokcheol wandered near the lounge entrance.

“Possession is a bit too much, right? His atmosphere definitely changed, but something like that can’t really happen.”

“Right. Even I think possession is impossible. But then what is it?”

Oh Ilman’s question made Choi Iseul present another theory.

“How about this? Maybe he hit the jackpot in stocks or crypto. From what I see, he looks like someone who wouldn’t care even if he resigned tomorrow. Or maybe he won the lottery.”

“Come on. If he hit that kind of jackpot, would he still work this hard? He ran straight to Mullae-dong again today. If it were me, I’d submit my resignation immediately.”

Outside the door, Seokcheol nodded.

True.

He would have resigned immediately too.

“Hmm. Then what is it? He’s way too different.”

“How about this? I’ve actually had a pretty reasonable suspicion.”

“What?”

“Possession makes no sense. What if he’s royalty? The chairman’s wife is also a Kang, isn’t she? Kang isn’t that common a family name either.”

“Pfft! No. That really makes no sense.”

“Why? Why are you so certain, Staff Choi? Do you know something?”

“What? Ah... n-no, not really...”

“See? It isn’t completely impossible.”

Seokcheol’s eyes opened wide.

This explanation was far more convincing than possession.

Too many things matched for it to be coincidence.

Were those ten years as an ordinary team member actually some kind of training? And then when the time came, Director Baek arrived?

Now he finally understood why the president’s position at Seongun Development had remained empty for a full year.

Inside the lounge, Choi Iseul was saying there were plenty of people named Kang in the world.

Seokcheol no longer heard her.

Royal family. Yes! If that’s true, everything makes sense!

He became convinced the huge puzzle had finally been completed.

The corners of his mouth curved upward.

Decided. From this moment, I’m with Department Head Kang. I will protect him and rise together with him. The next division director will be me! Hahahahaha!

At that moment, Jinhyeok gained a slightly strange ally.

Is someone talking about me?

The moment I arrived at the triangular building, my ears began itching like crazy.

This building would become Halbaekase Branch No. 1 and my family’s new home.

When I opened the door, the first thing I saw was the president of Jeongseok Construction covered in dust.

“Good morning, President! Everything going well?”

The president, who had been supervising the site, immediately ran over with his usual friendly smile.

When Seongun Construction declared it would minimize outsourcing, Jeongseok Construction had almost lost all its work.

The president had once shared his worries with me.

I suggested the remodeling business and gave him several related ideas.

Maybe that was why.

The president of Jeongseok Construction seemed deeply grateful to me.

“Department Head Kang! Welcome. As you can see, we’re reinforcing the frame and removing the old interior. It’s such an old building that there’s plenty of work, but don’t worry. I’ll make it as sturdy and clean as if it were my own home.”

“I’m not worried. I know your skills better than anyone. I’m counting on you. What about Daeyoung Precision? It looks empty over there.”

“They’re on their way now. I already hired the workers. We’ll finish that whole side today. Hahaha.”

Reliable as always.

Another contractor would probably have avoided simultaneous work to reduce labor costs.

But because I said time was important, he had hired a separate crew.

“What brings you here today?”

“Ah, I wanted to go up to the rooftop.”

“The rooftop?”

“Yes. I think I need to look over the Mullae-dong area.”

“Why? Is something happening around here?”

“Nothing is confirmed yet, so I can’t say. I’ll head up first.”

I couldn’t tell him I was searching for a landmark site in Mullae-dong.

If that information leaked, speculators would flood the area.

It was confidential company information.

And since I still hadn’t purchased Seongjin Logistics, the rumor would hurt me too.

After handing him the bag of drinks I had brought, I went upstairs.

Now I needed to find it.

Whatever future me had seen.

Standing in front of the open rooftop railing, I turned on the diary app.

[XX/XX.

Why did I only notice this now?

Looking down over Mullae-dong from the rooftop of my new building, regret hit me hard.

I should have recommended Mullae-dong 3-ga rather than 4-ga as Seongun’s landmark.

I hate my past self for being trapped by the words "massive mixed-use shopping mall" and refusing to think differently.

If Seongun’s landmark had been built there, the value of my land would have shot into the sky too.]

No date.

That meant it was relatively far in the future.

The "new building" mentioned here probably meant the building planned for the Daeyoung Precision site, not this triangular property.

Future me had looked down from there...

Beyond Daeyoung Precision and across the large road was Mullae-dong 3-ga.

I moved to the side of the rooftop, turned my back toward 4-ga, and looked toward 3-ga.

Only one undeveloped area remained in the partially developed 3-ga.

The place known as the Creative Village.

Is that it?

Mullae-dong 3-ga Creative Village.

Around two hundred old buildings remained there.

It sat only one road away from the 4-ga metalworking district.

But the district had gradually become smaller and was now in danger of disappearing.

As the metalworking industry declined, many factories had concentrated into 3-ga.

The empty buildings left behind attracted young artists searching for cheap rent.

That was how the name Creative Village was born.

But what exactly was I supposed to see?

The area was smaller than 4-ga.

Other than that, it didn’t look dramatically different.

What does it mean that I was trapped by the words "massive mixed-use shopping mall"? Does that mean we need to completely rethink the business concept itself?

The strong regret future me had left behind.

I quietly stared at the scenery before me and kept thinking about what it meant.

I had to discover the answer.

The future diary regretted losing an opportunity that would have sent the value of my land into the sky.

I couldn’t kick away a blessing that had rolled directly into my hands.

Chairman Choi’s order was to build a landmark unique to Seongun.

The chairman constantly talked about mutual growth.

Was that it?

The massive mixed-use shopping mall wasn’t actually what the chairman wanted?

I looked down over Creative Village again while thinking about mutual growth.

It wasn’t a shopping mall.

Like 4-ga, if we flattened everything in 3-ga, we would still be destroying the existing commercial ecosystem.

Destroying Creative Village could actually be harder than destroying 4-ga.

Seongun placed mutual growth above everything else.

We couldn’t destroy an existing ecosystem.

Mutual growth.

Coexistence.

Preservation.

Three words now floated through my mind.

As the sky gradually turned red, lights began appearing in cafés and pubs between the metalworking shops.

Then it happened.

The alleys suddenly filled with people.

After work, people emerging from Mullae Station and Yeongdeungpo Station began entering Creative Village.

Was this it?

Creative Village itself was already a landmark?

It was a surprisingly powerful realization.

Originally, the word landmark referred to a physical marker explorers used to identify a location and find direction.

Visible terrain.

A mountain peak.

A river.

Those were the landmarks of the past.

Looking at it from that perspective, the streets of Creative Village weren’t merely symbolic of Mullae-dong.

They could symbolize modern Korean history itself.

Not a vertical landmark.

A horizontal one.

Creative Village already contained the blueprint.

Once I found one answer, related ideas exploded inside my head.

The three great arches of Paris.

A street beginning at the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel near the Louvre, continuing through the Arc de Triomphe at Étoile, and extending toward the Grande Arche.

What if we brought that concept to Creative Village?

The distance was much shorter.

But the street itself could become the landmark.

Build gateway-like buildings at the beginning and end of the Creative Village alley.

There was no need to demolish the existing buildings.

Diagrid construction.

I remembered Hearst Tower, where a new structural system rose above an old building while preserving the exterior walls and original frame.

As I imagined the future and looked over Creative Village, a thrill spread through my entire body.

Bzzzt.

The future diary appeared at the perfect moment.

The red entry of regret had already vanished.

I found the answer.

Preparing the briefing documents would take only one day.

Which created a new problem.

What was I supposed to do with my team members?