Vol. 1 - Ch. 14 - Let’s think about it the other way around

As they went about their duties, the employees, who had been pretending to be busy, all looked at Jae-Yoon at once. Of course, there was no response.It was the same as when he gave his inaugural speech. The fact that the CEO himself was asking about the product and making up the schedule… It was known that he was a unique person, but when he asked them so suddenly, they could only have question marks on their heads.

Team Leader Ha said with a gentle smile, “It’s such a sudden schedule. We need to adjust the schedule. I’m sorry.”

“I came to you without giving you any time to prepare, so it must be burdensome for you.”

“It’s not that burdensome…”

“Why wouldn’t it be burdensome? Moreover, the product that is being pointed out as a competing product is a cost-effective product. It’s natural to feel burdened.”

Jae-Yoon looked at the team members who were in their seats. Of course, he understood. Anyone would have done the same. The situation itself must be very uncomfortable and burdensome. Even in a small company, the employees tended to be reluctant to do what the CEO directly instructed them to do. So, when the CEO, who had just taken office, came down and asked them to do it together, no one would be able to speak up easily.

In fact, it would be impossible for them to refuse even if the CEO offered his CEO badge and asked them to do it, but Jae-Yoon did not want to force them to do it, nor did he want to create such an unnatural picture.

“Well, then, let’s think about it the other way around.”

There were a total of seven PDs belonging to Content Team 1. Jae-Yoon decided to change his approach. It was a method that he often used when deciding on the lunch menu at OhGa Kitchen, and it was a pretty good method. It was a method of eliminating what you really didn’t want to eat today, rather than deciding what to eat.

What if no one volunteered to take charge of Jae-Yoon’s product? Then, he could use the method of eliminating employees whose schedules did not work out.

“The other way around...? That means… Let’s see…”

Team Leader Ha looked at the schedule. Usually, it was common for a PD to host four or five broadcasts a week. May, in particular, was the peak season of peak seasons. Special broadcasts were densely scheduled under the name of Family Month.

“For now, Kim PD and Yang PD don’t have time in their schedules. Oh my. If you have six broadcasts per week, you’ll have broadcasts almost every day. We can’t add MilkBot to that. You’ve been working hard.”

A faint smile appeared on the faces of the two people who were called.

Excluding one person who was currently on a live broadcast, there were four people left.

“Yoon PD also has five broadcasts per week. One of them is a special broadcast, so it seems like you’ll be very busy because there are three products in one broadcast. Then…”

When he hosted home shopping at OhGa Kitchen, Jae-Yoon had been in the position of a cooperating company. However, now he had to host the broadcast with the product himself. The first time was important for anything. Regardless of whether they had a long or short career, the goal was to proceed with the PDs in step as much as possible.

There were three people left. Jae-Yoon looked at Oh Eun-Sun PD, who was sitting in the corner, and recalled the profile he had checked in the morning. She was a PD who had not been with It’s Home Shopping for up to a year yet, and mainly hosted broadcasts about home appliances and kitchens.

Her schedule was also generous, and unlike the other team members who tried not to stand out, she sat upright and focused on Jae-Yoon’s conversation.

“Oh Eun-Sun PD?”

Oh PD answered as if she had been waiting for Jae-Yoon’s call, “Yes. Mr. Min?”

“Do you happen to know about the MilkBot robot vacuum cleaner?”

At Jae-Yoon’s question, Oh PD got up from her seat without hesitation and answered, “It’s a product that has received quite a lot of favorable reviews in the community. I understand that they are investing a lot in research and development. It’s a product that often gets reviews in communities that housewives use a lot, such as cooking and beauty, and the reviews are pretty good.”

“Was it a product you already knew about?”

“I’m not sure what period you’re referring to, but it’s true that I knew about the product before you took charge of it. In July last year, our team was in charge of a broadcast by another company. I learned about it when I participated in the market research at that time.”

“If you were to define the product in one sentence, how would you?”

“Hmm…” Her calm and composed tone of voice gradually changed to a confident one. “It’s an ambiguous position, but I think it’s a product that can attract enough good responses if you appeal to its advantages. However, since it’s an ambiguous position, a good person in charge is essential.” She finished speaking, smiling as she sat down.

Although she had a rather businesslike tone, Jae-Yoon preferred the answer that did not contain any emotion. He would have been disappointed if she had simply listed the advantages of the product while getting excited. This was because he needed a PD who could judge the product objectively and host the broadcast.

“By any chance... Are you the good person in charge? You sound pretty confident.”

“When there’s a good product, a good planner, and a good conductor, wouldn’t it be strange if I wasn’t confident?” Oh Eun-Sun PD, who had been rechecking the document, asked Jae-Yoon, “I'd like to ask you one question too. Is there a reason why the broadcast time is 3 p.m.?”

It was an unexpected question. The question sounded like, ‘As a CEO, you could have scheduled it during golden hours, so why schedule it at the worst time?’

“The schedule is already set for May. It would be more reasonable for the company to host a live broadcast rather than an insurance broadcast.”

Oh Eun-Sun PD raised her head and met Jae-Yoon’s eyes. If she were in charge, it would be like becoming one team. A PD couldn’t work alone. Each broadcast was a separate project. They became a team with the show host, MD, cooperating company, and staff assigned to the individual. In this place now, Jae-Yoon was playing the role of the MD.

Suddenly, Oh PD thought that this situation was very refreshing and unusual.

“Mr. Ha?”

“Yes, Mr. Min?” Team Leader Ha replied slightly nervously as the CEO’s gaze turned to him.

“I’d like to work with Oh Eun-Sun PD, so please adjust the schedule.”

Team Leader Ha glanced at Oh Eun-Sun PD. He smiled as he saw her slowly blink and nod. He was relieved. “Oh, don’t worry about it, Mr. Min. Is the second week of May okay for your schedule, Ms. Oh?”

“Yes. I have three broadcasts that week, so I think it will be enough.”

“Isn’t the robot vacuum cleaner also part of ‘the trio of aunties’? { Mentioned in chapter 9; the other two are dryers and dishwashers. } The top three home appliances preferred by homemakers! Oh PD is the perfect person for the job. As expected, Mr. Min, you know exactly who to choose.”

Jae-Yoon swallowed a laugh at Team Leader Ha’s flattering voice.

“Thank you for welcoming us even though you’re all busy.”

“Mr. Min, you’re too kind. Please come anytime you need a broadcast. I’ll personally take care of it next time.”

Jae-Yoon smiled wryly at how smoothly the PD schedule had gone, better than expected. If he had to choose the most convenient thing about being a CEO, it would be that he could easily proceed with work without a complicated process.

There was a procedure for work. Whether it was a large company or a small and medium-sized company, the size of a palm was the same everywhere. In order to cooperate with other teams, it was a rule to send a formal request, and after receiving approval from the relevant team leader, proceed with the work.

Needless to say, this important personnel decision, even when creating a small image to be used on the homepage banner, required an official document to be sent to the design team.

The team that cooperated was naturally superior to the team that received cooperation. There was a lot of work to be done within the team. In particular, if the team leader of the team sending the request for cooperation was busy, the request from that team would be endlessly delayed and put on the back burner.

Survival of the fittest. There was no need for grandeur, lines, or politics. Even a simple request for cooperation could be turned upside down depending on the team leader’s whim. However, when you worked as a CEO, you couldn’t feel the resentment you felt when you were a team member, nor was there any reason to feel it.

The same was true for product scheduling. No matter how much you nagged about the rebroadcast time, strictly speaking, it was ignoring the procedure. If he had been an ordinary employee, he would have heard a hundred times that he was out of his mind.

Jae-Yoon was gradually realizing how convenient and advantageous it was to dominate the ecosystem.

“Mr. Ha?”

“Yes, Mr. Min? Do you need anything else?”

Apart from rubbing his palms together, Team Leader Ha smiled from ear to ear. For a moment, Jae-Yoon felt a strange sense of pity because there was a time he had been in that position, too.

“No. I’d like to talk to Oh Eun-Sun PD for a moment. Could you give us some room?”

“Oh, right. Oh PD, have a good meeting.”

Jae-Yoon looked at the expressions of the employees following the team leader. They were clearly relieved.

On the other hand, Oh Eun-Sun PD had a calm expression from beginning to end. Her expression might seem a bit indifferent at first glance, but her tone was firm.

“So, we don’t have much time. Ms. Oh, I’ll ask you directly. MilkBot. How do you think we should approach the broadcast?”

“Could you please give me some time to organize my thoughts? Five minutes will be enough.”

Oh Eun-Sun PD picked up her coffee and took a sip. Then, she slowly looked over the materials again. While concentrating, she slightly lifted her head and glanced at Jae-Yoon. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NøᴠᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Take your time looking it over. There’s still plenty of coffee left.”

Jae-Yoon also brought the coffee to his lips. Then, he put his arms on the table and calmly looked at Oh PD.

Is she a cautious person? Or is she racking her brains trying to play it safe? Either way, it doesn’t matter much. What’s important is the direction of the plan.

The fact that she was a PD for It’s Home Shopping meant she was already a proven talent. She hadn’t been there for a long time, but it was a conclusion Jae-Yoon reached after going through several employees.

It was also a time when he realized how narrow his world had been. A frog in a well? It would have been better if it were a well. The water Jae-Yoon had been playing in for seven years was not even a well, but at best, a fish tank.

If OhGa Kitchen was a fish tank, this place was not just the sea, but perhaps it could be compared to the Han River. It was different from a small and medium-sized company where employee dissatisfaction was commonplace, and they would change jobs if they did not like it. Moreover, the fact that they worked for a solid, large company was a definite reason for satisfaction and a sense of belonging.

A thorough performance-oriented organization. There were no employees who were carried around loosely. It was an environment where such employees couldn’t even survive; maybe that was why. Every employee he met showed a confident appearance. The source of that confidence was the company’s signboard.

Jae-Yoon was newly realizing how great it was to be the head of such a company.

“Ms. Oh, it is not too burdensome for you, is it?”

“It sounds like you mean to have a proper amount of pressure?” Her answer was playful, but it clearly had an edge.

It was the same with any task. Pressure led to impatience, and impatience led to rash decisions. The rash decisions derived from pressure often had a negative impact on the final outcome.

Jae-Yoon had also experienced it countless times. If you nagged and rushed, ideas would not come out. The groundbreaking plan that was put forward in order to somehow create a good result could actually be as crude as a patchwork quilt made out of various things. { E/N: Great analogy. }

“Now that you mention it, that is true. A proper amount of pressure is necessary. Oh Eun-Sun PD, MilkBot is not an item to be taken lightly.”

“I am aware. That is why I am more interested.”

Oh Eun-Sun forcibly swallowed the words, ‘How can you not care about that?’ It was not a bad condition for her.

He came to the team without any procedure, asked for a PD, and then assigned a person in charge without any consultation. It might seem like a random choice at first glance. However, Oh Eun-Sun PD was thinking differently. She wondered if the CEO had her in mind from Content Team 1 from the beginning.

It was something to be happy about, but it was also strange. A strange sense of rivalry arose without her realizing it. Wasn’t that human nature? The opposite of a bullfrog was the psychology of wanting to do the opposite.

Oh Eun-Sun twirled her pen and spoke up, “Mr. Min, your words seem to be intended to put a burden on me.”

“Excuse me?” Jae-Yoon looked at Oh Eun-Sun with interest.

“I don’t think there should be any discrimination between the person in charge, whether it’s the CEO or a new MD. Anyway, the goal is the same: Sales. I do not expect any special treatment. However…”

“However?”

“After finishing this product, I hope you will give me the opportunity to work with you on one more product.”

“Regardless of the category?”

“Yes. Instead, I would like to work together from the planning stage, not like this time.”

“What do you get out of it, Ms. Oh?”

“Shouldn’t I try to impress you once, Mr. Min?”

Jae-Yoon smiled at Oh PD’s answer. In fact, the schedule and special features were all just excuses. He had been eyeing Oh Eun-Sun PD from the beginning. Jae-Yoon was fully convinced that his choice was not wrong.