Chapter 58 (1) - The Mysterious Art Museum
Originally, the plan was to invite the directors over two days, but like Director Park's case, when unexpected delays occurred, the schedule had to be extended over three days to accommodate everyone.
The result was a huge success.
Except for one or two directors, the rest withdrew their opposition.
According to Min young, the one or two who maintained their opposition did so only for face-saving reasons. In reality, they barely contained their laughter and left.
A Korean beef specialty restaurant near Hannam-dong.
The junior colleagues had been excited all day about the dinner and celebration planned after work.
A luxurious restaurant.
The juniors, unfamiliar with such an expensive meat restaurant, looked around, not daring to even peek at the menu.
"Senior, are we really eating here?"
"Boss, aren't we going bankrupt if we eat here? It looks very expensive."
Jiyoung, from the Department of Painting, opens the menu, his eyes widening.
"Whoa! 67,000 won for 130g?"
Jiyoung whispers, his face turning red.
"Seniors, let's just leave? The cheapest meat is 43,000 won for 130g, and that's hardly a few slices. Let's just stick to pork belly..."
Yeongju slaps Jiyoung on the shoulder and exclaims.
"Shut up, man. The boss is treating us big time because we worked hard. Hey, waiter! The most expensive dish for eight servings per table!"
We are 12 in total, three tables. Eight servings per table make 24 servings. If it's the most expensive shrimp meat at 67,000 won per serving, the meat alone costs over 1.6 million won.
Yeongju boldly announces.
"Hey, forget soju and beer! Today, we're going with premium Jinro! Madam! Two bottles of premium Jinro for each table."
The juniors look at me in shock instead of Yeongju.
Understandably so, as Yeongju may be ordering, but I'm the one paying.
Just a month ago, I was trembling over a 400,000 won bill for pork belly.
But now, I feel as relaxed as a chaebol's youngest son.
I take a sip of water, smiling at the juniors, who are staring at me, and say.
"Eat up, and then eat some more. If anyone eats less than three servings, they're not going home."
As my words fall, beautifully colored meat arrives on the cart and is set on the table, but the juniors still dare not grill the meat.
Seeing this, Yeongju personally goes around the tables, placing the meat on the grill.
"Hey, you know this meat is expensive, right? If you don't eat it and it burns, it's your loss."
The meat turns a lovely brown color, looking mouth-watering.
Yeongjeong quickly grabs the meat with tongs, flipping it over.
"This kind of meat should be flipped immediately after touching the flame and eaten sliced!"
Yeongjeong cuts the half-cooked meat with scissors, dips a piece in sesame oil, and looks around. Seeing Yeongju and I smiling pleasantly, she lifts the meat and says.
"I'll! Try it first!"
The meat disappears into her mouth.
Yeongjeong closes her eyes and shivers.
"Amazing!"
No need for fancy taste descriptions.
But at Yeongjeong's word, chopsticks fly in a frenzy.
The juniors devour the meat like possessed, all exhibiting similar reactions to Yeongjeong.
"Wow, is this meat? Then what have I been eating all this time?"
"Unbelievable! I chewed twice and it disappeared!"
"I've never had this before. I want to bring some to my mom. She would love it."
Hearing the last junior, I look at Yeongju. Quick-witted, she quietly goes to the counter. Without saying, she must be asking for raw meat to be packed for the juniors to take home.
As the alcohol arrives, the kids fill up Yeongju's and my glasses as a start. Yeongju gestures me to say something. I'm not used to this. I stand up, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Even as they put down their chopsticks to ensure the expensive meat doesnt burn and hold their glasses, the juniors look at me.
I meet the eyes of the adorable juniors and say.
"Hey, as I said before, thank you for coming when things were tough. The ceiling painting was a tough job, but you all worked on it without complaints. Im really grateful."
I sneak a look at Yeongju, who seems to signal me to say all that needs to be said. Ah, Im not used to boasting like this.
"Uh, also."
The juniors wait, holding their glasses.
I spoke with a slightly embarrassed face.
After discussing with Director Seo Young-ju, we thought that employing our hardworking juniors at the minimum wage wasn't right. So, um, we've decided to raise your salaries.
The eyes of the juniors widened.
The amount was just over 2 million won a month. It might seem small, but it's a significant sum for those preparing for employment.
As the room quieted down, Young-ju stood up with his glass.
Let's guess! How much of a raise is it?
Yeong-jeong, who was the first to eat the meat, caught on to Young-ju's mood-lifting attempt and shouted.
10% raise!
Young-ju exaggeratedly shook his head and raised his thumb.
No, No! Up! Up!
This time, Ji-yong raised his glass and shouted.
20% raise!
No, No! Up! Up!
Another junior joined in.
30% raise?
No, No! Up! Up!
Young-ju encouraged them to guess higher with each 10% increment. As it passed 80%, the faces of the juniors changed. From initial excitement to disbelief.
After building up the atmosphere, Young-ju raised his glass for a toast.
Lets clink glasses!
The sound of glasses clinking filled the air, followed by Young-ju's voice.
"It's a 100% increase, you guys!"
The room bursts into exclamations of awe.
After quickly downing their drinks, the junior colleagues excitedly chatter about how much they'll earn with a 100% salary increase over the next three months.
With a salary over 400, each will take home slightly more than 12 million won over three months.
It's not the praise but the money that's making the whales dance.
The juniors repeatedly ask Youngju and me if it's really true before finally believing it after several confirmations and starting to clink their glasses and chat among themselves.
After pushing my portion of the meat to the juniors, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. After just washing my hands and coming out, Youngju, who was leaning against the corridor wall, playfully taps my chest with a smile.
"Our boss. I know you've got a lot of side income, but can you afford the meat?"
I smile, looking at the juniors voraciously eating meat at our table from a distance.
"It's not like I'm paying for it anyway."
Youngju laughs and pats my shoulder.
"But still, you're raising their salaries with your money."
"What's my money? It's all given to take care of the kids' welfare."
"Bullshit, welfare. It's just a bribe, hehe."
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