Zero by One: Take Me Home

16. Son of CEO? Or Son of Satan?

　"Does it seem like my life can get any worse than being a glorified barista and lackey for that sadist to you?"

Wiping off the egg tart crumbs with a tissue, the willowy blond gave him a wry look before leaning forward to retort with an irrelevant question.

　"Say, don't you find it strange how he's way above the ladder than us when he's only around our age?"

　"What?"

　"For example, even our chajang-nim had to work his butt off for years to be where he is now. But him? Not quite the same."

A furrow appeared between Taehyun's brows when he caught on to Kai's implication but didn't have enough to come to any reasonable conclusion.

　"What do you mean?"

　"From what I've heard, right after he took the MBA course at Oxford, he started working for one of our subsidiaries in Tokyo in a pretty high position - like a Director of some sorts. And all it took him was 2 years."

　"Wait, isn't it supposed to be like that?" The brunet's half-befuddled and half-impressed expression prompted Kai to divulge further.

　"No, you little sheep. No matter how prestigious the school was, diplomas alone can't get you to D-level at once. Either eight years and above experience or good connections can."

　"So, the latter?"

As Taehyun arched a discerning brow, Kai beckoned him to close the remaining distance between them.

　"Now, listen well. I'm not gonna repeat it 'cause it's lowkey taboo for us to openly discuss here..."

Huening Kai censored his moving lips behind his long and slender fingers.

Taehyun's jaw hung and his deerlike eyes almost bulged out of his sockets on their own, if that was even possible. He slowly sunk back in his chair and digested the information by repeating it in soulless fragments.

　"That asshole is... a son of... the founder of... this enterprise..."

His voice tailed off much akin to his opportunity to climb up the career ladder drifting further away from him like the last snow before spring.

Kai showed his sympathy in the form of shoulder pats to the brunet who had now fallen into a melancholic trance.

Meanwhile, about six stories above the two, Beomgyu sneezed for no particular reason right before a silhouette emerged behind the semi-transparent door, a couple of respectful knocks sounded against the glass.

Sniffing and rubbing his nose, he permitted for entrance and regarded the man who came into his office in an unassuming manner.

A light shade of aubergine painted the ends of the tawny, wavy hair in no particular design, round glasses sat neatly above the button nose, and a plethora of moles formed a constellation on the complexion that looked a tad too outlandish for a Korean but not enough to be deemed foreign.

　Now, who was this one again?? Beomgyu pretended not to take a peek at the silver tag pinned on the front of the dapper suit.

　Lee... Section Manager, Haechan Lee. Bingo! Right at the time I needed.

　"Sir, I came to seek your approval for the venue." Lee handed him an open folder with a document attached to it.

Beomgyu accounted this fellow as a relatively decent subordinate - unlike someone that held murderous intent in his unblinking eyes for having to remake a mere cup of coffee for what seemed like five or six times - despite Lee's boisterous temperament that was a common peeve Beomgyu shared with everyone else here.