Chapter 32 – Major League Salary Negotiation

In front of Attorney Yoon Chi-hwan, who was in a good mood over the success of scouting Geum Na-yeong, Geum Na-yeong pulled out a notebook.

Rustle, rustle.

He turned the pages and wrote something down. Although his calculations had already finished in his mind, the act of checking it in visual text gave a slightly clearer conviction.

“However.”

Geum Na-yeong addressed Attorney Yoon Chi-hwan with an expressionless face.

“In that case, the annual salary is too low. In order to abandon the human infrastructure I have established and go, I must include my resulting loss in the total annual salary.

If I compare the alternative proposed by Attorney Yoon with the expected profits of maintaining the current firm, moving is not a great benefit to me.”

“Haha, come now, Attorney Geum… Isn’t this the annual salary? The. Annual. Salary. Naturally, it would be renewed every year, right?”

“No. The annual salary itself is too low.”

“Yes… well… then how much do you want?”

Attorney Yoon Chi-hwan, temporarily flustered, scanned Geum Na-yeong again.

They said he was a smart fellow, and indeed he had a poker face. His expression could not be read at all.

‘Gosh. A rookie who is just rising has properly gone greedy for money. He is a difficult one.’

He was the best in the talent scouting field even at Kim & Chang. Sending him for Geum Na-yeong’s scouting meant there was a calculation behind it… but this fellow was difficult.

“An annual salary of 7.846 billion won.”

“Pardon? ……Seventy-eight… 7.8 billion? Wh… what do you mean by that?”

Attorney Yoon Chi-hwan asked back in surprise.

“It is the sum of the expected profits from Teum and the infrastructure value for at least two years.

Calculating it, I must add the value of my current human infrastructure to my annual salary of 3 billion won.

Reflecting recent estimates, the annual salary of the associate attorney is 2 billion won, the office director is 200 million won, the laughter therapist clerk is 200 million won, and the inexperienced employee is 23 million won.

If you sum up all of their labor costs for two years, the total becomes 7.846 billion won.”

“Wh… what is that?”

“I cannot go if the amount is less than this.”

At Geum Na-yeong’s firm attitude, Attorney Yoon Chi-hwan’s face gradually heated up red.

‘They said he was a complete lunatic. He really is hopeless… What? 7.8 billion four thousand what?’

“I came out taking time, and this is absurd. Attorney Geum, are you really asking for 7.8 billion won, not as a joke?”

“No. It is 7.846 billion won.”

“…Look here! Do you think this is some Major League salary negotiation? 7.8 billion??? Lunatic.”

Clack.

Attorney Yoon Chi-hwan, unable to hold back his anger, immediately jumped up from his seat, spun around, and walked out.

‘People often make errors in calculation. When considering changing jobs, one must think of future opportunity costs and implicit costs that arise from giving up human infrastructure.’

Geum Na-yeong, who shrugged once, stood up from his seat without any lingering regrets.

***

The next morning, as soon as Attorney Seong Seok-ju arrived at work, he was on the phone with his classmate who worked at Kim & Chang.

“What? 7.8 billion? …? Is that true?”

“Yeah, I’m telling you. I heard it directly when I went into the morning meeting. Everyone was cursing Geum Na-yeong, calling him a lunatic and saying he completely doesn’t listen to reason.

I heard he spoke firmly in front of that veteran Attorney Yoon, saying, ‘I won’t go if I don’t take the staff with me.’ No, even during his apprenticeship, he was treated as a weirdo, but unexpectedly he seems to be a guy with loyalty?”

“Really? …”

“Hey… still, I’m a bit envious. Isn’t it manly? It’s not like he quickly moved firms because he’s doing well, but rather, ‘If it’s not my people, pay me 7.8 billion won.’ That’s a bit cool, isn’t it?”

“…Indeed. I didn’t know he was that kind of guy.”

“And lately, I heard places like Hwayu are also eyeing him besides us. Hey. If the rumor of the 7.8 billion won spreads, scouting offers including the staff will come in from here and there.

Even if they don’t pay that much… your reputation will also rise, anyway, I’m envious, man.”

“Yeah… well. Let’s eat sometime. Thanks for the call.”

Beep—

The call disconnected, and Seong Seok-ju tilted his head for a moment.

‘The fellow who always talked about strange things and thrust associate contracts with a strange smile… was he actually just blunt, but possessed loyalty?’

Even if he himself received a scouting offer from the top in the industry, he could not demand 7.8 billion won. Although he was from Jepyeongyang, he had never thought of his own value as 2 billion won, no, even over 1 billion won. Since he was still in the position of learning.

‘Kid, you’re a decent guy.’

Just then, as soon as his younger brother Tae-gyu flung the office door open and entered, he poured out complaints.

“Damn it, Hyung-nim. Your associate contract is ending soon, right? Ha… I realized I didn’t write the period in the contract. I didn’t know the law, so I forgot to write the contract period.

That lunatic. He always brings a pile of cases… I really don’t like him. What should I do? Do I have to keep living as a slave like this?”

Seong Seok-ju calmly looked at his brother and spoke coldly.

“Tae-gyu.”

“Yes?”

“Just because you didn’t decide the contract period doesn’t mean it automatically becomes an indefinite contract. You end it at an appropriate point by mutual agreement.”

“Yes? What does that mean?”

“Since my associate contract was six months, you should also reach an agreement with Attorney Geum at around that level. Since the contract period wasn’t specified.”

“What? Is that how the law is? No, then you should have told me earlier! Yesterday too, I spent the whole day making garbage envelopes and went to the prosecutor’s office to copy hundreds of pages… Gosh.”

Seong Seok-ju smiled and continued speaking.

“But since you decided to do it, endure it a bit more. Attorney Geum seems to be a more decent guy than I thought.

Your skills will also improve quickly if you learn by being pushed like that.”

“Yes? That guy is decent?”

“If you go to a mediocre law firm, they won’t even teach you properly. You are likely to learn nothing while just watching an older office director with a lot of experience ignore lawyers from the bar exam, saying they don’t know practical work.

But Office Director Ju Yong-hae is different. He talks with you amicably and doesn’t dump work on you.”

“…Well, that person is indeed like that.”

“And Kim & Chang tried to scout Geum Na-yeong, but Geum Na-yeong said he would go on the condition of taking you along too.”

“Me too? Why me…?”

“So, even though you have no experience and it’s not your major, it means he was watching you try to adapt in your own way.”

“……”

“Tae-gyu. Living in the world, a loyal guy is ultimately the best. Even though Geum Na-yeong is one or two years younger than you, he doesn’t seem to be a bad guy, so hold out for just a few more months.”

“…R-really?”

“And from what I see, it seems there were circumstances when he was young, and his family was in trouble. So his personality seems to have become eccentric and blunt.

Still, he doesn’t seem to be the type of guy who calculates and stabs people in the back, which is someone you always find at least one of when you go out into society.”

“…..Well, anyway, understood.”

Hearing his brother’s words, Tae-gyu’s heart softened slightly, and he came to think of Geum Na-yeong once again.

***

Knock, knock.

“Yes, please enter.”

“Attorney Geum, it is me.”

Attorney Seong Seok-ju cautiously opened the door and entered.

Geum Na-yeong’s blunt expression looked cool for some reason today.

As if he had something to say, Seong Seok-ju rummaged through the case materials on the desk for no reason, hesitated for a moment, and then opened his mouth.

“Hmm… about that… I heard.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I heard you received a scouting offer from Kim & Chang.”

“Yes. Rumors are fast.”

“In this field, isn’t everyone a classmate if you cross one or two people? High school, university, and law school.”

“Yes.”

“But… I was a bit touched.”

Taking his eyes off the screen he was looking at, Geum Na-yeong lifted his head.

“By what?”

“I heard you said you would take me.”

“Ah. That story. That is for maximum efficiency.

When I apprenticed at Kim & Chang in the past, I saw that the skill gap among staff was large and their work processing ability was often below expectations.

Even considering future opportunity costs, I thought going together was the most efficient.”

“Oh, come on, always efficiency, financial, economic… I know it all. You are turning the subject because you are embarrassed, right? Hahaha.”

“No. It is the truth.”

“Whatever, if there are more cases, give them to me. So I can write complaints.”

“….I happen to have about ten newly accepted cases, would you like to do them?”

“Hmm… good. I’ll take them.”

Seong Seok-ju left carrying the thick case files with a smile.

Geum Na-yeong tilted his head as if he could not understand him at all, and sat down in front of the Excel screen again.

He was statistically processing the number of tasks processed by the staff, the work speed of Office Director Ju Yong-hae, the number of cases received by Cha Ra-ri, and so on.

‘According to yesterday’s scouting calculations, it is possible to make a profit of 7.8 billion won without difficulty within two years with this labor infrastructure at Teum.

If so, I should speed up to exceed the goal.’

Ring—

And Geum Na-yeong called Manager Kim Mi-young internally.

“Manager, please see me for a moment.”

A moment later, Kim Mi-young entered with a face showing she did not know why. Because the accounting manager had no occasion to meet the attorney in private unless it was something special.

“Manager, the office size has grown lately. The work has exceeded the limit of your processing capacity, right? According to my calculations, yes.”

“Yes. Actually, since the topic has come up, in the past, it was over if I just did the bookkeeping and sent it to the accounting office, but these days, there are many actual expense processings in the offices, and checking receipts alone takes half the day.”

“So, I will speak to the other attorneys, so I would like you to hire about two accounting staff. Extract the resumes and upload them, and I will pass them during the meeting.”

“Staff??”

‘No… what kind of wind has blown. Although we need people, for him to suggest it first like this… then, should I bring up the salary topic…? No… is it still too early?’

“Yes, please post the announcement.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Geum Na-yeong wore that characteristic smile.

“Yes. Then I will head out.”

“Ah, right. Keep the staff salary at the industry statistics level, and since you will also manage the subordinate staff now, please include your salary increase in the materials.”

“My… s-salary? Yes, understood.”

Upon leaving the office door, Kim Mi-young cheered internally.

‘My, what a windfall! A salary increase for me too. Oh my. Indeed, Ju Yong-hae’s dream, that was auspicious!’

As Kim Mi-young’s face was full of smiles upon coming out of Geum Na-yeong’s office, Ju Yong-hae looked at Kim Mi-young with eyes full of questions.

Cha Ra-ri, who was sitting next to Ju Yong-hae, spoke as she thought of something.

“By the way, Office Director, isn’t today the ruling pronouncement day for the case against Gankyeok?”

“Yes. I went to hear the result in the morning. Of course it is a complete victory. Haha.

Indeed… it’s amazing. Attorney Geum must be extremely busy going on broadcasts, yet he wins the cases wonderfully.

Because this time, the ruling is for the plaintiff to bear all the litigation costs. Gankyeok must have been pretty ticked off?”

“Wow, we won again? Yay! I should use this for promotion.

But why did the office director go on the pronouncement day, and not the attorney?”

“Ah, that… usually, on the pronouncement day, the arguments are already finished, so even if the attorney goes, there is nothing to do.

In civil cases, they usually announce rulings for several cases in a row on the pronouncement day, and in criminal cases, they sometimes resume the public trial, in which case we receive a notice.

But when you watch TV, the attorney is always standing in the courtroom on the pronouncement day, whether civil or criminal, right? That is directed like that for dramatic effect, and in reality, attorneys are much more often at other trials during that time.”

“Ah, I see. That’s really interesting.”

Thus, Teum’s office was peaceful with small talk as always.

But at the same time, the atmosphere at Law Firm Gankyeok was flowing in the exact opposite direction.

Thud! Crash!

A loud sound of something hitting the wall and rolling around.

“What??? We lost again? And we bear all the litigation costs too?”

Partner Attorney Seo Gi-ryong, unable to contain his rage, threw a metal pen holder against the wall. Fountain pens and pens scattered and rolled in all directions.

“When I asked the KBA when they would hand down Geum Na-yeong’s discipline, they only said ambiguous words like it is still under review… What on earth is that fellow!! Why is everyone groveling like this?”

Attorney Seo Gi-ryong panted heavily and muttered in a low voice.

“Ha… really…

…They said that fellow is a complete lunatic, right? I can’t let this go. I must fight fire with fire.”

Leaving the associate attorneys who were receiving physical discipline face down, he stood up and strode out the door.

‘Noh Si-an… it’s uncomfortable, but for a fellow like him, there is no card that fits as well as you.’