Perfect Crown in Royal Academy of Korea - Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight: New Face

When the whole country was celebrating the birth of the King's legitimate eldest son, Heejoo was out of her mind floundering in a swamp of overtime work.
 
Heejoo, who had entered Castle Electronics as a rank-and-file employee two years ago, declared independence a short while ago. Along with the word to separate her into an affiliated company since she would try to grow a beauty business.
 
It was because she realized that exhibiting her ability was difficult at Castle Electronics, where executives who were like her father's hands and feet were deployed.
 
Watching her father who moved his people without exerting effort, Heejoo thought. That she likewise needed a person who would become her hands and feet.
 
Therefore, Heejoo was looking at resumes until late at night. In order to find a talented person who would construct a kingdom called Castle Beauty together with her.
 
Heejoo, who decided to interview several people who caught her eye in person, held a red colored pencil and left markings of her own.
 
An X mark means they are miserable, so no intention to look. A triangle mark means they are ambiguous, so no intention to look. A check mark means she doesn't know, but holds an intention to look.
 
Among hundreds of sheets of resumes, what Heejoo looked at in person was a degree of several dozen sheets filtered by the human resources team. Among them, the people who received a check mark were nine people entirely.
 
"What is the star shape?"
 
Team Leader Go of the human resources team asked carefully. Among several dozen sheets of resumes, uniquely only one sheet of resume was marked with a star shape.
 
"Ah, that's the top graduate."
 
"Pardon?"
 
"It means I wish to see them quickly. That I am curious."
 
"Ah, I understand."
 
Like that, Heejoo decided to meet ten applicants.
 
However, most of the applicants she met while possessing expectations of her own were disappointing. If they held no experience, it would be good if they possessed guts at least, but for the most part, people could not make proper answers to her questions.
 
Even if they held an extreme amount of experience, it was a problem. Because they could not hide a nuance of ignoring her, who was a young representative. It was exactly as if they regarded her as a dummy president and that the crucial decision-making would come to be done by themselves.
 
There were also many people who harbored other minds. That kind of mind wishing to cross over to another affiliated company of the Castle Group using Castle Beauty as a stepping stone. Although one could not say that was a fault, they were not the person necessary to her.
 
Around the time she was becoming exhausted like that, the last applicant appeared. Wearing sneakers with a suit attire—
 
"Hello, I am Do Hyejung."
 
She was the person for whom Heejoo had drawn a star shape marking.
 
"You graduated this year."
 
Heejoo, who scanned Hyejung's record of graduating from the Ivy League with high grades, laughed.
 
"But why did you return? It seems it would be alright to work in America though."
 
The common answer following this kind of question was to talk about a vision. In a way like wishing to exhibit the ability accumulated overseas in the homeland.
 
But Hyejung's reply was a bit impressive.
 
"Because the Representative is here."
 
"Me?"
 
"Yes, Representative Sung Heejoo."
 
The eyes of Heejoo, whose interest was aroused, sparkled.
 
"I am not that famous a person though?"
 
"You are famous. As the mad dog of the Castle Group."
 
"......"
 
The eyes of Heejoo, who had been laughing, became murderous. Team Leader Go of the human resources team, who was sitting beside her, sweated cold sweat and was at a loss as to what to do.
 
"Team Leader Go."
 
"Yes, Representative."
 
"Try going out."
 
"Yes, Representative. Ms. Do Hyejung! What are you doing not rising quickly."
 
"No!"
 
"Ye, yes?"
 
"Leave Ms. Do Hyejung and only Team Leader Go go out."
 
Team Leader Go stared at Hyejung as if pitying her, but failed to find a way to rescue her otherwise and rose from his seat.
 
Heejoo, who was left alone with Hyejung, resumed the interview again.
 
"Is my being famous as a mad dog the reason for applying?"
 
"As for the reason for applying, I answered that it is because the Representative is here though."
 
Heejoo, who lifted her eyebrows, soon burst into a laugh.
 
"Then let's listen. Why my being here becomes a reason for applying."
 
"America still possesses racial discrimination."
 
Hyejung continued her words with a calm voice.
 
"Among them, Asian women are the easiest opponent."
 
"......"
 
"The methods to confront that are exactly two. Being trampled down, or biting."
 
"Did you bite?"
 
"Yes."
 
Hyejung, who confidently nodded her head, answered.
 
"Hyejung, you dislike losing, don't you?"
 
"Very much so."
 
"Then even if I do any kind of crazy deed, can you understand?"
 
"If it is a method for winning... wouldn't it not matter?"
 
Watching Hyejung who answered with a face holding not even a single stroke of laughter, Heejoo put on a satisfactory smile. Having thought that every single sentence written on the resume entered her mind, she was of the same department as herself.
 
"Then lastly, I will ask only one thing."
 
"Yes."
 
"My personality is bad, will it be alright? Because I dislike giving affection to a person who will leave unable to endure."
 
This time too, Hyejung became absorbed without even a single stroke of laughter.
 
"By any chance, do I appear to possess a good personality?"
 
At that pure question, Heejoo could not suppress the laughter leaking out. Not to mention not losing her spirit in front of herself, an employee whose self-objectification was excellent. She could not help but be coveted.
 
"Passed."
 
At that word which appeared like a somewhat impulsive decision, Hyejung was not surprised even a little. As if knowing it would become like this, she merely asked thoughtlessly, "From when may I start coming to work?"
 
Since then, Secretary Do was always beside Heejoo.
 
"Yoon, stop crying now."
 
Irang repeated coaxing and soothing the crying child. How persistent the crying of the child, who wasn't even 100 days old since being born, was, it was to the extent that blood was likely to come out of her ears.
 
"Her Majesty the Queen Consort, may I try embracing him once."
 
The Internal Prince, who was looking at his daughter pityingly, extended his arms. The child, who did not know how to stop no matter how much she coaxed and soothed, gradually calmed down within the Internal Prince's bosom.
 
"The Royal Son Prince Baby seems to recognize this grandfather."
 
"It is a relief that he recognizes at least Father."
 
While finding her son, who failed to recognize his own mother, hateful, the smile did not leave Irang's face.
 
Even in the midst of exerting her best to become a perfect queen, Irang was always fearful that she might fail to succeed the heir. Even knowing that it wasn't a matter done by effort, it only made her listless.
 
It was Yoon whom she came to obtain in the midst of that. It was the birth of an existence that entirely soothed Irang's anxious mind.
 
"How is His Majesty these days."
 
The Internal Prince, who carefully opened his mouth, asked. The appearance of Hwan, who rejoiced at the news that a child came to be, was the hope of all palace attendants including Irang. In reality, Hwan showed positive changes in quite many parts.
 
Every day for a fixed time, he exerted effort to see the sunlight, and he tried not to miss the prescribed medicine. The number of times he drank alcohol also noticeably decreased. To the extent that even Irang, who held no expectations whatsoever toward Hwan, was moved by his effort.
 
Therefore, all the people within the palace thought. That the baby prince soon to be born was certain to be a lump of fortune.
 
But once the child was actually born, the situation proceeded in an unintended direction. Accurately, it was from when the word 'Crown Prince' came out. Unlike a hundred years ago, because it was a royal family that did not keep royal concubines, thinking of it as a matter of course was the problem.
 
When Irang's older brothers called Yoon the Crown Prince, Hwan—
 
'Whether my son is a material to become king, I will judge.'
 
Answered frostily to the point of causing embarrassment. And then, everything became unstable again. Like a sandcastle precariously built up collapsing, it was a steep downfall.
 
"It is not good."
 
Irang, who shook her head, answered. Hwan, who had been seeking out the Queen Consort's Palace every day since giving birth to Yoon, already cut off his steps for several days and did not exhibit his appearance. The numerous authorities of the Queen Consort's Palace, which had transferred to the Grand Prince's Residence for the reason that she must take stability during pregnancy, were also not returning yet.
 
"How about Her Majesty requesting in person."
 
"It will only cause antipathy."
 
"There is no man who treats harshly a woman who gave birth to his own child."
 
"His Majesty is this country's king before being a man."
 
"Her Majesty is the Royal Son's mother-queen before being a woman."
 
"......"
 
As Irang, who was blocked of words to say, put on a face lacking confidence, the Internal Prince embraced the Royal Son back to her. The face of the baby, who fell asleep before long, was peaceful.
 
"Bring back entirely all the authorities belonging to the Grand Prince's Residence. Her Majesty's power will soon become the Royal Son Prince Baby's power."
 
"......"
 
Irang's face turned dark. Of all times, right then, Hwan's drunken frenzy saying he would abdicate to Grand Prince Leean came to mind.