The New Groom Chapter 2

However, even with a perfect plan in place, Lee Jeongrok could not easily bring himself to speak. He had set out in a daze, startled by his father-in-law’s vulgar swearing about having skulls cracked and crawling home, but the truth was he was not mentally prepared.

Lee Jeongrok had been born and raised as a born gentleman. Being forced to make humble requests in such an unpleasant situation made it impossible for him to open his mouth. Moreover, these were low-class people he had never exchanged a word with in his entire life. Facing the sight of the red vests, the crude placards, and things that were exhausting just to look at, his heart wasn’t in it, and he felt a rise of irritation for no reason.

Still, what could he do?

He had to do it.

He didn’t care if the protesters had their skulls cracked or what happened to them, but his father-in-law was watching from behind.

“…Greetings, Ma’am. I am Lee Jeongrok, General Manager of the Eco-Friendly Energy Management Division at Hanyang Construction.”

He first handed out his business card. However, Chairman Na did not take the card. Chairman Na, who had seemed somewhat frightened just a moment ago, retorted sharply.

“I am not an ‘Ma’am.’. I am Chairman Na Pyeongjin.”

Damn. It was a mistake. Even though he had expected her to be proud, once he actually saw the face of the middle-aged woman, the title ‘Ma’am.’ had slipped out unconsciously. Lee Jeongrok cursed inwardly and lowered his head.

“Ah, yes. I apologize. Chairman, I am…”

“I heard you. You said you were a General Manager. General Manager or whatever, I asked what you are doing bringing people here right now. I’m truly dumbfounded, it’s not like you’re threatening us. What year do you think this is? Who do you think would be scared by this?”

“No, that is not it. It seems there is a misunderstanding. We came to listen to the committee members’ opinions in detail. As you know, the power plant construction has already been finalized, so moving forward…”

“Finalized? You are getting way ahead of yourself. The environmental impact assessment is still left. If that doesn’t pass, no matter if the power plant is a 1-trillion-won project or what, you can’t even break ground once. You don’t even know the basic facts, and you call yourself a General Manager? It’s ridiculous.”

You don’t even know the basic facts? What did these uncivilized people who didn’t know the first thing about business and just opposed things blindly know? For a moment, his anger surged, but he barely suppressed it.

“…Yes. As you said, Chairman, I came here to hear various things, starting with those very issues.”

“You’ve come quite late. It’s been over 200 days since we started the protest, so you’ve come quite late. Since you’re here, read these then. These are questionnaires and materials that I’ve sent you several times, but you never gave us a single response.”

Chairman Na abruptly handed him a stack of five or six thick books piled on a table. When she shoved the books, which looked like they were at least 500 pages each, into his arms, Lee Jeongrok staggered. Chief Joo, who had been silently holding the umbrella over him from the side, snatched the books with one arm. Embarrassed, Lee Jeongrok cleared his throat and rearranged his attire for no reason.

“Yes, thank you. I will… the company will review them step by step. It is late, but I promise you that we will send a written response. So, you committee members should not suffer like this in this bad weather…”

“You want us to go home and wait quietly? I’m sorry, but I’m not falling for such honeyed words. We will stay here until you give us a response and until you properly listen to our voices.”

“Chairman. I am not saying that we won’t listen to the committee’s words; I am saying this because it is raining and you are suffering. The monsoon season has been going on for weeks now. Please stop being so stubborn…”

“Stubborn?”

It was his second mistake. Chairman Na’s eyebrows shot up.

“Did you say stubborn? This is a matter of our survival, survival! You come here without even knowing the basic facts and tell us we are being stubborn?”

“That is not what I meant.”

“Do you think we want to sit on the street in this hot monsoon season and suffer like dogs? We also want to be comfortable indoors in a place with full air conditioning like your office, General Manager. But if you see us enduring all that and suffering like people with no homes to go to as just ‘stubbornness,’ well. Change your mind now. We came out here with a resolution to die if necessary.”

“…”

Lee Jeongrok, who was about to make an excuse, closed his mouth due to the overwhelming fatigue. This is why. This is why you shouldn’t deal with people without roots.

Immersed in deep skepticism, he reflected on the situation he had been pushed into. He carefully weighed the tips of his shoes, stained by raindrops and dirt; the sound of heavy rain pouring onto the protest tent; and the damp, disgusting air mixed with the smell of water and sour sweat.

He could not believe he was wasting time on such nonsense. He hated and loathed his father-in-law for pushing him into this ridiculous mess. And right in front of him, there was a perfect person to vent his anger on.

Lee Jeongrok found everything about Chairman Na repulsive. From her posture, holding up her shabby, worn-out face without even knowing it was shameful, to her red vest, her black fingernails stuck with grains of dirt, and her stubborn personality of obsessively grabbing onto words, she was indescribably contemptuous. Lee Jeongrok no longer hid his disdain for her.

“A resolution to die if necessary.”

Lee Jeongrok asked coldly.

“If you have made a resolution to die, does that mean you can ignore basic social order?”

“What did you say?”

“I’m saying this because you like ‘basics.’ If a protest that pushes forward recklessly without even a basic sense of law-abiding spirit isn’t called stubbornness, what else should I call it?”

Revealing his arrogant nature without knowing the meaning of shame, Lee Jeongrok spoke through the sound of the rain.

“Chairman Na. Let’s do a ‘basic’ fact check without going too far. The power plant construction—the whole nation is begging us not to, so did we force it through? Isn’t it a matter that 90% of Jangchang-si citizens agreed to? Even the citizens voluntarily launched a signature campaign to create public opinion in favor of it, and we induced the project. It is the result of a democratic agreement reached by the majority of citizens. Who on earth is the one ignoring this most basic premise?”

“No, General Manager. You shouldn’t talk like that. If the majority agrees, do you mean our minority opinion deserves to be ignored? Is an agreement that excludes minority opinions a truly democratic result? Is it?”

“That is why I said I came here to listen to you. I have told you several times before that we would collect the committee’s opinions and decide the direction of the project, but who is the one that refused? From the beginning, didn’t the committee unilaterally reject even the resident information session held by the City Hall? Who is the one engaging in irrational and anti-social group actions like a protest to someone trying to solve it through dialogue?”

“Look here! What do you mean by anti-social…”

“It is what it is. Do you still not know how many people are suffering because of your protest? What did the public officials working over there at City Hall do wrong? The people handling the protest-related tasks must all be low-ranking officials, aren’t they all the age of your children, Chairman Na? You said it has been over 200 days since you started the protest. For 200 days, those people haven’t been able to leave work on time even once. Every day, they work overtime, day and night, being pressured by their superiors—do you have any idea how anxious they must be? What did they do to deserve being harassed like this? It could be solved through dialogue, so why are you harming so many people in such an extreme way?”

Chairman Na, who had been grabbing onto words somehow, hesitated for the first time. Lee Jeongrok did not miss the timing. He had pushed them frantically to the point where it seemed he had crossed the line, so now it was his turn to cajole them.

“It is not that we are trying to proceed with the business by recklessly ignoring your voices. I want to hold an information session and listen to each one of you, asking for your opinions with sincerity and talking with you. I really mean it. I am prepared to do it right now. Instead of suffering like this on a rainy day, why don’t you go to City Hall and talk with us? Or, if you prefer, I will invite you to our office tomorrow and we will talk officially. If you wish, I will review the materials you gave me and send you a written response within two weeks. You have suffered enough, haven’t you? Let’s not make innocent people suffer any longer with illegal protests. Yes?”