Bom Tae Joo

The silence in Bum Tae Joo's office was oppressive. The chairman, illuminated by the sunset, dismissed the manager who had failed with icy calm. Weakness was a crime he would not forgive.

The offender had barely disappeared when a new secretary entered the office. Her movements were measured, and her gaze calm and devoid of fear. This silent indifference struck Bum Tae Joo more deeply than any overt challenge.

He asked if she had witnessed the humiliation of his former subordinate. "I did, Chairman," was her even reply. When asked for her opinion, she coldly stated, "Business is no place for sentimentality."

Her words, devoid of flattery and judgment, laid bare the naked essence of his decisions. This angered him. "Sentimentality is a luxury for the weak," he hissed, releasing her.

In the following days, Bum Tae Joo began a series of merciless tests. He assigned her impossible tasks, set unrealistic deadlines, and subjected flawless work to scathing criticism. He searched her with all his might for a flaw, for that same familiar fear that consumed everyone else. But her cold calm remained impenetrable. She was granite, and within that granite, he began to discern, with astonishment, the glint of steel.