37 Last Chance

"Ms. Chan! You have no idea what you are talking about!"

"I fully understand the situation. You may have the knowledge and experience with technology, but you are not seeing the big picture"

For better or worse, Hina made the move. And just as expected, it brought a storm. 

Dr. Chiede exploded as the implications of what Hina and I have achieved in what initially seemed to be a pet project of a noob CEO have become clear.

It may have looked like an insignificant government program and budget adjustment when the Fast Track Acquisition Program was sent back for review with the request to revise its budget, but the nuclear explosive news for everyone was that the National Defense Procurement Department now had the independent power to reallocate the budget of every other program they have running at the moment. I could already see how the FTAP might even change its name in a year or two to something like the Strategic Priority Acquisition Program. What was originally intended as a fast-track program to get minor but useful and innovative technologies and products to be fielded in a relatively short period of time without going through five and ten-year plans, has now evolved into a program that can suck budget out of other programs to feed its own agenda. 

And therein lay the problem.

Even I wasn't sure how far ahead Hina had foreseen it when she first ignited this mess. Was this a masterstroke that I did not see coming? What I thought was an unprofessional and reckless pitch from Hina at the National Defense Development Center seminar was now the starting point of the possible seismic collapse in the tradition of the industry. And it was I who linked up this idea with the picture of the small-scale missile launcher Hina sneaked into FTAP because that was what I saw as fitting on the spot under pressure. 

Fuck.

What have I done?

Or more accurately - what did Hina make me do here?

"Big picture?! This project has been part of the government's 10-year procurement plan!"

Dr. Chide was as much in disbelief as he was furious. Jisoo sat back and observed the scene unfolding. Will Hina lose the support of the management team here? I'm sure Jisoo is betting that is what will happen. And he will take over her place at the head of the table and bring order to the mess that his young and inexperienced little sister created. 

"That's precisely what's wrong with it. What they thought was best 10 years ago is not what it is best for now. Times change and things need to be reconsidered", Hina was firm and wasn't budging an inch. 

If it was just about expanding FTAP or changing the nature of it, then it would not have been such a big deal for now. The biggest problem was that what Hina had proposed at NDDC - a mini-missile launcher mountable to small vessels that can shoot guided munitions, could be seen as a system that could outshine 'the Next Big Thing', which was the Unmanned Fast Attack Craft. 

An unmanned system has many benefits, but one of its main appeals is that such systems are expandable without costing human lives. Frankly, at least for the moment in the current state of technology, every naval vessel would operate better with human crew on them assisted by AI. Taking humans out of that platform did not increase the performance of the vessel, but it was a game changer in the sense that operations that required risking human lives previously could now be carried out by more expandable and affordable units, as well as these small platforms being more nimble and flexible in their mission profile. The recent wars that have been taking place on other continents saw extensive use of drone technology to a level that no military general has experienced before. A new era has come where a technology that advanced rapidly in the past few years might obsolete procurement plans that were planned five to ten years ago. In this sense, there now was a serious possibility that a small unmanned mobile platform with mini launchers like the one Hina had in mind could be preferable to the 27m boats that Unammed Fast Attack Craft was supposed to be. 

Hence either deliberately or by accident, this was the hornet's nest that Hina smashed with her 'pet project'. 

"Miss Chan, may I express my opinion here?", The business development manager spoke. 

It may have looked like he was trying to play the role of a calm arbitrator, but the sweat on his forehead told a different story. 

"Please, go ahead", in contrast, Hina responded calmly. 

"I commend your vision for the new era of defense procurement plans. Yes, times have changed and we need to adapt quicker, which could mean that some of the previously planned programs get dropped. But it does not have to be our Unmanned Fast Attack Craft program"

OK. He's put that rather diplomatically. 

"I did not say we are pulling out of that program. I made it clear last time that Director Jisoo Chan will be fully in charge of that program and proceed as planned"

Damn. But this was a fight talk. 

"You are saying one thing and doing another. You put me in charge of one program, then you go on and propose another program that could steal the budget from my program"

Jisoo finally decided that it was his moment to address the issue bluntly in front of everyone. 

"Director, why would NDDP take budget away from YOUR program if YOUR program was more important? What are you worried about?", Hina was starting to confront Jisoo head-on. 

This moment had to come at some point for her to cement her place in the company, but it came much too soon and too early in her tenure to my liking. 

"What you are doing is cannibalizing our own business"

"I thought you would be more confident about YOUR Unmanned Fast Attack Craft. Wasn't that supposed to be the Next Big Thing?"

"What are you even-"

"Dr. Chide!"

Hina abruptly shouted and that froze everyone in the room. Dr. Chide was still fuming from his previous outburst and gave Hina an expression that he was sick and tired of playing this game.

"I will assign you a new work, right now. You are to hand over all technical work related to Unmanned Fast Attack Craft to the R&D Department head Dr. Jin. You will start working exclusively on designing a new small autonomous platform that will carry our mini-missile launchers"

"BULLSHIT!"

That was the last straw for Dr.Chide, but it also was the last straw for me.

I slammed my hand on the whiteboard next to me and shouted.

"You shall remain respectful to Miss. Chan at all times, Dr. Chide!"

"Stay the fuck out of it, Sin! You are nothing. You are just an assistant. A shadow! The only thing you were good for was running errands for Chairman Chan. Know your place and shut the fuck up!"

That's when Hina exploded, finally and for the first time, losing her cool. 

"Nobody, I mean NOBODY has the right to say that to my Sin!!"

"Miss-", I was trying to stop her but it was already too late. 

"Dr. Chide! You are refusing the job assigned to you. You are FIRED!"

WHAT?!!!!

The whole room froze and even Jisoo looked like he was at a complete loss for words. 

"You fire me?! I've been in this company for 39 years! You weren't even born when I joined!"

"I have assigned a job for you and you refused. And then you went on to disrespect your co-worker"

"Do you realize this was YOUR FATHER'S VISION?! Unmanned Fast Attack Craft was your father's final program!"

"Yes. Now he's gone and his vision is obsolete. Nobody else can say it but I can, so there you go, I said it"

This hit me like a truck. She may be wrong on many things, but what she said here was the absolute truth. In this company, no one can go against the visions and plans set out by Chairman Chan while he was alive. Hina was the only person in the entire corporation who could say this. 

"You know nothing, young lady. You are being a stubborn brat. You are undoing your father's work"

"Leave. Your service is no longer required. You can go to my father's grave and talk about good old days if that's what you are hung up on"

"FUCK THIS SHIT!"

Dr. Chide threw away the pile of papers and folders off the table and stormed out of the meeting room.

"Miss-, you didn't have to-"

"Please be quiet, Sin"

This was the first time Hina talked to me in this tone. 

"Now, everyone. If you have no faith in me leading the Chan Group anymore, I give each and every one of you a chance to get fired with a very nice severance package. All you have to do is get up and leave"

"Now, now-, Miss. We see that you have become a little… emotional", Mr. Yan, the longest-serving Managing Director tried to mediate things finally.

"I've made my call now. Right here, right now. You are all heads of departments here. If you cannot make the call for your own career on the spot, you are not capable enough to be the leaders of this company and call the shots. Make your choice, right now"

Hina did not acknowledge Mr. Yan's offer of peace and spoke firmly to the whole room. 

Everyone was quiet for a while and then the Chief Business Development Manager Mr. Lau stood up first. He only gave a side glance at Hina and addressed Jisoo directly instead. 

"It has been an honor to work with you, Director Chan"

He then gave a deep respectful bow and left the room. 

Once this floodgate was opened, one by one, everyone stood up and left the room in a similar fashion, mostly ignoring Hina while showing respect to Jisoo. It was a slowly accelerating process and the room was becoming empty fast. 

When everyone else had left, Jisoo stood up with a triumphant smirk on his face. 

"Of course, I wouldn't desert my sister. I will remain in the company, Hina. And I have a feeling those guys will all come back. I'm just not sure if you would still be here then"

With that, Jisoo also walked out and there was only Hina and I left in the room with an empty meeting table and seats.

Hina, who stood so bravely and with a fiery temper now looked exhausted. 

"Sin… do you think I was wrong…?"

Just for this one moment, I felt like I was seeing Hina's vulnerable child-like side.

I walked up to her and stood with her face to face. 

"You were not wrong, Miss. But it wasn't professional"

Hina closed her eyes for a few seconds, then hugged me and buried her face in my chest.

"Sin, I finally understood why my father never gave you a managerial position"

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"A manager must take responsibility and resign when his work goes wrong. He never wanted you to be in that position"

Oh.

I never thought about it that way, but Hina was right. 

"Sin, if you wanted to leave too, this is your last chance"

Hina's voice trembled a little and I could sense that she genuinely believed that I might take up on that offer and leave, that she was concerned that could happen but she felt it only right to offer me that option too, just like she did to everyone else. 

"What if I didn't leave now?"

"Then I'm never letting you go"

I think I could live with that.