Série: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Título: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend Chapter 2
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02 : Your Wish Has Been Granted
The next day, Tae-seok woke up on a cot and said goodbye to his mother.
He kissed his sleeping mother gently on the forehead before leaving.
‘Mom, I'll stay longer next time. I'm sorry.’
He immediately started the one-ton truck parked in front of his house.
A vehicle full of work tools.
He drove it to the makeshift container housing where his team members were staying.
6:10 AM.
The team members were all deep in sleep, likely from drinking too much the night before.
He changed from his suit into his work clothes and spoke up.
“Hey, everyone! Wake up!”
At that, the Team Leader, still not sober, asked in a drunken voice.
“What time is it?”
“It's already 6:10. We have to go now to get our entry permits.”
“You grab the passes and clock us in first. I’ll sneak in through the back gate later.”
“You want me to do that?”
“Yeah, do that.”
After saying that, the Team Leader spotted Cheol-seong sleeping spread-eagled with the blanket half-covering his exposed belly, and kicked him in the butt.
“Hey! You bastard. You have to go.”
“Ah… I'm exhausted.”
“Get up! At your level of Jjambap, how dare you!”
“…Ah… Team Leader… I’m so tired…”
Groggy, Cheol-seong got into the truck without even washing up.
Tae-seok took out a bottle of water from the back seat and handed it to Cheol-seong.
“Here, at least drink some water, sir.”
“Yeah. Thanks. Ah, I feel like I'm dying.”
“How many rounds did you guys do?”
“The fourth round? I think I drank about 6 bottles of soju?”
“Between the two of you?”
“No, 6 bottles each.”
“You basically drank all night. You have to take care of your health. Sir, aren't you almost 40?”
“Who cares if I die? I'm just living day by day. You, punk, where'd you go last night? Went to see a girl, didn't you?”
“…You can think that if you want, but what does it matter either way?”
“You punk! Living the good life, huh? Is she pretty?”
“Yeah. She’s beautiful… beautiful enough that I could spend the rest of my life with her.”
“Heh heh, all men are the same, I tell ya.”
Cheol-seong, a Chungcheong-do native.
He was naive and simple, which made him likable.
They had only worked together for about three months, and while he was still learning the ropes, he was a good person who got along well with the Team Leader and managed to get by.
When the truck arrived at the entrance, security guards checked their passes.
After looking at the vehicle pass and confirming their IDs, they let them through.
Tae-seok parked the truck haphazardly in a packed dirt lot in the middle of an empty field and got out.
The one thing he grabbed before starting work was his safety helmet.
Helmet in hand, he headed for the site container.
The Director was there smoking a cigarette. He spotted Tae-seok and spoke to him.
“Tae-seok, you're here?”
“Yes. Director, good morning.”
“Cheol-seong, what's with your appearance? Didn't you wash up?”
“Ah, sorry, I had a few drinks yesterday.”
“Well, you showed up for work, so that's that. Go wash up over there. Avoid the Elseong Group employees if you see them, and don't get yourself yelled at for no reason. Got it?”
“Yes. I get it. I'll go wash up.”
The Director sent Cheol-seong away with a frown, then pointed at the electric kettle and told Tae-seok.
“Make me a coffee — half sugar.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Tae-seok boiled water in the kettle and grabbed an instant coffee mix.
Folding the packet at the part that controls the sugar, Tae-seok poured in only half, then added boiling water up to the halfway mark of the paper cup.
This was how the Director liked his coffee best.
“Director, here's your coffee.”
“Yeah. How's your body?”
“…It's the same as always. Not getting better, not getting worse….”
“Is that so? Ah… we're short on carpenters, you think you could go?”
“Carpentry might be a little difficult for me.”
He shook his head at Tae-seok's words.
“Hey, Tae-seok. A director has to put people where they fit best, you punk. You think a skilled worker like you should be doing painting work that only pays 110,000 won? Do carpentry and take home 150,000 won. I heard things are tough at home.”
“…I'd like to, but I injured my back….”
“Agh! Fuck, forget it. This punk has gotten completely soft.”
“……”
Tae-seok lowered his head and walked outside.
A sigh escaped him.
‘So it wasn’t the Director who sent the money. That son of a bitch… Of course, he wouldn’t. Greedy bastard!’
Dirty construction work. Unlike carpentry, which had a lot of work, painting didn't.
Painting was mostly short-term finishing work, so people here learned both painting and carpentry.
However, carpentry was hard on the body, requiring a lot of bending, lifting heavy objects, and cutting materials.
It was especially taxing when you had to get into a cramped space and build a frame according to the blueprints for two or three hours, unable even to move your body freely.
Perhaps because of that, Tae-seok had been under immense pressure from the Director lately.
But he couldn't quit, because this site was the closest one to the hospital where his mother was admitted.
Tae-seok couldn't do anything but paint, which was less strenuous on his back, so working here was his best option.
Tae-seok thought.
The 200-some applications he had submitted online so far.
‘Please… just let one place accept me…’
He needed a job that paid over 3 million won a month, but he repeatedly failed at the document screening stage.
Despite that, he didn't give up on his dream.
‘Someone out there will recognize my worth. I’m working so hard…’
That afternoon, Tae-seok made a phone call in the middle of work.
It was to the hospital.
- Kim Han-ul Orthopedics. How may I help you?
“Hi, this is Tae-seok. I had an appointment yesterday. Is the doctor available to talk?”
- Yes. One moment, please.
The nurse put the doctor on the line.
- This is Kim Han-ul.
“Sir… thank you.”
- Huh?
“It's Tae-seok. You're the one who sent the money, right, sir?”
- Yeah. It was me.
“I’ll definitely repay this favor.”
- Forget it. I'm hanging up. You didn't go back to the construction site, did you?
“……”
- You, punk! Listen to me. Got it? Quit that construction job right now! What are you going to do if your back gives out? You stupid fool!
“……”
After the call with Kim Han-ul, who had been his father's friend, ended, Tae-seok hung his head.
‘Always just receiving help, you useless bastard.’
His life, where even paying back his loans was a struggle.
But if he just tried a little harder… once he paid off the loans….
“Ugh….”
His back began to ache. Tae-seok grimaced and took a painkiller.
‘Damn it… how much longer can I endure this?’
Just then, a vibration.
It was his phone.
Tae-seok pushed the pain aside and looked at his phone screen.
The last group he had held out little hope for.
The very construction site where he was currently working.
[Hello. This is the Elseong Group HR Team. We are pleased to inform you that you, Mr. Kim Tae-seok, have passed the document screening for a general position at Elseong Group. The second round of evaluations is scheduled for May 6th (Sat) at 14:00 on the 2nd floor of our group headquarters at 000 Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. The dress code is casual. We will send further details via email. We wish you the best of luck for the final acceptance.]
'I did it! I did it!'
An opportunity that came after 200 attempts.
A bright smile, one never seen on him before, spread across Tae-seok's face.
At the same time, a message was heard.
[Your wish has been granted.]
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