Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 28
Title: Bring Me Taeseok!
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It was now the weekend of the third week.
The training program will be over next week.
The third round of grades was announced.
Taeseok was still in first place, with Yoonji hot on his heels.
Behind them, Choi Jinyoung was in third, and Hyeonsu, from the same study group, was in fifth.
All that remained on the schedule was to consult with counselors and decide on their desired job placements.
And the two-day, one-night hike up Seoraksan Mountain.
Over the weekend, the four members of Taeseok's study group who were free—
Taeseok, Yoonji, Jinyoung, and Hyeonsu—decided to pair their grilled pork belly with soft drinks instead of soju at a restaurant in front of the training center.
“Ma’am! Three servings of pork belly over here, please.”
“Will three be enough?”
“Yes. We’ll order more after we eat this.”
The meat arrived, and so did the drinks.
The new recruits wanted soju, but they held back for now.
Just then, Choi Jinyoung, with a bright smile, initiated a toast.
“Everyone, raise your glasses.”
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean? We have to at least get in the spirit. When I say the last word, ‘Gazua!’, everyone just has to say ‘Gazua!’ with me. Easy, right?”
“What? Are you really going to do it?”
Choi Jinyoung grinned and said.
“To the four of us, all getting into the Strategic Planning Office, Gazua!”
『Gazua!』
Everyone chuckled and drank their cider and cola with the pork belly.
The Strategic Planning Office. The one place nearly every new hire at El Sung wanted to be.
And the four people who could get in were all gathered in one spot.
They had all worked hard together.
They had run solely for success, and the fruits of their labor were right before their eyes.
That’s why Taeseok felt good.
Colleagues he could strive with.
It was like feeling the camaraderie of his army days all over again.
Seo Yoonji smiled.
“So it’s pretty much confirmed that we’re all going to the Strategic Planning Office. They can take up to five people, so we can all get in. Right?”
“Yeah. But don’t let your guard down until the very end. You never know what might happen.”
* * *
At the same time.
Kim Taeseok of Team A shook his head.
249th out of 258.
‘These bastards, did they do nothing but study their whole lives?’
It was absurd. The shock was even greater because his score was this low even though he knew the questions beforehand.
‘If my father finds out, I’m dead. So dead!’
But to him, who had always been distant from studying, he consoled himself that this was still a good score. Just then, a text message arrived.
‘What’s this? Is this that proverb about giving an extra rice cake to the child you hate? There’s no way my father would do this.’
[Web Message]
[Mr. Kim Taeseok, your suspended Platinum Card (3145) has been successfully re-registered for use.]
[Credit Limit Change Notification]
Current Available Credit: ₩50,000,000 per month.
Previous Card Limit: ₩30,000,000 per month
Total Card Limit: ₩50,000,000 per month (₩20,000,000 increase)
[Limit Change]
- Go to Limit Change Details: … (Omitted).
‘He even increased the limit? What’s going on? Did something good happen to Dad?’
So he called his father, the Vice Chairman.
Just as he expected.
The atmosphere was definitely different.
A gentle tone of voice.
He even asked how he was doing, which he never usually did.
- Yes. Taeseok, you’re doing well, right?
The chaebol Taeseok, unsure of his father's intentions, answered formally, trying to gauge the mood.
“Yes. I’m doing well, staying out of trouble.”
- Good. You’re doing well.
“Thank you.”
The reaction was strange. Why was his father, who wouldn't have been out of place exploding in a fit of rage, acting like this?
So, he first expressed his gratitude.
“Father, thank you so much for increasing my card limit.”
- Hehe, you rascal! Now you’re acting more like a son. Just keep up this level of performance from now on. If you do, I’ll do even more for you. Got it?
“Yes. Father. I’ll do well from now on.”
- Good. It’s time to see the Chairman now, so I have to go.
“Grandfather?”
- Yes. You should start calling your grandfather ‘Chairman’ from now on, too. You’re a proud member of El Sung Group now, after all.
“Yes. I understand.”
After the call ended, an expression of utter confusion appeared on the chaebol Taeseok’s face.
Still, the card being reactivated meant one thing.
He could party as much as he wanted.
He called his chaebol friends, just like he always did.
“Dongsik! Where are you?”
- I’m in Itaewon, you Punk! Why are you calling, you idiot?
“I’m in Sokcho right now, but I’ll grab a cab and shoot over. I’ll be right there.”
- You broke bastard! Don’t come. It’s embarrassing to be seen with you.
“What! What did you say, you son of a bitch!”
- You gonna bring that card that doesn’t work again and embarrass yourself in front of the girls?
“Hey! My dad increased my card limit to 50 million. I’m paying for everything tonight. It’s on me. Got it?”
- Heh heh, for real? As if your father would do that for a punk like you.
“You wanna die?”
Kim Taeseok immediately took a screenshot of his text message and sent it to Dongsik.
Then, the guy responded.
- Oh, the limit increased? That’s the card that was suspended until just a while ago. Hahahaha. You moron! Fine. If you’re paying, then come.
“Okay, okay! Just wait two hours. I’ll be right there.”
* * *
30 minutes later.
An El Sung Group key executive meeting.
A meeting in the presence of the Chairman.
Even though it was a Saturday, not a single executive from the conglomerate was absent from work.
The corporate meeting proceeded in order of importance.
“The shareholders’ meeting will be scheduled for 11 a.m. on the second Wednesday.”
“The reason?”
“The German Pension Fund, our group’s second-largest shareholder, requested that date. Is there any issue with that?”
“No. If that’s what they want, we should accommodate them. Understood.”
“Next is a key matter for El Sung Electronics. We will hold this year’s El Sung Eluxy S9 Unpack event at Montjuïc in Barcelona, Spain. The event will be in three weeks.”
“Alright. Don’t forget to leak the design to the public a bit before the event. Use as much media play as possible to drum up international interest.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The meeting was concise.
Even with the presidents of 46 affiliate companies in attendance, it was over in just 50 minutes.
And finally.
“We will conclude the meeting by watching the video of this year’s new employee mass game.”
“Hehe, has that time of year come already?”
The Vice Chairman, seizing the opportunity, chimed in.
“Chairman, Taeseok placed first in the new employee training this year.”
The Chairman looked at him with an expression of disbelief.
“What? My grandson, Taeseok?”
“Yes. He was first overall in week one, first overall in week two, and I just checked the third-week results, and he’s still in first. He’s 18 points ahead of second place, so his first-place finish is almost guaranteed.”
“Heh.”
Chairman Kim Changmo tilted his head at his son’s words.
‘He must have pulled some trick. Him, in first place? That’s impossible.’
He was a good judge of character. That’s why he didn’t believe his son.
But then, the President of El Sung Electronics also added to the Vice Chairman’s words.
“Chairman, I was an observer at the mass game this year.”
“You were?”
“I saw Kim Taeseok for the first time then, and he was truly outstanding. He was impressive, sang well, and even conducted well. He seemed to be a very dignified young man.”
“Really?”
"Yes, he was."
With the President of El Sung Electronics going that far, he was confused.
‘He’s not the type to flatter someone for no reason… What is this? This situation. Has my grandson really changed? Has he shed his wild ways?’
The reason Chairman Kim Changmo wanted to entrust the company to a professional manager was simple.
His only son was unreliable, and that son’s son, his grandson, was also an untrustworthy punk.
Both had caused nothing but trouble in their youth, and his only son was an opportunist who was constantly checking on his health, which made him even more reluctant to hand over the reins.
The only reason he hadn't cast them out was that he wanted to make decent human beings out of his son and grandson before he died.
Now, it was time to confirm the truth.
“Well then, we’ll know when we see the video.”
“Yes, we will.”
A smile graced the Vice Chairman’s face.
‘When did he learn to conduct a mass game? That kid, he’s really gotten his act together.’
The better his son looked to the Chairman, the stronger his own position would become.
It felt like just yesterday he was being scolded for failing to raise his son properly…
That was all in the past now.
The video began to play.
It started with a woman shouting in a powerful voice.
『El Sung Men! Is everyone ready?』
At that, everyone nodded with satisfied smiles.
Then a man appeared and opened his mouth.
『This is the El Sung cheer!』
The man’s deep, resonant voice was incredibly cool.
Watching him, the President of El Sung Electronics reported to the Chairman.
"Your grandson has a truly wonderful voice."
“What?”
At the report from the President of El Sung Electronics.
The Vice Chairman’s face suddenly soured.
‘What is going on? That’s not my son. It’s not! What is happening?’
But the Chairman was calm.
‘I knew it. It was too good to be true. Do people change overnight?’
Unaware of the thoughts running through the Chairman’s and Vice Chairman’s minds, the President of El Sung Electronics continued his report.
“You’ll be even more surprised as you watch. It’s not just his conducting skills that are excellent. His singing is no joke either. You have a fine grandson.”
『2018, New Employee Mass Game! Start!』
The harmony of the man and woman.
Their voices sent a shiver down everyone’s spines.
And then came Kim Taeseok’s singing.
『Oh~ El Sung! Korea! Oh! Oh-oh-oh!』
Seo Yoonji danced like a cheerleader to his song.
And as the participants in the mass game moved, various symbols emerged.
It was all a work of art.
Soon, the male conductor was shown in a close-up, and the Chairman watched him sing.
And then…
‘Huh? That kid?’
A memory flashed through his mind. The kid who said he worked on a construction site.
He’d seen him at the bathhouse a month ago, and now he was in our El Sung Group.
A pleased smile touched his lips.
‘I also drifted from one construction site to another when I was young.’
During the seven-minute video, the Vice Chairman instructed his secretary to find out the full story.
And just as the video was ending, a text message arrived.
[Mr. Vice Chairman, my apologies. It seems it was a case of mistaken identity. Your son is ranked 249th.]
Despair. The worst. Utter humiliation.
The Vice Chairman’s face turned red, having just boasted about his son in front of all the executives.
But the other executives, oblivious, began praising Kim Taeseok as soon as the video ended.
“Mr. Chairman, I believe we are looking at the future leader of the group.”
“It was like watching the Chairman in his younger days.”
“Your grandson seems so vibrant, active, and impressive.”
And then, the final blow.
The President of El Sung Electronics spoke to the presidents and executives of the other affiliates, who were his subordinates.
“What are you all doing? Aren’t you going to applaud?”
『Clap, clap, clap, clap!』
A round of applause followed.
It made the Vice Chairman hang his head in shame.
The Chairman, however, remained composed.
“That young man is not my grandson.”
“Pardon?”
“I do know him, though. How many weeks are left in the training program?”
“It ends next week.”
“It might not be a bad idea to pay a visit.”
“……”
"This concludes the meeting."
With those words, the Chairman rose from his seat. He shot a brief glare at the Vice Chairman before leaving.
The Vice Chairman looked as if he had lost everything.
But the executives offered no comfort. They simply shook their heads and filed out of the room.
Once outside the conference room, they shared their thoughts amongst themselves.
“Was the Vice Chairman really that excited without even knowing if it was his own son?”
“I know, right? This is why the Chairman doesn’t trust him. Tsk, tsk. He’s the Chairman’s son, but how can he not have inherited a single good trait?”
“Haha, you can say that again.”
Of course, the Vice Chairman had nothing to say to such executives.
A position in name only, Vice Chairman.
A title that just filled a seat, with no real authority.
A situation that was bound to earn him even more contempt.
'What? 249th? He ranked 249th even after I gave him all the answers?!'
He called his secretary.
“Where are you?”
- Yes. I’m on the first floor.
“Get Taeseok. Ah! Cancel his card first!”
- Yes, sir. I’ll cancel the card and bring your son immediately.
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