Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 29
Title: New Employee Completion Ceremony
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A two-day, one-night hike up Seoraksan Mountain.
Around 250 people, excluding those who were ill, had gathered.
Manager Go Chunseok, who was in charge of the hike, gave instructions over the microphone.
“All of you will be watching the sunrise from Daecheongbong Peak on Seoraksan Mountain tomorrow morning. This hike is like a rite of passage that every El Sung man must complete. You're all confident, right?”
Not a single person openly expressed their dissatisfaction.
Taeseok thought it might be because they had been indoctrinated with the El Sung man's mindset and the company's management philosophy through the new employee training program.
‘Alright. It's the last thing, so let's just get through it.’
What was happening was happening.
Taeseok was different from the others who just complained.
His way of thinking was that once a task was set, it was best to get it done quickly and finish on a good note.
Was that why?
He moved quickly, identifying what needed to be done before anyone else.
He distributed the gloves, lanterns, and hiking boots provided by the company to his colleagues.
He also made sure to hand out the pre-packaged meals, one to each person.
After finishing all the preparations, he boarded the bus with time to spare.
The bus took them to Hangyeryeong Pass.
A bus could climb all the way up to this point, an altitude of 1,003 meters.
The destination was Daecheongbong Peak.
‘Wait… what's the altitude of Daecheongbong?’
1,707.9 meters above sea level. This is no joke, is it?
The route went from Hangyeryeong Pass along the Seobuk Ridge to Kkeutcheongbong Peak, Jungcheongbong Peak, and finally Daecheongbong Peak.
A grueling 11-hour course.
The hiking order was C Team, the women's group, at the front, followed by A Team, and finally B Team.
This was all part of Manager Go's consideration for the women.
Perhaps because it was dawn, a darkness stretched out before them, so thick you couldn't see without a headlamp.
Countless stars dotted the sky, but the new employees had no time to admire them.
The group started up the trail without a word of complaint.
Everyone paired up with their roommate for the climb.
But Taeseok didn't have one.
A lonely hike.
Everyone else had a roommate.
But what did he have instead?
A mentor.
“What are you going to do, all by yourself?”
“I'm fine.”
“Let's go together. Fall back with me.”
“Yes.”
As they hiked, his mentor, Kim Minseong, asked Taeseok a question.
“Have you thought about which department you want to join?”
“Yes. I'm planning to apply for the Strategic Planning Office.”
At Taeseok's words, his mentor Kim Minseong shook his head.
But to press the issue further would be overstepping his authority.
“I see. You haven't changed your mind.”
“I'm sorry.”
“No, it's your decision. You still have three days left, so give the sales department some more thought.”
“Yes, I will.”
The hike continued.
In truth, this was an extremely steep course.
“Kyaaak….”
“Are you okay?”
“…Ah… yeah.”
People occasionally twisted their ankles or fell when the rocks they stepped on shifted.
Despite this, the colleagues helped each other up the trail, pulling and pushing one another.
Beads of sweat formed on their faces.
Even though it was dawn, their shirts were already soaked through, and their hiking boots were starting to get damp inside.
Of course, Taeseok was an exception.
He was strong when it came to this kind of hiking.
For him, who was hardened by daily manual labor, this was a piece of cake.
He barely even broke a sweat.
The only problem was…
‘Can my back hold up?’
He had taken his own precautions.
First, he took a painkiller.
He'd brought double his usual dose.
He had also minimized the weight in his backpack.
Right now, his pack contained nothing but his lunchbox, his phone, and a bottle of water.
Was that why? For Taeseok, who could endure as much as anyone else, this was nothing.
Manager Go Chunseok, walking at the head of the group, called for breaks at appropriate intervals.
- We will be taking a break here. All mentors in charge of their groups, please halt the hike as of this moment and enforce a 10-minute rest. -
The message was broadcast over the radio.
And at the very end of the line was mentor Kim Minseong, in charge of B Team.
“Everyone, take a break!”
A buzz of chatter erupted.
People drank their water, lost in conversation.
“Want some of a chocolate bar?”
“Ah, I'm good.”
“Why?”
“I'm on a diet.”
Ordinary conversation.
“I hear the view from here is amazing.”
“Really? It's still too dark for me to tell.”
The lighthearted chat of colleagues who had become like friends.
But the mentor watched Taeseok's movements and spoke with a concerned expression.
“Kim Taeseok.”
“Yes.”
“You, by any chance...”
“Yes?”
“Never mind.”
The hike continued.
5:30 AM. The sun began to rise.
The darkness lifted, and the trail slowly became visible.
People turned off their lanterns and looked at the surrounding scenery.
A national park full of lush greenery.
The ominous sound of the wind, so frightening during the night, had vanished, and in its place, the chirping of birds announcing the morning's arrival greeted the hikers.
A sign came into view.
2.3 km from Hangyeryeong Pass, 6 km to Daecheongbong Peak.
And then the sunrise began.
In that moment, as the magnificent spectacle unfolded, the romance of youth was truly in the air.
The surprising thing was this:
Although it had only been four weeks, more than five couples had already formed.
Declarations of love from the colleagues echoed up and down the trail.
“Kim Seohyeon! I love you!”
“Me too!”
“Yoon Seolah! Let's only walk on flower paths!”
Perhaps because they were already public couples, their methods were bold.
Watching them, mentor Kim Minseong grinned.
“Ah, to be young. A lot of people meet during the training program.”
“Ah… is that so?”
“Weren't you and Yoonji hitting it off?”
“What?”
“No?”
“No, we're not.”
“It really seemed like Yoonji likes you, though. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I'm sure we're not.”
Taeseok shook his head vigorously at his mentor's words.
Dating? Right now, success was his priority.
Taeseok didn't have a single romantic bone in his body.
His difficult family situation.
To carry the burden of that family, dating was something he had to keep at a distance for his entire life.
Besides, dating now, at such a crucial time?
His mentor really didn't know him at all.
A woman could be the very thing that holds back his success later on.
The thought was laughable.
Of course, Yoonji probably felt the same way.
She was the same kind of person as him.
She too, would be aiming for the top.
Just like him.
Was that why? The joke felt trivial to Taeseok.
A sea of clouds came into view.
Clouds draped over the mountain peaks.
The peaks, trapped in the clouds, looked like islands.
Standing atop Kkeutcheongbong Peak, Taeseok looked toward the higher points.
Jungcheong, Daecheong.
Where would the peak of my life be?
I will run for it.
Wherever it is.
For the sake of success.
But then, a problem arose.
By the time he reached Jungcheongbong Peak, his back gave out.
A sharp, shooting pain.
His brow furrowed. The strength drained from his arms.
Cold sweat poured down his face relentlessly.
Honestly, he was at his limit. He clenched his teeth to stifle the groans of pain that threatened to escape.
Fortunately, his mentor had walked on ahead.
Taeseok knew.
This was his chance.
He took out a painkiller and swallowed it with some water.
He tried to be discreet, but of all the moments, his mentor chose that exact one to turn around.
‘What is he taking? And what's with that expression?’
Then, he asked, his voice full of conviction.
“You... you have a problem with your back, don't you?”
“I just pulled it a little.”
“It's more than that. Who told you to hike while taking medicine?”
“……”
It seemed the mentor had already noticed. Taeseok shook his head and said,
“I wanted to do it.”
“I get that you want to, but can you go on like this?”
“I can do it.”
“This isn't about whether you can or can't. It's a physical problem!”
“I'll see it through.”
“I know these symptoms well. You... you have scoliosis, don't you?”
“Could you please pretend you don't know?”
“Is that what you have to say to me?”
“I'm asking you, please. I will finish the hike safely.”
“Hoo, this is driving me crazy. You're really something else, you know that?”
Kim Minseong shook his head.
‘Why was he pushing himself this hard?
Was there any reason to abuse his body like this? He was already in the top five, even without completing the hike.’
The mentor continued to watch Taeseok.
The more he watched, the more he was amazed by the kid's tenacity.
He gritted his teeth and finished the hike to the very end.
Watching him, he thought to himself.
He had already been completely won over by this kid.
If he came to work under him, he would invest everything he had to make him the best employee possible.
Fortunately, the two-day, one-night hike for the 250-some employees ended without any incidents.
4 PM.
Though panting for breath, everyone boarded the bus with satisfied expressions.
Was it because of the hardship?
After boarding the bus and finishing the headcount, Taeseok immediately closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
* * *
It was now time for the completion ceremony.
The final grades were announced.
The completion ceremony.
“Award recipients, please step forward.”
“Yes.”
Taeseok stood confidently before the stage.
Five people were on the platform.
“We will now present the awards for academic excellence.”
Beside him stood Yoonji, Jinyoung, Hyeonsu, and Jang Donghoon, the muscular Team Leader of A Team.
Mentor Kim Minseong continued to emcee the event.
Taeseok stared straight ahead.
The person walking toward them was the middle-aged man from the bathhouse, dressed in a suit.
But no one stopped him.
And then, the mentor explained who he was.
“The Chairman will be presenting the awards himself.”
Only then did Taeseok grasp the situation.
‘No way!’
Taeseok, with his keen eye for detail, felt his heart pound.
‘This middle-aged man is the chairman? Then… did I just compliment the chairman on how big it was?’
He was curious.
He wondered what the chairman’s color was.
So he blinked his eyes three times.
As he used the New Employee’s Eyes, his vision shifted to a green background.
And he could see the color of the chairman standing before him.
‘Gold!?’
It was astonishing.
He wasn’t just some old man from the bathhouse.
He should have realized it sooner.
Then again, it was strange for someone to be bathing alone in a bathhouse within the El Sung Group building.
And what the senior mentor had said at the bathhouse.
The founding chairman who loves swimming pools and bathhouses.
‘Everything clicked into place. That middle-aged man really was the chairman.’
Whether he knew what Taeseok was thinking or not, the ceremony continued.
“In the new employee training program for the first half of 2018, employee Kim Taeseok has embodied the chairman's management philosophy of ‘Leading Management,’ never missing the top spot in any subject, and has demonstrated an exemplary attitude by taking the initiative as the Team Leader of Building B for four weeks. Furthermore, in the 2018 New Employee Mass Game, as the lead male conductor, he delivered the best performance in history, lacking nothing in control or command. In the peer evaluation results, he was named the best new employee with an overwhelming 68 votes, achieving the highest score ever recorded. He is hereby commended. July 12, 2018. El Sung Group Chairman, Kim Changmo.”
The chairman grinned.
The same name as his grandson.
A young man who had barely managed to get his degree through the academic credit bank system stood before him.
“How are you feeling right now?”
Kim Taeseok answered the chairman’s question.
“I’m bewildered.”
“Why?”
“It’s nothing, Mr. Chairman!”
The man responded to being called Chairman.
“Employee Kim Taeseok! You did very well. Don’t be satisfied with this, and please aim for even greater heights.”
“I will.”
And then, Yoonji.
Standing before the chairman, she met his eyes and thought.
‘Chairman Kim Changmo? You don’t recognize me, do you? 15 years ago, you paid for my heart surgery.’
But the chairman, seemingly not recognizing her yet, treated her with professional detachment.
“Based on last year’s scores, you would have been first place this year. It’s a shame. Nevertheless, don’t be discouraged and continue to strive for the best. El Sung Group needs talented people like you.”
Yoonji replied to the chairman’s words.
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman!”
After her, Jinyoung, Hyeonsu, and Jang Donghoon made up the five.
The awards ceremony for the first to fifth-place finishers was over.
After the completion ceremony, everyone packed their bags and left.
All that was left for them to do now was…
Wait for the results of their first, second, and third choice job placements.
A five-day vacation.
Within that time, the location of their assignment would be delivered via text message.
On the way back.
On the bus heading home, Taeseok looked at the window visible only to his eyes and smiled a pleased smile.
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