Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 33
Title: Good from the Start
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A senior and Jang Donghoon flicked their cigarette ash and entered the building.
The senior, Kang Minyul, spoke first.
“Donghoon, I'm going to hit the restroom before I head up.”
Surprised by the friendly address, Jang Donghoon looked at his senior and replied.
“Yes. Understood, senior.”
“You went to the University of Washington, right?”
“Yes.”
“We were close then. I went to NYU.”
“Oh, is that so, senior?”
“Yeah. From now on, in a professional setting, call me by my title, Team Leader, instead of senior.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Alright. I'm going to the restroom, so you head up first.”
“Yes.”
After parting with the Team Leader, he glanced at his watch.
The trip down to the first floor for a smoke break had taken nearly 15 minutes.
‘Isn't Taeseok working all by himself?’
He felt a little bad.
Was that why?
Feeling it was awkward to return to the office empty-handed, Jang Donghoon bought some drinks from a vending machine.
BonBon Grape, Kiss-Meal, Tam&Tox, and the coffee brand POT.
As he entered the office, his colleague greeted him warmly and offered him a drink.
“Hyung, have a drink. I got it from the vending machine.”
“Huh? You bought some too? I also bought some.”
“Ah, you and I had the same idea.”
On top of that, they had bought the same drinks.
“Hyung, what do you like? Take your pick.”
“BonBon Grape?”
“You're a BonBon Grape guy too, hyung?”
“This one looks the tastiest.”
“Hahaha. That's awesome. I like BonBon Grape too."
"Ah, Taeseok."
"Yeah?"
"He said not to call him 'senior' but 'Team Leader'."
"Ah, I'll keep that in mind."
"Okay.“
Just then, the senior returned from the restroom.
Taeseok saw him and spoke with a smile.
“Team Leader Kang Minyul?”
“Oh. Mr. Taeseok? What is it? Are you stuck on something?”
“No, sir. Donghoon-ssi bought some drinks. Would you like a BonBon Grape?”
“Huh? I'm fine with anything. But aren't you two from the same batch?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then what's with the 'Donghoon-ssi'? Just call him Donghoon casually. It's fine for guys to do that.”
“Yes. Thank you for clarifying that.”
Taeseok thought to himself.
‘He'd gotten a good Team Leader.’
He felt he'd be able to adapt quickly.
“Hyung~ Hurry up and give it to him.”
“Ah? Oh.”
At Taeseok's words, Jang Donghoon handed over the drink he'd bought, and the Team Leader spoke.
“I'll enjoy it. Thanks.”
But the two colleagues' intentions to look out for each other were in sync.
Perhaps that was why?
Jang Donghoon grinned and praised Taeseok.
“Team Leader, actually, Taeseok bought drinks too. This guy didn't mention the ones he bought, only the ones I did.”
“Is that so? It's good to see you two getting along. Are there any drinks left?”
“Yes. There are four left.”
“Put them in the fridge. Someone will drink them.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Good. You two get along well. That's all that matters.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
The Team Leader couldn't help but smile warmly at the new employees' trivial but thoughtful actions.
‘I had a time like that too, when I wasn't so jaded.’
A time when they were still new employees and didn't know any better.
If only it were an absolute evaluation system.
A world where you have to step on someone else to get a good score in the relative performance reviews.
Is it because they don't know yet? Or are they just naive?
Still, seeing them like this felt good.
Was that why?
Assistant Manager Kang Minyul didn't push them too hard on their first day.
“How many have you done?”
On top of that, they were admirable.
“Between the two of us, we've checked about 800 people. We think it'll take about six more hours to finish. We'll work overtime.”
“Yes. I agree with Taeseok. We'll finish it today.”
Assistant Manager Kang Minyul smiled and said.
“That's enough. Let's have you go home for today and start again tomorrow morning. No need to work overtime on your first day, right? Just work efficiently.”
At that, the two young employees broke into bright smiles.
“Ah… but is that really okay?”
“Of course. That way, I can go home too. Ms. Jungmi? Are you done with your work?”
“Yes, Team Leader!”
“The section chief is on summer vacation this week, so we can leave early. Everyone, let's pack up and make sure not to be late tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
And so, they really did leave early.
At 6:20 PM, Taeseok and Donghoon tapped their ID cards at the first-floor entrance.
A mechanical voice announced,
『Clock-out processed normally.』
He thought he'd be working overtime every day since it was a major corporation, but he'd gotten lucky.
The two of them left the company building and looked out at the street.
Tall buildings.
An eight-lane road packed with cars.
Countless people out on the streets, heading home from work.
The two men looked at each other.
“Taeseok. Want to grab a drink with dinner? We said we should go for a drink.”
“Hyung, are you a good drinker? Ah, speaking casually... it's still a bit awkward.”
“It's fine. Why worry about that? We're in the same batch. How about some meat and soju?”
“Meat is always the right answer.”
“Alright. Let's go.”
Donghoon and Taeseok went to a nearby samgyeopsal restaurant.
A table for two.
A round grill for the meat.
“What can I get for you?”
“Two servings of Seochon galmaegi and a bottle of soju, please.”
“For the soju, would you like 『Cheoeumcheoreom』?”
“No. Give us 『Cham Gold』, please.”
The middle-aged man brought a yellow kettle and poured an egg mixture mixed with cooking oil into the trough around the edge of the grill.
“You can eat it once it's cooked. Let me know if you need more of the egg crust.”
“Yes.”
The two looked at each other.
“Hyung, where's your hometown?”
“Me? Sokcho.”
“Oh, I see. I'm from Cheonan. We're both from out of town.”
The two men filled their soju glasses.
Donghoon, the elder of the two, spoke to Taeseok first.
“You were working really hard, you know?”
“I have to. Weren't you working hard because you wanted to get into the Strategic Planning Office too?”
“Me? I just came here based on my scores. It didn't have to be the Strategic Planning Office. Besides, if you go there, you get a chance to choose your desired job again, right? Though they have to accept you, of course…”
“Ah... I see.”
Just then, a message popped up in the four-person group chat.
As the notification alarm kept ringing, Jang Donghoon said.
“Seems urgent, you should check your messages. I'm going to make a call home.”
“Okay.”
* * *
Strategic Planning Office 4-Person Chatroom.
Kim Hyeonsu: You guys all working overtime? Ah, this is driving me crazy.
Choi Jinyoung: I'm getting slammed too. lololol, how's it going?
Kim Hyeonsu: Ah, fuck, I'm so pissed off. I want to kill that bastard Kim Taeseok.
Taeseok saw the message and replied.
Kim Taeseok: Why me? Are you cursing me out because I left work on time?
Kim Hyeonsu: Ah! Fuck! That bastard left on time on the first day. Unbelievable! Hey! Kim Taeseok!
Kim Taeseok: What?
Kim Hyeonsu: You remember that bastard with the same name as you, right?
Kim Taeseok: yeah
Kim Hyeonsu: Today, a senior on my team was signing an insurance contract with a client, and that bastard Kim Taeseok was standing behind them, watching with his arms crossed and slouching, you know? The client saw that, got pissed, and canceled the contract. lol. And it was a 200 million won contract. Because of that, the branch manager has gathered everyone, including him and all employees up to their second year, for a 'mental re-education' session.
Choi Jinyoung: The other Kim Taeseok lololol. What a psycho. Isn't he a fucking lunatic?
Kim Taeseok: -.-
Choi Jinyoung: Anyway, what's Yoonji up to? Is she leaving us on read again?
Seo Yoonji: Why do you keep asking for me? I have a company dinner with the female employees right now.
Choi Jinyoung: A company dinner on the first day, lololol. Sounds fun.
Seo Yoonji: Employees from a partner company are here too. It's a dinner to introduce the successor since the predecessor left, so I can't reply. Stop looking for me.
Choi Jinyoung: ok ok
* * *
Taeseok shook his head at the 'achievements'(?) of the other Taeseok.
That guy who was on Team A.
He knew the guy was strange, but he never thought he'd be this reckless.
By the way, if that's where Hyeonsu went, it must be where Assistant Manager Kim Minseong works.
‘I wonder if he's okay? I hope he didn't get caught up in it. He was so good to me….’
Ah, come to think of it, Donghoon-hyung was also on Team A. He was the team leader, too.
So, he asked a question just as his hyung finished his call.
“Donghoon-hyung, you know the guy from Team A with the same name as me, right?”
“Yeah. Don't even get me started on him. Ugh~!”
“Why?”
“He's human trash.”
“Ah, I knew it. Hyeonsu was just saying…”
“Hmm?”
“He said that at El Sung Life Insurance, that guy caused trouble on the very first day and got a 200 million won contract canceled, so now all employees with less than two years of experience can't go home and are getting a lecture from the branch manager.”
“Really? By the way, who was Hyeonsu again?”
“You saw him yesterday.”
“Ah… do you guys keep in touch?”
“Yeah. We have a group chat.”
“Is Yoonji-ssi in it too?”
“Seo Yoonji? Yeah. She is.”
“Taeseok, can you invite me to that chatroom?”
Suddenly, Jang Donghoon's eyes sparkled. However, since this wasn't a decision he could make alone, Taeseok answered politely.
“I think I'd have to get permission from the others in the chatroom, but I'll ask them when I get the chance.”
For the first time, Taeseok discovered a flaw in Jang Donghoon. His obsession with Yoonji.
So he asked.
“Hyung, by any chance, is Yoonji your ideal type?”
“……”
“Ah, so it's true. I see. By the way, there are a lot of guys in our batch who like her.”
At that, Jang Donghoon's face turned red as he looked shy.
“She's pretty. And smart.”
A complete contrast to his muscular physique.
His expression was so cute that Taeseok felt like he was looking at a younger brother.
So he said with a smile.
“I see. Hyung! Let's have a drink first. If we get a chance to meet up later, I'll call you. We can see Yoonji together then.”
“Okay.”
It felt good to get to know each other.
He didn't have anyone to eat dinner with anyway, so it was nice to be able to do something together.
A colleague from the same batch, of a different age, with whom he could speak his mind freely.
So it was really nice.
As time passed and the drinking session was winding down, they both said.
“We should probably get to work early tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. That seems like a good idea.”
“Then let's head home early today.”
“Okay.”
The next day. 7:30 AM.
Donghoon handed a hangover drink to Taeseok, who thought he had come in quite early.
“Taeseok, are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah. I'm fine.”
“Drink it anyway.”
“Alright. Haha, you must like to drink too, hyung.”
“Of course. I just don't drink because of my workouts. I do like it, though.”
“We should drink together more often when we have time.”
No matter how you looked at it, the two colleagues were a good match.
“Let's get to work. We need to finish what we were doing yesterday.”
“Yeah.”
And less than 30 minutes later, Team Leader Kang arrived.
The two new employees greeted him with bright faces.
“Team Leader! Good morning.”
“Team Leader! Good morning.”
“Yeah. You're both early. Did you rest well yesterday?”
“Yes. We felt bad for leaving so early yesterday, so we came in early today to get a head start.”
“Really? That's not due until this evening, so you could have taken your time…”
“Ah, but isn't it better to finish early?”
“Yeah. It is.”
Then, while working, Taeseok accidentally discovered something strange.
When he blinked three times, only the incorrect parts of the Excel sheet on his computer screen were highlighted in red.
A useful ability.
‘Isn't this basically cheating?’
At first, he was skeptical.
So he meticulously checked only the parts marked in red.
But every single one of them turned out to be a person with less than three years of experience.
‘Awesome. This is totally awesome!’
After checking 100 samples, he couldn't find a single error in the ability's results.
With that, Taeseok began to process the work in an instant.
600 people, 800, 1,100, past 1,300 to 1,600.
Yesterday, it took him three hours to get through just over 400 people, but now, he sorted and processed 1,200 in less than an hour.
“Hyung, I'm done.”
“Really? With no mistakes?”
“Yeah. Want some help? I'll do classifications 20 through 23. You just finish up to 19.”
“Okay.”
Cooperation, help.
Was that why? The task that was supposed to take all day was finished by 11 AM.
Taeseok then politely addressed Kim Jungmi, who was at the same employee level but had joined a year earlier.
“Ms. Kim Jungmi! We're all done. Is there anything else we should be doing?”
“You really finished everything?”
“Yes. We've sorted everyone with less than three years of experience.”
“In that case, why don't you watch a video for now? On the bottom of our company's homepage, there's a video of a recruitment fair. The new section chief, the Team Leader, and I will be going to one next week. Watch it and see what you need to prepare and what you'll have to do.”
“Yes.”
Seeing the new employees work so hard, a faint smile appeared on Kim Jungmi's face.
And when it was time to go home, the new employees looked even better to her.
The process of checking the files they had organized and reviewing the resumes to determine if the candidates were suitable for the company.
During that process, a smile spread across her face as she checked the work experience on the resumes.
‘Not a single mistake. They checked everything meticulously. Both of them are good.’
Was that why?
Kim Jungmi gestured toward the two new employees and spoke to the Team Leader.
“Team Leader.”
“Yes, Ms. Kim, what is it?”
“The new hires here, would it be okay to let them go home early today? They've finished all their work.”
“Oh, really? Then go ahead. Didn't you say you had to work overtime today?”
“Yes. I thought I would, but it's finishing up faster than I expected.”
“Then you should go home. Let's all leave early today!”
Taeseok was a little bewildered.
He wondered if it was really okay to be like this from the very first week.
But in reality, there was no reason for him to stay late by himself.
But then his phone rang.
Taeseok checked the name and answered the call happily.
"Yes, my mentor!"
- Employee Kim Taeseok, what do you mean by being absent without leave and only answering your phone now?!
"What? Mentor? This is Taeseok from Team B.
- Oh, really? I must have called the wrong number. Ah, this is so annoying.
"Are you okay?"
- Ah, I don't know. It's a mess. A total mess! What department were you assigned to?
"The HR team."
- Really? I'll call you later.
"Okay. Goodbye.“
But before the call disconnected, he could hear someone raising their voice on the other end.
- What did he say? Where is he?
- Ah, I called someone with the same name by mistake. We still can't get in touch with employee Kim Taeseok.
- What? Ah, that bastard, seriously! This is ridiculous. Try calling that punk's house. How the hell did his father raise him to be so reckless from day one?
- I'll try calling his home, Branch Manager.
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