Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 37
Title: The Manager's Test
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Kim Jungmi left the manager's office and spoke to the Team Leader, whom she ran into in the hallway.
“Team Leader, you know I'm on summer vacation starting next week, right?”
“Yes. Of course, I knew. You're next week, and I'm the week after. Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, it's about the job fair out of town next week.”
“Ah, wasn't that already settled? I'm supposed to be doing it. Don't worry and enjoy your vacation.”
Kim Jungmi then relayed the conversation she’d had with the manager.
“I just came from seeing the manager, and he told me to pick one of the two new employees. I mentioned Taeseok, and he said okay.”
“The manager chose Taeseok?”
“Yes.”
Team Leader Kang Minyul looked puzzled.
‘Did the manager find Taeseok that reliable?’
But he soon nodded.
After all, he'd vaguely felt the same way.
Except for his English, of course.
So he said.
“Alright. I'll let them both know. Jungmi, could you go to the Chief Secretary's office and get the plane ticket? We need the ticket number to process the refund.”
“Yes. I'll go right away.”
The Team Leader re-entered the office.
He could see Kim Taeseok and Jang Donghoon sitting in front of their computers.
Since the new guys had no tasks for the day, he had instructed them to watch the company's mandatory sexual harassment awareness training video, which was required every three months.
Kim Taeseok and Jang Donghoon.
Looking at Jang Donghoon, Team Leader Kang Minyul felt a little sorry.
In a way, he was Donghoon's senior when it came to studying abroad, and because of that, he didn't like how the situation was turning out so one-sidedly in Taeseok's favor.
The Team Leader thought.
‘It was right for people to be recognized for their abilities.’
Still, he believed they should at least be given a fair chance to be evaluated.
It was true that Taeseok had a higher level of tangible and intangible proficiency in his work overall, but the presentation was different.
You never know until you see them do it.
He might get nervous and be unable to speak, or he might not be able to look people in the eye.
But the manager's order had already been given, which put him in a dilemma.
Still, he made up his mind.
He would give Donghoon a chance.
He couldn't help but favor his own.
Perhaps that was why he called out to Jang Donghoon.
“Donghoon!”
“Yes, Team Leader!”
“When you're done with the video, let's go for a smoke.”
“Understood.”
The two men stood up, leaving Taeseok behind.
Watching them, Taeseok wondered.
‘Do I have to smoke to get by in this company? I feel like I'm being left out.’
* * *
Kang Minyul blew a puff of smoke toward the sky and asked the new employee, Jang Donghoon.
“Donghoon, it's been about three weeks. How are you finding it?”
Jang Donghoon flicked his cigarette into the ashtray and replied.
“I think I've adjusted well.”
“I'll be honest with you.”
The Team Leader’s expression was serious.
“It's a fact that you've been falling behind Taeseok in many ways.”
Jang Donghoon nodded.
“You think so too, Team Leader?”
“I do.”
“I’ll have to work harder. Taeseok seems to be good at many things, probably because he has prior work experience.”
“Aren't you frustrated? Taeseok's academic background isn't even that great.”
“It'd be a lie to say I'm not. But what can I do?”
“Do you know why I'm telling you this?”
“I don't.”
“The manager assigned next week's job fair presentation to Taeseok, to fill in for Jungmi.”
“……”
Jang Donghoon was suddenly at a loss for words.
‘It’s gone that far...’
But the Team Leader was on his side.
“I'll set the stage for you. Can you do the presentation in front of the manager today?”
“You mean the job fair presentation?”
“Yeah. The one Jungmi did for the students. I'm thinking of having both you and Taeseok do it in front of the manager. Can you handle that?”
Jang Donghoon shook his head.
‘Me, go up against Taeseok? Can I even win?’
Truthfully, he wasn't confident.
Except for his academic background, Taeseok was superior to him in every way.
Especially his number one ranking in the new employee training.
Whether it was character or effort, there was nothing he couldn't do.
And me?
But the Team Leader believed in him.
“You have to try, don't you?”
Perhaps that was why Jang Donghoon nodded.
“Yes. I'll do it. Thank you for the opportunity.”
“Then go practice. I'll report back to the manager right away.”
“Yes.”
“You know the manager is doing performance reviews, right? You can't lose to Taeseok.”
“Yes. I understand perfectly what you mean. I'll go up and practice.”
Information acquired in advance.
And connections.
He had to use even these small advantages to win against his colleague.
Donghoon felt a pang of guilt. He felt sorry.
But it was an opportunity given to him by his senior. He swallowed hard and headed back up to the office.
At the same time.
Taeseok greeted Kim Jungmi, who had returned from the secretary's office.
“Welcome back, senior.”
“Taeseok, what are you working on so hard?”
“Ah, I was studying. There were some terms in your last presentation that I didn't know, so I was looking them up.”
“Really? You're so diligent. Are you that eager to get into the Strategic Planning Office?”
“Yes. For now, that's my goal.”
“I see. Oh, right. Taeseok!”
“Yes. Go ahead, senior.”
“Starting next week, you'll be handling the job fair presentation for me. You're okay with that, right?”
“You told me to prepare by watching the video two weeks ago, so I have practiced a lot, but I'm not sure if I can do it properly.”
“Don't worry. If there are any problems, the Team Leader will be there to support you.”
“Thank you.”
But then, the situation changed.
The Team Leader came in with the manager.
“Taeseok.”
“Yes, Manager.”
“Come to the conference room in ten minutes. I'm going to check your job fair presentations. I'll have both you and Donghoon present and give the opportunity to whoever does better.”
“Yes.”
Taeseok watched the manager and Team Leader leave after saying their piece, then turned his gaze to Kim Jungmi.
She explained with a flustered look on her face.
“Huh? That's different from what I was told. Anyway, the manager told you to prepare, so come to the conference room in ten minutes. I'll go ask again.”
“Yes.”
“You said you've been preparing, so it should be fine, right?”
“I'll do my best.”
“Okay. Fighting!”
* * *
The manager, the Team Leader, and Kim Jungmi were in the manager's office.
“Employee Kim Jungmi.”
“Yes, Manager.”
“I accepted the Team Leader's suggestion and readjusted things so that the better of the two will do the presentation. Don't get the wrong idea.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“As you know, we also have to do the first performance review for these two. It's a relative evaluation, so we need objective indicators.”
“Yes. I understand what you mean, Manager.”
Meanwhile, in the conference room next to the manager's office, Jang Donghoon already had the screen on and was preparing.
She left the manager's office and looked at the Team Leader standing beside her, thinking.
‘Team Leader, this isn't your doing, is it?’
As if sensing her thoughts, Team Leader Kang Minyul avoided her gaze.
Perhaps that was why Kim Jungmi found herself rooting even more for one of the two diligent newcomers.
‘I hope Taeseok gets it.’
Ten minutes later.
In the small conference room, the manager, the Team Leader, Kim Jungmi, and the two rookies gathered.
The manager’s question.
“Who should start?”
But Team Leader Kang preempted the manager.
“Taeseok is the younger one, right? It would be best for the younger one to go first.”
Kim Jungmi pressed her lips together firmly.
‘It's so obvious. Are you siding with him just because you both studied abroad?’
Of course, the manager also knew the Team Leader's intention. But he said nothing.
He believed Kim Taeseok would do just fine on his own.
But Jang Donghoon was an honest man.
He'd already had ten minutes to practice, and now he was supposed to take this concession too?
That didn't seem right.
Besides, he was the older one. He mustered his courage and spoke up.
“I'll go first.”
With those words, Jang Donghoon rose from his seat.
He looked at Taeseok with confidence.
‘I'm going to do this fair and square, Taeseok!’
In a way, it was a matter of honor as a colleague.
Others might acknowledge Taeseok, but he hadn't been slacking off either.
He had definitely worked hard. And he wanted that effort to be recognized.
And he wanted to beat Taeseok.
And so, the presentation began.
Donghoon turned on the beam projector in the small conference room.
In one hand, he held a PC controller.
And in the other, a microphone.
“Good afternoon. I am new employee Jang Donghoon. I will begin immediately.”
For his first time, his presentation was quite decent.
‘Just think of it like presenting a thesis in school. Nothing to worry about.’
He looked at the screen, reading from it as he continued to explain El Sung Group's corporate identity, philosophy, and bonus point system to the manager, Team Leader, and his senior.
It wasn't particularly outstanding, but it wasn't bad either.
There were some pauses in his speech, but it wasn't serious enough to be distracting.
Fifteen minutes into the presentation, the manager raised his hand to stop Jang Donghoon.
Then he gave his evaluation.
“Not bad.”
“Thank you.”
“What do you think, Team Leader?”
“I think he did well, too. At this rate, with a little more practice over the weekend, he'd be more than ready for the job fair presentation.”
Following the Team Leader, his female senior, Kim Jungmi, also nodded.
“I think so too.”
“Alright, switch with Taeseok.”
“Yes!”
Now it was Taeseok's turn.
As he passed his colleague, Jang Donghoon, he spoke.
"You did well. It was good.”
“Thanks. You do your best, too. Don't make any mistakes.”
“I will. Thanks for saying that.”
The manager listened to their conversation and nodded.
‘Well now… that was a brutally honest assessment, yet they're still cheering each other on. It's nice to see, but it also puts me in a bit of a bind.’
Their camaraderie was evident as they switched places.
Now standing beside the screen, Taeseok bowed a full 90 degrees, showing his respect to the manager, the Team Leader, and Kim Jungmi.
The manager then said.
“That's enough with the greetings.”
At the manager's words, Taeseok straightened up, his expression confident.
He squared his shoulders, and his forward gaze was filled with conviction.
When the manager nodded instead of giving an OK sign, he began to speak.
『For today's job fair briefing, I will proceed by assuming that everyone here is a student or job seeker from Daejin University, whom we will be visiting on Monday. I ask for your understanding.』
The manager felt it was a good start.
He knew proper etiquette.
He thought Taeseok's manner was polished enough to be used in an executive meeting right away.
He didn't know where or how he'd learned it, but it was clear he was already proficient.
And so, he began his briefing.
A confident voice.
A tone filled with self-assurance.
『Our El Sung Group is, without a doubt, the number one company in the country.』
His steady tone, his posture, even the way he held the PC controller and moved the laser pointer—there was nothing to criticize.
『There's no comparison with our competitors. We are the best company in South Korea, ranked 11th globally.』
『You all came here because you want to apply to El Sung Group, right? Raise your hand if you're going to apply!』
At that, Kim Jungmi, who was rooting for Taeseok, raised her hand.
Taeseok grinned.
And said,
『Donghoon! What are you doing? You need to hurry and hand out our El Sung Group freebies!』
The manager grinned at his sense of humor.
But three minutes later, an unexpected problem occurred.
Suddenly, a low battery warning popped up on the computer, and the screen went black.
But Taeseok didn't panic.
‘It's fine. I've gone over this so many times I can do it without looking. I've memorized it all.’
He turned off the laser pointer, faced forward, and continued the briefing.
『To keep pace with the global era, our group is currently focusing on a total of six special projects as our core business. First, in the electronics sector, we are fostering new growth engines using OLED panels…』
An unflustered expression.
A natural, pleasant voice.
And on top of that, his calm handling of an unexpected situation.
A broad smile spread across the manager's face.
‘Incredible. He's doing so well. Even better than Kim Jungmi! It might actually be better to use this guy instead.’
The Team Leader also realized the difference between Taeseok and Donghoon and had to acknowledge him.
‘When did he prepare all this? He can do it without looking? The difference between him and Donghoon is huge!’
Kim Jungmi felt the same.
‘I knew my judgment wasn't wrong. He didn't waste those two weeks; he worked hard at everything, and that's what made him who he is now.’
Still, the Team Leader was on Donghoon's side.
Kang Minyul suddenly stopped him and threw out a pointed question.
“Taeseok! Let's say a job seeker is a foreigner named Alex. He's asking you something in English, blah blah blah. What are you going to do?”
At that, Taeseok grinned at the Team Leader, then turned his gaze to Donghoon and gave an instruction.
“Donghoon! Could you go over to Mr. Alex and explain the employment details in English?”
His ability to handle the situation was top-notch.
As Jang Donghoon stood up at Taeseok's instruction, the manager, the Team Leader, and Kim Jungmi burst out laughing.
“Hahahahaha!”
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