Série: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Título: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend Chapter 9
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09 : Looks Like It's Still Got It
Tae-seok left the room.
Just then, participant number 10, who had been eliminated earlier, approached the discussion moderator and burst out in complaint.
“Excuse me! I think this is unfair.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“I believe the reason for my elimination is unjust.”
‘So there are guys who can’t accept it.’
Tae-seok blinked, taking another look at the man.
Suddenly, everything turned green.
‘What the?’
As it turned out, the Job Seeker's Eyes had activated!
He was about to turn it off, as keeping it on brought a wave of fatigue, but then he noticed something strange.
‘People have different colors!’
The interviewer he was looking at was green.
On the other hand, participant number 10 didn't appear to have any color at all.
Tae-seok looked around.
Lights of various colors were enveloping people's bodies.
There was red, orange, green…
But then his eyes grew tired again.
‘Hoo…’
Through that brief experience, Tae-seok learned two more things.
First, if he blinked three times in a row, the Job Seeker's Eyes would activate without him having to say it in his head.
Blinking three times again would deactivate it.
And second. Red was for people in their 20s, and orange was for them as well? But those surrounded by a green light looked to be 100% in their 30s.
‘Is it age… or rank?’
It wasn't clear yet.
But he was happy to know he could distinguish something by color.
* * *
The next day, at the construction site.
Tae-seok received a message while working.
[Hello. This is the Elseong Group HR Team. Mr. Kim Tae-seok, you have passed the group discussion. The final executive interview is scheduled for tomorrow at 3 PM. Please arrive at the 2nd floor of our group's headquarters 10 minutes prior. We wish you the best of luck in your final acceptance.]
The final interview… To think this day would come.
He felt so good he could fly.
Still, Tae-seok composed himself.
‘Don’t get excited. Stay calm.’
The final interview at Elseong Group was with the executives.
There was no room for complacency.
Nothing was set in stone yet.
At the worksite.
Cheol-seong climbed a ladder.
He still looked awkward painting, but he seemed to be pulling his weight, which brought a smile to Tae-seok’s face.
“sir! For the first coat, you can load up the roller with a lot of paint! From the second coat on, just use a little and sweep it down slowly from top to bottom!”
“Really?”
“Yes! That’ll speed up the work.”
“Got it!”
While still on the ladder, Cheol-seong dipped the 3-meter pole with the roller into the paint can.
But he plunged it deep into the can.
And as he lifted it, paint splattered not only on Tae-seok’s clothes but all over his hair as well.
“Cheol-seong sir! Lower the roller! Lower it!”
“Sorry! My bad!”
“Ah, seriously!”
He seemed genuinely sorry, climbing down the ladder to apologize. What could Tae-seok say to someone apologizing so sincerely?
Tae-seok accepted his apology.
“Ah, it’s okay, sir! Don’t worry about it too much.”
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry!”
“It’s fine, I said. I’m just going to go wash up for a bit.”
“Okay. Ah, I was really trying to do a good job…”
The white paint had already soaked his work clothes.
Tae-seok gave a wry smile and reported to the Team Leader.
“Team Leader~”
“Huh? Tae-seok! What happened to you?”
“This kind of thing can happen on the job. I’m going to head to the dorm to wash up.”
“Ah, the dorm is too far. Go wash up in the bathhouse on the B1 floor. I heard it opens today.”
“Will that be okay? Won’t the employees here say something?”
“It’s fine. No one will be there. I told all the workers for today to wash up there when they’re done and let me know if there are any issues. Did you grab some gasoline?”
“Yes. I’ll go get the paint off. Is it okay if I take a bath too?”
“Yeah! Go ahead! We only have to work until tomorrow anyway, so you can take your time.”
“Thank you.”
Tae-seok poured a cup of gasoline into a paper cup and headed down to the B1 floor.
A sports center, a swimming pool, a convenience store, and even a bathhouse—it had everything.
‘Elseong Group really is amazing.’
Even for a large corporation, he couldn't help but feel it was incredible that they would do this much for employee welfare.
He entered the bathhouse. He poured the gasoline on the paint in his hair, then rinsed it off with the shower.
But there was an old man in the bathhouse, which he had expected to be empty.
‘Guess I’m not alone. Is he the manager here?’
In any case, it was nothing to worry about.
After showering, he looked in the mirror and saw that the paint on his body was completely gone.
Still feeling a bit grimy, Tae-seok showered for another 10 minutes.
Once his body was clean, he started to notice his surroundings.
A bathhouse made of splendid marble. It was so luxurious that it wouldn't lose out even when compared to the best-equipped jjimjilbang in Busan.
Tae-seok spotted a hot tub with the scent of herbs and stepped inside.
Just then, the old man spoke to him.
“What do you do, young man?”
“Ah, I’m a worker at this construction site.”
“Ah, is that so? It must be tough, right? Looked like you got covered in paint!”
“It’s alright. Are you the owner here, sir?”
“You could say that, couldn’t you?”
“Hmm, that’s amazing. You’ve got a good job. Is the pay decent in this line of work?”
“It’s decent. Quite decent. Enough to not be envious of others.”
“I see. You must work hard.”
“Heh heh, you work hard too, young man.”
The old man smiled kindly.
His fair skin was impressive, perhaps from working only in the bathhouse.
Despite that, his tone was gentle.
Suddenly, the old man submerged himself in the hot tub.
But a minute passed, and he didn't come back up.
Startled, Tae-seok was about to pull the old man out of the water when the old man felt his touch and suddenly emerged.
“What is it?”
“Oh! Phew! You scared me.”
“Why? Worried this old man had died?”
“No~ it’s not that. You just surprised me.”
“I have a jinx, you see.”
“A jinx?”
“Yep. I have to personally go for a dip in the bathhouse and work up a sweat for everything to go well!”
“Ah… I suppose that makes sense.”
Tae-seok thought. It would be hard to know the customers' complaints without trying it out himself.
So he praised him.
“You have a great work ethic. That’s amazing. And you look very healthy.”
“Of course, I have to be healthy. To live a long life, you have to exercise and live an active life! Don’t you agree?”
“I suppose so.”
“You’re a very sociable young man. You’ll be very successful.”
Come to think of it, the old man's body was muscular. And he was big down there, too?
Tae-seok had learned from his late father that a compliment should be returned.
So he complimented him.
“sir!”
“Yes?”
The old man burst out laughing at being called "sir / middle-aged man".
No matter how he looked at it, Tae-seok was young enough to be his grandson. Heh-heh.
So Tae-seok gave him another compliment.
“You’re really impressive, sir. Your vitality must be extraordinary. Your wife must be very happy.”
“Heh heh, to think a young man like you knows how to make a joke like that~ Haha! Come by sometimes! If you do, I’ll let you use this place for free for life.”
“Ah, it’s okay. Tomorrow is my last day of work. I think I should be getting back now. I hope your business does well! Stay healthy, and I wish you all the best.”
“Alright! I hope everything goes well for you too, young man.”
“Thank you.”
Tae-seok got out of the herbal bath, rinsed himself with the shower, and left. Three minutes later, a man in a suit suddenly walked into the bathhouse, fully clothed.
“Chairman!”
“Yes?”
“There are 40 minutes left until the completion ceremony. Shall we go?”
“Shall we?”
Chairman Kim Chang-mo stood up, thinking of his jinx.
His jinx.
After constructing a new building, if he didn't bathe inside it himself, an accident would occur within a year.
‘This year should be fine, right?’
And then, a little dangle.
‘Heh heh, looks like it's still got it.’
A smile, not often seen, graced the Chairman's face.
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