Chapter7:< Applying to a Second Company (1) >
President Song Byeong-chang was seized by a strange feeling.
In this line of work, he had dealt with all sorts—the brilliant, the incompetent, and the bizarre—and had countless experiences, but he had never felt anything as peculiar as this.
Choi Yeong-hun, was it?
With a completely innocent face, that guy had collected the 8.8 million won principal and a significant portion of the interest—which had more than quadrupled—on a debt that Manager Yang had declared uncollectible and ready for foreclosure proceedings.
When told that half of that massive interest would be forgiven, that silver-spoon bum treated it like pocket change, asking if doing so would cause any problems for his company life rather than saying thank you.
In a situation like this, the company that collected the money should have been the happiest, but the most delighted person wasn't the company, nor the silver-spoon bum, but the silver spoon's father.
Yang Tae-pyeong reported that the father was overjoyed, saying he couldn't even put it into words, that the son who had never amounted to anything and only caused trouble his whole life had shown up with a granddaughter as cute as a bunny.
Yang Tae-pyeong said that as that dim-witted-looking rookie handled things this way, he couldn't even get a proper word in during the entire repayment process.
After declaring he would quit in a month, he collected over 270 million won during that time.
No one helped him, aside from Manager Yang assisting with the final repayment procedures.
He was so good at his job that they gave him a list of over a hundred debts, and he went through it as if picking out only the choicest morsels to collect.
It was an overwhelming performance that no new employee had ever achieved before.
And now, that rookie was quitting.
It was as if he were leaving with an incredibly cool sneer, saying, ‘I’ve tried working here, and it’s no big deal. Keep up the good work.’
His pride was wounded.
He wanted to teach him just how tough, grueling, and difficult this business was, and about the sense of accomplishment and rewards that came with it.
But the new employee just wore a benevolent smile, like the Buddha toying with Sun Wukong.
“You lack experience and education. Have you decided what you’re going to do when you leave?”
When asked, the guy answered as if he had found some grand profession.
“On second thought, I think insurance sales is the perfect fit for me. To be able to prepare for future risks—I think it’s a truly meaningful profession. And for some reason, I feel like I could do well at it.”
It wasn't that he looked down on the insurance industry, but for someone to quit as if they were off to do something great, only to end up in insurance sales...
It was a dumbfounding answer.
But when he tried to argue, he was at a loss for words.
After all, debt collection could be seen as a much rougher job, so what could he say?
He had no choice but to let him go.
The guy’s footsteps were so light as he left the office, he looked like someone who’d just relieved ten years of constipation.
“Is he that strange?”
The woman with a curious expression in front of Song Byeong-chang was his older sister, Song Eun-chae.
She was over fifty, but thanks to a skincare regimen that could put a celebrity to shame, she maintained a skin elasticity rarely seen at her age.
The reason this was possible was that this woman, Song Eun-chae, was no ordinary wealthy person.
She was the daughter-in-law of the eldest grandson of the Hyunjin Group, a company that was... well, maybe not top three in the country, but definitely in the top ten if you widened the scope.
Not only did she possess immense wealth, but she was also the backer and supporter who had made President Song a major player in the Myeongdong private loan market.
Although they had told Yeonghun they didn't lend to private individuals, Myeongil Financial actually provided high-interest loans to corporations in urgent need of funds, a task handled directly by President Song, so the employees never touched it.
“I’m telling you. I’ve never seen anyone so cool in my life. Is it because he was a monk? How can someone have so little greed? I offered him 10% of the money he collected, but he flatly refused. He said he learned a lot, so he’d consider his bonus as having been received from the people who couldn’t pay in the future. Doesn’t that sound a little crazy?”
“He is strange. So, what’s he going to do?”
“This part is a masterpiece, too. I was curious, so I asked, and it seems he’s planning to submit his resume somewhere. So I asked him again. ‘You studied at a temple and only came out after turning thirty, do you think anyone will hire you?’ And you know what he said...”
“What did he say?”
“He said he’s going to try insurance sales. He said he feels like he could do well, but since when is insurance sales easy? The annoying thing is, I get the feeling he actually could succeed very easily.”
President Song’s sister, Song Eun-chae, burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! You’re completely fascinated by him, aren’t you?”
“No, it’s just funny. You’d think so too if you met him. It’s not like he’s incredibly knowledgeable or has learned anything special, but he has this strange aura. He somehow finds ways for people without a penny to their name to get money. In all my life, I’ve never seen a debt collector like him.”
“Really? Hmm... In that case, why don’t you tell him to submit a resume to our company? We happen to be holding open recruitment right now.”
“Your company? Hyunjin Corporation?”
“Yeah.”
“Agh, no way. You think the HR guys would pass him? Let’s say he passes the document screening. What about the executive interview?”
Song Eun-chae spoke as if it were no big deal.
“I’m the one who picked him, so why worry about that? I can see him in the interview and decide then. As for the documents, one word from me and he’ll pass.”
“Are you really going to do that?”
“Why? Are you reluctant to give him to me?”
“It’s not that, but...”
Seeing President Song’s displeased expression, Eun-chae approached him with a genuinely surprised look.
“You really are reluctant, aren’t you?”
“Honestly, it’s not that I’m reluctant, it’s that he’s a kid who should be in sales. With his personality, if things go wrong, he’ll just be misunderstood and have a really hard time.”
“You’ve only known him for a month at most, and you’re already this concerned about him?”
“I’m not being concerned, I’m just being objective. You might not know, but the junior staff can’t handle him. You know our Manager Yang, right? Even he found him difficult after this incident and deliberately avoided him. The kid has a subtle knack for making people feel ashamed. If his superiors aren't broad-minded, they’ll probably pick on him and make his life hell.”
“Enough. Just talk to him. We have an insurance company too, so tell him to apply there first. I’ll interview him, and if I think he’s a good fit, we’ll use him at the Corporation. If not, I’ll just send him over to Life Insurance.”
“That’s right. There is Hyunjin Life Insurance.”
President Song was still dissatisfied, but at this point, Song Eun-chae simply felt like she was peeking at her little brother’s new toy.
And having only heard that Yeonghun had lived in a temple, she just assumed that was the case; she never imagined he lacked a formal education or even the basic certifications everyone else had.
*
“Yes? Hyunjin Life Insurance?”
Yeonghun was bewildered but pleased that the president of the company he had just quit was introducing him to an insurance company.
It was a Lending Business, but he felt that his efforts to adapt and build good relationships during his month there had paid off.
“Thank you.”
After hanging up, he looked it up online and found that, as it happened, there was an open recruitment announcement for Hyunjin Group.
He had been planning to look into insurance companies but was wondering how to actually get a job, so he thought this was perfect.
After familiarizing himself with how to write a resume and cover letter by looking at templates circulating online, Yeonghun downloaded the resume form from the Hyunjin Group recruitment notice and began to fill it out diligently.
It was a brave act, possible only because he didn't know that insurance salespeople weren't typically hired through open recruitment like this, but rather by individual branch offices.
He wasn't worried about the glaring blank spaces on his resume, because he had read online that you didn't need any special academic background or certifications to be an insurance salesperson.
Was it that saying, "ignorance makes you brave"?
That was exactly Yeonghun’s situation right now.
*
Hyunjin Corporation, HR Team.
Kim Hak-ju, the youngest employee who had joined through last year’s open recruitment, was staring intently at his monitor with a troubled expression.
He felt he had to ask a question, but he knew the irritable Assistant Manager Oh would surely scold him for making him repeat himself.
But no matter how he thought about it, this just wasn't right. Kim Hak-ju awkwardly approached Assistant Manager Oh, who was in a foul mood after a fight with his girlfriend.
“Um...”
“What?”
“Well... that person you mentioned submitted a resume to Hyunjin Life Insurance, and it was forwarded to us, but...”
“Who?”
“The one named Choi Yeong-hun...”
Just as expected, Assistant Manager Oh’s face twisted into a scowl.
“Ah, seriously! I told you management said to pass him through! Do I have to say it again? You’re not a rookie anymore. Get it together, man!”
“That’s not it... It’s just that the resume is strange.”
“What’s strange about it?”
“There’s nothing written on it except for his name and address.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Assistant Manager Oh raised his voice as if he’d just heard the most ridiculous nonsense.
“There’s no high school or university listed, and the experience section is blank. He didn’t even write down a word processing certificate or a driver’s license... There is a cover letter, but that’s weird too. It says something about growing up in a temple since he was young, and I can’t tell if it’s a joke or if he’s serious. His address is also in Goseong, Gyeongnam.”
Finally grasping the situation, Assistant Manager Oh stood up and went over to Kim Hak-ju’s computer.
After looking at the resume in question, he said with a dumbfounded expression:
“Is this guy insane? Is he crazy? No, is this bastard deliberately trying to mess with us? Manager!”
Yeonghun, oblivious to the fact that he had thrown the Hyunjin Corporation HR department into chaos, was lying on his bed, enjoying a webtoon on his phone.
“Haha. Hahahaha! This is funny.”
Without a care in the world.
< Applying to a Second Company (1) > End
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