Chapter 8: < Applying to a Second Company (2) >
The atmosphere in Hyunjin Corporation's HR department was grim.
“Isn't this going too far?”
At Assistant Manager O Jae-jun's protest, HR Manager Min Hong-gi also frowned.
“You're right. But are you going to protest? Are you going to go up to the Executive Director and tell him you can't pass this application?”
“Shouldn't we do just that? To be frank, there are plenty of kids from SKY universities who don't even pass the document screening. Some people bust their asses studying for TOEIC, writing papers, and doing volunteer work just to add one more line to their resume, but this is just too much, isn't it?”
“It is too much. Of course it is.”
“Then, to the Executive Director...”
“What do you mean, 'to the Executive Director'? Do you not know where this came from? The President sent it directly to us. If you tell the Executive Director, what do you think he's going to say?”
“...”
Assistant Manager Oh silently lowered his head.
He had pushed the manager in his excitement, but upon reflection, he realized it made no sense.
The current head of Hyunjin Corporation was President Song Eun-chae. She had taken over the position when her husband, the original President Im Ji-hun, fell ill and began treatment.
Since he was suffering from severe end-stage renal failure, no one expected President Im Ji-hun to return, so no one questioned President Song Eun-chae's future leadership of the company.
Between them, President Im Ji-hun and President Song Eun-chae held over 40% of the company's shares, so there was little chance of any issues with management rights.
In that context, when President Song Eun-chae ordered them to bring a resume submitted to the Life Insurance division over to the Corporation, the HR department had been secretly wondering who the new parachute hire would be.
But this was too strange to even be called a parachute hire.
“Could this be a test of our HR department's loyalty?”
Assistant Manager O Jae-jun's suspicion was not unreasonable.
No, perhaps Assistant Manager Oh's suspicion had more merit, as Manager Min Hong-gi reacted immediately.
“Us? Why?”
“No matter that the President has taken power, Executive Director Yang Cheol-gi's influence is still formidable, isn't it?”
“That's true.”
Assistant Manager Oh felt a surge of frustration at Manager Min's 'That's true,' a phrase that perfectly reflected his indecisive nature, but he didn't let it show and continued speaking.
“Don't you think the President is trying to see if you're part of Executive Director Yang's line, Manager?”
“But Executive Director Yang's line is the Yonsei line. Is there anyone in this company who doesn't know that?”
“Still, from the President's perspective, she might want to be absolutely sure.”
“That's a point. Anyway, for now, just pass it through without reporting to the Executive Director. You know, times like this make me wonder if we should be thankful our company doesn't have a written entrance exam.”
“She said she'd be conducting the interviews herself this time, so won't she find out then?”
“Wait, is the President trying to pass him knowing the state of his resume? Or what if... what if she sees the resume during the interview, gets a shock, and calls for me? Then you and I are both screwed.”
“No way...”
“Shit, I'm getting the chills.”
Manager Min shivered as if he'd caught a chill.
No matter how he thought about it, the idea that he had to confirm first wouldn't leave Manager Min's mind.
“What are you going to do?”
“I have to check with the President again. This isn't about disobeying her orders; it's just double-checking. There shouldn't be a problem.”
He was speaking to Assistant Manager Oh, but Oh could tell he was also trying to convince himself.
After pacing for a long time with the resume in hand, Manager Min finally knocked on the President's office door.
“What is it?”
Manager Min Hong-gi had only had a one-on-one meeting with the president once since joining the company.
Therefore, he was extremely nervous now, and his tension was palpable to President Song.
“I'm here to report on the young man you mentioned, Choi Yeong-hun.”
“Choi Yeong-hun? Who's that?”
Manager Min inwardly realized he would have been screwed if he hadn't come.
Feeling a cold sweat run down his back, he was nonetheless relieved and quickly answered.
“The applicant for Hyunjin Life Insurance you mentioned before...”
“Ah~ I see. I remember now. Yes, what is it?”
“I looked at his resume, and it's a bit strange. There's nothing on it besides his photo, name, and address...”
Manager Min held the resume out to President Song.
Before looking at the resume Manager Min offered, President Song Eun-chae didn't understand what he was talking about. It was only after seeing the resume, which was like a blank sheet of paper, that she realized the problem.
“Oh, my. Hahahaha!”
Was it because it was so absurd?
President Song Eun-chae covered her mouth with the resume and burst out laughing.
Unsure whether he should laugh along or not, Manager Min just watched her. Only after a long moment, when President Song had stopped laughing, did he ask.
“Is this the right person?”
“Yes, that's him. This must be him. The address is Goseong, Gyeongnam, too.”
Yeonghun hadn't been able to bring himself to register his Gosiwon as his official address, so he had used his original address in Goseong, Gyeongnam.
“Then, shall we pass him as is?”
President Song Eun-chae thought for a moment.
She had thought he would be lacking, but she hadn't imagined he would be *this* much of a blank slate.
Even as the president, if she were to see someone like this in an interview and give him the okay, she would lose the trust of the executive board.
“On the day of the interview, bring him to me. Don't let anyone else know.”
Manager Min read the firmness in President Song's tone.
This matter became a secret that must not leave the HR department.
“Understood. Nothing about this applicant will go beyond the HR department. Then, would the 5th floor of the Old Building (舊館) be alright?”
Executive Director Yang Cheol-gi was in the New Building, and the interviews were also scheduled to take place in the New Building (新館), so Manager Min was suggesting taking him to a completely different location.
“That's a good idea.”
President Song Eun-chae smiled with satisfaction.
*
Yeonghun wasn't at all happy to receive the text message telling him he had passed the document screening and should come for an interview.
This was because he hadn't expected to be eliminated at the document screening stage when they were just hiring insurance salespeople.
Even Jeong Bosal, who had been a farmer her whole life, had started in insurance sales after turning fifty; he was confident there was no way he would fail.
He was just a little puzzled that they had asked him to come for the interview at 5 PM.
“Why is the interview so late?”
Though puzzled, he figured there must be a reason and simply had the suit he'd bought in Dongdaemun altered to fit his size.
And so, three days after receiving the text, he arrived at the Hyunjin Group headquarters building, located in Euljiro, Jongno-gu.
“Wow...”
Such a huge building.
Standing before the massive building in the heart of Seoul, he was once again struck by the realization of how different his life, spent entirely in a mountain temple, was from the Secular World.
He strode confidently into the headquarters and saw security guards and a beautiful receptionist, things he had only ever seen on TV.
Yeonghun walked up confidently and said.
“I'm here for an interview.”
But at his words, the female receptionist looked flustered.
“An interview? Now?”
“Yes. I was told to be here by 5 o'clock.”
“Could there be some mistake? The interviews started at 9 AM. And they're not here, but over in the New Building...”
In that moment, the thought that something was wrong flashed through his mind.
Just as he was beginning to wonder if someone was playing a prank on him, a person hurried over.
“Are you perhaps Choi Yeong-hun?”
He turned his head to see a man with a sturdy build, panting for breath.
Judging by the employee ID card around his neck, he was definitely an employee here.
“Yes, that's me. I'm here for an interview.”
“I've been waiting for you. Please follow me.”
“Okay.”
As he followed the man, he glanced back and saw the receptionist at the information desk tilting her head in confusion.
He felt that something was off, but it didn't seem like they were trying to scam him or anything, so he followed quietly.
They got off on the 5th floor and went deep into one area. Strangely, the entire floor was quiet, with not a single person in sight.
“Here we are. The interviewer is just one person. It's the President, so please be mindful of your words and actions. I wish you the best of luck.”
The man gestured with his eyes for Yeonghun to hurry up and open the door.
The President... He was now certain there had been some kind of mistake.
“Thank you.”
When Yeonghun opened the door and entered, he saw a middle-aged woman sitting with her back straight, gazing at him intently.
It was different from what he had expected, but he knew what to do once an interview started.
“Good afternoon. My name is Choi Yeong-hun.”
“Sit down.”
She gestured with her chin toward the single chair in front of her.
As Yeonghun sat down cautiously, she asked.
“You've probably noticed, but the atmosphere for this interview is strange, isn't it?”
“Yes. I was told you are the President.”
“That's right. I called you here separately on the recommendation of President Song Byeong-chang of Myeongil Financial.”
“Ah... so that's what this is.”
“First, I want to say that this is not an interview for Hyunjin Life Insurance. Our company is Hyunjin Corporation, and you are currently in an open recruitment interview for Hyunjin Corporation. President Song spoke highly of your abilities, which is why I created this separate interview, so don't feel pressured. If we decide your skills aren't needed at our company, I'll send you over to the life insurance company. I'll make sure you get a pretty good position, so don't worry.”
The reason he had planned to become an insurance salesman was partly because he thought it suited him, but fundamentally, it was because he was aware that he hadn't graduated from a good university and lacked various certifications and language skills.
He didn't know exactly what Hyunjin Corporation did, but he knew enough to understand that getting a job at a large conglomerate like this required considerable qualifications.
“Is that even possible for me? As I wrote on my resume, I have nothing...”
“I know. That's why I arranged this separate interview. Now, let's stop with the pleasantries and begin. What are you good at?”
“Pardon?”
“I see from your cover letter that you spent your whole life studying in a temple. If you were just playing around while others were staking their lives on Korean, English, math, and TOEIC in school, then there's no reason for the company to hire you, is there?”
President Song Byeong-chang must have praised him excessively.
He was grateful, but it was also a bit burdensome.
So, even though her words subtly scratched at his pride, he felt more uncomfortable in his seat than offended.
“I see from your personal statement that you want to be a good company employee. So, sell yourself. What makes you stand out from the other applicants?”
I wondered what to say, but then I realized there was no need to make something up.
“I'm Good at Reading People.”
“Good at Reading People?”
“Yes. I'm very good at reading people.”
< Applying to a Second Company (2) > End
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