Chapter 9: < Applying to a Second Company (3) >
President Song Eun-chae was baffled, but she was beginning to understand why her brother had called him strange.
He was saying things others wouldn't dare say, and so calmly at that.
But on second thought, what Yeonghun said about being Good at Reading People was more important than anything else in business.
After all, isn't it because you can't trust people that you go through countless verification processes and observe them for a long time?
The problem was that being "Good at Reading People" wasn't something you could boast about before even being hired.
It was like claiming, "I'm good at my job."
“Your resume says you lived in a temple. Is that why you're so good at seeing through people?”
It was only natural that President Song's question was laced with doubt.
“It's not like I have some mystical power to see into people's minds. I just make judgments by synthesizing things like a person's attire, their words, and their living environment.”
“So it's a psychological approach?”
“It's difficult to put it in academic terms, but it's similar to that.”
Looking at her Face Reading, he could roughly gauge her personality, and he knew that telling her about it would make her trust him more, but he didn't say anything.
The moment he mentioned he was good at reading people through Face Reading, he would become nothing more than a face reader.
“That's certainly a vague answer.”
President Song Eun-chae was disappointed.
From start to finish, everything he said was like grasping at clouds.
“You don't believe me, do you?”
“Frankly, yes.”
“Of course.”
Yeonghun nodded as if it were only natural.
President Song was flabbergasted.
She had expected him to offer a credible reason to trust him and promote himself, despite it being hard to believe, but he just clammed up.
Wasn't this the same 'believe it or not, I don't care' attitude she'd only ever encountered from friends in her younger days?
“Is that all?”
“Yes. If there's one thing I'm better at than others, it's being Good at Reading People. If you need someone with specialized knowledge, you should probably hire another employee instead of me.”
Yeonghun was tempted by the prospect of joining Hyunjin Corporation, but the pressure felt greater, so he thought going to the insurance company wouldn't be a bad idea either.
Seeing Yeonghun so self-assured, President Song Eun-chae's curiosity began to stir.
“Being 'Good at Reading People' isn't something that can be tested... How can I verify that?”
“You'd find out if we spent a long time together, but I assume you don't want to take the time to find out, President?”
“That's right. I don't want to waste time and energy on uncertainties.”
“Then there's no way, I suppose.”
Yeonghun shrugged, gesturing as if to say, 'The decision is yours.'
President Song finally understood why her brother had called him a strange one.
Come to think of it, this odd young man hadn't been nervous at all from the moment he walked into the interview.
Usually, interviewees were intimidated by the head office building and overwhelmed by the presence of the senior executives, trying desperately to appeal with their strengths. But the young man before her was speaking as comfortably as if he were chatting with the ajumma next door.
She wondered if he was just pretending not to be nervous, but if he could control his expression that well, he should be an actor, not an office worker.
That meant he really wasn't nervous. She couldn't understand how he could be so detached unless he had no desire whatsoever to get a job.
Just as she was thinking that if he truly had no ambition, he shouldn't have come to the interview at all, Yeonghun spoke.
“Are we all done?”
His posture suggested he was ready to get up and leave if there was nothing more to say.
She thought she could also see why her brother had been so anxious about the resigned Yeonghun.
Isn't it human nature to think the grass is greener on the other side, to go crazy for a limited-edition item you can't buy even if you have countless luxury goods in hand?
If a top graduate from Harvard or the University of Chicago's economics department had come to the interview and acted like that, she would have thought, 'what an arrogant bastard.' But strangely, she didn't think that about Yeonghun.
It was probably because he had been a Monk.
“Then how about this? You said you worked at Myeongil Financial for a month, right? How about working at our company as an intern for about a month?”
He knew that in the old drama Misaeng, the protagonist who had only learned Go started as an intern at a large corporation.
It was a drama he had watched with great impression, so Yeonghun thought President Song's proposal was quite good.
“If that's possible, that would be great. Thank you for the consideration.”
Just a moment ago, he was acting as haughty as a beauty queen, and now he was grinning from ear to ear and expressing his gratitude.
For a moment, President Song wondered if she had fallen for an act, but it was too late to take it back. Besides, it was only a one-month internship, so it wouldn't be a problem for the company. She decided to wait and see.
“Then get a brief explanation from the employee outside, and you can start work next week.”
“Understood. But may I ask for one favor?”
Look at this.
He was just beaming with a huge smile, and now he's back to his previous expression and daring to ask the President for a favor.
At this point, she was too curious not to hear him out.
“What is it?”
“If the employees know I'm a one-month intern, they'll think of me as someone who's leaving soon, which would make it difficult for me to display my abilities, wouldn't it? So I'd appreciate it if you could keep it a secret until I leave the company.”
In short, he was asking to be treated like the other interns hired through open recruitment.
It made sense, but it was a request no one else would have dared to make.
“Alright.”
“Thank you.”
President Song gave a light pat on the shoulder to the bowing Yeonghun, as if to say 'do well,' and was about to leave the interview room first when Yeonghun asked again.
“But, um...”
“Yes? What is it now?”
“Is there a reason you hired me? There are many candidates far more talented than I am.”
“This company has never hired anyone who wasn't talented, yet the company is still stagnant. So I thought it might not be a bad idea to hire at least one person who is Good at Reading People. The company needs change. Understand?”
“Yes.”
And with that, President Song left the interview room.
A moment later, the employee who had escorted him to the interview room came in.
When he had brought him to the interview room, he had been so polite and courteous, but perhaps because he heard he was hired as an intern, his attitude had completely changed.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Assistant Manager O Jae-jun. You probably have a lot of questions, but I don't have time to answer them now, so listen carefully to what I'm about to say. Got it?”
“Huh? Yes...”
“Be here by 8 AM next Monday. The dress code is a suit, just like you're wearing now, and your hair is a bit messy, so I'd like you to neaten it up. And always carry a palm-sized notebook and a pen. Be ready to take notes anytime, anywhere. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“When you arrive by 8, there will be buses lined up in front of the company. You need to take one of those buses to attend the company orientation. Think of it as training you receive before starting. It's a 3-day, 2-night schedule, so you'll need to pack underwear and comfortable clothes for three days. You can check the open recruitment notice on the website tomorrow for more details.”
“Understood.”
“And... I see on your resume that you have no academic or work experience. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
His attitude said, 'What's the problem?'
“Ahem. I see. What about your English skills? Surely you know that much, right?”
“I don't. To be more precise, it's at a first or second-year middle school level. Hi~ Nice to meet yo. How are you? I’m fine thank you. That's exactly my level. The President didn't say anything about it. Is there a problem?”
He had asked the question to embarrass him, but because Yeonghun came back stronger and more confident, Assistant Manager O Jae-jun was momentarily speechless.
Yeonghun asked the speechless Assistant Manager Oh again.
“And which department will I be working in?”
“You'll find that out when you come to work after the orientation. Any more questions?”
Sensing that he probably shouldn't ask any more questions, Yeonghun smiled and said.
“No. I don't have any.”
“Then I'll see you next week.”
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
As Yeonghun smiled, bowed, and left, Assistant Manager Oh hurried up to the HR department.
The HR staff were all out cleaning up the interview rooms, and only Manager Min Hong-gi remained.
“Hey! How was he?”
Assistant Manager Oh said, his face full of anger.
“The President passed him.”
“Really? Wow~ What the hell? What kind of connections does he have? Don't tell me...”
“It's not the 'don't tell me' you're thinking of, Manager. He looks nothing like the President.”
“Really? Then what is it?”
“She said she's hiring him as an intern to see how he does, so I don't think he's a complete golden spoon.”
“If he were a golden spoon, he wouldn't have been cooped up in a temple in Goseong, Gyeongnam. Shit, I'm so damn curious.”
“Shouldn't we be using formal speech with this intern? He didn't seem to be afraid of anything.”
“I don't think so. For now, just treat him like you normally would. He was a Monk, what would he care about worldly things? To him, everyone except Buddha is just an equal mortal being. Don't tell me he acted that way in front of the President, too, like she was just another mortal before Buddha?”
“Nah, no way.”
For some reason, Manager Min and Assistant Manager Oh began to find that one mysterious intern grating on their nerves.
< Applying to a Second Company (3) > End
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