New Employee Kim Chul-soo

Chapter 12

“I’ll be back after the training.”

As Kim Chul-soo went into the 6-Sigma training in the afternoon, Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak unfolded the checklist Kim Chul-soo brought and quickly scanned it.

Manager Pyo Il-soo rolled his wheeled chair over and came next to Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak.

“How is it?”

“It doesn’t seem like he just scribbled something down.”

“Really?”

“Hmm. It’s quite thorough, and he diligently took notes on what seemed important from the explanations he heard. The production volume in the catalog and the production volume that Chul-soo wrote down have a significant gap. This…… it doesn’t seem like it’ll be profitable even if we proceed.”

Saying that, Lee Jun-hak called Gadeok Machinery again and reconfirmed the facts that Kim Chul-soo had written down.

Meanwhile, Manager Pyo Il-soo also looked through the checklist and muttered.

“Who brought this in? Such a bother.”

Lee Jun-hak, who hung up the phone, said.

“I think it’s best to drop this case.”

“Okay. Tell the team leader and forward it to Team 1.”

“Yes, Manager-nim.”

“How about a cigarette after lunch?”

Manager Pyo Il-soo pointed outside with his thumb, and Lee Jun-hak also smiled and nodded.

******

Assistant Manager Cha Soo-young received the final materials submitted by the new employees and made a list.

“As you know, tomorrow we have a presentation for the company executives and team leaders. Your performance tomorrow will be reflected in your evaluation, so please do your best to prepare until the end.”

“Yes!”

The new employees answered loudly.

“Okay, then I will announce the topics for tomorrow’s presentation. You cannot change it after this. If you want to change, please tell me now!”

When no one spoke, Assistant Manager Cha Soo-young announced the list.

“……HR Team Hwang Dae-hoon-ssi will present on job competency development following the application of job rotation……”

When Assistant Manager Cha Soo-young mentioned Hwang Dae-hoon-ssi’s topic, there was a brief murmur among the new employees.

“……Sales Team 5 Kim Chul-soo-ssi will present on the management strategy of the sales team in line with the development of the internet.”

“That’s what Kim Chul-soo-ssi was working on, isn’t it?”

“Right? What’s going on?”

“No matter what, he shouldn’t take someone else’s work.”

The new employees were grumbling, pointing at Hwang Dae-hoon with strange looks.

Even Kim Chul-soo hadn’t thought that Hwang Dae-hoon would push through with that topic.

‘If this happens, Hwang Dae-hoon’s image will be shattered, right? Wait, in this situation, what should I do? It would be right for me to appear as if my work was stolen, right?’

When Kim Chul-soo turned his gaze to Hwang Dae-hoon, his face was red, and he was turning his face towards the wall.

Jang Yoo-mi tapped Kim Chul-soo’s arm with a dumbfounded expression.

When Kim Chul-soo turned his head, she said.

“Why is Chul-soo-ssi’s topic……? No, why is Hwang Dae-hoon-ssi presenting Chul-soo-ssi’s topic?”

Kim Chul-soo put on a slightly pitiful expression and said.

“That’s how it turned out.”

“Wow, this is really not right. How can he steal someone else’s work? He’s really the worst.”

Jang Yoo-mi raised her voice as if she was angry.

As the new employees murmured loudly, Assistant Manager Cha Soo-young, bewildered not knowing the reason, hit the table with her palm and said.

“Okay, the training is over now. Please go back and I’ll see you tomorrow at this time in the main auditorium.”

As soon as Assistant Manager Cha Soo-young finished speaking, Hwang Dae-hoon ran out of the classroom as if he was running away.

Even though all sorts of schemes and tricks are prevalent in the company, no one reveals them publicly.

Because the moment they do, they become the enemy of everyone.

Perhaps Hwang Dae-hoon will be the first among his colleagues to leave the company.

Kim Chul-soo shook his head slightly as he got up.

‘The outcome of tomorrow’s presentation has become unpredictable.’

******

Kim Chul-soo went out to Sky Park and lit the cigarettes of Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak and Manager Pyo Il-soo.

“Hey, I heard. The HR team guys stole your topic? You just let them? You should have just punched him!”

Manager Pyo Il-soo spat and took a deep drag of his cigarette.

“I thought Hwang Dae-hoon was a pretty quick-witted guy, but I didn’t know he would do such a thing. Manager Pyo-nim.”

“The HR team is acting up without knowing their place. Really. It’s so absurd. So? Did you make a new one? The presentation material?”

At Manager Pyo’s question, Kim Chul-soo nodded dejectedly.

“Yes, Manager Pyo-nim.”

“I should really go down there and……”

Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak, knowing well that Manager Pyo wasn’t the type to go to the HR team and cause a scene, put his arm around Manager Pyo’s waist, overreacting.

“Hey! Manager-nim. Just hold on.”

“Let go of me, Assistant Manager Lee.”

“Come on. Nothing will change even if you do that. Calm down a bit.”

Kim Chul-soo laughed inwardly, watching the two overreact.

‘When you work in sales, everyone becomes an actor.’

Kim Chul-soo also grabbed Manager Pyo’s leg with an urgent expression.

“It’s okay, Manager Pyo-nim! Thank you so much for your concern.”

“Oh, really! I held back because of you, Chul-soo!”

An expression of wanting to comfort him, even though he couldn’t really do anything.

A little over two months as a new employee.

The first button was well fastened.

There wouldn’t be any twists and turns.

“Kim Chul-soo-ssi.”

Kim Chul-soo, who came to the HR team to submit some documents, approached Park Joon-hyung, the General Manager, at his call.

“Hello, General Manager Park Joon-hyung-nim.”

“Yes. Are you doing well these days?”

“Yes, General Manager-nim.”

“Is the 6-Sigma preparation going well?”

At that, Kim Chul-soo scratched his head and answered in an unsure tone.

“I worked hard, but I’m not sure.”

“Maybe it’s because the topic changed.”

“Yes, General Manager-nim.”

“Is there anything special going on in the team?”

“No, there haven’t been any reportable issues lately.”

“It’s good to hear it’s quiet. Ah!”

Park Joon-hyung handed him one of the banana milk cartons on his desk.

“This is to encourage the hardworking new employees.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it. General Manager-nim.”

“Yes. Be sure to report if anything special happens.”

“Yes! General Manager-nim.”

Kim Chul-soo bowed deeply and left the HR team with the banana milk, climbing the stairs.

‘Banana milk on the day of the presentation? Park Joon-hyung?’

Kim Chul-soo pressed the banana milk carton with one hand.

Then, with a tiny squeak, some of the contents leaked out through a very small hole.

He must have done something to it with a tiny needle.

‘Such childish tricks.’

Kim Chul-soo shook his head, climbed the stairs, and entered the sales department office.

******

As Kim Chul-soo went up, Park Joon-hyung called Hwang Dae-hoon, who was completely dejected.

“Hwang Dae-hoon-ssi. You don’t look so good.”

“I’m sorry, General Manager-nim.”

“If you’re going to whine like that because you’re ostracized by your colleagues, you’d better quit.”

The word ‘quit’ coming from Park Joon-hyung’s mouth made Hwang Dae-hoon’s mind clear.

“N..No, sir!”

“Hwang Dae-hoon-ssi.”

“Yes, General Manager-nim.”

“New employees in the company are like ants. A few ants gathered together can’t bring down a human. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, General Manager-nim.”

“What did I say? If you want to do well in the company, you have to impress the highest-ranking person, right?”

Hwang Dae-hoon nodded, still dejected.

‘It’ll be troublesome if he goes into the presentation like this.’

“The CEO is watching you, Hwang Dae-hoon-ssi.”

The word ‘CEO’ jolted Hwang Dae-hoon awake.

“Yes?”

“But would it be okay to disappoint the CEO? Don’t you know that you’re already several steps ahead of your other colleagues, Hwang Dae-hoon-ssi?”

“Ah! I’m sorry. I momentarily forgot!”

“The company is not a place to build friendships with your colleagues. If you want to build friendships and get along, you shouldn’t have joined the company. The moment you step foot here, your colleagues are nothing more than prey that you have to devour. If you don’t realize that, you won’t last long in the company. Listen carefully. The company is a jungle where you can’t distinguish friend from foe.”

‘You can’t even despair as you please until the presentation is over. Whose will is this?’

Hwang Dae-hoon, looking at Park Joon-hyung who was speaking calmly while staring at him, realized.

General Manager Park Joon-hyung was on the CEO’s side, and perhaps he himself might be on that side.

And…… the CEO is watching him.

He no longer cared about the disgusting looks from his colleagues.

‘I don’t have time for this, if it’s like this.’

As Hwang Dae-hoon regained his spirit, Park Joon-hyung opened his mouth.

“I’ll give you time, so prepare for the presentation.”

“Yes, General Manager-nim.”

People began to fill the auditorium, which had chairs for about 40 people.

“I heard this batch of new employees has the best entry scores, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ll do.”

“If the content presented at the 6-Sigma presentation is good, expanding it company-wide wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

CEO Yoo Ji-hoon nodded as he listened to the executives’ conversation.

“Since this is our first time implementing 6-Sigma in the Han-Young Group, the Chairman seems to be very interested. It wouldn’t be bad to observe how many new employees will surprise us.”

“Hahaha. That’s right.”

As CEO Yoo Ji-hoon opened the door and entered, everyone inside, including the team leaders, the staff managing the presentation, and the 17 new employees, all stood up.

Senior Managing Director Choi Young-joon also bowed his head slightly as Yoo Ji-hoon approached.

Yoo Ji-hoon took a seat next to Choi Young-joon.

“I heard there was an interesting incident between the new employees of the two teams.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“It’s a skill if someone can copy a meticulously crafted work without anyone knowing. I guess the new employee from Assistant Manager Ahn’s team is quite proficient in that skill.”

However, Choi Young-joon replied with a smile.

“Well, I heard that the new employee from Assistant Manager Ahn’s team is the one who perfectly created the material, so it seems the order is reversed.”

“Is that so? Then why did they change the topic at the last minute?”

“I heard the newly chosen topic is better.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Yoo Ji-hoon looked at Choi Young-joon, who was still smiling leisurely, and thought.

‘He’s calmer than I expected? Does he have another trick up his sleeve? In the end, the winner will be the new employee from the HR team anyway.’

Yoo Ji-hoon received greetings from the executives who were just arriving and taking their seats, and turned his gaze back to Choi Young-joon.

“It seems you have something you’re relying on?”

“Not at all. I just trust the new employee.”

“Specs don’t perfectly represent one’s abilities, but they do tell the story of a person’s life. To trust a new employee based on that, Senior Managing Director Choi, your intuition has become a bit dull.”

“Hahaha. Perhaps I feel a sense of camaraderie because my specs weren’t that great.”

‘Camaraderie. Perhaps that’s the perfect word.’

“No way. How could Senior Managing Director Choi’s specs be bad? Compared to your siblings, maybe, but they are specs that wouldn’t be embarrassing anywhere.”

At that, Choi Young-joon just smiled without answering.

‘You’re quite off guard this time, CEO Yoo.’

13:00

As the people who were chatting for about 5 minutes quieted down, Assistant Manager Cha Soo-young, who was in charge of the training, picked up the microphone and was about to start the presentation.

However, the door opened again, and an elderly gentleman with white hair and a sturdy physique appeared.

The moment they saw him, everyone, including CEO Yoo Ji-hoon, rose from their seats.

“Greetings, Chairman-nim!”

As everyone bowed and shouted in unison, Choi Kyung-hoon waved his hand and said.

“I don’t want to interrupt your work, so why don’t you all sit down?”

Yoo Ji-hoon sat down, looking slightly flustered as he watched the Chairman find an empty seat in the front row.

“Why is the Chairman here? Could it be?”

Yoo Ji-hoon’s gaze turned to Choi Young-joon.

“The Chairman was very interested in the 6-Sigma training, as it’s the first time it’s being implemented group-wide. He said he wouldn’t be able to make it today because he was busy, but it seems he was able to attend.”

“Ah! Is that so? Usually, you let me know when he’s coming.”

“It seems he came unexpectedly.”

As Choi Young-joon smiled, Yoo Ji-hoon also smiled and turned his gaze to the front of the auditorium.

‘Senior Managing Director Choi made a good move. The Chairman. This disrupts the game I’ve set up.’

“With even the Chairman showing interest, the new employees must be feeling the pressure.”

Choi Young-joon nodded at Yoo Ji-hoon’s words.

“I can already see some new employees who are clearly nervous.”

Choi Young-joon spoke, looking at the new employees who were repeatedly wiping sweat off their faces.

******

Lee Jun-hak, who had returned from his business trip, looked at Manager Pyo Il-soo, who was enjoying his banana milk with a straw, and said.

“I’m back.”

“Uh-huh.”

“How can you drink it alone like that?”

“No, I’m secretly drinking it after stealing it from Chul-soo’s desk.”

“You’ll get in trouble for stealing from a new employee.”

Manager Pyo Il-soo sucked up the last drop and threw the empty carton into the trash can under Lee Jun-hak’s desk.

“Hey. What’s this?”

“Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak, who just came back from his business trip, drank it because he was thirsty.”

Lee Jun-hak burst into laughter at Manager Pyo Il-soo’s words.

“Really…… Manager-nim…… You’re……”

“What about the coffee bean business trip?”

“Yes, it went well. The import and export customs issues are resolved, financing is finalized, and the letter of credit is confirmed, so we can forward it through Han-Young Logistics. However, we need to check the shipping process. This company…… They have a history of playing dirty tricks.”

Manager Pyo Il-soo took out a cigarette and fiddled with it, saying.

“Checking the shipping process means you’re going to go there?”

“Yes, I have to. It’ll be troublesome if they mix in cheap coffee beans.”

“Kenya. It’ll be tough if you go there.”

Lee Jun-hak nodded in agreement with Pyo Il-soo’s grim expression.

“Hahaha. You have to work hard to avoid mistakes.”

“Australia or Russia would be nice.”

“The resident representatives handle those places reliably, so there’s no need for me to go.”

“That’s true. Maybe next year, Assistant Manager Lee, you’ll be able to go overseas too?”

“I’m not sure because of my family.”

“Right. It’s always the family that’s the problem. Cigarette?”

Lee Jun-hak looked at his watch and nodded.