New Employee Kim Chul-soo

Chapter 27

Shin Byung-hoon, whenever he takes up a new position at a company, delves into personnel records and performance evaluations to understand the company’s network of connections.

If he can identify and win over the ‘Willy’ – the individuals who are close to the hub of the internal human network – he can gain control of the organization very quickly.

However, these ‘Willies’ sometimes stand out like Manager Park Joon-hyung, but there are also those who wield terrifying influence without revealing themselves.

In Shin Byung-hoon’s hands were the personnel records of several individuals.

Among them, three stood out as the most exceptional candidates for the new project.

━ Assistant Manager Ahn Jeong-gyu.

He has shown outstanding performance since he was a new employee, but strangely, his promotion timing did not match his achievements.

On the contrary, Park Joon-hyung, whose performance couldn’t even compare to Ahn Jeong-gyu’s, thrived in the same team.

This meant that Park Joon-hyung was overwhelmingly better at internal politics than Ahn Jeong-gyu.

In this situation, one would expect Ahn Jeong-gyu, who suffered disadvantages, to resign or move to another company, but he remained in the same position, consistently delivering high performance.

It was one of two possibilities.

Either he was completely clueless in this regard, or he was secretly harboring resentment.

He was perfect for the Team Leader position, but he was definitely someone who needed to be investigated.

Another was,

━ Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak.

There wasn’t a single negative evaluation.

Team evaluations, HR evaluations, Ethics Management Department evaluations, and even Secretarial Office evaluations.

He had recently achieved the most outstanding performance in the Sales Department and was promoted two years faster than his peers.

If someone is this successful, there are bound to be envious colleagues, so negative evaluations should also surface, but there were none for Lee Jun-hak.

Moreover, in the conversations he overheard for several days, the name Lee Jun-hak never came up.

He was a ‘Willy’ in the true sense of the word, possessing both outstanding internal political skills and competence, yet remaining invisible.

He was a necessary figure for smooth internal communication.

The last one was,

━ Kim Chul-soo.

A mysterious new employee whose past performance and personnel records didn’t match at all.

“Hmm, all three are in the same team.”

Shin Byung-hoon, lost in thought at his desk, raised his head at the sound of his secretary’s knock.

“Managing Director Choi Young-joon is here.”

“Let him in.”

Soon, Managing Director Choi Young-joon entered and politely bowed to Shin Byung-hoon.

“How have you been, Vice President-nim?”

He was a man without the arrogance typical of a chaebol heir, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking as he never revealed his true intentions.

“It’s been a while, Choi Managing Director.”

“I was away on a business trip and am only now able to greet you.”

The two exchanged brief greetings and sat down on the sofa.

“Did your business trip go well?”

“Yes. Thanks to my excellent assistants, I didn’t have too much trouble.”

“You always speak so humbly.”

Choi Young-joon smiled and replied to Shin Byung-hoon’s words.

“Because it’s true. I’ve only been in this field for three years. I can’t be better than the employees who have been working hard for over a decade. My job is just to listen carefully to them.”

Compared to the other assertive successors, Choi Young-joon didn’t stand out, but he had several qualities that Shin Byung-hoon liked.

“I should learn that from you, Managing Director Choi.”

“Haven’t you been doing that for a long time, Vice President-nim? Actually, I learned it from you.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

Choi Young-joon looked at the documents that covered Shin Byung-hoon’s desk.

“You’re looking at the personnel records of the employees as soon as you arrived.”

“It’s an old habit.”

“So, have you found a ‘Willy’ you like?”

“Hahaha. You remember that. I found a few, but strangely, they’re all in the same team.”

“That’s quite interesting. I also found two ‘Willies’ after coming here, but they were on different teams.”

Shin Byung-hoon burst into laughter at those words.

“So, did you catch them both?”

“Unfortunately, I only managed to catch one.”

“Catching even one is a feat. I was actually curious about something, so this is perfect. Do you happen to know Assistant Manager Ahn Jeong-gyu well?”

Choi Young-joon smiled and said,

“Of course, I do. He’s the ‘Willy’ I caught. A very competent and political figure.”

‘He was harboring resentment. He must be rivals with Manager Park Joon-hyung.’

“Ah, it’s a shame that Managing Director Choi caught him.”

When Shin Byung-hoon expressed his regret, Choi Young-joon smiled and shook his head.

“No. You said they were on the same team, right? Team Leader Ahn Jeong-gyu, Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak, and employee Kim Chul-soo. Aren’t they the ‘Willies’ you want to catch, Vice President-nim?”

“Hahaha.”

Shin Byung-hoon was slightly surprised by Choi Young-joon, who had seen through his thoughts.

‘He’s grown.’

Choi Young-joon said with a smile,

“Vice President-nim, how about we join forces? I think I can deliver at least two of them to you.”

Shin Byung-hoon, bursting into laughter, continued,

“I don’t see a reason to take your hand, Managing Director Choi.”

“As expected, you won’t be easily persuaded.”

“Are you thinking of joining the succession war?”

“Yes. I want to dream too.”

“Why do you suddenly want to wear clothes that don’t fit you?”

“Does there have to be a reason for that?”

Shin Byung-hoon looked at Choi Young-joon, who asked the question with calm eyes and without trembling.

‘He’s serious.’

“Have you talked to your brothers?”

Choi Young-joon smiled at those words.

“I wouldn’t do something so foolish. I have no power, so I have to nurture it secretly.”

“Hmm. Managing Director Choi, you have nothing right now.”

“That’s why I’m going to start acquiring it now.”

Shin Byung-hoon stared at Choi Young-joon for a moment before getting up from the sofa and walking towards the window.

“Why?”

“First, I need to become the President of Han-Young Corporation. If Vice President-nim supports me, I think I can compete with President Yoo Ji-hoon somehow.”

“If you lose that fight, I don’t know about you, Managing Director Choi, but I’ll have to resign.”

Choi Young-joon stood up at those words.

“I learned a lot when I was under you at the construction company. I admired how you pushed forward without giving up, even when you saw a cliff ahead. And it seems I’ve forgotten how much time has passed.”

The past.

There was a time when he lived like that.

A time when he ran around tirelessly to close deals, regardless of the consequences.

Shin Byung-hoon, looking at Choi Young-joon’s back as he walked away, thought,

‘He’s become quite dignified.’

Did Choi Young-joon see a similar back when he was behind him back then?

“Managing Director Choi.”

Choi Young-joon stopped walking.

“I will neither refuse nor accept. But can you lend me the ‘Willies’? I need them to succeed in this project.”

Choi Young-joon turned around.

Neither refusing nor accepting meant that he would observe.

Whether he was a man worthy of entrusting his life to.

“Of course.”

And then he bowed deeply.

Choi Young-joon was always bowing to people, which often earned him scolding from Chairman Choi Kyung-hoon.

But Shin Byung-hoon knew that this was his way.

Because Choi Young-joon was a man who wielded influence with gentleness, not charisma.

******

Greek mythology tells the story of Sisyphus.

Albert Camus wrote “The Myth of Sisyphus” based on this story, and the literary master André Maurois said:

The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.

Lee Jung-seok, driven to distraction by the endless stream of meaningless tasks, imagined Sisyphus holding up a giant rock on a steep cliff.

If he relaxed his strength even for a moment, he would be crushed to death by the rock, so he had no choice but to keep holding on.

Could there be a more terrible shackle than endlessly repeating meaningless labor?

Then he turned his gaze to Kim Chul-soo, who was on the phone across from him, typing with one hand and taking notes with the other.

“Yes, Assistant Manager Gong. Please contact me when the shipping date is decided. Yes. Thank you.”

As soon as Kim Chul-soo finished his note, Lee Jun-hak handed him two file folders and said,

“Chul-soo, please complete the financial analysis report.”

“Yes, Assistant Manager Lee.”

“And please check Manager Pyo’s materials for typos.”

“Don’t worry.”

Kim Chul-soo took them and placed them on his desk when he caught Lee Jung-seok staring blankly at him.

Lee Jung-seok quickly lowered his head, and Kim Chul-soo tilted his head, puzzled, then realized something.

‘From that position, he could see my computer screen.’

Kim Chul-soo said to Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak,

“May I take a short coffee break?”

“Go ahead.”

Kim Chul-soo got up with Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak’s permission and knocked on Lee Jung-seok’s partition.

“Jung-seok-ssi, would you like to have some coffee?”

“It’s okay……”

Assistant Manager Shin Dong-hyun twirled his pen and said,

“Jung-seok-ssi, go ahead. Chul-soo-ssi, please comfort our Jung-seok. He seems to be half out of his mind these days.”

“Yes, Assistant Manager Shin.”

“Okay. I trust you, Chul-soo-ssi. When you have time, teach him how to navigate company life.”

“Understood. That’s what being colleagues is all about.”

“You’re reliable as always. How about coming to our team next time?”

Then, Lee Jun-hak glared at Assistant Manager Shin Dong-hyun with a frightening look.

“Are you trying to die?”

“Ahaha. No. Why are you so scary?”

As Kim Chul-soo and Lee Jung-seok went outside, Lee Jun-hak relaxed his expression and pretended to drink coffee, and Shin Dong-hyun nodded.

We need to talk.

Lee Jung-seok.

He was barely a presence in Kim Chul-soo’s memory.

He only remembered that Lee Jung-seok quit within a year.

He attended the alumni gatherings but rarely spoke.

Perhaps he was introverted.

“You don’t like coffee, do you?”

“No.”

Before Lee Jung-seok could answer, two colas dropped from the vending machine.

“How did you know I like cola?”

“I saw a lot of cola cans in Team 4 when I was cleaning the office this morning. It’s not something the others would like.”

“Ah, when you were cleaning this morning?”

“Yes. I come to work every day at 7 am. The cleaning ladies are usually working around that time.”

“Ah……”

Lee Jung-seok looked at Kim Chul-soo with slightly surprised eyes at the mention of him coming to work at 7 am every day.

Kim Chul-soo, seemingly unconcerned by the gaze, opened his cola can and said,

“It’s tough, isn’t it?”

“Huh? Ah.”

Lee Jung-seok took a sip of his cola and let out a short sigh.

He was introverted and quite passive.

Not the type of person who would apply for the Sales Team.

Kim Chul-soo silently stared blankly at the sky with him, drinking cola, before speaking.

“How’s Sales Team 4?”

Lee Jung-seok gave a bitter smile.

“I didn’t want to join the Sales Team. I don’t think it suits my personality.”

“Then why the Sales Team?”

“The company probably decided. I speak three languages.”

“Ah! You’re an elite.”

“Even so, I’m useless. I’m just finished.”

Lee Jung-seok grabbed his head with both hands and shook it.

Kim Chul-soo couldn’t help but feel curious.

‘He wouldn’t say he’s finished just because he’s not good at his job. Is there something else going on?’

Since he could see his computer screen from Lee Jung-seok’s seat, he had intended to confirm if Lee Jung-seok was the one who reported to the Ethics Management Department that the Chairman’s information was stored on his computer.

However, Lee Jung-seok seemed to be shaken by something entirely different.

“Are you having a hard time?”

Lee Jung-seok hesitated, unsure whether to speak or not.

“That’s what colleagues are for, right? Sharing your troubles and comforting each other.”

Kim Chul-soo subtly nudged him, and Lee Jung-seok nodded and opened his mouth.

“You’re good at your job and navigating company life, Chul-soo-ssi, so you might know the answer.”

Lee Jung-seok paused for a long time before speaking.

“What should I do if I found out about my superior’s corruption?”

Inexperienced new employees spill all sorts of information if you handle them gently.

A memory surfaced in Kim Chul-soo’s mind at Lee Jung-seok’s words.

Although the Sales Department had been completely restructured due to organizational changes, quite a few people had been dismissed due to a corruption scandal.

And the main culprit of that corruption was someone from the previous Sales Team 4.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have said that……”

Lee Jung-seok sighed as if he regretted speaking, but his expression seemed much more relaxed than before.

“Does your superior know? That you know?”

“Probably…… not.”

“Then are you sure it’s corruption?”

“I think so, but I don’t know what to do. If I bring this up, I’ll become a whistleblower, but I don’t think I can keep my mouth shut either. My mind is just a mess.”

‘Ah, that’s why Lee Jung-seok-ssi quit early. Seeing him afraid of whistleblowing, I don’t think he’s the one who reported me to the Ethics Management Department.’

He could speak three languages.

And if he was this shaken by this incident, he didn’t seem like the type to harbor ambitions.

It seemed like he could be quite useful if kept close.

Kim Chul-soo organized his thoughts while drinking his cola.

“It’s a difficult situation.”

“Right? What should I do?”

“If you directly make this public, you’ll be branded as a whistleblower, and your company life will become very difficult.”

Lee Jung-seok lowered his head and sighed at those words.

“It would be best to just bury it.”

Lee Jung-seok shook his head at Kim Chul-soo’s words.

“It keeps lingering in my mind. I can’t focus on anything because of it. Every time I see that person, my heart pounds, and I involuntarily shrink back. Is quitting the only answer?”

He was the typical model student type who would become easy prey for the experienced wolves in society.

This type of person lacks the ability to resolve conflicts through independent thinking, but they execute instructions quite accurately when given advice.

Just like learning from a teacher and taking a test.

Kim Chul-soo drew a line and spoke.

“Even if you run away, it will be the same wherever you go. Such things happen everywhere people live.”

“Sigh.”

“I think I can coach you.”

As expected, Lee Jung-seok’s eyes lit up.

“Is that okay? With you, Kim Chul-soo-ssi? We’re colleagues after all.”

“This is just between the two of us, right?”

Lee Jung-seok raised his lowered head at Kim Chul-soo’s words.

“Yes.”

“And you don’t have to tell me who the person committing the corruption is. I’ll just offer advice.”

Lee Jung-seok was relieved to hear that he didn’t have to reveal the person’s identity.

“Okay.”