New Employee Kim Chul-soo

Chapter 30

Kim Chul-soo pondered how this incident would unfold while exercising at the GYM.

Senior Managing Director Jeong Se-yang, the Head of the Planning Department, was a figure of considerable power within the company.

Someone of his stature could easily cover up this matter on his own.

As long as this incident didn’t reach the Audit Department’s direct oversight.

Indeed, Senior Managing Director Jeong had managed to slip away unscathed from that incident.

However, since he didn’t know the temperament of Bae Kwang-mu, the current General Manager of Sales Team 4, he couldn’t predict how he would handle it.

Would he cover it up himself, report it to higher-ups, or hand it over to the Ethics Management Department for public scrutiny?

If the matter was hushed up within the team, the best option for Lee Jeong-seok would be to transfer to another team during the next organizational restructuring.

However, if rumors spread that he had reported his supervisor’s misconduct, it would be difficult to restore his reputation, no matter how hard he tried.

The objective evidence that he was actively trying to resolve the issue quietly would serve as a buffer, though.

Considering his personality, there was a high probability he would resign.

‘Let’s see! If I get involved in this situation, what can I gain? Even if problems arise, I have nothing to lose.’

Kim Chul-soo finished his workout and returned to the office.

Assistant Manager Shin Dong-hyun seemed to be lost in thought, clutching his head.

Kim Chul-soo neatly folded his sweat-soaked workout clothes into a plastic bag and sat down, cautiously opening his mouth.

“That’s strange.”

Shin Dong-hyun raised his head at Kim Chul-soo’s words.

“What is?”

“It’s not often that the Head of the Planning Department comes here, is it?”

At the mention of the Head of the Planning Department, Shin Dong-hyun’s heart seemed to drop, and he quickly glanced towards the entrance. Kim Chul-soo continued, observing his reaction.

“He glanced in from the entrance and then turned back.”

“Oh……? Really……?…… Why would he do that..?”

“I wonder. By the way, what brings you here today, Assistant Manager Shin?”

“Oh, I had some work. Yeah.”

Shin Dong-hyun abruptly ended the conversation with Kim Chul-soo, got up, and left the office.

‘Why did Senior Managing Director Jeong come to the Sales Department office? Did he turn back after seeing me? Why?’

Countless thoughts raced through his mind.

The anxiety that had surfaced the day before began to wash over him.

Kim Chul-soo stared blankly at Shin Dong-hyun as he left, then turned on his computer to work on the business plan.

The key to navigating internal politics was to see the hidden undercurrents.

And perceiving those hidden undercurrents was an incredibly difficult task.

Kim Chul-soo vaguely remembered the actions of those involved in this snowballing corruption scandal after they were exposed, allowing him a glimpse into those hidden depths.

‘Sometimes, a small suspicion can shake things up.’

******

Jang Yoo-mi had started receiving tasks one by one since her third month at the company, and now she was so busy that her weekday working hours weren’t enough.

She came to work on the weekend to create a high-quality report, even if it meant working overtime.

Kim Chul-soo, who was working diligently from early in the morning, caught her eye.

She had intended to come to the office every weekend to study, but the endless calls day and night often left her exhausted, unable to get out of bed on Sundays.

He was so focused that he didn’t seem to notice her even when she stood there watching him for a while.

Whenever he came to work, Kim Chul-soo was always the same, sitting in the same spot, completely engrossed in his work.

‘I’ve been called a workaholic, but Kim Chul-soo-ssi seems even more dedicated.’

Kim Chul-soo, absorbed in his work, looked up when someone tapped on his partition.

“Have you eaten?”

“Yoo-mi-ssi? When did you get here?”

“Around 9 am, I think. You were really focused.”

“Ah, I see. I was just starting to feel hungry.”

“Lunch is on me today. I’d like to get some advice from you as well.”

“Lunch in exchange for advice…… Sounds like a fair deal.”

Jang Yoo-mi chuckled and nodded at Kim Chul-soo’s words.

“Yes. There’s a new place with great value for money.”

Jang Yoo-mi led Kim Chul-soo to a newly opened pizza place.

As part of their opening promotion, all menu items were 50% off for the day, meaning they could enjoy a pizza and salad bar for just 10,000 won.

They ordered a pizza and grabbed some food from the salad bar to satisfy their hunger while they talked.

“I’ve been asked to create a special business plan, but I’m struggling to get a grasp on it. It’s based on what you presented at the 6-Sigma presentation, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“The higher-ups are all busy with their own tasks. They’ve assigned all the work to me while they focus on creating their own plans. And there’s no one to offer guidance.”

Kim Chul-soo was also surprised that even entry-level employees were included in this special business plan submission.

It was a task that entry-level employees, who lacked experience in both executing and managing projects, couldn’t possibly handle.

“They probably don’t have high expectations for us, considering our lack of experience. Don’t stress yourself out too much.”

“My colleagues seem to feel the same way, but I can’t help but want to do well. I don’t want to fall too far behind you, Chul-soo-ssi.”

“Me?”

“You know, there’s this feeling that you’ll come up with something impressive again this time, Chul-soo-ssi.”

“Haha, I doubt that.”

“People who say that while excelling are always there, just like you, Chul-soo-ssi.”

Kim Chul-soo shook his head and laughed.

“I’m just lucky. Now, tell me what you’re curious about.”

******

‘Jan Haircut’ was located on the second floor across from the pizza place.

It was Choi Hye-na’s regular hair salon.

She got her hair styled there every Saturday, and today she was getting a Lea Perm.

“Did you see this week’s episode? Lee Byung-hun was so handsome, wasn’t he……?”

“Song Hye-kyo is a good fit, but I think Kim Hee-sun would have been a better choice for the role.”

“I…… I like Ji-sang in that drama……”

Choi Hye-na remained silent throughout, seemingly uninterested in the chatter around her. Director Jang, well aware of her preferences, styled her hair without saying a word.

“How does it look?”

Choi Hye-na looked at herself in the mirror.

Her long, dark brown hair, reaching down to her chest, had been styled into natural waves, and the straight cut above her eyebrows was striking, but it was too neat.

She reached up and tousled her neatly arranged hair.

Choi Hye-na nodded, satisfied with the free-spirited and slightly decadent look.

“It’s good.”

After finishing her hair styling, Choi Hye-na put on her sunglasses to shield her eyes from the glaring sun, but her gaze suddenly fixed on something.

She saw Kim Chul-soo walking and talking happily with a woman in a neat suit.

‘So he likes that type of woman? Unbelievable……’

A feeling she had never experienced before washed over her, and Choi Hye-na shuddered.

It was a complex emotion, a mixture of jealousy and pain.

She stood there for a long time, watching them, before turning and walking back into ‘Jan Haircut.’

Director Jang, seeing her return, asked with concern,

“Is there something wrong with your hair……?”

Choi Hye-na glanced at a fashion magazine on the table and saw a picture of Song Hye-kyo, the female lead of a hit drama with over 40% viewership.

She was a casino dealer, dressed in a well-fitting suit and sporting a neat hairstyle.

“I want to look like her.”

******

Shin Dong-hyun went up to the rooftop, sat down with his head in his hands, and lost himself in thought.

He hadn’t found any of the evidence that Lee Jeong-seok claimed to have, and with the team leader returning on Tuesday, time was running out.

‘No matter how I think about it, I can’t handle this on my own. I need to contact Senior Managing Director Jeong first. I’ll decide after hearing his confirmation.’

Shin Dong-hyun made up his mind and immediately called Jeong Se-yang.

Think, think, think.

━Senior Managing Director-nim…… It’s me.

━Oh! Assistant Manager Shin. What’s the matter?

━I don’t think this incident will be resolved easily.

━I told you not to worry. I’ll take care of everything. And even if problems arise, I’ll back you up, so just relax.

━What if the Audit Department gets involved?

At Assistant Manager Shin’s words, Senior Managing Director Jeong exploded.

━Assistant Manager Shin! How many years have you been an Assistant Manager, and you can’t even control one employee!

━Sigh…… Senior Managing Director-nim…… That guy is practically insane. Judging by his actions, he seems determined to leave the company. It’s driving me crazy.

━Assistant Manager Shin! Listen carefully. Even if the Audit Department gets involved, you cut him off at your level. If you do that, I’ll get you a position as an executive at my company overseas. The salary will be much better than what you’re getting here.

As expected.

Jeong Se-yang wanted this incident to end with Shin Dong-hyun.

━If I get in trouble too, we’ll both be screwed. It’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?

Shin Dong-hyun simply replied, “Yes,” to Jeong Se-yang’s repetitive words.

━Senior Managing Director-nim, did you by any chance visit the Sales Department office today?”

━Why would I go there?

━Well, just in case……

━What nonsense. Anyway, remember what I said.

Jeong Se-yang unilaterally ended the call.

“Sigh……”

Kim Chul-soo clearly said he saw him, so why was he denying it so vehemently?

Was he planning to pretend he didn’t know anything even if things blew up and he had to take the fall?

Shin Dong-hyun let out a long sigh and suddenly craved a cigarette, even though he had quit years ago. He checked his pockets, but cigarettes wouldn’t magically appear.

Jeong Se-yang was the kind of person who climbed the corporate ladder by using his subordinates as stepping stones.

He would promise support and whatnot, but once you took the blame and left the company, he wouldn’t even acknowledge your existence.

Just like his former supervisor, Manager Song.

He had naturally become acquainted with Jeong Se-yang after taking over Manager Song’s work.

‘Damn it. I’m an idiot for being blinded by the bribes.’

The bribes he received from Jeong Se-yang’s clients were more than double his company salary.

How many people could resist such temptation?

They say a long tail gets stepped on.

It seemed like he was in a situation where he would have to take the fall and leave the company.

‘This is fucked up…… No, I can’t die like this. Think, think!’