New Employee Kim Chul-soo

Chapter 5

“Where’d our Joon-hak go?”

Section Chief Pyo Il-soo subtly glanced at Kim Chul-soo’s computer screen. Kim Chul-soo seemed quite focused on whatever he was doing.

It was an internal article about Choi Kyung-hoon, the chairman of Han-Young Group.

“He went on a business trip to Busan.”

“Ah! Right. It’s about checking the unloading of the feed wheat from Ukraine, right?”

“Yes, Section Chief.”

“We’re really short-handed…”

Kim Chul-soo looked at Section Chief Pyo Il-soo and spoke energetically.

“If you give me the task, I’ll do my best.”

Hearing that, Pyo Il-soo glanced at Kim Chul-soo with a dubious look, recalling the conversation he had with Lee Jun-hak yesterday.

━I gave him some tasks yesterday, and the guy seems to have a knack for work.

━Really?

━I think it’ll be alright to give him tasks as long as they’re not sales-related.

━If our Joon-hak says so, then it must be true.

“You did make reports and such in the Applied Music department, right?”

“Yes, Section Chief!”

Kim Chul-soo answered with enthusiastic eyes. Pyo Il-soo made a calculation.

There would be typos and formatting errors.

He roughly estimated the time it would take to correct them and nodded.

“Come here.”

Kim Chul-soo followed Pyo Il-soo to his desk.

“This is the draft file.”

“Yes, Section Chief.”

“I need to use this in a meeting tonight, so summarize it into about two pages according to the company format. You can do it before lunch, right?”

‘Of course, it’s a piece of cake.’

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

No matter how competent a new employee is, they won’t fight with a Section Chief over their responsibilities.

That’s why it’s always best to perform well when a Section Chief assigns a task.

Even if you just do what’s asked, you’ll be known as a ‘competent employee.’

Once you reach the position of Section Chief, performance becomes the main criterion for personnel evaluation, so you can’t help but instinctively favor a competent employee.

This is why Section Chief Pyo Il-soo always calls Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak “our Joon-hak.”

Kim Chul-soo immediately started working, and Section Chief Pyo immersed himself in his tasks, answering ringing phones.

━Proposal for the import of health food ingredients from Cambodia

‘Ah! This one?’

The data Section Chief Pyo Il-soo handed over was a proposal to sell raw materials from Cambodia to a famous health food manufacturer in Korea.

This raw material, called ‘Kroeit Posa,’ was simply an orange.

Because the peel was too hard to eat, it was peeled with a knife, ground, and used as an ingredient for beverages.

After Cambodia grew as a tourist destination after 2010, it became a fruit favored by tourists, but at this time, it was as cheap as a stone.

Therefore, Section Chief Pyo Il-soo was planning a project to sell oranges to Company D as a health food ingredient.

And it was also the project where a major incident occurred that greatly shook the Sales Team 5.

Because it was a trade scam.

A case where the party responsible for shipping the goods disappeared after receiving the money.

Kim Chul-soo finished his thoughts and completed a two-page presentation using the draft provided by Section Chief Pyo Il-soo, accurately following the company format.

Then, he opened an internet window and started searching for Cambodian Company A, which was supposedly selling ‘Kroeit Posa.’

Section Chief Pyo Il-soo, who was busy making calls and sending emails to buyers and clients, took advantage of a brief moment of clarity and checked his watch.

11:32 a.m.

It was almost lunchtime, but the new employee he had given a task to earlier hadn’t brought the results yet. So, he got up and quietly walked over to Kim Chul-soo’s side.

Seeing Kim Chul-soo, who was supposed to be writing a document, engrossed in internet searching instead, Pyo Il-soo asked in an unpleasant voice,

“What are you doing? Newbie?”

“Yes, Section Chief. I was just looking something up for a moment.”

“What are you looking up?”

“I was looking up information on Company A in Cambodia.”

“Why are you looking them up?”

Kim Chul-soo scratched his head and answered,

“I learned during training that when dealing with companies in emerging markets, it’s essential to check if the company actually exists, their creditworthiness, and whether they have export insurance. So, I unconsciously…”

At Kim Chul-soo’s words, Pyo Il-soo remembered that he hadn’t thoroughly investigated the counterparty company.

“So, you looked them up. What about it?”

“When I searched using the representative phone number on Company A’s website, I found three completely different companies using the same number as their representative number.”

“What?”

Pyo Il-soo’s expression hardened.

“But, I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right…”

“Move aside.”

At Pyo Il-soo’s harsh tone, Kim Chul-soo quickly got up.

Pyo Il-soo sat in Kim Chul-soo’s chair, scanned the information he had found, and sighed in disbelief.

Then he went back to his desk, made a phone call, and shouted in English for a while.

Teams 4 and 6 next to them watched Section Chief Pyo Il-soo with worried eyes.

He was famous for never raising his voice.

They could easily imagine how angry he was.

Meanwhile, Kim Chul-soo printed the document he had created and ran to the copy room.

Ahn Jeong-gyu, who had just finished the team leader meeting, saw Pyo Il-soo hang up the phone as if he was going to smash it and made a displeased expression.

“Section Chief Pyo, what’s going on?”

Section Chief Pyo took a deep breath after fuming for a while.

“It’s about the Cambodia project.”

“Yes.”

“I think it’s a scam.”

“What?”

Ahn Jeong-gyu put his diary on the desk and focused his attention on Pyo Il-soo.

After Pyo Il-soo finished explaining, Ahn Jeong-gyu clicked his tongue.

“I thought the terms were too favorable… What would have happened if this proposal had been accepted and we had started!”

Ahn Jeong-gyu shouted, but Pyo Il-soo bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry, Team Leader.”

“Oh, this guy…”

Ahn Jeong-gyu suppressed his rising anger.

It was fortunate that they had discovered it before it started.

“How did you find out?”

“When I searched using Company A’s representative phone number, I found three companies using the same number as their representative number.”

“Huh…”

Ahn Jeong-gyu clicked his tongue and asked Pyo Il-soo.

“How did you think of doing that?”

“I asked the new employee to write the document…”

“You mean that guy found it?”

Ahn Jeong-gyu pointed at Kim Chul-soo, who was walking over with the printout.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

Hearing this, Ahn Jeong-gyu quietly said to Pyo Il-soo.

“Hey, you should have said you found it.”

Then Pyo Il-soo quietly replied.

“No, how could I do that?”

When Kim Chul-soo arrived with the printout, Ahn Jeong-gyu immediately changed the subject.

“It’s a relief that you found out somehow. What are you going to do?”

“We’ll lower the terms and look for other suppliers.”

“Okay. Try to make it happen somehow.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

As their conversation ended, Kim Chul-soo handed the USB and printout to Section Chief Pyo Il-soo.

“Here you go.”

“You worked hard, but it turned out to be unnecessary.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay.”

Pyo Il-soo felt a cold sweat running down his back and then patted Kim Chul-soo’s shoulder.

If the new employee hadn’t found it this way, the entire Sales Team 5 would have been in ruins.

“Good job, newbie.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu listened to their conversation and looked at Kim Chul-soo with a profound gaze.

‘It seems everyone in the HR team has become a quack since Park Joon-hyung joined. This guy, with such brilliant ideas, is the last place? Well, he passes the first impression test.’

“Hey! Let’s go eat! I’m starving. Let’s have Samgyetang today and nourish ourselves.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

Pyo Il-soo put on his suit jacket and urged Kim Chul-soo, who was standing blankly.

“What are you doing, newbie? Aren’t you part of our team?”

“Ah… Yes, I understand.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu, turning his stiff neck, took the lead, and Pyo Il-soo followed.

Kim Chul-soo followed them with quick steps.

As the three got into the elevator, Ahn Jeong-gyu asked Kim Chul-soo.

“What’s your name again?”

“It’s Kim Chul-soo, Team Leader.”

“Ah, Kim Chul-soo. Right. Kim Chul-soo. It was so ordinary that I forgot. Section Chief Pyo.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Let’s have a welcome dinner for the new employee this Friday, shall we?”

“Yes, I’ll quickly prepare for it.”

“Okay.”

The team leader calling his name several times to remember it.

It meant he had made a strong impression.

Betray and you die.

“The documents are all ready. Once you bring the contract, the loan will be processed.”

Kim Chul-soo nodded at the words of the female employee in charge of welfare in the HR team.

“Thank you.”

A 20 million won loan at 2.5% interest.

A one-year grace period, payable over five years.

The loan would be processed immediately once he brought the house contract. Kim Chul-soo was really happy.

He was planning to tell his mother to look for a house when he got home today.

A house with a spacious bathroom for showering, a house with only a few stairs to climb, and three rooms.

Three rooms would be difficult with 20 million won.

“Oh, Kim Chul-soo?”

Kim Chul-soo turned around at the gentle voice.

It was Deputy General Manager Park Joon-hyung.

“Ah, Deputy General Manager! Hello!”

As Kim Chul-soo bowed deeply, Park Joon-hyung nodded.

“Yes. What brings you here?”

“I came to get a company loan.”

“Ah, I see. Is there anything you need to report?”

“Yes! There was a huge incident today.”

Kim Chul-soo’s expression, as if he had witnessed something truly enormous, piqued Park Joon-hyung’s curiosity.

“Let’s talk over there for a moment.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Kim Chul-soo, following Park Joon-hyung into the counseling room, started exaggerating the morning’s events.

“If it weren’t for Section Chief Pyo Il-soo, Sales Team 5 would have been in big trouble because of the Cambodia project.”

“Big trouble? What do you mean?”

“The company that was supposed to ship the goods didn’t actually exist.”

“Ah! Is that so?”

“Yes. Fortunately, Section Chief Pyo Il-soo discovered it, and Team Leader Ahn Jeong-gyu resolved it immediately, so there were no problems. If it weren’t for them, the company would have suffered a huge loss. And…”

Park Joon-hyung expertly put on an attentive expression while cursing inwardly.

‘Oh, this stupid bastard, why is he talking about things that went well?’

Kim Chul-soo praised Team Leader Ahn Jeong-gyu and Section Chief Pyo Il-soo profusely, thinking to himself.

‘Isn’t it annoying to hear? Hearing that your rival is doing well?’

“Ah, I see. If it weren’t for Team Leader Ahn Jeong-gyu and Section Chief Pyo Il-soo, the company would have suffered a significant loss.”

“Yes, Deputy General Manager. They are both very competent.”

“Yes. Please let me know if anything major happens in the future, good or bad.”

“Yes, I understand, Deputy General Manager!”

“It’s working hours, so go back to work.”

“Yes, Deputy General Manager.”

Kim Chul-soo quickly left the counseling room.

No matter how well a superior from another department treated him, the person who held his fate was Team Leader Ahn.

It was a difficult situation to be caught between the future HR team leader and his current team leader.

But it wasn’t impossible.

Park Joon-hyung, with a completely rotten expression unlike his usual gentle one, sat down and muttered.

“Oh, that clueless, foolish bear cub.”

******

“Chul-soo.”

After lunch, Section Chief Pyo started calling him by his name.

“Yes, Section Chief.”

“Make 10 copies of this.”

“Yes, Section Chief.”

Kim Chul-soo headed to the copy room with the documents from Section Chief Pyo.

“Why isn’t this working?”

Jang Yoo-mi fiddled with the copier, but she couldn’t resolve the blinking error message.

This was her first assigned task, and wasting time because of the copier made her anxious.

Kim Chul-soo watched Jang Yoo-mi struggling with the copier and spoke up.

“Excuse me.”

Jang Yoo-mi turned her head abruptly.

“What’s the problem?”

“Ah… No, it’s nothing. I can handle it.”

“Okay.”

Well, copying 10 copies wasn’t urgent, but the Jang Yoo-mi he knew was stubborn and always tried to solve things herself.

If he left her like this, he might have to wait here for 30 minutes.

Kim Chul-soo looked at his digital watch and said to Jang Yoo-mi, who was fussing in front of the copier.

“I need to make copies and go to a meeting in 15 minutes. What should I do?”

“Oh, really?”

“I used to do this kind of part-time job in college. Do you mind if I take a look?”

Kim Chul-soo spoke calmly, and Jang Yoo-mi hesitated for a moment before stepping aside.

Kim Chul-soo immediately opened the copier tray, took out all the jammed paper, and fixed the problem.

“It should work now.”

“Wow, you’re good.”

“You’re welcome. Hurry up and make your copies. Assistant Manager Park will be waiting. He’s got a short fuse and will yell if you’re late.”

“Really?”

Jang Yoo-mi turned around, finished copying, and darted out of the copy room like a bullet.

But a short shout echoed from a corner.

Kim Chul-soo calmly made his copies and smiled.

******

6 PM.

“Section Chief Pyo, how’s the Cambodia project going?”

“I’ve contacted a new company. Once they send us the catalog with specifications, we’ll review it and then negotiate.”

“When will they send it?”

“They said they’d send it tomorrow.”

“Then we’ll have to cancel tonight’s meeting.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what? You should be thankful that we avoided a disaster. This… We’ll have to search the representative phone number as well when dealing with emerging countries from now on. Newbie!”

At Team Leader Ahn Jeong-gyu’s words, Kim Chul-soo jumped to his feet.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“You can leave.”

When the team leader tells you to leave, the standard procedure is to politely bow and leave.

However, the atmosphere wasn’t right for leaving now.

The Cambodia issue hadn’t been resolved, and there was no report from Assistant Manager Lee Jun-hak, who had gone down to Busan.

That meant…

Team Leader Ahn Jeong-gyu’s information network was faster than he thought.

“Thank you. Then I’ll be going.”

As Kim Chul-soo organized his desk and left, Ahn Jeong-gyu called Section Chief Pyo Il-soo.

“Let’s get some fresh air.”

Section Chief Pyo Il-soo blinked in surprise at the suggestion of getting fresh air after sending the new employee home early and followed Ahn Jeong-gyu.

“What’s going on?”

“I think that bastard Park Joon-hyung has planted a spy in our team.”

“Huh?”

They went out to the Sky Garden on the 16th floor, and there stood Kim Chul-soo, who had supposedly left for the day.

Ahn Jeong-gyu said coldly.

“I told you to leave. Why are you still here?”

Kim Chul-soo gauged Ahn Jeong-gyu’s expression and replied.

“Actually, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Kim Chul-soo quickly glanced around and, after confirming that no one was around, told Ahn Jeong-gyu.

“Yesterday, after the new employee orientation, Deputy General Manager Park Joon-hyung from the HR team asked me to report any weaknesses of Sales Team 5.”

At those words, Section Chief Pyo Il-soo’s face crumpled, and Ahn Jeong-gyu crossed his arms.

An unconscious habit that emerged when he was feeling displeased.

“However, I am part of Sales Team 5, and I know that my fate rests in your hands, Team Leader Ahn Jeong-gyu. I also know that getting on the bad side of the future HR team leader would make my work life miserable. So, I’m in a very difficult position.”

‘Look at this guy?’

Ahn Jeong-gyu uncrossed his arms, and Pyo Il-soo relaxed his frown.

“The reason I’m telling you this is that I plan to report on Sales Team 5’s activities to Deputy General Manager Park Joon-hyung for the time being. However, I intend to report only on the good things, not the weaknesses. I didn’t expect the information to reach you so quickly. I’m truly sorry for not telling you sooner.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu was shocked, as if he had been hit in the head with a metal bat.

The same went for Section Chief Pyo Il-soo.

There was such a new employee in the world?

“It’s up to you how you judge me. Then I’ll be going.”

After Kim Chul-soo bowed deeply and left the Sky Garden, Ahn Jeong-gyu started laughing like crazy.

“Bwahahahahahaha!!!!”

Pyo Il-soo also let out a dumbfounded laugh and looked back at the door Kim Chul-soo had exited.

When Ahn Jeong-gyu’s laughter subsided, Pyo Il-soo asked.

“Is he really a new employee, Team Leader?”

“Wow… Bwahahahahahaha.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu started laughing like crazy again.

After barely managing to stop laughing, with tears in his eyes, Ahn Jeong-gyu took out a cigarette from his pocket.

Pyo Il-soo quickly pulled out his lighter.

“Did you say you wanted to get some fresh air because of the new employee?”

“Yes. I heard the new employee reported everything that happened in Sales Team 5 to the HR team.”

“Ah.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu lit his cigarette, took a drag, and coughed as if he had choked.

Pyo Il-soo patted Ahn Jeong-gyu’s back and asked.

“What did he say?”

“He said that Section Chief Pyo Il-soo prevented a major accident.”

“What?”

“I didn’t think of that because I thought he was a spy. Bwahahahahahaha.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu burst into laughter again.

“Team Leader, if you laugh like that when you usually don’t, you’ll have a heart attack.”

“Hey, you’re joking at a time like this! Oh, my stomach hurts.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu took a few deep breaths and took another long drag of his cigarette.

“What are you going to do with the new employee?”

“What do you mean what am I going to do? He’s on our side.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“He just drew the line, saying he’s on our side, didn’t he? Don’t you get it? No matter how powerful the HR team leader is, I’m the one who evaluates him. If my evaluation is bad, the HR team leader can go to hell. That’s why he asked Park Joon-hyung to overlook his role as a spy. He said he wouldn’t reveal the team’s weaknesses, only the good things… Hehehe. Thinking about Park Joon-hyung having to endure listening to my praises makes me laugh. Hehehe.”

Pyo Il-soo nodded at his words.

“It seems Park Joon-hyung… that bastard has given us a huge gift. Really. This new employee is the best ever. Hahahahaha.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu burst into laughter again, and Pyo Il-soo quietly asked.

“Should we tell Joon-hak?”

“Don’t.”

“What?”

“Section Chief Pyo.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“How many years have you and Assistant Manager Lee been working?”

“Five years.”

“Damn it! Get a grip. With that difference in years, Lee Jun-hak could step on you and climb up at any time, you know.”

“Hey! What are you talking about?”

“Joon-hak, you see, is the kind of guy who will do anything to climb up if he gets the chance. He’s the type who will gladly sacrifice us to soar higher if the opportunity arises. So, don’t ever tell him.”

“Joon-hak isn’t that kind of guy, Team Leader.”

When Pyo Il-soo spoke seriously, Ahn Jeong-gyu stopped laughing.

“Section Chief Pyo, have you ever regretted listening to me?”

“No.”

“Then do as I say. We don’t know that the new employee is Park Joon-hyung’s spy.”

“But, won’t Lee Jun-hak hear about it eventually?”

“He probably will. But even if he knows, he’ll pretend he doesn’t.”

“…Why?”

“Because he’s not on my side yet. He’s still weighing whether to side with Park Joon-hyung or me. He’s watching to see who wins this war. And he’ll work hard to avoid making any mistakes. If Lee Jun-hak works hard, it becomes my achievement.”

Ahn Jeong-gyu looked down at the bottom of the building with sharp eyes.

“If you’ve joined the company, you should aim for the top.”

Pyo Il-soo sometimes felt a sense of dissonance when he saw this side of Ahn Jeong-gyu.

He felt that it didn’t suit his stability-oriented personality.

“Section Chief Pyo, just follow me. Don’t make any mistakes.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”