NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
After recruiting Eerin, I was preparing for a job change when one day, I received an email.
The content of the email was a very common headhunting offer, but the issue was that the company requesting the headhunting was Enson GT, the competitor of my current employer, ND Soft.
Furthermore, the position being headhunted for was the role of Mobile Game Development Director.
Clearly, before the regression, Enson GT didn’t jump into mobile game development seriously until at least 4-5 years from now…
An unexpected variable had appeared.
Of course, when evaluated, whether this variable was good or bad, it was undeniably on the positive side, so…
After pondering this for a while while staring at the screen, I decided to accept the offer.
If I failed the interview, there was nothing much I could do,
but if I succeeded, I would get the best choice out of the options available.
It was, in essence, a low-risk, high-return situation.
***
A late night.
In the office of Enson GT Main Office where all the employees had already gone home, a woman was staring at a monitor.
Her name was Su-yeon Jo.
She was the Executive Producer at Enson GT and the one who had personally sent the headhunting email to Jihojin.
“Is this truly the right choice?”
In fact, from Su-yeon’s perspective, this headhunting case was a gamble.
A typical high-risk, high-return gamble.
Due to her father’s influence, she had successfully achieved the position of the youngest president at Enson GT, but Su-yeon knew something.
That this was the start of the test her father had presented her with.
Contrary to her father’s advice of gradually building her career within Enson headquarters, now that she had taken the title of Executive Producer, she needed results to maintain it.
So, the person she had selected was Jihojin.
Choosing him during such a critical time when she needed results was due to the conference presentation content displayed on the monitor in front of her.
The rapid growth of the still-blue-ocean mobile game market.
The compatibility of subculture with the clear limitations of the mobile platform.
The expansion strategy of IPs based on subculture mobile games.
Jihojin’s presentation video had been a great shock to Su-yeon.
It showed a roadmap that went beyond what she had imagined.
Because of that, despite sending him a headhunting email almost as though enchanted, she had no regrets.
By her judgment, if she succeeded in recruiting him, not only would she achieve tangible results, but she could aim for even more.
***
She was small.
This was the thought that came to me as soon as I entered the interview room and sat down.
That thought was reasonable since the interviewer across from me, who was examining her notebook screen, appeared rather petite.
If her seated height was like this, she was probably around 150 cm tall.
Additionally, one unique aspect was that she was staring at me with eyes that sparkled to an almost unsettling degree.
It was a little intimidating that she showed so much interest in someone she had just met.
“Excuse me, Mr. Jihojin?”
“Yes.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Su-yeon Jo, the Executive Producer at Enson GT who will be conducting your interview today.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jihojin, one of the applicants participating in today’s interview.”
After bowing our greetings, the interview began smoothly at first.
That was, until the job-related questions started.
I began to feel something was off about the interview when the questions turned exceedingly basic.
As the roundabout questions continued, making me increasingly confused,
Su-yeon, sitting across from me, threw away the question sheet onto the desk and looked at me matter-of-factly.
“Mr. Applicant.”
“Yes?”
“To be honest, these basic job-related questions are just formalities. Let me be direct: do you feel confident?”
“Confident about what exactly?”
“If our company supports you, Mr. Hojin, can you achieve results?”
“…”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, I couldn’t respond. But Su-yeon, seemingly not expecting an answer, sighed and continued.
“Truth be told, it was me who pushed for hiring you despite opposition from other executives.”
“It feels presumptuous for me to ask, but why?”
“I saw it… Your presentation video.”
“Presentation video? Oh, the one from this year’s NDC (Enson Developer Conference)?”
“Yes, NDC. There, Mr. Hojin, you talked about the growth of the subculture mobile game market and the importance of expanding IPs.”
“That’s correct.”
“I glimpsed your potential in that presentation and the accompanying proposal you sent, and that potential has compelled me to stake my bet on you.”
Taking a sip of water from the water bottle to ease her throat, Su-yeon continued.
“Whether you choose to accept my bet is up to you.”
“What happens if I refuse?”
“Even if you refuse, Mr. Hojin, there will be no adverse effects on you. You’d just miss the chance to transfer to our company, that’s all.”
“That there would be no adverse effects on me suggests…?”
My concerned tone caused a surprised smile to appear on Su-yeon’s face as she replied,
“I won’t have any issues either.”
“In that case, I’ll accept. I can’t let this opportunity slip. But…”
“But?”
“Could I bring in one more experienced hire?”
***
Only after leaving the interview room did I let out a sigh of relief.
It was risky asking for Yerin to be hired along with me.
Had Su-yeon, the interviewer, not been putting everything on the line herself, it would have been a situation where I’d have been kicked out of the room.
I’ve been feeling like I’m moving too fast lately, but this isn’t the time to rely on blind luck.
With a sigh of relief, I raised my smartphone and called Yerin.
[Oh, Senior, how did the interview go?]
“Luckily, I got in. They set a joining date for both of us.”
[Ah, good. I thought you’d succeed, Senior. But… both of us?]
“Me and Yerin. Wasn’t that our plan?”
[Wait a second. Wasn’t I supposed to join after observing your situation once you transferred?]
“Well, the situation changed.”
[So… Senior, you didn’t actually go to the interview and ask them to hire me as well?]
“That’s right.”
[That’s insane… Who goes to an interview and starts bringing in extra people for hire? And you even got them to agree?!]
“Well, it somehow worked…”
[This is driving me crazy, Senior. My sense of normalcy flips every time I’m around you.]
“But the result is good, right?”
[So I can’t be mad about it. Anyway, good job. Thank you.]
“Thank you. I’ll contact you again once everything’s lined up. Meanwhile, if there’s anything left for the handover, take care of it.”
[Yes.]
After concluding the call with Yerin, a few days later, I returned to the company to submit my resignation.
I did briefly worry if my manager had already heard about my move to a competitor,
but given that my manager had shown no reaction until the very moment I handed in my resignation, it seemed like Enson GT had properly managed the news.
After completing all preparations for the job change, I started my new job on the esteemed Monday at Enson GT Main Office, where I was greeted by…
“Mr. Ho-jin, you’ve come earlier than I expected! Nice to see you.”
It was Su-yeon Jo, the executive producer of Enson GT, dressed casually, unlike during the interview, and welcoming me warmly.
*
The new office assigned to me after being guided by Su-yeon was surprisingly spacious and comfortable.
I looked at Su-yeon, wondering if it was appropriate to allocate such a large office given that the team wasn’t even formed yet, but…
“Is something wrong? Does it feel too small? This size should be pretty appropriate for a team, don’t you think?”
“Actually, I was just thinking the opposite…”
“Really? I thought it wasn’t too small, but also not overly large.”
“…”
I could clearly see the difference in perception between the golden spoon and the commoner.
“Anyway, today I’ll give you a basic tour, so look forward to it. By the way, how old are you?”
“I will be 29 this year.”
“29? So, I’m the older one, meaning I can be informal, right? You seem small in stature too, so if informal speech bothers you, let me know immediately.”
Just hang on… older sister?
“Excuse me, how old is the producer…?”
“31.”
“…”
I could do nothing but close my mouth at the age that exceeded what I had imagined.
“In any case, the Management Support Team said they’ll set up your internet and supplies by the end of today, so you can check it tomorrow. The employee card will take a little longer.”
“When will I be able to meet my team members?”
“The organizational reconfiguration and transfers start tomorrow, so they’ll probably start showing up here from tomorrow. We’ll do introductions then.”
Su-yeon, seemingly satisfied with my nodding, took my hand and said,
“In the meantime, let me give you a tour of the head office, follow me.”