Chapter 10

© Yeongwan (映完)

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After finishing the interview and returning home, Yeonghoon felt good due to an indescribable sense of anticipation. He had wanted to become an ordinary office worker like everyone else, but unexpectedly ended up joining Hyunjin Industries, a large corporation, which made him feel like he was one step closer to his life's goal. Now, he could start saving his salary steadily and eventually buy a small house with a loan. He hadn't thought about meeting a woman. His fate was so bad that if he met a woman with a tree in her horoscope, it could potentially enhance his fire energy and summon a god. It was a fate that didn't allow him to meet women casually. Nonetheless, to maintain his good mood, he enjoyed a meal of pork belly and beer in his suit near his home, savoring the feeling of being a salaried worker. When he entered the dormitory, the landlady greeted him at the entrance.

"Single man, I heard you had an interview today. Did it go well?"

"Yes, it seems to have gone well."

"Is that so? That's a relief. Phew, try to stick with it this time. You need to have perseverance. What's the point of quitting after just a month?"

The landlady had asked if he had quit his job when she noticed he hadn't gone to work for a few days, despite going to work punctually every morning. Yeonghoon, who knew she was the type to be interested in others' affairs, explained that he had quit his job and was looking for a new one. Since then, every time their eyes met, she would ask if he had found a new job.

Now that he had passed the interview, he thought he wouldn't have to deal with her meddling, which was a mix of concern and interference, and that was a relief.

"I have to work hard now."

"But where are you going to work? You're not young anymore, so shouldn't you find a stable job?"

The landlady, who was curious about everything, couldn't have missed asking about his age. She must have already done a thorough background check on him on the first day.

"Well, this company is quite good."

"Really? Where is it?"

"Hyunjin Industries."

"Hyunjin Industries?"

The landlady was startled and asked again, as if trying to confirm.

"Hyunjin Industries? The large corporation? The huge one?"

"Yes, I went to the headquarters in Euljiro for the interview today."

After staring at Yeonghoon for a while, the landlady asked again.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? It's supposed to be really hard to get in there, right?"

"Ah, I don't think so. Of course, it's hard for someone like me who hasn't studied much, but Hyunjin Group isn't one of the top three conglomerates in Korea. It's just one of the top ten."

The landlady shouted.

"Top ten? How big is that? Are you lying? To apply there, you need to have an excellent university and be very good at English, right?"

Yeonghoon started to wonder why the landlady was so excited. From his physiognomy, he didn't see any excessive greed or jealousy.

"It was just good luck. Is there something wrong with me joining?"

At that moment, the landlady seemed to realize she was overreacting and quickly averted her gaze.

"No, that's not it... These days, people lie about their education and jobs, you know."

"Why would I lie to you, landlady? If I get a good job, will you lower my dormitory rent?"

"No, I won't."

"Exactly. Why would I lie about my job?"

"Are you trying to impress my daughter?"

"Huh? Hahaha!"

Yeonghoon laughed for a while and waved his hand.

"Oh, never mind. Don't worry, landlady. There's absolutely no such thing."

"But if you work at Hyunjin Industries, you'll see my daughter, right?"

"Does she work there?"

"Yes, she works there. She's very smart."

"I see. I start in a week, so I might meet her. But the company is big, so I might not. I'll go in now."

Yeonghoon entered his room, leaving the landlady, who looked somewhat displeased. He took off his suit, which smelled strongly of pork belly, and changed into comfortable clothes. Suddenly, he thought of the landlady. He wasn't sure if she was upset because he had lied to impress her daughter or if she was just jealous, but one thing was clear: the world was harsh.

He couldn't blame her. He had seen how hard his daughter had worked to get into a good university and then a good company. For a young man from the countryside to suddenly get a job at a company where his daughter had struggled to get in must have felt like a denial of her hard work.

What good would it do to blame the landlady for the way the world had changed? He just hoped that he wouldn't get entangled with the landlady's daughter and be misunderstood.

*

Time passed quickly.

During that time, he bought a few more suits, shirts, ties, and socks, and spent his time studying English through YouTube and mobile apps. Even though he had confidently (or perhaps not so confidently) said he was bad at English, he didn't think he could stop trying. He believed he needed to work much harder than others, so he dedicated himself to studying English, even cutting down on his sleep.

When he arrived at the company with a small trunk he had bought cheaply in Dongdaemun, he saw that dozens of people had already gathered. After observing for a moment, he joined the line that seemed to be waiting for a bus, and someone started checking attendance.

"Jo Yunhee!"

"Kim Eun-jung!"

"Kang Kyunhoon!"

And finally, the name he had been waiting for was called.

"Choi Yeonghoon!"

"Here!"

Yeonghoon answered loudly and raised his hand. Some people turned to look, perhaps because his voice was a bit loud, but he was so happy to be part of the company that he didn't mind their gazes.

Then, someone ran up to him and spoke.

"Choi Yeonghoon?"

He turned his head and saw the person he had met on the interview day.

"Ah, yes. Hello."

"Can I have a word with you for a moment?"

It seemed like there was something private to discuss, so Yeonghoon followed without asking.

However, as Yeonghoon disappeared with the HR employee, the other new employees started to look at him suspiciously.

"What's going on? Is that an HR employee? Why is he taking him?"

"Yes, I saw that HR employee on the interview day. But does he need to be called out separately for a talk?"

"Maybe the person who just followed him is someone really important?"

"Ooh, that sounds plausible."

Unaware of the whispers behind him, Yeonghoon was listening to the instructions from Mr. Oh, the HR representative.

"Under no circumstances should you let anyone know that you had a separate interview with the CEO. You understand why, right?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Also, we think you are too honest."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It means you don't know how to exaggerate a bit about yourself. For example, if your colleagues ask you which university you graduated from and what you studied, you won't say you studied philosophy in the mountains, right?"

This was something Yeonghoon had been concerned about before coming.

If he told the truth, he would seem strange, but if he lied, it would contradict his resume.

"What should I do, then?"

"You must not forget what I'm about to tell you."

"Yes."

"Say you studied abroad and went to a local university, but never mention the name. Just smile as if they don't need to know."

"Understood."

"If they ask what you studied, say you majored in psychology. This is your strength, so we don't need to worry about it, right?"

Yeonghoon smiled inwardly but nodded.

"You don't need to worry about that."

"Good. The important thing is this: you must not tarnish the CEO's reputation. Do not provide information that could make you suspicious. Try to blend in during the orientation and live a low-key life."

"Understood."

"Then, when you return and your colleagues ask what you talked about with the HR employee, what will you say?"

Is this a test?

His sharp eyes clearly wanted to see how he would answer.

"I'll say that I had to correct my resident registration number on my resume."

"Not bad. If they keep asking and don't believe you, you can add that your bank account couldn't be opened because your resident registration number was blocked."

"Understood."

"Go ahead."

However, when Yeonghoon returned, one of the new employees looked at him disapprovingly.

'What's going on? Why did the HR department call him out separately? Is he part of Song CEO's line?'

This person was Yang Joon-ki, the second son of Executive Vice President Yang Chul-ki. He had stood out from the beginning of the recruitment process and had been the top-ranked candidate in the interview. He had already identified the employees he needed to be cautious about and those he needed to be close to, but this cheerful-looking employee was not on his list.

Rumors were circulating that CEO Song Eun-chae had secretly hired a new employee through the public recruitment process.

This person was likely CEO Song's pick.

'I need to keep an eye on him.'

At that moment, Yang Joon-ki added one more name to his list of people to be cautious about.

The end