Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 18
Title: Look After Yourself Before Others
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Taeseok finished up for the day and returned to his room.
His roommate, however, was on the phone with someone.
It wasn't on speakerphone, but the earpiece volume was turned up so high that he could hear the entire conversation.
“I think people have it out for me.”
- What’s wrong with my son? Why would they have it out for you? Should I call the company? Should I go there?
“No. I’m 29 now, I’ll handle it myself.”
- Handle it yourself? What can you handle? You can’t do anything on your own! What’s the number of the guy who gave you a hard time? I’ll go and make sure he never bothers you again.
“It’s fine.”
Taeseok couldn't help but sigh at the sight of the mama's boy.
A 29-year-old man, telling his mom every little thing that happened at work… Has he no shame?
From Taeseok’s perspective, the guy was a lost cause.
Then he noticed he also had a few missed calls.
It was his mother.
He considered stepping outside to make the call, but seeing his roommate lying on his bed and talking, Taeseok decided to press the call button too.
She picked up right away.
- Hello. Are you doing well?
“Yeah. Is everything okay with you, Mom?”
- Of course. I’m getting my treatments. When I told them my son got into a major corporation, the nurses and Mrs. Choi in the next bed were all so happy for me.
“That’s good to hear. Mom, I’ll come see you as soon as my training is over. So hang in there until then, and keep up with your exercises.”
- I will. I have to get better. That’s the only way I can go out to eat and see movies with my son.
“Yeah. Did Auntie stop by?”
- Yes. She came with your uncle this morning. Oh! Wait, don’t hang up.
His mother passed the phone to someone.
A familiar voice came through the receiver.
- It’s me, sir. Are you doing okay?
“Of course, sir! What are you doing now?”
- What do you think? I’m granting that wish you told me about. You asked me to stay by your mother’s side.
“Ah, come on. I didn’t ask you to stay with my mom until 10 PM.”
- Haha, you punk. I have to work during the day, don’t I? Hyejung is doing fine, and I come by every night to keep her company, so don’t you worry and focus on your training.
“Yes. Understood. I’ll hang up now.”
- I’ll contact you separately sometimes.
“Yes. Take care.”
A strange expression crossed Taeseok’s face as he realized Mr. Kim Hanul was there.
Just as he was debating whether to be happy about this or not, a text message arrived.
[Taeseok, are you taking your medicine properly? It seems Hyejung doesn’t know about your back injury. I think we need to talk about that separately. When is a good time for you?]
“…”
The back pain—a secret he kept so his mother wouldn’t worry.
Taeseok thought for a moment before sending a short reply.
[After the new employee training is over. I want to keep it a secret until Mom gets better. She’ll be very sad if she finds out.]
[Okay. I understand. Then take good care of yourself. Don’t overdo it.]
[Yes. Thank you, sir.]
[You’re the one…]
The texts with the middle-aged man.
The doctor who had always treated him so warmly.
The man who was now watching over his mother in his stead.
Taeseok accepted his kindness and lay on his bed, reading a book. It was the new employee training guidebook.
The locations, functions, and layouts of the training center buildings.
And the welfare benefits available to new employees.
One benefit in particular caught his eye.
A loan.
New employees could borrow up to 30 million won at a low interest rate (3.3% per annum).
Then there were brief introductions to each department.
Secretary, IT, Logistics, Security, Marketing, Production, Production Management, Quality Control, Facilities, Purchasing, Sales, R&D, Customer Service, Planning, and so on.
‘Where do I want to go? What should I do?’
Nothing was decided yet.
Just then, a system message appeared.
<Commencing Job Aptitude Adaptation Test.>
[System Message: If you had to choose one of the two, which would you pick?]
1. Honor 2. Money
‘What are you doing?’
[System Message: I am trying to help you with your choice.]
‘Help me with what?’
[System Message: Let’s just say it’s a way of figuring out your aptitude.]
Taeseok thought for a moment.
‘The greatest value? For me?’
‘It definitely wasn’t honor.’
‘Honor, for someone like me who was struggling to live day to day?’
Taeseok had no need for such a thing.
He needed wealth.
He needed it desperately.
So, deciding to play along, he answered in his mind.
‘Money, obviously. I need it for hospital bills and living expenses right now.’
[System Message: Very well. Second question. Choose one of the three.]
1. A bold, short, but dangerous path.
2. A thin, long, but easy path.
3. A path no one has taken.
Taeseok shook his head.
‘What is this!’
‘What are you trying to do?’
[System Message: This is all for user Kim Taeseok. Please answer.]
The thing kept pestering him with questions.
Taeseok was annoyed, but the questions were rather interesting, so he decided to respond to the mysterious messages for now.
These were Taeseok’s answers.
For question 1: Money.
For question 2: A path no one has taken.
For question 3: Justice.
For question 4: Good deeds.
For question 5: Not tolerating injustice.
The system compiled the results. Then it posed one last question.
[This is the final question, number 6. Can you put others in trouble for your own gain?]
1. Yes, I can.
2. No, I cannot.
3. I would consider it depending on the situation.
Taeseok stared at the system window from his top bunk, a look of disbelief on his face.
‘Do you really have to ask something like that?’
[System Message: I said it was the last question. If you answer this, I can recommend a suitable job for you.]
‘Number 2… I cannot?’
Silence fell. Taeseok pondered.
‘Me…?’
‘No. Depending on the circumstances, something like that might happen.’
So he corrected his answer.
‘I’ll choose number 3.’
The system message responded.
[A fortunate outcome. Had you chosen number 2, I would have reclassified you as a user unsuitable for the El Sung Group new employee tutorial. A corporation exists for profit. An employee exists to generate that profit. It might be different when the outlook is good and there are no competitors, but in a fiercely competitive field, a corporation is a place where you must even tear down yesterday’s allies to survive. There are no permanent allies in business. You have entered such an organization as a low-ranking member, a new employee. Please keep this in mind. Now, I will show you the jobs that are right for you.]
Details about the job fields appeared one by one.
Almost every job was listed as suitable for Taeseok.
Taeseok first clicked on Sales.
An outlook for that department appeared.
[Sales at El Sung Group can be compared to a wild beast. It requires dazzling eloquence, swift work processing, and a brilliant mind to entice people. Fortunately, user Kim Taeseok already meets two of these criteria. The remaining deficiency can be overcome with items provided in the tutorial.]
[User Kim Taeseok’s Estimated Service Period: 20 years (until age 45), Expected Lifetime Earnings: 2.37 billion won]
Next, he selected Purchasing.
[Purchasing at El Sung Group can be compared to a merchant. The role is to procure necessary products, raw materials, and parts for the group. With his already meticulous nature, user Kim Taeseok is expected to do quite well in this field. As for his lack of foreign language skills, it seems we’ll have to provide some support, won’t we?]
[User Kim Taeseok’s Estimated Service Period: 23 years (until age 48), Expected Lifetime Earnings: 1.85 billion won]
Taeseok clicked through them one by one.
Most of the expected earnings were similar.
‘20 to 23 years… and expected earnings from around 1.6 to 2.4 billion won.’
But some fields were unclickable.
They were Secretary and Strategic Planning.
‘Why can’t I click on these?’
[System Message: That is because you are not ready to tear others down.]
‘Just show me! Why are you making me so curious?’
The system seemed displeased, remaining silent for a moment before reluctantly displaying the information.
[The Secretarial department at El Sung Group is a position that selects only those who will assist the group’s chairman, protect corporate secrets, and prioritize the company above all else. The average tenure here is both shorter and longer than anywhere else. It is proportional to the user’s loyalty. It is not a good fit for user Kim Taeseok at present.]
[User Kim Taeseok’s Estimated Service Period: 5~43 years (age 30~68), Expected Lifetime Earnings: 200 million~18.95 billion won]
‘Wait! Hold on! 18.9 billion won?’
Taeseok was stunned.
The system replied.
[That is correct. However, it would require many changes from user Kim Taeseok. In your current state, you are not suitable.]
And… the last item he opened.
[Planning at El Sung Group…]
Taeseok was speechless.
Expected Lifetime Earnings: 0 ~ Infinity.
‘Infinity?’
18.9 billion was nothing compared to this.
The earnings were out of sight. Unmeasurable.
It meant that if he took on that role, the system was predicting his potential to be infinite.
‘Is this even possible? It’s not something illegal, is it?’
[System Message: There are risks associated with any choice. Whether you play in a well, a lake, or an ocean is for you to decide. What’s important is how much you can endure; the path to success is always open. Our role is to guide you down that path.]
Taeseok set his goal while conversing with the unknown entity.
Success… wealth, a life he had never known.
Taeseok had found that hope at El Sung Group.
‘Alright. I’ll do it. That job! I’ll choose it. I’m doing it. I will see it through!’
The system responded to Taeseok’s words.
[System Message: Then take care of yourself before others.]
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