Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 20
Title: There's a Limit to Being Nice
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The peaceful days continued.
Perhaps that was why?
Taeseok now had people to eat with.
They were the five who had offered to help him before.
“Taeseok! What are you doing?”
“Hm? Studying for the test.”
Taeseok’s colleague was shocked when he saw the notes in the book spread open before him.
“Whoa, you’re amazing. Did you underline all that already? We haven’t even had a class on this subject yet.”
Taeseok looked at the textbook for the leadership class they would have that day and grinned.
“Ah, I just read through it once, and this part seemed important.”
Hyeonsu was 26, a year older than Taeseok.
But since Taeseok was born in early January and they were in the same cohort, they spoke casually.
Next to Hyeon-su was Jo Donghyun, who was the same age.
“Taeseok, did you hear? Apparently, we were the only ones who got an A on yesterday’s evaluation.”
Taeseok asked back with a surprised look.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Jinyoung said he saw it!”
Just then, 26-year-old Choi Jinyoung also approached.
“Oh~ Looks like we’re in the top ranks from the start, thanks to Taeseok.”
“Since it’s come to this, let’s make a study group. It’ll be good to help each other out while studying together at night.”
Taeseok thought for a moment.
‘Would it be better to do it together? Or would it be better to do it alone?’
If he was only thinking about his grades, studying alone was better.
Taeseok had already used 『Eye of a New Employee』 to figure out what the important material was.
But Taeseok shook his head.
A company is a social environment.
Trying to stand out alone was bound to cause problems somewhere.
He needed people who could be a reliable support system in difficult or trying times.
So he answered.
“Should we? I asked our supervising senior, and he said we can use the study rooms until midnight.”
“Really? Then let’s all get together and study starting tonight. Who’s in?”
After a moment of hesitation, Taeseok raised his hand and joined his colleagues.
* * *
That evening, Taeseok’s stubbornness came out.
Of course, it was intentional.
“I’m telling you, look at this part! It’s important. I think it’ll be on the test.”
“Come on, even if the ‘Definition of Motivation’ comes up, do you really think ‘McClelland's Theory of Achievement Motivation’ will be on it when we haven't even learned it?”
“No. Our senior mentioned it during the lecture. He said things we haven’t learned could also be on the test. And the ‘Content Theories of Motivation’ are divided into five theories—Maslow, Alderfer, Herzberg, Argyris, and McClelland—so it’s perfect for a test question.”
“Alright. Let’s study this like Taeseok said. Let’s just invest 15 minutes.”
“If it’s not on the test, you buy chicken?”
“Fine. Got it. If it’s not on the test, I’ll buy chicken.”
His colleagues shared the same thought as they looked at Taeseok.
At first, Taeseok had seemed inflexible.
A bit stubborn, the type to impose his own ideas. And he really was like that.
He spoke calmly, but in the end, he was the type to push things his way.
But as they got to know him, they found that it was actually convenient.
And when they did as Taeseok said, something good always happened.
“This is the part I prepared for during class. Try to focus on studying around here.”
Taeseok’s book was already covered in Post-it notes.
“When did you study all this? Did you write down all the important stuff?”
“Yeah. Listening to what the seniors were saying, I got a sense of the key points.”
“Wow, you’re incredible! What university did you go to?”
“Ah… university?”
“Yeah. Seoul National? Korea-Yonsei?”
“I’ll tell you later. It’s not a great one.”
“Okay. Ah, sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, we’re in the same cohort.”
At Taeseok’s words, his colleagues thought.
‘A foreign university? I should ask when we get closer.’
The next day, the test was held first thing in the morning.
Taeseok’s colleagues were so shocked when they received the test papers that they nearly fainted.
‘This is all the stuff we studied with Taeseok. The things he marked as important.’
‘This too, we studied it with Taeseok, and this question is one he predicted?’
‘Is this for real?’
Taeseok’s organized notes, which they had only glanced at because they were short on time.
It turned out they were the absolute core of the material.
Of course, Taeseok hadn’t told his colleagues every single question.
He couldn’t afford to lose his first-place spot.
Taeseok’s plan to catch two birds with one stone was, quite naturally, a success.
The test results were posted on the bulletin board.
《Week 1 Mid-term Evaluation Results》
1st Place: Kim Taeseok (Team B)
2nd Place: Seo Yoonji (Team C)
3rd Place: Choi Jinyoung (Team B)
6th Place: Kim Hyeonsu (Team B)
.
.
.
.
225th Place: Kang Minyong (Team B)
Was it thanks to Taeseok? Everyone who studied with him ranked high.
So they couldn’t help but like him.
“Taeseok! Congrats on first place.”
“Hey! We swept the top ranks.”
Taeseok calmed down his ecstatic colleagues.
“It’s because you all did well. It’s only been one week. You guys are being too hasty. Really.”
“You think so? Still, it feels good. Let’s smile! Smile!”
“Yeah.”
Actually, he had hoped the scores wouldn't be made public.
Envy and jealousy always followed those who excelled from the start.
And this score was also heavily influenced by the impression points from their supervising seniors.
When Taeseok entered his room, it was filled with a gloomy atmosphere.
Kang Minyong…
‘Was it 225th place?’
225th out of about 260 people.
A very low score.
That meant he had lost a lot of points in the supervising senior’s observation score.
It was also clear that he was the lowest-ranked in Team B.
Otherwise, the smart Kang Minyong wouldn’t have been stuck at the bottom like that.
Taeseok noticed this and said nothing. He just climbed onto the top bunk, closed his eyes, and stared at the ceiling.
But the guy sitting at the desk on the first floor spoke to him first.
“Mr. Taeseok.”
Taeseok sensed a mocking tone in his roommate’s voice.
‘What’s with that tone?’
But then… the unknown being sent Taeseok a new message.
[Normal Quest – Gather Evidence]
Your roommate Kang Minyong harbors malicious intent. Record the conversation to secure evidence.
When Taeseok didn’t answer, the guy lowered his voice again.
“Mr. Kim Taeseok, can we talk?”
Taeseok sighed, pressed the record button on his phone, and then opened his mouth.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“What happened?”
“What are you referring to?”
“First place on the test. Care to explain?”
Taeseok was startled by his words and replayed them in his mind.
But he had definitely heard it right.
‘Is he suspecting me?’
“Mr. Kang Minyong!”
“What? Why are you raising your voice?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d be careful with your words. We’re living together. We have to live together for four weeks. It’s not like we’ll only see each other for a day or two, we have to keep seeing each other, so I don’t understand why you keep talking to me like that.”
But the guy’s response was completely different from what Taeseok was saying.
“I mean, it just doesn’t make sense. How did you get first place? You didn’t even go to a university in Seoul!”
“…Is there a law that says you can’t get first place if you didn’t go to a university in Seoul? I studied hard. While others were sleeping, I stayed up studying until midnight, I woke up early in the morning to fulfill my duties as Team Leader, and I volunteered. That’s probably why I got first place. Why are you questioning me about it, Mr. Kang Minyong?”
At that, the guy looked at Taeseok with a dumbfounded expression and said.
“Be honest. What’s your relationship with the supervising senior, Kim Minseong?”
“The supervising senior, you mean?”
Despite his informal speech, Taeseok maintained his formal tone.
“Yeah. The supervising senior who cut me and made you Team Leader.”
“You’ve got the wrong person. You made a mistake and apologized to me before, so I was trying to forget all about it. But if you’re going to say something so baseless, I will no longer speak with you, Mr. Kang Minyong.”
“So there is something. There is. Right? Be honest. Did you bribe him?”
“Mr. Kang Minyong! There’s nothing like that! The supervising senior and I have no relationship whatsoever.”
“If you had no relationship, he wouldn’t like you that much. You paid him off, right? You bribed him, didn’t you? Go ahead and hide it! I’ll find the evidence.”
Taeseok shouted back at his words.
“Find it all you want! How can a person have no decency!”
Just then, the guy raised his hand to strike. Taeseok honestly found it laughable.
Maybe because he was educated abroad, he had no manners at all.
So he blocked the guy’s hand and pushed it away.
The guy’s arm was returned to its original position by Taeseok.
It was a trivial impact, but the guy screamed.
“Aaargh!”
Taeseok asked in a calm voice.
“It wasn’t that bad, was it? What are you doing right now? Other people can hear you!”
“Let’s go down together. I can’t stand to see you in first place.”
“…Do it in moderation. There’s a limit to my patience.”
“Heh heh, what are you going to do if I scream? Can you handle the fallout?”
“Don’t do it.”
“Beg me. I can’t stand the sight of you. That’s why I can’t be with you. A young punk talking back to me! Shit! You son of a bitch!”
Taeseok was grateful to the unknown being.
‘So this is why you told me to record?’
So he acted.
“I’ve seen all kinds of crazies. I’ve done nothing wrong, so go ahead and throw a fit or whatever you want! Got it?”
At that, the guy really did throw a fit. His acting was top-notch.
“Aaargh! Aaargh! Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me. Mr. Kim Taeseok! Why are you trying to hit me? Aaargh, aaaaaargh!”
People flocked to his screams. The supervising senior also witnessed the scene.
Taeseok walked out of the room with a composed expression.
And then he smiled.
‘There’s a limit to treating people nicely, Mr. Kang Minyong! Go on, throw your fit. Let’s see how this ends.’
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