Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 21
Title: Should I Leak It?
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Taeseok went outside the building and sat on a bench.
And he recalled.
The countless people he had encountered in the world...
The so-called elites...
One might think that because they were highly educated, their lives would be vastly different, but that wasn't really the case. Taeseok had learned this through his own experience in the working world.
Are all uneducated people ignorant?
That too was just a generalization.
There are smart people even among the uneducated.
They just never had the chance.
As mentioned before, there are various types of common people.
Those who work relentlessly to escape difficult situations.
Those who just want to maintain the status quo and wish things would stay as they are.
Those who protest that the world is wrong and actively fight against society.
And even those who have given up on life entirely...
Taeseok belonged to the group that worked relentlessly to escape difficult situations.
Even if his life wasn't affluent, he was someone who lived each day diligently, waiting for the opportunity for success that would one day come.
He was well aware that he might come across as a bit too intense to others.
‘Still, this isn’t right.’
Life felt futile.
At first, he had wanted to get along with Kang Minyong.
He thought the feeling was mutual.
But it wasn't.
Taeseok knew very well that not everyone starts from the same line.
Some are born already at the finish line, while others might start far behind the starting point.
Some get to fly in a plane from the get-go, while others have to support someone else on a path that's difficult enough to walk alone.
But, Taeseok had a thought.
‘I did nothing wrong today. The problem was simply that I, who was behind, quickly overtook the lead.’
Things like this would happen frequently from now on.
So he had no intention of being shaken by it.
That was Taeseok's mindset.
He sighed, shaking off his worries, and stood up. Then he returned to his room to talk with Kang Minyong.
Back in the room.
No one was there.
What on earth was Kang Minyong, who had caused such a commotion, doing now?
[Friday evening.]
‘Free time, granted after a long while. I never imagined it would turn out like this…’
10 minutes later, someone opens the door and comes in.
Taeseok had planned to talk with Kang Minyong again to untangle this messy knot.
But the person who entered wasn't his roommate, but a female senior instructor.
“Team B’s Team Leader! You’re Kim Taeseok, right?”
“Yes.”
“Can I talk to you alone for a moment?”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
At Taeseok's words, she asked with a serious expression.
“By any chance. Did you give Assistant Manager Kim Minseong money to become the Team Leader?”
“No. Nothing like that happened.”
His head drooped involuntarily.
‘Don’t tell me she believed him? She believed Kang Minyong’s story?’
Such a ridiculous thing had happened, and hearing her believe his words brought a bitter smile to his face.
Flustered, Taeseok looked at the senior instructor in front of him.
Then she asked a second question.
“Mr. Kim Taeseok, you got a perfect score on the test this time. There’s talk that the questions might have been leaked…”
Taeseok shook his head and stated his thoughts clearly.
“Who raised such a suspicion?”
“You should know, right? Do I really have to say who it was?”
“That’s just his baseless speculation with no evidence whatsoever. I know nothing about it.”
To his sharp reply, she retorted in an agitated voice.
“Minyong confronted you about it. And you pushed him!”
“I pushed someone?”
“Yes. You pushed him, so Kang Minyong shouted to defend himself! And you couldn’t control your anger, so you stormed out! Am I wrong? Based on the circumstances, that story seems to be correct, doesn’t it?”
A bitter smile from Taeseok.
‘As expected, there are some people you just can't reason with.’
She was probably thinking this right now.
‘I’m doing a great job. In my opinion, that bastard is definitely hiding something.’
Just as Taeseok predicted, she was confident in her own thoughts.
“Mr. Taeseok, let’s think about this with some common sense. Where did you go to school? I heard it was the credit bank system.”
“…Is that important?”
“How could someone like that get such a good evaluation? Kang Minyong’s suspicion isn’t entirely baseless, is it? Wouldn’t most people think the same way if they thought about it normally?”
“Normally… whose standard is that? Senior Instructor Choi Yunjeong’s standard? Or… are you speaking for all of El Sung Group?”
At Taeseok’s question, Choi Yunjeong showed a vile smile.
“Listening to you talk, I can see you have a real attitude, Mr. Kim Taeseok. You seem to have no manners. Poorly raised, too. Then again, is it because you’re uneducated?”
“What did you just say? Could you please repeat that?”
“Do I really have to say it again? Just confess while it’s the two of us. Before this situation gets bigger. If you tell the truth, we’ll wrap it up as our own internal investigation.”
“Internal investigation?”
“You know what I mean. Do you want Assistant Manager Kim Minseong to get hurt because of you? I’m telling you to take responsibility and leave on your own. We’ll act like nothing happened with Assistant Manager Kim Minseong, and arrange for you to just voluntarily resign.”
Taeseok’s anger flared to the top of his head at Choi Yunjeong’s words.
“This isn’t an interrogation, what are you doing! Where is the evidence for any of this? Listening to you, you make it sound like I’m completely in the wrong, but you don’t have a single piece of evidence, do you? And I met Senior Instructor Kim Minseong for the first time when I came here. We have no relationship, no school ties, no regional ties, no family ties—nothing at all.”
“Don’t get excited. I’m recording this right now. Everything you’ve said up to now has been recorded, and it will be used as evidence in the investigation later.”
Taeseok couldn’t hide his bewilderment at her words.
But then, a commotion erupted outside.
“Hey! Where is he? The punk who laid a hand on my precious son! Where is he?”
“Ah… Ma’am, you can’t do this. This is the training center building.”
“Do you know who my husband is? He’s Kang Minho, a three-term congressman!”
“I apologize for the trouble.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, just show me the way! Where is that kid named Kim Taeseok? That disrespectful brat! Where is he!”
To make matters worse.
Taeseok clicked his tongue at the appearance of his roommate Kang Minyong’s mother.
“Is it you? You? Are you Kim Taeseok?”
As she entered the room, a manager called Senior Instructor Choi Yunjeong out in a low voice.
“Yunjeong, come out!”
“Yes.”
Choi Yunjeong then went outside, and Taeseok tried to leave as well.
However, Taeseok couldn't get out of the room.
Because a ceaseless stream of curses flowed from her.
Taeseok clenched his fists tightly.
But he endured it. He had to endure it. He wanted to endure it.
Why? For a greater revenge.
After the storm had passed, Taeseok sighed and sat on a bench outside the building.
It had only been a week, but it felt like people were pointing fingers and blaming him.
And then he saw Assistant Manager Kim Minseong.
He looked completely dejected.
The face of the always-confident senior instructor was now...
So he asked.
“Senior, are you okay?”
“…Mr. Taeseok, I’m sorry this happened because of me.”
“No, why are you apologizing, senior?”
“I guess I messed with the wrong person. That bastard Kang Minyong! He was a guy who got in through connections. Damn it.”
At that, Taeseok grinned and said,
“Senior, you said you work in sales. Can you afford to have such a weak mentality?”
“What? How can you say that right now?”
“Smile. It’s not like bad things are the only things that can happen to a person, right?”
Assistant Manager Kim Minseong shook his head at Taeseok’s words.
‘This punk is something else. How can he laugh in a situation like this?’
But, on the other hand, Kim Minseong also found himself smiling as he looked at the guy.
‘Haah, his mental game is damn strong. A guy like that is perfect for sales…’
Come to think of it, he had a good eye for people.
That bastard Kang Minyong seemed like a real son of a bitch. And that prediction was right. He just didn't know the guy had connections.
But Kim Taeseok, this guy seemed like a real man’s man. That’s why he liked him.
But then, the guy showed him something.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a recording. What should we do? Should I leak it?”
The smile on Taeseok’s face. Taeseok’s smile was contagious, spreading to the face of the despairing Assistant Manager Kim Minseong.
“First, can you send it to me?”
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