Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 24
Title: Kim Taeseok! I Want to Know Who You Are
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Choi Jinyoung.
A graduate of Hanyoung University’s law department.
Taeseok knew that he had been debating between law school and a major corporation, and ultimately chose the latter.
He was short, but he was also magnanimous, with a prudence that never strayed from the proper path.
Was that why? The guy was ranked third overall.
Taeseok and Jinyoung found a table at the very back of the company cafeteria.
The guy struck up a conversation.
“Who is it?”
“You’ll know her. The C Team Leader, Seo Yoonji.”
“Seo Yoonji? The one in second place?”
“Yeah.”
“Whoa! Do you know she’s from Harvard’s accounting department?”
“Is that so?”
“What’s with that attitude? What’s going on between you two? You went to Harvard too, right? You were classmates, weren’t you? Huh? Ah, damn it, what is this!”
At his words, Taeseok opened his mouth.
“I didn’t go to Harvard. Not even a university abroad.”
“What? You didn’t? Hey! Taeseok. I’m opening up to you, but you seem to have a lot of secrets.”
“Sorry, I’ve decided not to talk about my academic background or my family. I hope you can understand that.”
It was his own defense mechanism.
Thinking about what he had recently gone through, he had no intention of revealing his weaknesses first ever again. This was the conclusion Taeseok had reached after much deliberation.
“Right. I get it. I understand how you feel.”
“Thanks.”
Taeseok waved his hand at a woman approaching from a distance.
“Over here!”
She broke into a bright smile and set her tray down in front of Taeseok.
“You came together? I thought you’d be alone….”
“Really? I’m the one who’s surprised. I thought you’d be with someone else…”
Seo Yoonji shook her head and spoke.
“I don’t really know anyone here. I thought you were the same type, Taeseok, but I guess not. Who’s this next to you?”
At her words, Choi Jinyoung answered with a smile.
“I’m Choi Jinyoung, Hanyoung University class of ’12.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’d rather not reveal my school. I’m Seo Yoonji.”
“Yes~ I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Choi Jinyoung’s face was filled with anticipation.
A sharp way of speaking, a mature appearance for her age, and a sense of restraint.
In his eyes, she was like a goddess.
Taeseok thought the same.
Though from a different perspective, of course….
‘I can’t see any openings. I can’t figure out what she’s thinking.’
As they ate, they sized each other up.
The silence continued.
The reason was simple.
They hadn’t finished analyzing each other.
But there was one guy who had to ruin the mood.
“Yoonji, how did you manage to get second place?”
“I prepared diligently. Didn’t you also prepare diligently to get third place, Jinyoung?”
“Ah, well… I got a lot of help from our Taeseok here. He’s an amazing Team Leader.”
At the guy’s words, Taeseok’s face contorted.
‘Punk! Ah, seriously! Why are you saying such useless things?’
A change in Taeseok’s expression.
Seo Yoonji, who witnessed it, raised the corners of her mouth for the first time.
And she led the conversation.
“I heard. The first person in the history of the El Sung Training Institute to get a perfect score on the first-week exam. The only person who learned the El Sung exercises before even joining the company. That’s you, Kim Taeseok, right?”
Taeseok shook his head. Then he spoke with a look of discomfort.
“Excuse me, Yoonji. Let’s get straight to the point. Why did you want to see me?”
“I was hoping we could be of help to each other.”
“In what way?”
“Information exchange!”
“…I don’t have anything to offer you.”
“That’s a shame. I thought I could help some of the members of the B-Team, including you, Taeseok, in the mass game.”
“Mass game?”
Just then, information appeared before Taeseok’s eyes.
[You have learned about the mass game.]
《Mass Game》
[A synchronized performance carried out in cooperation by a large group of people. Participants can wear different colored clothes to perform a group dance or use card sections to create a unified image. It is one of the main programs during weeks 3-4 of the El Sung Group new employee training.]
She continued…
“That’s right. I was a cheerleader in college for two years. Every single day was a mass game. Based on that experience, I can get ahead of anyone in the mass game. The mass game is worth a whopping 150 points. Of that, the conductor’s score is worth 50 points. As for the female conductor, it’s highly likely that I’ll be chosen, given my experience.”
“So what do you want from me?”
“Let me join your night study group.”
Taeseok realized his mistake.
She had figured out that, aside from himself, all the high-scoring members were in a study group.
So this was her goal.
He didn't want to stand out…
Taeseok answered cautiously for the time being.
“That’s… something I’ll have to discuss with everyone in our group.”
Then, she made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“I’ll give you the male conductor position for the mass game. The conductor gets 50 points, and the base score is 25 points. That’s a 25-point difference. In a 1000-point system, 25 points is an insurmountable gap.”
Her words left Taeseok speechless.
“Are you telling me to abandon my colleagues?”
“No. I’m not telling you to abandon them. I’m saying let’s go together. The Strategic Planning Office selects five potential candidates. At this rate, you won’t be able to take all five members of your study group to the Strategic Planning Office anyway, right, Kim Taeseok? And I’m in second place. If anything, aren’t I the one at a disadvantage?”
Her proposal was certainly tempting.
It was a very persuasive offer.
‘But where, and how, did she find out and approach me?’
Taeseok was lost in thought.
“I’ll think about it and get back to you.”
“Women don’t really like hesitant men.”
“…I’ll get back to you by the end of today.”
She stood up. She left the table before she had even finished her meal.
Holding her tray, she walked away alluringly, then spoke to Choi Jinyoung.
“I hope to see you often from now on, Jinyoung!”
“Ah… Yes!”
After she left, a sigh escaped him automatically.
But Choi Jinyoung, oblivious to Taeseok’s feelings, was making a fuss next to him.
“Awesome! Wow, she’s a real goddess. How can she be so pretty and innocent at the same time? Her body is totally sexy, maybe because she was a cheerleader. Wow, I was so speechless I couldn’t say a word.”
“You like her that much? Don’t you see her objective?”
“Her objective is, well, she wants to get into the Strategic Planning Office.”
“And? You’re saying we should accept?”
“Me? I don’t think it matters either way.”
Taeseok said nothing in response to Jinyoung’s words. The priority was to hear what his colleagues thought first.
After dinner, Taeseok summoned the five helpers to his room.
The guys, who had nothing special to do at night, flocked to Taeseok’s room.
Taeseok spoke with a serious expression.
“First of all, I’m sorry, but someone wants to join our study group. So I wanted to get everyone’s opinion.”
“Opinion? Who is it?”
“The C Team Leader, Seo Yoonji.”
“Really? Awesome! If it’s her, then of course it's okay! Seo Yoonji, Seo Yoonji! This is awesome.”
“I’m okay with it too! Seo Yoonji is that girl, right? The Harvard Seolhyun! Right?”
“Yeah, yeah. The Harvard Seolhyun! Amazing body, smart, she’s got it all.”
Taeseok was flustered.
‘What is this? I’m being serious, but what’s with this atmosphere!’
“Where is she? Tell her to come quickly!”
“We have to give her a proper welcome. Should I order chicken? Ahhh, it’d be great if we could drink beer, but it’s prohibited here!”
“Call her! Call her over!”
It was a situation where everyone had said O-K.
Taeseok first told everyone the facts.
“Huh? Hey! Don’t just accept her, she laid out a condition. In exchange for letting her in, she said she’d recommend me as the mass game conductor.”
But the other guys said it didn’t matter and told him to just call her over.
“What does that matter? The Harvard Seolhyun is coming, just call her!”
“I don’t care either. I’m ordering chicken.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll go to the snack bar and get something to drink.”
And so, everyone readily agreed.
Taeseok grew tense.
‘Did I make a mistake bringing this up?’
She had probably known it would turn out this way.
She had been confident from start to finish, after all.
He felt like he was being dragged along.
But from her perspective, it would be more advantageous to keep him, the first-place ranker, in check, so he wondered why she would make such a choice.
Taeseok thought.
According to Seo Yoonji, she could get first place just by making sure he wasn’t chosen as the mass game conductor.
So why would she forsake that easy path for a riskier one?
10 PM.
The people who met in the study room at the same time every day.
Today, there was one more person.
Taeseok clicked his tongue as he looked at her, dressed in form-fitting training clothes.
‘It’s not a fashion show, what is she doing?’
But she paid no mind and shook hands with the team members, introducing herself.
A peculiar eye-smile.
His colleagues fell for it with a single smile.
Taeseok thought.
These guys must have never dated and only ever studied.
Otherwise, there was no way their eyes could glaze over like that just from seeing one woman.
With that, Taeseok glared at Seo Yoonji.
‘What on earth are you thinking?’
But contrary to Taeseok’s thoughts, she was also watching him.
‘Kim Taeseok! The grandson of El Sung Group’s Chairman Kim Changmo! A figure shrouded in mystery who hid his identity, educational background, everything, to join the company. How long will you keep that mask on? I’m curious about you. How you’ve lived, what your life has been like, just how incredible of a man you are.’
Just then, Hyeonsu, who was next to her, spoke to her.
“Yoonji, is it okay for you to be here alone with all these guys? By the way, you’re so beautiful.”
She could tolerate being around pathetic guys like this who only saw women for their looks.
Because if that guy was a decent man, a proper man, she would make sure to hold on to him.
“Of course. What could happen? And we’re all colleagues. I hope we can speak comfortably and get along.”
“Ah… haha. Shall we, Yoonji?”
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