Chapter 65

Kang Jin sensed Choi Donghae’s anger in his voice and was about to say something when Lim Ho-jin spoke up.

“Donghae.”

At the call of his name, Choi Donghae turned toward him. As their eyes met, Lim Ho-jin poured soju into a shot glass.

Glug! Glug!

He filled it completely before placing it in front of Choi Donghae.

Tak!

Lim Ho-jin gently set down the bottle and instructed, “Drink this.”

“Huh?”

“You said you could handle more, right? Go ahead.”

Choi Donghae hesitated at Lim Ho-jin’s words. Despite being intoxicated, he understood that offering just one shot glass wasn’t considered proper etiquette for encouraging someone to drink.

“I’m…I’m fine.”

Lim Ho-jin looked at Choi Donghae briefly, then picked up the shot glass and started drinking.

Glug-glug!

Lee Sangsub was taken aback as he watched Manager Lim quickly down the full glass of soju.

“Sir!”

Lim Ho-jin raised his hand to stop Lee Sangsub and finished drinking.

“Ahhh!” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, picked up a piece of grilled pork belly, then turned toward Choi Donghae.

“The most important thing when working is knowing where to draw the line.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“No matter how close you are with someone, one small mistake can create distance between you.” Lim Ho-jin paused momentarily before gesturing at Choi Donghae’s untouched drink. “Drink up.”

Despite this directive, Choi Donghae hesitated to touch his glass.

“Go on,” urged Lim Ho-jin.

Hesitant at first, Choi Donghae eventually picked up his glass and took a sip.

Gulp!

Lim Ho-jin watched him put down the glass after drinking only half of it.

“Remember this wherever you go, Donghae. No one likes seeing someone get drunk during a drink session. The cool ones never show their intoxicated state even if they’re tipsy.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lim Ho-jin continued at Choi Donghae’s small response.

“You might be wondering how to enjoy drinks without appearing drunk, right?”

“In truth…yes, exactly. How can I not look intoxicated while drinking alcohol?”

Lim Ho-jin smiled at Choi Donghae’s question.

“It’s all about survival.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can relax and enjoy drinking with friends, but when it comes to company dinners or meetings with clients or colleagues, I have to keep my wits about me because they directly affect my livelihood. Can you function well at work if you misbehave during a company dinner? Would business deals go smoothly if you made mistakes while drinking with clients?”

Choi Donghae hesitated before shaking his head. “I’m sorry.”

He realized his mistake, so Lim Ho-jin nodded understandingly.

“In this world, everything revolves around making a living. And once you start a family…

Lim Ho-jin refilled his shot glass.

Glug!

As he reached for it, Lee Sangsub quickly grabbed the glass first.

Snatch!

Lee Sangsub picked up his shot glass with a smile.

“This one’s on me…”

Slurp! Slurp!

He downed it in one go and let out a big breath before turning to Choi Donghae.

“If I lose focus for even a second, my family could be left without means of support. That’s why I always stay vigilant. My family shouldn’t suffer just because I can’t handle some alcohol.”

At Lee Sangsub’s words, Choi Donghae furrowed his brow, trying hard to sober up by focusing his eyes.

Lim Ho-jin observed him closely before continuing. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

“You’re curious about something?”

“Everyone here knows that you tend to keep to yourself, Mr. Choi. So when someone like you suggests having a team dinner…”

“Is there something you want to say?” Lim Ho-jin then turned to address the other employees. “Please feel free to ask Choi Donghae anything that could help him going forward.”

“Yes, sir.” With those words, Choi Donghae took a deep breath and gulped down his glass of cold water. He had been feeling tipsy earlier, but now he was wide awake after hearing Lim Ho-jin’s speech.

Choi Donghae finally opened up. “Earlier today, Lee Sangsub told me about my tendency for overeating.”

“Oh…”

The others nodded at Choi Donghae’s confession. Although they occasionally ate separately due to conflicting schedules, most days, everyone dined together during lunchtime. As such, they were aware of Choi Donghae’s habit.

Since they’d been eating lunch together regularly, his colleagues had noticed Choi Donghae’s behavior.

“I know I won’t be able to become a full-time employee…and that once my internship is over, I’ll have to leave the company.”

His blunt words left everyone feeling uneasy. They assumed he was aware of their decision but were taken aback by him openly stating it. It felt like a definitive declaration that he simply wasn’t a good fit for the company.

“Honestly, at first, I was disappointed and hurt. But now, I’m grateful that you’ve taught me practical skills that might come in handy elsewhere after I leave.”

Seeing Choi Donghae’s sincerity as he bowed his head, Lim Ho-jin took another shot and handed over his glass for a refill.

As Choi Donghae poured more soju, Lim Ho-jin spoke up. “Don’t be too disappointed. It’s good for us when interns become full-time employees. We’ll see each other often in the future anyway. But…the reality is we can’t hire all our interns.”

“I understand.”

“Learn as much as you can while you’re here. It’ll benefit you greatly.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s finish what we were discussing earlier,” prompted Lim Ho-jin.

With that, Choi Donghae took a sip of soju before addressing the team members.

“So, I’d like to ask one more time. Please give me feedback on areas where I need improvement as I navigate my professional life.”

“Are you sure? It might not be easy to hear.”

Choi Donghae nodded at Choi Mina’s words.

“I’m ready to listen.”

Choi Mina looked at him and then agreed with his response.

“All right. Since you’re open to it, we’ll share our observations. Please understand that this isn’t meant as criticism.”

“Understood.”

With Choi Donghae’s acknowledgment, Choi Mina began speaking.

“Donghae…by afternoon, you tend to have a strong odor.”

Choi Donghae’s face stiffened upon hearing her comment.

“A strong odor…you say?”

Kang Jin pursed her lips after Choi Donghae’s response.

It is quite noticeable.

In truth, Kang Jin had also noticed the issue, but pointing it out was difficult due to its sensitive nature.

The phrase “you smell” was… Even among close friends, it wasn’t easy to utter those words. Yet Choi Mina had bluntly addressed it head-on.

“It’s not too bad in the morning, but by afternoon, you start smelling. It’s not outright foul, but more like a damp and greasy odor.”

“Damp and greasy…odor?” Choi Donghae looked puzzled, wondering what kind of scent she meant.

Mina continued, “And please don’t try using cologne. Mixing it with your current smell might just make it worse.”

Choi Donghae bit his lip at her words.

”…Understood.”

”…U-um, I have a friend who also struggles with excessive underarm odor.”

Kim Hyein’s comment made Choi Donghae’s face even redder. While Choi Mina was older than him, Kim Hyein was two years younger. Hearing about his body odor from a pretty woman younger than himself only intensified his embarrassment and shame.

“She used to bring extra school uniforms and three T-shirts with her every day.”

“Why?”

“Whenever she felt sweaty, she would change tops. She also frequently applied baby powder under her arms. I didn’t realize how bad it was until we went on a trip together after finishing our university entrance exams, and I saw her clothes.”

“You had no idea before that?”

“It shows how diligently she managed it.”

Kang Jin nodded in understanding at Kim Hyein’s explanation.

“It must have been inconvenient to carry multiple changes of clothes and powder with you… That’s quite impressive.”

“Yes, that…” Kim Hyein paused briefly and looked at Choi Donghae. “Donghae-ssi should try it too. Many women secretly love the scent of baby powder.”

“Really?”

“No woman dislikes smelling like a newborn.”

As he listened to Kim Hyein, Choi Donghae’s face lit up.

“I see. My older sister also loves babies.”

“Donghae-ssi, go for it!” Kim Hyein smiled and pumped her fist encouragingly.

“Thank you.” Choi Donghae grinned in response.

Lee Sangsub then chimed in.

“Well… I still think you should lose some weight.”

“You think I’m fat?” Choi Donghae hung his head dejectedly.

Lee Sangsub chuckled and reassured him. “If you know it’s an issue, then do something about it. Personal preferences aside…to be honest, appearance is increasingly important these days.”

“I…see.”

“And even if gaining weight comes with age—oh! That wasn’t directed at you, Manager Lim.”

At Lee Sangsub’s remark, Lim Ho-jin patted his own belly.

“What? It sounded like you were talking to me.”

“No way, sir. At your stage of life, that isn’t just excess weight but a sign of prosperity.”

“Oh, spare me…” Lim Ho-jin turned to Choi Donghae.

“As Lee Sangsub said, these days, appearance matters as much as qualifications. So between you and Yi Kangjin, who would get hired if we interviewed both of you?”

“The more capable person…”

“Capability…” After briefly studying Choi Donghae, Lim Ho-jin nodded. “At our company, when hiring new employees, the first stage is reviewing their applications. Based on their résumés, we select candidates for round one. Then, during the second phase, there’s a written test covering foreign languages, commerce, and current affairs. From those with top scores, we choose whom to interview and ultimately hire.”

Choi Donghae listened attentively as Lim Ho-jin explained the hiring process for new employees since this was directly related to him and his upcoming test.

Lim Ho-jin then asked Choi Donghae, “Considering you passed both the resume screening and written exam, do you think your qualifications or scores were significantly higher than those of other interviewees?”

“That…no, not really.”

“You’re right. By reaching the interview stage, it means all candidates possess the necessary skills and qualifications expected of a new hire. Unless Mr. Choi Donghae’s credentials vastly outshine others’, interviewers must rely solely on their impressions and feelings when making their decision.”

Lim Ho-jin paused and looked at Choi Donghae. “Now let’s say both Mr. Choi Donghae and Lee Kang-jin came in for interviews today. If you were the interviewer…who would you choose?”

Choi Donghae bit his lip as Lim Ho-jin continued watching him closely.

“You could argue it’s unfair to reject someone because they’re overweight or unattractive. However, we’re a trading company, so our job involves meeting with people constantly. Don’t you think creating a favorable impression on others can lead to successful deals?”

“Yes.”

“And…losing weight for your health wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”

Lim Ho-jin smiled and poured Choi Donghae another shot of soju, which he immediately downed before holding out his glass for more.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“I hope to see you again when you’ve lost some weight, Mr. Donghae.”

“Thank you.” Choi Donghae then turned to address the other employees present.

“I’d like to hear from everyone else as well.”

“You sure? I feel like my comments were pretty blunt already,” Lim Ho-jin replied.

Choi Donghae shook his head. “Since we’re at it, I want to hear what others have to say too.”

At this, Lim Ho-jin glanced at Lee Sangsub. As their manager, Sangsub would likely know Choi Donghae better than anyone here.