Chapter 67

Kang Jin approached a man in his mid-thirties with a document containing incorrect numbers.

“Assistant Manager Kang Seongsoo.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Export Agency Team 2 had a total of seven regular employees. Among them were Choi Mina and Kang Seongsoo, both holding assistant manager positions. Although he was due for promotion to department manager, Kang Seongsoo’s career advancement had been relatively slow.

Regardless, Kang Jin handed him the paperwork.

“I’d appreciate it if you could review this.”

As Kang Jin presented the documents, Kang Seongsoo glanced through them and nodded approvingly.

“You’ve done well. Thanks.”

“It’s my pleasure; it’s part of my job.”

“In that case, please update the figures accordingly on the original form.”

“Yes, sir.”

With Kang Seongsoo picking up the phone, Kang Jin returned to his seat with the documents.

Kang Jin then updated the value and noted down the time of change next to it. He did this as a precaution in case any issues arose later regarding the modification.

As soon as Kang Jin finished updating the document, Park Chungman took another look at it. With Park Chungman’s assistance, Kang Jin could efficiently review all the paperwork.

“Ugh!” Kang Jin groaned and stretched his body. After spending the entire day hunched over documents, every muscle felt sore.

“Ahh!” Moaning once more, he checked the time. It was nearing the end of the workday. Kang Jin gathered the documents and approached Manager Lee Sangsub.

“I’ve completed the second round of checks. Please review them, and if everything is satisfactory, you can pass them on to Assistant Manager Choi Mina.”

“Thank you.”

As Lee Sangsub accepted the documents from Kang Jin, he noticed that Kang Jin held more papers in his hands.

“You’ve checked everyone else’s work as well?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s not about speed; you need to ensure there are no mistakes.”

Kang Jin nodded at Lee Sangsub’s words.

“I’ve double-checked everything.”

“Are you sure? If we find any errors after accepting your work, it’ll be on us.”

“It’s fine, sir.”

Lee Sangsub looked at Kang Jin and nodded.

“Understood.”

With that, Kang Jin handed over the paperwork to Lee Sangsub before passing out other documents to the rest of the team.

Lim Ho-jin observed this exchange and spoke up, “Please review these thoroughly.”

The team members nodded and began checking the documents, fully understanding Lim Ho-jin’s unspoken message: Find any mistakes so they could reprimand Kang Jin accordingly. Just like Lee Sangsub, Lim Ho-jin didn’t trust Kang Jin’s claim of thoroughness.

Having worked with Lim Ho-jin for quite some time, they understood what he meant: discipline Kang Jin by finding errors on purpose. Just like Lee Sangsub, Lim Ho-jin didn’t trust Kang Jin’s claim that everything had been verified.

Kang Jin was supposed to double-check all documents related to Export Management Team 2’s projects, not just skim through them but thoroughly review both summarized and detailed versions. The priority should have been accuracy over speed. Nonetheless, since Kang Jin insisted everything was fine, his colleagues decided to teach him a lesson by deliberately pointing out mistakes. It wasn’t personal; their aim was simply to emphasize the importance of taking one’s time when handling work matters.

Knowing this, everyone meticulously reviewed their documents as well.

Meanwhile, Kang Jin approached Choi Mina with a piece of paper.

“Assistant Manager.”

“What’s this for me?” Choi Mina hadn’t assigned any work to Kang Jin since she had to stay late on Friday due to her shift duty.

Kang Jin smiled at her question. “It’s the recipes we talked about during yesterday’s team dinner.”

“Oh my! I was just making conversation…”

“How could I forget anything you say, our beloved supervisor? Here are some simple dishes I wrote down.” Kang Jin handed over the sheet of paper, and Choi Mina began reading the menu.

“Kimchi fried rice, spicy kimchi fried rice, and stir-fried kimchi with pork belly? Three variations of kimchi fried rice?”

“It’s beginner mode.”

“Oh… It really does seem easy.”

“Yes, as long as you stir-fry it properly, the dish will taste good.”

“Well, kimchi fried rice literally just requires frying kimchi…”

The recipe for kimchi fried rice was quite straightforward: chop up some kimchi, fry it with a bit of sugar added.

“There’s also curry. Curry can be…

Oh…” Choi Mina was slightly surprised to see curry on the list but raised an eyebrow after reading how to make it.

“It sounds simple.”

“Any dish can be made complicated or easy depending on your approach.”

“You’re right. First, finely chop two onions or cut them into chunks and sauté them in a pan lightly coated with oil. Continue stirring until they turn caramel-colored, which takes about fifteen minutes.”

“Finely chopping is preferable, but if that’s too difficult, roughly cutting them should work fine.”

“But fifteen minutes of sautéing?”

“Yes, cook them until they turn caramel-colored. The time can vary depending on the heat, but it should take around fifteen minutes if you use medium-low heat to prevent burning.”

Choi Mina nodded at Kang Jin’s explanation and continued reading the recipe.

“Once the onions have turned caramel-colored, add two cups of water using a ladle. Then stir in curry paste continuously so it doesn’t burn, and once it thickens, enjoy your meal. Is that all?”

“What I’ve written here is the most basic version. First, try making it as described. If it suits your taste, next time, after the onions reach a caramel color, you can add other ingredients about five minutes before they’re done cooking. Pork, potatoes, carrots, or any vegetables you like.”

“Anything goes?”

“You can include anything you want. It’s all about discovering your own hidden recipe.”

With Kang Jin’s explanation, Choi Mina smiled and glanced at the recipe sheet.

“Thank you.”

“If these dishes taste good to you, we’ll move on to the next step.”

“Understood.” Choi Mina nodded as she studied the recipes.

Lee Sangsub observed Kang Jin while Choi Mina was occupied with the recipes.

“You’ve done well checking everything.”

“Everything seems fine?”

“Yeah… No issues aside from what you already noted.”

Lee Sangsub then looked around at the other employees. They shook their heads, indicating there were no problems. In response, Lee Sangsub gave a small nod towards Kang Jin.

“You…you learn quickly.”

“Thank you.”

“No kidding, you really do pick things up fast.” He smiled warmly at Kang Jin.

“Stay in touch even after your internship ends.”

“And please visit our restaurant often once your internship is over.”

“You’re welcome.” Lee Sangsub nodded.

Kang Jin checked the time and started packing her bag.

“Good work today, everyone.”

The staff members gave small nods in response. They had grown accustomed to seeing Kang Jin leave promptly at quitting time.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With her bag slung over her shoulder, Kang Jin exited the office and entered the elevator filled with other employees clocking out for the day. Standing next to them, someone behind Kang Jin addressed her.

“Aren’t you Ms. Lee Kang-jin?”

Hearing her name, she turned around to see an attractive man who appeared to be around her age.

“Yes?”

“We met briefly during the intern orientation… I’m Kyusik Hwang from Domestic Support Team 2.”

“As you already know, I’m Lee Kang-jin. So, you’re an intern here?”

“Yes,” Kang Jin replied with a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine.”

With that exchange, Kang Jin stopped talking. Hwang Kyusik observed him for a moment before continuing.

“I’ve heard good things about you, Mr. Lee Kang-jin.”

“Oh really?”

“A psychology major who runs his own restaurant and yet, despite not being a traditional doctor, knows how to diagnose by pulse… That’s quite rare. Especially for someone working at a trading company.”

Kang Jin inwardly chuckled, sensing the hidden barb behind those seemingly casual words.

“And does that include my lack of interest in becoming a full-time employee?”

“Yes, it does include that possibility. That’s why my colleagues from our department said they wouldn’t mind having you as an intern.”

“It seems like people at Taekwang Trading Company are genuinely nice individuals. Usually, firing interns is quite challenging for most companies.”

“You’re right. That’s precisely why I really want to work there.”

Kang Jin nodded and looked at Hwang Kyusik.

“I hope you succeed.”

Hwang Kyusik acknowledged her words with a nod.

Ding!

The elevator stopped at the first floor, and everyone exited. As Kang Jin joined them, Hwang Kyusik approached her.

“Um, if it’s okay with you, would you like to grab a cup of coffee together? My treat.”

“Coffee?”

“It might be coincidental that we met, but wouldn’t it be nice to connect further?”

Kang Jin checked his watch at Hwang Kyusik’s words and nodded.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

They entered a coffee shop inside the building.

“I’ll have a caramel coffee,” Kang Jin said.

Hwang Kyusik placed the order with the barista, grabbed a vibrating pager, and sat down at an empty table.

“You’re going to the sports meet, right?”

“Aren’t we all supposed to attend?”

“Yes.” Nodding, Hwang Kyusik hesitated before continuing cautiously. “Did you know they will select one intern as a full-time employee after the sports meet?”

“Really?”

“You didn’t hear about it?”

“This is news to me. But if they’re choosing someone based on the sports meet…are they looking for athletic abilities?”

Kang Jin looked puzzled at Hwang Kyusik’s question, and Kyusik shook his head.

“It’s not about athletic ability.”

“Then what is it?”

Riiing!

The phone rang while they were talking, so Hwang Kyusik got up to answer it. He returned with two drinks, handed Kang Jin a caramel coffee, and quietly explained:

“In reality, we select the most popular intern among us.”

“Popular?”

Ring! Ring!

Hwang Kyusik paused as the phone rang again, then answered it before continuing their conversation.

“After the sports meet, interns secretly vote within each team for who best fits Taekwang Trading Company. Whoever receives more than half of the votes becomes a full-time employee regardless of performance evaluations.”

Kang Jin smiled understandingly at Hwang Kyusik’s explanation.

“Oh…”

“What?” Hwang Kyusik seemed perplexed by Kang Jin’s murmured response. “Why do you say ‘oh’?”

“I think I know why the seniors didn’t tell me this.”

“Reasons? What do you mean?”

“It’s possible for someone to receive the most votes, but reaching over half is problematic.”

Kang Jin smiled and took a sip of his coffee. Despite feeling tired, the sweet caramel latte gave him an energy boost.

Delicious.

“There are about seventeen interns at Taekwang Trading Company now, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“To reach more than half, one person would need nine votes, which doesn’t make sense. Among the interns, everyone… well, excluding me, there are sixteen who want permanent positions. All sixteen desire full-time employment, so how could any single person secure the majority of votes?” Kang Jin shook his head, emphasizing the improbability. “Even if someone were extremely popular, getting three votes might be challenging.”

Hwang Kyusik nodded at Kang Jin’s words. “That’s true…but it isn’t entirely impossible.”

“If you were one of them, would you give your vote to someone else for a full-time position?” Hwang Kyusik smiled at Kang Jin’s question.

“Of course not. However…we can’t write our own names on the ballot.”

“We can’t?”

“You must write someone else’s name since you can’t put yours down. It makes things difficult but not impossible.”

Kang Jin fidgeted with his coffee cup and chuckled at Hwang Kyusik’s response. “Indeed…it’s challenging yet feasible.”

“Right?”

“But it won’t be easy by any means.”

“Finding employment as a young adult these days is never simple.”

Kang Jin nodded at Hwang Kyusik’s words. Upon reflection, he realized that Hwang Kyusik was right. Considering the current high unemployment rate among young adults, it might be easier to obtain tickets through sports events than internships.

Moreover, Kang Jin appreciated Hwang Kyusik’s mindset. Of course, some might consider his actions presumptuous. After all, they hadn’t spoken before today, and the sole reason for initiating this conversation was to ask for tickets.

However…why should that matter? Finding employment is like waging a war, and one must make every effort to survive on the battlefield. Hwang Kyusik was demonstrating such determination, and Kang Jin admired his tenacity.

Naturally, there was no obligation for Kang Jin to help Hwang Kyusik, but…