Chapter 7

ⓒ Youngwan (映完)

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President Song Byungchang was seized by a strange feeling.

He had encountered all sorts of people in this line of work—smart ones, foolish ones, and weird ones—and had countless experiences, but this bizarre feeling was something new.

Was his name Choi Young-hoon?

That guy, with his innocent and naive face, managed to recover a significant portion of the principal 8.8 million won and the interest, which was more than the principal, from a debt that Manager Yang had declared unrecoverable and required legal action.

When he offered to cut the interest in half, that rich, idle guy seemed to think it was pocket change, asking if doing so would cause any problems at work rather than expressing gratitude.

In such a situation, the company that recovered the money should have been the happiest, but the happiest person was neither the company nor the rich, idle guy, but the father of the rich guy.

According to Yang Taepyeong, the father was so delighted that he couldn't even speak when he heard that his grandson, who had never amounted to anything and only caused trouble, had appeared with a rabbit-like granddaughter.

Yang Taepyeong said that the seemingly dim-witted new employee handled the matter so well that he couldn't even speak properly throughout the entire process of recovering the money.

He had announced that he would quit in a month, but during that month, he recovered over 270 million won.

Apart from Manager Yang's help in finalizing the repayment procedures, no one else assisted him.

Because he was so good at his job, he was given a list of over a hundred debts, from which he selectively recovered the most valuable ones.

It was an overwhelming achievement that no new employee had ever achieved before.

Now, such a new employee was about to quit.

It was as if he was leaving with a cool smirk, saying, "I tried working here, but it's nothing special. Good luck."

His pride was hurt.

He wanted to show him how difficult, arduous, and challenging this line of work was, and the sense of achievement and rewards that came with it.

But the new employee only smiled benevolently, like a Buddha playing with Sun Wukong.

"Do you have a job lined up, despite your lack of experience and education?"

When asked this, the guy replied as if he had found a great job.

"Upon reflection, I think insurance sales are perfect for me. Being able to prepare for future risks is a meaningful job, and I feel like I can do it well."

While he didn't mean to belittle the insurance industry, it was still frustrating to hear that after announcing his resignation, the best he could do was insurance sales.

It was a jaw-dropping and nose-clogging answer.

But when he tried to argue, he was at a loss for words.

After all, debt collection could be seen as more harsh to people. What could he say?

He had no choice but to let him go.

The guy's steps as he left the office were so light that it seemed he had solved a decade-old problem.

"Is he that strange?"

The woman standing in front of Song Byungchang, looking curious, was his sister, Song Eun-chae.

Though she was over fifty, her skin was so well-maintained that it looked like she could be a celebrity, retaining the elasticity of a much younger woman.

The reason for this was that Song Eun-chae was not an ordinary wealthy person.

She was the daughter-in-law of the eldest grandson of Hyunjin Group, one of the top ten conglomerates in the country.

Not only did she possess immense wealth, but she was also the mastermind and supporter behind Song Byungchang's rise to a major player in the Myeongdong loan market.

While he told Young-hoon that they didn't lend to ordinary individuals, in fact, Myeongil Finance provided high-interest loans to companies in need of urgent funds, which Song Byungchang handled personally, so the employees never touched it.

"That's right. I've never seen anyone as cool as him. Maybe it's because he's a monk? He has no greed at all. Even when I offered him 10% of the money I recovered, he refused. He said he had learned a lot and that he would consider the bonus he would receive as money from people who couldn't repay their debts. Isn't that crazy?"

"It is strange. What is he going to do?"

"That's the masterpiece. I asked him, and it seems he's going to apply for a job. I asked him if he thought anyone would hire him after studying in a temple until he was over thirty. And you know what he said?"

"What did he say?"

"He said he's going to try insurance sales. He thinks he can do it well, but isn't insurance sales difficult? The frustrating part is that he seems like he could succeed easily."

Song Eun-chae burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! You're really smitten with him, aren't you?"

"No, it's just funny. If you saw him, you'd think the same. He's not particularly knowledgeable or well-educated, but there's something strange about him. How does he find ways to get money from people who can't pay? I've never seen anyone like him in my life."

"Is that so? Hmm... How about we have him apply to our company? We're hiring right now."

"Your company? Hyunjin Industries?"

"Yeah."

"Come on, that's ridiculous. Will the HR team even pass him? Even if his resume passes, how will he handle the executive interview?"

Song Eun-chae said it was no big deal.

"If I recommend him, what's the problem? I'll decide after the interview. The resume will pass with just a word from me."

"Really?"

"Why not? Do you think he's not worth it?"

"Not exactly, but..."

Seeing Song Byungchang's dissatisfaction, Song Eun-chae approached him with a genuinely surprised look.

"You really think he's not worth it?"

"To be honest, it's not that he's not worth it. He's better suited for sales. With his personality, he might end up misunderstood and have a hard time."

"Are you really that concerned after just one month?"

"It's not concern. Objectively, that's just how it is. You might not notice, but the junior employees can't control him. Remember Manager Yang? He's been avoiding him since the last incident. He has a knack for making people feel embarrassed. If a superior isn't broad-minded, he'll make their life miserable."

"Alright, let's talk to him. We have an insurance company, so have him apply there. If I think he's good after the interview, we'll try him at the company. If not, we'll send him to the life insurance company."

"Right. Hyunjin Life."

Song Byungchang was still dissatisfied, but at this point, Song Eun-chae felt like she was just looking at her brother's toy.

She thought he must have lived in a temple, so she assumed he had some regular education and qualifications.

*

"Really? Hyunjin Life?"

Young-hoon was surprised but pleased to hear that the president of the company he had just quit was recommending him to an insurance company.

Despite being a loan company, he had managed to build good relationships during his one-month stay.

"Thank you."

After hanging up, he checked online and found that Hyunjin Group was currently hiring.

He had been wondering how to apply to an insurance company, so this was perfect.

Having never applied to a regular job before, Young-hoon looked at sample resumes and cover letters online to get a general idea.

He downloaded the resume format from the Hyunjin Group job posting and started filling it out diligently.

He didn't know that insurance salespeople were usually hired by individual branches, not through regular recruitment.

He had read online that insurance sales didn't require special education or qualifications, so he wasn't too worried about the blank sections of his resume.

Ignorance is bravery, they say.

Young-hoon was a perfect example.

*

Hyunjin Industries HR Department.

Kim Hak-ju, the youngest employee hired through last year's regular recruitment, was staring at his monitor with a perplexed look.

He needed to ask a question, but he knew that the irritable Mr. Oh would scold him for repeating himself.

However, he felt this was too strange, so he approached Mr. Oh, who was in a bad mood after a fight with his girlfriend.

"Um..."

"What?"

"About the person you mentioned, he applied to Hyunjin Life, and we received his resume."

"Who?"

"The one named Choi Young-hoon..."

As expected, Mr. Oh's expression twisted.

"Ah, really! They were supposed to pass him! Do I have to repeat myself? You're not a new employee anymore. Get your act together!"

"It's not that... His resume is strange."

"What's strange about it?"

"Nothing is filled out except his name and address."

"What? What do you mean?"

Mr. Oh raised his voice, as if Kim Hak-ju was speaking gibberish.

"There's no high school or university listed, no work experience, not even a Word certification or driver's license. The cover letter is also strange. It says he grew up in a temple and so on, but I can't tell if it's a joke or serious. His address is in Goseong, Gyeongnam."

Realizing the situation, Mr. Oh got up and went to Kim Hak-ju's computer.

After looking at the resume, he said with a baffled look.

"Is this guy crazy? Is he trying to mess with us? Manager!"

Young-hoon, unaware of the chaos he had caused in the HR department, was lying on his bed, enjoying a webtoon on his phone.

"Haha. Hahaha! This is funny."

Completely carefree.

The end