WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken for an S-Class Employee ◈
Chapter 16: A Perfect Fit
──────
Content Team conference room.
As the meeting was drawing to a close, Team Leader Jo spoke.
“You all know a new team member is coming today, right?”
“Yes!”
“I’ll introduce them later, but give them a warm welcome. They’ll be working with us from now on.”
“Understood!”
Team Leader Jo nodded.
“That concludes the meeting. Part Leaders, stay behind. Everyone else, get back to work.”
After the team members left, three people remained in the conference room, including Team Leader Jo.
Team Leader Jo called on Shim Byeong-hun, the Deputy General Manager and Content Acquisition Part Leader.
“Part Leader Shim.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“What do you think about taking Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok in Content Acquisition?”
“What?”
The Content Team was divided into the Content Acquisition Part and the Original Part, and the headcount allocation had opened up in the Original Part.
“Wasn’t the Original Part supposed to take him? Why the sudden change...?”
“After talking with him, I thought Assistant Manager Go would be a better fit for Content Acquisition.”
Compared to the Original Part, Content Acquisition had a much larger revenue scope and covered broader, more diverse business areas.
“Wouldn’t it be a bit much to put someone with no experience in content work into Content Acquisition? Besides, we don’t have any headcount allocation available...”
“I was thinking we could move someone from Content Acquisition to Original and put Assistant Manager Go in that spot.”
“Ah... You mean we should create a position.”
Shim did not want to disrupt the team’s solid current structure.
And besides...
‘Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok has bad rumors around him.’
The rumors about Min-hyeok were not good among leadership, even if Assistant Managers and lower-ranking employees might see things differently.
He had clashed with his Team Leader and ultimately driven the Team Leader out of the team.
“What? You don’t like the idea?”
Team Leader Jo asked, noticing Part Leader Shim’s uneasy expression.
“To be honest, the team has good chemistry right now. If possible, I don’t want to break that up.”
“...”
“Still, if it’s your order, Team Leader, I’ll follow it.”
Team Leader Jo’s word was absolute in the Content Team.
But he was not the type to ignore and steamroll the opinions of those beneath him.
‘He did seem to have pretty good production instincts.’
Min-hyeok seemed knowledgeable about content, which was why Team Leader Jo thought Content Acquisition would suit him better.
Still, he recalled qualities that suggested Min-hyeok could show strengths in the Original Part as well.
“What do you think of Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok, Part Leader Ryu?”
Ryu Yeon-jun, the Original Part Leader.
With a warm, bear-like appearance, they blinked.
“I don’t have an opinion yet. I haven’t worked with him before.”
Part Leader Ryu scratched their head.
“I think Part Leader Shim makes a valid point. Since the headcount allocation opened up in the Original Part, I think we should take him.”
Team Leader Jo thought for a moment, then nodded.
“All right. The Original Part will take him, as originally planned.”
“Yes, understood.”
After Team Leader Jo left the conference room first, Part Leader Shim patted Part Leader Ryu on the shoulder as if offering sympathy.
“Sigh... So you ended up taking in a mad dog.”
He was referring to the bad rumors about Min-hyeok, but Part Leader Ryu did not respond, expressionless.
“You should be careful, Part Leader.”
Part Leader Ryu had joined the company a year before Part Leader Shim.
“Don’t you think you’re putting too much faith in rumors?”
“There’s no smoke without fire.”
“No grave is without its story. There must’ve been a reason.”
“Even so. How could a team member dare do that to their Team Leader...?”
The two continued talking as they left the conference room.
Then they spotted Min-hyeok, who had just arrived at the office entrance.
The area seemed unusually busy.
“It’s such a shame to see you go, Senior.”
“I’m really upset about this.”
The Operations Team members had followed Min-hyeok to see him off. Part Leader Shim cocked his head at the sight.
‘That doesn’t look like someone who deserves to be called a mad dog.’
* * *
“How far are you planning to follow me?”
I had said goodbye with confidence, but the Operations Team members said they could not just leave it at that and followed me all the way to the Content Team.
I waved them off.
“Go on, get back to work. Isn’t it working hours?”
Laughing, I took my belongings from Assistant Manager Jeon.
“Shoo! Go on! Go!”
The team members reluctantly turned away.
I watched their backs until they had completely disappeared, then turned around.
Time to go in. To my new team.
“Hello.”
“...”
When I entered the Content Team, everyone was staring at me blankly.
Was the send-off too much? It had been a little loud.
“Ahem!”
I cleared my throat and started walking farther in when Assistant Manager Seong approached me.
“Assistant Manager Go!”
It was nice to see a familiar face on an unfamiliar team.
“Hello, Assistant Manager Seong.”
“Haha, hello. Wow, so this is how we meet?”
I shook hands with Assistant Manager Seong and smiled broadly.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I have.”
I had not forgotten the help Assistant Manager Seong had given me.
If he had not thought well of me, it would have been difficult to join the Content Team.
I would have to arrange a meal soon and treat him to 1++ grade beef.
“Put your things down here first, then go greet Team Leader Jo.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
I went over to Team Leader Jo.
“Hello, Team Leader.”
“Oh, you’re here?”
Team Leader Jo welcomed me with a faint smile.
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”
“I’m expecting good things. I hope my judgment of you wasn’t wrong.”
Team Leader Jo was not especially warm or friendly, but there was a straightforwardness to him. That made him even more likable.
“See the empty desk across from Assistant Manager Seong?”
“Yes.”
“That’s your desk. You’ll be working in the Original Part from now on.”
I knew the Content Acquisition Part had a larger revenue scale and better opportunities to perform.
I was a little disappointed about being assigned to the Original Part, but this whole thing had begun because of a problem with Original content. I decided to accept it as fate.
“Yes, understood.”
“Good. Get to work.”
* * *
I approached the person sitting at the only desk in the Original Part that was positioned sideways.
“Hello, Part Leader.”
“Welcome. I’m Ryu Yeon-jun.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Go Min-hyeok.”
Part Leader Ryu Yeon-jun.
Ryu had a round face and small eyes.
Ryu looked adorably round.
All I knew was that Ryu was a Deputy General Manager. I had not heard any particular rumors about Ryu.
Still, anyone holding such an important position could not be ordinary. I stayed alert and waited for Ryu to speak.
“You know what the Content Team does, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Can you explain it simply?”
I gave a simple answer about the Content Team’s core work.
“We select high-quality content and acquire it on favorable terms.”
Part Leader Ryu looked at me for a moment before asking another question.
“What do you think is the Original Part’s main responsibility?”
“Unlike Content Acquisition, we have to acquire all rights to the content, so we also need to pay attention to the production process.”
“...”
“I understand that staff are assigned from the production stage onward as well.”
The corners of their mouth lifted slightly.
“I think I see why the Team Leader brought you here.”
“Pardon?”
I wondered what that meant, but Ryu changed the subject.
“I’ll speak casually from now on. Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“You were in the Operations Team for four years?”
“Yes.”
“You must know a lot of things.”
“The Operations Team handles such a wide range of work. I may not know anything in depth, but I know a little about all kinds of things.”
I answered honestly.
As if trying to assess what kind of person I was, Part Leader Ryu stared at me with small eyes.
“I think you’ll do well, as long as your enthusiasm doesn’t get ahead of you.”
“...”
“It’s your first time, so don’t rush. Take your time getting a handle on the work. I won’t give you any separate assignments for a while.”
The old me would have shouted “Yes!” inside and replied, “Yes, understood!”
“I’d like you to give me assignments.”
I had not stayed at the company or transferred to the Content Team just to drift through work.
“I want to learn while working.”
I was done with a corporate life where I merely accepted whatever was handed to me. I wanted to try everything I wanted to do without being afraid of getting fired.
“I said not to rush.”
“...”
“I’ll give you opportunities gradually, so get a handle on the work first. Assistant Manager Baek! Come here!”
The person called Assistant Manager Baek hurried over at Part Leader Ryu’s call.
“Yes, Part Leader.”
“You know Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok, right?”
“This is our first time meeting.”
“That goes for me too. You knew he was coming, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
He answered Part Leader Ryu’s questions stiffly.
“Keep an eye on him. Have him shadow you and watch you work. That alone should be enough.”
“What? Ah, yes.”
Shouldn’t Part Leader Ryu tell him to teach me, rather than merely let me watch?
What did Ryu mean by saying that alone would be enough? It almost sounded like a compliment.
“Meeting over. Good work.”
I bowed to Part Leader Ryu and followed Assistant Manager Baek.
* * *
He suddenly held out his hand.
“I’m Assistant Manager Baek Jeong-su.”
“I’m Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok.”
“Want to get some coffee?”
“Sounds good.”
Assistant Manager Baek and I went to the cafe in the company lobby.
“I’ll get it. Americano?”
“Yes.”
A little later, I accepted the coffee Assistant Manager Baek handed me.
“Thank you. I’ll get the next one.”
“It’s fine. Drink up.”
He had an angular face and wore thick-rimmed glasses.
My first impression was that he seemed a little sensitive.
“You came to the right place, joining the Original Part. Content Acquisition is brutal.”
“Is it?”
“You saw Part Leader Shim Byeong-hun, right? The skinny person at the far-right desk?”
“Ah, yes, I saw him.”
He frowned and shook his head.
“He’s way too obsessed with results. And Content Acquisition itself has a heavy workload.”
“...”
“You get good results, but you also catch a lot of flak. The stress is so bad that plenty of people in Content Acquisition want to transfer to our part.”
Even though we had only just met, Assistant Manager Baek chatted away on his own.
I could not tell yet whether he was being considerate or simply talked a lot by nature.
“Is it difficult to get results in the Original Part?”
“Hmm...”
Assistant Manager Baek shrugged.
“The Content Team is evaluated on KPIs, key performance indicators, based on paid subscribers’ viewing time. So Original content is all or nothing.”
“...”
“You know the series <The Cost of a Meal> that came out last year, right?”
“Yes. Didn’t it become a huge hit?”
“Compared to the huge hits from Content Acquisition, it was a drop in the bucket. Still, it did pretty well.”
“...”
“Since Original content is exclusive, a higher percentage of its viewers are paid subscribers.”
I thought I understood where he was going with this.
“You could say Original content is more efficient in terms of performance. That’s one of its strengths.”
I had not spent only a year or two in corporate life. I could sense from his tone that he wanted to start speaking casually.
“By the way, Assistant Manager Go, how long have you been with the company?”
Just as I expected.
“Four years.”
“Oh, then you joined a year after me.”
Assistant Manager Baek smiled brightly, apparently relieved.
“How old are you...?”
“I’m thirty-one.”
“Oh, we’re the same age too.”
Assistant Manager Baek suddenly patted my shoulder.
“Our seniority order almost got all mixed up. That worked out well. Haha. We can speak casually, right?”
“I’d prefer if we got to know each other a little better before we start speaking casually.”
I answered politely.
It was not that I was prickly. I simply felt uncomfortable speaking casually with strangers. Even if the other person was much younger, I did not easily drop formal speech.
No matter how senior he was, I did not want to do this with another Assistant Manager from the moment we met.
Assistant Manager Baek blinked in embarrassment.
Bzzzz-
“Excuse me for a moment.”
At the vibration, I checked my KakaoTalk window.
‘Mega Media Editor Kwon Yu-jun.’
[Hello, Author~ Are you having a happy day~? I’ve been eagerly waiting and got curious, so I thought I’d get in touch~ When do you think you can send today’s chapter manuscript? :)]
Oh, right! Today’s update!
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