Mistaken for an S-Class Employee - Chapter 8

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Mistaken for an S-Class Employee ◈

Chapter 8: What a Fun Friend

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“Why do you know so much about it?”

“Pardon?”

“You seem to know a lot about the Content Team.”

“The Operations Team handles all kinds of work. I naturally picked things up along the way…”

After debating whether to say it, I let a little of my true feelings show.

“I’m personally very interested in the Content Team’s work as well.”

“Oh, really?”

What they said next made me glad I had spoken up.

“As it happens, there’s an opening in the Content Team.”

“…”

“If you’re interested, you should apply. If we can’t find anyone suitable, we might open an internal posting.”

Since it was such a good position, Content Team employees rarely changed jobs or took leave, so openings hardly ever came up.

For someone like me hoping to transfer there, it was welcome news.

“You seem like you’d be good at the work, too. I think it’d be great if someone like Assistant Manager Go joined us.”

It seemed my attempt to make a good impression had worked.

“Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.”

I stood before Jo Min-ho, the Content Team leader.

He was a middle-aged man with short-cropped hair and a sharp jawline.

His eyes brimmed with energy.

He was very different from Team Leader Kim, who had a sallow face and protruding belly.

“Team Leader, someone from Operations came by about work, so I thought I’d introduce you.”

Assistant Manager Seong introduced me, and I bowed politely.

“Hello. I’m Go Min-hyeok, an Assistant Manager on the Operations Team.”

“I’m Jo Min-ho. This is our first time meeting, right?”

“Yes! It’s nice to meet you.”

As Team Leader Jo shook my hand, he asked, “What brings someone from Operations here? Was there some kind of incident?”

An incident that had almost happened.

It was awkward to explain since it wasn’t good news, but fortunately Assistant Manager Seong stepped in.

“Well, there was an error in the Original Content information…”

Assistant Manager Seong explained what had happened. Team Leader Jo listened with a nod, then said, “That could’ve turned into a major problem. Does that kind of thing happen often?”

Since Assistant Manager Seong had already explained everything, I answered honestly.

“Yes. No matter how thoroughly we review things on our end, it appears there’s always a possibility of an incident.”

“Hmm…”

After thinking for a moment, Team Leader Jo said to Assistant Manager Seong, “Discuss it with the supplier and come up with countermeasures. Prepare a plan and report back.”

“Understood.”

“When can you have it done?”

“We’ll need time to discuss it. Would it be all right if I report back by tomorrow?”

Team Leader Jo considered it briefly.

“No. Make it the day after tomorrow. This isn’t something to handle carelessly. Check whether competitors have had similar cases as well.”

“Understood.”

In many ways, he was different from Team Leader Kim.

Team Leader Kim often assigned meaningless tasks just to make their presence known.

Team Leader Jo gave assignments that were reasonable and made sense.

“Anyway, thank you. Team Leader Kim did something important.”

He must have assumed Team Leader Kim had found the error during the second review.

I was surprised that he knew another team’s work process so well, but it was not exactly welcome news for me.

“Thank you. But I did it, not Team Leader Kim.”

“…”

“Due to circumstances, I was handling things on Team Leader Kim’s behalf.”

Even if it felt embarrassing, you had to make your accomplishments obvious. Hyeok, the frightening person who had returned alive from the apocalypse, had done the same.

In office life, where credit often went unnoticed, making your case was extremely important.

“Oh, really? Then thank you even more. But did you have to say all that?”

I flinched.

Was Team Leader Jo the type who liked modest people?

Or was he testing me?

“And isn’t Assistant Manager Song Ahri in charge of Original Content?”

Whenever there was something to discuss during review, we usually dealt directly with the supplier.

Assistant Manager Song would not have worked directly with the Content Team, yet he even knew the employee in charge of another team’s work.

The more we spoke, the more I felt how deep Team Leader Jo’s professional experience was.

A capable team leader…

“I stepped up because I’m interested in the Content Team.”

The office suddenly fell quiet.

Not only Team Leader Jo and Assistant Manager Seong, but every employee in the office was looking at me.

I bet that a capable team leader would like an employee eager for work.

* * *

Making a move when an opportunity arose.

I had never done it in my office life, but I had done it plenty of times in novels.

A protagonist actively overcoming circumstances was a core element of fiction. That was how you held readers’ attention.

I had always tried to portray my protagonists as taking the lead in every situation, and after writing four series, I was used to that much.

“What a fun friend.”

Team Leader Jo broke the silence.

“Mind if I speak casually?”

“Of course. I’m more comfortable with that too.”

He gave a small laugh and said, “You’ve only been in Operations since you joined the company, haven’t you?”

It seemed he knew about me as well.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“As a company, it’s only natural to have employees focus on what they do well rather than what they want to do. You understand that, right?”

It was a little cryptic, but I knew what he meant.

I had used this sort of dialogue often in novels.

After considering how to answer, I responded in a similar manner.

“That would be true if the company perfectly understood what every employee was good at.”

“…”

“But sometimes that may not be the case.”

Team Leader Jo gave a small laugh. “Are you saying you’re one of those employees?”

“I don’t think this is the place to discuss it. If you make time for me, I’ll explain myself whenever you like.”

I could feel the Content Team employees’ attention on me. We had only exchanged a few words, but my back was already slick with cold sweat.

I was a little worried that I might be trying too hard.

Still, when Hyeok had taken a firm stand, things had unexpectedly worked out well. All I could do was trust that.

Team Leader Jo stared at me for a moment, then said with a blank expression, “All right. I understand.”

What exactly did he understand?

I could not read his thoughts.

Having finished speaking, Team Leader Jo turned his gaze back to his monitor.

Assistant Manager Seong smiled at me. “All right, then. We should get going.”

* * *

“Team Leader, I’ll see you again next time!”

After Min-hyeok left, Team Leader Jo shook his head with a smile.

“Ha ha.”

Assistant Manager Seong smiled along with him. “They’re an interesting person.”

Team Leader Jo smiled. “Assistant Manager Seong, now that they’re gone, tell me honestly.”

“Tell you what?”

“Are you close with that person? Aren’t you trying to pull some strings to get them onto our team?”

“Ha ha, no.”

Assistant Manager Seong waved both hands in denial.

“I met Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok for the first time today.”

“Really? Something smells fishy…”

“It’s true, Team Leader.”

Assistant Manager Seong said, “Still, I do have a favorable impression of them.”

“Why?”

“They seem like a decent person.”

Assistant Manager Seong explained why Min-hyeok had come in person rather than sending an email. Min-hyeok had been worried about the Original Content error being left in the records.

It was a small thing, but it was the sort of action that showed what kind of person someone was.

People did not often show that much consideration to an employee from another department.

“Oh… That happened?”

“Ha ha, yes.”

Team Leader Jo smiled and nodded, then murmured, “Interesting.”

“…”

“The way they talk, too. They’re different. They don’t seem like an ordinary employee.”

Rubbing his chin, he continued, “It also feels like they approached me quite deliberately. I’m not saying that’s bad. I like motivated people. The rumors about them weren’t good, but they don’t seem strange at all.”

“Ah… You mean those rumors.”

The incident where Min-hyeok had confronted Team Leader Kim was rather widely known around the company.

It was the sort of unusual thing that did not happen often.

“Going by the rumors, Assistant Manager Go’s response may have been a little excessive, but Team Leader Kim’s conduct is, honestly…”

Assistant Manager Seong stopped speaking. It did not seem right to badmouth another team’s leader in front of their own.

Team Leader Jo asked, “What did you say that person’s name was?”

“Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok.”

“Hmm…”

Team Leader Jo committed Min-hyeok’s name to memory.

* * *

Should I have pushed harder?

I had tried to hide my true feelings as much as possible because I did not want to seem too deferential when we had just met.

Had he properly understood my determination…?

I could not tell at all from Team Leader Jo’s reaction.

Either way, now that there was an opening, it was the right time to transfer teams.

Lost in thought, I soon arrived in front of the Operations Team office.

It was already over. Whatever.

I would do my best, and if things did not work out, I could just quit the company.

【Mega Media: ₩100,643,231】

After calming myself by looking at the royalty deposit, I entered the office.

Once I focused on work, it was suddenly time to leave.

Time really passed quickly at the company.

After checking the clock, I walked over to Assistant Manager Jeon.

“Assistant Manager Jeon.”

“Yes, senior.”

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“I said dinner was on me.”

“You’re really buying?”

I gave a small laugh. “Hurry up and pack your bag.”

Team Leader Kim was still at their desk, and Assistant Manager Jeon looked to them cautiously.

I deliberately spoke loudly enough for Team Leader Kim to hear.

“It’s time to go home.”

“But still…”

I walked over to Team Leader Kim.

“Team Leader, if you don’t have anything else for us to do, we’ll head out first.”

“Uh, sure.”

Team Leader Kim replied without even looking at us.

I smiled, patted Assistant Manager Jeon on the shoulder, and said, “Let’s go.”

We left the office.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Pork belly, maybe. Or blood sausage soup.”

Since I was paying, Assistant Manager Jeon was worried about making it too expensive.

Assistant Manager Jeon could be a little cheeky, but they were quite considerate.

“Want beef? Oh! You like tuna, don’t you, Assistant Manager Jeon? Let’s go have tuna.”

“…Are you sure that’s okay?”

I made over a hundred million won a month. Of course it was okay.

“Of course. Let’s try the special today.”

At the tuna sashimi restaurant, we ordered the chef’s special, which cost one hundred thousand won per person, along with osipseju, a soju-Baekseju mix.

“This isn’t a promotion celebration, right?”

“Ha ha. No.”

“This is too much. Lately, you’ve been a little…”

“I’m buying because I can afford it. Just enjoy the food.”

“Ah, yes. Understood. Thank you for the meal.”

I was making all this money thanks to readers. I wanted to buy one of them a meal.

And ever since learning that Assistant Manager Jeon was a reader, there was something I had wanted to do most.

“Do you only read Gofree’s The Office Worker from the Apocalypse?”

“No. It suits my tastes, so I read all the previous works too. Do you like Gofree’s writing as well?”

“Huh? Yeah. I like it too.”

Comments were nice, but I wanted to meet an actual reader and hear what they thought about my work.

“What did you like about the writing, Assistant Manager Jeon?”