WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Potter
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Regressed Assistant Manager Kim Can Read Minds ◈
Chapter 16
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Taeseong Trading’s chairman’s office.
Han Myeongcheol read through the green coffee direct-import report spread across his desk, starting from the first page.
People in the company called him a figurehead chairman, but every day, without fail, the major reports reached his office through Jeong Eunho.
Han Myeongcheol underlined the contract price for each supplier and turned the page.
The first deliveries had also performed better than expected. Just as he was about to move on, his hand stopped at the list of companies asking about additional orders.
“How long has it been since the first shipment arrived? They already want more?”
“The response has been good. Some are even asking about next year’s supply.”
“It went even better than I expected.”
Even without Mekong Green, there were no supply problems. In fact, using only the suppliers that had passed the screening, they had met both their price and profit targets.
Han Myeongcheol opened the last page and checked the name of the person in charge.
[Project Leader: Deputy General Manager Seo Jeonguk, Overseas Sales Team 1.]
“Seo Jeonguk does a thorough job.”
Han Myeongcheol rested the tip of his pen beside Seo Jeonguk’s name.
Even in the Sales Division, which Cha Myeongguk controlled, Seo Jeonguk hadn’t been pushed around. When necessary, they had even made use of people from Baek Seungwon’s side. Yet they hadn’t fully committed to either camp.
“They must know I’m the one who can give them the position they want.”
Han Myeongcheol looked at Seo Jeonguk’s name once more, then pushed the report aside.
He picked up the next one from underneath it.
[Sales Results for Excess EVA Resin Order.]
[Excess Order: 9 tons.]
“Overseas Sales Team 2?”
Han Myeongcheol’s eyebrows rose when he saw the sales period on the first page.
They had sold all 9 tons in four days. They hadn’t simply dumped it on one buyer at a bargain price, either. They had found factories that needed it, split the supply among them, and gained 15 new clients.
Apart from Bugyeong Footwear, most were small and medium-sized businesses.
For now, these were only trial orders, so each one was small. But if the material suited their products, orders would naturally grow.
“Isn’t Team 2 where that pretty boy works?”
“That’s right.”
“Whenever something comes up from Team 2 these days, his name is on it.”
If this had only been a team cleaning up an ordering mistake, he would have remembered the name and moved on.
Han Myeongcheol pulled over the next report bearing Kim Seongjun’s name.
It was the latex sales report on supplying Anantakul Group’s latex concentrate to Mongsil Latex.
His eyes narrowed.
Simply spending years in this industry wasn’t enough to make Anantakul Group a supplier.
Without connections, even arranging an ordinary meeting would be difficult.
Han Myeongcheol looked back and forth between the two company names on the contract.
“He’s got something up his sleeve.”
As though waiting for those words, Jeong Eunho handed him Kim Seongjun’s résumé and past performance reviews.
Han Myeongcheol quickly read through his education, foreign language skills, and work history.
He had graduated from an ordinary four-year national university and had never studied abroad. There was nothing remarkable in his previous evaluations, either.
“But there’s nothing much here before this.”
“Until recently, he mainly handled existing clients and support work.”
“One success could be luck. But this much is skill. And nobody noticed him for eight years?”
Jeong Eunho turned to the recommendation attached behind the evaluation records.
It was Seo Jeonguk’s recommendation to promote him to manager.
“I heard he was offered a transfer to Team 1, too.”
“Assistant Manager Kim turned it down.”
“He turned it down, stayed in Team 2, and achieved all this?”
Han Myeongcheol placed the Mongsil Latex contract beside the EVA resin report.
He certainly was unusual.
Han Myeongcheol gazed at the photograph on the résumé.
“But doesn’t he... look a little irritating?”
“Pardon?”
“He’s unnecessarily good-looking.”
Jeong Eunho looked at him without answering.
Han Myeongcheol cleared his throat for no reason.
“I’m not jealous.”
“Yes. I know.”
Han Myeongcheol set the résumé and its photograph on top of the reports.
“The manager promotion interviews are this Friday, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I’ll sit in, too.”
“You’ll attend personally, Chairman?”
“What can I learn from watching one presentation? I need to see him in person and hear what he’s thinking.”
“I’ll make the arrangements.”
Han Myeongcheol circled Friday’s schedule and closed the report.
If things went well, he would gain another useful blade to go with Seo Jeonguk.
Considering the bloodbath that would soon sweep through the company, this much effort was nothing.
“Oh, and give Team 2 a generous bonus. We can’t let results like these go unrewarded.”
* * *
The same reports also reached Cha Myeongguk’s and Baek Seungwon’s desks.
The two had been the former chairman’s right and left hands, and both stopped at the name Kim Seongjun.
Which side an assistant manager who had even rejected Seo Jeonguk’s offer chose to join could signal where power within the company was shifting.
After checking the manager promotion interview date with their respective secretaries, both gave the same instruction.
“I’ll sit in on Friday’s manager promotion interviews, too.”
At that moment, I rubbed my arms as a sudden chill ran over me for no reason.
“Am I coming down with a cold?”
At a time like this, a cup of Ara’s ssanghwa tea would be perfect.
* * *
Starting the day after the EVA resin arrived at the 15 factories, calls came in for additional orders.
They were from companies that had tried the initial supply.
Every time Park Soyeon brought over a new purchase order, I felt that the four days we had spent struggling with the excess stock hadn’t been wasted.
We divided the new clients and sales credit evenly among the Team 2 members who had worked through it together. Kang Minho and Im Jaeho weren’t left out, either.
“Take good care of those clients. Lose them, and that’s it.”
“Yes, Department Manager Oh.”
A few days later, when the bonus payment notice arrived, smiles spread across the team.
With the bonus for the Mongsil Latex deal included, 5 million won landed in my account.
‘That’s much more than a month’s salary.’
My healthier bank balance gave me a reassuring sense of security.
But that wasn’t the only thing that had changed in Team 2.
“Assistant Manager Kim, could you take a look at this?”
“Let me see.”
It wasn’t just Kang Minho. Im Jaeho also came to my desk with documents.
After I corrected the mistakes and returned them, Han Gyeongsu showed me an email from a client. Across from me, Oh Sangcheol called my name.
“Assistant Manager Kim, have this.”
“What’s the coffee for?”
“I’ve decided to take care of Team 2’s coffee through the end of this week.”
Park Soyeon set down the coffee and returned to her desk with a smile.
With the bonus paid, the cost wasn’t a burden, either.
The only person unhappy with this situation was Choi Yeongjin.
[Damn it. I’m an assistant manager. Why am I getting the same share as the junior staff? And what’s so great about Assistant Manager Kim that they’re all clinging to him?]
Choi Yeongjin didn’t like all the attention I was getting.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
Their ability didn’t measure up to their complaints.
“Assistant Manager Choi. Cig break?”
“...Let’s go, Department Manager Oh.”
Despite disliking the abbreviation, Choi Yeongjin followed Oh Sangcheol without complaint.
I gave a bitter smile and opened my notebook.
The date of Mongsil Latex’s home-shopping broadcast caught my eye.
[September 1. CY Home Shopping, 3 p.m.]
It wasn’t a prime-time slot, but they had secured a broadcast.
My suggestion to release pillows before latex mattresses had worked.
Even while telling me the broadcast time, Kim Inho couldn’t hide the excitement in their voice.
A few days earlier, they had even sent one of the first pillows to my home.
Dad had quietly put it on the sofa and used it, while Mom and Suyeon had spent ages pressing it, each claiming it as her own.
I told Kim Inho how my family had reacted and advised making as many as possible while they had the production capacity.
“Will we really sell that many?”
“If the home-shopping broadcast goes well, your current stock won’t come close to being enough.”
“Haha, that’s wonderful just to hear.”
Kim Inho said they would increase production right away.
After hanging up, I requested additional supply from Anantakul Group.
Lalita’s reply arrived quickly.
[No problem. Contact me whenever you need more. :)]
Once I had sorted out the additional supply, I suddenly found myself wanting to see Han Ara.
[Ara, could I stop by for a little while after work?]
Her reply didn’t come until well after lunch.
[I only just saw this. T_T It’s been so busy with customers. Come anytime! I’ll save you some delicious cake! +_+]
I started typing, “Just seeing you gives me energy,” then stopped.
It still felt too embarrassing to send something like that in a text.
[Thanks. I’ll look forward to it.]
* * *
I headed to Mood Bean as soon as I finished work.
When I opened the door, Han Ara was busy taking a rush of orders. At the counter, a young-looking woman with blond hair whom I hadn’t seen before was helping her hand out drinks.
As I stepped inside, the woman greeted me brightly.
“Welcome!”
Han Ara turned at the greeting, saw me, and broke into a bright smile.
“Seongjun, you’re here?”
“Huh? You know him?”
“This is Seongjun. We’re... close!”
“Ohh. Are you?”
[It’s always the quiet ones. So Ara’s been seeing a man.]
Han Ara explained that she had asked a friend to help because so many customers had come in.
Her friend’s name was Lee Juhye.
She looked at me with a certain wariness.
Her expression said she wanted to find out what sort of man was hanging around her friend.
“You work at a company, right?”
“Yes. What about you, Juhye?”
“Me? I’m unemployed.”
Her answer was so confident that I could only nod.
“Seongjun, take a seat. Coffee? Or ssanghwa tea?”
“I’ll have ssanghwa tea today.”
Han Ara smiled and went behind the counter.
Once the flow of customers slowed, Lee Juhye approached my table.
“Are you dating Ara?”
“We’re not at that stage yet.”
“Yet?”
She pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down.
“So you’re saying that might change?”
I had come to see a friend, but it felt like I was being grilled by a sister-in-law.
“So where do you work?”
“I work at Taeseong Trading.”
“Taeseong Trading? Then, do you happen to...”
Just then, Han Ara hurried over and set down my ssanghwa tea.
Lee Juhye, who had been about to say something, started in surprise.
“Juhye, those customers over there have left. Hurry up and clear the table.”
“No, more importantly, right now...”
“Shh. Go on.”
Lee Juhye narrowed her eyes and looked between Han Ara and me.
Pretending not to notice the awkward atmosphere, I took a sip of tea.
[Wait... does he not know that Ara is the daughter of Chairman Han of Taeseong Trading?]
Pfft!
The tea in my mouth sprayed straight out.
Brown droplets spread across my white shirt, but I had no attention to spare for that.
“Seongjun! Are you okay? You didn’t burn yourself, did you?”
Han Ara took out a handkerchief and wiped my shirt.
Wondering if I had misheard, I looked at her face again. Only then did I notice the resemblance.
Chairman Han Myeongcheol’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth that lifted when he smiled.
I reached for the handkerchief and caught Han Ara’s hand instead.
With our hands resting over each other, our eyes met.
[Seongjun’s handsome even soaked in ssanghwa tea.]
“...”
[...Will you go out with me?]
My heart pounded at her boldly direct thought.
I nearly answered, “Shall we?”
Watching from beside us, Lee Juhye shook her head.
[Tsk. She’s completely fallen for him. Completely. The chairman will go through the roof if he finds out.]
That snapped me back to my senses.
“Go out... No, Ara.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not feeling very well today, so I should get going.”
“All right. Your face is red, and you seem to have a fever.”
“I’ll be fine after a little rest.”
I stood and headed toward the door, then stopped again.
Taking a small box from my jacket’s inside pocket, I held it out to Han Ara.
“What’s this?”
“Well... I found it on my way here.”
Han Ara opened the box. Inside was a hair tie.
The one she had used to tie back her hair at the rice soup restaurant in Pimatgol had looked worn.
I had remembered and picked one out as a small gift that wouldn’t make her feel burdened.
“I needed one, actually. Thank you.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
I left the café, moving stiffly and awkwardly.
Only after I got into my car and closed the door did I let out a long breath.
‘Ara is Chairman Han’s daughter?’
Since she had studied abroad, I had assumed her family was fairly well-off.
But I had never dreamed that she was the daughter of Han Myeongcheol, the chairman of Taeseong Trading.
As I stared blankly through the windshield, my phone rang.
[Should we put off going to that restaurant you recommended this week? You don’t have to push yourself.]
Considering our respective situations, that was probably the right thing to do.
But the person who came to mind just then wasn’t Chairman Han Myeongcheol. It was Han Ara, pulling me along by the arm in Pimatgol.
I also remembered her smiling face when she received the hair tie today.
I sent a reply.
[No. Let’s definitely go. I want to.]
[Okay. Then take care of yourself until then...! >O<]
A smile escaped me before I knew it.
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