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### Chapter 5. Back to Normal (2)
— Dear Cha Jihoo, how have you been? I owe you a great deal for what you did for me in Japan. I wish I had had more time
so I could have properly repaid your kindness, but I'm sorry I couldn't. My semester has started, so I've been extremely
busy. I wanted to write to you once again to say thank you. May God's blessings always be with you!
The writing had a neatness and seriousness that was unusual for someone her age. He did not know what school she
attended or what kind of family she came from, but even from her writing, he could sense a high level of refinement and
education.
When he checked the time the email had been sent, he realized that more than a day and a half had already passed.
Cha Jihoo hurriedly sent a reply.
— Dear Miss Claire Belford, saying that you owe me something or that you need to repay my kindness sounds far too grand.
I only did what anyone should have done. The thanks you gave me back then were more than enough. I have also returned
from my vacation and am busy with work. I sincerely hope you enjoy your studies and achieve the goals and dreams you
desire. May good fortune be with you.
As could be seen from the content, Cha Jihoo regarded her email as a final letter sent out of courtesy.
He had written his reply in the same spirit.
At the time, neither of them could have predicted how the story between them would unfold.
The point in time when Cha Jihoo regressed was a period when Samel Electronics, the company he worked for, and Daeju
Electronics were launching new premium home appliance lines and engaging in a fierce battle not only in the domestic
market but also in the global market.
Premium refrigerators in particular were an extremely important sector for both companies, important enough for them to
stake everything on it, and sparks flew throughout the entire year.
The Marketing Team of the Home Appliances Division played the role of artillery in that war.
“Let's hear Assistant Manager Cha's proposal.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
At the words of Jo Jeongyeon, the senior manager in charge of the Marketing Team, Cha Jihoo stepped forward and stood
before the meeting attendees.
“Our Diopel brand has positioned itself more effectively as a premium brand among both domestic and overseas consumers
through faster product-line development and aggressive marketing activities compared to our competitors. Given this
situation, I believe we need to separate our key messages into appropriate appeal channels and execute them in parallel,
focusing emotionally on the design of our products and rationally on our technological superiority and energy
efficiency.”
At Cha Jihoo's words, not only Team Leader Jo but also Deputy General Manager Kim Sunghyun nodded.
“Furthermore, in order to solidify our image as the number-one brand, I believe we should use a big-model strategy and
hire Jung Donggeon and Go Seyeong, a married couple who currently possess the highest levels of popularity and
credibility. We need to make a powerful impact on potential customers.”
“Jung Donggeon and Go Seyeong.”
“Yes, Team Leader. However, I believe there is something we need to be mindful of from a long-term perspective.”
“From a long-term perspective? What is it?”
“Although our brand is significantly ahead in areas such as market share, awareness, and preference, I don't think we
should ever underestimate Daeju Electronics' competing brand. From what I've gathered, they are planning long-term
innovation by establishing differentiation through increased capacity and innovations in their interface structure. This
could potentially create a major crisis for us in roughly ten years. I believe we need to make technological
preparations for that possibility.”
Team Leader Jo Jeongyeon's eyes widened in surprise at Cha Jihoo's statement.
“Really? How did you know about that, Assistant Manager Cha?”
“I came across the information while looking into various sources here and there. I thought there was sufficient basis
for it, so I included it in the briefing.”
“Oh, really? As expected of the Marketing Team's hope! Haha. I can't disagree with anything you've just said. You and
Assistant Manager Yoo should refine the big-model strategy further and report back with an execution plan.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Because of his experience in his previous life, Cha Jihoo knew not only how things were progressing but also what the
eventual outcome would be.
Based on those memories, he developed his strategy by supplementing the areas that had been lacking at the time while
carrying forward the strategies that had proven successful.
This earned him praise not only from his team leader but also from the rest of the team.
“Assistant Manager, your growth is becoming frighteningly fast. I'm barely able to see your back anymore. Hoho.”
Assistant Manager Yoo Ari from the same team placed her laptop on the table and spoke in a tone of envy.
She was one year junior to Cha Jihoo, but she had been promoted in roughly the same year as him.
In practical terms, that meant she was climbing the ranks even faster.
“If anyone else said that, I'd believe you were just being modest, but coming from Assistant Manager Yoo, it sounds like
nothing more than false modesty. Who gets the most affection from the team leader, after all?”
“That can change at any time. Does love change? Yes, it does. That's the way of the world.”
“I don't think we should compete with each other. The team leader has entrusted us with this project, so let's work
together and do our best.”
“Yes, Assistant Manager. It's an honor for me! Hoho.”
“You're something else, Assistant Manager Yoo. Haha.”
After laughing together at Yoo Ari's easygoing response, the two became completely absorbed in their work.
After a considerable amount of time had passed, they left the company to get a late lunch.
“The temperature's starting to drop, so I'm craving something warm.”
“How about the Korean home-style restaurant across from the subway station? Their soybean paste stew and grilled
mackerel are excellent.”
“Sounds good. Let's go there.”
Cha Jihoo and Assistant Manager Yoo satisfied their hunger at the Korean home-style restaurant and then got takeaway
coffee from a nearby café.
But then...
“Huh? Over there...”
Whatever she had seen, Yoo Ari pointed across the street.
Cha Jihoo's gaze followed in that direction.
There were some familiar faces.
It was Ahn Jiyeon and the team leader in charge of her department, Team Leader Gong Hajun.
The two were walking somewhere together, practically pressed against each other and laughing happily.
“Assistant Manager Ahn, you're from the same year as Assistant Manager Cha, right?”
“Yes. We're not particularly close.”
“Those two look really close. I guess that rumor was true.”
“...Rumor? What rumor?”
“Ah... No, it's nothing. I shouldn't have said anything.”
“It's okay, Assistant Manager Yoo. Tell me. I want to know too.”
“Well, there's a rumor going around among the female employees that those two are dating. Of course, it could just be a
rumor.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But apparently Team Leader Gong comes from a pretty wealthy family. I heard they're extremely rich. Well, that
would explain why he drives such an expensive imported car. There's even a rumor that he already owns a large apartment
along the Han River.”
“You seem to know quite a lot about him, Assistant Manager Yoo. Were you interested in him yourself?”
“Oh, Assistant Manager, don't say something like that even as a joke. No matter how much money a man has, I don't like
men who are that much older than me. Besides, his looks are a bit...”
“So you care about looks. Haha.”
Cha Jihoo thought that Yoo Ari was still somewhat immature in her own way.
But one thing was certain: she was not the type to be obsessed with money.
He could tell from the way she behaved and conducted herself while working together.
“My classmate works in that team. These are things that came up while we were talking at a gathering with our
colleagues.”
Yoo Ari's story was probably true.
No matter how much money a senior manager at a major corporation made, driving an ultra-luxury imported car and owning
an apartment in Seoul was not easy.
And if the apartment was along the Han River, that said everything.
Ahn Jiyeon had clearly been attracted by the wealth of his family and had looked elsewhere because of it.
‘I just hope there really isn't any connection between her and me anymore.’
Thinking about it now, Cha Jihoo could not believe how fortunate it was that he had never made his relationship with Ahn
Jiyeon public.
If the people at the company had known that the two of them had been dating, how ridiculous would he have looked in this
situation?
And how much would everyone have gossiped behind his back?
It was horrifying even to imagine.
He breathed a sigh of relief and said cheerfully to Assistant Manager Yoo,
“Come on, let's get back inside and tear into this project!”
“Yes, Assistant Manager!”
The two hurried back toward the company.
Late autumn of that year, just before winter.
The marketing strategy proposed by Cha Jihoo, led primarily by him and Assistant Manager Yoo Ari with the rest of the
team working together, was a tremendous success.
The refrigerator advertising campaign in particular achieved unprecedented success.
As a result, the fierce battle against their competitor ended in an overwhelming victory.
Thanks to that, Cha Jihoo's name became known not only to his team leader and direct superiors but also to higher-ups in
the company.
“Your planning really shone brilliantly. It's easy to talk about it, but I know better than anyone how difficult it is
to select the right model and actually achieve the target results. Haha.”
“I'm just glad the results were good. I didn't expect it to be this effective either. I think Assistant Manager Yoo and
I worked well together.”
“Assistant Manager, you're too kind. I only helped keep pace beside you. This project is unquestionably Assistant
Manager Cha's achievement.”
For the first time since joining the company, Cha Jihoo received the ‘Professional of the Month’ award.
Since it was selected from among thousands of employees, the honor was particularly meaningful.
Vice President Lee Namhoon of Samel Electronics personally presented him with the award and prize money.
“Assistant Manager Cha Jihoo! You've worked hard! I'll be keeping an eye on you from now on, so I hope you continue
producing excellent results.”
“Thank you. I'll work hard!”
Although Cha Jihoo accepted the award as the representative, the achievement also belonged to the entire Marketing Team.
After wrapping up the project, they held a team dinner for the first time in a while.
“Let's raise a glass to celebrate the achievements of our team and Assistant Manager Cha!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
The alcohol tasted heavenly.
This must have been what people meant when they said the drinks went down smoothly.
Even though Cha Jihoo was not particularly fond of drinking, he did not hold back and repeatedly emptied his glass.
“I knew Assistant Manager Cha would pull something like this off. A true master stays quiet and then delivers a decisive
blow exactly when it's needed.”
Deputy General Manager Kim Sunghyun, who had been Cha Jihoo's mentor when he was a new employee, poured him a drink with
a flushed face.
“This is all thanks to you, Deputy General Manager Kim. Who else could I have learned from? As my lifelong mentor,
you're actually the true star of today's honor.”
“Oh, come on, it wasn't that much. But when you think about it, I suppose that's not entirely wrong. Haha.”
“Keep drinking. I'll mix you a drink with plenty of affection.”
“Haha, should I?”
Since he had received the award, Cha Jihoo personally poured drinks for everyone, from the team leader all the way down
to the newest employees.
Naturally, Team Leader Jo Jeongyeon was someone he needed to impress, but seeing him pat the shoulders of even this
year's new employees and personally fill each of their glasses was bound to leave an impression.
‘Was Assistant Manager Cha always like this? I thought he was simply kind, but he actually has quite a bit of ambition.’
Assistant Manager Yoo Ari watched him with a smile.
In fact, she had already had a favorable impression of Cha Jihoo for some time.
At first, it had simply been the feeling of liking him as a ‘good senior’ with a somewhat pure side.
But after working closely with him throughout the project and coordinating their efforts, there had been more than a few
times when his insight and ability to see into the future had left her astonished.
In short, she had begun to see him as a man with whom she could build a future.
Cha Jihoo, however, had no idea that Yoo Ari was looking at him with that kind of meaning.
He was too absorbed in talking with all the members of his team.
‘In an organization, every single person is an asset. If you're just planning to put in the bare minimum and leave,
that's one thing. But if I want to climb to the top, I have to do my best with everyone, regardless of whether they're
my seniors or juniors. Until the time comes when I have to make a final choice, reputation is the most important thing.’
In his previous life, he had thought that simply working hard, collecting his salary, and bringing the money home was
the best thing he could do.
But now things were different.
His values and goals in life had changed.
“Assistant Manager Kang, have a drink.”
“Oh, what an honor. Assistant Manager Cha, congratulations again!”
“Next time, you should be the one receiving that award.”
“I'm not good enough for that yet. Haha. By the way, Assistant Manager, do you really not have a girlfriend?”
At that question, the ears of Yoo Ari and several other female team members nearby perked up.