Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: First Day in PR
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Daehan Construction headquarters, fourth-floor hallway.
Tap, tap—!
Lee Dae-hyuk, with his employee ID around his neck, was walking toward the PR department under Im Soon-cheol's guidance.
"I'm Im Soon-cheol, the assistant manager. We'll be working together in the PR team from now on, so let's get along great."
"I'm Lee Dae-hyuk. Nice to meet you."
"You're tall and handsome. Why'd a guy like you come work here and take all that crap?"
"Joining Daehan Group was my dream."
*Though really, I came to take it over.*
Im Soon-cheol let out an amused chuckle at that.
"Oh man, hope that dream doesn't turn into a nightmare. Heh heh heh."
He deliberately raised his voice as he laughed.
He must have overheard the conversation between Kim Jin-mu and me, and this was his way of lightening the mood.
"Your first impression of him might not have been great, but... Team Leader Kim Jin-mu is a good guy. He used to have a lot of company loyalty and was pretty good at his job, but life wore him down and made him sharp-tongued. So cut him some slack. Don't go poking at the higher-ups unnecessarily. It'll just make things awkward for everyone. Let's keep the office fun, yeah?"
Lee Dae-hyuk gave a subtle smile as Im Soon-cheol rambled on in Kim Jin-mu's defense.
He could sense the genuine fondness Im Soon-cheol had for him.
"You don't have any powerful backers to stir up trouble, but either way, don't worry. Assistant Manager Im Soon-cheol."
Lee Dae-hyuk glanced at the ID on Im Soon-cheol's neck and pronounced his name perfectly.
Did that polite tone win him over?
Grinning ear to ear, Im Soon-cheol stopped in front of the office door with the PR Team sign.
"Alright. Let's crush this corporate life together. Different departments, but if you need anything, this senior's got your back. Heh heh heh."
He patted Lee Dae-hyuk on the back and opened the PR Team door.
"PR Team, we've got a new recruit! Ha ha ha."
Im Soon-cheol played it off as a joke with his laughter, but the busy PR staff just gave him half-hearted looks.
At the same time.
Even as they focused on their work, they were all thinking the same thing.
*What kind of parachute drop is this one?*
*How much trouble will he cause?*
*Things are gonna get noisy again.*
The same negative thoughts.
Lee Dae-hyuk, standing beside Im Soon-cheol, could read their minds just from their eyes.
*What's with the vibe here?*
He tasted bitterness.
Now he understood why Daehan Construction was faltering.
Even without spies, if the place was overflowing with employees like this, it was doomed to fail eventually.
*HR Director, looks like I can't keep that promise not to cause trouble. Sorry.*
He was going to cause a massive upheaval.
One that would uproot and transform Daehan Construction entirely.
*It'll be noisy every day.*
He wouldn't stop until Daehan Construction was perfectly reborn.
*Let's see who wins.*
A meaningful smile spread across Lee Dae-hyuk's lips, burning with passion and competitive fire.
"Nice to meet you all, seniors! I'm Lee Dae-hyuk. Looking forward to working with you!"
After his booming greeting, Lee Dae-hyuk looked up in confusion.
The senior PR staff weren't even glancing his way.
*Just as I expected.*
No special reaction to his greeting meant they were declaring distance from the start.
As if he'd anticipated it, Lee Dae-hyuk quickly smiled and regained his composure.
*Not like I came here to make friends anyway.*
This wasn't a vacation; no need to worry about camaraderie.
Instead, he scanned the employees' expressions with cold, sharp eyes.
The PR team bore the crucial responsibility of promoting the company's projects to the public.
No matter how great a venture, failure was common if it couldn't convey a positive image.
But in the eyes of the ten-plus PR staff, there was no spark of motivation.
Just dull gazes as they tapped keyboards, occasionally sneaking peeks at Lee Dae-hyuk.
The awkward silence hung in the air like that.
Creak—!
Then PR Team Leader Park Min-chan stood up from his desk.
"I was wondering what kind of newbie we'd get this time. Ha ha ha. Welcome. I'm Team Leader Park Min-chan."
From their first meeting, Park Min-chan addressed Lee Dae-hyuk informally and extended his right hand.
*......*
His eyes and gestures brimmed with warmth... but Lee Dae-hyuk felt unease.
The seasoned insight from his life as Kim Geon-woo.
It had caught the motive hidden in Park Min-chan's friendliness.
*He needs connections from the parachute crowd.*
Lee Dae-hyuk read the fleeting greed in Park Min-chan's eyes.
The newbie "Lee Dae-hyuk" was probably calculating what benefits he could bring.
*You'll find out soon enough, but this guy's no spy.*
How could such an obvious "amateur" wearing his emotions on his sleeve be a spy?
Lee Dae-hyuk silently took Park Min-chan's hand.
A few seconds later.
Having read Park Min-chan's information and memories through psychometry, Lee Dae-hyuk tasted bitterness again.
He was just your typical greedy salesman, nothing special.
*- Is this guy useful to me?*
*- Whose line is he? What do his parents do? Maybe I can ride their coattails.*
*- If he's from a rich family, he plays in a different league. Gotta get some entertainment out of him sometime.*
*Yeah... not worth my time.*
Concluding Park Min-chan wasn't even worth bothering with, Lee Dae-hyuk replied in a gentle tone.
"I'm Lee Dae-hyuk."
"Oh! Your eyes have that spark, and your voice is solid too. Yep, yep. Lee Dae-hyuk. Ha ha ha. Got your name memorized. Looking forward to it. By the way..."
"......?"
"What's your father's job?"
Lee Dae-hyuk nearly burst out laughing at Park Min-chan's question.
The blatant materialism from the psychometry reading was just ridiculous.
And right in front of the other staff, no less.
Worse still.
The other employees, seemingly used to this, didn't bat an eye and kept staring at their monitors, doing their own work.
*...What a mess.*
Releasing Park Min-chan's hand, Lee Dae-hyuk fully grasped the atmosphere.
He didn't know about other departments, but PR was rotten to the core.
But Lee Dae-hyuk wasn't naive enough to show his thoughts on his face.
With a soft smile, he replied politely.
"My dad runs a small mart in the neighborhood."
"A mart? Neighborhood mart?"
"Yes."
It wasn't a lie.
*Daehan Department Store* was basically a big mart, after all.
But Park Min-chan's expression, oblivious to Lee Dae-hyuk's background, turned icy.
"Right. Uh, yeah. A mart... Good profession. Take that empty desk over there."
He jerked his chin and returned to his seat.
Then Im Soon-cheol, who had been standing awkwardly, spoke up.
"Go ahead and take your seat for now."
"Yes, sir."
Lee Dae-hyuk followed Im Soon-cheol to his desk.
"Your spot's here. Oh, and you'll need to hit the supply room. Uh, Team Leader. No work for the newbie today, right?"
"What, assigning work to a newbie on day one? Just show him around the company. Let's do drinks tonight."
"......"
The word "drinks" made the staff's faces stiffen.
Lee Dae-hyuk noticed especially the female employees' faces hardening and glanced at Park Min-chan.
But the team leader, oblivious to his subordinates' reactions, turned to Lee Dae-hyuk with a suggestion.
"What about you, Lee Dae-hyuk? Up for drinks?"
"Yes. Sounds good."
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded with a big grin.
The other staff shot him sharp glances.
*......*
Even without psychometry, Lee Dae-hyuk could tell what they were thinking.
But what could he do?
A newbie couldn't refuse the team leader.
As Lee Dae-hyuk ignored the prickly stares.
Im Soon-cheol clapped his hands beside him.
"Oh! Right! Forgot about that afternoon meeting with the ad agency. Lee Dae-hyuk, better go to the supply room with someone else. Hey, anyone wanna look after our new guy today? I'll take over from tomorrow, just cover for me today."
But no one stepped up readily to Im Soon-cheol's request.
Awkward silence settled over the office.
Then one female employee raised her hand.
"Assistant Manager, I'll do it."
"Oh, thanks! Assistant Manager Joo Hyo-min."
As Im Soon-cheol nodded gratefully, Joo Hyo-min smiled and stood.
"Come on, Lee Dae-hyuk. Let's grab your supplies from the storage room."
***
Click, click—!
Behind Joo Hyo-min's sharp, irritated heel clicks as she strode ahead.
Lee Dae-hyuk followed with his lips pressed tight.
"......"
Trailing her, he felt uneasy.
Truth be told, her first impression had been good.
The only ones with any life in their eyes were third-year Im Soon-cheol and second-year Joo Hyo-min.
But the problem was...
*Why's she so pissed off?*
Joo Hyo-min was radiating icy fury from her eyes and every inch of her body.
Lee Dae-hyuk furrowed his brow.
Even with past-life memories and experience, neither Lee Dae-hyuk nor Kim Geon-woo had ever worked in an office.
So he wondered if he'd made some mistake.
*Can't think of anything I did wrong. Should I just ask outright?*
As Lee Dae-hyuk pondered.
Stop—!
Joo Hyo-min abruptly halted in front of the supply room.
And glared at him with clear displeasure.
Then, as if something major irked her, she unleashed a tirade at Lee Dae-hyuk.
"Are you clueless? Or have you lived so cushy you never had to read the room?"
"...Pardon?"
"Who likes company drinks these days? I get it. Team leader suggests it, newbie can't say no. But at least act like you're sorry to the seniors. How can you have zero tact?"
Was this an outburst of pent-up frustration?
Joo Hyo-min kept railing at Lee Dae-hyuk without pause.
"Is this your first office job?"
"Yes."
"Because you suck? Or because you never needed to work, living off easy street? Ah, with your uncle pulling strings, of course it's the latter."
"Uncle? Oh."
Lee Dae-hyuk realized who her uncle was.
The mentor mentioned by Secretary Office Chief Kim Dae-min must be her.
"Nice to meet you."
"I didn't volunteer to hear greetings. No need to act chummy. I really hate types like you."
Lee Dae-hyuk frowned at Joo Hyo-min's harsh reaction.
*She'll get work done, but she's green.*
If you're capable, you don't need to suck up to anyone.
But no need to make pointless enemies either.
For the sake of using Joo Hyo-min in the future, Lee Dae-hyuk offered some advice.
"Unlike your uncle, you can't see people clearly. Shame."
"What?"
"Your uncle knows how to judge character. He's got real insight. That's how he's held such a high position for so long. Learn from his discernment."
"That's offensive."
Joo Hyo-min's face flushed red.
"Who are you to lecture me?"
"I'm saying figure out if someone's helpful to you and the company. No point making enemies that drag you down in office life, right?"
*The office might see you as senior, but in life, I'm the veteran.*
Joo Hyo-min probably lived righteously, sticking to principles.
And she had talent too.
Even so, showing hostility to everyone?
It just created attackers.
No matter how capable, too many enemies make life tough.
"......"
Joo Hyo-min, hearing the advice-not-advice.
Her face burned crimson as she spoke.
Of course she was mad. But...
"Thanks for the advice. I'm pissed, but I'll hold it in for now. Uncle asked me to. And..."
"......?"
"Your point makes sense. If Uncle dropped you here, you're probably not total trash."
"So you're trusting your uncle, not me?"
"I'm not idiot enough to trust a stranger on first sight."
Click, click—!
Creak—!
Finishing her words, Joo Hyo-min opened the supply room door.
"Come in. In this company, you pick up your own office supplies. No one's gonna fetch them for you, right?"
She accepted his advice while landing a jab.
She had a point this time, so Lee Dae-hyuk just gave a wry smile and stepped inside.