Chapter 9
Chapter 9
"You have to pay me at least 40 million won a year..."
"It's hard to give that much to a rookie."
"I could do it, but... what about 38 million won..."
"That's the salary for an assistant manager."
It wasn't about greed for money.
In the working world, your salary is proof of your value.
If an assistant manager earns 38 million won, how much exactly does a rookie get?
And if that's what you’re going to say, why even ask about expected salary?
"Rookies always get the minimum wage. But we do give performance bonuses. If you work well, we pay 100%, even 200% of your annual salary."
Sure, if you work well… the problem is that very few people—less than one percent—actually fall into the "if you work well" category.
"So? Can you work here?"
President Choi Tae-min asked, his eyes sparkling.
Jung Jin-woo felt the situation flip instantly.
Just a moment ago, he had been the desperate candidate begging to be hired.
Now he was in the position of deciding whether he could work for such a small sum.
"Well... I need to think about it..."
"You're hired!"
"Excuse me?"
"Start coming in tomorrow."
"No, Director Ki!"
It was actually President Choi Tae-min who looked more surprised.
"How can you just decide like that on your own?"
"What’s there to decide? If no one joins, they say the designated person quits anyway..."
"Still... there’s a hierarchy in a company. I haven’t even made a decision yet..."
"Decision? It seemed like you were begging to work for minimum wage."
"Hmph! Hmph! Well, still..."
"You can’t hesitate in matters like this."
It was a strange company.
You didn’t even need to see it to know.
A president who might not even know if the team leader had left.
A director who cuts in and makes decisions by himself.
"Be here by 8:30 tomorrow morning."
"Yes, uh, four?"
"Why is that a question? Not coming? If you don’t show up, consider yourself not working here. Alright, the interview is over. President, shall we go?"
Leaving Jung Jin-woo behind, Director Ki Dong-chan and President Choi Tae-min got up and left the conference room.
Jung Jin-woo stared at their backs, dumbfounded.
The door cracked open, and the female staff member who had guided him during the interview poked her head in.
"Understand... haha, you must have been very flustered."
"Yes, a little..."
"It’s a bit different from how it seems. They really are good people. You did well."
As Jung Jin-woo stood up, the woman handed him an envelope with both hands.
"Here’s your transportation allowance."
"...?"
Transportation allowance?
Even in this chaotic company, they give a transportation allowance for an interview?
When Jung Jin-woo just stared, surprised,
"Take it, your hands will hurt otherwise."
The woman smiled and held out her hands again.
"So, how is it?"
"Messy. They said they’d only give the basic salary."
"Hahaha... so, what are you going to do?"
"Well..."
It was a peculiar company.
The president and the director didn’t feel unpleasant at all.
Thinking about it, Director Ki Dong-chan’s approach made sense.
Rather than asking if someone could work for minimum wage, it was smoother to declare "hired" and see if the person showed up the next day.
If he were going to reject someone, that would be different. But if the goal was to hire, this approach worked better.
In a short time, he had grasped the general atmosphere.
He also had an idea of the people.
The ordinary person seemed to be Deputy Manager Lee Mi-seon, who guided Jung Jin-woo and even gave him transportation allowance.
"Why did you keep Giseong IT in mind?"
"There’s a gold mine hidden there. I have to go dig it up."
"Oh... a gold mine? Giseong IT is a gold mine?"
"Others might not know, but I do."
Goh Yun-seok’s eyes widened at Jung Jin-woo’s words.
To a regular person, Giseong IT seemed like an ordinary, failing IT company.
It had once developed ERP for large and mid-sized companies and EDI for financial institutions. It had even handled government system projects, but now it was in a pitiful state.
Its glorious past was gone, and currently, it mostly made websites.
It had about thirty employees, divided into five or six teams.
The CEO and business planning staff brought in website contracts worth 2 to 3 million won and carried out the work.
There was a team of about ten engineers, but it was largely ineffective.
Yet it had once been a very solid company.
It held patents related to streaming and servers.
President Choi Tae-min and Director Ki Dong-chan, who seemed like a comedy duo, were actually respected figures in the industry.
"If it’s uncomfortable, you can look elsewhere."
Should he? It was obvious employees would struggle if they left in droves.
Jung Jin-woo’s lips curved slightly at Goh Yun-seok’s comment.
"No, I’ll work here."
"Are you sure you’re comfortable?"
"Can I really complain at thirty years old as a new hire?"
Goh Yun-seok chuckled.
"As expected, Chairman, you think like someone who can’t be approached by a mere mortal like me."
"Yes?"
Suddenly, an unexpected compliment.
"Just like Hanshin disguised himself as a street loafer or hiding diamonds among crystals. Hiding in a failing company to grow your potential. That’s it, isn’t it?"
"Well..."
Jung Jin-woo stopped himself from disagreeing.
Goh Yun-seok was looking at him with admiration and respect, smiling broadly.
Why ruin that with a simple denial?
There was a reason Jung Jin-woo wanted to join Giseong IT.
It was the key base to realize the grand plan he envisioned.
The technology and patents to make his vision real.
And a genius developer he could trust.
For ordinary people, it was just a failing company, but for Jung Jin-woo, it was a gold mine with treasures hidden inside.
"And one more thing, Giseong IT isn’t as poor as it looks."
"Yes, that’s why I want to join."
In an IT industry where companies close every day, this company had survived over thirty years.
It had nearly failed several times but rose like a phoenix.
Even if the CEO and director were a two-person comedy act, it wasn’t a company to underestimate.
"A new hire? Right?"
On his first day, guided by Director Ki Dong-chan, he greeted people and was assigned a desk.
A woman welcomed him.
"Yes. I’m rookie Jung Jin-woo."
A rookie is full of spirit.
Jung Jin-woo bowed politely.
"I thought you were a manager level... how old are you...?"
"Thirty."
"Th-thirty..."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Oh! This is Deputy Manager Ji Jeong-eun. Please take care of him."
The woman quickly recovered and nodded at Jung Jin-woo.
Ji Jeong-eun’s eyes flicked back to Director Ki Dong-chan standing behind him.
"Director, can we have a quick meeting?"
"I’m busy... Ji Jeong-eun will teach him... good luck, Jung Jin-woo."
Director Ki stepped back and hurried away.
"Di-Director... where are you going?"
"Late for a client meeting..."
"Director, wait..."
It was indeed a strange company.
A director runs away, a deputy chases him—chaos.
"Fun, right? Our company."
"Very fun, indeed."
"It’ll get even more fun. Log in with the account you submitted; the intranet will show your tasks. If you need anything, tell me."
Deputy Manager Lee Mi-seon left after saying that, and Jung Jin-woo began setting up his workspace.
He opened his laptop and accessed the intranet.
The traces and achievements of Giseong IT were well documented.
A 30-year-old first-generation IT company that had survived countless storms.
It was almost like ancient ruins surviving against all odds.
The intranet listed the company’s past projects, programs, and applications.
"Search engine development and even an MMORPG game… haha..."
This was why Jung Jin-woo chose Giseong IT.
Since the 1990s digital revolution, all traces of technological advancement remained in the company.
And they had even prepared a prototype MMORPG game around 2000, when the genre was booming.
If they had released it then, it would have failed among so many competitors.
Over thirty years, they had accumulated vast programs and digital resources—enough to build a data bank.
The databank had three levels; rookies could access only the first level.
Levels two and three were restricted.
"This could be called a digital museum."
As he browsed the databank, Jung Jin-woo muttered to himself.
"It’s more like a junkyard. Sorry about earlier."
Deputy Manager Ji Jeong-eun, her face still red, had returned to her side.
"Not at all. I understand."
"You understand? Huh… without a team leader or deputy, Giseong IT really needs someone at that level."
"I’m curious, what’s the situation?"
"Well… sigh..."
Ji Jeong-eun explained the current state of Giseong IT.
Once handling major government projects, the company now barely made websites, and any project worth over 50 million won required a team leader or at least a deputy.
"The president and director are there, right?"
"They’re actually avoided by clients. Too old, not flexible..."
"Then what do they do?"
"They maintain old client relationships and small orders. If not for them, the company would have collapsed long ago."
"I see..."
"The business planning department desperately needs someone at team leader level. Check the intranet; the business plan will give you a general understanding."
Ji Jeong-eun bit her lower lip as she spoke.
Jung Jin-woo examined the business plan written by Team Leader Yoon Jong-seok.
It aimed for a 50% growth over the previous year using Giseong IT’s data.
Websites were categorized into three tiers, with the most expensive providing a 'total solution.'
The goal was 20 contracts, but only two had been signed halfway through the year.
Thirty years of achievements were stacked here, but now they barely survived making websites.
"This could be fun..."
Jung Jin-woo grinned while scanning the intranet.
Now anyone could make a website.
No visually flashy, dynamic sites remained after Flash disappeared.
This gave Giseong IT another chance.
Companies that were functioning but wanted a decent website would find their services appealing.
Yoon Jong-seok’s business plan targeted that gap precisely.
It didn’t just track basic stats like visits; it analyzed active user behavior and suggested strategies.
It also had ERP functions to manage purchases and sales, a basic accounting program—useful for small companies.
Website development plus a 500,000 won monthly management fee.
A complete system that small businesses could fully utilize.
"Why did Team Leader Yoon leave?"
Curious, Jung Jin-woo asked.
"Started a company with friends to make a mobile game," Ji Jeong-eun replied.
"A mobile game?"
"A smart choice. He worked here over three years, but it was like pouring water into a bottomless bucket… oh, my mind. Talking about this to a rookie… you’re older, so you seem like a deputy or team leader."
"Sorry, a rare older rookie..."
Ji Jeong-eun tilted her head.
"Exactly... let’s use that."
A sly smile appeared.
"What do you mean?"
"There are big projects that can’t move without a team leader or deputy. Let’s just call you a team leader externally."
"Me, a team leader?"
"The president and director don’t want to get involved; if I step in, it loses weight. I’ll support from behind. Just pretend to be a team leader."
"That’s deceiving others."
"What’s wrong? It’s just the title. I’ll tell the president and director… can you do it? Or not?"
Ji Jeong-eun was unique.
To get results, a little trickery was acceptable.
"Don’t think of it as deception. Many things are like this. Just use the business card externally. Go ahead! Just stay put."
Then she left to meet Director Ki Dong-chan.
"Ha… really an interesting company."
More bizarre than expected.
Not as bad as imagined, but enough to make a rookie a team leader on the first day?