New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1. New Employee (1)

 

 

 

The shadow of the foreign exchange crisis still cast a long darkness.

Everyone huddled together, enduring each day before the blade of restructuring.

And that blade was pointed at me as well.

 

“Hey rookie, this is great for you. Once we’re all gone, you can have this whole place to yourself.”

“Are you all really leaving?”

“That’s how it turned out. What’s the point of staying at the company in times like these? Now we need to start our own business. We can’t live like slaves forever. We should try being the boss for once. What are you planning to do?”

 

Actually, I had desperately wanted to ‘escape being the rookie’ before.

But I hadn’t wished for a situation where everyone would leave and I’d be the only one remaining.

 

“I’ll stay with the company.”

“That’s how companies are. If you just hang in there, a good opportunity will come.”

“I understand.”

 

I had no intention of leaving at all.

Going to work at set times every day, the same desk, the same routine.

It had taken me six months to finally create the perfect work routine.

I didn’t want to destroy that order.

 

“All the materials here are yours now. We really worked hard to collect them.”

“Isn’t it a waste to give them to the rookie? The items are all pretty good. Honestly, I’d like to take a few with me.”

“If you take them, there’ll be a lawsuit immediately. Just start fresh with everything. Is Manager Park already getting scared?”

“Scared of what? What can’t we do when we’re all together? Section Chief, just trust me.”

“Trust you? I’d rather serve a passing dog as my master.”

 

It was a family-like atmosphere.

But I wasn’t included as a member of that family.

Well, unlike them, I was a high school graduate new employee.

And I didn’t want to become part of their family badly enough to break my routine.

 

“Let’s go now. If we stay too long, we’ll just develop regrets.”

“Rookie, you stay attached to the company for a long, long time. High school graduates need at least 2 years of experience before they can go anywhere.”

 

Of course, that’s what I planned to do.

The team members left with their advice.

Even after they disappeared, I continued my company life according to my routine.

 

Is it 4:32 PM now?

Time to add printer paper.

I walked around the office replacing paper in the printers and copy machines.

And 10 minutes later, I made coffee exactly to suit each department member’s taste.

 

“Manager, they say our department has been sold.”

“That’s fortunate at least. A sale is better than restructuring. Which company bought us?”

“It’s not a corporation… A private equity fund acquired us.”

“A private equity fund? Well, at least our department had enough value to be sold.”

“They say employment is guaranteed and salaries will remain the same.”

“Coffee’s here.”

 

I placed the coffee on the desk according to my routine.

For six months since joining the company, I had done this job without missing a single day.

The department members naturally took break time whenever I brought them coffee.

 

“What are we going to do about this employee? Are you thinking of changing jobs?”

“I have no thoughts of changing jobs at all.”

“All your team members quit, didn’t they? Manager, you heard too, right? The Patent Team got together and started their own business.”

“This employee is left alone?”

 

The manager and assistant manager spoke in pitying tones.

But I didn’t feel sorry about anything at all. I was satisfied with things as they were.

 

“Even though I’m left alone, I’ll be faithful to my role.”

“Well, these days it’s an era where experienced workers get better treatment than newcomers. You’re still twenty, right? If you build up experience well from now, you’ll at least be able to make a living.”

“Employee Lee, haven’t you thought about university? With company experience, rolling admissions should be possible, right? You need at least a bachelor’s degree to get promoted and such.”

 

I had never thought about a ‘bachelor’s degree.’

In the current situation, school was a luxury, and my company life was satisfying.

And just thinking about going to university and creating a new routine gave me a headache.

 

“I think there’s more to learn at the company than at school. I’ll build my career at the company.”

“Well, that’s not bad either. When we’re sold to the private equity fund, bonuses will come in too. They say you get a bonus immediately just by signing the job transfer prohibition clause.”

“How much comes in?”

“The amount varies by position, but even new employees get retention bonuses. You’d be tied here for 1-2 years, but if you have nowhere to go right now, at least you’d get a lump sum.”

 

I could stay at the company and even receive money.

But there was something that caught my attention more than the lump sum.

 

Creak, squeak.

Discordant sounds.

The discordant sounds from Manager Kim’s watch were about to give me hives.

 

“Manager Kim, your watch seems broken. Could I take a look at it?”

“You think it looks broken too? It’s been off by 1-2 minutes every day. Can you fix it?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Our Employee Lee’s handiwork is definitely reliable.”

 

I received Manager Kim’s watch.

I took out my watch repair tools from my desk and began disassembly.

At that moment, I heard the sound of gears meshing in my head.

 

Click, click, whirr, thunk—!

A disassembly diagram appeared, and the problem parts were highlighted in red.

 

‘One screw came loose. I can fix this quickly.’

 

Disassembly and Assembly were my only hobbies.

When I put countless parts back in their designated order and place, like with watches, it felt like my mind was being neatly organized.

 

After repeating this for over ten years,

at some point, images like gears and blueprints began to naturally appear in my mind.

 

“Manager, the repair is finished.”

“Already? As expected from this employee!”

 

Did it take about 5 minutes?

When I handed the watch to Manager Kim, the department head made a joke.

 

“Manager Kim, you’re not thinking of wiping your mouth clean, are you? If you go to a watch workshop, it would cost tens of thousands of won.”

“Of course I have to pay. How about drinks tonight? I’ll treat.”

“But Manager, where did you buy that watch?”

“Why? Are you going to get one too?”

 

I already owned many watches.

They were all broken or discarded watches, but some of them were considered luxury brands.

 

“That watch is fake. The parts are crude, and the screw clearance is 0.001mm. There are many parts that aren’t arranged properly either.”

“What? This is a fake? Are you sure? You didn’t even look at it under a microscope, and 0.001mm is a micro unit.”

“I can feel that level of clearance with my fingertips.”

 

Fingertip Sensitivity was the foundation of Watch Repair.

Through repeated disassembly and assembly, I naturally developed such sensitivity.

 

“My college friend scammed me? I’m taking him to the police station today!”

“Manager Kim, you owe us a treat. Thanks to this employee, you saved 2 million won.”

“If this project wraps up well, I’ll really treat everyone big time. Especially this employee – tell me anything you want to eat!”

“It’s fine. But just to be safe, you should get it confirmed by an appraiser.”

“If this employee says it’s right, then it’s right. But could you take a look at my computer? It’s been making strange noises lately and has gotten really slow.”

“I’ll take a look right now.”

 

This time it was a computer.

Again, I could hear strong discordant sounds.

When I touched it, gears and a technical diagram unfolded in my mind.

 

“It’s a power supply issue. I have spare parts, so I’ll replace it right away.”

“As expected from this employee! I’m treating everyone tonight. Everyone follow me!”

“Oh! Is tonight’s menu beef by any chance?”

“What beef. Let’s gather at the Pork Stew Restaurant up front. Let’s grease our throats for the first time in a while.”

“You’re going to grease our throats with pork stew? We should at least eat pork belly.”

“Meat is something you eat with the company card. Who buys meat with their own money these days? If you don’t like it, don’t come.”

“We have to go! In times like these, pork stew is more than enough. This employee, let’s go together quickly.”

 

Manager Kim came over with a smile, putting his arm around my shoulder.

I naturally avoided his hand by pretending to tie my shoelaces.

Manager Kim and the department members walked ahead, looking a bit awkward but naturally.

 

The current situation wasn’t bad.

It actually felt much more efficient than when I was in the Patent Team.

And the fact that there were no variables disrupting my routine was quite satisfying.

 

***

 

A new variable appeared.

The variable was the Tiger Fund Korea Branch director.

Officially, our department now belonged to Tiger Fund instead of GL Group.

 

“I’m Kang Dong-ju, in charge of Tiger Fund Korea Branch. Please feel free to call me ‘Mike.’ As of today, GL Group’s Product Development Department 3 belongs to Tiger Fund.”

“I’m Cha Ik-hyeon, head of Development Department 3. What kind of work will we be doing from now on?”

“I’ll be honest with you. There’s only one reason we acquired this department. To resell it to a company lacking development capabilities.”

 

So this was a Private Equity Fund.

His tone was gentle, but the words contained within were too cold.

 

“We’re confident that our department has considerable technical capabilities, but in times like these, would there be a place willing to pay a large sum to acquire us?”

“Every item has an owner. And it seems internal restructuring has already been completed.”

 

He was talking about our team.

With all team members having resigned, there would be no need for restructuring.

 

“The patent development team has all resigned.”

“I’m aware. But I have no intention of firing you. Rather, I plan to compensate you.”

“Are you referring to retention bonuses?”

“Retention bonuses are basic. In addition, I’ll provide performance bonuses for all activities that increase the department’s value.”

“For example, new technology development or patents?”

 

All the talk came down to money.

Well, there probably wasn’t anyone who went to work because they loved the company.

Even I, who commuted to maintain my routine, instinctively perked up at talk of money.

 

“500,000 won for patent applications, 2 million won when registered. If commercialized, I’ll recognize a 50% share of the patent.”

“As much as 50%?”

“I understand GL Group didn’t even give 10%.”

“It varied by patent, but it was usually between 3-10%, and application and registration rewards were about half that level.”

“We’re different. We’ll fairly compensate not just for patents, but for all work that contributes to increasing corporate value.”

 

So this was the power of money.

People who had been listless just moments before now had different looks in their eyes, as if their batteries had been replaced.

 

“And there’s one more thing. When this department is successfully sold, we plan to give you a portion of the profits. Please don’t think of this place as someone else’s company, but as your own company. Work hours are also flexible. You can come to work when you want and leave when you want.”

 

After leaving such a groundbreaking proposal, Branch Director Kang Dong-ju left the Conference Room.

A quiet excitement filled the Conference Room.

The department members began glancing at each other and talking about money.

 

But I was concerned about something different.

No set work hours or leaving times!

I felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought that my routine might be disrupted.

 

“So they’re saying they’ll pay us money as long as we make something.”

“Easier said than done. It’s not like new technology or patents just pop out of nowhere.”

“Flexible work hours basically means they won’t pay overtime, so whoever wants to stay late can stay late.”

 

The conference room quickly became as noisy as a marketplace.

Department Manager Cha Ik-hyeon sorted out the atmosphere that was mixed with everyone’s complaints and expectations.

 

“Still, they’re definitely saying they’ll pay us money. Everyone, don’t overthink it and let’s just work hard like usual. No need to kill the mood.”

“I’ll work hard, but I have no idea where to start.”

“I’ve always just done what I was told from above, so now that they’re telling us to figure it out ourselves, my mind’s gone blank.”

 

One by one, people left the conference room.

Department Manager Cha approached me, the last one remaining, and tried to pat my shoulder.

I naturally pulled my body back and turned my head to avoid the manager’s hand.

At the same time, I made eye contact and responded politely.

 

“Employee Lee, you should try something too. Times like this are when you should give it a shot. It’s all experience.”

“Would it be okay if I create a patent in my own way?”

“Of course. What’s so special about patents? Patents aren’t just about creating something completely new. You can get a patent by combining existing technologies too. And since Employee Lee belongs to the Patent Team, you must have learned a lot just by observing.”

 

 

Even before the manager finished speaking, something started turning in my head.

Click. Click. Whirr. Clunk.

I could hear the sound of gears meshing together, and countless blueprints unfolded in my mind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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