DYEH 33

Chapter 33

“I hope the next three weeks will be meaningful for everyone. They say if I make this greeting too long, I’ll sound like an old boomer, right?”

His lighthearted joke drew laughter and applause from around the room, easing the tension.

“Now, we have a special guest here today to celebrate your joining us. I’m not sure if you’ll get to see him often once you start working at Shinsung.”

At the training director’s words, murmurs spread throughout the auditorium.
“No way…” someone whispered.
It was understandable—because the person he was about to introduce was famous for never attending events like this.

Soon, an imposing elderly man entered the room, guided by Choi Jung-hoon.
It was Chairman Han.
The aura of charisma he exuded filled the entire space.

Without anyone prompting them, the crowd broke into applause. Everyone immediately recognized who he was.

The chairman took the stage, accepted the microphone, and began to speak slowly.

“Hello, everyone.”

He scanned the hall full of young talent. It looked as if he were searching for someone, but his gaze never lingered in one place for long.

With a gentle grandfatherly smile, he continued,

“I warmly welcome you to the Shinsung family. I don’t usually enjoy attending events like this, but for some reason, this year I really wanted to come. I hope my appearance doesn’t make anyone uncomfortable.”

Shouts of “Not at all!” came from various corners.
The chairman chuckled softly, clearly pleased, and went on.

“There’s only one thing I want to say. At Shinsung, we value ability above all else. So please, show us what you’re capable of. And in return, we’ll reward you accordingly.”

The room erupted in applause and cheers.
The chairman waited patiently for the noise to die down, then continued.

“I’m a man who believes only what I can see. So I think it’s only fair that I show you—how Shinsung rewards real talent.”

Everyone leaned forward, curious about what he would say next.

“I have high expectations for this year’s recruits. I’ve heard this class is exceptional. So this time, I’ve prepared a special assignment.”

At the word assignment, the room fell silent.

“There will, of course, be a reward…”

That word reward instantly reignited everyone’s attention. The chairman smiled faintly, enjoying their anticipation.

“The reward will be fifty million won.”

Gasps spread across the room—
it was more than most of their annual salaries.

Moments ago, silence had filled the room; now eyes were sparkling with excitement as people whispered, urging him to tell them the details.

Pleased by the reaction, Chairman Han announced the task.

“I want Shinsung to take the lead in the industry. Yet lately, it feels like our electronic products are always a step behind. So—your assignment is to devise a new marketing strategy for Shinsung Electronics. You’ll work in teams, and the presentations will be held on the final day of training. I expect bold and innovative ideas.”

Just then, someone in the audience raised their hand.
The chairman’s gaze followed the movement, and an employee hurried over with a microphone.

“Seems someone has a question,” the chairman said with interest.

All eyes turned toward a woman with an elegant and refined air.
Her beauty and composure made her stand out so much that for a moment, everyone forgot she’d raised her hand to speak.

“Good afternoon, Chairman. I’m new employee Han Seo-hee.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Han.”

The two of them acted as if they’d never met before.
Watching from the crowd, Jun-young smiled amusedly, while Lee Soo scoffed under her breath.

“I was wondering—if our team wins first place, will our proposal actually be implemented in the company’s operations?”

It was a smart question. She knew it was important to get a public promise. Otherwise, someone like Tae-gyu might later dismiss their ideas as unrealistic.

“If you’re worried that your hard work will go to waste, don’t be,” the chairman replied. “If your idea can truly help Shinsung Electronics become number one in the industry, we’ll make sure it gets implemented.”

Seo-hee nodded with understanding.
With that, the chairman’s surprise announcement concluded, and he exited the hall.

The training director then gave instructions about the assignment—
teams could have any number of members but must be formed and submitted by the end of the day.

Among those listening, three people realized instantly that the test had begun.
And no one was more confident than Lee Soo.

“Seriously? This is the assignment? Isn’t this practically designed for me to win, not Han Seo-hee?”

Thanks to Tae-gyu, she knew Shinsung Electronics’ core products inside and out.
She’d even originally aimed to work in the electronics division, so she’d been preparing for this for a long time. No wonder she was brimming with confidence.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how I form my team…”

Her eyes turned to Jun-young.
Should she ally with a rival—or eliminate one?
There wasn’t much to think about.

Better to remove the competition early.
She had no intention of letting Jun-young coast on her efforts.
If they won together, the credit would go mostly to him.

Lee Soo’s gaze swept the room.
There had to be a few gullible people she could manipulate.
And sure enough, she soon spotted her targets.

“Hi there.”

With her charming smile and friendly tone, the men around her immediately let their guard down—if anything, they looked delighted.

“Have you picked your teams yet? I haven’t found one yet, and I was wondering…”

Before she could even finish, three men eagerly responded.

“It would be an honor to team up with you!”

“I should be the one saying that. Let’s work well together.”

Just like that, the three of them had unknowingly become her prey.

“Hyung, you’ll team up with us, right?”

“You two are sticking together again, huh?”

Jun-young looked between Dong-jin and Woo-hyuk.
Dong-jin laughed playfully.

“Of course! We’re like needle and thread.”

“Who’s the needle and who’s the thread?”

“Well, obviously Woo-hyuk’s the needle, and I’m the thread. I’m good at listening to others’ ideas, you see.”

“Ah, so what you mean is—you’re good at tagging along.”

Jun-young grinned, and Dong-jin laughed awkwardly.
Even as they joked, Woo-hyuk’s gaze was fixed elsewhere.

Han Seo-hee.
She was here too.

He quietly watched her—she was still sitting alone, apparently without a team.
Amid the buzz of group formations, she seemed like an isolated island.
But then, she stood and turned toward him.

Their eyes met across the room.
Seo-hee began walking toward him.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has.”

“You really did apply here?”

“I didn’t expect to see you here either.”

Seo-hee nodded slightly.

“Have you chosen a team yet?” he asked.

“No, not yet.”

She was just about to ask if he’d join her—but he spoke first.

“Then how about joining us?”

At her sudden appearance and their conversation, Dong-jin’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Jun-young, too, watched with an intrigued smile.

“Actually, that’s exactly why I came over. I’d like to team up with you three.”

She turned to the others politely.

“Hello, I’m Han Seo-hee.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Kim Dong-jin. You’re Han Seo-hee from Korea University’s business department, right? We took a marketing class together once—I don’t know if you remember.”

Seo-hee answered with a polite smile.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Han Jun-young.”

Now it was Jun-young’s turn.
There was a knowing look behind his calm smile.

You’re pretending not to know me, huh? Then I’ll do the same. Just don’t get caught.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Han Seo-hee,” she replied with a smile that said, Same to you, big brother. Don’t slip up.

“Alright then, looks like the four of us are a team! I’ve got a good feeling about this—we’re going to crush it!”

Thanks to Dong-jin, the team’s mood immediately brightened.
It seemed this mission might not be so dull after all.