Chapter 48 – Invincible Intern – Part 8

Chapter 48 – Invincible Intern – Part 8

“It’s a good idea, isn’t it?”

-What’s good or not good about it? So, Woojin, what you’re saying is you’re creating my own faction?

Woojin nodded.

Of course, it was a good thing for him too.

“Yes, I thought it would be good for you if we gathered people one by one like this.”

-I don’t think I’ve said this recently…

“It’s alright, go ahead and say it.”

Her silence was brief, and then a shy voice was heard.

-Thank you.

“Me too. Thank you for giving me the intern opportunity.”

-Let’s have dinner sometime. I’ll treat you to a nice place.

“More than that, Hyerim, there are eyes watching, so specifically promoting only Manager Lee to Deputy Manager probably isn’t a good idea.”

-It’s better to be discreet. If they know my influence was at play, they won’t like it.

Woojin wanted to hear about her plan.

If it was a story he couldn’t accept, then he would use a different method.

“What are you going to do?”

-It’s simple. I’ll say I found it. Then I’ll tell Dad. Covertly promoting Manager Lee to Deputy Manager is a piece of cake. It’s a give and take, you could say?

“A piece of cake could get stuck in your esophagus.”

She burst out laughing at the unexpected remark.

But Lee Hyerim knew what Woojin was talking about.

-Don’t worry. Nothing will be leaked to the outside.

“Well, you’re smart, so you’ll do fine. When are you going to announce it?”

-Today. We need to get rid of the person who’s been bleeding the company dry quickly.

“Record the call. The one suspected of taking kickbacks… no, it’s probably true. I’ll give you the company name.”

-But do you know? You sound like someone who works in the Audit Team. Hahahaha!

Woojin had heard similar words from Detective Kim Taehyun.

‘Puhahahaha! As expected of my little brother! If this is the Righteous Path, Woojin, aren’t you a truly renowned profiler?’

After giving the company name, Woojin spoke again.

“When Manager Lee takes the Deputy Manager position, there’s something you should know.”

-What is it?

“That I was involved.”

Understanding what he meant, she said energetically,

“Okay.”

After finishing the call, Woojin turned off his PC and lay down on his bed.

The soft bed seemed to gently embrace his body.

Woojin buried his face in the pillow and rubbed it, trying to feel the sensation more.

Today, too, he seemed to have finished his daily routine ordinarily well.

***

The next morning.

Woojin, who had arrived at the company and was sitting at his desk, looked towards the entrance of the Management Support Team.

A man in a black suit, appearing to be in his mid-30s, was entering.

He immediately approached Deputy Manager Kang, who was adjusting his glasses.

“Deputy Manager Kang.”

“Oh? What brings you here…”

Deputy Manager Kang’s voice trailed off, and he instinctively knew what was happening.

And Woojin was observing him.

His movements were unnatural, as if he were bound by invisible strings.

His tone of voice was the same.

The man in the black suit said to Deputy Manager Kang,

“This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s step outside for a moment.”

“What’s going on?”

The man in the black suit looked around at the staff members and replied,

“You’ll be in trouble. It would be best to go out and talk with me quietly. This offer is my first and last consideration.”

Deputy Manager Kang smiled bitterly, stood up from his seat, and said,

“Will it take long?”

“Yes.”

Deputy Manager Kang slowly nodded his head and followed the man in the black suit out.

Once they were gone, the staff members began to whisper amongst themselves.

“Isn’t that someone from the Audit Team?”

“Why are they taking Deputy Manager Kang away?”

“Perhaps…”

Various conversations ensued, but the staff members were secretly pleased.

They wished that the bad-tempered man, who only saw his subordinates as tools for work, would be disciplined, transferred, or dealt with in some way.

“Let’s get to work.”

At Manager Lee’s words, the murmuring stopped, and everyone began to focus on their work again.

“Woojin.”

At Assistant Manager Im Siwon’s call, Woojin appeared like the wind.

“Yes, Assistant Manager Im!”

“I’m going to give you a mission while I’m out.”

“Give it to me!”

“Answer all calls to my desk, whether external or internal, take notes, and help the department with whatever it needs. It’s not difficult. You don’t need to be nervous. You can do it, right?”

“Yes!”

The area buzzed at Assistant Manager Im’s words.

“Isn’t that too fast?”

“Oh~ The Intern~ Even Assistant Manager Im acknowledges him.”

“Are they really trying to make him a Max-level Intern?”

It was unusual for a newly arrived Intern to answer external calls.

And Assistant Manager Im was quite meticulous when it came to work.

Assistant Manager Im spoke again.

“You know what happens if you mess up, right?”

“Yes!”

“I’ll trust you and go, okay?”

“Yes!”

Assistant Manager Im, who had placed a hand on Woojin’s shoulder, disappeared to handle some work.

Woojin returned to his desk and immediately picked up the ringing phone.

“Yes. This is Intern Shin Woojin from the Management Support Team.”

-Is Assistant Manager Im not at his desk?

“No. He’s out on official business.”

-Ah… I understand.

“What is it about? I’ll pass on the message.”

-I’m trying to arrange a vehicle, but all the 1 PM slots are full. It’s urgent…

Woojin, who was checking the vehicle dispatch system, said,

“I’ll look into it and get back to you.”

-Thank you.

Seeing that the vehicle dispatch schedule was full, the words of Assistant Manager Jin from Sales Team 2 flashed through Woojin’s mind.

‘Damn it… Tomorrow’s meeting might get messed up again.’

Woojin said that and called Assistant Manager Jin, who had booked a vehicle dispatch an hour later.

“Hello. This is Shin Woojin, Management Support Team Intern. Assistant Manager Jin, you applied for a vehicle dispatch. Are you going to use it as scheduled? I’m just confirming in case.”

-Oh, I forgot to cancel it.

“Then, may I cancel it on my own initiative?”

-Thank you.

After hanging up the phone, Woojin canceled the vehicle dispatch reservation on Assistant Manager Im’s PC.

Then he called another department.

“Sales Team 2 Assistant Manager Jin, he said he has a situation and wants to cancel the vehicle dispatch. I think you can apply for a dispatch right away.”

-Oh, oh. Thank you.

Assistant Manager Han, who had gone to the bathroom, blinked and looked at Woojin.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m working.”

“Working at Assistant Manager Im’s desk?”

The answer came from the person behind Woojin.

“He was adjusting the vehicle dispatch time, you know? Hahaha!”

Just then, the bell rang at Woojin’s desk.

The employees laughed in disbelief at Woojin’s movements.

“Assistant Manager Im even entrusted him with something like that?”

“I don’t know, he seems to be the best intern I’ve seen.”

Woojin picked up the handset and answered the phone, as if he couldn’t hear their voices, or perhaps was ignoring them.

“This is Shin Woojin, Management Support Team Intern.”

-I think the glass panel on the manager’s desk is cracked…

“Yes, I understand.”

After the call, Woojin spoke to the employees a little louder.

“It seems there’s a problem with some equipment in the Planning Team, so I’ll go check it out.”

“Oh, alright. Go ahead.”

Woojin, with a tape measure in one hand, left the office.

Everyone chuckled at Woojin, who looked as if he would carry an office telephone around if he could.

“There he goes again, flying around.”

“I was just like that at his age.”

“Assistant Manager Han, didn’t you used to drink rice wine on campus at that age?”

“I drank soju too. Wow… Anyway, does this mean that someone who got a perfect CSAT score is just different? He’s smart and does well.”

They didn’t know it, but Woojin was doing much more in his head.

He was observing how each department operated, what the important tasks of the day were, and mentally mapping out the entire company.

*

8 PM.

Deputy Manager Kang was entering the Management Support Team office.

He was carrying a box, and Assistant Manager Im, who was working late, was slightly surprised and asked,

“Deputy Manager Kang, at this hour…”

Despite Assistant Manager Im’s words as she stood up to ask, Deputy Manager Kang treated Assistant Manager Im as if she wasn’t there and walked to his own desk.

And he began to pack his belongings one by one.

“Haa…”

A curse word also slipped out with a sigh, as if mumbled.

Deputy Manager Kang, having packed his belongings, picked up the box.

“Deputy Manager Kang, is something wrong?”

Deputy Manager Kang replied to Assistant Manager Im’s cautious tone.

“Move.”

“Oh, yes.”

Assistant Manager Im looked at the back of Deputy Manager Kang, whose hair was disheveled.

Soon after he disappeared into the elevator, Assistant Manager Im quickly called Manager Lee.

“Manager Lee, are you busy?”

“No, what happened?”

“You know Deputy Manager Kang? He was packing his things.”

“What?”

*

A week passed quickly.

Woojin checked the LED farming equipment on the weekend and discussed the design with Mansu and Older Cousin.

And he spent the rest of his time lounging around with his family.

“Assistant Manager Im, I’m back.”

“Okay, go have a cigarette. Oh, Woojin, you don’t smoke cigarettes. Then go get a drink or something.”

“Yes!”

Woojin liked going up to Haneul Park.

This was because he could hear what the staff members were saying from the room.

Meanwhile, Manager Lee was looking at Deputy Manager Kang’s now empty seat.

It wasn’t just a casual gaze; his expression seemed to be filled with all sorts of thoughts.

He then shifted his gaze to Woojin’s seat.

Manager Lee’s gaze went back and forth between Deputy Manager Kang’s seat and Woojin’s seat.

“Oh for goodness sake…”

Just then, Assistant Manager Im approached.

“Manager, please approve this.”

“Uh.”

Manager Lee, having confirmed the contents, signed and spoke.

“Let’s have a glass of Soju today. With Woojin. I have a big announcement to make.”

“A big announcement? What is it?”

“I’ll tell you then.”

“Understood.”

“Make a reservation for Korean beef ribs, like our last company dinner.”

Assistant Manager Im had a hunch.

That the big announcement would be good news.

“Oh… Understood. But Manager, last time you bought us duck stew, and now Korean beef. Aren’t you going to get in trouble with your wife?”

“Haven’t I told you countless times? I keep my wife on a tight leash.”

“I’ll make the reservation.”

As Assistant Manager Im left, Manager Lee sent a message to his wife.

The reply came like lightning.

-Just try paying for it all by yourself?

[Honey, there’s a reason I absolutely have to pay…]

When Manager Lee explained the situation, a reply came back like thunder once again.

-A man should spend when he needs to. Enjoy the meal. Come home early. I miss you~

And so, quitting time arrived, and Woojin followed Manager Lee and Assistant Manager Im.

Woojin walked along the street, watching the people leaving work.

He saw many people engrossed in joyful phone calls, and many with bright faces.

He was among them.

Soon, the group arrived at the rib restaurant and ordered Korean beef ribs.

Manager Lee poured a glass of Soju for everyone before the side dishes even arrived.

“Alright, have a drink.”

Manager Lee, who had quickly downed his drink, wiped his lips and fixed his gaze on Woojin.

It was a look as if he was glaring at me…

“Hey, Shin Woojin.”

“Yes. Please speak.”

Manager Lee’s brows furrowed.

“What is your true identity?”

“I am Intern Shin Woojin.”

“What?”

Manager Lee chuckled, a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

While Assistant Manager Im was wondering what mistake Woojin had made, Manager Lee poured another round of drinks.

Then, with the hand holding his glass, he pointed at Woojin.

“From my perspective, you are not.”

Manager Lee’s expression suddenly brightened as if he owned the world!

“My lucky charm intern! Huh? Hahahaha! Hey! Assistant Manager Im! It looks like I’m getting promoted because of our lucky charm, what do you know? Hahahaha!”

“Huh!? Promotion?”

“Yeah! Hahahaha!”

While Manager Lee and Assistant Manager Im were boisterously sharing their joy, Woojin’s eyes were also sparkling.

The marbling of the Korean beef ribs brought by the waiter looked as if they were alive and breathing.

“Euhahahaha! Let’s go all out today!”

Suddenly, Woojin cautiously spoke up.

“Manager Lee.”

“Huh?”

“Would cold noodles also be possible?”