Chapter 159. Employee of the Year (1)
[Your third OJT grade is...]
[S.]
Eun-Ho had honestly expected to get an S. He already received the same grade at the Audit Bureau, and considering his current performance far outstripped the last, he figured the company would reward him well again.
[You have earned two Points and five thousand Welfare Points as a reward.]
[Please check your trial reward!]
However, the next part was something he hadn’t expected.
[Congratulations!]
[You have been officially selected as the Sales Department’s Employee of the Year!]
Employee of the Year? Me?
That part was truly shocking.
This is what the mentor had been talking about all day long.
“You surpassed the Employee of the Year record!”
Wait... Are they joking? I’m the Employee of the Year for the Sales Department? I’m not even in the Sales Department!
The absurdity stunned him into silence. Just then, the heavy banquet hall doors swung open. Every survivor in the hall turned to look.
“Who are they?”
“Are they staff?”
“Huh?”
Three figures stepped inside. It was two men and one woman, all dressed in sharp business attire.
The man in front was a stern-looking, middle-aged type, who practically screamed executive. Beside him stood a young woman, maybe high-school age at a glance, eyes bright and keen. The third one was someone startlingly familiar, though comparatively dull-looking beside the others.
“Wait, isn’t that our mentor?”
“Right! Why’d he come?”
The Sales Department mentor pointed at Eun-Ho, and the three employees walked straight toward Eun-Ho.
The man in the middle held out his hand for a handshake. “It’s so good to see you, Mr. Eun-Ho.”
“Do you know me sir?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Of course, I do! Is there anyone at the Center who doesn’t know you by now?”
“... Sorry?”
“Tell me. How does it feel becoming famous the moment you joined the company?”
That was their impression of him.
“I’ll have to think about it,” Eun-Ho replied carefully. “This is my first time hearing anything like that.”
Whether famous or obscure, he had never heard a word of such rumors.
The man only burst into a hearty laugh. “Aaah, so that’s why customers fall for you so easily.”
“Alright, that’s enough. Let me handle introductions,” the young woman cut in, clearly used to reigning him back. She stepped forward and said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Lee Eun-Ho. We’re from the Customer Satisfaction Center’s Strategic Planning Office.”
Strategic? Planning? Eun-Ho thought.
Even he knew that departments such words were usually high up the hierarchy. For people who were busy to the bone to show up in person, it could mean only one of two things.
To them, I must be someone worth recruiting or someone worth keeping an eye on. Or maybe both.
As he watched silently, the woman opened a navy folder and handed him what appeared to be a certificate. “The Center Director ordered us to deliver this to you personally.”
Inside was an official document.
[Appointment Certificate]
- Name: Lee Eun-Ho
- Rank: Employee
- Affiliation: Sales Department Customer Satisfaction Center Team 25(Temporary)
Having recorded the highest sales achievements this year, the above employee is hereby appointed as the Customer Satisfaction Center’s Employee of the Year.
Director of Sales Department Customer Satisfaction Center(signed)
“Huh?”
“Also, you see the card tucked inside? That’s the official Employee of the Year housing access pass. Once activated, it will transport you straight to the residence entrance.”
“You’re telling me there’s a separate company residence?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Of course! Our Sales Department provides the utmost convenience so our members can focus solely on work. And the Employee of the Year Residence is the most prestigious of them all,” the woman explained proudly.
Following her gaze, Eun-Ho noticed the card wedged inside the certificate folder. It was a pitch-black card, roughly the size of a credit card.
[Employee of the Year Residence Access Pass]
- A residence pass specially granted by the Sales Department for the Employee of the Year.
- Activating it will open a Door that leads directly to the residence.
- Use Limit: Unlimited
The card gleamed like polished obsidian, its edges trimmed with real gold. Above all, it was the golden key engraved on both sides that made it truly breathtaking. It was more beautiful than any gemstone against the black sheen.
So that’s why everyone was making a fuss about it.
The residence this card connected to was bound to be extravagant. Just the thought made him want to check it out immediately.
Yet before he could, she said, “Also, your additional bonus should have been deposited already. Would you like to check?”
A message window appeared promptly.
[Congratulations!]
[A hundred-thousand Welfare Points have been awarded as an Employee of the Year incentive.]
No way. A private residence and an incentive?
Even for a sales organization known for rewarding results aggressively, that was excessive compensation for a two-day training program. Moreover, he had earned a ten percent commission on revenue generated during OJT, and they were giving him even more?!
I really hit the jackpot!
The situation was surprising, for sure, but there was no world where he turned down free benefits.
“Thank you,” Eun-Ho said sincerely.
The next moment, a signature field materialized in front of him.
“Then, I just need your signature right here to confirm receipt.”
He wrote his name, stroke by stroke. “Of course.”
Then, a cheerful notification chimed right after.
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
[You have acquired the title, Employee of the Year!]
[Would you like to check the title effects?]
“Check.”
[Your reputation rises drastically.]
[All company facilities become accessible without restriction.]
[All items can be purchased with up to fifty percent discount, subsidized by the Sales Department.]
[But, you cannot stack with other discount effects.]
[Title remains active until the next Employee of the Year is selected.]
That was far beyond the reward of clearing a few trials. Meals, shops, repairs and everything cost Welfare Points, hence the savings alone would be enormous.
Ding!
[The title Employee of the Year is resonating with the title Multi-Level Marketer!]
[The Employee of the Year benefits may now be granted to the Sub-Sales Agents.]
The option to share these ridiculous perks appeared on screen. He had earned close to two and a half million points in revenue this OJT. It was mostly his idea, but Wei, Ji-Eun, and Jae-Hyuk had worked beside him the entire way. Hence, when he had enough resources, he had planned to help them upgrade equipment. And now, he could directly boost his teammates just by designating them as Sub-Sales Agents.
Perfect. Everyone can get boosted together now.
Eun-Ho sifted through notification after notification, organizing his thoughts.
His mentor, who had been watching with a proud grin, finally asked, “So, how does it feel? Being the first trainee ever chosen for the title?”
“It’s nice and I’m grateful. But I’m just honestly a little overwhelmed,” Eun-Ho admitted.
“Right? Everyone higher up said the same. Even I thought it was a joke at first.”
Of course they did. The Employee of the Year system was designed to boost morale, motivate salespeople, and ignite competition. To hand such benefits to a fledgling newcomer was far from a normal decision. A regular organization would never have done it.
“So, the department felt it needed a bit of stimulation?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Huh?”
It wasn’t his mentor who reacted, but the middle-aged man standing beside him.
“What do you mean by that, Eun-Ho?” that man asked, eyes bright with interest.
Eun-Ho answered evenly, without hesitation, “Usually titles like this are awarded to encourage internal staff. So, that means selecting an outsider means one of two things.”
“One of two things?”
“The first option is that being Employee of the Year may not be as prestigious as it seems. Or second, the Department required motivation, and selecting any internal employee wasn’t enough to create impact.”
“And you believe it was the latter?”
“Well yes, because the benefits are too generous otherwise.”
The man gave a small laugh, shrugging as if amused. “Or perhaps you were simply too impressive to ignore. They may have chosen you as an example to show the rest what excellence looks like.”
“I ruled that possibility out,” Eun-Ho said without pause.
“And why’s that?”
“If the whole department needs to learn from a trainee with barely two days’ experience, then their situation is far worse than I thought.”
The blunt answer made the man burst into laughter. “I knew I had a good eye for talent!”
He seemed more than satisfied, smiling warmly as though pleased by the conversation. Even without the man saying anything, Eun-Ho could see the approval written all over him.
“Anyway, I felt bad about disappearing earlier without saying anything, so I tagged along. Good call, right, Hyungnim?” the mentor asked.
“Ah, so that’s why you ran off so suddenly?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Yeah. You see, I’m originally in HR, but I had to get you registered temporarily under our team.”
“So that’s why my documents listed me under the Customer Satisfaction Center.”
The trial had barely ended when his mentor vanished after guiding them to the return Door. Eun-Ho had thought something serious had happened. If this was the reason, then it was hardly a crisis.
Eun-Ho nodded, listening.
“We needed justification to give an outsider an award, you know?” the mentor continued cheerfully, “And hey, this is your chance. You could just join our team for real.”
“No thank you,” he said immediately.
“You didn’t even think about it for one second! Isn’t that too harsh?!”
“Your office is filthy,” Eun-Ho replied flatly.
“No, no! Don’t worry about that!” His mentor spluttered, waving hands frantically. A proud smile spread across his face. “Thanks to you, we’ve been approved to relocate to a new office.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yep. Drop by anytime just for coffee if you like.”
“Sure, maybe.”
“If you ever need something, tell me. Anything I can do, I’ll do it for you.”
Eun-Ho narrowed his eyes yet said nothing. The entire time they’d worked together, the man had been nothing but lazy, so Eun-Ho wasn’t holding his breath.
Perhaps sensing his doubt, the mentor leaned closer and murmured quietly, “Not only did you get me a new office, you also put that smug bastard in his place. Half the department is cheering inside.”
“I guess you had a lot of enemies then...” Eun-Ho replied dryly.
“Yeah... Anyway, just ask if you need something. If it’s my little trainee asking, I’ll help without question.” Gone was the playful tone and the mentor’s words sounded genuinely grateful.
Therefore, Eun-Ho simply nodded and replied, “I’ll remember that and I’ll definitely make use of it.”
“Good, good!”
Conversation concluded, and Eun-Ho felt he had received every reward he could possibly take. However, the countless eyes of survivors fixed on him were growing heavier by the minute.
Therefore, he cleared his throat. “If that’s all, may I—”
“Are we finished here?”
A young woman from the planning team stepped forward, smiling brightly as she waved her hand. “Then let’s proceed with your interview.”
“Pardon? There is an interview?”
“Of course. Becoming the Employee of the Year is already outstanding, but earning it as a trainee? That’s historic. We’ll be circulating your case study across the entire Sales Department.”
“Huh? Excuse me?”
“Oh, right! It will go up on the company board, published as a booklet, added to rookie training materials as well. And starting tomorrow, your portrait will be displayed in a huge frame in the Customer Satisfaction Center lobby. You should come see it!”
“Wait. Hold on.” Eun-Ho asked slowly. “So basically, you’re planning to distribute my sales strategy as a case study?”
“Yes! That’s exactly right!”
“And it will be up on the company board, booklets, training material and even a giant framed display?”
“Well, if you’d like, we can even arrange lectures! Just let me know!”
Lectures on my multi-level sales strategy? Oh gosh... Eun-Ho thought.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked again, because surely someone was missing a critical detail here.
The employee cheerfully pulled out a packet titled Interview Question List for Lee Eun-Ho, and beamed. “Absolutely! Everyone’s dying to know how you managed such results. You will be the first salesperson to succeed without connections. So, your strategy is practically legendary already!”
“Huh?”
“People are already talking about benchmarking you! They are planning to make your method the official strategy going forward. This is huge, Mr. Lee!”
“Did you just say benchmarking?”
They will regret this...
He was sure of it.
***
It was 9:20 PM and the interview, which was something he thought would be quick, finally ended after profile photos, multiple signature sheets, and an exhausting Q&A session. Only then did he head back toward the group waiting at the edge of the banquet hall.
“You should’ve gone ahead without me,” he said.
Even though they were told to go get rest, they decided to stay behind, not out of obligation but because of their loyalty.
“Young man! Those poses! You look like you’ve done photo shoots before!”
“Seriously, you looked like a model. Are you sure you’ve never done this?”
“Haha... No way.”
Truthfully, they were probably more entertained by the spectacle than anything noble.
“Here you go, Eun-Ho. Fortunately, the kitchen was still selling boxed meals,” Ji-Eun said, handing him dinner.
He accepted the dinner in a bamboo cylinder container gratefully. “Oh, thank you.”
It was long past closing time and his stomach had been empty for hours. Just like that, his strength was fading.
Just as he opened it, Jae-Hyuk leaned in urgently. “Hyungnim! Did you hear the last announcement?”
Eun-Ho remembered it playing faintly during the interview. “Yeah, I did somewhat.”
[You have earned two-hundred and five Points as a benefit.]
That was the benefit for department selection. Then another announcement rang.
[After the final OJT trial, department selection will begin.]
[You will make department selection based on your benefit score, and the final benefit will be calculated based on the combined results from the Sales and Management performances.]
Right, they talked about the benefits and the importance of Management performance, Eun-Ho thought.
“It sounds like the management performance refers to the Management Department,” Jae-Hyuk said. “Which means...”
“The final OJT is at the Management Bureau, right?” Eun-Ho asked.
Silence fell over the group.
“Yeah,” Jae-Hyuk confirmed in a low voice.
A heavy exhale sank to the floor like lead. Everyone knew what the Management Bureau did and what horrors happened there. Instinct told him plainly that the final trial would not be easy.
“Well then. Let’s prepare for it,” Eun-Ho said simply. He didn’t know what the trial would be. “But we’ll make sure we’re ready for anything.”
In fact, they had always survived the unforeseeable up until this point. Every step up to now had been blind, uncertain, and dangerous yet here they stood.
“I’m in!”
“Same here, Hyungnim!”
“What kind of prep are we talking about?”
There were plenty of things to prepare for, from head to toe.
Then, Eun-Ho smiled faintly and said, “Let’s head somewhere private to talk.”
“Huh? Where?”
“I received housing,” he replied.
Yeo-Jin frowned and asked, “Housing?”
Before confusion grew, Ye-Ji explained, “It’s an employee residence. Like a company-provided home.”
That made Yeo-Jin and Sol-Ah’s eyes go wide.
“You have a house here, Mister?”
“Wow...”
I guess I’m a man with a house haha, Eun-Ho thought.
“What perfect timing. I intended to make full use of that title before it expires,” Eun-Ho said.
“Wait! It can expire?”
“Yes. It lasts only until the next Employee of the Year is chosen.”
They had to move fast if they were going to squeeze this title dry.
“Everyone’s saved up points, right?” Eun-Ho asked.
“I’ve got a little over fifty-thousand.”
“I have forty-thousand!”
With high-ranking performance, decent evaluations, and minimal waste, most of them had accumulated plenty.
“That should be more than enough, with even the discounts on top of that...” Eun-Ho looked at them one by one. “It’s time for an upgrade.”
It’s flex time!