The Overly Competent Junior Employee

[We applaud your venture into new investment areas, Member. This is the VIP Service.]

As soon as Dokyung arrived home, he sat at his desk and began reviewing the message he had received during lunch.

[The term ‘game changer,’ referring to pioneering new fields, is alluring. It’s a phrase with the power to entice everyone.]

[However, from an investment perspective, true innovation lies in preserving existing value while creating a more evolved market.]

[In that sense, Yoon Dokyung-ssi has met our expectations.]

“You were quite mischievous this time, weren’t you?”

Though pleased by the message’s praise, Dokyung grumbled as he recalled the message that had assigned the mission.

[Your reward for this task can be found in the ‘Cat Photo Collection’ app in your phone’s app storage.]

“Ah, right. I should check that quickly.”

Dokyung had wanted to check it at work but refrained, fearing someone might see. Now at home, he hadn’t even changed before holing up in his room to look at his phone.

“What a name…”

Dokyung chuckled again as he spotted the cat face icon in his app storage.

“Shall we take a look?”

When Dokyung tapped the app, the words “VIP Service” appeared prominently on the screen. It was truly something no one would believe if he told them.

The fact that messages kept coming even when blocked, and that apps could be installed on his phone at will, defied logic.

[Welcome to the VIP Service. Please look at the camera.]

When those words appeared on the phone screen, Dokyung quietly gazed at the front-facing camera.

[Registration information confirmed. Welcome, Member Yoon Dokyung.]

With those words, the screen changed from one filled with cats to something else entirely…

“Wow… It’s like a cloud app.”

Dokyung’s jaw dropped as he began exploring the app.

In the section labeled “Storage,” all the companies that had flitted through Dokyung’s memory were listed. It seemed that information was automatically saved whenever he heard about or saw a company somewhere.

Dokyung clicked on the familiar name of Yuseong Semiconductor.

“This is the report I wrote?”

All the reports Dokyung had compiled on Yuseong Semiconductor were uploaded there.

“Wow… So I don’t have to search separately anymore. Oh, wait a moment.”

Dokyung muttered to himself as he organized some thoughts about Yuseong Semiconductor. When he looked back at the app, his recent thoughts were neatly arranged there.

“Wow, this is no joke.”

Dokyung couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“If something like this existed, they should have given it to me earlier. What else is there?”

He continued exploring the app’s interior. In the section labeled “Messages,” all the content of the text messages he had received so far was recorded.

[From today, messages will be received through the app. You can also check them on the smartwatch on your wrist, Yoon Dokyung-ssi.]

As the message arrived, his smartwatch vibrated simultaneously.

This wasn’t bad either. It had been quite inconvenient to have to excuse himself and check messages that arrived at unpredictable times while conversing with others.

[5 Minutes Early News]

“What’s this?”

As Dokyung was checking the menu, he tapped on it with a question mark in his mind.

[Access denied.]

“I figured as much.”

Judging by its name, 5 Minutes Early News seemed to offer news 5 minutes faster than others. In the stock market, 5 minutes was an incredibly crucial timeframe.

“If it’s 5 minutes faster than Bloomberg or Yonhap Terminal, that would be truly amazing.”

When news broke on Bloomberg or Yonhap Terminal, known for their lightning-fast breaking news, institutions and users of those services would immediately spring into action.

It took quite a while for general news outlets to reproduce and publish those breaking stories, so ordinary investors could only react slowly after receiving information long after the others had already made their moves.

“The other menus don’t even have names written on them.”

The rest of the menus were simply labeled [????].

“So you want me to level up, huh? Alright.”

Dokyung nodded, believing that if he worked hard as he had been doing, his level would rise.

“I’ll do my best.”

As Dokyung softly murmured those words, his smartwatch gently vibrated.

[The VIP Service is always cheering for you, Member.]

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

“Isn’t this place expensive?”

The next day, taking advantage of the weekend, Dokyung had brought his mother and younger brother to a restaurant.

“So what if it’s expensive? It’s not like we eat food like this every day. It’s just occasionally.”

“Wasn’t it hard to make a reservation?”

Yoon Dojin, Dokyung’s younger brother, asked as if he already knew about this place.

The restaurant they visited today was primarily a French cuisine establishment, famous for its reservations being fully booked within one minute every morning.

“I made a reservation when I woke up this morning.”

“But don’t reservations get snapped up in a minute?”

“Your brother’s just a bit lucky.”

Dokyung smiled as he answered his brother, then called over a waiter to start ordering food.

“This is fine dining, so we need to order a course meal.”

As Dokyung explained this, his brother began explaining the concept of fine dining to their mother.

“It’s like a set menu. When you order a course, the menu changes based on the price range, something like that.”

Dokyung smiled at his brother’s concise explanation and turned to the waiter.

“We’ll take three of the 260,000 won dinner course, please.”

“If you’ve brought your own wine, we offer a corkage service.”

“We haven’t brought anything. What wine would pair well with the meal?”

In response to Dokyung’s question, the waiter provided a detailed explanation about the wines, and Dokyung nodded.

“Then we’ll have that, please.”

“Certainly, I’ll prepare it for you.”

“What… 260,000 won for one meal?”

“There was even a 200,000 won option…”

As his brother and mother expressed their concern, Dokyung shook his head.

“Mom, you can worry about money later. Today, just think of it as your son treating you, so don’t worry. I’m earning quite well now. Finally.”

“This is when you should be saving money…”

“I am saving money too. But we’ve never been to a place like this before, have we?”

At Dokyung’s words, his mother and brother fell silent.

“Yesterday, as I was lying down thinking, I realized we don’t have many memories of going out to eat as a family.”

“What do you mean? When you were young…”

“That’s exactly it. We have to really try hard to remember those times.”

Dokyung continued, looking back and forth between his mother and brother.

“But Mom, do you know something? Even those memories I had to struggle to recall were all times when you spent a lot of money taking me and Dojin out.”

“……”

“And then I thought about it. Actually, those expensive meals back then weren’t just paying for food, they were buying memories.”

Despite the high price of the food, scenes of laughing and chatting happily with his mother and brother at the restaurant, and the satisfied looks on their faces as they left the restaurant, all came flooding back to him.

When Dokyung tried to recall happy memories from his childhood, those days were always the first to come to mind.

“So, 10 years from now, 20 years from now, when we look back on today, let’s enjoy ourselves with smiles so we won’t have any regrets.”

“Alright, I understand. Mom’s sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Seeing you happily enjoying yourself is a great reward for me. You too, Dojin.”

“…Okay.”

Shortly after, as the food arrived, the three of them began to enjoy their meal with smiles, as if their earlier concerns had never existed. They were determined to make this time a joyful memory for the future.

“Excuse me, guests.”

In the middle of their meal, a staff member approached the family.

“Today, pianist Jo Youngjin-nim, who won first place in the International Chopin Piano Competition, is here with us. He would like to express his gratitude for the delicious food by playing the piano. Would that be alright with you?”

At the staff member’s words, Dokyung looked at his family with a surprised expression, and both of them nodded.

“Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you. As a token of appreciation for your understanding, our chef would like to offer you complimentary wine. Please enjoy your meal and the performance.”

With those words, beautiful melodies began to flow from the piano in the center of the restaurant.

“I’m glad we came,” Dojin said to their mother, who also nodded as she watched the performance.

Although they weren’t well-versed in classical music, the piano sounds resonating through the restaurant simply made them feel good.

“We seem to be lucky,” their mother said.

Dokyung nodded with a smile at his mother’s words.

Even if it was just a coincidence, he thought that perhaps a bit of ‘small fortune’ had briefly helped to make this a joyful time for the three of them. He began to focus on the performance, hoping it would remain in their memories for a long time to come.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

“Branch Manager Ryu Tae-hwa is likely heading to the headquarters.”

The next day, Dokyung met with Choi Woojin at a bar in Gangnam after a long time. As it was the end of the year, the two had made plans for the weekend to catch up on recent events over a year-end gathering.

“Really?”

“Yeah, Vice President Sim Ju-won… well, I guess he’s President now.”

Sim Ju-won, the Vice President of the WM Division, had been nominated as the new President of Yuseong Investment Securities. From the new year, he would be at the helm, leading the company.

“Anyway, that guy pulled Ryu Tae-hwa up. From the beginning, President Sim Ju-won kept him alive to use later, and now that he’s become president, he’s going to use him.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Yeah, he’d probably make more money staying at the branch, but for Ryu Tae-hwa, managing things internally at the headquarters would be more comfortable than meeting clients.”

“It must have been tough for him.”

“Well, good things come to those who persevere. Now that President Sim Ju-won favors him so much, he’s become a power player.”

“Did you hear which department he might be going to?”

“Probably the Strategic Business Department? That’s where he originally came from, right?”

The Strategic Business Department within the WM Division was responsible for managing the Gangnam Leaders Center and developing business strategies for the WM Division.

“You’ll probably run into Dokyung-ssi often. Do you keep in touch?”

“Yes, we contact each other frequently. Before, I was the only one reaching out, but lately, he’s been contacting me first too.”

“That guy, once he opens up, he takes good care of people. It’s just hard for him to open up initially.”

Dokyung nodded at Choi Woojin’s words.

“How about you, Assistant Manager Woojin?”

“Me? I’m good. After you left, I became the top performer in our branch again.”

“Haha. You were always number one, weren’t you?”

“That’s right. I’ve reclaimed the crown that was briefly stolen by Yoon Dokyung. Who knows, if I keep this up, maybe I’ll end up working with Dokyung-ssi again someday.”

“I really hope that happens.”

“Why? Don’t you like the Leaders Center? Do you miss this sunbae that much?”

At Choi Woojin’s question, Dokyung shook his head.

“No, it’s not that. Everyone treats me well there. The team leader, the center manager, and the sunbaes. I even have a like-minded colleague. It’s just that I get along so well with you, Assistant Manager Woojin.”

“Ah, Dokyung-ssi… Anyway, that’s all because you’re doing well. You know that, right?”

“Of course. That’s why I’m working even harder.”

Choi Woojin smiled at Dokyung’s words.

“It’s good to see. You seem to be adapting well and still excelling at your work. Actually, the reason I wanted to see you today was…”

Choi Woojin took out a document from his bag and handed it to Dokyung.

“I received a request through the grapevine for asset management. But no matter how I look at it, this seems like a client that should be handled by the Leaders side.”

“Is this client information?”

“No, I haven’t even met them yet. It seems they’re looking around here and there, but I’ve just roughly summarized what I know.”

Dokyung nodded and began to review the document.

“Oh?”

“I knew you’d react like that.”

Choi Woojin grinned, amused by Dokyung’s reaction.

“Taesan and Seonjin are also approaching this client. If you’re interested, you should reach out too.”

Zing- Zing-

Just as Choi Woojin finished speaking, Dokyung’s smartwatch began to vibrate. After checking the screen, Dokyung nodded towards Choi Woojin.

“It seems a good opportunity has come thanks to you, Assistant Manager Woojin.”

“Oh? Is it that significant?”

“Yes. It feels like a good opportunity, not just in terms of the client, but in various ways.”

Dokyung smiled as he said this.