The Overly Competent Junior Employee

“How’s the new person?”

During lunch hour, the cafeteria at Yuseong Investment Securities headquarters was massive enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

These days, with dining out prices skyrocketing, almost all headquarters employees frequented the cafeteria unless they had to work outside.

“You mean Yoon Dokyung?”

“Is there any other new person besides him?”

The employees of Wrap Account Team 1 were gathered in small groups for lunch, and as in any company, the lunchtime topic had turned to evaluating the new employee.

“He seems pretty good, doesn’t he? Just look at his presentation… I mean, try standing in his shoes. With the Part Leader and managers sitting in front, staring at you like they want to kill you, who wouldn’t be intimidated?”

“Right. Considering it was a briefing he gave right after joining this morning, the content was good, and he handled the Part Leader’s questions well. He seems promising.”

When a new person joins, existing team members often have to make sacrifices.

It’s not easy to teach someone about work-related matters when you barely have enough time to handle your own tasks.

Moreover, the fact that the newly joined employee came in as additional staff without going through a proper handover process made it somewhat unwelcome.

“At first, I thought he’d need a lot of hand-holding, but if he’s good at his job, well. What’s there to dislike about someone like that?”

As one team member said this, everyone nodded in agreement.

“But I heard Yoon Dokyung-ssi comes from a teller background.”

At that moment, a man sitting to the side listening to the conversation spoke up.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know that? I don’t think there’s a single person in Yuseong Securities who doesn’t know what Yoon Dokyung does.”

“That’s right. We all saw the mock investment competition. I find it rather fascinating. That someone like him came to our department.”

“Yeah, it’s surprising. He could have had an annual bonus feast if he stayed at the Leaders Center. It’s so strange that he came here of his own accord.”

It made sense, as the treatment at the Leaders Center was better in every aspect.

“That’s why I brought up the teller background.”

As the other team members didn’t seem to share his sentiment, the man who first mentioned Dokyung’s past continued, as if frustrated.

“Actually, there’s talk that he’s a parachute hire.”

“A parachute hire?”

“Yes. I heard rumors circulating since the mock investment competition that our CEO has his eye on him.”

“The CEO? You mean CEO Sim Ju-won?”

As a team member asked, the man nodded.

“They say it was the CEO’s intention to pull him up both then and now.”

“Wait, what did the CEO see in him? That doesn’t make sense. Why would the CEO push for a teller employee like Yoon Dokyung-ssi?”

The team members spoke to the man as if his words were nonsensical.

“I don’t know that either. That’s why some are saying it’s a bit unfair.”

“I disagree with Manager Park’s opinion.”

At that moment, a team member who had been quietly listening spoke up.

“If Yoon Dokyung-ssi were incompetent, I’d understand, but is there anyone in our industry who doesn’t know him now?”

At the team member’s words, the man furrowed his brow.

“Think about it. His predictions on the YouTube channel are coming true, and isn’t it a fact that many people in the industry are trying to get their hands on the reports Yoon Dokyung-ssi sends to his clients these days?”

The other team members nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. My college friends from other companies ask if I can get Yoon Dokyung’s briefing files, just because we’re in the same company.”

“Whether the parachute hire rumor is true or not, it would feel unfair if he were incompetent. But the CEO is promoting someone who’s good at their job, right?”

The team member continued, still looking at the man.

“That’s why I don’t see it negatively. It shows that if I work hard, I could be treated like that too.”

“Don’t just work hard, work well.”

“Hahaha.”

The team members seemed to have already developed a liking for Dokyung, and the man who brought up the topic furrowed his brow. Then, as if resigned, he spoke.

“I might have misunderstood. Well, we’ll see how Yoon Dokyung-ssi performs after observing him for a while.”

The man called Manager Park said this and picked up his spoon with a slightly trembling hand.

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“I’m Hong Se-jun.”

Meanwhile, Dokyung was at a restaurant in front of the headquarters with Hong Se-jun, his mentor sitting next to him.

Dokyung had intended to go to the cafeteria with the other team members, but Hong Se-jun had asked to have lunch together, so they came here.

“I don’t think I introduced myself properly this morning.”

“Ah! I already knew. I saw your employee ID.”

At Dokyung’s words, Hong Se-jun chuckled.

“I didn’t intentionally withhold my name. We were quite busy this morning. It was hectic having to explain things to a new employee in the midst of all that.”

Dokyung nodded at Hong Se-jun’s words.

“Anyway, you and I will be doing the same work from now on, and regardless of your abilities, my opinions will be applied to the reports you write.”

Hong Se-jun continued, looking at Dokyung.

“I’ll briefly explain the core of our work. You probably already know what our team does.”

Dokyung carefully observed Hong Se-jun sitting across from him. During their first meeting this morning, he seemed like someone whose true feelings were hard to read due to his lack of emotional expression, but it seemed he was genuinely busy, as he said.

And Dokyung thought that someone like Hong Se-jun might actually be a better colleague and superior to work with.

From his personal experience meeting various people, those whose inner thoughts were hard to read often had the least prejudice.

“The work you and I do is to grasp the macro of global markets and write daily morning reports.”

Dokyung focused intently on Hong Se-jun’s explanation.

While the team directly managed accounts entrusted by clients, it seemed that within the team, each person had their own specific responsibilities.

In other words, there was a division between team members who did trading and those like Hong Se-jun and Dokyung who analyzed markets.

“You won’t experience the thrill of directly trading clients’ assets like you did as a PB.”

That was one aspect that felt a bit disappointing.

There were various jobs in the securities industry, but there was a clear reason why trading departments that bought and sold stocks or bonds were called the flower of the industry.

But Dokyung didn’t think it was bad. He originally enjoyed macro analysis the most, and escaping the stress of trading was also a positive point in its own way.

“That doesn’t mean our work isn’t important. The team members who trade client assets trust our analysis.”

Dokyung nodded.

They played a guiding role, acting as the eyes and ears for the others.

“I’m well aware of your abilities. I already know you’re good at reading macros.”

“You’re too kind.”

“No, this is something that needs to be acknowledged. I’m glad you’ve joined as my assistant.”

Hong Se-jun was saying these things with a truly expressionless face and tone.

And Dokyung appreciated that. It felt like he was sincerely recognizing his abilities.

“I heard you’re maintaining a group chat with the clients you managed at the Leaders Center.”

“Ah! That’s because the clients requested it… I’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere with work hours. Of course, the materials are different from internal documents.”

“Good. I’ll trust that you’ll handle that well.”

Whenever Dokyung said something, Hong Se-jun didn’t unnecessarily add one or two comments.

“As I said, although you’ll work independently, my opinions will be incorporated to some extent. Of course, this won’t be forever, probably for about a month of observation.”

“That’s only natural. You are my mentor, after all.”

When Dokyung said this, Hong Se-jun nodded.

Hong Se-jun had also heard a lot about Dokyung and seen many of his achievements.

Even though Dokyung had joined as his junior, Hong Se-jun thought he should respect his abilities and spoke accordingly. He appreciated that Dokyung acknowledged this as natural.

“I’ll be in charge of the U.S. and Asian markets. This is what I’ve been covering, so it’s more comfortable for me. That leaves Europe, which I think you’ll have to take on.”

“…Europe, you say?”

At Hong Se-jun’s words, Dokyung cautiously asked.

“Are you not confident? We can switch if you’d like.”

Dokyung waved both hands at Hong Se-jun’s words.

“Ah, it’s not that I’m not confident. I just recalled something about Europe.”

“When we say Europe, we’re only covering three countries: the UK, Germany, and France. You’ll just need to research these three countries.”

“I see, understood.”

“There’s no need to feel pressured, but we should keep in mind that our materials are linked to client asset management.”

“I’ll work hard.”

“Good. Shall we order our food now?”

As Hong Se-jun said this and looked at the menu, Dokyung smiled, thinking that he must have been born with good luck when it came to colleagues.

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“Not a bad first day, all things considered.”

Having finished his first day of work, Dokyung was lost in thought at the hideout provided by the Message.

One of the good things about working at headquarters was that quitting time was punctual.

Unless there were special events like today, the work PCs would shut down like clockwork at 5 PM after starting work at 8 AM.

Of course, if more work was needed, the shutdown time could be extended, but even then, all work had to be completed within an hour.

“So, the UK, Germany, and France…”

Among the overseas markets brokered by Yuseong Investment Securities, the European market covered the UK, Germany, and France.

The Wrap Account team was managing quite a lot of assets in these three countries.

They were advanced countries with many stable assets.

“It’s a bit unfamiliar, but… let’s take a look.”

Dokyung got up from his seat and started to analyze the data of the three countries using the Bloomberg Terminal at one end of the study.

“People live the same everywhere, but Europe seems even worse than our country.”

Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas was quite severe.

As sanctions against Russia intensified due to the war, they inevitably had to reduce natural gas imports from Russia.

The term “energy security” was being thrown around. Russia was using its natural gas like a weapon, and Europe was suffering the most from this wielded weapon.

“As for the UK…”

Dokyung sighed involuntarily as he looked at the UK’s indicators.

The UK produced over 40% of its electricity from natural gas. This was two to three times higher than Germany or France.

In other words, the UK was severely affected by the rise in natural gas prices, which meant an increase in electricity production costs.

“The energy production costs must be astronomical.”

Zzzzing-

As Dokyung was deeply engrossed in looking at the UK’s indicators, his phone started to vibrate, and he reflexively looked at the notification that appeared on the screen.

[This is the VIP Service that always supports you.]

The source of the notification that interrupted his thoughts was the Message.

[When the end of an era approaches, we are once again reminded that nothing in this world is eternal.]

[The glorious image of the British Empire, on which the sun never set, is no more.]

[The UK’s exceptional position in finance and industry has long been lost.]

Dokyung furrowed his brow and focused on the Message.

[Amidst the global economic crisis, the UK has become an unstable link.]

[Yoon Dokyung-ssi has the duty to explain and persuade everyone about where this instability comes from and what ripple effects it will bring.]

The Message seemed to be warning him about the risks that would occur in the UK.

Dokyung couldn’t yet tell what would happen, but given the Message’s warning, it was as good as saying that the tightly stretched rope had started to break.

The Message had grandly spoken of duty, but analyzing Europe was Dokyung’s job, and if something were to happen, it would be Dokyung’s responsibility to stop investments towards the UK, as the Message had said.

[As always, we believe that Yoon Dokyung-ssi will prove his abilities to us.]

[We support your new start in a new place. This is the VIP Service.]

With that, the Message ended, and Dokyung, with a serious expression, began to focus on the UK indicators in front of him.