The Overly Competent Junior Employee

Dokyung’s childhood memories were filled with nothing but money-related recollections.

They say painful experiences linger longest in one’s memory…

After his father’s business failure, his mother raised Dokyung and his younger sibling alone.

Of course, the legacy of his father’s business failure continued to torment the remaining three family members relentlessly.

‘I’m sorry. By next week, I promise…’

‘Please, just one more day…’

Red notices plastered on the door of their tiny monthly-rent room, barely 330 square feet.

Days when someone knocked on the door while his mother was out working, and he pretended no one was home, his heart pounding.

Even now, these memories vividly haunted Dokyung when he closed his eyes before sleep.

“Mom, I’m home.”

After spending half the afternoon on field visits with clients, Dokyung headed to his family home in Namyangju instead of his studio apartment in Seongnam.

“Son!”

As Dokyung opened the door and entered, his mother greeted him with a welcoming face.

Now, his mother and younger sibling lived in a modest two-bedroom apartment of about 600 square feet.

It was his mother’s hard work and Dokyung’s stock investments that had freed their once debt-ridden family from financial burdens.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a cake. It’s a special day, isn’t it?”

Dokyung smiled as he handed the box containing the cake to his mother.

“I’m hungry.”

“Just wait a little bit. Why don’t you have a seat?”

At his mother’s words, Dokyung responded with a smile and sank into the sofa in the living room.

Dokyung had started contributing to the family’s difficult financial situation by working part-time jobs since high school.

He persuaded his mother to open an account at a securities firm branch and invested all of his earnings in stocks.

Naturally, he suffered losses at first.

It was the result of trusting his own judgment too much and ignoring the noise from the market.

Having learned humility from the market, Dokyung steadily grew his small initial capital. Six years after he started investing in stocks, he sold the shares he had been holding onto and made 30 million won. On the day he was discharged from the military, he gave it to his mother.

Although they were still paying off debts, they were no longer living a life hounded by creditors.

The house where his mother and younger sibling now lived was also one that Dokyung had secured with his stock investment profits and a loan as soon as he joined Yuseong Investment Securities.

“Hyung, you’re here?”

Apparently having heard Dokyung arrive, his younger brother Dojin, two years his junior, came out of his room to greet him.

“Hey, Yoon Dojin.”

Dokyung, who had been slumped on the sofa with an exhausted expression, smiled and stood up to embrace his brother as he came to greet him.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“…What do you mean? Mom and you have worked harder than me…”

“Let’s eat!”

At their mother’s voice from the kitchen, Dokyung patted his brother’s back and headed towards the kitchen.

Though it was a small table in a tiny kitchen, it was set with a more abundant spread of food than usual.

“Wow, Mrs. Kim really put in some effort.”

Dokyung looked at his mother with a mischievous grin, and a smile settled on her face as well.

“And this is the cake our eldest son prepared.”

“Why did you buy something like this?”

As their mother placed the cake in the center of the table, the younger brother spoke gruffly, but contrary to his tone, his expression seemed to be struggling to hide his joy.

“It’s a special day, so we need a cake. Just like everyone else does.”

Just like everyone else does.

Perhaps this had been the most difficult thing for the three of them until now.

“Oh, there you go again on a special day.”

His mother turned away to wipe her tears, but she smiled and sat down at Dokyung’s words.

She was the one who had struggled all these years to give Dokyung and his brother Dojin the same experiences as everyone else.

“It’s not even a birthday…”

“Shut up, you punk. We’re only putting one candle. We need to make a wish.”

Dokyung retorted to his brother’s words as he lit the candle.

“Alright, make your wishes.”

Their mother was the first to close her eyes and clasp her hands, starting to make a wish. Across from her, the younger brother, who had been sitting with a sullen expression, also closed his eyes and began to make a wish under Dokyung’s stern gaze.

Finally, Dokyung also clasped his hands and made a wish.

“If you’re done wishing, you’re the main character, so you blow it out.”

The younger brother, who had been maintaining a gruff attitude until just moments ago, nodded and blew out the candle with all his might.

Clap clap-

Their mother and Dokyung applauded with bright smiles at the sight.

“Dojin, congratulations on getting into law school.”

Today’s celebration was for Yoon Dojin’s admission to law school.

“And Korea University Law School at that. I heard they rarely accept students who aren’t from their undergraduate program.”

The younger brother was a graduate of the engineering department of a city university in Seoul.

Both Dokyung and his brother had chosen national or city universities with lower tuition fees than private universities, and even then, they had graduated with academic excellence scholarships.

After graduation, they thought he would get a job in the IT industry, but one day, the younger brother cautiously said he wanted to pursue law school.

He seemed worried about the costs for the preparation period and the tuition fees if he got admitted to law school.

“You’ve worked hard.”

The younger brother had said he would try for two years, and if he failed to get into law school after two years, he would get a job without complaint, he had told Dokyung.

However, Dokyung supported and encouraged his brother’s challenge without hesitation.

And on the day that marked the promised two-year period, his brother proudly kept his promise.

“It’s not that big of a deal…”

“I heard everything from mom. She said even on days when you were sick, you went to the study room saying you couldn’t rest when your older brother was working so hard?”

“Mom, really…”

The younger brother grumbled towards their mother, avoiding Dokyung’s gaze.

He seemed embarrassed that Dokyung had discovered his feelings.

“By the way, didn’t you say there were many applicants from prestigious universities?”

At Dokyung’s question, his brother smiled brightly.

He had failed on his first attempt, but in this second attempt this year, he had proudly secured a place on the list of successful applicants, surpassing graduates from renowned universities.

“Yeah. Not to mention the well-known private universities in Seoul, there was even someone who had passed the medical licensing exam.”

“That’s impressive.”

“I felt intimidated there, but when I went to the law school applicants’ cafe, there were many people with even more impressive backgrounds.”

“I bet.”

“Honestly, I did well on the Legal Education Eligibility Test, but I thought I might have failed because I was intimidated by those backgrounds. So I was thinking about how to tell you I needed just one more year… but today I got the call saying I was accepted.”

Their mother, who had been watching the conversation, spoke up with a bright smile.

“Our Dojin must have really worked hard and gave it his all.”

Law school admissions were divided into quantitative evaluations through tests and qualitative evaluations through various means such as essays without set answers, certifications, and personal statements.

“The exam was one thing, but my classmates said being an engineering student was an advantage. I guess because engineering studies are known to be difficult… The interviewer seemed to view it favorably during the interview.”

“It really is lucky…”

“What did you say?”

The younger brother asked curiously, seeming to have heard Dokyung’s whispered words, and Dokyung waved his hands dismissively.

Even if the luck mentioned in the message on his way to the family home had worked, he decided not to think that way. His brother had worked harder than anyone else, after all.

“You really worked hard. They say this is just the beginning, but I feel like a big worry has been lifted off my shoulders.”

At Dokyung’s words, his brother and mother nodded with smiles.

But more than anyone, it was probably his younger brother Dojin who felt the greatest relief.

Their mother was still working at a restaurant, and Dokyung was still contributing half of his salary to the household expenses.

He always felt apologetic.

“Oh, then…”

Dokyung took out two envelopes from the inside pocket of his jacket hanging on the chair.

He placed one in front of his mother and one in front of his brother.

“I’m not sure how much the tuition will be, but try your best to get scholarships as much as possible.”

“That’s obvious, but… this is…”

“I had some good news at work recently.”

“The mock investment competition win…?”

At his brother’s words, Dokyung looked at him with wide eyes, surprised.

“How did you know about that?”

“I saw it by chance on a community site I often visit… I knew about it, and mom knew too. That’s why we can’t accept this even more.”

The younger brother said this as he tried to return the envelope to Dokyung.

“Now, now, this brilliant older brother of yours was waiting for the right opportunity to give this to mom and you. I couldn’t put in much. 5 million won for mom, 3 million won for Dojin.”

Dokyung had decided to use the prize money from the recent mock investment competition today.

“I know mom will keep working even if I tell her not to. So take it easy. I’m paying off the debt well from my salary, so use that for things you’ve wanted to buy.”

“How can I use this…”

“Why can’t you use it? It’s extra money. Dojin, you buy what you need for school and things you couldn’t buy before.”

“Hyung…”

Dokyung shook his head, looking alternately at his mother and brother.

“Please accept it. I’ve changed positions at work, and I’m expecting a good performance bonus this year. There will only be more opportunities for me to give you more in the future.”

His mother and brother looked at Dokyung and the envelopes before the younger brother took his envelope first.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

Dokyung nodded at his brother’s words. His brother probably made up his mind, thinking their mother wouldn’t accept if he didn’t.

Dokyung looked at his mother and nodded.

“Dokyung, thank you. Mom always… feels sorry for Dokyung.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s time for you to get back what you sacrificed, mom. Now Dojin will become an excellent legal professional and repay you too.”

The younger brother, who had been watching, nodded.

“Well then, shall we eat? I’m hungry.”

Feeling awkward at the two’s gazes, Dokyung picked up his chopsticks and started eating with exaggerated movements and gestures. Watching him, his mother and brother also laughed and picked up their chopsticks.

Thanks to the joyous news, Dokyung spent precious time with his family after a very long time, and the smile never left his face.

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

“How much did you say?”

A week later, at Yuseong Investment Securities’ Seongnam Branch.

Branch Manager Ryu Tae-hwa looked at Dokyung, who was standing confidently in front of him, and asked in surprise.

“Did I hear that wrong?”

“No, sir. Over the past week, I’ve attracted a total of 2.663 billion won in investments.”

As Dokyung confirmed once again, Ryu Tae-hwa’s expression suggested he needed an explanation.

“Existing clients entrusted about 600 million won additionally, separate from product subscriptions, and twenty-six new clients entrusted about 2 billion won.”

Recently, the PBs at the Seongnam branch were rarely seen in the office in the afternoons as they went out to sign contracts with new clients.

In response to this, Ryu Tae-hwa had decided to hold the daily morning meetings weekly for the time being, and in the past week, Dokyung had attracted an enormous amount of funds.

This was probably unprecedented in the history of junior PBs at Yuseong Investment Securities.

“You’ve worked hard.”

However, Ryu Tae-hwa quickly regained his composure, as always.

Dokyung wasn’t disappointed. Ryu Tae-hwa was a superior who rewarded with practical things rather than verbal praise.

“For the sake of the clients as well, it seems necessary to quickly remove your junior PB label. Or rather, it’s not appropriate to give Yoon Dokyung-ssi junior-level training in the first place.”

Ryu Tae-hwa had been thinking all along. Dokyung was an employee who would gain more from actually working in the field than going to headquarters every week for junior training.

“I’ll talk to the division about it.”

“Thank you.”

“As the scale of operations has increased, please take utmost care in managing your clients. You may have multiple clients, but for each client, you are their only PB.”

Dokyung could understand Ryu Tae-hwa’s meaning. If clients felt even a slight change in how they were treated, they would become anxious and dissatisfied.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind…”

Bzzt-

The phone in Dokyung’s pocket vibrated loudly, and Ryu Tae-hwa gestured for him to check it.

Dokyung bowed slightly and took out his phone.

As he checked the incoming text message, his eyes widened.

“Is something wrong?”

“Um… Branch Manager, would it be alright if I go to Seoul this afternoon? After the market closes.”

“Seoul?”

“Yes.”

Dokyung approached Ryu Tae-hwa and showed him the message. After checking it, Ryu Tae-hwa also looked surprised.

Dokyung thought that the real luck the VIP service had mentioned had arrived.