Yenam’s father didn’t accept his son’s apparent request. He pressed his son to confront the problem on his own and solve it.
Only then did his son Yenam cautiously begin to talk.
“I have been physically handicapped like this since I was young…”
It seemed he had an inferiority complex about his handicapped status.
That was quite understandable. In his shoes, Hyunwoo would have felt the same.
When Hyunwoo met him in person, though, he was a bit worried.
Above all, he was concerned about how he could find a suitable job for him.
But in Hyunwoo’s mind, there was nobody in the world who was not needed in society. The only difference was that there were some who were more fortunate and those who were less fortunate.
Given the right job, Yenam could carry it out, though he might not be as good as others.
When he met Yenam, Hyunwoo found he had a good character. And he could not find any trace of his image as a notorious cyberbully. He even looked kind-hearted.
Hyunwoo bought a soft drink from a vending machine and handed it to him.
And then he talked with Yenam about the job he was interested in, “Are you good at using the computer?”
“I can type fast, but don’t know much about anything else…”
“What is your major?’
“I have no college diploma.”
The more Hyunwoo talked with Yenam, the latter’s voice shrank.
With a bright smile, Hyunwoo said, “Well, I’ve got only a high school diploma. How many characters can you type per minute?”
“Over 700 per minute.”
“Wow, that’s great! I can only type 400 per minute.”
Yenam scratched his head as if he felt awkward about Hyunwoo’s praise.
“Well, I’m just good at typing. Though I can’t speak English well, I can type English words, about 200 words per minute.”
His father seemed to rev up at his son’s confident reply.
“In fact, my son can read very fast. It looks like he can read four times as fast as ordinary readers. And he can figure out the exact meaning of what he has read. He is also very good at the four fundamental arithmetic calculations.”
Hearing his explanation, Hyunwoo found Yenam had various specialties.
“Oh, that sounds good. I think you can make good use of your talent. In fact, we need office workers.”
Of course, there were no suitable jobs for Yenam, but Hyunwoo needed some excuse to grab him.
“When can you report to work? By the way, we have a dormitory in Ansan. If you need it, I can arrange for you to stay there.”
“Really? Even my accommodations?”
Yenam and his father were greatly surprised.
Smiling at them, Hyunwoo said, “Don’t you think I have to offer accommodations to those from faraway places, to say the least? I’m doing business like that.”
Yenam and his father still seemed not to trust Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo asked once again, “Can you come to our Ansan office starting tomorrow? Or do you want me to wait a little more?”
“Please give me several days. I’m just confused a lot. Let me go back home and sort out my thoughts…”
Yenam’s father also hesitated. It seemed he was lacking in decisiveness and challenging spirit.
“Got it. I would assume you come to report next Mon. Is that enough for you?
“Yea, I think so…”
“Let’s sign the hiring contract next Monday. The contract money is 10 million won per year. As soon as you sign the contract, let me wire the money into your bank account.”
“What, 10 million won!”
Yenam and his father’s jaws dropped at Hyunwoo’s offer.
Hyunwoo just smiled at them without saying anything.
Two days later, Hyunwoo arranged time for another visit to Suwon, where Yenam and his father lived.
Unlike his haggard appearance two days ago, Yenam looked good, dressed in a clean suit.
As it was the first day of his reporting to work, Yenam was a bit tense.
“I’m sorry to bother you like this,” said Yenam’s father.
“Not at all. Though it might be difficult for you to get accustomed to living in a different area, you have to try to overcome it. If you make it at least one month, you can get by on your own. No matter how hard you find it, you have to deal with it in a positive manner,” said Hyunwoo.
“Yes, sir…” replied Yenam in a feeble voice.
Though his father volunteered to accompany his son, Hyunwoo stopped.
“From now on, he needs to learn to stand on his own feet. Though you might be worried, you have to be patient. Please call him often, though.”
“Got you. Hope he is in your good hands.”
Hyunwoo headed to Ansan with Yenam, and gave him lots of advice inside the car.
Yenam might have felt Hyunwoo’s advice as a sort of nagging initially, but his facial expression began to change slowly when Hyunwoo told him about his difficult days during his childhood.
“Well, though I didn’t express my genuine feelings because my parents might get disappointed, I really wanted to give up everything and kill myself in the past,” said Hyunwoo frankly, but he overcame it because he felt there would unfold a rosy future for him once he went through the hard times.
“Thanks to my positive attitude many people around me began to recognize me, which has made me what I am today.”
Yenam was surprised. When he heard about Hyunwoo’s childhood days, Hyunwoo went through much more difficult times than he.
Yenam seemed to renew his determination for some reason.
Looking at him, Hyunwoo felt good as his own story influenced him positively.
As expected, Yenam was autistic. Hyunwoo confirmed it by calling his father, but his symptoms were not as severe as he thought.
By the time they arrived in Ansan, Yenam seemed comfortable with talking to Hyunwoo.
They arrived at the KOVE DREAM office.
Its staff including Hwasik Kang numbered 26, including seven office workers and 18 warehouse workers. When Hyunwoo gave a greenlight, Sonjong and Juwhan began to hire people immediately.
Hyunwoo took Yenam into the office. Hwasik already left the office for the day, and there were lots of women employees only.
Was it because of them? Yenam was getting tense again.
Giggling at that, Hyunwoo said, “Hey, Sonjong, he is a new hire I told you about the other day.”
“Oh, I see. Nice to meet you!”
Sonjong greeted Yenam with open hands, and other female staff also welcomed him.
Actually, Hyunwoo made a special request to the staff about this in advance.
Right after he met Yenam, Hyunwoo stopped by KOVE DREAM and told the staff about Yenam, adding that he would hire him as a full-time staffer.
As soon as she heard Hyunwoo’s plan to hire him, Sonjong initially raised an objection.
Showing a violent temper, she spoke as if she wanted to fight with Hyunwoo, “What the heck is this? Just because you’re the owner, you can hire any man you want, right? In fact, I’ll have to treat him like my boss, as you know.”
Hyunwoo expected she would react like that. He didn’t feel her challenge regrettable, though.
So, he tried to persuade her with a special request. Though he didn’t tell her about Yenam’s extraordinary ability, he didn’t tell her. He just told her that he needed Yenam badly and asked her to help him get adjusted to the new surroundings here.
After all, Sonjong followed Hyunwoo’s request.
“Phew. I am not sure if other staff members will follow my direction,” she said.
As expected, she didn’t hold any grudges against Hyunwoo.
Once she decided to respect Hyunwoo’s decision, she moved quickly.
She prepared a specific assignment for Yenam and asked other female staff for cooperation, conveying Hyunwoo’s special request.
Yenam’s assignment was nothing particular. Literally, he was supposed to take care of typing that even a middle school boy could do, but somebody in the office had to do it, which made it the perfect job for Yenam.
Sonjong guided Yenam to his seat.
“This is your seat, brother.”
Yenam was pleasantly surprised to hear her calling him, “brother.”
Smiling at him, she said, “I heard you’re 33 years old. Though I’m married with two babies, I’m only 30 now. Let me call you brother from now on, but you should call me a manager. You know that you should use honorific language in the office regardless of age, right?”
“Got it, Manager Kim.”
Yenam replied politely as if a school boy followed a teacher’s order.
“These three women reported to work starting yesterday, so they’re your seniors. Please don’t forget to add the title ‘assistant manager’ when you call them. I won’t sit idle if you treat them roughly because they’re younger than you,” said Sonjong jokingly.
Yenam seemed scared at that and replied, “Yes, I’ll keep it in mind.”
Looking at them, Hyunwoo let out a sigh silently.
I wonder if he can adjust well here.
But he felt reassured after watching Sonjong manage his staff.
The more he watched Sonjong, the more he liked her working style. She was not only good at handling her work but also excellent in managing her staff.
Looks like I have to give her a special bonus next month, and promote her sooner or later by creating a suitable position for her.
With some additional directions, Hyunwoo left the KOVE DREAM office.
Hyunwoo now headed to the office of Ani & Funny to cheer up the staff there.
He stopped by the first floor where there were some staff members assigned to functional work and the students. Some of the students were absorbed in computer games.
They were so focused on it that they didn’t even sense that Hyunwoo entered the first floor and watched them enjoying games.
Yenam’s father didn’t accept his son’s apparent request. He pressed his son to confront the problem on his own and solve it.
Only then did his son Yenam cautiously begin to talk.
“I have been physically handicapped like this since I was young…”
It seemed he had an inferiority complex about his handicapped status.
That was quite understandable. In his shoes, Hyunwoo would have felt the same.
When Hyunwoo met him in person, though, he was a bit worried.
Above all, he was concerned about how he could find a suitable job for him.
But in Hyunwoo’s mind, there was nobody in the world who was not needed in society. The only difference was that there were some who were more fortunate and those who were less fortunate.
Given the right job, Yenam could carry it out, though he might not be as good as others.
When he met Yenam, Hyunwoo found he had a good character. And he could not find any trace of his image as a notorious cyberbully. He even looked kind-hearted.
Hyunwoo bought a soft drink from a vending machine and handed it to him.
And then he talked with Yenam about the job he was interested in, “Are you good at using the computer?”
“I can type fast, but don’t know much about anything else…”
“What is your major?’
“I have no college diploma.”
The more Hyunwoo talked with Yenam, the latter’s voice shrank.
With a bright smile, Hyunwoo said, “Well, I’ve got only a high school diploma. How many characters can you type per minute?”
“Over 700 per minute.”
“Wow, that’s great! I can only type 400 per minute.”
Yenam scratched his head as if he felt awkward about Hyunwoo’s praise.
“Well, I’m just good at typing. Though I can’t speak English well, I can type English words, about 200 words per minute.”
His father seemed to rev up at his son’s confident reply.
“In fact, my son can read very fast. It looks like he can read four times as fast as ordinary readers. And he can figure out the exact meaning of what he has read. He is also very good at the four fundamental arithmetic calculations.”
Hearing his explanation, Hyunwoo found Yenam had various specialties.
“Oh, that sounds good. I think you can make good use of your talent. In fact, we need office workers.”
Of course, there were no suitable jobs for Yenam, but Hyunwoo needed some excuse to grab him.
“When can you report to work? By the way, we have a dormitory in Ansan. If you need it, I can arrange for you to stay there.”
“Really? Even my accommodations?”
Yenam and his father were greatly surprised.
Smiling at them, Hyunwoo said, “Don’t you think I have to offer accommodations to those from faraway places, to say the least? I’m doing business like that.”
Yenam and his father still seemed not to trust Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo asked once again, “Can you come to our Ansan office starting tomorrow? Or do you want me to wait a little more?”
“Please give me several days. I’m just confused a lot. Let me go back home and sort out my thoughts…”
Yenam’s father also hesitated. It seemed he was lacking in decisiveness and challenging spirit.
“Got it. I would assume you come to report next Mon. Is that enough for you?
“Yea, I think so…”
“Let’s sign the hiring contract next Monday. The contract money is 10 million won per year. As soon as you sign the contract, let me wire the money into your bank account.”
“What, 10 million won!”
Yenam and his father’s jaws dropped at Hyunwoo’s offer.
Hyunwoo just smiled at them without saying anything.
Two days later, Hyunwoo arranged time for another visit to Suwon, where Yenam and his father lived.
Unlike his haggard appearance two days ago, Yenam looked good, dressed in a clean suit.
As it was the first day of his reporting to work, Yenam was a bit tense.
“I’m sorry to bother you like this,” said Yenam’s father.
“Not at all. Though it might be difficult for you to get accustomed to living in a different area, you have to try to overcome it. If you make it at least one month, you can get by on your own. No matter how hard you find it, you have to deal with it in a positive manner,” said Hyunwoo.
“Yes, sir…” replied Yenam in a feeble voice.
Though his father volunteered to accompany his son, Hyunwoo stopped.
“From now on, he needs to learn to stand on his own feet. Though you might be worried, you have to be patient. Please call him often, though.”
“Got you. Hope he is in your good hands.”
Hyunwoo headed to Ansan with Yenam, and gave him lots of advice inside the car.
Yenam might have felt Hyunwoo’s advice as a sort of nagging initially, but his facial expression began to change slowly when Hyunwoo told him about his difficult days during his childhood.
“Well, though I didn’t express my genuine feelings because my parents might get disappointed, I really wanted to give up everything and kill myself in the past,” said Hyunwoo frankly, but he overcame it because he felt there would unfold a rosy future for him once he went through the hard times.
“Thanks to my positive attitude many people around me began to recognize me, which has made me what I am today.”
Yenam was surprised. When he heard about Hyunwoo’s childhood days, Hyunwoo went through much more difficult times than he.
Yenam seemed to renew his determination for some reason.
Looking at him, Hyunwoo felt good as his own story influenced him positively.
As expected, Yenam was autistic. Hyunwoo confirmed it by calling his father, but his symptoms were not as severe as he thought.
By the time they arrived in Ansan, Yenam seemed comfortable with talking to Hyunwoo.
They arrived at the KOVE DREAM office.
Its staff including Hwasik Kang numbered 26, including seven office workers and 18 warehouse workers. When Hyunwoo gave a greenlight, Sonjong and Juwhan began to hire people immediately.
Hyunwoo took Yenam into the office. Hwasik already left the office for the day, and there were lots of women employees only.
Was it because of them? Yenam was getting tense again.
Giggling at that, Hyunwoo said, “Hey, Sonjong, he is a new hire I told you about the other day.”
“Oh, I see. Nice to meet you!”
Sonjong greeted Yenam with open hands, and other female staff also welcomed him.
Actually, Hyunwoo made a special request to the staff about this in advance.
Right after he met Yenam, Hyunwoo stopped by KOVE DREAM and told the staff about Yenam, adding that he would hire him as a full-time staffer.
As soon as she heard Hyunwoo’s plan to hire him, Sonjong initially raised an objection.
Showing a violent temper, she spoke as if she wanted to fight with Hyunwoo, “What the heck is this? Just because you’re the owner, you can hire any man you want, right? In fact, I’ll have to treat him like my boss, as you know.”
Hyunwoo expected she would react like that. He didn’t feel her challenge regrettable, though.
So, he tried to persuade her with a special request. Though he didn’t tell her about Yenam’s extraordinary ability, he didn’t tell her. He just told her that he needed Yenam badly and asked her to help him get adjusted to the new surroundings here.
After all, Sonjong followed Hyunwoo’s request.
“Phew. I am not sure if other staff members will follow my direction,” she said.
As expected, she didn’t hold any grudges against Hyunwoo.
Once she decided to respect Hyunwoo’s decision, she moved quickly.
She prepared a specific assignment for Yenam and asked other female staff for cooperation, conveying Hyunwoo’s special request.
Yenam’s assignment was nothing particular. Literally, he was supposed to take care of typing that even a middle school boy could do, but somebody in the office had to do it, which made it the perfect job for Yenam.
Sonjong guided Yenam to his seat.
“This is your seat, brother.”
Yenam was pleasantly surprised to hear her calling him, “brother.”
Smiling at him, she said, “I heard you’re 33 years old. Though I’m married with two babies, I’m only 30 now. Let me call you brother from now on, but you should call me a manager. You know that you should use honorific language in the office regardless of age, right?”
“Got it, Manager Kim.”
Yenam replied politely as if a school boy followed a teacher’s order.
“These three women reported to work starting yesterday, so they’re your seniors. Please don’t forget to add the title ‘assistant manager’ when you call them. I won’t sit idle if you treat them roughly because they’re younger than you,” said Sonjong jokingly.
Yenam seemed scared at that and replied, “Yes, I’ll keep it in mind.”
Looking at them, Hyunwoo let out a sigh silently.
I wonder if he can adjust well here.
But he felt reassured after watching Sonjong manage his staff.
The more he watched Sonjong, the more he liked her working style. She was not only good at handling her work but also excellent in managing her staff.
Looks like I have to give her a special bonus next month, and promote her sooner or later by creating a suitable position for her.
With some additional directions, Hyunwoo left the KOVE DREAM office.
Hyunwoo now headed to the office of Ani & Funny to cheer up the staff there.
He stopped by the first floor where there were some staff members assigned to functional work and the students. Some of the students were absorbed in computer games.
They were so focused on it that they didn’t even sense that Hyunwoo entered the first floor and watched them enjoying games.
