Chemistry

2. A Day in the Life of a Chemical Company Intern(4)

* * *

Standing in front of the newly-built and imposing twin buildings, Jeong-woo’s mouth dropped open.

KG Chemicals.

[A global chemical company with 14,000 domestic employees and 11,000 overseas employees. Designing the foundation of almost all products produced by KG Group, ranging from the latest materials for batteries and displays to daily necessities such as household goods, fibers, and healthy beverages….]

Recalling the article he had found on the internet about KG Chemicals, Jeong-woo walked into the building.

He stood in front of the visitor reception desk after passing through the lobby.

“My name is Han Jeong-woo. I’m an intern starting today.”

“May I see your ID, please?”

The employee quickly checked the computer and issued a temporary access pass. Jeong-woo showed it to the security guard and passed through the glass door.

KG Chemicals’ building was divided into two parts: East and West. The East housed the Central Research Institute, which was filled with state-of-the-art facilities, while the West was packed with the sales, finance, and business departments. Jeong-woo checked the internal layout and stood in front of the elevator on the West side to go up to the 7th floor where the HR department was located.

There were ten elevators in operation, and Jeong-woo was keenly aware of the people waiting in line to go to their respective workplaces. ‘I’m starting to work at this company from today on.’

Ding dong.

As the door opened, Jeong-woo entered confidently.

“The cafeteria operates on a system where employees pay with their ID cards and the amount is deducted from their monthly salaries. Similarly, most of the company’s convenience facilities can be used with an ID card.”

In a spacious meeting room located within the HR department, one of the employees sat Jeong-woo down and explained the overall usage of company facilities. “This is your research building access card. It has different grades than your ID card, and if it’s lost, you need to write a statement, so please be careful with it.”

It was a story that was usually directed toward a large group of people hired through open recruitment or internship, but since Jeong-woo was the only one today, the atmosphere in the meeting room was a bit awkward. “It’s strange. They usually don’t allow interns to access research buildings. Well, I guess you were hired through a special process?”

The employee smiled and handed Jeong-woo his ID card and access card. “Do you have any more questions?”

“No, I’m good.”

“We’ll call your supervisor, so please wait for a moment. Would you like some mixed coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Jeong-woo had learned about how the research department operates from Dr. Moon the night before. For almost an hour, it was like he was attending a class. Fortunately, he was unable to sleep, which turned out to be a blessing.

• It’s an internship program for research employees hired through open recruitment until the end of the year. Get used to the atmosphere by spending time with them.

Although he had forgotten most of it, he vividly remembered the last words.

It was a period of about two weeks, excluding weekends. This period was probably going to be used to determine whether he would be of any help to KG Chemical’s research project while taking ‘AF-12’.

Five minutes later.

“Mr. Jeong-woo?”

Jeong-woo, who was sipping on the mixed coffee that an employee had handed him, turned his head at someone’s call.

Standing at the door was a clean-cut, mid-thirties, bespectacled employee who looked like he had studied hard in his student days.

“Congratulations on joining the company. I’m Lee Dong-gil, the team leader of Team 1 in the Central Research Institute.”

Jeong-woo was surprised that someone at the rank of director had come to pick him up and quickly got up, bowing his head.

“Hello.”

Dong-gil pointed to the door of the Personnel Department, smiling at the tense Jeong-woo.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

They walked towards the elevator.

Dong-gil looked at the new hire, who had an intern ID card hanging around his neck, and spoke as if testing him.

“You don’t have to be so tense. I came to see who the new guy is. Besides, your major on your resume… it’s business management, right?”

“Yes.”

“Have you participated in any research projects?”

“No.”

“Have you done any internships at chemical companies or anything like that?”

“N, no. I have no experience.”

“How about personal research or patent achievements? Overseas training? Relevant certifications?”

Jeong-woo was bombarded with questions that made him lower his head.

Dong-gil sighed for a moment and asked, “Then what can you do? There must be something you can do.”

The suspicion in Dong-gil’s eyes seemed to be part of his warning like Dr. Moon’s unsightly gaze.

“I didn’t major in it, but I have studied molecular biology.”

Since it was also Dr. Cheon’s major, he had to answer like this.

Dong-gil turned his head as he pressed the elevator button.

“Cell biology? Genome?”

“It’s not that academic. It’s more like ‘molecular recognition.’”

“So you’ve only studied molecular recognition personally?”

Jeong-woo didn’t know if Dong-gil’s smirk was mocking or disappointed.

“Mr. Han, please don’t misunderstand. Our research institute has a very free atmosphere. Most of us are not bosses and subordinates, but we are like seniors and juniors. If you work on a project for a long time, you have to clash with each other for almost a year.”

Dong-gil continued as they entered the elevator.

“That’s why responsibility comes with this freedom. Do we have a researcher who can’t pay for his own food? Do we need to carry an unstable researcher who could be fired at any time?”

Dong-gil made a gesture as if his neck was being cut.

“I agree with you. I know that Dr. Cheon is not playing games with personnel. But we can’t introduce a researcher who suddenly tumbles in as someone we trust.”

Dong-gil looked at Jeong-woo, who seemed to be seeking agreement, and nodded his head.

“That’s right.”

“So, I hope you can appeal to Jeong-woo’s charm a bit in the upcoming open recruitment research idea planning evaluation.”

“The planning evaluation?”

Jeong-woo’s eyes widened at the unexpected offer, but Dong-gil replied as if nothing was wrong.

“Why? Can’t you do it? Well, I guess other new hires have been preparing for more than three months to enter in the fall. I understand if you’re not confident.”

Jeong-woo felt a strong feeling that he couldn’t refuse here.

“No, I can do it.”

“Really?”

“If the planning is selected, will it develop into an actual project?”

“Of course.”

“Then I should do it. I joined this company to work.”

As the hesitant new employee responded confidently, Dong-gil’s face showed a hint of interest.

“You seem confident.”

“It’s not that.”

“Do you think you can handle it?”

“Ding dong.”

The elevator arrived on the first floor as if in response to Dong-gil’s question.

“Okay. I’ll tell the training manager that you’ve accepted. Keep in mind that you are responsible for the risks, as autonomy is guaranteed.”

While walking out, he spotted a man running from the lobby to the main building and shouted out to him.

“Ki-tae!”

The man of the same age as Jeong-woo stood tall and turned around swiftly upon spotting Jeong-woo.

“Senior!”

The name on the badge around the man’s neck, who had come running from a distance, read Bae Ki-tae.

“Good morning.”

“Yeah. You’re still energetic today.”

“Seeing you, Senior, gives me strength! Haha.”

“Stop flattering me.”

“Yes!”

Bae Ki-tae exuded an atmosphere that he would do very well in social life.

‘I should learn from his attitude.’

Jeong-woo observed Bae Ki-tae with a studious heart.

Bae Ki-tae, who was chatting loudly with Dong-gil, turned his head to Jeong-woo.

“But who is this?”

“Mr. Jeong-woo, this is Bae Ki-tae, a top recruit. Ki-tae, this is Han Jeong-woo. He is the intern who will use the desk next to yours starting today.”

“An intern? Oh, I see. It’s almost summer, so KG Chemical will be offering internships….”

“No, we don’t do that. We’re too busy.”

Dong-gil looked at Juong-woo and smiled strangely before saying, “Han Jeon-gwoo is a special hire, just like you. Although he is called an intern, he is no different from you. Show him the ropes.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I have a brunch appointment, so I’m going out for a bit. Jeon-gwoo, follow Ki-tae.”

Dong-gil waved and left for the lobby.

Bae Ki-tae respectfully bowed to the departing Dong-gil and raised his head.

“Nice to meet you, Jeong-woo. The central office is on the second floor.”

Bae Ki-tae pointed towards the stairs and started walking.

“At this time, a special contract for non-regular workers is fresh. Excuse me, but which university did you graduate from?”

It was a question that could cause one to hesitate for a moment.

“From Myeong-Woon University.”

“Myeong-Woon University?”

Bae Ki-tae looked perplexed, as if wondering if such a university existed, so Jeong-woo explained first.

“It exists, it’s in the outskirts of the capital.”

“What was your major?”

“Business.”

Bae Ki-tae had expected one of the familiar fields of chemistry to be mentioned, so he was taken aback. The sudden special hire and the placement of a non-major in a research institute. Bae Ki-tae’s expression turned serious, having concluded that this was an appointment influenced by the company’s top brass.

“By any chance…”

“Yes, that’s right. A parachute.”

Bae Ki-tae didn’t know what to do as soon as he heard the answer.

‘Did he sound too confident?’

His inner thoughts were written all over Bae Ki-tae’s face, wondering how he should treat him if he was the son of the CEO.

Jeong-woo quickly spoke up, worried that there might be any unnecessary misunderstandings.

“Just treat me as your junior, senior.”

“Senior? Yes, of course. I am the senior, right?”

Bae Ki-tae, who reluctantly accepted it, suddenly became quiet.

Now that he thought about it, meeting his colleague on the subway and receiving a heads-up beforehand was a big help.

In this way, Jeong-woo unintentionally silenced his counterpart and climbed the stairs.

“Oh.”

As he arrived on the second floor, his eyes first caught sight of a transparent outer wall that seemed to go on forever. The entire floor was divided by this wall, and the dustless hallway was not visible at all.

On one side was a “Basic Materials Center” where all kinds of chemical reactions were observed and experimented with, while on the other side were large and small offices partitioned off.

“Here we are.”

Bae Ki-tae, who had moved to the office section, stopped in front of the smallest and narrowest space.

This was the personal space used by the research laboratory’s bottom-most layer, with about ten shabby desks that looked like a reading room.

“Just use any empty desk. And since there’s nothing to do until the weekly meeting….”

Bae Ki-tae left a message to just take a break and hurriedly disappeared.

Jeong-woo placed his bag on the empty desk and looked around the office. He saw other desks with signs of someone already working, but no one was sitting there.

‘At what time is the meeting?’

He had come early, but he did not expect such a relaxed atmosphere. There was no senior to keep an eye on him, nor any other new hires to exchange greetings with.

As he sat there free of charge, he heard movement from the office next door.

“Oh, you’re here. Why the break room so early in the morning?”

A man with curly hair entered the office. He was talking to someone on the phone and hung his coat on a chair when he saw Jeong-woo and nodded his head in greeting reflexively.

Jeong-woo also greeted him awkwardly, and the man looked surprised and asked, “What?”

“I see. I’ll go now.”

The man hurriedly left the office.

Later, another person came into the office, checked their phone, glanced at Jeong-woo, and then left.

A new hire researcher who came to work disappeared several times, terrifyingly. Jeong-woo could only make a bitter smile.

“Would you gossip with me in the lounge?”

He didn’t expect kindness, but he didn’t want to be ostracized either.

“I should give a good impression, but I don’t even have a chance to greet them.”

He felt someone approaching with the sound of clicking heels. Jeong-woo thought it was the new hire researcher who would run to the lounge again and didn’t pay much attention.

“Where did everyone go?”

Jeong-woo’s gaze turned to the woman’s voice because it was familiar.

“But there’s still Mr. Parachute.”

“Ms. Song Boyeong?”

Song Boyeong, wearing a new white gown representing a researcher instead of a coat that carried static electricity, discovered Jeong-woo and approached him.

“Where are the others? I heard almost everyone came to work.”

“They might be in the lounge.”

“Let’s go and see if we can find one person… No, one will be enough. Follow me.”

When Song Boyeong gestured, Jeong-woo stood up with a look that said, “Where are we going?”

“We need to prepare for the weekly meeting.”

“Me?”

“No, me. Mr. Parachute is helping with that.”

Song Boyeong made a gesture of carrying something in her arms. Jeong-woo finally understood and followed her.

As they passed through the maze-like corridor of the office area, Jeong-woo asked, “Are you also preparing for the planning evaluation next week?”

“Why do I have to? I’m a year senior.”

“Aren’t you a new hire?”

Song Boyeong chuckled.

“Why are you like this? I’m a year senior.”

“I see…”

“I’m often misunderstood. They think I’m too young.”

Song Boyeong looked up at Jeong-woo with a confident expression.

“Dr. Cheon used to make fun of me saying I look like a doll.”

Jeong-woo glanced at her soft-looking cheeks and replied, “I see.”

“Oh, by the way, who was the first in last year’s planning evaluation?”

“…Was it Ms. Boyeong?”

“Correct! Dr. Cheon was so impressed with my work~”

Song Boyeong continued to appeal that she was closer to Dr. Cheon than anyone else.

‘Hmm’

Jeong-woo didn’t think much of it on the subway in the morning, but her interest in Cheon Seung-guk seemed to go beyond a normal level. It was as if she considered herself a rival to him, even though she had just met Jeong-woo for the first time.

“Now that I think about it, as of today, the newest in the laboratory is not a regular employee but Mr. Jeong-woo. It’s a feeling of passing the baton fast, but the regular employees have also worked very hard for three months”.

“What kind of difficulties…?”

“There are things like that.”

Song Boyoung put on a meaningful expression and walked forward.