Quest for Joy

Chapter 3

At her work building, Taeyeon walked through her section of the floor towards her office. She noticed the mixed stares she had been getting ever since she got promoted to project lead for the upcoming project. There is no doubt that some people detested her for it and cannot comprehend the fact that a mere teenager is leading them. The chatter always starts by someone saying they don't want to work under someone so young, seemingly without any experience. And how they wouldn't mind if they worked under Jessica, because that would make more sense. But Taeyeon, A random intern? It's ridiculous.

A group of four workers walked towards her office soon after she settled down at her desk.

"Hey, manager Im," said one of them, his upper lip curled in disdain.

Taeyeon looked up. "Yes?"

"We are done with our research." The person next to him answered, tossing the folder of files onto her desk.

"Why don't you guys have a seat?" Taeyeon gestured at the chair in front of her desk for the team lead to sit. She could tell one of them wanted to roll their eyes out of impatience, but she ignored their rudeness.

Once the group of workers sat down, Taeyeon continued. "Thank you for your hard work. You managed to finish all of these over one day?"

"Of course, our group is known for our amazing work. We never miss a deadline." The apparent leader of the group answered with a smug look on his face.

She looked through the research the group did and the company they had selected to collaborate with, along with the proposals. "No doubt you guys are a great group together. Not only you finished the tasks, but you also managed to select the right companies beautifully."

Unexpecting the compliment, the leader smiled. "Of course. This is the best team in the department."

Taeyeon smiled back and looked at the leader in the eyes. "What about these companies that make you feel like we should work with them?"

The leader looked back at her, wondering what she had meant by that question. There's a reason why they wrote those proposals. And it took them all day yesterday, plus overtime last night.

"All I see here is numbers and a list of nonsense. What did you want to express from this proposal? Have you ever thought about how are we supposed to achieve these results, and what we want from working with them? Or are you just interested in these numbers?"

"My team carefully looked over these all night and pieced it together carefully. What we want to do with them can be a topic for another time, but these numbers will contribute to our company and benefit them. There is no reason for them not to work with us." The leader answered confidently, feeling a bit irritated by the feedback.

"You are not getting it. These numbers are meaningless to them and us. Get these proposals rewritten by tomorrow."

"Are you serious? We worked hard on this, just like any other tasks, and we have always performed above expectations. You can ask our former lead if you do not believe me. How dare you tell us to start over?" the boy leader raised his voice.

"Key, you may be good at crunching numbers, but you have forgotten the meaning behind them. When you write your proposal try to keep the company's goals and values in mind. And right now, I am your lead, not your former." Taeyeon repeated herself in a more assertive tone.

The boy could only scoff at her. "Then why don't you tell me what the goals of the company are, if you are so knowledgeable?"

Taeyeon chuckled, showing her dimples. If it weren't for the situation, one might call it pretty. "I could, but then what use do I have of you?"