Chapter 63
Dawn comes even if you wring a chicken's neck.
Whether our Baron Medici Albert brother is jealous of me or not, I have to keep moving forward.
I need to digest the sudden assignment of military supplies for two divisions by the Emperor.
"Young master, please rest a bit while having a cup of tea."
Chloe placed a teacup on my desk and poured black tea.
A slightly sour yet savory smell filled the room.
Just smelling the aroma seems to relieve some fatigue.
"Thank you, I'll cool my head while drinking this and then get back to work."
I'm reminded of what some YouTuber said when I lived in Korea:
'Want to make a lot of money? Then you have to work more. There's no other answer.'
The tone was extremely old-fashioned, and the content was close to what an aged middle-aged department head would say.
But that statement itself seems to be true.
To make a lot of money, you ultimately have to work an insane amount.
'That's exactly me right now.'
Hearing my words, Chloe frowned and puffed her cheeks.
"I always think you're cool when you're immersed in work, but if you work 13-14 hours every day like this, your body will wear out. What will you do if you collapse while working?"
"Still, I need to finish the work piled up in front of me."
"The head butler and Chris said that the urgent work that needs to be handled right away is already done."
Usually in other noble families, a personal maid can't nag her master.
If she ruins the master's mood and gets thrown out, the maid would end up on the streets.
No, to begin with, the idea of a maid who truly loves and cares for her master is considered a "story from novels" among nobles.
However, Chloe's care for me is clearly visible, both objectively and subjectively.
'She's very active in bed, and even after we've had relations.'
To the extent of seducing me to do it again with a smile that comes from the heart.
"I can endure being lonely because you haven't been able to love me lately due to being busy. But if you collapse or get sick while working, my heart would be torn apart."
I've been working like this for nearly two weeks since His Majesty generously threw me the vested interests of military supplies for two divisions.
These days, I feel drowsy in broad daylight even after drinking coffee, or feel weak when I wake up.
If I overwork more here, I might break down.
"I'll do a little more work after drinking this, and then rest well after lunch today. Is that okay?"
Chloe smiled brightly hearing my words.
"Yes, I'll give you a lap pillow or whatever, so please rest comfortably, young master."
"I said rest, but are you trying to act spoiled with me?"
Hearing my words, Chloe bowed her head deeply and blushed her face red like an apple.
As I was considering teasing her a bit more, Chris knocked on the office door.
"Young master, the interviews with the applicants are all finished. May I come in to report?"
"Come in."
As soon as she entered, Chris looked closely at Chloe and smiled slightly.
Although she didn't say anything separately, I think I know what kind of silent conversation they're having.
"Sorry for interrupting while you were resting pleasantly with the viscount, Chloe."
"It's okay."
If this wasn't my office, she would have smiled mischievously as if about to poke Chloe's cheek with her finger.
But the moment she turned her gaze towards me, her expression changed to work mode.
"Because you didn't put restrictions on application qualifications, and because the salary is 1.5 times that of other places, applicants poured in like a flood. As soon as we posted the notice, 400 people applied."
In 21st century Korea, it's everyday for hundreds, sometimes over a thousand people to flock to job postings for small office jobs in small and medium-sized companies...
But in this era, the percentage of people who can read and write is just under 20%.
Among them, only about 3-4% can perform office work handling documents.
Considering that it's even difficult to access job information without the internet, it's really a flood of people.
"With these people as targets, I, the head butler, and Alberto became interviewers and conducted interviews. We decided to hire 33 of them."
33 people, if we get 33 office workers like King Sejong used Hwang Hee, we should be able to somehow handle the increased paperwork due to military supplies.
That number of people is just enough to somehow manage, so we'll increase personnel more...
But is this the time to be picky?
If we just deliver properly, vested interests equivalent to two small cities will fall to us.
"What criteria did you use to screen applicants during interviews?"
"For the first round, we deliberately inserted errors into accounting materials used in practical work, showed them, and tested their ability to find and correct errors. For the second round, we presented specific situations in interviews and listened to how they would respond to gauge whether they have grit and what their character is like."
You can't immediately figure out a person's character through something like an interview.
However, you can minimize the discovery of problematic elements afterwards, such as noticeably poor ability to improvise or terribly bad personality.
It seems they did well even without separate instructions from me.
"And what you and our trading company pursue is innovation. Although the competencies needed for work can be gradually developed if there's a will to learn like Chloe. Those who cannot accept innovation cannot be with us."
It's clearly illegal and should not be done for a company to forcibly interfere in employees' private matters.
So it can be considered a kind of violence for an old-fashioned department head to unnecessarily create drinking gatherings to entertain himself with normal employees, or to poke around asking why they're not married and give life advice.
As long as you work for a company, even if the instructions you receive about work differ from your own thoughts, you must conform to the company's policies.
Even foreign companies that we often say are much freer compared to Korea are much more thorough in this aspect.
'Even if you can consult with superiors about work on equal terms, if you complain about work orders, your personnel evaluation instantly plummets.'
To the extent that even large companies like Pineapple and Teslam are no exception.
"How did you screen whether they were talents who could obey company policies or not?"
Chris pointed to herself and said:
"I asked if they could serve me as a superior. Because if they actually enter this trading company, I will become their superior."
"It's certainly not easy to serve a woman as a superior."
Even in the 1990s in Korea, no matter how capable a woman was, if she was married, it was natural to just send her out of the company.
Moreover, in a country with male superiority and female inferiority and even polygamy, serving a woman as a superior would be considered repulsive.
Some might even feel so disgusted that they actually gag.
'Nevertheless, Chris is still worth using.'
Her ability is in the top 0.1%, and she's more diligent than anyone.
Also, the direction I pursue is thinking that's centuries ahead of others.
But can guys who can't even serve a woman as a superior follow along, let alone agree with my values?
Hearing my words, Chris grabbed her skirt with both hands and bowed her head politely.
"I'm always grateful to you, young master, for giving me the opportunity to demonstrate my abilities without worrying about others' opposition. To the extent that I want to repay you with everything I have."
For a moment, I felt chills down my spine, but it must be my imagination?
At a glance, Chloe's face seemed to have a cold smile like winter.
'As Chloe said, surely Chris isn't also...'
But such idle thoughts can wait for later.
"We hired employees through the above procedures. Is there any part that could be problematic, Viscount?"
"I want to give 120 points out of 100. Right, our trading company's treatment isn't inferior to others. And we're not only recruiting from merchant families like other great merchants, so we can demand this much."
In the Tuscan Empire, unless it's a neighborhood corner store, almost all employee recruitment is done through connections.
Ordinary citizens trying to break through this have to enter university and get a 'professor recommendation'.
We'll even hire Tonio who was plowing fields if he has the ability, regardless of academic background or whatever.
"We've found ways to handle administrative paperwork. However, it's impossible to carry out military supplies for two divisions with just our trading company's current capabilities. Have you found an alternative?"
Although I'm competing with great merchants now, my weight class is infinitely weaker compared to them.
'Maybe I'm like a tuna caught between fighting whales?'
So when the whales use their heads 1, I have to use mine 100.
But I've always found ways to survive.
"We just need to break away from traditional trading company management methods."
Saying that, I handed Chris a report that I had organized by pulling out knowledge from my head over several days.
Chris read the title written on the cover.
"Integrated trading company?"
If I had to sum this up in one sentence, I could say it's a sophisticated colonial management method that emerged in the late 20th century.