assistirfilmes Chapter 15 | Joining PLEDIS
Chapter 15 | Joining PLEDIS
"Then I'll buy you coffee."
Han Shengshou tried to reassure the HR lady, "If there are suitable candidates for you in the future, I will also speak up for you."
She didn't know what to say in response, so she could only give a dry laugh.
"Don't worry," Han Shengshou added, "I'll explain the process to head office."
This statement is essentially a definitive conclusion.
Before hanging up, he asked, "By the way, has he sent out the official offer yet?"
"It was just posted not long ago."
"Then let's add an explanation," he said. "Let them know that the work location has been slightly changed, but other benefits remain the same. Don't change the subject line too much, just don't scare them away."
The phone hangs up.
The HR lady stared at that line of names for a few seconds, then sighed, crossed out "Big Hit Entertainment Finance Department," and re-entered it:
PLEDIS Entertainment – Content Operations / Planning Support / Overseas Business Assistance
As she revised the document, she muttered to herself, "These days, people have to be robbed first before they're officially considered hired, right...?"
--------------------------------------------
Busan, evening.
A new email popped up on the computer screen.
When he first saw that the sender was Big Hit Entertainment, he thought it was onboarding documents, but after clicking on it, he noticed an extra half-line after the title:
Offer Letter – Department Adjustment Notice
"Um?"
Cao Yisen raised an eyebrow.
The email content seemed very polite.
Thank you for applying, congratulations on your acceptance, and welcome to the Big Hit system.
An additional explanation was added in the middle section:
Following an internal assessment, we believe your skills and experience are a good fit for a planning and operations support role at PLEDIS Entertainment, a subsidiary of the group. Your main responsibilities will include content data processing, planning support, and some overseas communication. The work location is Seoul.
The salary line remained unchanged, and even parentheses were added after it to emphasize that the overall benefits were equivalent to the original offer.
He paused for two seconds after reading it.
"...This works?"
Cao Rouli had just finished showering and strolled in from the living room, drying her hair as she asked, "What email came in again?"
"They said I've been transferred."
He turned his chair to look at her.
"What?"
She paused, "Laid off before even starting the job?"
"???"
He pointed to the screen, "Switch from Big Hit to PLEDIS."
"PLEDIS?"
She paused for a moment, then quickly realized, "Oh—over there."
She walked over and unceremoniously squeezed herself between him and the table, reading the email while nodding as she read: "This is great. PLEDIS may look like a small company, but it's actually backed by Big Hit. You've basically been thrown into a girl group's den."
"A den of girl groups?"
"A bunch of people from fromis_9 are about to be transferred there."
She said, "From now on, you'll most likely be passing by trainees instead of finance staff at your workplace."
He paused for a moment, then said in a very calm tone, "That sounds like you're under a lot of pressure."
Are you afraid of work pressure, or some other kind of pressure?
She deliberately stared into Cao Yisen's eyes and asked.
"I'm afraid of 8 a.m.
He was very sincere, "I'm afraid I won't be able to get up."
She chuckled: "Then you can start practicing tomorrow, beginning with getting up at ten in the morning."
He glanced at the email again, confirming that his salary, insurance, and subsidies hadn't changed, and the job title was clearly stated: content operations, project coordination, planning support, and overseas business assistance.
It's the kind of position where you "do a lot of work, have little power, and are best suited for observation."
"Are you going?" Cao Rouli suddenly asked.
"Go ahead."
He closed his laptop. "Anyway, I'm just working."
That's so realistic.
She nodded in satisfaction. "You look just like a working person now."
"Work hard, don't embarrass your sister." She then patted Cao Yisen on the shoulder.
"What? Am I really that bad...?"
-------------------------------------------------
A few days later, at the entrance of the PLEDIS office building.
This building is a bit more organized than the old Big Hit building, a medium-height office building. The facade has been repainted; it doesn't look grand, but it's clean and tidy. There are two or three girls who look like students waiting for takeout outside the coffee shop downstairs, occasionally glancing up at the glass doors of the building.
"Is this where you'll be working?"
The taxi driver helped him pull the box out of the trunk, glanced at the building, and said, "Pretty good, small company, big dreams."
"Yeah, probably."
Cao Yisen smiled. He picked up his bag and walked into the building.
The receptionist helped him with a simple registration, and soon someone came down to pick him up. It was a young man who looked to be in his twenties. He introduced himself as a senior member of the planning support team.
"Oh, so you were transferred from headquarters?"
Inside the elevator, the young man pressed the floor buttons while chatting with me, "I heard your English is very good, are you from a family with a long history of education?"
"almost."
Cao Yisen nodded. "The previous arrangement was made by Big Hit's finance department."
"Our representative managed to snatch it away from us."
The young man laughed, "The HR department has been grumbling about it for days."
"...This kind of thing really happens?"
He was a little surprised.
"Yeah, it's because you talked like that during the interview—"
The young man thought for a moment and looked for words: "He looks very calm, but he's actually the type who sees things two steps further than others."
"I was just answering the question normally."
"That means you're a real problem if you're normal." The guy shrugged. "Our representatives like this kind of thing."
The elevator doors opened, revealing a short corridor with company and group promotional posters and several trainee project sketches on the walls.
"Our department is over here."
The young man led him into a studio office. "We'll get you onboarding first, then show you around."
The workstation was very basic: a computer, a telephone, a file rack, and a chair. A few sticky notes and a small SVENTEEN card were pasted on the partition next to it.
"You'll sit here from now on."
The young man patted the partition and said, "I mainly do three things—help organize planning materials, organize market and data feedback, and occasionally answer calls or emails from overseas."
"That sounds alright."
Cao Yisen nodded, "The work is quite varied."
"Yes, you've grasped the essence."
The young man laughed, "The place with the most odd jobs is where you can most easily find out what the company really wants to do."
He pulled out a chair and sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on the table twice, then glanced out the window.
The view isn't very open; there's another building diagonally opposite, and the road downstairs is narrow with people coming and going.
There were no glamorous signs, no luxurious lobby, and no signs marking a "turning point in life".
It's just a quiet workstation, a computer, a username and password, and a bunch of seemingly unremarkable planning documents.
He silently added a sentence in his mind—
not bad.
After officially completing the onboarding process, it was almost noon.
The planning support team consists of only seven or eight people, most of whom are senior women in their twenties or thirties. They dress modestly, have clean makeup, and speak crisply. They are the type who don't wait for anyone when they are busy.
But today, they were clearly in a good mood.
the reason is simple--
The new guy seems agreeable.
Cao Yisen stood next to his workstation, and a senior colleague gave him a brief introduction.
"This is our new colleague from the planning team, Cao Yisen, also known as Ethan."
He said, "He came back from the United States, majoring in accounting. After that, he mainly worked with us on planning, data preparation, and handling overseas contacts."
The senior female colleagues, who have been extremely busy lately, initially only glanced up politely, but when their eyes met, they all stared at each other for a couple more seconds.
He has fair skin, clean features, long and narrow eyes, a gentle smile, upright posture, broad shoulders, long legs, and is over 1.8 meters tall. He stands out in the office.
One of the women wearing glasses laughed and said, "Oh my, she looks a lot like one of our own members."
"Which regiment?" someone nearby asked.
"The Seventeens line."
She glanced at him again. "Are you sure you're not one of our trainees who've gone to the wrong floor?"
That made everyone laugh.
The atmosphere immediately relaxed, with no "testing of the newcomer" or "intimidation" at all.
"Hello, senior."
Cao Yisen gave a slight bow naturally, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, "Please take good care of me in the future."
"Oh my, it can talk."
The older sister on the far side smiled and waved, "Taking care of her is definitely not a problem, but our group is very busy, so you should be prepared."
"It's okay to be busy."
He said, "As long as it's not too noisy."
"What's wrong?"
Someone became interested, "Afraid of noise?"
"My sister is an idol."
He casually explained, "I'm used to practicing in the studio. At home, I'm tortured by the speakers, and at work, I just want my ears to rest."
As soon as these words were spoken, several pairs of eyes lit up at the same time.
"Who is your sister?"
Which group are you from?
He smiled and said the name, and the sisters exclaimed "Oh—" with a gossipy satisfaction that said, "There's definitely something going on."
"No wonder he looks a bit like a celebrity."
The woman with glasses nodded. "No wonder her demeanor doesn't quite seem like that of someone with a finance background."
The senior colleague chimed in, "That's what the representative thought too, so they poached him from the headquarters finance department to work with us."
"Then you'll officially become the face of our group from now on."
Someone jokingly said, "If anyone says our team only has the vibe of working overtime and not idol vibes, I'll point my finger at their face."
"I'm under a lot of pressure."
Cao Yisen laughed and replied, "Then I'll start paying attention to my image management from today."
"It didn't start today, it started from the very moment we saw it."
The senior colleague said in a serious tone, "Now, even when you go out to buy coffee, it represents the attractiveness of our group."
After all that joking around, he, the newcomer, was finally accepted.
There was no hot-and-cold treatment, no deliberate affectation, but rather a kind of—
The natural joy of "My handsome little brother is here, which adds two points to my mood at work."
When ordering takeout at noon, the senior colleague specifically asked him, "Are you okay with spicy food? Our group's lunch doesn't have any 'vegetables,' only 'spiciness.'"
"It doesn't matter."
He replied, "As long as I can eat my fill, that's fine."
"Wow, such low standards?"
Someone laughed, "Then if you follow us from now on, you shouldn't starve."
The takeout we ordered at noon had just arrived when the planning team pushed the documents aside, and the table was quickly filled with disposable lunch boxes.
"Ethan, this seat is empty, come and sit down."
Park Ji-eun patted the seat next to her and handed over a pair of disposable chopsticks. "First day at work, you're not allowed to eat alone at your desk."
Cao Yisen took his chopsticks, sat down next to her, and politely said thank you.
As everyone unpacked their lunchboxes and soup, they chatted casually about their morning work, creating a lively atmosphere. Halfway through the meal, Park Ji-eun seemed to remember something and looked up to ask a question.
"By the way, have you sorted out your accommodation? Where are you staying now?"
"It's not completely decided yet."
Cao Yisen swallowed the food in his mouth. "Let's stay in a hotel for now. We're still looking at houses."
"That won't work."
She shook her head. "Working at a hotel every day would drive a person crazy."
A colleague next to her laughed and said that she herself had also stayed in a hotel for a month before moving out.
"That was because I was young and ignorant."
Park Ji-eun spoke with the air of someone who had learned from past mistakes, saying, "Now that there are new people, of course we have to avoid making the same mistakes."
She pointed at him with her chopsticks, then withdrew them, took a few more bites of rice, and said between chews, "If you can't find suitable housing in the short term, you can apply for a housing subsidy. We don't advertise it publicly, but we can try to get it internally; it's still possible."
Cao Yisen looked up at her: "There's such a policy?"
"The kind of things that are formally written into the system are difficult to manage."
Park Ji-eun pushed up her glasses. "But I'm quite familiar with PLEDIS's finance department, so I can ask around for a short-term solution for you. It's really tough for a newcomer to shoulder the burden of rent right away."
"That would be too much trouble for you."
He spoke sincerely, "I originally wanted to stay for a few more days before deciding where to live long-term."
"Don't be so polite."
She waved her hand, "The subsidy is about the same as the cost of a few meals. The company has a budget, so why not use it? When you become a senior employee, you can also take advantage of newcomers like this."
"It sounds like a very sustainable cycle."
He smiled.
"This is how things are passed down in the workplace."
She said earnestly, "If someone helps you, you can help others in return. That way, you won't lose out."
In the afternoon, we officially started to familiarize him with the work, including processes, forms, data entry points, and internal systems. The content was indeed quite complicated, but everyone was very patient when explaining, and occasionally they would interject a few tidbits of gossip related to artists and the stage, which made the boring interface more vivid.
"This table is a summary of the feedback after each regression."
One of the women pointed to the screen and said, "The click-through rate, dwell time, and popularity of the edited clips will be used as a reference for production and promotion."
"You can take a look at the schedule for this event."
She clicked on an old clip, "At the time, our expectations were so-so, but the response after it aired was exceptionally good. It was from this point that we realized that a certain member could be a key focus in the variety show segment."
As Cao Yisen looked at the numbers, he subconsciously began to compare them with his market experience, but he also reminded himself that he just needed to familiarize himself with the things first and not to rush things.
He knew without guessing that a large part of the reason he was transferred here was because someone had recognized his ability to "see two steps ahead." But that didn't mean he had to show it off immediately.
First, stand quietly and get into your seat before talking about anything else.
The computer screen at the workstation displayed a bunch of spreadsheets and project names. Photos of SEVENTEEN and several unfamiliar artists were pasted on the partition, next to which were newly placed sticky notes by a senior colleague.
A small smiley face was drawn below.
He glanced at it, smiled, and didn't open it.
Ultimately, this job has exceeded his expectations.
The pay is decent, the position isn't prominent, the colleagues are easy to get along with, and occasionally there are even some senior female colleagues who are in a good mood and offer help.
For someone who has sworn to "play it safe in this life," this way of entering the game is already quite gentle.
Just before the end of the workday, a message suddenly popped up in the planning support team's group chat.
[Park Ji-eun: Today is my first day as a new employee, shall we go out for a meal?]
[Senior A: I'm signing up]
[Senior B: I'm going too]
[The guy: Of course I'm going, I haven't figured out how much alcohol a new guy can handle yet]
Park Ji-eun peeked over from her workstation: "Ethan, are you free today? Everyone said they want to treat you to a welcome-back party."
"sure."
He was organizing spreadsheets at the time. "I don't have any other plans for today."
"Then it's settled."
Park Ji-eun immediately decided, "After get off work, let's go to that BBQ restaurant near the company. It's a five-minute walk. After we eat, I can also tell you which restaurants on this street are suitable for office workers."
Someone chimed in, "The last time you mentioned that the place was 'suitable for office workers,' it was so spicy it made me question my existence."
"You chose the spiciest setting yourself, how can you blame me?"
She responded irresponsibly, "We newcomers seem more reliable, we definitely won't follow your example."
Cao Yisen watched their banter with a smile, feeling quite relaxed. Being invited to eat together on the very first day meant that this department was at least not xenophobic. From the other side of the partition came discussions about barbecue and beer, occasionally interspersed with gossip about who had been called to a meeting by a representative that day.
After get off work, the group of seven or eight people walked out of the company's back door and headed to their usual barbecue restaurant not far away. The restaurant wasn't big; a special menu for the day was posted on the glass door, and the air inside was steaming with the aroma of charcoal and sauces.
They were seated at a long table in the corner, a bit cramped, but just right for chatting. Park Ji-eun sat in the middle, pressing Cao Yisen next to her, saying that newcomers should sit in the center so they could be taken care of and teased.
As soon as the meat was served, everyone busied themselves grilling it, casually chatting about the company and celebrities while flipping it over. The conversation quickly shifted from the morning's planning meeting to who had worked overtime until what time yesterday. After a couple of beers, the atmosphere became more relaxed, the voices grew louder, and there was more laughter.
The meat on the grill was sizzling when someone suddenly changed the subject.
"By the way, Ethan."
A senior female colleague across from him, holding up her glass, looked at him and asked, "Did you have any relationships in Korea before you came here?"
As soon as the words were spoken, several people nearby immediately started to jeer: "Oh dear, they're asking about your romantic history right off the bat."
Park Ji-eun tapped the table lightly with her chopsticks: "Let's ask about the basics first. This is a standard pre-employment investigation."
Cao Yisen was taken aback by the question, but quickly recovered: "No, not in South Korea."
"What about in the United States?"
Someone finished him off.
I'm single now.
He smiled and said, "That's one way to summarize it."
"oh--"
The group of people in a circle all drew out the last syllable of their voices in unison.
The woman across from me sighed, feigning sadness, "So, you mean you look down on us old women?"
That's not what I meant.
Cao Yisen quickly waved his hand, "I have absolutely no such idea."
"If you say no now, that's just a survival instinct in the workplace."
Park Ji-eun slowly took a sip of beer. "Once fromis_9 actually moves in and stands in the company corridor, you'll know what it means to have a choice problem."
"right."
Someone chimed in, "You don't know yet, do you? fromis_9 is about to be officially merged into our company, and from now on they'll all be under PLEDIS Entertainment."
Another woman added, "They're known as the 'Perfect Beauty Group,' each one of them is absolutely gorgeous, like an angel. The biggest challenge you might face at work in the future will be figuring out where to look when you get into the elevator in the morning."
The whole table burst into laughter.
"Don't scare him."
Park Ji-eun picked up a piece of meat and put it on his plate. "Our group is already noisy enough. If we add another group of handsome guys, the noise on the company floor might get complaints."
"Then Ethan is lucky."
Some people said, half-seriously and half-jokingly, "When I'm working, I look at data, and when I go downstairs to get a glass of water, it's like watching a live variety show."
The topic kept getting off track.
"Slow down."
Cao Yisen was a little overwhelmed by what he was being said and could only smile wryly, "On my first day at work, you've already planned out how much eye strain I'll experience over the next ten years."
"That's because we're responsible for your life."
Park Ji-eun said seriously, "Who told you to have a face that makes you an easy target for the older women?"
As she spoke, she leaned back slightly, smiling relaxedly. Her hair swayed with the movement, falling near his shoulder, carrying a faint scent of shampoo, very close to him. Although he was used to being watched and judged in various situations, this feeling of being surrounded and teased by a group of senior female colleagues was a first for him.
I'm serious.
The woman across from me who had just asked about my relationship history raised her glass and said, "With your qualifications, you would have been recruited as a trainee and debuted long ago in other companies. We've already been very restrained here."
"Then thank you for not sending me to the dance studio."
He raised his glass and said, "With my tone-deafness, the company's stock price would drop the moment I open my mouth."
"If Seventeen hears you say that, they'll ask you to be a negative example."
Someone joked, "As soon as you start singing, they'll know you can't choose that key for your comeback."
"Is this how you usually treat newcomers?"
He asked while laughing.
"It depends on the person."
Park Ji-eun said, "If someone is good-looking, I'll tease them a bit more; that's called teaching according to their aptitude."
Surrounded by this group of people, even though he had seen billions of dollars churning on the trading screen in his previous life and was used to the fast-paced verbal battles in the trading room, he still couldn't keep up with the pace when faced with this group of women who were drinking beer, being ruthless with their words but warm-hearted at heart.
He could feel his ears burning. He knew there was no malice intended, but he didn't know where to look. He couldn't laugh, and it would be strange not to laugh, so he could only lower his head and carefully pick up the meat, pretending that he was very focused on the baking tray.
"Hey, look, he's blushing."
Someone nearby had sharp eyes.
"Even people who come back from the red-light district blush?"
Park Ji-eun laughed even more happily, "Then we'll have plenty of material for this in the future."
"Stop taking notes for now."
Cao Yisen simply conceded defeat, saying, "I'll hold a grudge about this meal. Once I'm familiar with the process, I'll see whose report I find problematic first."
"Wow, the newbie's starting to talk tough."
Someone suggested, "Looks like I should dress nicely tomorrow to avoid being targeted."
The group of people at the table laughed again.
Beer after beer, plate after plate of meat, the conversation drifted from his single status to company rumors, then back to work, from which celebrities had recently lost weight and which had gained weight. No one really poked at his sore spots, and no one pried into his privacy; it was more of a lively atmosphere where everyone treated each other like family.
As he was teased, he gradually relaxed, and most of his "newcomer's anxieties" were relieved that night.
When I came out of the shop at night, the wind on the street was a bit chilly. A few people were still chattering at the door, discussing their routes. Some were rushing to catch the subway, while others said they wanted to buy another cup of coffee to keep them going.
Park Ji-eun pulled her coat tighter and turned to him, saying, "Remember to come early tomorrow, the real hell is about to begin."
He raised an eyebrow: "What hell?"
"Weekly meeting".
She said in a somber tone, "But it's okay. Your first week is an observation period. We just ask that you smile naturally."
"So, this meal was to help me practice my facial expressions beforehand?"
"almost."
Park Ji-eun nodded. "You withstood our teasing today, so you should be able to handle the CEO's gaze tomorrow as well."
Everyone laughed for a while, then dispersed.
On his way back to his residence, Cao Yisen recalled the noisy scene at the table earlier and suddenly felt a little unbelievable—in his previous life, he had been surrounded by traders, analysts, and fund managers, but on his first day at work in this life, he was greeted by a group of seniors who talked about gossip, reports, celebrity heights, and fan sites.
A completely different world, yet surprisingly fitting.
He put his hands in his pockets, his breath dissipating in the light, and felt a rare sense of ease.
A night like this, where people tease you like a "younger brother," is actually quite nice.