Hidden attractions visited by Koreans

On the way home after working late, there are moments when a thought slips in. “I did this much… and this is all I get?” Did I do something wrong? Or is the company the one that’s wrong? If you’ve worked long enough, you’ve probably asked yourself this at least once. I. How you become “the dependable one” People often say this about interviews: “The company evaluates me, but I evaluate the company too.” In reality, that’s rarely how it feels. There are dozens—sometimes hundreds—of applicants, and the company gets to choose. Meanwhile, we’re just hoping to be chosen by at least one place. Once you finally get in, you do everything you can to be recognized. You stay late when the workload explodes. If you have evening plans, you come in early to finish what you can. If it still won’t work, you show up on the weekend “just for a bit.” And when things don’t go well, you keep thinking about work even ...

Have you ever had a thought like this? You worked late again today, but it doesn’t feel like your life is getting any better. You believed that if you kept working hard, things would eventually change. And yet—strangely— no matter how much you try, your life can still feel stuck in the same place. This is a story about why life doesn’t change even when you’ve worked hard at a company. I started thinking this way only after I left— after time had passed and the dust had settled. I. If I Ever Got Hired Again I started a small business based on what I’d been doing for years— not too long ago. After spending twenty years in a company, I was surprised to find that even now— paying my own office rent— I still find myself waiting for the weekend. In some ways, it doesn’t feel that different from my old life. I have a friend w...

I. Losing the Steering Wheel Until my 30s, when work was exhausting, or when the company’s direction didn’t match what I believed, “Should I just go somewhere else?” I had options. I could keep control over my life—at least to some extent. But once I stepped into my 40s, I had to decide— do I stay at this job, or do I attempt one last move? And no matter what I chose, “Should I just go somewhere else?” was no longer an option. I became sensitive to promotions, and to where I stood inside the company. My relationship with the people above me, how they looked at me, how they evaluated me— I couldn’t help but care. By the time I turned 45, I knew it. And the people above me knew it too. “At your age, where else could you possibly go?” There are kind people, of course. But there ...

When Paychecks Start Coming Late, Companies Collapse in Stages When a paycheck is delayed by a day or two, you don’t feel anxious right away. “It’s probably just this month.” “Everyone’s struggling these days.” That’s what you tell yourself. But at some point, you stop counting pay dates and start watching people’s faces. This is a story about the order in which a company collapses once paychecks start coming late. I. Stage One — Senior Employees First In companies of a certain size, restructuring usually begins before pay is delayed. Small businesses are different. Late paychecks happen more often than you might expect. Every company handles it differently, but pay delays often begin with people who hold titles, or those the owner feels are easier to pressure. People still ne...

In any organization, when someone new joins, people tend to watch a little more closely. How nervous they look. How hard they try. How carefully they read the room. Even if we don’t work directly with them, seeing someone tense and cautious can make us think: “They’ll probably do well.” And if we happen to meet someone from the new hire’s team, we often ask, “How are they?” Whether they realize it or not, new employees can’t really avoid being evaluated. This is a story a friend told me—about handing over work to a newly hired employee. I. “Wait… where did she go?” After an acquisition, my friend had to hand over a set of responsibilities that one person had been doing alone— accounting, cash management, HR, and general administration— to different owners in the merged company. What was supposed to be “one mo...

This isn’t a “viral” story. But it’s the kind of thing that can happen in any workplace—quietly, casually, and then it stays with you. I. Second-year Assistant Manager at a 20-person company There’s one clear advantage to working at a small company: you get hands-on experience fast, and you grow fast. By my second year as an assistant manager, I was already negotiating with overseas distributors— handling consultations, discussing contract terms, and making real decisions at the front line. When a deal closed, I felt a strange pride—like I’d become the kind of “business person” you only see on TV. And because I could feel myself improving, my satisfaction with work was high. Right around the time I was gaining momentum, I got scolded by the director who had always taken care of me—someone known as a genuinely good person. II. “Why did you do it like this?” ...