Jeon Soomin. Pretty name, isn't it? That's my name. It means 'smart.' My mother named me Soomin to manifest her wish for me to grow up intelligent. And it worked—I became smart, always ranking top in everything. Everyone envied me. I was the typical 'example' mothers used to compare their children to, which made people hostile toward me.
But being smart didn't solve everything; in fact, it became the reason people envied and disliked me. Reality is cruel, as they say, and it's true. As I grew older, I realized that being smart and collecting achievements, medals, and certificates didn't guarantee success.
After graduating college, I applied for jobs to help my parents, thinking, "I'm smart, so of course, I'll land the highest-paying job."
That confidence crumbled when I failed my first application. But I didn't give up! I applied again, and again, and again… but each attempt ended in failure. Eventually, I was accepted by a company. I wasn't a manager or a team leader, but at least I got the job, right?
After years of hard work, the higher-ups finally noticed me. I was thrilled. Who wouldn't be? I was about to be promoted to team leader! Finally, all those sleepless nights and endless effort were about to pay off.
My co-workers were happy for me, too. I received many congratulations, even though the higher-ups hadn't announced it yet. Still, everyone—including me—knew I was next in line for promotion.
"Ms. Jeon! Congratulations in advance on your promotion!" one of my co-workers shouted.
"I bet Ms. Jeon will treat us to meat and soju!" someone added teasingly.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm looking forward to it, Ms. Jeon!"
Everyone chimed in, expressing their excitement.
"What are you all saying? It's not even official yet! And shouldn't you all be the ones treating me to soju and meat?" I replied, teasing back.