Lunchtime was over, and I kept my promise to immediately take Hana to one of the meeting rooms for her orientation.
Our team is responsible for a system known for its complexity and diversity. Due to business development, we needed to develop a new mobile application to improve some of the existing system's features. Therefore, we had to hire new colleagues specialised in developing mobile apps. Coincidentally, I had to go out of town for a business trip and couldn't conduct interviews myself. Therefore, my department head stepped in and conducted the interview process on his own, ultimately hiring Hana and another colleague responsible for Android.
I still remember the day that he sent me two CV's by email and asked for my opinion. My response was simple and direct:
"They both seem suitable. I don't have any objections."
In fact, I didn't even bother to read the CV's, let alone provide an opinion. The truth is, my opinion was not important. The final decision still rested with my department head, solely, I was so damn sure.
Truth be told, I didn't even bother perusing the CVs, let alone forming an opinion. The reality was that my opinion held no significance. The ultimate decision rested solely with my department head, and I was damn sure of this.
Fortunately, he seemed to have made the right choice with Hana.
Because she was well-prepared, Hana was very enthusiastic and proactive during the orientation. She had unique ideas for each system, such as how to improve the user interface and reports. In addition, unlike a lot of the younger generations in her age, Hana displayed a refreshing eagerness to ask questions, and the quality of her inquiries was consistently impressive.
"You just graduated, right?" I was surprised. "You don't look like a newcomer at all."
"Coz I'm smart!" Hana said proudly.
I chose to ignore her response and continued with the welcome introduction.
Opting to disregard her response, I proceeded with the welcoming introduction.
Moreover, perhaps because she was indeed smart, the orientation, which typically would take two hours, was completed smoothly in just over an hour. Afterwards, I instructed her to set up the computer and prepare the user interface design prototype for the new mobile app so that we could use it during the meeting with users next week.
"Got it, I understand! Brother Janny!" Hana exclaimed, saluting me.
"You can call me Jan, actually," I said. "This 'brother' title doesn't really fit, and I'm not used to it either."
"Okay, I'll try," she said with a smile. "Brother Janny."
"Alright then, as long as you're happy," I said, smiling wryly. "But let me reiterate that I have high expectations for work and hope that you will take it seriously. The users we will be meeting with next week are an important friendly department and project partner. In other words, it's no exaggeration that we must treat them as 'VIP customers'. It is imperative that you prepare diligently and ensure that no mistakes are made. Can you share the initial draft or progress of the interface design prototype with me early next week?"
I cautiously reminded her we couldn't afford any mistakes for this project. Hana's response, however, made me both laugh and worry.
"Okay, I completely understand, and I will do my best. Please rest assured," Hana raised her eyebrows. "And let me reiterate, I am very smart - probably way smarter than you can imagine!"
"Alright then my smart colleague, please get back to work then." I said hastily, as I still had a lot of work piled up.
Watching Hana bounce back to the work area, I suddenly felt relaxed. It had been a long time since I had felt this light and didn't have to carry everything on my shoulders. I really have to thank Hana because her appearance brought some youthful vitality to this department with its stagnant atmosphere, lack of new blood, and high average age.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2D6oCIVjst
Watching Hana bounce back to her work area, I suddenly felt relaxed. It had been a long time since I had experienced such lightness, free from the burden of shouldering everything alone. I truly owed Hana a debt of gratitude, for her arrival had injected a much-needed dose of youthful vitality into this department, which had long been plagued by a stagnant atmosphere, a dearth of fresh perspectives, and an aging workforce.
"I hope she really performs well," I whispered to myself. (while "murmured" sounds neutral or slightly negative in tone, "whisper" promise or hope for something ahead - eg. "whisper a prayer" sounds a lot better than "murmur a prayer". But "murmur" is closer to the chinese original - so its your call, as always.)139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ElvYpchPh
