Success Strategy

Victor became more and more embarrassed by his own actions.

"Because I'm embarrassed by the real question," Victor said. "So, did the seniors really do it?"

Victor's innocent and naïve face made Ken unable to refuse to sympathize with the young man.

"How about we talk about this after work?" said Ken.

Time passed quite slowly until finally the working hours for the first shift were over. Ken and Victor both finished in the first shift, at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Ken waited for Victor in front of the locker room for the new employer. The locker room is separated between new employer (some refer to them as interns) and locker rooms for contract employees and permanent employees.

Luis noticed their togetherness.

"Do you want to come too?" asked Victor as Luis watched him and Ken with a suspicious look. Luis shook his head, "Oh, no. I have an appointment. It's a pity."

They separated.

Victor followed Ken, entered an elevator and went downstairs together. They had thought that Luis would also join the elevator they were taking, but Luis apparently chose another elevator. Victor felt that Luis deliberately let him be with Ken alone.

"I must have guessed wrong if I thought Luis didn't like seeing you with me, right?" Ken asked in a joking tone. However, Victor took it seriously.

"Of course not. Why doesn't he like you?"

Ken felt bad for trying to make a joke.

"That's right. There's no reason for him not to like me and there's also no reason for him to like me," Ken said somewhat indifferently.

This sentence actually made Victor laugh.

Ken is fascinated by Victor's sense of humor.

"You laughed because of my words?"

Victor nodded.

"Which part is funny?"

"Your expression when you say it."

"Oh, I didn't notice," Ken said. He then looked at his own face against the elevator wall that could reflect their faces, albeit a little vaguely.

Ken invites Victor to eat at a tavern.

"The Udon noodles here are very delicious. I come here often. You have no problem eating on the side of the road, do you?" Ken makes sure Victor is not a picky figure. He had never eaten alone with Victor before. They once sat at the same table at an office dinner and a work team. The dinner was arranged by the office, so they could not choose their own place or food. Today, Victor specially let Ken choose a place.

Ken doesn't have many references to sitting alone with a man. He is not a smoker or drinker, so he does not go to bars. He also rarely goes to cafes, so he does not remember cafes can be a place to have warm conversations. He only remembered his subscription shop.

"Oh, take it easy, when it comes to food, I'm not picky," Victor replied.

"Thank goodness. Let's sit down," Ken said. He chose the nearest table and chair.

A waiter and tavern owner greeted Ken kindly. She didn't ask him what to eat, but asked him, "Do you want to order the same menu as yesterday?"

Ken nodded. And for Victor, the aunt asked him what he wanted. Victor answered the same menu as Ken. So the aunt didn't have to ask much, she had already memorized what Ken liked.

"I will definitely stop by here every time I get off work, no matter the morning shift or the night shift. That's why the aunt memorized the food I ordered and I'm sorry, this is the only place I thought of so we could eat and chat together."

"You never change the menu?"

Ken nodded and also shook his head.

"I've tried to substitute, taste others, but I think the most delicious ones are the ones I eat often, so I order them continuously."

Victor will know the reason for that in a moment, when Ken's favorite Udon Noodle is served to them at the table.

"It's quite close to the office, it can be reached on foot," Victor said, like he was muttering himself.

"Haven't you been here yet?" It was Ken's turn who was quite stunned by Victor's review.

"Not yet. I'm used to it towards the right of the Falcon Face. I didn't expect that if we walked to the left side, we could find a cheap tavern with good food."

Ken finally understood. If you come out of the Falcon Face building and stare to the left side, you will see the planks of cafes and bars. There is also a five-star hotel. It makes anyone think that on the left side is a high class area.

"Who would have thought, if you walk here and enter the alleys, you will find this shop," Victor said. The location of the shop itself is behind the hotel.

"Next time please come here with your friends," Ken said.

Victor pondered for a moment, "You mean Luis and Eka?"

"Hum," Ken nodded.

"I don't think they will want to. They've changed. They have their own world now. Since getting a big bonus last month and having VIP clients, they have become increasingly difficult to eat with. They always say I'm the one who is difficult, but I feel like I'm the one who has fallen behind them," Victor said.

Ken thought about Victor's words carefully, he didn't want to go wrong in responding to this outpouring of Victor's heart. Ken sees Victor as a talented young man in sales marketing. In her eyes, Victor is not a rival, so he has never been bothered by the charm in Victor. Ken sometimes feels sorry for Victor who doesn't use his charm to the fullest.

"I'm sorry, I admit that I am envious and I am afraid that I will hate them. If it continues like this, maybe one day I can fight with them because of differences in views," Victor said.

"What difference in views, do you mean? Has there been a conflict between you all this time? I often see the three of you together, I think everything is fine."

"That's what it looks like. If you sit down with us, you'll know that I'm the most different of them," Victor said.

Ken begins to feel the root of the problem between Victor and his friend and his relationship to Victor's question this morning. He has to make sure he can talk about it positively.

"Does this have anything to do with your question this morning?"

Both of Victor's eyes lit up.

"Yes, that's right. Do you do the same? Sleep with clients so that they become our long-term clients. Should it come that far?" Victor finally blurted out his thoughts honestly.

Ken straightened his back. Auntie seemed to be approaching, bringing two bowls of udon noodles and two glasses of green tea.

Hot steam billows along with a fragrant fragrance. Victor's appetite also rose.

"Eat first. Continued the discussion later after… " said the tavern keeper's aunt while serving.

Victor and Ken thanked the aunt. They start eating while talking.

"I didn't do anything that far," Ken said.

Hearing this, Victor seemed to be splashed with the light of hope.

"That means we can make big sales without having to be like that, right?" urged Victor.

Ken smiled, forgiving Victor's naivety.

"I haven't finished my sentence yet. Listen," Ken pleaded softly. Suddenly, Ken puts himself as a senior who loves his junior.

Victor apologized with his gesture. He looked funny while doing it.

Ken continued to explain, "I didn't do the service to that extent. My sales report card also remained stable. But, I also have my own sales strategy. As sales, we must have a strategy beyond the strategy described in the marketing class. You got that education in the first week of entering here, right?"

Victor nodded while sipping udon noodles. Ken also ate a bite of noodles first before continuing. After swallowing the noodles, he said, "You know why I'm a contract salesman instead of a full-time employee?"

Victor shook his head and looked at Ken earnestly, anticipating a bad explanation.

"The main requirement to become a permanent employee is to be able to maintain the stability of our individual income as sales. You know, there are fewer permanent employees in our company than contract employees, right? Because only five percent of the total employees in the marketing division managed to maintain a stable income with a minimum value of 1 billion rupiah every month."

Victor looked stunned. The next news will be even more shocking.

"I heard this from a senior who used to be my mentor. I'm just like you used to be, hoping to be the next sales star, but after seeing the competition and the way they work, I realized that I wouldn't be able to do it. I see your two friends were able to reach that point because they were willing to go that far. Sleeping with clients is not considered illegal in the company, as long as they are not found out by the public, it doesn't matter, because the company prioritizes income rather than prohibiting the personal affairs of its employees in achieving sales targets."

"The strategy I do maximally is to be willing to accompany VIP clients to dinner and listen to their problems. Actually, what I do is the same as your friend did, minus sex."

Victor stared at his Udon, which was starting to expand.

Ken watched the contents of Victor's bowl and his own.

"Let's eat first. After that, we talked. The noodles are fluffy," Ken said and laughed at the situation. He thought it was funny and at the same time ironic..

"Oh, okay," Victor said. He was afraid to hear more things that could relieve his appetite. Before that happened, he agreed to finish the udon noodles in front of his eyes first.