The New Recruit 1

신입사원 [Sinip Sawon / Sinipsawon] #1

by Moscareto, Zec (Adapted by)

I'm dating my super strict boss!

After spending his 20s getting over a crush, Seunghyun vowed to never give his heart to someone in the same field again. Enter Jongchan, Seunghyun's tough new boss with a surprising soft side. Will Seunghyun's first job and first relationship be a success?

This volume collects episodes 1-13 of the webcomic The New Recruit.

Genres: Manga, Manhwa, Romance, LGBT, Queer, Yaoi, Comics

Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 2022

Reviews

[Dilushani Jayalath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying, we should have more mature love stories like this. Adults acting as adults should. We have two mature characters finding each other slowly and falling (and healing) for each other. The office politics may be boring for some but so damn realistic. Considering the current place I work has a toxic environment similar to what is written in the story, I almost felt as if I was looking through a glass window at my own office.
Am I hooked on to it? Definitely. The story seems solid and the characters are easy to read. (Also it helps that the artwork is pretty). Off to the next volume.

[Drusilla]

Insanely boring. 🥱🥱🥱 It's hard for me to say anything good about this book. It is not bad in any way. The basic idea is nice, the characters are well developed. The coloring is well done and a nice bonus addition. But the dialogues are really boring and unfortunately super annoying in parts. The kisses are hot and I liked the blushing, very cute.
However, that alone is not enough to motivate me to buy the next part, even if this one ends at the most inconvenient passage imaginable. Annoying cliffhanger. 😤
I decided against giving the book a rating. It doesn't deserve a bad rating and I think it's rather due to me that it didn't work to convince me.

[Romysaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a goner for any work place romance, especially the office one. So our Seunghyun is taking his first job in his entire life.. but guess what? It's not the only first he got. Because he's surprisingly a virgin, with no ex's or kisses. Very interesting right?

Ahhh this was so sweet, Mr Kim is so charming and charismatic. I thought he was such a grumpy boss, but no.. I was wrong, he's so softy teddy bear. Although I didn't like the insta love so much, they're already together and it's the first volume, but I'm enjoying my self here. So much actually.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is addictive. I like that both guys are unambiguously queer (no "gay for you" trope) and that the office aspect isn't just window dressing.

[V.ya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

A green flag romance with a lot of smut. The office part can be a bit boring sometimes. I'm not really a fan of this type of inexperience bottom, but I like that the relationship is pretty mature, and the art is great.

[туся · Rating 4 out of 5]

я думала, що ця стадія до переходу стосунків буде довшою, але...це також було добре.
милунчики, які можуть поговорити та віришити усі питання? так, це сюди
ну це смаколик

[Imanewreader ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i LOVE a good office romance with a cute puppy and scary, but sweet manager.
i'm smelling drama and HERE for it (mainly, because i have already read it multiple times and can handle the pain)

[angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you just discovered webtoons and BL... Oh boi

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The office politics and advertising mumbo jumbo sort of overwhelm the story, yet I'm kind of addicted to it. I'm having a hard time getting a read on Mr. Kim and I really need Seunghyun to stop calling him Mr. Kim when they're making out, but all of the blushing and the kissing and the holding hands make the awkward power dynamic worth it. I just need to see some personalities on these guys. They both feel very flat.

[andi ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay, that’s it! jongchan and seunghyun is now my newest favorite bl couple 🫶

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely think it's a 'me' thing. I don't think office romances in general are something that I enjoy. Maybe cos I work in one irl and just want to not be reminded of that 😆

[Daesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an ok story, the plot was pretty simple but the art cute. There were too many sex scenes, but the couple was sweet.

4 stars.

[Zara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry if nothing makes sense, I did this time after I read it and it also took me long to read considering is a short manga, I was tired and just finish it to get it off me so I’ll just write somethings I still have cuz I don't even remember the names.
Didn't get half of the stuff, like the reason of why the main characters "could not be together" (they were just wandering around, if they are not going to make them just date when they were already over each other, at least they could give us a real problem) are just dumb, the things happened really fast to my liking.
Also the things at work are really confusing I mean half of the time they show us the characters working and stuff but it doesn't really changes the plot, the only thing that makes a bit of sense is the guy asking to get the stuff done, but how did that guy got even there, they were in different areas and one of them was new so when did they got the chance to met each other, and thinking about it I don't know how the main characters got together.

[Lid · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - Cute

(reseña de la historia completa).

The new recruit es un office romance entre un nuevo recluta de 30 años virgen y super puppy y su jefe, con fama de ser bastante borde pero en realidad solo es muy exigente.

La relación es lenta y rápida a la vez. Por un lado siento que el inicio tiene mucha trama de oficina, la cual me aburría mucho, y poco de su relación. Pero de repente pasa todo super rápido y están dale que te pego (?)

Ahí me descolocó, pero lo bueno es que no te lo dejan así sino que tiene su mini momento drama que normal, empezaron sin conocerse, y a partir de ese punto si empieza a construir una relación muy bonita.

El dibujo es bonito, las escenas hot están muy bien y su química es muy dulce y sin grandes complicaciones. Me encanta lo cachorrito que es el jovenzuelo y el boss pues cumple bien su ser protector y hot 🛡️🔥

Un manga relativamente simple y rápido de un BL de oficina hot y dulce.

[Carbonated Bubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The New Employee/Recruit (New Employee; 신입사원) by Moscareto, Ill. Zec
Type: Manhwa
Genre/Tropes: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Yaoi, Boss x Employee
Where: RidiBooks, Lezhin, Mr Blue, Naver Series
Languages: Korean, English
Warnings: Sexual Themes
Status: Complete
Description: Enter Seunghyun, a virgin in his late twenties. A late bloomer, he finally manages to score the internship of his dreams. On his first day at work, he runs into the handsome yet cold Jongchan Kim. Who is he? Just Seunghyun’s new boss! Will the two be able to keep their hands off each other at work?

[Jinx Winx · Rating 2 out of 5]

The romance itself is interesting enough, but the office politics sort of took me out of it. We are told the nitty gritty of aspects of the job and univerisities, but I just wanted to read a romance story. I am not sure if there's enough in here to continue the series.

[Poisonivy_Seastars · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually kind of cute??? And my jaw actually dropped a couple times—like some drama I did NOT expect went down

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice little office romance.
(Goddammit, I fell into the 'short romance manwha' trap again. I'm so weak.)

[Hoda · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so cute gawd😭

very wholesome and sweet relationship
it's all good feeling and cute stuff.
no trauma or abuse
and gorgeous art

I really loved it

[Namratha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly straightforward office romance beautifully drawn (with colored panels) but more heavily focused on office politics and advertising jargon.

[inga lounge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Übergriffigkeit trifft auf langweiliges Marketing Gelaber i guess

[Curious Madra · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was a cute office romance story about the uke and the seme but the pacing was too fast for my taste

[Nix Buttons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the relationship, but the plot was a bit boring. There wasn't really anything besides their relationship itself going on.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love office romances, Perfect Buddy was my first and this one is my next and I love it so much. I can’t wait to continue this series

[Signe Tofft-Glans · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very addicting and the ending was very satisfying and very beautiful, however I didn’t like the fact that there is very few times where Seunghyon actually gives spoken consent in the sex scenes which got a bit painful to read at times. Otherwise I generally liked it. <3

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels like On or Off, but if they were taking things really slow. I love office romance in manga!!!!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet and *spicy* office romance, BL manhwa.

This story follows 29-year-old Seunghyun as he tries to navigate both finding a job and finding romance. He’s not had much luck with either. A bout of unrequited love in college really demoralized him and attaining a master’s degree but still struggling to find work in such a competitive market has further discouraged him.

With the help of an old friend from his college’s LGBTQIA club, Seunghyun is finally able to snag an internship at a big company. There, he’s placed on a team with Kim Jongchan.

Handsome and talented, Kim Jongchan is known for his for expecting a lot from his subordinates and being tough. But, Seunghyun seems to meet all of Jongchan’s expectations—and then some. It’s actually surprising to Jongchan that Seunghyun has been looked over until now.

While working together, the two become quite close. Their feelings for each other quickly grow and the two decide to embark on a relationship.

But, is this workplace romance between an employee and their boss destined for failure?

Though tropey at points, I really enjoyed this story a lot.

Especially for the BL genre which is notorious for its toxic, abusive, and problematic stories, I think this series stands out for being more wholesome. Though there is an unequal power dynamic for sure, the central relationship is much more consensual and mutually respectful than is typical for the genre. Further, this story never uses the power dynamic in an abusive manner. It’s a component of the story but it’s not weaponized.

Honestly, I found the central relationship to be very cute and unproblematic. I appreciate how these two characters grow to support each other and how they demonstrate their care for each other through their actions and considerations. Somehow, that makes their relationship novel for this genre.

Anyway.

The *spice* is also very nice. The erotic scenes are both sensual and intimate. There’s a good balance between developing the central relationship and fulfilling reader fantasies. Plus, like most manhwa, we got full-color spreads here :)

So, I’d definitely recommend this series to BL readers who are looking for a more thoughtful story and/or to readers who enjoy a queer romance read with some decent spice~

[animasoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aufgrund meiner neuen Leidenschaft für k-Dramas kann ich schlecht nein zu Webtoon-Geschichten sagen. *seufz* Das ist selbst für mich schwer nachvollziehbar. Aber gerade deswegen bin ich auf diese Reihe aufmerksam geworden. Allerdings habe ich hier mit einer noch etwas heißeren Liebesgeschichte gerechnet.

Im Vergleich zu meinen Erwartungen ist die Geschichte einfach viel erwachsenen, gefühlvoller und mitreißender als erwartet. Ich mochte die beiden Protagonisten von Anfang an. Auch einige, immer wieder sehr präsente Nebencharaktere fand ich hinreißend. Sie wurden als Menschen dargestellt. Und nicht immer lief alles perfekt. Jeder hatte seine Macken und wurde auch damit so akzeptiert.

Natürlich gibt es für die Protagonisten ein paar natürlich auftretende Hürden im privaten wie auch beruflichen Umfeld. Doch das wurde recht gut gelöst. Die Szenen, die eine Büroromane in der Regel ausmachen, blieben fast vollkommen aus. Denn auch hier konnte das Paar an sich berufliches und privates voneinander trennen. Ich frage mich immer wieder, warum das in normalen anderen Mangas nicht der Fall ist.

Der Zeichenstil ist für einen Webtoon/Manwha gut und hat mir wirklich gefallen. Ich gewöhne mich langsam wirklich dran. Was ich allerdings immer noch verschwenderisch finde, ist, wenn die Seiten nicht vollständig genutzt werden. Aber auch das hielt sich bei dieser Geschichte hier deutlich zurück. Da habe ich schon verschwenderischere Ausführungen gesehen.

Alles an sich eine sehr schöne BL-Lovestory zwischen zwei erwachsenen Männern mit einer kleinen Altersdifferenz, die sich zueinander hingezogen fühlen und aufeinander zugehen. Mich hat die Geschichte sehr gut unterhalten und ich freue mich schon jetzt auf Band 2.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to Read: Manta

After spending his 20s pining over a crush, Seunghyun has decided to finally start living for himself. He's also vowed to himself to never get involved with someone in the same field again. But then he starts his internship and his new boss and his unexpected soft side has quickly started to wear away his resolve. Jongchan is known for being very strict, but producing amazing results. He's been dumped by many partners for being too dedicated to his work. He's decided to forget about relationships altogether, but for some reason the new intern makes him want to try again.

*Maybe more of 3.5

Once again reviewing the first volume as the full series. These Manta office romances are starting to blur together a little bit, but they're just so easy binge read. It was short and I think it was written and structured pretty well. Probably because it was based on a novel. It got way more involved in the work talk than I was expecting and I got a bit lost in some places especially with everything that happened in the end. Ignoring that though, I really liked the relationship. This was just a feel good read. There's not really much angst. I mean Seunghyun does experience some work place bullying, then there's the whole thing with the ex crush and I did tear up at the scene where he and his friend Jihyeon had their bonding moment talking about their failed romances. But otherwise there's nothing high stakes and the romance is really cute. This has similar vibes to On or Off imo. I liked it.

[Lofi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vol. dall’1 al 3, storia completa.

Non nascondo di essermi sentita un po’ 😶‍🌫️ spaesata 😶‍🌫️all’inizio di The New Recruit, poiché molto incentrato sulle dinamiche aziendali e caratterizzato da una terminologia che non mi era affatto familiare. Tuttavia, questi dettagli erano perfettamente funzionali alla trama e, in realtà, hanno contribuito a renderla ancora più realistica: la si può quindi considerare semplicemente una mia mancanza che, con il procedere della storia, è venuta sempre meno a pesare, poiché si è lasciato più spazio a ciò che davvero conta, ovvero il rapporto tra il neo stagista Seung-Hyun e il suo responsabile, Jong-Chan.

Se c’è una cosa che ho apprezzato davvero molto, è che, nonostante Jong-Chan sia un capo severo e improntato al pragmatismo, con Seung-Hyun (che gli piace un sacco!) tira fuori fin da subito il suo lato più tenero, riconoscendo l’impegno che il ragazzo mette nel lavoro, nonostante sia arrivato da poco. Ma che carino! ♥️

Tra fiumi di alcol (strano, eh?) e colleghi gelosi, i due iniziano una relazione molto dolce, che vede alle prese un Seung-Hyun vergine, insicuro e alle prime armi e un Jong-Chan reduce da una sequela di storie andate male. I due dovranno fare i conti con un passato in comune un po’ scomodo e con questioni lavorative che renderanno la loro storia non priva di momenti difficili: eppure, sono proprio quei momenti difficili che spingono chi si ama ad abbattere quella facciata di disinteresse dietro cui spesso ci si rifugia quando il gioco si fa duro, o a rimettere in discussione tutto ciò che si è costruito con fatica pur di fare il bene dell’altro.