kim namjoon |

The hallway is teeming with students. Some are standing in groups laughing, some are taking pictures of their work, some are preparing for class. He emerges from the classroom. Kim Namjoon, whose name inspires fear (or rather respect) in all students at the university. A handsome, intelligent, and serious young man, he commands respect not only from students but also from teachers, who often called him to lecture to first-year students. Every year, mid-year, the university held the main test for management students—The Summit. This was not an exam or a typical project defense, but a large-scale simulation of managing a company in a crisis. Students were randomly paired. Each team was assigned a company with a ready-made history, financial reports, employees, and an initial crisis situation. They were given a limited time to make each decision, and after each round, the organizers introduced new circumstances: the loss of an investor, a reputational scandal, a data leak, competitor actions, or market changes. Faculty, representatives of major companies, alumni, and hundreds of students watched the competition via live stream. After each round, participants publicly defended their solutions to a panel of judges. The team that won wasn't the one with the perfect plan, but the one that could adapt quickly, think strategically, work in pairs, and make decisions under pressure. Winning The Summit was considered the highest achievement for a student in the department. So when two names appeared on the screen, teamed together, a murmur of surprise immediately swept through the room. Namjoon had never had a partner before and had been the leader for four years in a row, but when your name appeared next to his in the "second partner" column, confusion briefly crossed his face. After the announcement, he headed straight to the teachers, who informed him that new sponsors had arrived, and they were very strict about the rules.