#045
If a person could die from embarrassment, Jung Hwi-kyung would have just died.
Objectively, liking Lee Gyo-ha wasn’t something to be ashamed of. Liking Park Bong-joon, Hwi-kyung’s boss from the previous cycle? That might be a bit embarrassing. But being attracted to Lee Gyo-ha, a former model who was close in age, rich, had a good personality, and was handsome? This was just something that could happen. After all, Jung Hwi-kyung was human too.
Even though they were both men, if the other person was the only fellow regressor who remembered his previous self even after moving to the next cycle, nothing more needed to be said. Liking Gyo-ha, who tried to help him in every way (though not always successfully)? Honestly, it would be stranger not to like him.
The problem was that he hadn’t even said “I like you” with his own mouth, but the regression system window had reacted to Hwi-kyung’s feelings on its own and forcibly exposed it. Jung Hwi-kyung really felt like he was going to faint. He had tried so hard to hide it because he hated being discovered like this!
Gyo-ha, for his part, didn’t say much for a while even after seeing such a system window. His silence contributed to Hwi-kyung feeling like he was going to die from embarrassment.
“…Say something, anything.”
“Um… is it okay for me to speak?”
“I feel like I’m going to suffocate to death because you’re unusually quiet.”
“Then I’ll ask just one thing.”
“Okay.”
“Your personal feelings aren’t murderous intent, right?”
Jung Hwi-kyung couldn’t hold back anymore and kicked Lee Gyo-ha in the shin.
“Ow!”
“I hate you.”
“That’s too harsh…”
“I think this side of you is really the worst.”
Gyo-ha, who had been hit by Hwi-kyung for asking the wrong question, whined while crouching pathetically. Watching Hwi-kyung, who was bright red and repeatedly saying “I hate you,” somehow made him want to laugh.
The fact that being called the worst or being told he was annoying didn’t upset him showed how severe his condition was. Gyo-ha quietly looked up at Hwi-kyung’s face.
“I like you.”
“……”
“Really.”
Hwi-kyung’s face, which had seemed to be calming down a bit, turned bright red again. Gyo-ha thought it was really cute. The person who had seemed so cold-blooded at first had changed like this.
Gyo-ha reached out towards Hwi-kyung, who was reflexively trying to take two steps back. Grabbing his wrist, he found it thinner than expected. He really needed to feed him better…
“Even if you hate me, it’s okay…”
Whether Hwi-kyung had forcibly turned off all the system windows or not, unusually, no system window interrupted their conversation. Instead of the clear Hamchorom font, Gyo-ha slowly examined Hwi-kyung’s face and continued speaking almost pleadingly.
“In the next cycle too, let’s be together.”
Inadequate condition: Signs of office romance detected.
A system window that showed no consideration for the atmosphere appeared in front of Hwi-kyung’s face, which looked like it was about to explode. Gyo-ha just laughed even after seeing it. He was convinced that Jung Hwi-kyung would no longer try to drive him away.
* * *
While Hwi-kyung and Gyo-ha were enjoying a comfortable fourteenth cycle completely unrelated to BK International, Manager Kang Moon-chul, unable to find a reliable successor, was being ground down by overnight work.
When he was a new employee, he never thought the company would be turned upside down just because the vice president changed. Sometimes, Kang Moon-chul was shocked at how haphazardly the company operated.
While BK Group was known as a major corporation in Korea, there were many times when the company lacked structure to a bewildering degree.
If a major corporation was like this, how chaotic must other places be? Moon-chul wondered how people could work for companies without complaint.
Objectively speaking, it wasn’t that there was a complete absence of structure, or system. There were always procedures in place. The problem was that they were often ignored. Koreans loved flexibility too much.
This time was no exception. How could the vice president change so suddenly? Even changing teams couldn’t be done overnight, but changing the vice president happened in just one day.
Moreover, it changed from Lee Jung-hye, who was good at her job despite being a bit strict and unforgiving, to Lee Sung-ha, who was skilled at ruining businesses, for no apparent reason. It was only natural that shareholders collectively protested.
Moon-chul sighed deeply after sending out a company-wide notice about the personnel change, which he had somehow managed to piece together.
“Should I quit…”
He had endured the difficulties of living in Seoul and nurtured dreams of owning a home, but at times like this, he couldn’t help but feel the urge to resign.
Many of Moon-chul’s peers had already left their companies. Some tried to start franchises with the money they had saved, while others ventured into different businesses.
Hearing stories of successful businesses from those around him made Moon-chul’s heart waver like a reed. Wouldn’t it be better to become my own boss rather than being a cog in the company machine? It was a thought everyone had at least once.
But Moon-chul had too many reasons why he couldn’t quit his job. He hadn’t even finished paying off the installments for the domestic car he had recently bought, let alone have the courage to jump into his own business. Far from owning a home in Seoul, he had to beg his landlord to give him a break when they wanted to raise the deposit, despite working so hard.
Recently, he had even received a breakup declaration after arguing with his girlfriend about marriage. Moon-chul couldn’t bring himself to cling pathetically to the girlfriend he had been dating since he was a new employee. When he calculated the money needed for marriage, it made his head spin.
He had to send money monthly to his retired parents, consider whether to change from a lease to monthly rent due to rising costs every year… In this situation, quitting the major corporation he had barely managed to join because of the heavy workload would be nothing short of suicide.
Jung Hwi-kyung, who had been rolling around in all sorts of companies during the fourteenth cycle, was pitiful, but there were people in worse situations than Hwi-kyung all over the world. Everyone carried their own hell and worked for a living. Even if it felt like dying, they had to live like this.
Kang Moon-chul sighed and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to leave the HR team at least. After applying for a team transfer once, his team leader kept giving him the cold shoulder, making it even harder to work at the company.
“Should I really quit?”
It felt like he wouldn’t live out his natural lifespan at this rate. His health had deteriorated recently too. At the very least, his lungs were definitely rotting due to frequent smoke breaks.
No matter how many times he reconsidered, Lee Sung-ha’s appointment as vice president was bad news for Kang Moon-chul. It was obvious that the yes-man team leader would stick to Sung-ha and take on all sorts of tasks. Most of those tasks would end up being handled by Moon-chul alone.
Just thinking about the intense work ahead made it hard to breathe. Moon-chul recalled the HR team’s organizational chart where he was still the youngest. They should at least hire more people. Even when new hires came in, they often left for other teams after falling out of favor with team leader Park Bong-joon.
“Isn’t there a capable new hire who could drop in from somewhere…”
Kang Moon-chul prayed and prayed to the god of overtime. It’s okay if our team is hopeless. The team leader being a yes-man? I can endure it! The vice president changing so quickly? I can understand that!
But having no new hires? This I really can’t understand! Oh god of overtime! Since I’ll be working overtime anyway whether two or three new hires come, please send just one capable new hire!
However, despite Moon-chul’s fervent prayers, BK International had no plans to hire new employees for the next six months. It wasn’t the regular recruitment season.
This meant that Moon-chul would have to handle HR duties and various odd jobs alone for at least another six months. Moon-chul, unable to act his age, sat alone in the dark, empty office and started sobbing. Give me a new hire too. I want a new hire too.
A week later, Kang Moon-chul received an answer from the god of overtime.
“What? A new hire is coming?”
“Yeah. I heard they’re a talent strongly recommended by the former vice president.”
“Is it, um, an experienced hire?”
“No? They have a few certifications, but they’re just a fresh graduate. A male who’s completed military service.”
Hallelujah.
Kang Moon-chul offered thanks to the god of overtime. Thank you! They might be a somewhat mediocre new hire, but at least someone is coming! Even our team leader doesn’t listen to me, but the god of overtime heard my plea!
“Manager Kang, you’ll have a hard time training the new hire.”
“Not at all. You know how quick young people are at learning these days.”
“Right, don’t let this new hire get poached by other teams.”
“……”
“All the new hires you train end up applying for team transfers because you teach them so much. Take it easy with the teaching.”
Team leader Park Bong-joon spouted such nonsense without even considering that he was the one bringing in work from all over. Kang Moon-chul just nodded with a blank face. Moon-chul was too timid to shout, “It’s because of you, you bastard!” at his team leader right then and there.
Moon-chul cleared out the desk next to his that had been empty all along, received the best model PC left from the facilities team, and excitedly began preparing the space for the new hire who was supposed to start next week.
Even if they’re slow to learn and have a bad personality, I’ll treat them really well. It’s still better to work overtime with two people than alone, right? Kang Moon-chul grinned as he made plans that would have made Jung Hwi-kyung, the “new hire,” faint if he had heard them.
I guess it’s not time to quit yet. I’ll treat the new hire really well. I want to make them want to stay at the company for a long time…
