#077
If you’re going to kill someone, just kill Lee Sung-ha… Hwi-kyung attempted to send a telepathic message to Jung-hye. No matter how he thought about it, Gyo-ha wasn’t at fault. He had done nothing wrong; it was the entertainment company employee who posted the article and Sung-ha who gave the interview that ruined everything.
Moreover, due to Sung-ha’s involvement, Hwi-kyung’s personal information, though pixelated, started to leak. “I heard Lee Gyo-ha’s lover also works for a BK subsidiary. Where does he work? It can’t be the entertainment company…” and so on.
While his identity wasn’t completely exposed, anyone who put in a little effort in searching could find general information about Hwi-kyung. As the situation developed this way, the system window raised its head again.
Age 27, completed military service, new employee at BK International, originally seduced Lee Sung-ha to get hired (Hwi-kyung cursed at this part), but switched to his younger brother Lee Gyo-ha. The reason Sung-ha interviewed with NTV was because this new employee was originally Sung-ha’s lover (he cursed again here).
Inadequate condition: You are involved in an office scandal.
Inadequate condition: Your personal information has been leaked online.
Inadequate condition: Your superior is aware of your scandal.
Inadequate condition: Your team members are aware of your scandal.
Inadequate condition: Your reputation within the team has declined.
Inadequate condition: Your reputation within the entire company has declined.
Do you want to regress?
The system window flickered in various colors as if it had undergone a UI renovation. It seemed to be shouting at Hwi-kyung, “You’re completely ruined now!”
However, people tend to develop a contrarian attitude when forced to do something. Hwi-kyung momentarily considered moving to the fifteenth round, but seeing the system window urging regression, his desire to move to the next round completely disappeared.
“If your sister kills you, I’ll at least take care of the body.”
“You think I’ll definitely die… Don’t you think nothing will happen?”
“I think something will happen. Not just something, but something big.”
“Don’t worry too much. I get along well with my sister.”
Whether his personal information was leaked or his face was exposed, as long as it wasn’t a weekend but a weekday, he couldn’t avoid going to work. It was dangerous to be absent without notice while the system window was flashing painfully.
Even if forced regression wasn’t possible, the system window persisted. If the system window had completely disappeared, it might have been different, but with it still blinking properly, there was no way he could pull off the reckless act of being absent without notice.
It might be that the ‘inadequate conditions’ weren’t enough to move to the next round yet. There was still nothing he could be certain about, and Hwi-kyung wasn’t the type to enjoy gambling.
So even in this situation, he had to humbly accept going to work. He was worried about Gyo-ha, who said he was going to meet Jung-hye, but unlike Gyo-ha, who was a parachuted executive director, Hwi-kyung, as a new employee, couldn’t just skip work as he pleased.
Thanks to the glowing system window, Gyo-ha didn’t try to stop Hwi-kyung from going to work either. No matter how you looked at it, the system window seemed to see this incident as an opportunity. An opportunity to send Jung Hwi-kyung to the fifteenth round by any means necessary.
“No matter what happens, don’t move to the next round, okay?”
“I won’t, so don’t worry too much either.”
With that, the two went their separate ways to their respective companies.
Perhaps because it had been a while since he used public transportation, Hwi-kyung felt bus sickness that he hadn’t experienced before. He suddenly realized that he had been living quite comfortably since meeting Gyo-ha.
Eating good food and sleeping in a nice place had even improved his chronic insomnia by half. The experience of living like a proper human being led to the foolish sentiment that he couldn’t live without Gyo-ha. Who else would make steamed eggs and soybean paste soup for breakfast every morning?
“I must be crazy…”
Lost in thoughts about Lee Gyo-ha, he almost missed his stop. Hurriedly pressing the stop button, Hwi-kyung got off the bus as if being chased by something.
Inadequate condition: Your superior is aware of your scandal.
Inadequate condition: Your team members are aware of your scandal.
Inadequate condition: Your reputation within the team has declined.
Inadequate condition: Your reputation within the entire company has declined.
The moment he let his guard down, the system window blocked his view. Hwi-kyung let out a small sigh. Now that things had come to this, he thought he should look for a new job during work hours.
He ordered a shot-loaded coffee to avoid dozing off during morning work hours, and quickly got into the elevator, avoiding the busy 50-minute mark when people crowded in. Hwi-kyung wanted to leave BK International quietly if possible.
“Hwi-kyung?”
“Ah, Team Leader.”
But usually, what you desperately wish for doesn’t come true. In front of the elevator heading to the office, Hwi-kyung ran into Moon-chul, who, like him, had come to work early.
“You’re early again today. If you hadn’t bought coffee, I was going to treat you.”
“It’s fine.”
“Since we’ve met like this, shall we put our bags down and have a smoke together?”
“…”
“Did you quit?”
“One cigarette should be fine.”
“Haha, neither you nor I can quit smoking completely.”
Kang Moon-chul’s attitude was no different from usual. But Hwi-kyung felt an eerie uneasiness down his spine. It bothered him that Moon-chul had called him to the smoking area knowing that he was trying to quit.
What on earth does he want to say… In Hwi-kyung’s experience, 80% of conversations that took place in smoking areas were negative.
Moon-chul offered a cigarette to Hwi-kyung, who was standing quietly beside him, saying it was awkward to just stand there, so he should have a smoke. It wasn’t the brand Hwi-kyung usually smoked.
It was difficult to coldly refuse the offer, so Hwi-kyung put the cigarette Moon-chul offered in his mouth. It wasn’t that long since he last smoked, but as the nicotine entered his system, his mind cleared as if he had been doused with cold water.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about you these days, Hwi-kyung.”
“Ah…”
“I’m not saying anything, just wanted to talk because I’m worried.”
Moon-chul, who had been taking a few puffs of his cigarette, opened his mouth as if this was the main point. However, it was all difficult to answer.
Objectively, his tone seemed concerned about Hwi-kyung, but the underlying meaning was closer to ‘What have you been up to?’
“It was quite a commotion, wasn’t it? The team members probably all know too. That you… you know, are seeing a man.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t have any prejudice about that, you know? But there are people in our team who go to church.”
Moon-chul, who had wanted to keep Hwi-kyung tied to the company, even suggesting graduate school, had changed his attitude as easily as flipping his palm. He must have judged that keeping Hwi-kyung close was disadvantageous, no matter how good at work and trustworthy he was as a confidant.
Although the world was changing, Korea was still conservative. Despite being conservative, everyone was very interested in others’ love lives.
How could he protect a subordinate whose personal information was being leaked publicly, not just through internal rumors? In a way, Moon-chul was making a rational decision.
Even if he pushed Hwi-kyung away, Jung Hwi-kyung would have a place to go anyway.
“Since you came in through connections anyway, why don’t you move to another subsidiary at this opportunity?”
“…”
“I’m really saying this with your best interests in mind.”
Inadequate condition: Lack of human rights sensitivity within the company.
Inadequate condition: Your superior suggests a sudden transfer.
Inadequate condition: Lack of gender sensitivity within the company.
Do you want to regress?
The system window popped up noisily every time Moon-chul opened his mouth. Hwi-kyung couldn’t help but reflect on his relationships within the company. They say there’s no one you can trust in this world, and that was exactly right. All he got in return from Moon-chul, whom he had protected while playing the role of a naive new employee, was a suggestion to transfer.
This is why only fools maintain loyalty to their colleagues. Hwi-kyung stubbed out his half-burned cigarette filter in the makeshift ashtray. He had been thinking of changing jobs anyway, but being advised to transfer because of same-sex love, of all things, left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Thank you for thinking of me first, Team Leader.”
“No, no. I’m sorry if I’ve made you uneasy by saying such things.”
“…”
“And I’m just asking in case… You don’t have any feelings for me, right?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, since you said you like men, I keep getting concerned.”
Inadequate condition: Your superior is talking nonsense.
Inadequate condition: Sexual harassment in the workplace is detected.
“I wondered if you might have those kinds of feelings… for me too.”
Even worse nonsense follows after trying to help. Hwi-kyung, who had been trying to understand Moon-chul, gave up thinking due to the absurdity.
He resolved never to help a colleague in trouble again. He hadn’t kept Kang Moon-chul alive to be misunderstood like this… Hwi-kyung felt betrayed by BK International once again.
“Absolutely not, so don’t worry.”
“Really? I thought, since I said we could speak comfortably…”
“It’s really not like that, so please don’t misunderstand.”
Jung Hwi-kyung was fed up with people who asked, “Do you perhaps like me?” just because he was a little nice to them. If even Kang Moon-chul, who had been kind to him saying they should work together for a long time, was acting like this, how terribly would other employees behave?
Thinking about it made him want to submit his resignation and leave the company immediately. Everyone goes crazy when they work for a company. It’s not just the work, but relationships that fall apart as time passes.
“Then, we’re okay, right?”
Moon-chul casually threw out a question that he would never ask if they were truly on good terms. Hwi-kyung forced a smile and nodded. It wasn’t okay at all, but he couldn’t throw in his resignation right away because he hadn’t found a new job yet.
Do you want to regress?
The system window popped up impeccably, as if sensing Hwi-kyung’s miserable mood. The font size was so large that it covered Kang Moon-chul’s entire bear-like body.
Everything was truly unbearable. He felt like just moving to the next round to see Kang Moon-chul getting entangled with Park Bong-joon and being driven out. Even knowing he shouldn’t, he was tempted to carelessly press ‘Y’.
Do you want to regress?
Do you want to regress?
Do you want to regress?
Ah, I said no… Stop popping up windows…
But even if you scrub your hands with soap, the smell of cigarettes that has once permeated doesn’t easily go away.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
