Surviving Among the Entities

I successfully completed my first day of work at Sarang Industries.

“Deputy Lee, if you have any questions, be sure to ask me, okay? I’ll explain everything to you.”
“Thank you.”

Throughout our walk to the office, Section Chief Kim explained the company’s facilities to me, and his kind and friendly attitude toward me was exemplary for a superior.

“By the way, what’s that around your neck?”
“It’s a Polaroid camera. Photography is my hobby, so I always carry it with me.”
“Haha, what a refined hobby!”

With my enhanced eyesight, I could tell he frequently fixed his gaze on the luxury items I was wearing whenever he looked at me.

“For now, just wait in the office. Our company does morning stretching exercises before starting work, right? But you can’t do the exercises in a suit. You’ll be exempt from the exercises until we get you gym clothes.”

“If you get hungry, help yourself to something in the pantry.”

Leaving me with those words, Section Chief Kim walked away.

“Hey, this new guy is crazy!”

I could hear Section Chief Kim raving about me from the hallway.

“A Bugatti, he says! And he’s decked out in luxury brands from head to toe, is he the son of a conglomerate owner or something?”
“Really?”
“Wow, was that Bugatti in the parking lot the new guy’s? I thought it belonged to the chairman of some major company visiting!”

It was an unprecedented level of attention for an individual employee, but for me, who needed to build a certain level of familiarity with everyone, it wasn’t an unwelcome interest.

“The new guy was quite good-looking, I wonder if he has a girlfriend?”
“Why? You want to make a move? Want to become the wife of a rich heir?”
“It’s not about the money, I just noticed the person. Good-looking guys usually have great personalities and abilities too, don’t they?”
“Geez, Ms. Kim! You shouldn’t be making passes at a young guy way younger than you!”

While there were favorable comments, there were also many expressing hostility.

“A Bugatti, yeah right! That’s definitely a fake!”
“If it was real, why would a rich heir come to work at our company? As a new employee, no less!”
“The stuff he’s wearing is probably all counterfeit too. Nowadays, even counterfeits are made really well, you know?”
“And even if it’s all real, is it normal for a new employee to show up at the company decked out in expensive luxury goods?”

Some even speculated about my true identity.

“Maybe he’s the son of a conglomerate owner? He can’t be an ordinary 25-year-old.”
“That’s right, he must be the son of a conglomerate owner who was living as a unemployed freeloader at home. His conglomerate parents must have gotten angry and kicked him out, telling him to get a job or they’d disown him!”
“In my opinion, his parents deliberately sent him to our company to experience the harsh realities of society.”
“Could he be the Resolver Seung-hoon Lee? Their names are the same.”
“Why would the Resolver come to our company? Say something that makes sense.”

Someone called me the son of a conglomerate owner.
Someone called me a materialistic MZ generation decked out in counterfeits.
Someone said I must have struck it big with cryptocurrency and joined the company out of boredom to experience office life.
And someone said I was an exceptional new hire they absolutely had to befriend.

“I haven’t shown them anything yet.”

Based solely on my appearance, I had already become various personas in their imaginations.

“So their favorable or hostile attitudes are determined by the value of the items I’m wearing.”

With the empty office as the background, I took a selfie and wrote the title on the back of the printed photo.

[The Loneliness of Plebeian Capitalism]

Afterwards, I entered the pantry.

‘So this is the pantry.’

Contrary to my imagination, there were only large tubs of cheese balls and instant coffee mix, along with a coffee maker.

‘No tea, huh.’

I took a tea bag out of my suit’s inner pocket, put it in a paper cup, and poured in hot water.

“It’s a shame there’s no milk, but I’ll have to make do with this.”

Shortly after, Section Chief Kim and the employees entered after finishing their stretching exercises.

“Alright! Starting today, this is Seung-hoon Lee, who will be working in our general affairs team! Everyone, give him a round of applause!”
“Wow!”

After receiving applause from the office employees and giving a brief self-introduction, I was finally assigned my seat.

“New guy, I’ll be your work mentor.”
“It’s good to see you again, Deputy Lee.”

My mentor was Deputy Lee Seok-du, who had conducted my interview along with Section Chief Kim.

“Okay, first I’ll teach you how to prepare documents.”

He kindly explained various document formatting methods, the internal computer system, and the messaging app used among employees.

“Next, I’ll tell you about the tasks you’ll need to handle outside the office.”

There really were a lot of tasks here.

“This is the chairman’s pet dog, you see? Feeding it every day is the new hire’s duty.”
“You see this machine? Checking if it’s running properly is also the new hire’s job.”
“Over here, you need to sign as the final safety officer every day.”
“Cleaning the pantry is obviously the new hire’s job, right?”
“Proofreading reports written by team members for typos and formatting errors will also be your job.”

There were so many tasks.

“This is Plant 1, where most of the workers are foreign migrants. When they’re on the night shift, supervising them to prevent any issues is your job. Hm? Of course, as the most junior employee, you’ll have to work overtime every day. You didn’t think you’d be leaving on time, did you?”
“If other teams request help because they have a lot of work, the new hire has to go assist them.”
“Even if there’s no request for help, after finishing your own work, it’s basic courtesy for the new hire to go around to the other teams and ask if they need any assistance.”
“Also, the cafeteria ladies sometimes call for help when they’re busy, right? You’ll need to help them then too. Even without being asked, helping with the dishes after they’re done is common courtesy.”

There were so many tasks that my future seemed to be packed with nonstop busyness.

“There are more tasks besides these, but let’s start with the basics of proofreading typos and formatting first. Do you remember the formatting I taught you earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Then the team members will send their report drafts to your computer, so try proofreading one. Call me when you’re done.”

After Deputy Lee left, I activated my smartphone.

『You called?』
“Yes, it seems the company is wasting time with an inefficient system, so I want to create a program. Can you make one for me?”
『What kind of program?』
“A program that automatically corrects formatting errors and typos according to the set guidelines.”
『Understood.』

Sarang’s current battery level was 62%.
With a 2% battery consumption, an automatic formatting and typo correction program was created within my computer.

‘Perfect.’

When I ran the program, as soon as report drafts were sent to me, any typos and formatting errors were automatically proofread and corrected, producing the final version.

“Huh? New guy? You sent the revised report back already, and it hasn’t even been a minute since I submitted it?”
“Yes, I’ve finished the corrections and sent it back.”
“No way, that’s impossible.”
“You can check it if you’d like.”
“Okay, let me see……”

While the employees who received the reports initially didn’t believe it, they soon marveled at the completed quality.

“Wow, for real?”
“You did this so quickly?”
“Did you used to work at our company before or something?”

As people gathered around my desk to see how I did it, I showed them the program.

“An automatic typo and formatting correction program?”
“When did you make this?”
“I created it right after Deputy Lee taught me how to work here.”

I had prepared excuses for what program I used and how I made it so quickly, but the employees didn’t dig that deeply.

“Haha, amazing! As expected from our new guy, the future ace of our team! I knew it!”
“Wow, Deputy Lee, you can even create programs? That’s incredible!”
“I had a feeling he was an ace from his appearance alone!”

And so my work for the day ended. Conveniently, thanks to the program Sarang created, I barely had any tasks to do myself.

“New guy, let’s go for a smoke break.”
“Yes.”

I headed to the smoking room with Deputy Lee.

“You didn’t mention being able to handle programs on your resume.”
“I’m not particularly skilled at it.”
“I figured as much. The interface is pretty subpar. What’s the point of great functionality if the interface isn’t user-friendly? You focused too much on just the functionality.”

After commenting on the program, Deputy Lee offered me some advice.

“And don’t rely too much on programs and such. At the end of the day, they’re just machines. If you depend on them too much, your own skills won’t improve. You need to see things with your own eyes, do calculations manually, proofread yourself – that’s how your abilities grow. If machines just do all the work for you, how will your skills improve? Never! That’s how you become complacent and lazy, eventually falling behind and failing. Promotions will be out of reach, and you won’t be able to transfer to better jobs either. You understand?”
“Yes.”

When we returned to the office, Section Chief Kim proudly boasted about the program I had created.

“Our new guy! I shared this with the other departments, and they all loved it! Haha! Everyone is grateful to our new guy, you know? Hey! On his very first day, our new guy has changed the company culture!”
“Haha, thank you.”

As I listened to Section Chief Kim’s praise, I observed Deputy Lee’s expression.

“……”

His face was as red as a ripe jujube.

On my fourth day of employment, not much had changed in my daily routine.

“Hey, the new guy’s here?”
“Good morning, Section Chief.”

I arrived at the company early in the morning and greeted Section Chief Kim. After completing the morning tasks assigned to new hires, I finally changed into the provided gym clothes and participated in the morning stretching exercises.

“Alright! Let’s have an energetic day today as well! Fighting!”
“Fighting!”

The new hire didn’t garner much attention, and there was no interaction with the chairman, who had his own private parking lot.
According to Sarang’s investigation, the current chairman was the heir of a conglomerate who inherited the company from his parents. Apart from the morning exercises, company dinners, and hiking trips, he showed no interest in the company’s affairs.

『Search results and communication records indicate his recent goal was to sell the company and embark on a world tour.』

In any case, my daily routine consisted solely of the tasks Deputy Lee had taught me.
However, there was one issue.

“Deputy Lee, why have you been looking so unwell recently?”
“Haah, the new guy is driving me crazy.”

It was the attitude of my mentor, Deputy Lee, toward me.

“Seriously, if I teach him one thing, he forgets two others. He only knows how to make programs, but in other areas, he’s completely clueless and has a terrible memory. I teach him something, and he forgets. I teach him again, and he forgets again. I’m going insane.”
“Really? I thought the new guy was quite bright?”
“Isn’t it common for intelligent people to have their intelligence skewed heavily toward one area? He’s kind of like that. Only bright when it comes to programs, I guess?”
“Hmm, I heard he’s the son of a conglomerate owner. Did he only receive tutoring in that area?”

Apart from the final moment on the first day when he seemed angry at me, Deputy Lee had never expressed any hostility toward me. To my face, he was still a good senior and mentor teaching me many things, but behind my back, he was spreading numerous rumors about me.

“No, he’s not the son of a conglomerate owner. He said everything he owns is counterfeit.”
“Really?”
“Yes, he told me himself. He said the clothes, shoes, and watch are counterfeits he bought in China because they looked identical to the real things. As for the car, he said a friend who dropped out of high school with him is a used car dealer, and they pieced together parts from wrecked vehicles to make it look similar.”
“Ah, I see! It didn’t make sense that a rich heir would come to our company!”
“Section Chief, even novels would get criticized for such a plot.”
“You’re right? Haha!”

Through the pantry window, I secretly took his photo.

[The Saul of the 21st Century]

After carefully storing the new artwork, a fresh task arose while working with him today.

“New guy, do you know English?”
“Yes, I do.”
“We need to send a document to an overseas buyer, from here to here. Translate the Korean I wrote into English and send it by email.”
“Understood.”

I completed the assigned task and left work as usual.

“What is this!”

The next day, Section Chief Kim angrily lost his temper for the first time.

“Why hasn’t the document that needed approval yesterday been processed yet! The overseas deal fell through because the deadline passed! Who was in charge of this!”
“Ah, about that……”

Deputy Lee raised his hand.

“I was going to handle it, but the new guy said he knows some English, so I let him do it.”
“What!? Why did you let the new guy handle it!”
“He insisted multiple times that it was okay, so I had no choice but to let him……”

Everyone’s attention turned to me.

“It seems the new guy entered the wrong email address.”

I had entered it correctly.

“It’s a common mistake for new hires, but it was my fault for not double-checking behind him.”

He had simply given me the wrong email address.

“I trusted him because he’s supposed to be an ace, but I never expected this. I’m sorry!”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it! How are you going to take responsibility for this!”

While Deputy Lee was getting scolded, everyone’s glares kept shifting toward me repeatedly.

‘Human jealousy is truly something.’

He was even willing to tarnish his own reputation to bring me down.

“Do you think this will just end with a warning or pay cut!? Huh!? How are you going to take responsibility!”

It was quite interesting.

Deputy Lee’s unfounded jealousy toward me.
The current situation.
Section Chief Kim’s angry demand for accountability.
The appearance of the employees merely watching.
All of it.

“I will take responsibility.”

So I reflexively blurted out those words.

“What?”
“I said I made the mistake, so I will take responsibility.”

It would be difficult to expose Deputy Lee’s scheme. There were no CCTVs in the office, and the work instructions were not given via messenger but verbally when no one else could hear, so there was no way to clear my name.

“For the resolution, I’ll step out for a bit. Please understand that I may not be able to return today.”
“Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going!”

I loosened my tie as I strode down the hallway.

‘Perhaps the impending calamity here is caused by stress.’

It’s a common cliché for excessive stress and situational factors to lead to the intervention of entities, resulting in human annihilation.

‘The most efficient way to both take responsibility and resolve potential future issues.’

I knocked on the chairman’s office door. Fortunately, the chairman was still in his office.

“Who is it?”
“Hello, it’s Seung-hoon Lee.”

From now on, I’ll kill two birds with one stone.

“I want to buy the company.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“I said I want to buy the company.”

My abrupt entrance and declaration of wanting to purchase the company left the chairman bewildered and at a momentary loss for words.

“I originally joined as an employee, but I really like the company, and there’s also an issue I need to take responsibility for.”
“What? An employee? Hey! Are you joking with me right……”

As the chairman was about to lose his temper, I showed him my smartphone.

[Balance: ₩19,482,315,206,233]

Of course, Sarang was a master of financial management. Not only handling taxes but automatically resolving tracking and investigations from various institutions, she was a master capable of multiplying my wealth more than tenfold in a short period.

“Do you still think I’m joking?”

Ever since successfully completing 20 consecutive rounds of 125x leveraged cryptocurrency trading, I was able to live a life no longer bound by money.

“……”

In the meantime, my balance had increased further.

[Balance: ₩20,232,385,246,200]

The chairman slightly bowed his head to me.

“Let’s sit down and discuss this first.”

“The new guy still hasn’t shown up?”
“Yes, he’s been absent again today.”

Five days had passed since Seung-hoon’s disappearance. His vehicle was still in the parking lot, but with only him missing, people assumed he had caused an incident and fled.

“See, I told you it was a fake. If it was real, would he have left it behind?”
“Hah, he couldn’t even last a week before running off again. When will we get regular new employees instead of these irregular ones?”
“I had a feeling his handsome looks weren’t normal, he really lacked a sense of responsibility.”

The employees cursed at Seung-hoon.

“I heard his attitude was off from the very first day. Talking informally to his seniors and stuff, you know?”
“I heard he was really slow at understanding tasks.”
“From what I’ve heard, he had a huge appetite.”

Most of the rumors were spread by Deputy Lee.

“But… everything he owned was genuine… he didn’t seem particularly slow in understanding tasks either… apart from that final mistake, he did fine……”

Only a tiny minority, including Section Chief Kim, were less swayed by the rumors, but even then, they didn’t openly speak up, and their numbers were too small to sway public opinion.

“Alright, instead of stretching exercises today, I have an announcement to make.”

And the next day, the chairman made an announcement.

“I am no longer the chairman. Haha! I’ve wanted to retire and travel the world for a long time! And this time, a good person came along, so I’ve decided to sell the company!”

Since it was a long-standing rumor, people weren’t surprised. He had been saying, “I want to sell the company and travel the world!” after every company dinner and hiking trip, so no one was unaware of the chairman’s desires.

“Here, let me introduce the new chairman!”

However, upon seeing the new chairman, only one thought crossed everyone’s mind.

“Hello, I’m Seung-hoon Lee.”

What?

“As of today, I will be serving as both a new employee and the chairman of Sarang Industries.”

Is this some kind of hidden camera prank that’s gone too far?

“I look forward to working with you all.”