Chapter 199. The Road Not Taken (5)
No matter how much time passed or how old one grew, some pleasures never changed. Savoring a glass of liquor in a space entirely one’s own, with no one to interrupt, was one of them.
Still, on a day as pleasant as this, it was hard not to miss the boisterous drinking sessions of long ago, when he used to sit shoulder to shoulder with his comrades.
Just then, a scrawny technician barged in. “D-Division Chief!"
The hulking man did not particularly mind the intrusion. In fact, he was just about to grumble that the technician should have brought four glasses, and to pour him a drink as well. He had even planned to share a rare liquor he’d splurged quite a few points to obtain.
However, the news brought by the technician wiped the taste of the liquor, its aroma, and even the words he had been about to say.
The division chief’s mouth fell open, his terrifying glare enough to render passing employees’ knees buckle. “What did you just say?”
Clatter—!
The glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. Crystal shards scattered, refracting the sunlight streaming through the window into dozens of brilliant colors.
The diminutive technician, dressed in a green apron, grimaced and clutched his head. “Gah! That was the Infinite Cryo Crystal glass! There was only one left!”
The division chief, however, paid it no mind and immediately demanded, “I-is that truly the truth?”
“Of course it is! Do you know how many days I spent engraving that thin crystal just to fit the cooling regulator inside—”
“No! The wall!”
At the man’s thunderous roar, the technician flinched and instantly bowed his head, finally tearing his gaze away from the precious work now lying in pieces. “I-I’m sorry. Yes. I just sent out my Eye to confirm it personally.”
“The Wailing Wall has truly fallen? Not even a week after it was claimed as an office?”
“To be precise, it took three days.”
“My goodness...” The man’s massive, calloused hand dragged across his bearded face. “I did have my expectations when I heard he’d chosen that forest as his office.”
The eyes that had been sunken in the abyss of calm flickered with an unfamiliar light, like a boy reunited with family he had long thought lost.
Watching him with a bitter expression, the technician nodded slowly. “He’s absurdly lucky, wouldn’t you say?”
“Lucky? Hmm...”
The blessing of the goddess of fortune could be considered a form of ability and luck. However, the division chief did not think that way.
“Do you truly think that’s all it is?” he asked.
He wanted to believe it was a result guided by countless intertwined causes, a synthesis born from thesis and antithesis, and an arrangement decided long, long ago.
However, he could not claim absolute certainty himself. “Let’s get going.”
The mountain that had been hiding in the shadows rose to its feet.
***
The Personnel Bureau was powerful. Holding authority over appointments and evaluations, it was an entity even big companies couldn’t afford to ignore.
Moreover, Eun-Ho wasn’t facing some manager or division chief, but a director. A newly appointed team leader, especially one installed by bending the system, was nowhere near enough to challenge him head-on. He couldn’t fight openly, but if he didn’t fight at all, he'd slowly be starved to death.
It’s a classic case of an egg striking a rock, Eun-Ho thought.
Hence, in the brief window before the banquet began, Eun-Ho did some digging. An egg wearing armor was better than a bare one.
[You have connected to the company network.]
[Please enter a search keyword.]
Hmm... The keyword is Personnel Bureau Director’s weaknesses, Personnel Bureau Director’s corruption, Personnel Bureau’s complaints. Is there anything else? Eun-Ho thought.
After scouring the intranet thoroughly, the result was disappointing.
Are you serious? Nothing?
All that turned up were unnaturally polished praise posts, with identical writing styles across posts and comments. The fact there wasn’t a single complaint to be found was uncanny, as if someone had deliberately erased everything. Still, even blank spaces conveyed information.
So he wants the image of a benevolent ruler who listens to even his lowest subordinates.
He ran comment brigades just to manage public perception, built a Versailles-like garden despite claiming the company had no spare land for offices, and lined it with his own statues. As if that weren’t enough, he dragged out a red velvet throne trimmed in gleaming gold for a simple team-leader celebration.
In truth, he’s probably a narcissist who wants the world to look up to him. If that’s the case, things just got a whole lot easier, Eun-Ho thought.
The owner of the throne asked, “Very well. What is it you wish to say?”
With handsome features for a man of middle age and a gentle voice, he appeared like a young professor patiently urging his student to continue.
Wow. Is this the difference with people at the top?
The shift in expression was flawless. In the brief moment Eun-Ho took to gather his thoughts, the director had completely erased every trace of the slight agitation.
But if you’re going to hide that pitch-black intent of yours, then I’ll meet you head-on in exactly the same way, Eun-Ho thought.
“If I may be so bold, I wish to be selected for tonight’s banquet.”
“What did you say?”
For an instant, confusion flickered across the benevolent ruler’s mask. He’d gone so far as to arrange this ridiculous event just to lure Eun-Ho in naturally, after all.
The director’s kindly smile paused, then shone even brighter. “You wish to be selected for the banquet? Why?”
Rather than welcoming this unexpected development, he seemed to be probing Eun-Ho’s true intentions with that gentle question.
Eun-Ho met his gaze and said slowly, “I’ve heard that you rose from a low-ranking employee to director through an exceptionally rapid promotion.”
“Hmm. And?”
He was telling Eun-Ho to go on, so Eun-Ho was ready to be a little bolder. “I, on the other hand, have ended up in a position far beyond my abilities, knowing next to nothing. Because of that, I’ve come to painfully realize that while my work skills may be lacking, my leadership is downright abysmal.”
Eun-Ho lowered himself and elevated the director to ease his guard. He was aware that men with strong vanity were always weak to praise.
“That’s only natural. Leadership isn’t something one acquires overnight,” said the director.
After basically peeling back layers of packaging to delay revealing the contents, Eun-Ho cut to the case. “Isn’t this event a precious opportunity to learn from your leadership and charisma?”
“You could see it that way.”
“And so.” Eun-Ho took a short breath inward. “I was hoping that tonight’s banquet guest might be chosen as the one who desires it most.”
A brief silence followed.
The director examined Eun-Ho’s face as if weighing his intent, then slowly shrugged. “That would be ideal, but how would one determine who desires it the most?”
“It’s simple. Ask directly.”
“If you ask directly, wouldn’t everyone say they want it?” the director smiled benevolently, as though placating a child making unreasonable demands. “There isn’t enough time today to rank such things, so we’ll proceed with recommendations for now and consider it next time.”
He was clearly trying to end the conversation quickly.
Is he worried about what I might try?
“There is a way,” Eun-Ho replied.
No matter how he responded, it did not matter to Eun-Ho.
“What?”
“There’s a way to choose the most desperate candidate without taking much time.”
“And what might that be?” the director asked, his face utterly uninterested.
Eun-Ho gave him an answer that was impossible to resist. “An auction.”
“An auction?”
“We auction off the right to dine with you here and now. Whoever bids the most Welfare Points wins.”
“What?”
“Then everyone will stake exactly as many points as they think it’s worth. Simple and efficient, wouldn’t you say?”
At first glance, auctioning off a dinner may sound distasteful, as it would sound like one had to pay just to share a table.
“Huh?”
“What is he saying?”
“Did he just ask the director to take money to eat with him?!”
As expected, the team leaders murmured in agitation. Freed from the restraint of being before the director, sealed lips burst open like a dam breaking. Their composure shattered just as planned.
Before things escalated further, Eun-Ho hurriedly added, “The collected Points would be used for a good cause at the departmental level. Think of it as a charity auction.”
“A good cause?” the director asked, his expression already neatly rearranged once more.
Eun-Ho wondered if the director could still maintain his poker face after this. “From what I’ve seen, there’s no available office land within the company.”
“Office land?”
“Yes. That’s why we were told to choose absurd locations such as under staircases, supply closets, and even restrooms.”
“Janitor’s closet, supply storage... Tool shed?”
“That’s all that’s left. The company is at full capacity.”
The former Personnel Manager had said it clearly: there was no choice because the company was overcrowded.
“And why is that relevant now?”
“But the moment I saw this garden, I thought one could build an office building right here.”
Looking at this vast expanse, how could you still say that?
The director’s eyebrow twitched so vividly that it seemed like an earthworm writhing beneath his skin. “There’s all this land, yet no one thought to make use of it. Isn’t that strange?”
The director probably wanted to hurl a string of curses. This was outright robbery, demanding he donate perfectly good land that he cherished enough to line with statues modeled after himself.
Mustering what little composure he had left, the director finally said heavily, “New departments don’t come along very often. I had no idea the company’s situation was quite this dire.”
That was straight up a lie. Eun-Ho had already confirmed that the Operations Bureau submits annual reports on internal office space allocation and utilization.
In any case, he had no intention of backing down here. “Since you’ve shown such ocean-like generosity in arranging this gathering, I humbly suggest we aim for a win-win outcome. We give the dining opportunity to the one who truly desires it, and with the auction proceeds, improve the working environment for employees who work so hard. Wouldn’t that be ideal?”
It was a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone situation.
Refusing here would look stranger than accepting, Eun-Ho thought.
From the director’s point of view, there was the major issue of not being able to quietly lure Eun-Ho away and kill him, and the minor issue of losing a corner of his precious garden.
It’s not my land, Eun-Ho thought.
The director’s face flushed red, then blue. Judging by what he had learned of the director’s personality, it would be difficult for him to refuse with so many eyes watching. After all, he had carefully cultivated the image of a leader who valued the ideas of young employees.
If he still doesn’t take the bait after all this, then I’ll get ready for Plan B.
As Eun-Ho prepared a possible Plan B, help came from a completely unexpected direction.
“H-huh?”
“Look over there!”
“What? Who is that? What?”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
There came an applause.
“Interesting.”
Among the bewildered team leaders, a man stepped forward, clapping his hands. He had a brisk yet sharply clipped voice, and a face both familiar and unfamiliar. “I’d like to bid. When does the auction start?”
“Huh?”
Eun-Ho knew that face.
[Would you like to move to Soeju’s Universal Emporium?]
It was the advanced-tier shop unlocked by upgrading the Golden Caravan.
“Welcome to the shop! How may I assist you today?”
He was the staff member who greeted customers like a toy soldier at Soeju’s Universal Emporium.
“Ah, so it seems like you’re the first customer from Sector 13? There's a first-entry bonus available. This way, please.”
He was the same employee who’d given him the Soeju Signature Lightning Oil as a first-visit bonus.
“Why is he here?”
Eun-Ho had assumed he was an NPC since he was stationed at the upgraded shop.
“I-isn’t that Soeju?”
“Why is Soeju here?”
What? So Soeju was a person’s name?! Eun-Ho was shocked.
Five items appeared under the name Soeju: Soeju Handgun, Soeju Fountain Pen, Soeju Infinite Ink(Black), Soeju Kite Shield, and Soeju Compound Bow Set. The meticulous artisan mentioned in the item descriptions turned out to be this man. He wasn’t just a shop clerk but also the craftsman behind it.
Well, thinking back... Yeah, that was odd.
If one could view item descriptions and purchase through the system, why even have a shop clerk? Eun-Ho had assumed it was just because it was a high-end store.
[Would you like to move to Soeju’s Universal Emporium?]
To think a named master artisan was personally running a store under his own name was odd.
“W-why are you here?” the director asked.
“Oh? You didn’t know? I got an invitation this time,” Soeju replied.
Even the director seemed oddly unable to push back against Soeju.
“Let’s start the auction first. What’s the opening bid?” Soeju added.
“What nonsense! You know you can have a meal with me anytime!”
“Ah, but that won’t do. I’d like to participate properly.”
Once Soeju spoke up like that, the director fell silent. Judging by his deeply furrowed brow, the director clearly had a lot to say, but his tightly sealed lips didn’t open.
What on earth is going on? Is this named artisan far more important than I’d thought?
Getting a position this time probably means he’s also a newly appointed team leader, but I don’t understand why the director is bowing to a team leader. Soeju. Soeju. Soeju. Who the hell is he?
Eun-Ho tried to think carefully without letting it show. Then, a memory surfaced. It was something that Cheong Jeong, a mentor at the Investigation Bureau, had once said.
“Does this fountain pen have some special ability? Enough to replace a copier?”
“Oh, it’s special, of course. I heard it was a custom order because the General Affairs Manager is really into that sort of thing.”
Right. He had said it was a special order from the General Affairs.
Eun-Ho then realized that nearly every item that required advanced technology had Soeju attached to it. Perhaps, he was some monopoly supplier responsible for the company’s equipment.
If he was the meticulous artisan who could make fountain pens that withstand sword aura, ink that never dries, and even guns, shields, and bows, the director’s oddly deferential attitude made sense. He’d obviously be under special, company-level protection.
However, one thing didn’t add up.
But did he just help me? Why?
While Eun-Ho was still thinking, sharp-witted Ye-Ra opened the floodgates. “Sounds fun! A charity auction is meaningful, too.”
“Hm... I suppose so?”
“Yeah, it does sound more fun than a simple draw!”
A few previously indifferent team leaders began to nod along.
“How many points would we need?”
“Manager! How much ammo do we have?!”
Quietly but rapidly, the ripples spread and at the center of it all, the director’s heavy mouth opened at last. “Secretary.”
“Yes, Director.”
He forced a smile, the corners of his mouth trembling. “Proceed with that auction or whatever...”
There you go. You should’ve done that from the start.