Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work (Novel) - Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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A rookie scouted into the elite team in just one month since joining the company.
It sounded like the title of some attention-grabbing self-development book.
But it was what actually happened right now.
‘What on earth is this situation.’
Me in Group A?
“Let’s see, Sol-eum went to Group D last month, didn’t he?”
“Yes. For starters, let’s contact the HR Team to process it in the form of a dispatch, and then officially assign him after five months.”
“Right. Assistant Manager Jin. Then….”
The Group A leader smiled satisfyingly at me.
“For starters, Sol-eum, you must immediately be promoted to Supervisor.”
“…….”
“An official notice will probably go up within next week.”
Oh my god.
“Even though this company doesn’t care much about seniority, there is a lower limit, you see. Isn’t this an absurdly exceptional treatment?”
Of course it was!
To even give a promotion? To think their influence within the company was that strong?
No, wait.
To be precise, to enter the elite team, a normal employee would have usually had to go through a verification process by working for about the term of one or two promotions.
So in practice, to become an elite team, it meant one had to at least reach Supervisor at the very minimum.
Since I absolutely had to be a Supervisor to be placed in Group A, their calculation was that the higher-ups would naturally promote me.
‘Even originally, Group A only had those from Assistant Manager and above….’
It was truly exceptional treatment.
But why?
Why did they suddenly make such an offer to me…….
Ah.
The moment I saw the extremely satisfying face of the Group A leader, I realized like a lightning bolt.
‘I only picked the correct answers today!’
Misunderstanding it as corporate bullying, I had played too safe and pushed too hard!
The image of not uttering a single word of complaint at unreasonable instructions, and actively squeezing out all kinds of ideas to achieve results within the guide set from above.
A rookie who says yes, yes, without self, yet tries to display creativity!
That was precisely the talent a superior wanted….
“Sol-eum? Then go home from work. Since an official notice might go up as early as next week, prepare yourself mentally.”
“…….”
No way.
‘It is a tragedy.’
I… I am a person who must not go to Group A!
‘The procedures are too rigid here.’
If I worked here where I had to do exactly as instructed from above, the probability of encountering a moment where I couldn’t hide my coward identity was ninety percent.
‘Then the Wish Ticket grows distant and my survival rate will take a low flight to the floor.’
I will truly die.
My mouth shut on its own at the spine-chilling imagination.
“…….”
“Hey, wait a minute.”
Assistant Manager Jin spoke in a tone of disbelief.
“You… don’t tell me you’re hesitating?”
I quietly bowed my head.
“Why? No, are you in your right mind? Even if you look at those meat shields in the Cleanup Team, you don’t have to take them along….”
“Assistant Manager Jin, wait a moment.”
The Group A leader stopped Assistant Manager Jin, then spoke to me with a gentle expression.
“Since it has only been a month since you joined the company and you suddenly received such a good offer, you have a lot of worries, don’t you? That could happen.”
“…….”
“But you must know that a wise person decisively seizes opportunities to succeed in society, after all.”
It is a trap, not an opportunity, and that’s the problem!
‘Wow, what do I do about this.’
How could I pull out of this situation while avoiding hurting that boomer boss’s feelings as much as possible?
If I rejected this poorly, I felt I might fall completely out of favor.
The corporate bullying I had worried about might truly begin.
‘I can’t see the answer….’
It was at that moment.
Ding.
It was the sound of the elevator arriving.
Subsequently, the elevator door opened, and a familiar person, no, the Lizard appeared.
‘Group Leader!’
Manager Lee Ja-heon, who was said to have been summoned by the team leader, appeared.
The Lizard’s vertical pupils met the Group A leader’s gaze.
“…Manager Lee Ja-heon.”
“Manager Baek Seok-ju.”
Lee Ja-heon looked at the Group A leader with a flat gaze.
“They told me to apologize to you. I am sorry.”
“…….”
The Group A leader… is holding back curses.
“Ha… no, forget it. Only I get heated up. Only me.”
“?”
“I said forget it. In any case, I just recruited someone to fill the vacancy now.”
The Group A leader shook his hand, then tapped my shoulder with one hand.
Uh-oh.
“Look, he is the employee who will be the youngest of our group.”
It was quite a shocking declaration in its own way, but….
“I see.”
The Lizard nodded.
“It is true that Group A has better working conditions.”
“…….”
Could you not act slightly regretful so that I can find a way to escape somehow….
Geez, it can’t be helped.
‘Let’s do it alone!’
Deliberately looking back and forth between the two group leaders as if flustered, I bowed my head deeply to the Group A leader.
‘First….’
From what I had seen of the Group A leader’s personality so far….
‘A strict rule-and-principle follower.’
He divided work exactly according to rank, found rebellion highly offensive, and cherished his own people.
Seeing that he recruited me, a rookie of only one month, he sometimes made exceptional gambles, but it was strictly within the line he set.
‘He is a style that cannot tolerate someone talking back.’
In short, he felt like a typical elite middle manager of a vertical conglomerate.
‘If so….’
I bowed my head first.
“Manager, thank you very much for looking at me favorably as a rookie and giving me such an exceptional offer.”
“Ahem.”
“Still… I am still lacking in experience. Since I am a rookie employee, I think I should work like a rookie, building basic competence and knowledge as an employee.”
The Group A leader, who stared at me, opened his mouth.
“…Sol-eum, do you happen to know where the base pay table for the elite team starts?”
I don’t know.
“It’s eighty million.”
“……!”
“Once hazard pay starts attaching to that, the annual receipt usually starts from one hundred and fifty million.”
My goodness.
“I’m also going to put in the C-grade ghost story you cleared today as a main contributor, you see. Didn’t you clear it in an instant with a new method?”
W-We did, didn’t we?
“But it is even a method that other people can attempt to use. Do you know what this means?”
What does it mean?
“It means the manual can be completely revised.”
“…….”
“Right. A revision, not simply an addition.”
The Group A leader smiled gently.
“And if the manual is revised, a reward comes out, you know?”
“…!”
“The amount is quite large. So the higher-ups try not to process it as a revision, but… the elite team is an exception here again.”
Ah.
“If you enter from Group A, it proceeds much more easily and quickly. Should I call it the difference in credibility.”
“…….”
“Let’s see… C-grade manual revision allowance.”
The Group A leader paused as if deliberately performing, then opened his mouth.
“It’s fifty million, is it?”
“……!!”
“Just by working today, your additional allowance alone is fifty million, Sol-eum.”
Fifty million won.
“Do you want to miss the opportunity to keep earning like this?”
Wow.
No way.
‘But I can’t die to earn money…….’
Tears are truly coming. This is driving me crazy.
‘Let’s repeat. This world’s money is no different from game money to me, game money, game money…!’
Right!
I made my eyes shine with melancholy as much as possible.
And I started talking nonsense.
“I believe that rather than immediate money, honing my skills and value is more important.”
This is crazy.
‘The reason to hone skills and value is to receive more money, so why kick the money away.’
But my mouth was blabbering in a way that perfectly fit the perspective of a boomer manager from thirty years ago.
“Our ancestors said that hardship in youth is something you should even buy to experience, and though I do not fully agree with those words, I believe there must definitely be a reason why those words were created.”
Assistant Manager Jin of Group A stared at me as if looking at a crazy person.
But it seemed to have reached the highest superior’s mind.
“Hmm.”
The Group A leader appeared lost in thought.
This superior narrowed his eyes to look at me, then nodded with a sigh.
“Right. Well, if you say so… it can’t be helped.”
Yay!
“I thought you were a smart friend, Roe Deer, but you are surprisingly foolish. Oh dear. How are you going to live in this harsh world.”
It worked.
Though his voice was in a scolding manner, from his perspective, this was rather closer to a compliment!
…Of course, he did utter a word in the end, though.
“It is good to work hard. But being too simple-minded is also not good for corporate life.”
Yes, yes.
“If I were to give one advice… you don’t do corporate life with affection. You must be careful of that. Especially forming affection one-sidedly with a person whom you can’t communicate with.”
Staring at a specific someone, the Group A leader’s expression contorted.
“Don’t do it, it’s not good.”
“…T-That, yes.”
You want to say the Lizard leader is an obstinate psychopath. I understand well….
“Did you hear my words well, Manager Lee Ja-heon?”
“? Yes.”
The Lizard answered as if asking why he was saying something so obvious.
“I heard them well.”
“…….”
“…….”
It is fine to stop giving me glances like ‘Look at this crazy guy,’ Group A leader….
“Anyway.”
Taking a deep breath, the Group A leader wrapped up the conversation.
“Good work today. Go home safely.”
“…! Yes!!”
It was a declaration of liberation.
“Thank you. Then I will leave safely.”
Uaaack, I can finally escape…!
I frantically pressed the elevator button.
The Group A assistant manager quickly approached and whispered.
“Idiot. You will regret it.”
“…….”
“The Group D manager hasn’t even touched a Wish Ticket yet. Our group leader is a person who has already won a Wish Ticket once, you know.”
It’s fine. I know that Lizard will eventually go to Team Leader.
Of course, since I couldn’t say that, let’s flatter her.
“I feel like you will also win one soon, Assistant Manager.”
“What?”
“At that time, I will ask you.”
“…….”
Assistant Manager Jin seemed momentarily flustered, but soon snorted.
“Well, you do have some judgment.”
“You will answer me, right?”
“Sure.”
Though it was a verbal promise, even if this person’s personality was dirt… well, rough, she didn’t look like a type to lie or change her words.
“Manager, Assistant Manager. Thank you very much today.”
“Right. Go home safely.”
After bowing repeatedly, I pressed the elevator and boarded quickly before getting held back further.
Then the Lizard boarded the elevator along with me before I knew it.
Did you truly come just to spit out that single soulless apology….
-Going down….
When the elevator carrying the two of us went down in silence.
Unexpectedly, the Lizard manager spoke to me.
“Kim Sol-eum.”
“Yes?”
“Is there something you want in Group D?”
Huh.
“……Don’t tell me, are you asking under the assumption that the reason I stayed in Group D despite being able to go to Group A is because I want something else?”
“Yes.”
Oh dear.
After rummaging through the back of my hair a few times, I answered with a sigh.
“There is no such thing, Group Leader.”
“?”
“I didn’t decide to stay because of benefits.”
I stayed to live!
The Lizard narrowed his vertical pupils as if puzzled.
“Remaining in a normal team instead of the elite team is a loss in points. There will be a difference in the speed of receiving the Wish Ticket.”
“That might be so.”
I shrugged.
“But even if it is true that I need the Wish Ticket, living until I win that Wish Ticket is also my life, after all.”
“…….”
“In the meantime, I wanted to be in a place where my heart can work more enjoyably.”
I don’t want to work in terror every moment of when I’ll get caught as a coward, you Lizard…….
“…I see.”
The Lizard shut his mouth.
Now let’s go down quietly…….
“Kim Sol-eum, what is your wish?”
You are talkative today.
“…Are you asking what I want to wish for if I obtain the Wish Ticket?”
“Yes.”
“Then I would like to hear the group leader’s wish first, though.”
It was a polite expression asking why he was questioning me one-sidedly.
But the Lizard stared blankly into space with his vertical eyes.
As if thinking deeply.
Then, he opened his mouth.
“It is not my wish.”
“Yes?”
“I am working due to another’s will.”
A story I had never imagined came out.
Reflexively, I turned to look.
Scales flashed on the head of the Lizard who wasn’t human….
“…May I ask whose will it is?”
“No.”
Ah, yes.
I wasn’t particularly offended. Because I knew he was originally that kind of lizard.
‘There are circumstances.’
By the way, since that side had answered, did I have to speak too?
After struggling, I chose my words.
“I… want to return home.”
Actually, Manager Lee Ja-heon could have asked massive derivative questions to this answer.
What kind of home is it, why is returning home your wish, is your home ruined by any chance, did someone pass away, is it a home in a conceptual sense… etc.
And Lee Ja-heon opened his mouth and spoke like this.
“I see.”
That was the end.
In the midst of quiet, the elevator descended peacefully.
“…….”
Now I admit it.
The Lizard leader was quite a comfortable conversation partner in some sense.
Surprisingly, that was.
* * *
Returned to the company housing.
[Beware of serial killers]
After sending Baek Sa-heon a friendly disaster notification text today too, I lay down in my place.
‘Today was also a colorful day….’
Truly at this rate, my lifespan feels like it’ll be cut in half. My heart is not remaining intact.
Still, it was undeniable that there was a solid harvest today.
Extra points, connection with elite team superiors.
And even the allowance.
“…Is it fifty million won.”
Around when will it be credited.
I called it game money or whatever, but thinking coolly, since it was game money, there were also more places to spend it.
Because it was necessary to strengthen my ability stats.
‘It is true that I wish I had a bit more cash.’
I am starting to think that I should buy a new item in the Alien Shop.
Because unexpected events kept occurring, I was also in a hurry.
Armor, especially equipment or items related to mental defense, I absolutely want to possess.
‘There were also special items that came out when one became a VIP in the Alien Shop….’
Still, thinking of the money I earned today, my mouth shut for now.
Fifty million won.
“…Ha.”
To think the additional allowance legally credited to an office worker’s account from the company was this money.
It felt like my financial sense was getting paralyzed.
Even more in the sense that it felt insufficient to obtain enough items.
“Is there no place where more money comes out….”
Rumble!
The smartphone vibrated and popped up a new window.
‘Don’t tell me, Baek Sa-heon?’
It wasn’t.
Surprisingly, someone had invited me to a new open chat room.
“…?!”
[K.LEE]
It was an English name with the profile set to a sunny Hawaii beach.
What is this suspicious situation….
[K.LEE: Oh hello Employee hahaha]
[K.LEE: Do you need a lot of money?]
“…??”
Who are you?