Mistaken for an S-Class Employee - Chapter 2

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Mistaken for an S-Class Employee ◈

Chapter 2: Like the Protagonist (1)

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“What did you just say?”

It must have been quite absurd.

Normally, whenever the team leader said something, I either stayed quiet or just smiled.

“Did you ask because you didn’t hear me properly, or because you didn’t understand?”

“Hey!”

Team Leader Kim glared as if he could chop me apart with his eyes.

It would be nice if he used that glare outside the team for once.

He couldn’t say a word to anyone else, yet he raised hell within the team.

“Are you crazy?”

“...”

“Did I ask for your opinion? I gave you an order as your team leader. What’s the problem?”

There were five people on the Operations Team, including the team leader.

The other three team members lowered their heads and held their breath, probably afraid they would get caught in the crossfire.

It was wiser to keep quiet at work.

Speaking up didn’t earn you more money. More likely, your performance review would suffer, reducing your raise.

“Then why did you call a meeting?”

“...”

“You could’ve sent an email. Why hold a pointless meeting?”

I repeated a line spoken by Hyeok in one of my novels.

Hyeok was the protagonist of my fourth work, The Office Worker from the Apocalypse, an intensely cathartic office story that had earned me 100 million won a month in royalties. The protagonist’s name was Kang Hyeok, made by taking Hyeok from my own name, Min-hyeok.

Like the protagonist of my third office novel, Hyeok would become chairman by the end of the story.

“Go Min-hyeok! Have you lost your mind?!”

My novel was wishful fantasy, but I had still tried to give it a minimum degree of plausibility.

In other words, it was something that would never happen in real life, but not something impossible.

‘Let’s do as Hyeok would.’

I set aside my fear and caution for the moment and pushed ahead as Hyeok would have.

“Because you act this way, Team Leader, the rest of us haven’t been able to speak up.”

“...”

“You raise your voice the moment anyone says anything. How are we supposed to talk to you?”

“You little punk, what the hell are you talking about?!”

If I wanted to accomplish anything, I had to start by changing the team leader.

Team Leader Kim was absolutely not a leader who would help his staff grow.

For a subordinate to change a superior, everyone had to learn how incompetent that superior was.

I deliberately provoked him so that he would raise his voice.

“If you’re so good at fighting, why can’t you speak up? When you’re dealing with other teams, that is!”

“...”

“Can’t you see the team working overtime every day and checking content over the weekend without getting any rest?”

Team Leader Kim fell quiet.

I had him on the back foot.

It was my first time crossing the line, and I felt as though I had discovered a new frontier.

“The Curation Team failed to coordinate their work. Every team has its own schedule. If they wanted our cooperation, they should have shared their plan beforehand and asked for our understanding. They put in a development request, then tell us to test it because it isn’t their job?”

I had intended to create this situation, but I wanted to say everything I had been holding in.

“You just listened, said, ‘Yes, understood,’ and came back? You represent this team, don’t you?”

Team Leader Kim could only open and close his mouth, at a loss for words.

It was the same weak-before-the-strong, strong-before-the-weak side of him I had often seen in meetings with cooperating departments.

When I came at him hard, his true colors showed.

No matter how heated things became, I couldn’t forget the most important thing: making sure I had the justification.

“I could let it go once or twice, but this happens every time. It’s suffocating. Don’t you agree, Assistant Manager Song?”

Assistant Manager Song Ahri.

She was a working mother.

She had said she wanted to spend enough time with her child on weekends, since she came into the office on weekdays, but work gave her no room to do so. I had heard her say several times lately that she was considering quitting.

“It is... difficult, Team Leader.”

The OTT industry’s sudden growth was certainly a big factor, but it was true that far too much work had been concentrated on the Operations Team.

Thanks to Team Leader Kim.

* * *

[If you’re so good at fighting, why can’t you speak up? When you’re dealing with other teams, that is!]

The shouting from the meeting room carried outside.

The office was as quiet as a library, so the clash between Team Leader Kim and Min-hyeok could not help but be heard beyond the room.

- Oh dear. I knew this would explode someday.

- It’s gone too far. Team Leader Kim only cares about his own reputation, so he never says anything unpleasant outside the team.

- The team members are the ones getting worked to death.

“Hmm?”

Yoon Hyeon-su, director of GoPlay’s Operations Management Bureau, was passing the meeting room when Director Yoon heard the shouting. The Operations Team was under Director Yoon’s bureau, making Director Yoon Team Leader Kim’s direct superior.

Director Yoon asked an employee seated near the meeting room entrance.

“What’s going on in there?”

“The Operations Team is having a meeting.”

“The Operations Team?”

Team Leader Kim Se-jun was forty-eight this year, while Director Yoon Hyeon-su, his direct superior, was forty-three.

Director Yoon was considerably younger than Team Leader Kim and had long been displeased with Team Leader Kim’s overly defensive approach to work.

‘It would be nice if he were more proactive.’

Still, Team Leader Kim was not only Director Yoon’s subordinate, but also Director Yoon’s senior at the company. That naturally made things awkward.

Director Yoon had hinted at these feelings indirectly, but it was difficult to press the issue forcefully.

[The Curation Team failed to coordinate their work. Every team has its own schedule. If they wanted our cooperation, they should have shared their plan beforehand and asked for our understanding.]

Director Yoon couldn’t tell who was speaking from the voice alone, but very much liked the speaker’s attitude.

It reminded Director Yoon of their younger self.

[You just listened, said, “Yes, understood,” and came back? You’re the head of this team, aren’t you?]

“Heh.”

Director Yoon let out a small laugh.

‘Why does that feel so satisfying?’

“Do you know who said that?”

Director Yoon asked the employee beside them.

“I think it was Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok from the Operations Team.”

“Ah, Assistant Manager Go.”

The most experienced employee on the Operations Team after the team leader.

Director Yoon remembered Min-hyeok because of the team’s strange structure, where the position directly below the team leader was assistant manager.

One of the Operations Team’s problems was its lack of middle management.

Even when Director Yoon had offered to add manager-level staff, Team Leader Kim had adamantly refused to bring in more middle managers.

He claimed the current staff could handle the workload, but everyone knew the real reason.

He wanted to secure his own position.

[Then you do it yourself!]

Team Leader Kim’s shout rang out.

“Oh?”

Smiling, Director Yoon spoke to the employee by the meeting room door.

“This is getting interesting.”

“Ha ha...”

The employee laughed awkwardly, while Director Yoon remained in place to watch.

* * *

It had gone as far as it could go.

For a moment, I felt intimidated by the look in Team Leader Kim’s eyes as he raised his fighting spirit again.

Grit.

I clenched my teeth.

Even if this went badly and I was pressured into resigning for insubordination, there was no reason to be afraid. I had more than enough to live on now.

Besides, wasn’t it meaningful enough that I had spoken up for my team members?

“Am I the team leader? Why should I do that?”

I lifted my chin and faced Team Leader Kim.

- Assistant Manager Go, that’s enough now.

- I’m so worried I could die.

The teammates who had stayed silent tried to stop me, but if I stopped here, I would accomplish nothing.

Team Leader Kim snorted.

“Assistant Manager Go, is there really something wrong with your head? Did you win the lottery or something? What’s gotten into you? Seriously?”

I was an author with four works under my belt, and I owned a work that brought in 100 million won a month.

Lottery winners had nothing on me.

“Is there some reason you can’t speak to the Curation Team yourself, Team Leader?”

“...”

“This isn’t our job! Clean up your own mess! Why can’t you say it? Why can’t you just say it?!”

I shouted, and Team Leader Kim flinched.

He blinked in confusion before hardening his gaze again.

“The Curation Team is making the request. Do you have the guts to refuse? Look at you. You make a scene with me, but when I tell you to make the request yourself, you say you can’t.”

“When did I say I couldn’t? I said it isn’t my job.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Then is talking back to your team leader right now something appropriate for your position?”

“...”

“Am I wrong?”

Damn it, this wasn’t easy. No wonder he was the team leader.

Still, I didn’t back down.

“Yes. It is appropriate for my position.”

“...”

“You are making the team suffer by failing to do your job as team leader, so as a team member, I have every right to voice my opinion.”

Team Leader Kim shook his head and closed his laptop, intending to end the meeting.

He didn’t want to deal with me anymore, but if it ended like this, nothing would change.

It was a little burdensome, but...

“And I will go speak to the Curation Team.”

- Assistant Manager Go!

- Are you crazy?!

“However, do not talk behind my back about overstepping my authority. Since you said you could not do it, Team Leader, I will step in as acting team leader.”

Team Leader Kim’s face stiffened at the words “acting team leader.” Since he only cared about keeping his position, he had to be sensitive about that.

I understood his circumstances, given his age, but I thought another position would suit him better than team leader.

“Assistant Manager Go, don’t go overboard.”

Now that I had actually said I would go, Team Leader Kim looked flustered.

But I rose from my seat.

“Then I’ll report back after I return.”

After bowing, I left the meeting room.

* * *

“Senior! Slow down. Hah... hah.”

A junior colleague caught up to me and stopped me.

“Why are you going from zero to a hundred like this?”

Assistant Manager Jeon Seung-hyeon.

We were senior and junior colleagues, but we were only a year apart and got along comfortably like friends.

“What? I didn’t say anything wrong.”

After catching my breath and thinking about it, I realized I must have had a lot built up inside me.

Even with the confidence that came from the 100 million won in my bank account, I had gone too far.

I had already prepared myself to be fired anyway.

I didn’t want to hesitate.

“Senior, don’t do this. Go back now and apologize to Team Leader Kim.”

“Why should I apologize?!”

“...”

“How long are you going to live with your eyes shut and your ears closed?”

Assistant Manager Jeon gazed at me and spoke.

“That’s what you always said, Senior. That the wise way to survive at a company was to shut your eyes and ears, do only your assigned work, and keep your job for the long haul.”

Ah. I had said that.

Back when the salary deposited into my account was all I had.

“The situation has changed.”

“How?”

Assistant Manager Jeon studied my eyes.

“Tell me, at least. Something happened to you, didn’t it?”

“...”

“Did one of your stock investments take off? Or are you changing jobs?”

No one knew I wrote.

But right now, my mouth was itching to tell Assistant Manager Jeon.

I wanted to say that, beyond my salary, I earned over 100 million won a month in royalties.

“What could’ve happened? I’m just trying to act like a proper senior for once.”