Mistaken for an S-Class Employee - Chapter 4

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Mistaken for an S-Class Employee ◈

Chapter 4: Let's Not Put Up With It (1)

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Ever since I caused that scene at work yesterday, Team Leader Kim hadn't been able to look me in the eye.

They weren't the sort to let something like that slide, so they must have given Director Yoon a bad report about me.

I had been wondering what stance I should take if I got an earful.

But Director Yoon called me in for good news?

“How old are you, Assistant Manager Go?”

“Thirty-one.”

“Hmm... Young. Let's see. How many years have you been here?”

“I became an assistant manager last year. This is my fifth year.”

Director Yoon nodded.

“You must know the Operations Team's workflow inside and out.”

After a year in Operations, anyone could grasp the overall flow. The work was broad but shallow, so there was no need to dig deeply into any one area.

But why was Director Yoon bringing this up?

“There wouldn't be much trouble without Team Leader Kim.”

“...”

“I plan to leave the Operations Team Leader position vacant.”

“What?!”

I blinked.

What was this supposed to mean all of a sudden?

Director Yoon looked amused.

“Why? Surprised? Isn't this what you and the rest of the team want?”

Everything at a company had an intention behind it.

Stay sharp and think.

I've made three people into conglomerate chairmen.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Perhaps because I think you're special?”

I had never shared any sort of connection with Director Yoon, and I had only seen them a few times.

Why?

Because of the scene I made yesterday?

I only had more questions, so I asked to make things clearer.

“Then Team Leader Kim Se-jun...?”

“Ah, Team Leader Kim.”

Surely they hadn't been hurt by yesterday's incident and offered to step down on their own?

They would never do that.

“I think there may be a position that suits them better than team leader.”

So Director Yoon really intended to remove them.

I stared into Director Yoon's eyes. They meant it.

Director Yoon wasn't testing me.

My actions yesterday had broken some carefully maintained balance.

Not just my fate, but the fates of many people had changed.

“Who are you planning to appoint as the new team leader?”

I decided to ask outright and watch Director Yoon’s reaction.

It was a method Hyeok often used whenever an unforeseen situation arose.

“I plan to hold the post concurrently.”

“...”

“The Operations Team doesn't really need a team leader.”

That wasn't wrong.

The team was running fine even though Team Leader Kim barely did anything.

“I still don't understand why you're telling me this.”

“Because I think you can make the team leader position vacant.”

“What?!”

I looked at Director Yoon in disbelief, but they smiled.

“Even as their direct superior, I can't simply dismiss a team leader whenever I please.”

“...”

“Public opinion needs to build first, and I was very pleased with what you did yesterday.”

“...”

“I'll have your back, so don't be afraid. I hope you'll conduct yourself at work with even more integrity. That's why I called you in.”

* * *

In a novel, this would be when I became the youngest team leader and started charging ahead. Even if the plausibility was a little thin, the reward had to be clear.

Reality and novels were different, but something given always called for something in return.

I saw Director Yoon's unusual proposal as an opportunity.

“What do I get out of this?”

The Operations Team.

There was plenty of work, but little of it showed results.

On the other hand, it was a team that would never disappear.

At an OTT company, changing projects often caused teams to vanish, but content intake management could never go away.

“A stable team, though it was hard to show results.”

Until my royalties reached 100 million won a month, Operations had been the best team for me.

But now...

“Conducting yourself with integrity at work isn't easy.”

If I stayed in Operations, I could hold onto my position for a long time, but that wasn't what I wanted anymore.

I wanted to experience a variety of things that money couldn't buy, things I could only do at a company.

And beyond earning 100 million won a month in royalties, I had another goal.

I wanted to find out how to prepare a work for a web-novel screen adaptation.

Director Yoon shrugged.

“What reward could there be for faithfully following your superior's instructions? Isn't it obvious?”

Performance reviews, promotions, salary increases.

The rewards a company offered were predictable.

“Is there something specific you want?”

What I wanted was a transfer, but I kept that to myself.

This wasn't the place to bring it up.

“Don't overthink it. I just don't want yesterday's incident to make you shrink back. I want you to be bolder at work.”

“...”

“And once the team leader position is vacant, I want you, someone who knows the actual work well, to assist me.”

Director Yoon smiled faintly.

“Then wouldn't good things come your way?”

What an ambiguous way to put it.

Corporate life meant swallowing what was sweet and spitting out what was bitter. As a writer working on my fourth office novel, I knew that all too well.

I stayed silent, and the more I did, the harder Director Yoon tried to sweeten the deal.

“If you assist me well after the position becomes vacant, I may make you Acting Team Leader.”

“...”

“It may be acting in name, but it's practically the same as being team leader. You'd get an allowance too.”

“How much?”

I wasn't interested, but I was curious.

As though granting some enormous favor, Director Yoon spread all ten fingers and said,

“One million won a month.”

I let out a small laugh without meaning to.

One million won a month...

That wasn't even a day's income from the work I was currently serializing.

“What did that laugh mean?”

“Nothing.”

It would be better if I made the deal myself.

“I'll make the Operations Team Leader position vacant, as you wish.”

Director Yoon looked flustered, glanced around, and lowered his voice.

“Hey. Keep your voice down.”

“On one condition.”

I spoke clearly to Director Yoon.

“Once the team leader position is vacant, I want you to grant me what I ask for.”

“What is it?”

“I don't know yet. I'll tell you then.”

Just as Director Yoon had, I answered ambiguously.

“What if you ask for something I can't handle?”

Superiors really were defensive.

If that was how it would be, Director Yoon shouldn't have brought it up in the first place.

“I'll ask for something within your authority.”

“Hmm... So nothing beyond my authority?”

“Yes.”

Director Yoon nodded for a moment before answering.

“All right.”

One thing superiors were good at was changing their words.

I fixed Director Yoon with a hard look and made sure to nail this down.

“So you clearly promise that once the Operations Team Leader position is vacant, you'll grant my request as long as it's within your authority?”

“Yes.”

“You can't change your story later.”

“Why can't you trust what people say? I said all right.”

Superiors were good at changing their words.

There was no way Director Yoon would agree if I asked them to put it in a text or email.

So I made a simple recording.

* * *

I had put a safeguard in place. Now all I had to do was keep my promise and go my own way.

I did feel a slight twinge of pity for Team Leader Kim, but conglomerates couldn't fire people that easily anyway.

When I thought of myself and the team members who had worked without weekends for four years because of their incompetence, and former colleagues who hadn't been able to endure it and left the company...

“I'll just help them find a position that suits them.”

It was Director Yoon's request, but I didn't think it went against the greater good.

“Assistant Manager Go!”

When I entered the office, Assistant Manager Jeon hurried over.

“Why did you take so long?”

It hadn't felt like we talked about much, but when I checked the time, an hour had passed.

“We got caught up talking about this and that. Why? Was someone looking for me?”

“Don't even ask. Team Leader Kim was pacing around and asking for you over and over.”

“...”

“They knew you were with Director Yoon, so they couldn't exactly tell me to call you.”

Team Leader Kim had sensed their position was in danger by instinct.

You didn't become a team leader for nothing.

“Sunbae, nothing's wrong, is it?”

“What could be wrong? You're worrying over nothing.”

“Honestly, yesterday made me feel so relieved because of you, Sunbae, but I'm still nervous. And I'm not the only one.”

I looked around at the team members and could feel them watching my reaction.

“People from other departments keep asking whether our team is okay, too.”

I gave a small laugh.

“What could possibly happen at a company? At worst, I'll get fired.”

I said it casually, but Assistant Manager Jeon's face went pale at the word “fired.”

I used to be like that too, before I began making so much money from royalties.

“How can you say something like that so casually?”

Assistant Manager Jeon carefully examined my face.

“Sunbae, you're really okay, right? There isn't some trouble at home or anything...?”

I smiled.

I understood that reaction perfectly well.

“How many times are you going to ask the same thing? I'm telling you, nothing's wrong. Where did Team Leader Kim go?”

“To the team leaders' meeting.”

“Ah, then they'll be gone for a while.”

I called out to the team members working nearby.

“Would you like some coffee? It's on me.”

* * *

We went down to the café on the first floor.

Taking out my wallet, I said,

“You can order something other than an Americano.”

Assistant Manager Jeon Seung-hyeon, in the first year at that rank.

Assistant Manager Song Ahri, a working mother.

Employee Nam Ha-neul, who had joined last year.

I looked around at the Operations Team members seated at the table.

They were all passive people, living their work lives as though they were barely there.

“Assistant Manager Go, thank you so much for yesterday.”

Assistant Manager Song smiled.

“It felt so good to hear someone say what I always wanted to say. Ho ho.”

Assistant Manager Jeon added,

“I was terrified the whole time. But Assistant Manager Go, you were really amazing. Ha ha.”

I hadn't invited them out for coffee just to hear this kind of pointless talk.

There might have been someone who unexpectedly supported Team Leader Kim.

I wasn't alone on the team. If someone disagreed with me, I intended to reconsider pushing Team Leader Kim out.

“Was anyone uncomfortable?”

I watched the team members' expressions as they took in my question, but nothing stood out.

They simply looked at me in confusion.

“You might think I went too far. That's why I'm asking.”

A brief silence followed.

Everyone watched one another's reactions. Assistant Manager Song and Assistant Manager Jeon had already agreed with what happened yesterday.

But Employee Nam Ha-neul had been quiet the entire time.

“What about you, Ha-neul? Was I too harsh?”

Nam Ha-neul watched the others' reactions, then spoke cautiously.

“Can I be honest?”

“Of course.”

Nam Ha-neul clenched a fist.

“It was so satisfying. Damn it. He doesn't do anything himself, but he makes us handle every little errand, like copies and coffee. And with work too. If he's not going to help, he shouldn't interfere. Nitpicking every little thing...”

Now I understood why Nam Ha-neul had been quiet until then: for fear of being unable to control those emotions.

As the youngest member of the team, Nam Ha-neul had acted as Team Leader Kim's lackey and had a lot of pent-up frustration.

Once again, I felt sorry for the team members.

“That's enough. Still, let's not curse.”

“Ah, yes. Sorry.”

Once I had confirmed that we were all on the same page, I spoke to the team.

“From now on, let's not put up with it.”

There was strength in speaking up together rather than alone.

“We came to this company to work, not to perform emotional labor.”

I knew better than anyone the feeling of swallowing your complaints and continuing to work.

I had been the same.

“Tell the team leader confidently when something isn't right.”