WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken for an S-Class Employee ◈
Chapter 5: Let's Not Put Up With It (2)
──────
My work contained plenty I had written with Team Leader Kim in mind. The company’s shitty circumstances had given me a lot of inspiration.
Readers had really loved the scenes where the villainous team leader got taken down, but now I was trying to do it in real life.
“I’m not just saying this. I mean it. I’ll help, so let’s change things.”
They only gave awkward smiles and did not reply right away. Then they answered halfheartedly.
“Ah, yes.”
“Thank you.”
“Right. Let’s all do our best.”
There was no conviction behind it.
They knew it was necessary, but they did not want to be the ones to stick their necks out.
Had they watched me make such a scene yesterday and still not trusted me?
I had started this for my own purposes, but it was something everyone needed too. I hoped they would find the courage when the opportunity came.
“Assistant Manager Song.”
People gave proper answers when they were addressed directly.
It was like sending an email to everyone. Nobody ever replied.
“Yes.”
“You have a lot of complaints about Team Leader Kim. You’ve told me plenty of times before.”
“...”
“Let’s speak up together. I’ve already gotten the ball rolling.”
Assistant Manager Song answered with a troubled expression.
“Well, I do have complaints, but isn’t that just part of working life?”
“...”
“I think just you speaking up would be enough to get our opinions across, Assistant Manager Go.”
Assistant Manager Song suddenly smiled brightly.
“Ah! Why don’t you gather the team’s complaints and speak to the team leader on our behalf?”
I knew how she felt. I had been the same.
“You’re the most senior member of the team, and after yesterday, I don’t think Team Leader Kim can ignore what you say.”
Nam Ha-neul, who had not said a word until then, chimed in.
“Right! That seems more efficient.”
“We need to stand up together. If we do that, nothing will change. Only one person ends up looking like the strange one.”
I was speaking to the three of them, but these were also words I had wanted to say to myself after standing by for so long.
“How long are we going to put up with unreasonable things at work? I’m saying we should call something wrong when it’s wrong. It’s that simple.”
“...”
“They won’t know unless we speak up. If we only keep enduring it, the people above us will think we’re doing fine. You all know that.”
Memories of the past came back, and my voice gradually rose.
“Just look at our headcount allocation. The Operations Team is supposed to have five people, but because we’ve kept things running even after someone left, they won’t replace them. They have no idea the people left behind are working themselves to the bone.”
“...”
“I think there can only be a chance of change if we say we’re struggling when we’re struggling, and say something is wrong when it’s wrong. Ha-neul!”
“Yes, Assistant Manager Go.”
I looked Nam Ha-neul straight in the eye.
“You hate working here too, don’t you?”
I looked around at the three of them.
“Let’s work according to our principles, stop doing pointless tasks, and rest when it’s time to rest.”
“...”
“Let’s have a normal, reasonable working life.”
After pouring all that out, I suddenly had a reality check.
What was I even saying? I had planned to quit once my monthly royalties exceeded a hundred million won.
* * *
“Sunbae, are your moods all over the place?”
I flinched and looked at Assistant Manager Jeon.
Could Assistant Manager Jeon see into my heart?
Those instincts were incredible.
“What are you talking about?”
“I can tell just from your expression. You look like you’ve had a sudden reality check.”
When my eyes widened in surprise, Assistant Manager Jeon smiled.
“I sit next to you and see your face every day, Sunbae. I can tell at a glance.”
Assistant Manager Jeon could guess someone’s inner thoughts just by reading their expression.
Not bad. I should use that in a novel someday.
Something like <The Office Worker Who Reads Expressions>.
“What are you thinking about now?”
Assistant Manager Jeon was still staring intently at my face, so I turned away.
“Nothing. Stop staring at me.”
Assistant Manager Jeon smiled, took a sip of coffee, and said,
“I didn’t know you had such noble ideas about working life.”
“...”
“The hardest thing is to stay in the middle. Don’t obsess over promotions, it’s only a difference of a million won. Working life is slave life. Getting cursed at is part of your salary. Let it go in one ear and out the other...”
“Stop.”
Those were things I had said in the past, things that did not suit what I was doing now. It was a little embarrassing.
“I really don’t understand this sudden change in attitude. You haven’t been possessed by someone else, have you?”
Possessed?
“What nonsense.”
Assistant Manager Jeon smiled.
“I’m saying it because you changed overnight. You’re kind of like the protagonist of a web novel I’m enjoying these days. A person who lived through an apocalypse transmigrates into the protagonist, and...”
As Assistant Manager Jeon briefly explained the plot, it sounded very familiar.
No way...
“Ahem! Wh-what’s the title of that novel?”
I stuttered without meaning to.
“The Office Worker from the Apocalypse.”
“...”
“It’s really hot these days. Was the author’s pen name Gofree?”
Oh my god.
Assistant Manager Jeon... was my precious reader.
It was the first time I had met one of my readers in real life.
And this reader had been working right beside me.
“What’s a web novel?”
“That sounds fun just from the premise. What’s the title again?”
Assistant Manager Jeon smiled and told the team members,
“The Office Worker from the Apocalypse. I don’t usually pay to read, but I couldn’t help keeping up with this one.”
I pretended not to know and asked,
“Do you leave comments too?”
“Of course. I leave encouraging comments on every chapter.”
Assistant Manager Jeon looked adorable.
I should really treat Assistant Manager Jeon well from now on.
“That author must get a lot of encouragement from that.”
“Do they? It’s such a popular work, and there are so many comments that I don’t know if they even see mine.”
“They definitely do.”
Since Assistant Manager Jeon read my novel, they seemed likely to understand what I was trying to do.
“There’s a reason you read cathartic office stories too, Assistant Manager Jeon. There are lots of frustrating things about working life. I’ll take the lead.”
I looked at Assistant Manager Song and Nam Ha-neul.
“I’m not asking us to do anything grand. Let’s just say what we need to say.”
Maybe because I had stressed it several times, I could see their expressions change.
This was enough. Pushing any harder would make them resist. Now I could only trust them and watch their reactions.
I checked the clock.
“It’s about time Team Leader Kim arrived. Let’s go up to the office.”
Assistant Manager Song and Nam Ha-neul stood first.
As I followed behind Assistant Manager Jeon, I put a hand on their shoulder and said,
“Thank you.”
“Huh? For what?”
“Just because.”
If I ever met a reader, I had wanted to tell them thank you.
“And it wasn’t possession. It was a return.”
“Huh?”
“In The Office Worker from the Apocalypse, the protagonist traveled to another dimension and then returned.”
“Ah, well, does that really matter? I guess you know that novel too, Assistant Manager Go?”
I gave a faint smile.
“Of course. I know it well.”
* * *
Step. Step.
Team Leader Kim was heading back to the office after a meeting.
When he came to work, he liked nothing more than staying holed up at his desk, but after yesterday, being in the office felt uncomfortable.
Should I rearrange the seating?
Min-hyeok, who sat directly across from him, especially bothered him. Yesterday had hit him too hard, and he did not even want to face him.
Near the Operations Team office, Team Leader Kim glanced inside before entering.
He wanted to see what the team members were doing and whether Min-hyeok was at his desk.
Huh? He’s not there?
Min-hyeok was nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the team was working at their respective desks.
I can’t do anything about Go Min-hyeok, but I should at least put the rest of the team in their place.
He considered whom to target in order to restore the authority he had lost yesterday.
It’s been... difficult, Team Leader.
He remembered Assistant Manager Song agreeing with Min-hyeok.
His blood pressure shot up, and he immediately headed inside.
“Ahem!”
When Team Leader Kim made his presence known upon entering the office, the team greeted him.
“Welcome back, sir.”
“Good work.”
Assistant Manager Song, however, was so focused on work that she did not notice him come in.
“Hey, Assistant Manager Song.”
At Team Leader Kim’s call, Assistant Manager Song finally looked up and greeted him.
“Ah, yes. You’re back, Team Leader.”
“Are you treating me like a ghost?”
“Pardon?”
“I said, are you ignoring me?”
“I was focused on work and didn’t realize you had arrived. I’m sorry.”
“What are you so focused on? Ah, are you trying to leave on the dot again today?”
Smack!
Team Leader Kim roughly threw the notebook in his hand onto the desk and spoke coldly.
“Why didn’t you respond to last night’s streaming incident at midnight?”
“Assistant Manager Go found it first and sent the details to the Development Team, so after confirming that, I didn’t take any separate action...”
“You didn’t know about the incident because you were looking after your kid!”
Assistant Manager Song had been slightly late responding because her older child had a fever and needed care.
It was not enough to be a problem, and the Operations Team rule was that whichever team member discovered an incident first handled it, regardless of who was assigned to it.
Team Leader Kim glared at Assistant Manager Song.
“Does being a working mother give you a free pass?”
“...”
“Do you get to skip work because you’re looking after your child? Then take a pay cut too!”
“...”
“I don’t need to hear about your kid being sick. Just do your job properly!”
Team Leader Kim shouted.
“You don’t even consider the company schedule. You keep using your kids as an excuse to take paid leave!”
Team Leader Kim pointed a finger at Assistant Manager Song.
“Do you think this company is child’s play? If your family is so precious, don’t come to work. Focus on your family. A person needs to have a sense of responsibility.”
Assistant Manager Song had been caught in the fallout from yesterday.
Team Leader Kim kept going for a long time, while Assistant Manager Song silently listened.
Assistant Manager Jeon could not stand it any longer and was about to speak up.
“Team Leader, you’re back. You must have worked hard.”
Min-hyeok entered the office and greeted him.
The moment Team Leader Kim saw his face, he panicked. He stopped spewing abuse and pressed his lips shut.
Min-hyeok sat down.
Unlike Team Leader Kim, who was uncomfortable, Assistant Manager Song felt courage rise within her when she saw Min-hyeok’s face.
Still seated, she clenched her fist so tightly that it trembled. Then she abruptly stood.
“Team Leader, apologize for what you just said.”
“What?!”
Assistant Manager Song opened her eyes wide and stared at Team Leader Kim.
“I have never acted against company regulations, and I believe your remarks just now could be problematic.”
Whenever Team Leader Kim berated her in the past, Assistant Manager Song had only held it in, then left the office to wipe away her tears.
“Why are you bringing up working mothers and family matters when we’re discussing company work?”
“I can’t even say that much? Did I say anything untrue? What could possibly be wrong with that...?”
Assistant Manager Song turned on her phone’s recorder and said,
“Then repeat exactly what you just said to me. I’ll record it and send it to HR to confirm whether there is any problem.”
“...”
“Or should I ask the other team members to testify?”
Team Leader Kim swallowed dryly.
What is wrong with these people? Seriously?
Assistant Manager Song shouted sharply.
“If you’re so confident, say it again!”
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