Mistaken for an S-Class Employee - Chapter 9

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Mistaken for an S-Class Employee ◈

Chapter 9: Be Careful

──────

“That would be the cathartic payoff, above all else.”

“Ha ha. Right?”

When I wrote novels, cathartic payoffs were what I focused on most.

I wrote to relieve stress by letting loose in my stories everything I could never do in real life.

Assistant Manager Jeon nodded emphatically.

“Every successful web novel has that element, but Writer Gofree’s cathartic payoffs feel a little different.”

“How so?”

“Hmm... I guess you could say they carry a deep-seated rage?”

“...”

“It feels like the writer is working through unfair things they personally experienced.”

I was surprised. They said readers knew everything, and Assistant Manager Jeon had pinpointed exactly what my writing was about.

“Why are you so surprised? Don’t you think so too, senior?”

“Ah, I was thinking the exact same thing.”

I needed to agree a little so I wouldn’t seem strange.

“That’s why Gofree’s writing feels more relatable, right?”

“Exactly. Relatability. That’s one of its biggest strengths.”

Assistant Manager Jeon spoke excitedly.

“The stories don’t really make sense, though. Who threatens their boss while peeling fruit with a knife?”

“Hmm... Right. The author should reflect on that part.”

“But it’s not like it could never happen. They’re holding the knife to peel fruit, not to threaten someone. Though that might not be what they’re really thinking. Ha ha.”

Assistant Manager Jeon laughed.

“That’s what I like about it. It seems absurd, but you can still think it might happen.”

I nodded deeply.

“Have a drink. Have a drink.”

Hearing such praise firsthand made me feel like I was floating.

I had poured all my effort into this work, cutting into my sleep to do it. Being recognized felt wonderful.

Gulp.

Maybe because I was in such a good mood, but the alcohol tasted incredible.

“Ah, this tastes great today!”

“Ha ha. Yes. The tuna is delicious too.”

Assistant Manager Jeon smiled.

“You seem to be in a really good mood today, senior.”

“It’s thanks to you.”

“What did I do? Have you been craving a drink lately?”

“No. I’m happy because I can talk about a novel I like with someone.”

Assistant Manager Jeon nodded.

“Me too. Whenever I drink with people from work, all we talk about is badmouthing our bosses or work. It’s nice to talk about something else.”

We kept drinking while using <The Office Worker from the Apocalypse> as our drinking conversation, when Assistant Manager Jeon said something meaningful.

“Writer Gofree has a lot of strengths, but... there is one disappointing point that runs through all four works.”

“What is it?”

The alcohol haze vanished at once.

They were a reader who cared about the work. I wanted to hear even their criticism.

“It’s part of why I read novels, but... it’s a little disappointing that all four are workplace stories.”

That couldn’t be helped.

Workplace stories were what powered my writing.

“Isn’t it natural for an author to write what they’re most confident in?”

“That’s true. But all four works having the same company setting is a bit much.”

Assistant Manager Jeon gave a small laugh.

“I think I know why, but it does make the author seem a little less hardworking.”

Curious, I asked, “Why do you think that is?”

“Obviously because the author is an office worker.”

* * *

The word “office worker” gave me a start.

Surely not...

The category was far too broad. I was being oversensitive.

I pushed the thought aside and focused on what Assistant Manager Jeon was saying.

“Since they’re in the same genre, I think it’s inevitable that they can feel a little repetitive even if the stories themselves differ.”

“Wouldn’t there also be readers who remember and seek out the flavor they want?”

“Of course. But there will also be readers like me who want a variety of stories. I think Writer Gofree would be good at other genres too.”

It was something that had troubled me throughout my writing career.

It wasn’t as though I had never considered trying another genre.

But writing while holding down a job was difficult enough. I had compromised with myself, telling myself it couldn’t be helped.

Assistant Manager Jeon had hit the nail on the head.

As I listened, I thought I should gather the courage to try something new in my next work.

“But... what do you think, senior? Doesn’t Writer Gofree seem like an office worker?”

“Who knows? Maybe they just research thoroughly before writing.”

I deliberately answered as though it were no big deal, but Assistant Manager Jeon smiled and shook their head.

“It’s too realistic for that. Looking at the organizational chart in the story, it even seems similar to our company. You’d know if you’ve read the novel too, senior.”

“Every major company has a similar organizational chart. And corporations disclose a certain amount of information, so wouldn’t it be easy to use? You can find it all online.”

Cold sweat ran down my back.

There had to be more than one web novelist working another job.

Why was I so nervous just because they had made such a vague guess? Maybe it was worse because it was a coworker saying it.

“No. Writer Gofree is definitely an office worker. Since I’m one too, I can tell. There’s a clear difference between writing based on research and writing that comes from experience.”

As the work became popular, more people were reading it.

From now on, I would have to consider all sorts of things when preparing a story.

I was about to change the subject when Assistant Manager Jeon asked, “Surely the writer isn’t someone from our company?”

I jolted.

“Wh-what are you talking about?!”

I waved both hands and forced a laugh.

“Ha ha. You’re getting too immersed in it.”

“There is one person who comes to mind, though.”

Gulp.

I swallowed hard.

“Could it be Team Leader Kim?!”

“Pfft!”

I spat out my drink without thinking.

I had never expected Team Leader Kim to come up.

Still, I was glad they hadn’t picked me.

“Why are you laughing? It could be Team Leader Kim. He doesn’t seem to do any work, but he’s always hammering away at his keyboard.”

“What if you’re Writer Gofree?”

“Me? Ha ha.”

Assistant Manager Jeon laughed loudly.

“I’d really like that.”

* * *

Assistant Manager Jeon emptied their glass and said, “Can just anyone become a writer?”

“Who starts out as a writer? If you’re interested, you try it.”

“...”

“You seem to read a lot of web novels too. Give it a try. It’s not like it requires any investment.”

Writing itself wasn’t difficult.

Becoming popular was insanely difficult.

Still, if they were interested, I wanted to recommend giving it a try.

In my experience, writing alone could be healing.

“And if you succeed, you can make a lot of money too.”

“Hmm...”

Assistant Manager Jeon stared at their hand with tipsy eyes and murmured, “Should I give it a try? Maybe there’s a genius writer inside me that I never knew about.”

They definitely seemed to have read a lot of web novels.

“What if I start, then become frightened of myself because my talent is so overwhelming?”

“...”

“What if I make more money than I can handle, and fame makes me lose myself?”

“We can think about that when it happens.”

I knew readers liked fast pacing, but Assistant Manager Jeon was moving far too fast.

“Come to think of it, the ideas I had always seem to become top works someday. If I had written them when I thought of them, I might be a legendary author by now.”

It was funny, but I didn’t laugh. They were a precious reader.

“Exactly. You should have written them then! Here, have a drink!”

“Ha ha, yes, senior.”

Clink!

Drinking quickly in my good mood, I was getting fairly tipsy.

“So, are you going to start right away?”

At my question, Assistant Manager Jeon gave me a thumbs-up.

“What the hell, I’ll give it a shot. Writing five thousand characters every day might be a little rough, though.”

“It’s hard at first, but you’ll get used to it as you go. That’s how life is, right?”

I had been the same. At first, finishing something within three days had been difficult, let alone in a single day.

But now, it wasn’t difficult at all.

“If I succeed, I’ll buy you a meal, senior!”

“Got it. If you ever want to discuss your writing, talk to me anytime. I’ll give you advice as a reader!”

“Ha ha, yes. Ah, this drinking session has been so productive. Ha ha.”

I agreed.

It was the most enjoyable drinking session I’d had in a while.

* * *

We got up after ten o’clock.

Talking about something we both liked with someone whose tastes matched mine, I had lost track of time.

If tomorrow had been a day off, we might have parted even later.

Until now, I had written entirely alone.

On minor galleries, fellow writers interacted and gave one another critiques and feedback.

But I barely had enough time to write while working at a company, so I had no time for online communities.

There was nothing I could do about my situation, but I had to admit I was envious and curious when I saw writers communicating with one another.

So this was what it felt like.

Having an in-depth discussion about my work was both satisfying and useful.

When I got home, I entered the passcode and carefully opened the door in case my younger sister was asleep.

“You’re home?”

Our parents lived in the provinces, and I lived in Seoul with my younger sister.

My sister Min-gyeong came out of her room looking groggy.

“Why did you come out? You should just sleep.”

“I came out because I had to use the bathroom.”

My sister worked at a company too.

There was quite an age gap between us, so she tended to look up to her older brother.

As usual, I changed clothes and sat down at my desk.

“Are you going to write?”

When I turned on my laptop, Min-gyeong watched me and asked.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you have work tomorrow?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then just sleep. What are you going to write after coming home drunk?”

My sister only knew that I wrote. She didn’t know I was actively publishing as an author.

So she thought I was an aspiring writer, but instead of stopping me, she cheered me on.

“I like writing. It heals me.”

“You’re amazing. Is my brother going to become a hugely successful author at this rate?”

“If I do, I’ll buy Min-gyeong a designer bag.”

“Hee hee. Forget it. Just don’t push yourself too hard.”

She’d be so happy if she found out I was writing installments worth 3.4 million won each.

Sometimes I wanted to share the good news with my family as soon as possible, but I felt it would turn into a whole thing. I planned to tell them with relief on the day I quit my job.

“Drink this while you work.”

Min-gyeong set a cup of honey water on my desk and went back to her room to sleep.

I opened a Hangul document.

I looked at the black cursor blinking on the white screen.

What should I write about?

This was the happiest time of my day.

As I considered this and that, I thought of Team Leader Jo, whom I had met for the first time in the Content Team today.

Before long, the events of Episode 185 unfolded in my mind.

I had a feeling today’s episode would be fun.

The corners of my mouth lifted, and all my fatigue disappeared.

Footnotes:

In Korean web-fiction slang, “cider” refers to the satisfying release of seeing injustice answered or wrongdoers put in their place.