WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving Among the Anomalies ◈
Chapter 65: Chairman and New Employee Lee Seung-hoon
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“Ha ha ha! Here you are! Please take good care of Sarang Trading Company in my stead from now on!”
The former chairman, Han Sarang, politely greeted me and handed over the chairman’s office. Over the last five days, I had bought his shares, discussed the transaction with him, and often gone drinking with him. He wasn’t a bad person.
‘He was actually quite frank and decent.’
Sarang Trading Company had ended up like this because he had no interest whatsoever in running it.
It seemed strange that this could happen when there was nothing wrong with his character, but history had countless examples like that.
‘They say even the cruelest dictator in the world was a kind neighbor to those around them.’
Of course, he might have been hiding his true nature because money was involved, but at least the Han Sarang I had experienced was that kind of person.
“Now then, how should I run Sarang Trading Company?”
Socrates said, ‘Know thyself.’
I had little social experience and no talent for running a corporation. With destruction capable of sprouting from this place at any moment, I didn’t have the leisure to spend time learning.
“That’s why I think I’ll need your help.”
『Leave it to me.』
“First, let’s solve the battery problem.”
Sarang-i was practically omnipotent in modern society, but there was one problem. It consumed an enormous amount of battery power.
‘Sarang-i charges by 1% an hour, while most functions consume over 10% battery power. Every time I use one, there’s also the additional consumption needed to maintain its AI functions, so I can’t use it for long.’
I took out a charger first. Nothing visibly changed after I sprayed it with Enhancement Potion.
“I’ll try charging it like this.”
I plugged the charger into an outlet in the chairman’s office and charged Sarang-i, but the charging speed remained unchanged.
『The charger’s output appears insufficient.』
“Is that so?”
I took the smartphone and charger to the factory. Some people looked at me as though an outsider had wandered in, while others couldn’t believe that I had become the chairman.
“You don’t need to mind me. I may be the chairman, but I’m also a new employee, so please feel free to treat me casually.”
“Ah, yes……”
I sprayed Enhancement Potion on the large generator installed in the factory. There was no obvious change in its appearance, but an outlet capable of holding several plugs appeared. Once I plugged in the charger and charged the smartphone, something astonishing happened.
‘It’s charging 1% per second.’
Of course, that didn’t completely solve the battery problem. It would still consume a great deal of power, and I would have to come here to charge it every time.
‘Still, being able to finish charging quickly is better than nothing.’
After charging it, I returned to the chairman’s office. On the way back, I heard the employees talking behind me.
“Huh? What’s this? The generator ran out of fuel.”
“What? Then why is it still working?”
I discussed running the company with the fully charged Sarang-i.
“I need a way to handle two things, running the company and preventing the seeds of destruction that may grow here.”
『The former is not difficult. Sarang Trading Company’s overseas business partners are unexpectedly solid, so it should continue doing business with them while focusing on developing new routes and technologies. Hiring professional managers for the company’s growth would also be advisable.』
“What about preventing the seeds of destruction?”
『The most likely current scenario is that, given the company’s history as a Black Company, an employee whose negative emotions have reached their limit due to accumulated stress, dissatisfaction with society, and an uncertain future comes into contact with an Anomaly, leading to destruction. The best solution is company growth and employee welfare. The former can be resolved through management, while Lee Seung-hoon must personally direct the latter.』
Sarang-i had been thinking the same thing I had.
“That’s what I thought, right?”
『Still, the probability is not 100%, and the possibility of destruction caused by other factors or the peculiar nature of an Anomaly cannot be ruled out.』
“Of course, I need to keep that in mind. But now that I’m the chairman, shouldn’t I make this the best company possible?”
『Understood. Will you use your personal assets for the welfare budget? If company funds are used, the budget will be insufficient to improve welfare quickly.』
“Yeah. How much do I have?”
Sarang-i showed me my account balances.
『Intelligence agencies in various countries detected the large volume of recent cash transfers and began tracking Lee Seung-hoon’s accounts. To prevent this, half the funds were invested in stocks under other names, while the remaining half was divided among 8,127 accounts around the world. The screen you are currently viewing shows the combined balance of all accounts.』
My wealth had increased again.
“Hmm.”
I began my work as chairman.
“With this money, I could make this the happiest company in the world.”
The first thing I did was call for Assistant Manager Lee.
“Did you call for me, Chairman Lee?”
“Manager Kim, you can feel free to call me Employee Lee. I’m chairman, but I’m still a new employee. If someone can be both chairman and president, why can’t they be chairman and employee?”
“No, how could I do that? Ha ha! More importantly, you were looking for Assistant Manager Lee, right? Well, Assistant Manager Lee resigned without notice. He left this resignation letter behind as well.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
I had no intention of retaliating.
“I called him so we could forget the past and move toward the future together.”
“……Ha ha, Chairman Lee really is different.”
“Manager Kim.”
It was a shame. The company would only be on the upswing from here.
“Please call me Employee Lee. New Employee is fine too.”
＊＊＊
“From today onward, the company’s bad practices will no longer be tolerated. Anyone caught engaging in them will receive a warning at first, and if those warnings accumulate, they will be dismissed.”
A new wind blew through Sarang Trading Company.
“First, there are far too few employees for the amount of work. Starting today, we will hire new employees, and to prevent disruptions to our work, we will actively recruit employees from other companies as well.”
I first hired twenty headhunters to recruit talent. Each had an annual salary in the hundreds of millions of won, but despite paying advances, my account balance had grown by the next day.
“Pardon? Starting with ordinary employees?”
“Yes. I plan to fill things up from the bottom.”
“Hmm…… It’s not a difficult task, but……”
“For reference, I want to bring in over five hundred employees in a short period. A week at minimum.”
“It’s possible, but for such a short time frame, we’ll need to offer better conditions and reassurance. It’ll cost quite a lot.”
“Don’t worry. I have more money than I know what to do with.”
New blood was brought in. The number of people increased, and empty spaces in the office building began to disappear.
“We’ll run out of room. Sarang-i, contact the Foundation for me.”
『Understood.』
The agent the Foundation sent in response to my request was Kim Dong-uk, who had recently been promoted to B-grade.
“A new office building? Within one day, too?”
“Yes. I’d also like people to consider it completely natural.”
“Cognition Alteration, huh? It’s possible, but…… what size of building do you want?”
“I want an office building where tens of thousands of people can work. I also want recreational facilities for employee welfare, as well as a huge hospital.”
“Seung-hoon, is there a reason you’re building all this?”
“I can’t explain the details, but it’s to protect the world.”
“……Then I’ll contact them right away. But something on this scale will probably cost a lot. If you join the Foundation completely, we could do it for free.”
“I have plenty of money, so send me the bill and I’ll transfer it immediately.”
“Ah, yes! More importantly, Seung-hoon, it seems likely the Foundation will soon go to war with another dimension. Could we talk about that sometime soon?”
The next day, the office building had changed overnight.
“As expected of the Foundation.”
The headquarters had become a hundred-story tower. The surrounding mountains had been removed, and in their place stood a massive hospital, a large amusement park, and enormous welfare facilities for the employees.
“Huh? Was our company always this big?”
“It was. Yesterday was the final day of our office relocation.”
“Right, the welfare facilities were completed yesterday too, weren’t they? I forgot.”
Those affected by Cognition Alteration found nothing strange about the situation. Not only the employees, but even passersby around the world found nothing odd about it. The internet was the same.
[Hey! Did you see that Sarang Trading Company built an amusement park as a welfare facility?]
└[Yeah, I saw it before. Yesterday was the completion date, right?]
└[Wish outsiders could use it too, there are so fucking many attractions!]
When I checked the bill, the cost of the Cognition Alteration was higher than the cost of constructing the buildings.
‘An Anomaly that can perform Cognition Alteration on a global scale for money. The Foundation really is the Foundation.’
The material preparations were complete. More employees had been gathered, and a large number of capable people who could be called veterans had been hired. There were still too few employees compared to the size of the building, but time would resolve that. Even this alone would let the existing employees look forward to a bright future.
“Today marks the beginning of the new Sarang Trading Company. To reassure our existing employees, I have no intention of laying any of you off. So please work here without worry.”
I gathered everyone and told them what had changed.
“The annual salaries of existing employees will be raised to at least twice their current amount, and up to ten times that amount depending on years of service and ability.”
“For employees without homes, we will provide interest-free loans for lease deposits.”
“For anyone who has worked here for over ten years and does not own a home, the company will purchase one for you.”
“We will provide one hundred million won in support per child.”
“You can receive examinations and treatment free of charge at the company hospital whenever you wish.”
“At the company hospital, relatives up to the sixth degree of kinship from you can also receive examinations and treatment free of charge.”
The murmuring grew louder. Yet that wasn’t all I had changed.
“Whenever you exceed the monthly performance standard, you will receive a 200% performance bonus.”
“Every year you work here, you will receive two weeks of paid vacation and an overseas trip. Your family will come with you, of course.”
“The company amusement park and welfare facilities are all free.”
“If you wish, you may pass your position down to your child. Naturally, children who join this way must begin as employees, but their employment is guaranteed.”
“At the company cafeteria, you can enjoy any cuisine from around the world, including Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Western food. We have hired a great number of professional chefs, and you will be able to enjoy the pleasures of fine dining through them.”
“The break rooms are stocked with famous snacks and drinks from around the world. Naturally, all of it is free, so help yourselves.”
It was partly welfare to prevent destruction, but it was also my own challenge.
“After thirty years of service, we will send you on a space trip.”
“For each technician-level certification or national professional qualification you acquire, we will give you ten million won.”
“Work begins at 8:30 in the morning. There is no need to come in too early.”
“We will support educational expenses for your children.”
Would I spend money faster?
Or would Sarang-i earn it faster?
Seeing the unreal amount of money before me gave me that childish competitive spirit, so I had thrown in every benefit a preschool-age child could think of.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Isn’t this all just talk?”
“Come on, this is too much……”
The benefits were so excessive that the employees couldn’t believe me. Some seemed to wonder whether the company had that much money, but even if I showed them my accounts, they wouldn’t believe it.
‘People naturally doubt unrealistic amounts, so I’ll prove it through action.’
I picked up the microphone again.
“Everyone, you probably received a text this morning. A simple message containing only a number. You should have received another message telling you not to delete it because it came from the company. None of you deleted it, right?”
“Yes.”
“Now, I will announce the final welfare benefit.”
I activated the remote control in my hand. An outdoor screen descended, and the display lit up.
“This is a number lottery machine. It is a program that draws a number between one and the total number of employees who received a text. Some of you may have already guessed where this is going.”
The murmuring grew louder.
“What day is it today? The twenty-third, right? On the twenty-third of every month, we will hold a drawing as part of our employee welfare program. The winner will receive support funds that will allow them to live freely. A no-strings-attached payout, with the company even handling all taxes and fees.”
I removed the tarp in the corner of the stage. A mountain of fifty-thousand-won bills hidden beneath it was revealed.
“Total support funds: thirty billion won.”
“……”
“Then let us begin the drawing.”
The program ran, and a number appeared in huge letters on the screen.
“Number 1,766. Please come forward.”
“……Me!”
The woman who answered seemed half doubtful. She was a new employee who had recently joined the company.
“What is your name?”
“……I’m Lee Yeon-ju.”
“Please show me your text.”
“……Here.”
“Confirmed. One moment, I’ll check it again to be sure.”
Sarang-i spoke through the earphone in my left ear.
『Her identity is confirmed. There was no manipulation. She received that number.』
“Verification complete. Congratulations on becoming the owner of thirty billion won.”
“……Is this real?”
“Why don’t you check?”
She examined the bundles of bills. At first, she checked only the ones around the edges, then dug deeper inside. She opened bundles to inspect the bills within, then hugged the money to herself.
“I-It’s real! It’s real money!”
Only then did people begin to believe me, and cheers erupted.
“I-It’s real!”
“They’re really giving out thirty billion won through a drawing every month!?”
“Then all those benefits mentioned earlier are real too!?”
From now on, it didn’t matter whether they believed me or not. Those who believed would enjoy the benefits, while those who couldn’t could resign and go to another company.
“Now then, everyone.”
I had changed many things, but there was one thing I hadn’t changed.
“Let’s do calisthenics.”
I pressed the remote. Cheerful music began to play.
“Every morning at 8:45, we will begin the workday after Korean National Calisthenics. You must do it even if I’m not here.”
I couldn’t give this up.
『Korean National Calisthenics~! Be-gin~!』
＊＊＊
“Well.”
After finishing the calisthenics, I returned to the chairman’s office. Outside, cheers that sounded almost like screams could still be heard.
“I lost.”
Unfortunately, my wealth had increased again.
“Sarang-i, isn’t this too much?”
『No. Lee Seung-hoon’s current wealth ranks only twenty-sixth in the world.』
“……Just the money listed here has already surpassed first place.”
『That applies only to those in the public eye. Compared to the wealth of figures in the shadows who evade even Foundation tracking, it is far too low. They cannot be overtaken through simple financial transactions.』
“You found that wealth.”
『I found only financial assets, so it is merely the tip of the iceberg. Their total wealth cannot be estimated once physical assets are included, and there appear to be people with even greater power and financial resources.』
There were wealthy people whose assets even Sarang-i couldn’t be certain of. It really was an interesting world.
“What on earth do you have to do to have more money than this?”
Perhaps ordinary people who traded with the Mysterious Merchant and Golden Omnipotence Corporation were like that.
‘This should have stopped the seed of destruction, right?’
Just then, someone came to the chairman’s office.
“Ha ha, is Chairman Lee here?”
“Former Chairman.”
“Oh, there’s one thing I forgot to mention.”
It was the former chairman, Han Sarang.
“You know this company was passed down to me by my parents, right? When my parents first established the company, they buried a time capsule in front of the company marker stone.”
“A time capsule?”
“Yeah! We were originally going to dig it up for the one hundredth anniversary, and next January 2nd is exactly the hundredth anniversary. But since I sold you the company, I thought I’d just dig it up now.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go together.”
I called for an excavator.
“Doldoli! Have you been well?”
“Woof!”
Doldoli, the dog the chairman had raised, recognized him and came running over.
“Oh, you cute little thing. I’m sorry. I’m planning to travel around the world, so I can’t stay with you. Grow up here, surrounded by the love of good people.”
A worker arrived that afternoon and dug in front of the company marker stone, which had fortunately remained in place despite the renovation of the office building.
“There it is!”
A box buried five meters underground emerged. We lifted the tightly sealed box with a crane, and Han Sarang carefully opened it.
“?”
At that moment, my right eye activated.
“……”
It was utterly absurd.
‘The company welfare wasn’t the problem.’
Right. If people had been the problem, Baal would have found it long ago.
‘The problem was an object, not a person.’
If it had been out in the open, Baal would have noticed it. It seemed that because it had been stored in a time capsule, he had failed to discover it until the end.
‘This is ridiculous.’
For a completely different reason, unrelated to welfare.
Humanity had been targeted and destroyed through sheer bad luck, like an earthworm being stepped on for no reason.
‘No, was it related?’
Without realizing it, I looked at Doldoli, the puppy circling beside Han Sarang.
‘Being raised is a form of welfare too, if you think about it.’
Footnotes:
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