The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 52

“……” 

“……Ma’am?”

“It’s been a long time since you ate with family, right? I haven’t had a meal with mine in ages too.”

To be honest, the “Family: None” on Keyvon’s personnel card lingered in my mind.

I smiled faintly and continued.

“You asked earlier how I got so good at writing official documents? Even though I had no senior to teach me.”

“……Yes.”

“My twin brother works in the Finance Department, and I helped him out a lot.”

“You helped with Finance Department work?”

Keyvon was so shocked he dropped his spoon.

I chuckled awkwardly.

“I know. I wasn’t supposed to. Really shouldn’t have… but there were circumstances. Besides, we’re not really family. We’re only partially related by blood.”

“You mean you just did it for him anyway?”

“……” 

“……Ma’am?”

“He asked for reference materials, and I ended up learning a lot in the process too. The Finance Department has incredibly clean paperwork, so it was perfect for study. So I wouldn’t say I just did it for him.”

“Ha.”

Keyvon let out a hollow laugh.

Yeah, anyone would find this whole thing ridiculous.

I quickly finished the next dish and added,

“Also, helping with that work meant I could join them for dinner. I really needed to save on meals.”

“……” 

“But more than saving money… even if they were terrible people, there were days I just wanted to eat dinner with someone.”

Keyvon furrowed his brows.

Then, without even touching his plate, he asked,

“So… during those dinners, did the rest of your family appreciate your effort?”

“They just asked me to help more. Said that since I worked in that useless ‘Scroll something-or-other Department,’ I probably didn’t have much work anyway.”

I shrugged and gestured for him to hurry up and eat.

Keyvon reluctantly picked up his fork.

“I imagine that must’ve been frustrating… painful, even.”

I spoke nonchalantly.

“Not really. I just sometimes wished I had a family who at least knew the proper name of my department.”

Keyvon stayed silent.

Which made sense, honestly.

What was he supposed to say when his boss was opening up about her miserable life?

But I wasn’t sharing this to just complain either.

“At the very least, no matter how annoying I am as your boss, I’m still better than the people I lived with.”

“……” 

“I won’t ask you to eat lunch with me again.”

“Pardon?”

“But if you ever don’t want to eat alone again, just tell me. I’ll join you. Don’t hesitate to ask.”

“……” 

“Because some days, no matter how awful the people are, you just want to eat with someone. I know that feeling… even if you don’t say it.”

I still had plenty of the meal vouchers Kiaros gave me.

And I had no problem using them on a young guy in a similar boat as me.

‘Damn. I think I’m kind of cool right now.’

Maybe I’d always wanted someone to say these kinds of things to me?

A foreign orphaned youth who was always alone… surely he’d be moved.

I glanced at him, expecting a face full of emotion.

‘What’s with that expression? Why does he look angry?’

He was trying to hold it back, but he looked genuinely furious.

Startled, I blinked, and Keyvon forced a smile. He picked up his fork again.

Then, gritting his teeth, he said,

“Still… now that you’re a Minister… do you feel a little better…?”

“Hmm.”

I tilted my head.

“Not really. Just because I became a Minister doesn’t mean all my emptiness disappeared.”

“……” 

“No matter how successful you get, it’s still empty without someone to celebrate with. Family can’t be replaced.”

I wasn’t someone who opened up to people. I didn’t like being pitied, and it hurt my pride to explain my pathetic circumstances. So I never really talked about it.

But Keyvon was the only subordinate I had.

A foreigner. Someone in a similar situation to me. Maybe that’s why the words came easily.

‘Look at that. He’s empathizing so hard he’s basically butchering that steak.’

Keyvon was practically hacking the main course to bits.

He exhaled and said slowly,

“So even as a Minister… you’re not happy.”

“Huh?”

I furrowed my brows.

Then replied right away.

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m happy.”

“But… you said it was hollow…”

“It is. But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy.”

I spoke calmly.

“I like having a private office, a bigger desk, having a secretary, getting paid more, better benefits, being able to appoint team leaders myself, having no one above me to spout nonsense, correcting messed-up documents myself, and attending Minister meetings every week. All of that’s great.”

“…Still, you said family can’t be replaced…”

“Oh, yeah.”

Keyvon blinked in confusion.

“They can’t. So I just need to go even higher.”

“……Excuse me?”

“Honor, wealth, power, influence. I’ve got to fill the void with something.”

“……What?”

Better to be a lonely Minister than a lonely grunt.

That’s what I’d learned on day one of being Minister.

Keyvon looked at me, then asked,

“But you’re already a Minister… how much higher are you going?”

“Hmm.”

I crossed my arms and thought.

This was the kind of thing better shown than explained.

So I picked up my fork again and said resolutely,

“If you’re curious, eat faster.”

“Sorry?”

“I’ll show you myself.”

***

Keyvon didn’t seem used to eating quickly.

Or maybe he was just uncomfortable eating with his superior.

Either way, he didn’t finish his meal. I did.

“Come with me.”

We arrived back before lunch ended. I beckoned to Keyvon.

I led him to a café inside the palace.

It was the kind of place where civil servants stopped to grab coffee after lunch.

I pulled Keyvon behind a wall so we could peek discreetly.

“What is this…”

Keyvon rolled his eyes. Then—

“Could you move, please?”

“Sorry, our group’s a bit big.”

A group of civil servants surrounded a table already occupied by others.

The new group clearly had the numbers.

“We have work to get back to, and this is our only break.”

“Not like those deadweights who don’t do anything.”

The seated group—about three or four people—lowered their heads and stood up.

They didn’t say anything like “we came here first” or “there’s an empty seat over there.”

The problem was—

“Aren’t those civil servants from the Scroll Department?”

Keyvon whispered in disbelief.

He was right.

The ones being pushed out were from our department—people who, just yesterday, were my seniors.

“Tch. That department only has nine people, and their Minister is twenty-three? Who’d want to stay there?”

“If it were me, I’d quit from sheer embarrassment. What kind of organization is that?”

“They’re an embarrassment to the entire palace.”

The ones who stole the seats laughed loudly.

One of our employees—a petite woman with thick glasses—turned around.

“You… you’re too much. We—we already stood up. So, so stop mocking us.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Did you hear that? She’s a team leader in the Scroll Department. Can you believe that?”

“That department must be desperate to give her a title.”

“I’d never be a team leader under a twenty-three-year-old Minister.”

The ridicule didn’t stop.

Eventually, the Scroll Department staff left in a hurry.

The others laughed as they claimed the table.

Then—

“The palace civil servants should be united, not fighting each other…”

Keyvon frowned and stepped forward.

I quickly grabbed his arm, startled.

“What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re about to deliver the cringiest, most ineffective speech in front of those jerks.”

“And why would that be ineffective?”

“Like they’re going to listen to an intern. Are you royalty or something?”