Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 479 - Requital (2)

The extinguished lights flickered back on with a dim, hazy glow. The pale light pulsed irregularly.

 

In this moment, the person Manager Nam thought of might have been his wife, who always took care of him and praised him as a wonderful head of the household, or perhaps his kind and diligent daughter, who followed her father’s words without question.

 

How ironic and miserable. The person who actually wanted to die because of him was standing right here. The person who had once given up on life was right in front of him.

 

Even now, I felt a twinge of guilt for involving his innocent wife and Nam Jooah, speaking in riddles while ultimately using them as leverage. Yet, the reality was that the people Manager Nam had bullied wouldn’t even cross his mind. This truth made me feel both ridiculous and wretched.

 

The only thing driving me forward was the thought that I didn’t want anyone else to become a subordinate like me—someone forced to wait on him hand and foot, forced to say ‘thank you for the advice’ even after being showered with insults, and forced to kill their own ego just to survive.

 

“Because you lived like a piece of trash.”

 

The long-held resentment poured out of me like a dam bursting. Years of anger, compressed and crushed down, came spilling out toward Manager Nam.

 

“…….”

 

“Because of you.”

 

I needed a rage that looked like it could swallow a person whole. I stared intensely at Manager Nam, making sure to sear a disturbing and terrifying memory into his brain—one he couldn’t simply dismiss as me being crazy.

 

Manager Nam had lived his life without ever knowing the hell of feeling like everything in the world was his fault. He had ignored, for his entire life, the fact that certain accusations could make a person feel like a criminal who had no right to continue living.

 

But now, he would know.

 

When everything became irreversible—When he lost his mother and remembered the word ‘karma’ spoken by the person who had predicted her death.

 

He would feel a desperate need to atone for the atrocities he committed so casually that he couldn’t even remember them. If only to avoid losing the family he still had left.

 

The moment anything suspicious happened, even if he had done nothing wrong, his heart would sink, and he’d tear at his hair, agonizing over what sins he might have committed. Just as I had done, time and time again.

 

Self-surveillance watches over every action a person takes. It eats away at you until you die. The minor illnesses and close calls that inevitably visited every family at least once in life would become sources of guilt for Manager Nam, taking root in his mind forever.

 

As I stepped closer, Manager Nam stumbled backward. I took a slow breath.

 

“I hope you don’t come to your senses too late.”

 

“…….”

 

“The afterlife doesn’t care about age; it takes you whenever it wants.”

 

I reached out and took Manager Nam’s trembling hand. I placed the smartphone on his damp palm.

 

“Live with gratitude toward the people around you. Stop treating people badly. Reflect on yourself. Think of it as paying off the karma you’ve accumulated all these years.”

 

I didn’t ask for much. I just wanted him to live as anxiously and precariously as I had, and if he reflected and one day became a new person, that would be enough.

 

“And treat people well when you meet them for the first time.”

 

I added a sincere plea, hoping that Assistant Manager Hwang and Employee Song wouldn’t have to wrestle with overtime every night, and that the two of them could walk these halls with a little more comfort.

 

I pressed the side button of the phone, and the screen lit up. The photo of the mother and daughter smiling brightly shone in the darkness. Seeing the young Nam Jooah tugged at my heart uniquely.

 

“Who knows? Maybe someone standing at death’s door might turn back around.”

 

Like the version of me standing before you.

 

If I had simply died back then, Manager Nam would have remained nothing more than a perpetrator of workplace harassment.

 

But I turned back at the crossroads. With that alone, I felt I had fulfilled my duty as a subordinate.

 

You will never become the kind of boss worth learning from.

So at least make choices you won’t be ashamed of in front of your child.

 

“I’ll be going now.”

 

Leaving the frozen Manager Nam behind, I walked out into the bright hallway.

 

It was the first time since I had met him that I hadn’t bowed my head before him.

 

* * *

 

“What kind of video takes this long to film?”

 

“I was busy filming enough to cover your share too, Jeho.”

 

When I joked, Choi Jeho let out a huff of annoyance.

 

Still, seeing the Spark members as soon as I stepped out made me feel much more at ease. I felt like my head was going to explode from the one-on-one with Manager Nam. It was a good thing I hadn’t come here by myself.

 

“What happened to your clothes?”

 

He pointed at my collar, which had been crumpled by Manager Nam’s grip. I had already thought of an excuse for this.

 

“This? I was re-enacting the ‘Button-Up Festival’ for fan service.”

 

“…….”

 

Choi Jeho shut his mouth. A center who implemented self-mute because he couldn’t curse in public—truly impressive. You’ve got 100 minutes of nagging scheduled once we get to the dorm.

 

While packing up with the staff and carrying a few props, I ran into Deputy Manager Ahn in front of the elevator.

 

Even after he politely stepped aside for us, the elevator was still packed. I sent the members and the other staff down first. Only I, some props that didn’t fit, and Deputy Manager Ahn remained in front of the elevator.

 

“Did the filming go well?”

 

“Yes! The facilities were great. We got some great shots thanks to you. Thank you.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that.”

 

Polite greetings were exchanged, followed by silence. The elevator was coming back up.

 

“Deputy Manager.”

 

“Yes? Come to think of it, did I ever introduce myself?”

 

“If you get an offer to move to another company… take it.”

 

I said, looking straight ahead.

 

“They’ll recognize your value better than this place does.”

 

“…….”

 

“Anywhere will welcome you.”

 

The elevator doors opened. A staff member who came to pick up the gear pushed me into the elevator first and busily loaded the props. Holding down the ‘door open’ button, I met Deputy Manager Ahn’s eyes. He looked surprised.

 

We would probably never meet again. Today would be the last time I ever set foot in Hanpyeong Industry by choice.

 

I bowed deeply.

 

“Thank you for everything.”

 

For today, for the past, and for that day that almost became my last.

 

The elevator doors closed. I felt at ease.

 

* * *

 

This episode of ‘Mission Failure Hardship Era’ was set in a powerless marketing department. Their primary business was producing promotional brochures and company newsletters for a major corporation called Yongkwang Industry. They were essentially a parallel-universe version of Spark—the same people responsible for creating the company newsletter that we’d used as a placemat during our tteokbokki party in the previous episode.

 

The demand for Spark’s office skits, which had evolved beyond merely capturing the ‘spirit of working adults’ and now radiated the unmistakable scent of salaried office workers, continued to grow.

 

Initially, Spark played the role of ‘The Seniors You’ll Never Find in Real Life’, but they gradually shifted to ‘Office Workers Are Humans Too’ and ‘There Is No Such Thing as a Good Workplace’, until finally…

 

[Concept: A realistic documentary that looks like the kind of disorganized corporate vlog you’d find on MeTube]

 

…They reached the point of carrying out a project that earned the empathy of ten million office workers.

 

Not only did we recreate the f*cked up small company vibe perfectly, but I almost ended up filming a documentary of my past life.

 

“Please make sure to add subtitles saying this is all acting and that workplace harassment or unfair contracts should be reported to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.”

 

“I told you I would, how many times do I have to say it!”

 

I clasped Manager Chanyoung’s hands and pleaded earnestly. Although I died early without a lawsuit and didn’t leave behind a legal precedent, the result of my determination to sacrifice my body to leave behind an ultimate video reference was this:

 

[#. A Small Office]

 

Marketing Team 6 needs to create the December newsletter for the conglomerate ‘Yongkwang Electronics.’

 

As the deadline approaches, the atmosphere in the team is nothing short of brutal…

 

If the bosses of the past pretended to read paper newspapers, modern bosses made active use of digital technology. Using the T-shaped desk arrangement where others couldn’t see their monitors, they checked stock and Bitcoin graphs as soon as they arrived at work.

 

Manager Kim was no different. I arrived at work, receiving greetings from the staff, sat down with a face that looked world-weary, and checked the KOSPI. A sea of blue on the graph determined my mood for the day.

 

『Manager Kim Iwol: Assistant Manager Lee, what happened to that task I gave you yesterday before I left?』

 

Fortunately, Lee Cheonghyeon took the role of the assistant manager. If it had been Jeong Seongbin or Kang Kiyeon, I might have hesitated even though I knew it was a mutual skit.

 

But my opponent was the god of immersion. Half-hearted acting wasn’t allowed. Even before I arrived at work, Lee Cheonghyeon was already playing the quick-witted assistant manager who checked the KOSPI to predict the boss’s mood. Thanks to him, I could play my part with total sincerity.

 

『Manager Lee Cheonghyeon: The client hasn’t replied yet…』

 

『Manager Kim Iwol: What do you mean ‘no reply’! Are you just going to wait until it comes? Is your phone just a decoration?!』

 

Like the unreasonable human being I was portraying, I became angry over a task I’d dumped on him at ten o’clock the previous night. A close-up shot showed Lee Cheonghyeon’s hands tightly clenched behind his back.

 

I grumbled and kicked off my shoes. Beyond the partition, Park Joowoo made a face of pure disgust. The way he didn’t even bother hiding how fed up he was perfectly captured the seasoned demeanor of a veteran manager.

 

Every time the manager cleared his throat (every three minutes) or sighed (every five minutes), New Hire Kang, sitting at the very end, straightened his back.

 

At the Hanpyeong Industy, you were given the title of ‘Assistant Manager’ as soon as you joined, but perhaps because Yongkwang was a conglomerate, there was a separate ‘New Hire’ rank. Actually, it just turned out this way so everyone could have a different rank.

 

Is it hard walking on eggshells around this boss? I’m sorry. I hated that version of me too. But since spitting out phlegm would be disgusting for the members, the staff, and the viewers, I softened it to clearing my throat, so please forgive me.

 

Manager Kim’s tyranny didn’t end easily. He pretended to be considerate by saying, ‘Who sends people out for coffee these days?’ before immediately ordering Chief Choi to go buy coffee.

 

『Deputy Manager Jeong Seongbin: Manager.』

 

『Manager Kim Iwol: Yes, Deputy Manager Jeong.』

 

Even amidst the chaos, one person stubbornly refused to break character: Jeong Seongbin, who played the Deputy Manager.

 

『Deputy Manager Jeong Seongbin: I’ve come up with some ideas.』

 

He spoke confidently, pushing up his horn-rimmed glasses. He handed over a dense Excel printout in 7pt font. Every cell was highlighted in neon yellow.

 

『Manager Kim Iwol: Deputy Manager Jeong… how long has it been since you joined?』

 

『Deputy Manager Jeong Seongbin: 10 years.』

 

『Manager Kim Iwol: In 10 years… have I never mentioned anything about readability?』

 

A long silence fell between the two. Jeong Seongbin spoke with vacant eyes.

 

『Deputy Manager Jeong Seongbin: I don’t believe you have.』

 

It was method acting of immeasurable depth. Before me stood the indispensable employee every terrible company needed—the sort of person even a tyrannical boomer manager would think should have been fired years ago. Damn it, UA showed you too many villains…

 

Park Joowoo shook his head. Sensing the serious atmosphere, the assistant manager, employee, and new hire trio tried to sneak away from their desks.

 

『Manager Kim Iwol: Nobody move.』

 

Impressed by the Deputy Manager’s ‘brilliant’ performance, the manager thundered a command.

 

『Manager Kim Iwol: Don’t even think about going home today! Understood?!』

 

Official quitting time: 6:00 PM. The wall clock currently points to 5:50 PM. Evening falls on Yongkwang Electronics Marketing Team 6……

 

Between the hopeless marketing team and the visuals that felt surprisingly aged for an idol variety show, screams of agony broke out everywhere. Everyone vented their distress over this sh*tty company that they might not have worked at, but had definitely seen somewhere.

 

≫ The way the typing speed goes super fast as soon as the manager leaves for a meetingㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ All five of them started their messages with No but seriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ I’m a department manager and if I saw Chief Choi’s messages I’d honestly cry

 

≫ Assistant Manager Lee is writing curses in his notepad ㅋㅋㅋ

As soon as the manager starts yelling, he immediately goes into settings and shrinks the font size ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ How many tabs are open in that notepad? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ The list of lunch menu candidates in the middle ㅋㅋ That’s so me.

 

≫ Senior Manager Park’s brilliant search history.jpg

Changing jobs

Job hopping

How to change jobs

Taking leave for interviews

When interview dates overlap

Two interviews in one day

nused vacation payout calculator

└ Look at the note in the diary: ‘If they urge you to use leave, you can’t get paid for it’ ㅠㅠㅠ

└ Excuse me, were you spying on my browser history?

 

≫ Employee Kang, run!

This place is doomed from the manager down.

└ Kiyeon, run!

└ Run away holding Assistant Manager Lee’s hand vs. Chief Choi’s hand

└ Climbing the ranks by sticking to Deputy Manager Jeong.

└└ You’re a Kiyeon anti, aren’t you?

 

≫ What on earth… did Kim Iwol swallow…?

Throw it up.

Spit it out.

└ How does that soul of a trash manager fit in that face?

└ Please perform an exorcism.

└ I literally screamed when he took off his shoes… Iwol… you said you’d only show your cool side to Sparklers forever…

≫ I barely escaped my crappy manager, why is there a manager here too? Please explain.

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ I never knew Spark could be such a cruel idol group

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ This is the angriest comment I’ve seen all year ㅋㅋㅋ

 

≫ No wonder employees use the company newsletter as a placemat for tteokbokki if it’s made like this

└ ㅋㅋㅋ The Yongkwang Electronics employees were innocent ㅠ

└ Sorry for insulting the nepotism hire earlier… I didn’t realize the newsletter itself was the rudest thing there

 

The comments were funny, but at the same time, a bit sad. The fact that this content resonated so much meant that people had similar experiences. It might have been more comforting if people just said, ‘Did companies like that really exist in the old days?’

 

‘Well, everyone’s crying while enjoying it, so I guess that counts as a success.’

 

Just as I was vowing to make fun and cheerful content next time since I had catered to the survey this time.

 

“Iwol.”

 

“Yes, Manager!”

 

Manager Chanyoung called me.

 

“You told me before that if a Deputy Manager from Hanpyeong Industries calls, I shouldn’t cut him off and should pass the message to you.”

 

As the manager said, I had left word when the variety filming ended. I was certain that Manager Nam would come looking for me.

 

“He said he really wants to meet you. Was this arranged beforehand?”

 

My prediction was correct to the very end.

 

After sending off his mother, Manager Nam knocked on the doors of UA of his own accord.