Surviving Restructuring

Click—

The HR manager, Il-Ji, rushed to open the gate leading to the Personnel Bureau.

“T-that’s all settled then, right? I’m very busy, so I’ll be going now,” he said hurriedly.

“By all means,” Eun-Ho replied.

Fwoosh—

The moment Il-Ji stepped past the gate, the scenery flipped, as if someone had turned the page of a book. It would probably seem fascinating to an outsider.

Step. Step. Step.

However, there was no way the flustered manager noticed. He hadn’t even realized he’d left his monocle on the ground.

Walking briskly down the ornate corridor, he nearly collided with his secretary, who had rushed over in surprise. “Manager?”

“Huh? O-oh!”

“Your glasses—no, more importantly, pass me the documents, sir.”

“Documents? What documents?”

“The ones you’re holding,” she said carefully.

“Ah! These...” The manager frowned deeply, clearly confused by her words. Then he shook his head sharply and replied in a strained voice. “No, I need to look over these.”

The secretary was taken aback. Her superior, who normally valued composure and dignity above all else, seemed utterly disheveled. Still, she was a professional who knew better than to indulge pointless curiosity.

She emotionlessly bowed her head. “Understood.”

“And connect me to the division chief,” Il-Ji ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Creak—

She opened the door for the manager, whose hands were full, then quietly withdrew.

Rrrr...

The phone’s ringing tone crawled along at a snail’s pace. Il-Ji grew more anxious by the second. Despite confidently claiming that everything would be fine, he had not only approved the department, but even authorized a booth.

“Wait.”

“Huh? W-what?”

“You still need to set up the booth before you go, don’t you?”

“According to Chapter Nine of the HR Guidebook, all departments participating in the job market must have their own booth—”

“F-fine! I’ll do it! Are you satisfied now?”

He’d been completely dragged along by Eun-Ho’s pace.

He is no ordinary rookie! Il-Ji thought.

He had to report this immediately, though he already knew he’d be chewed out for it.

And of all times, when the division chief is already in a bad mood...

Still, Il-Ji was not the kind of incompetent employee who bottled things up until they exploded.

It’s better to report it now and get scolded.

Otherwise, it would turn into a far bigger disaster later. Years of experience told him that much.

“Hah...” He exhaled heavily, then took a couple of steadying breaths.

Click!

Then, the division chief picked up.

“Division chief, this is Il-Ji.”

—Right. Did you wrap things up cleanly?

“Well...” He gulped nervously before answering. “I failed.”

As expected, a furious roar came flying through the line.

—You useless fool! What can you do, then?!”

“I’m sorry! But somehow, he had already prepared everything including core duties and even the operational plans. There was no justification to stop him.”

—What? How would he even know he’d need those?

“That’s exactly what I don’t understand. More than that, who would even think of creating a brand-new department during placement? One like the Labor-Management Cooperation Team, of all things?”

The division chief clearly didn’t believe it or perhaps he simply didn’t want to believe it.

—Hah. This is absurd.

[Department Establishment event has occurred!]

At this point, it hardly mattered either way because the system had already recorded it.

[Department Name: Labor-Management Cooperation Team]

[Department Head: Lee Eun-Ho(Employee)]

[Document Submission: Complete]

[Minimum Members: 1/5]

That damned Labor-Management Cooperation Team was only a few member registrations away from being officially established.

“What are we supposed to do about this?” the HR manager asked again, adding to the division chief’s growing dilemma. “And this report, too!”

Flap—

The HR manager flipped the report open. “It’s flawless. It’s better than what most section chiefs would write!”

—So he’s competent, at least. I suppose that’s why he dared pull something so outrageous.

“I’d heard the higher-ups had their eyes on him because of his performance, but I never imagined he’d pull a stunt like this.” The HR manager let out a deep sigh, forgetting that he was talking to his superior. “Haa. What should we do, division chief?”

—We must stop it, no matter what it takes.

The division chief’s voice sank like exhaust fumes settling in the air.

—If we show even a crack, those pigs and dogs will swarm in trying to snatch a bite. Absolutely not.”

“But the system has already all but approved it. It may be out of my hands now—”

A sharp rebuke came crashing down on the manager’s head.

—Nonsense! Shut the event down.

“You mean close the job market?”

—Cancel it. Announce that it’s postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date.”

“Pardon?”

How could they shut down a market that the system itself had already opened? Only something catastrophic that rendered the event impossible to continue could explain it.

“But if something goes wrong during the event, won’t we be held responsible as well?”

—It’s fine as long as it’s not our responsibility.

“What do you mean by—”

—Food poisoning should do.

“Huh?”

Food poisoning would certainly minimize the HR Bureau’s liability. The blame would fall squarely on the Operations Bureau that ran the cafeteria.

—A half-hearted attempt won’t do. One or two people collapsing isn’t enough.

“All right sir.”

—Use Ermeden’s Spittle.

The HR manager flinched. Ermeden’s Spittle, also known as the Witch’s Saliva, could bewitch someone senseless with its scene alone. When ingested, it churned the stomach, sometimes even causing loss of consciousness.

—And you can be generous with that impudent bastard.

If consumed in sufficient quantity, it accumulated in the system and hardened into a lethal poison, sharp as needles. At first, it would only feel like mild stomach pain, but as the needles grew, they would scrape and pierce the stomach from within, eventually leading to death.

The division chief’s cold voice echoed from the other end.

—The spittle dissolves completely in the end, so there will be no evidence left behind.”

“I will carry out your orders.”

—Don’t disappoint me again.

“Y-you can count on—”

Click—

The call ended and the HR manager straightened his bent back at last and raised his voice. “You there!”

The secretary hurried in. “Yes, Manager.”

“What was today’s lunch menu for the event?”

“Yes, sir. It’s the special boxed lunch from the ‘HR is Everything’ cafeteria.”

‘HR is Everything’ was consistently ranked among the top three best cafeterias by HR Bureau staff themselves. Their special boxed lunch would easily captivate the new hires.

“Prepare Ermeden’s Spittle.”

“How much should I prepare?”

“Bring back one full barrel. Divide it into ninety-nine ten-milliliter vials and one one-hundred-milliliter vial.”

The one-hundred-milliliter vial would be for the impudent top-performing rookie.

“Yes, understood.”

“Good. Then next, we’ll need to bribe the cafeteria staff,” muttering to himself, the manager hurried out of the office.

“Huh?” The secretary was left alone, tilting her head as she stared at an unexpected sight. “Why is this door open?”

***

It was 10:00 AM in the morning, and two full hours had passed since the job market began.

Yeon Bo-Ra stretched her arm out and waved enthusiastically. “Oppa!”

“Oh, Bo-Ra,” said Eun-Ho.

“Where did you go? I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“I had something to take care of.”

When he approached, a large stall came into view.

“Here! The booth’s all set up!”

A spotless white table sat beneath a colorful canopy. A garland in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo hung cheerfully overhead. Beneath the table, the words Labor-Management Cooperation Team were painted like a signboard, impossible to miss.

“You did all this?”

“Yes! What do you think? I really put my skills to use.”

“You did great. Everyone who passes by will look at it at least once.”

“Right? Right?”

That is an art major’s sense of aesthetics. Her eye for design really is different.

Sun-Sik, who had been loitering nearby, wandered over and struck up a conversation. “What’s this, Hyungnim Rookie? Don’t tell me you’ve already gathered all your team members?”

He clearly wasn’t doing his own work but that explained why.

“Haha... Not yet,” said Eun-Ho.

“Figures. People really know talent when they see it. So what’s the name of this talented little rookie?” Sun-Sik asked, looking at Bo-Ra.

“Huh? Me?” Bo-Ra asked.

“Why don’t you come decorate our booth too? We’ve got plenty of empty space,” Sun-Sik invited.

“Ah, I’ll have to pass. I’m sorry,” said Bo-Ra.

“I’m joking, I’m joking!” said Sun-Sik.

Clearly, Sun-Sik had been trying to scout her.

“Hey! Lee Eun-Ho!” Harona was still shouting at the top of her lungs, clearly displeased.

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you going to take that canopy down?! It’s bigger than our booth!”

It really did feel like a competition to recruit new hires into each department now.

Is everyone that short on manpower? Eun-Ho wondered.

Every department was always understaffed. There wasn’t a single team in the world that could honestly say they had enough people. Still, there was something else going on here.

Guk, the Audit Department mentor, approached with his usual blank expression. “Looks like you’re all set.”

“Ah, yes.”

Thinking he’d come to scout as well, Eun-Ho was about to tell him to go back when Guk said heavily, “Check the operating rules.”

“The operating rules?”

Flash—

A translucent window appeared the moment the words left his mouth.

[Job Market Operating Rules]

1. Participants are free to promote their departments.

2. Chips submitted by applicants are allocated to the respective departments.

3. The more chips a department collects, the greater the benefits it receives.

“The more chips you collect, the greater the benefits?” Eun-Ho muttered.

Perhaps that was why everyone gathered here were fighting tooth and nail. Only now did it all make sense.

“You can look forward to the benefits,” Guk said flatly. “Everything you’d expect is there.”

If someone as inflexible as Guk was saying that much, it was probably safe to believe him.

“They’ll come in handy, so it’s best to secure as many as possible.”

“Even after we return to the department?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Yes. You’ll likely need all sorts of things. You’re a brand-new team, after all.”

Hmm.

They clearly wanted him, yet even after he’d chosen his own path, they were still helping him.

“Thank you.” Eun-Ho dipped his head, then asked, “Are you disappointed?”

“Why would I be?”

“Because you weren’t chosen. And your team even gave me gifts.”

“Thanks to you, we exceeded our performance target and even got incentives. Wanting more than that would be disappointing,” Guk replied with the faintest lift of his lips.

So he could make that kind of expression, too.

“Activate booth,” Eun-Ho said.

[Recruitment for new department members has begun.]

[Please check the department status!]

Flash—

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team]

- Department Head: Lee Eun-Ho (Employee)

- Total Members: 1/10

- Benefits: 0 Points.

Shall we get started on team recruitment then? Eun-Ho thought.

The first was Ji-Eun.

“Hey, Kim Ji-Eun! I’ve had my eye on you from the start,” Harona said sharply.

“S-sorry?!”

“Why don’t you come talk with Unnie for a bit?”

“Uh, Unnie?” Pressed by Harona’s fierce urging, Ji-Eun failed to manage her expression. Trembling like a frightened rabbit, she opened the pouch holding her chips. “Ha... Eun-Ho, I’ll just put them in quickly.”

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.

“If it’s you, Eun-Ho, I’m okay with it.”

Even in a world where anything could happen, she trusted him enough to leave things in his hands.

Grateful, he said, “You won’t regret it.”

Only then did Ji-Eun wrinkle her nose slightly and smile brightly.

Clink—

One chip dropped in.

Clink—

Another one dropped in. Then, with every movement of her hand, the piggy-bank-like box on the counter emitted a strange glow. The screen floating above the booth began counting the chips as they went in.

[Benefit Acquired]

[Department - Labor–Management Cooperation Team]

[+1 Point]

[+1 Point]

[+1 Point]

...

Next came Jae-Hyuk and the Swear-Master, each dumping out their pouches without hesitation. The cheerful clatter of coins, something one would expect to hear in a casino, rang out.

“Hyungnim! I’m in too!” Jae-Hyuk shouted.

“Damn it, I’ve only got fifty-five chips. Shit, I should’ve put in more than this bastard,” said Swear-Master.

“Huh? Are you competing right now?” Jae-Hyuk asked.

“Stop it. This isn’t a competition,” Eun-Ho stopped them.

[Department - Labor-Management Cooperation Team]

[Total Benefits - 625 Points]

At some point, they had already crossed six hundred Benefit Points.

“I still have more chips than that kid, right?” Swear-Master asked, jutting his chin toward Wei, who had approached with Yul.

“Hm? Me?” Yul asked.

Wei tilted his head, then answered calmly while looking at Yul, “I don’t think so.”

The short Wei rose onto his tiptoes. Then, with absolute confidence, he poured out a heap of silver-coin-like chips.

Clatter. Clank—

[+262 Points]

He gave two hundred and sixty-two chips at once.

“Holy shit.”

“I told you, this isn’t a competitio—”

Ding!

“Huh?”

[Congratulations!]

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team’s total Benefit Points have exceeded a hundred Points!]

“What is it, Hyungnim?” Jae-Hyuk asked.

[You have acquired the Team Shared Messenger creation privilege.]

“Shared messenger?”

“Oh, shit. We have a group chat now?”

That wasn’t all.

[You can now purchase shared assets.]

[Please check the Department Market!]

“Apparently we have shared assets now too.”

“Wow, this really is a team.”

“Seriously.”

A team chat and shared assets were something a proper department should have. Eun-Ho laughed dryly.

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team’s total Benefit Points have exceeded two hundred Points!]

[Tea Time for Boosting Morale event has been unlocked.]

He had no idea that “everything is there” really did mean everything.

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team’s total Benefit Points have exceeded three hundred Points!]

[Department capacity has increased from ten to twenty people.]

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team’s total Benefit Points have exceeded four hundred Points!]

[Part Leader rank has been unlocked.]

[You may now create task-based parts and appoint Part Leaders.]

“What?!”

[Labor-Management Cooperation Team’s total Benefit Points have exceeded five hundred Points!]

[You may declare Focused Work Hours!]

[Once per day, for up to two hours, efficiency for the selected tasks is doubled.]

“Efficiency doubled? Every day?!”

Clearly, this was more serious than Eun-Ho had expected.