Real Life Fucked (3)
“Kim A-ram.”
“Uh...”
“Answer me. Yeah?”
A bustling café packed with people from the shared office building, tucked in a corner with a rubber tree. It was a space where serious entrepreneurs pondering their businesses mingled with aspiring founders desperate for investors, and exhausted employees who couldn't care less and just wanted to clock out, all sipping their coffee.
A languid, quiet afternoon. Kim A-ram, who had been sweating bullets from nerves, finally spoke.
“S-So... what then?”
“...”
At this point, was stupidity a talent? From Han Yu-ra's perspective, there was no reason not to sue her. Even though what happened in the company fell under the CEO's responsibility, pinning it on Kim A-ram would let her dodge some blame.
Conversations with investors would likely go something like this:
- It's the CEO's fault for managing employees like that, CEO Han.
- I'm sorry. I failed to manage my staff. In a small operation like ours, I should have had a better grasp of the situation, but I never anticipated this kind of malice. I apologize for the open beta delay. We'll definitely complete development within three months.
- Let's make this work, CEO. Yeah? Submit a written explanation.
Just like that. It was the kind of issue that could be wrapped up with a simple apology letter.
Han Yu-ra's still young, after all.
In truth, investors didn't expect much from a founder in her mid-twenties. As long as she didn't run away or show signs of scamming, it was fine. Of course, it varied by firm, but Han Yu-ra had lucked out with some decent ones.
It'll be stressful, but...
Angel Ventures was strict. They meddled in operations and demanded piles of paperwork. But they weren't out to ruin Han Yu-ra's life.
Honestly, for that investment amount, it's tolerable.
Han Yu-ra strode confidently to the printer in the corner of the café and printed out a copy of Kim A-ram's employment contract, bringing it back. She scribbled lines across it with a pen.
“A-ram, take a look at this.”
Work produced by the ‘Employee’ belongs to the intellectual property rights of the ‘Employer,’ and may not be reproduced, plagiarized, distributed, or modified without the ‘Employer’s’ permission.
The ‘Employee’ must not infringe on the ‘Employer’s’ interests in violation of the principle of good faith. If the ‘Employee’ causes such a situation, they bear the obligation to remedy the resulting damages.
The second clause was practically a poison pill.
Han Yu-ra... you're one scary woman, huh?
But such vague clauses wouldn't hold much weight in court. Still, they were awfully convenient for power plays.
Kim A-ram won't exploit that loophole.
If she had the brains to look up precedents, she never would have pulled this stunt in the first place.
- This isn't a win because you did well. It's because your opponent screwed up and fell for your strategy.
Words she'd heard recently in a game development lecture. But wasn't a true master general one who actually wins battles, not just crafts good strategies?
Han Yu-ra hammered away at Kim A-ram, citing the contract and the law.
“A-ram, you know suing doesn't even require the contract, right?”
“Su...”
“...”
“Sue me! What company holds an employee accountable for a mistake?!”
A-ram defended herself.
She's so young.
I couldn't help but think her mind was immature. This wasn't some bluff she could talk her way out of. What she'd wrecked was a small company's lifeline to hope. And I had three pieces of evidence backing her crime:
1) Logs suggesting intentional deletion.
2) The IP used for those logs.
3) Footage of Kim A-ram handling the computer with that IP.
“No intention to apologize, A-ram? Then we'll just proceed with the lawsuit.”
Flames sparked in Han Yu-ra's eyes. Her resolve to push forward was fierce. A-ram glared back with wide eyes, but anyone could see she was crumbling.
Han Yu-ra spat out her words.
“A-ram, life is the real battlefield.”
“...”
“The charges? Hmm... property damage, obstruction of business, copyright infringement, breach of trust, and so on.”
Did deleting programs count as property damage? A programmer had once formatted his company-issued laptop upon quitting, thinking it was polite to return it clean since it was borrowed. But the company sued, claiming he'd intentionally erased data.
It ended up with no charges in the end.
I wondered if A-ram would go through the same. But obstruction of business or copyright infringement? She'd have a hard time dodging those. The program I'd built was unequivocally Railroad Software's property, and deliberately deleting it infringed on the company's intellectual rights.
I clicked my tongue.
You're fucked.
If damages were awarded, Han Yu-ra would tack on my yearly salary—roughly thirty to forty million won. Plus...
Projected revenue loss from the open beta delay.
Han Yu-ra had boldly projected 10 billion won in first-year sales. Normally, that would've scared off investors as arrogant or unrealistic. But Han Yu-ra wasn't your average presenter. So yeah, Kim A-ram's life was genuinely fucked. She wouldn't pay the full 10 billion, but Han Yu-ra would squeeze out at least 100 million.
She issued the cold dismissal.
“Head back upstairs now, A-ram.”
Kim A-ram trembled as she climbed back to the office above. Han Yu-ra glared at her retreating back with steely eyes.
“She... wasn't always like this.”
“People change.”
Everyone does. KFC founder Colonel Sanders became a millionaire selling chicken in his old age. William Levitt built a construction empire young, only to lose it all in his later years.
Kim A-ram had once been competent. But she got drunk on easy paychecks and fell into complacency. A common, simple tale.
If you wanna play Lupin, go to some stagnant mid-tier firm.
She could've survived on office politics there. But not here.
“And Seong-u.”
“...”
“If things don't go according to your plan, I'm suing Kim A-ram.”
I asked Han Yu-ra, “Does property damage apply when backups still exist?”
“I don't know. But I'm doing it anyway. She straight-up sabotaged my business, right?”
Her tone was ice-cold. I got her frustration, but it felt off, so I pressed.
“Weren't you college buddies?”
What I really wondered wasn't her decision—it was her emotions right now.
Han Yu-ra replied with a frigid gaze.
“Not anymore.”
Seeing her like that left a bitter taste.
Yeah. Kim A-ram's crime is heavy. Lock her up, fine. I get the situation. I do... but...
Her true nature rubbed me the wrong way. Han Yu-ra put business success above all. Other people's feelings? Not a priority.
That's why she'd ground me down. For the company's gain, she believed.
Why she'd offered her body. For the company's gain, she believed.
Why she'd brutally rejected guys who'd confessed to her. Useless to the business, she thought.
Part of why I never confessed in college.
I don't get it, Yu-ra.
I didn't oppose her. But it scared me a bit. Top-tier entrepreneurs weren't usually good people.
No, the real crazy one is me.
No matter how far Han Yu-ra went, she wasn't on my level.
...
Kim A-ram's heart pounded wildly. Uncharacteristically, she hunched her shoulders and shuffled back awkwardly.
Im Su-yeon shot her a dirty look before resuming work—drawing the intricate textures on stockings in her illustration.
Yoon Se-hee didn't even glance her way.
Shin Na-young wore a smug grin, like Im Seong-u coin is mooning! It's gonna explode! You're fucked now!
Kim A-ram hated her guts.
“...Na-young!”
“What?”
“Mind grabbing me a coffee?”
“Aigoo...”
It was her usual power trip, but Na-young's attitude was different today. She openly sneered at A-ram.
A-ram couldn't take it.
That bitch...!
Her hair practically stood on end—she was that pissed. But Shin Na-young, a fourth-year hospital worker, didn't give a shit.
-Yeah! I ain't care bout shit!
“I'm swamped right now, so could you handle it yourself?”
She popped her earbuds back in.
A-ram started to snap but held back. Force her, and Na-young might spit in it. Not being a lesbian, A-ram had zero interest in Na-young-spit coffee.
She trudged to her seat, plopping down like she hadn't lost. Now to scour for survival strategies.
Whew...
Twenty minutes of searching later, A-ram found her lifeline: an app for direct chats with lawyers. Sure, it cost 50,000 won for five minutes, but she was desperate.
Yeah. This'll do.
A-ram posted: I accidentally deleted company files when quitting—does that count as property damage?
Luckily, a lawyer connected fast.
...
The lawyer went silent for a while after that. A-ram felt a chill in the quiet, like he'd seen right through her crime.
His blatant suspicion boiled her blood.
A-ram was furious.
I'm the customer! You're in service!
She'd paid 50,000 won for this. Being treated like a criminal pissed her off. Lawyers were just scum peddling sympathy to crooks anyway. The world was so unfair.
But he kept talking regardless.
A-ram's pores opened in dread.
A-ram's world crumbled. Three years in prison! 7 million fine! Damages! Her hands shook as she typed.
“H-How much will they squeeze out of me?”
Her garbled words weren't even proper, but the sharp lawyer had caught on ages ago. He spoke slowly.
Ex-penses?
A-ram's world shattered.
A, ahh...
Tears welled in one eye. And Kim A-ram grasped one great truth.
Life was the real deal, and she was utterly fucked.