003. Real Shit (Complete)
6 PM, with 27 days left until the open beta. Two unfamiliar faces showed up at the Railroad Software office. People I'd never seen before.
First impressions seem fine, at least.
A neatly dressed middle-aged man and his wife didn't look like insurance salesmen or cult recruiters. No matter how I racked my brain, they didn't fit the usual Pangyo crowd, which only piqued my curiosity more.
What the hell...?
Their behavior was downright suspicious. The middle-aged couple was glancing around nervously, bowing slightly, but I couldn't guess their purpose at all.
"Excuse me, is the CEO in?"
"Hello. I'm Han Yu-ra, CEO of Railroad Software. What brings you here?"
Han Yu-ra greeted them with a demeanor anyone would find approachable. But the couple's expressions remained grim. They spoke up.
"...Ms. Han. If it's not too much trouble, could we have a moment of your time?"
"Of course. The office is a bit cramped, so let's talk downstairs."
"Yes. Thank you, thank you."
What's this about?
Han Yu-ra shot me a glance. Fun was always welcome, so I followed her down to the cafe with them.
Shock! Something utterly unexpected went down.
They were Kim A-ram's parents.
"A-ram's parents?"
Kim A-ram had parents? Looking closer, the middle-aged couple did resemble her. I let out a deep sigh.
The real deal.
I wondered what sins they'd committed in a past life to end up with a daughter like Kim A-ram. How could two perfectly normal-looking people produce a creature like that? No wonder people turned to anti-natalism.
A-ram, oh A-ram...
I barely suppressed the laughter bubbling up.
Kim A-ram's parents hunched their shoulders, stealing glances at CEO Han Yu-ra. I felt a twinge of pity. A-ram's sins weren't theirs, but the chains of parenthood forced them into shared responsibility. It was pathetic.
The father spoke first.
"First off, we wanted to ask about that."
"..."
"We heard our A-ram caused property damage. Is that true?"
"Yes, it is."
His eyes were desperate. For a moment, I felt like forgiving him, but I had my own position to consider. I handed them the evidence.
"Take a look. This is the command to delete the files. A-ram was working at that exact time. See? From the same computer."
I kindly lifted the laptop to show the CCTV footage alongside. They groaned and fell silent. The evidence was ironclad—no room for argument. Proving programming-related property damage was usually tough, but with proof this solid, it was a different story.
A-ram was headed to Seoul Detention Center.
"Ah... um... that..."
Her father's face went pale as a sheet. He said,
"Is there any chance of leniency...?"
He seemed to know it was futile. And he was right.
"We haven't even assessed the full damage yet. This happened right when we have exactly 27 days until open beta..."
"Then... how much will it cost?"
"Factoring in all the ad spend so far..."
Han Yu-ra replied,
"I'd estimate 200 to 300 million won."
"Ugh, ughh, kuhuk...!"
A-ram's mom burst into tears. But Han Yu-ra continued coolly.
"Since A-ram is denying the charges, there's nothing we can do. It's quite awkward for us too. Our server data is all gone..."
"...We understand."
This wasn't school. Apologizing parents couldn't fix a student's screw-up. A-ram's victim was a corporation, not an individual, and her actions warranted criminal punishment under the law.
These parents had come to test if begging would work. But it wouldn't.
"Hold on... let me call my daughter."
That's when it happened.
-Ring ring ring!
A phone rang deafeningly close. We looked out the cafe window and saw Kim A-ram's despairing face.
We were stunned. No one expected her to be right there.
Why the hell did she come back...?
My eyes met Kim A-ram's. Her eyebrows shot up in a perfect V. Wide eyes. A face full of shock and resentment... Then the tearful shitshow began.
"A-ram!!!"
Her mom forgot all decorum and bolted out screaming.
Crazy...
Laughter I shouldn't let out kept spilling. This was a first in my life. The boiling glee was unbearable, but I pinched my thigh desperately to hold it in.
Hold it together! Im Seong-u! Don't laugh! A-ram's parents are watching!
Outside in Pangyo. Next to the wide 8-lane road, a Tom and Jerry chase unfolded.
"Ughhh!"
Kim A-ram dashed across the vast plaza, groaning like that. Open terrain. Her mother pursued like a Kilimanjaro leopard hunting prey.
"Kim A-raaam! Stop right there!"
A manhunt. Kim A-ram fled with her disheveled hair flying, but her furious mom grabbed her by the hair.
"Huuuugh!"
Kim A-ram collapsed on the spot. I thought to myself: Sometimes, just sometimes, melodrama could be fun. Especially when it was real life.
-Smack! Smack!
As her mom spanked her back, onlookers started gathering. Some were pulling out smartphones.
Haa... guess I should do the decent thing.
I approached them to preserve some basic humanity.
"Sorry, but our employee is going through a tough personal matter. Filming wouldn't be great."
"Ah, sorry."
I dispersed the crowd and watched Kim A-ram and her mom from behind. Han Yu-ra, arriving late, stared in disbelief, and I committed the scene to memory forever.
"You bitch! Apologize for what you did!"
"...Hic, ugh, uuuuh!"
Kim A-ram, collapsed in her mess of hair, swatted at her mom's hands. Smack! She was acting like a total kid.
"How are you gonna live with this shame...! Sob... Might as well go to jail..."
Of course, she'd never been to Seoul Detention Center. That's why she could say crap like that. Looking at her, I thought:
Her self-esteem is getting shredded in real time.
I couldn't read minds, but her flushed, tomato-red face screamed she was one step from the edge.
A-ram.
I thought: If it were me, I'd just off myself.
Mid-20s, screwing up at work, and your parents show up apologizing? She was already disqualified as a human. If Han Yu-ra spread this in the industry, her only option would be internet streaming. Might even have a brighter future there—at least she could farm aggro.
"Enough now... let's head back to the cafe first."
Melodrama fit for a 90s drama wasn't something to endure sober. I led them back inside.
Like a disheveled virgin ghost, Kim A-ram sat at the cafe chair, staring blankly at the table. The face of someone who'd lost all hope. Her mother hesitated, then spoke.
"Is there no way you could show even a little mercy? We'll take out a loan if we have to."
"I'm sorry. We need materials to report to our investors too."
"...Understood. Could you share the evidence or case details, by any chance?"
Kim A-ram was out of it. This was the moment. I signaled Han Yu-ra. Time to execute my 'plan.' She looked at me unhappily, her face saying:
Do we have to? Seong-u?
But I had no intention of backing down. If Kim A-ram faced legal consequences, she'd do her time—maybe two years max, like a military stint—and get a job elsewhere. Boring.
I tossed them the bait.
"It's not like there's zero way for A-ram to clear her name."
"Pardon...?"
"What'd you say?"
My words drew instant attention, like a viral post. All eyes locked on as I spoke gravely.
"If A-ram restores the entire server within a month."
"...Pardon?"
"Honestly, we've worked with A-ram for a year. We don't want to waste money on legal fees either."
A flicker of hope lit their eyes. Even though Kim A-ram had zero chance of pulling it off.
Why's that?
Hope only blooms in despair, right? That's why 'Hope Seoul' felt so depressing.
"A-ram. Choose."
"..."
"Confess now, apologize, and restore the server by any means within a month. We'll drop the charges."
"Ugh, uuh..."
Chicken-shit tears plopped from Kim A-ram's eyes. Utterly pathetic and resentful.
Oh, you fucking bitch.
I recalled the past briefly, and all sympathy for Kim A-ram fizzled like embers in winter.
Seeing that disheveled, crying mess who used to nag me like that... A year's worth of heartburn eased a bit.
You wrecked Han Yu-ra's dream. Time to pay up.
"A-ram! Say you'll do it—now...!"
"Didn't you say you learned programming once...?"
Prodded by her parents, Kim A-ram's lips parted slightly. Words tantamount to total surrender spilled out. I felt happy.
"Hic, huuk... I'm sorry..."
"Oh."
"Within a month... huuk... I'll restore the server..."
"Thank you for the leniency."
Kim A-ram sobbed wretchedly, and her parents bowed in gratitude. Just one promise not to sue seemed to fill them with hope.
I thought: Kim A-ram... you're a god.
She really was. A retard god.
And so, Kim A-ram volunteered for overtime that day. She'd better get used to it. More late nights ahead.
I said to her with overflowing goodwill.
"A-ram, here's a programming book."
"..."
The other employees had already clocked out. She stared blankly at the monitor with dead eyes.
I looked at her and said,
"Wow, must be nice, A-ram."
She glared at me with hatred, confusion mixed in. Not that it'd make me go easy.
"You can use the whole office like it's your rental now, right? A-ram. Help yourself to the coffee machine over there. All yours."
I tossed her the books.
◈ Perfect for quick backend mastery
"A-ram, you're capable, right? You always said coding was easy."
At that, she nearly burst into tears. Han Yu-ra looked at me like trash. I patted her shoulder.
She wore a hollow expression.
"A-ram."
"..."
In that brief silence, my voice turned serious. A-ram looked at me with hopeful eyes. A glimmer of hope there. If she apologized now, maybe forgiveness. Escape this hellish life. Make it all go away.
Seeing that, I wavered a bit. A-ram's face was pretty, even tear-streaked. We'd spent a year together. A warm word of comfort couldn't hurt.
"A-ram."
"...Yes?"
A heartfelt message for our nation's youth.
"It hurts, so it's youth. Got it?"
Punch to the gut! Vomit rising~
I bolted from the office.
"But Seong-u, we have backups anyway, right?"
"Of course I covered that much."
In the parking lot, I said to Han Yu-ra,
"Yu-ra."
"Yeah?"
"Don't go home tonight."
She stood blankly, then blushed as it sank in.
Good luck, Kim A-ram.
Life gets tough sometimes. But brighter days awaited Kim A-ram. She'd pull an all-nighter tonight and catch the sunrise tomorrow.
Hang in there, Kim A-ram. Fighting!
Me? Time for some sex.