Leave While They're Clapping

Lee Somin and Team Leader Park's affair. And Team Leader Park's kickbacks.

I'd farmed both jobs out—outsourcing, if you could call it that—and clocked out with an easy heart.

It felt snug, somehow. I had specialists working both ends. If I stuck my own nose in, I'd only get in the way.

Once I was home, I checked the price of Bitcoin. I'd been moving too fast all day to spare it a glance.

…….

Fifteen percent in a single day. Was that even possible?

I'd been running ten-times leverage, which meant I'd seized a hundred and fifty percent return between sunrise and sunset.

Somewhere along the way my total assets had breezed past a billion won. Resignation was drawing closer by the hour.

Leave while they're still clapping. Aside from Changjo Construction, the China Show bid was all but wrapped, and once these two messes were cleaned up, I meant to walk out of the company without a speck of dust on me.

Even so, it hadn't felt bad, the way people at the office had started greeting me with actual warmth.

Eight years, somehow, since my first day as a new hire. Quitting right before the review for promotion to section chief left a small ache after all.

The company…

Thanks to Speed Reading Master, I knew more than enough about investing, and I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had no intention of letting that knowledge go to waste.

I meant to keep investing. And if I thought about the scale my assets were heading toward, moving as an organization would be far easier than moving as one man.

So I'd found a company of my own. I'd even have business cards printed—CEO—a title I never thought I'd hear applied to me in this lifetime.

A life flipped clean over, after a divorce.

Good thing I got divorced.

These days I was nearly grateful to Lee Somin. If that woman hadn't existed, the Random Box would never have shown up in front of me.

I glanced at the Bitcoin price once more, then shifted my eyes to the status window floating before them.

So this one didn't open on its own? I was going to open it anyway, and even pressing Y was starting to feel like a chore.

Press.

I hit Y.

Light wavered, right on cue.

Shaaa—

And a new status window rose in front of my eyes.

…….

So.

Time stops? And everyone freezes except me?

Hold on. This is… the thing I saw in that porn…

I shook my head. What kind of insane thought was that?

Anyway, there was no expiration. If I held on to it, a moment worth spending it would come.

Five minutes was a little short, though. In those videos…

I shook my head again.

Jinyeong. Clean thoughts only.

Bzzzt.

While my mind was wandering somewhere it had no business being, a message came in from Taeseong.

A beating was a beating. What was "legally" supposed to mean?

Anyway, once I was done talking to Taeseong—he'd said he didn't need a thing, but I sent ten million won to his account all the same.

I'd been grateful to him since our school days, and being able to pay a little of it back, even like this, put me in a good mood.

Thank you, Taeseong.

The next morning, when I got to the office, Team Leader Park was humming to himself at his desk.

"Team Leader, something good happen? You seem to be in a fine mood."

Section Chief ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lee Eunsik, seated beside him, was the one who said it.

"What could possibly be good? Thanks to a certain someone, I'm getting shipped out to the provinces. Still, I can't sit around gloomy forever. A man pushes through."

Bullshit.

For a second I considered hitting Time Stop and caving his skull in. I held back. Spending a precious ability on a speck of a man like that would have been a waste.

Team Leader Park finished talking with Chief Lee and went right back to humming.

I wanted him to enjoy this moment, at least. Falling into the pit after a stay in heaven hurts worse than never having left the ground.

The presentation review was at ten in the morning.

It was nine-thirty now. Team Leader Park stood to head for the main conference room, where the vendors' bid presentations would be judged.

And in that instant, I stepped into his path.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Heading to the bid presentation review, sir?"

"Do I have to report every little thing to you now?"

"Not exactly. I just figured that if that's where you're going, there's no real need."

"…What?"

Bzzzt—

A vibration rattled Team Leader Park's phone.

He checked the caller, then closed it again.

Bzzzt—

Bzzzt—

The clueless buzzing kept on.

"Looks urgent. You should pick ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up."

"That's none of your business. Move."

Team Leader Park shoved my shoulder and pushed past me.

"You really ought to answer… Isn't that Changjo Construction?"

"…!"

I could feel every frantic thought tearing through the back of his head.

Look at him flinch. Pathetic.

Team Leader Park turned and stared at me.

"…What?"

"Oh, right. I heard Changjo Construction got dropped from the list for today's presentation review."

"What kind of bullshit is that? I'm the one with evaluation authority, and I haven't heard a damn—"

I straightened my index finger and pointed at the ceiling.

"Must've been decided upstairs."

Team Leader Park's pupils trembled. He wrenched his body around and made for the door, desperate to confirm it.

"No need to go out. Looks like they came to greet you themselves."

Click. Click.

The bright, clean strike of heels on marble carried down the hall.

Every eye in the office swung that way at once.

"W-why are you people here?"

"We meet again, Team Leader Park. I doubt seeing us often will do you any favors."

Internal Audit had come in person. The audit director took one more step and leaned toward Team Leader Park.

"We've received a tip regarding kickbacks. We'd appreciate it if you'd come with us for a short inquiry."

"…Kickbacks? What the hell kind of nonsense is that!"

The man who'd dealt it, roaring about the smell. Team Leader Park barked straight at the audit staff.

The audit director's expression didn't so much as twitch. If anything, he offered a leisurely smile.

"If you'd rather not deal with Audit, you're welcome to be questioned at the police station instead. Changjo Construction has people here as well. We like the law too, but going strictly by the book gets a little cold, doesn't it? Take the chance while it's being offered, Team Leader Park."

"What is this… Who on earth…"

In that moment, something unclean crawled over Team Leader Park, and he began, slowly, to turn his head again.

Ju Jinyeong. One corner of his mouth was hooked high and long, like a man midway through a stroke, and as Park Seonghun looked at that face a chill ran the length of his spine.

How did that bastard…

I'd blocked him at exactly the right moment. I'd known the call from Changjo Construction was coming. Calculating that Internal Audit was already on the move hadn't been difficult, either.

The ability I'd pulled from the Random Box yesterday, King's Ears are Donkey Ears. The limit was forty-eight hours, so luckily I could still use it today.

After my conversation with Lee Jayeong at the café, I'd stepped out first and listened in on her call with Director Lee.

And this morning, when Lee Jayeong was nowhere to be seen in the office, I'd pricked my ears and listened to her again.

Early morning. Lee Jayeong had spoken directly with the CEO of Jinseong Planning.

The conclusion was an audit targeting Changjo Construction and Team Leader Park. Notice would have gone to Changjo this morning as well, so of course I expected the phone call to Park.

I'd left the skill running on the audit staff too, which meant I could drag the moment out until they reached our office.

Humiliate him where the whole world can see.

I walked up and planted myself in front of Team Leader Park.

"……."

"…What?"

A rustle ran through the room. In that instant the whole office began to stir.

"What is this?"

"Isn't that Team Leader Park?"

"And next to him—don't tell me…"

"Employee Lee Somin?"

"How are the two of them even…"

"They didn't have an affair, did they?"

"No way. Then why have we been treating Assistant Manager Ju like he was the one who—"

Since lunch yesterday, I'd bent an ear toward the people at the company, one by one.

Whose mouth was the loosest? Who could spread a rumor the farthest?

And I found someone. Section Chief Im from the next department—the office's resident old maid.

All day long she went around wearing other people's stories like jewelry.

Yesterday it was who had been picking their nose. How some section chief was worried sick because he couldn't perform at night. How A and B were dating inside the company and had been caught doing that in a conference room.

From the trivial to the enormous. There wasn't a story inside this company that didn't pass through her.

The big mouth had been right in front of me.

More than that, she was one of the people Team Leader Park Seonghun had slighted the most, always with that casual little sneer.

"You know why Section Chief Im never got married?"

"A person has to maintain themselves."

"Look at me. I hit my forties and I still manage myself this hard."

"Now take a look at Section Chief Im."

"What man would want that?"

From an anonymous number, with no warning and no explanation, I sent Section Chief Im the photos and the video.

Not a word of context. That was enough.

She'd write the novel herself.

And sure enough, Section Chief Im uploaded the photos to some community, and the post went up under this title.

I'd kept my promise. I never said it was an affair. Not out loud.

Thud. Thud.

The floor itself seemed to shake, the way it does when someone good and furious is coming.

Was that her?

"Hey!!! Ju Jinyeong!!! Have you lost your mind!!!"

Bingo.

Lee Somin didn't spare a glance for anyone else. She stormed into our office and screamed at me.

"Why? What's going on?"

A shameless face. I'd been practicing the I-don't-know-a-thing expression since last night.

"You're asking because you don't know? You're the one who posted it, aren't you?"

A flinch. Beside me, Section Chief Im's shoulders jumped.

"Posted what?"

"Ha— look at you, playing dumb…"

"Do you really think you're the one who gets to be angry here?"

"What?"

"If anyone should be angry, it's me. You sent my life straight into the gutter, and you still hoped yours would be happy? That's a pretty selfish little dream."

"Ju Jinyeong… you son of a—"

The whispers swelled. Only then did Lee Somin seem to come to her senses and feel the eyes on her.

And then, all at once, her face went scarlet.

I kept talking, straight at her.

"Try surviving the rest of your time at this company. That's about all I've got to say to you."

After the uproar had blown through, Section Chief Lee Eunsik called me up to the roof to clear the air.

"Want a coffee?"

"Sure."

"Hang on…"

Same as always, Chief Lee was digging through some pocket or other for his rattling spare change.

I held out a coin bank.

"What's this?"

"Coins. There are quite a few hundred-won pieces in there."

"…Why are you giving me this all of a sudden?"

"You like the vending-machine coffee, Chief. Drink it often."

"And you, Assistant Manager Ju?"

"I don't think I'll be drinking it anymore."

"Huh?"

"I got the whole company's attention again today. I'm too embarrassed to keep coming in."

Section Chief Lee Eunsik stood there with a paper cup steaming in his hand and thought it over.

You're the one who made them look, you lunatic.

From the roof I looked out over Seoul, spread wide below.

No storm clouds. The sky was clear, and a cool wind came through. Just enough sun. Just enough warmth.

Every stubborn, rotten tie I'd had at this company—I'd cut them all.

So what was left…

Time to go hand in my resignation.