The Debt Weighs Heavy
"First, let's calculate the total damages."
Visor stood up and stepped out of the break room. The store remained untouched, left in utter chaos.
"Six displays damaged."
Visor walked over to his clipboard, checking off items.
"Counter display damage from the beginning of the year, half of it."
Of course. Even the snacks and food that had been on display were ruined, along with other merchandise. It was impossible to sell anything now. They would have to throw it all away.
"Partial display damage and disposal of goods."
But the biggest problem was elsewhere. Visor turned, sweeping up broken window glass with his foot.
"Window damage, three instances."
Through the gaps where the glass had been, a cold draft crept in. It wasn't freezing or anything, but it still made my skin crawl.
"The direct damages seem to be... interesting."
Visor adjusted his glasses as he spoke. The only saving grace was that the damage hadn't spread to the Backroom, the hallway behind the counter, or the dorm. That was something, at least.
"We will call in a repair crew tomorrow to fix the facilities."
"Ah, yeah. Of course."
Only Kim Gichan gave the proper answer. Maria looked like she didn't understand, and I was too scared to estimate the final bill to know what to say.
"Now, let's calculate the final damages."
Visor wrote something on the paper.
And without lowering his glasses, he recited the amount.
"Six display damages, 1,300,000 Luos. Counter equipment damage from the beginning of the year, 900,000 Luos. Exterior window breakage, 1,200,000 Luos. Disposal of goods, 440,000 Luos—"
"Wait, hold on a second."
The number was higher than I expected. But Visor didn't stop.
"Total comes to 3,840,000 Luos."
"That seems a bit high, doesn't it?"
I asked Visor, but he just turned his head to look at me.
"Yeah, Visor-nim. We messed up, but... can we apply worker's insurance or something?"
"Insurance will be applied after responsibility is divided."
Kim Gichan stayed silent.
He had done it to try and lower the amount, but there was no way around it.
"Next is responsibility division."
In an instant, we moved to the next step.
3,840,000 Luos in responsibility division.
"First, unauthorized use of abilities inside the store."
Visor looked at Maria and flipped through a few more pages of the file. Resumes with our names on them. And one that looked like Maria's, though I had no idea when it had been added.
"Result: the subject is a Plane Drifter, an outsider not affiliated with the store."
"But I'm with Jin-ho-nim!"
"Miss, that's beside the point. Miss isn't even a worker."
"The action is clear."
While Kim Gichan tried to explain Maria's situation, Visor continued.
"Unauthorized ability use occurred inside the store, resulting in direct damage. Therefore, 80% responsibility is assigned to that intervention. Next, Kim Gichan."
"Eeh..."
Kim Gichan's sigh leaked out.
"The worker was on-site manager at the time and aware of the situation. However, the incident occurred right before a collision, and considering past cases, there was a possibility of larger-scale damage."
It sounded like he was talking about how Kim Gichan had pushed the button to call the police during the Lukho Sangbak situation. If they had called the police, none of this damage would have reached us. The frustration welled up again.
"Also, considering the human race's reaction speed and limits, immediate control was impossible. Taking that into account, 20% responsibility is assigned."
Kim Gichan sighed again. It hadn't come out as big as I thought.
"Employee-nim, it's okay!"
"Miss, you need to realize you're not the one who's okay."
"Finally, Yu Jinho."
My name was called.
I looked at Visor. The round glasses reflected the light, hiding his eyes. I couldn't read his expression, and that made me uneasy.
"During the incident, the worker left the workplace during work hours. Since permission was granted by the senior worker, this will be treated as a single warning."
"...Eh?"
"Therefore, Maria Anguines is assigned 3,072,000 Luos, and Kim Gichan is assigned 768,000 Luos."
Visor closed the clipboard.
"...Just like that?"
I asked again.
...Is this it?
But why didn't it feel like it was over?
Right then, someone placed a hand on my shoulder.
It was Kim Gichan.
"—Next, the responsibility application."
My lips stopped moving. Of course, it couldn't end like this.
"Kim Gichan. You acknowledge manager negligence, but since you're from the same unit, the company will cover half the loss."
Half. That meant only 384,000 Luos would be charged to Kim Gichan. Cutting it in half was a pretty big concession.
"Maria Anguines."
"Hah, yes!"
Maria answered, tense as well.
"The subject is not affiliated with the store and is not covered by company protection. Therefore, the headquarters has no reason to bear the loss."
It was exactly what I expected. Maria wasn't a worker.
"However, the subject is a Plane Drifter, and at present, they lack responsibility capacity. In that case, the company will hold the primary guarantor of the Plane Drifter responsible."
Visor's head turned.
Toward me.
"Therefore, 3,072,000 Luos will be charged to Yu Jinho."
"...Huh."
My thoughts raced. 3,072,000 Luos was no small amount.
Converting it into familiar units.
Considering that Luos and Won were about 1.5 times different...
About 4.6 million Won.
I had only been working for four days and already had a 5 million Won debt.
I lowered my head. I wanted to grab at anything Visor said, but the reason was too clear.
Maria had caused the damage, and I was her guarantor.
Was there really no way?
Could I give up the guarantor now? I had never given one in Earth either, so was this a naive assumption?
"Jin-ho-nim."
Maria's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I looked up. Maria was holding my hand.
"...Maria-nim?"
"Before I fell into this dimension, I was always inside a room."
Maria spoke up.
"So... I might have been too excited about the new world."
Maria's voice reached my ears, but I didn't understand why she was saying this now.
"In my original place, everyone loved my blessings and my prayers!"
"...So?"
"But... I realized this place was a little different. And that my sins had been transferred to Jin-ho-nim."
"Got it. What are you trying to do?"
My voice came out rude without me realizing it.
But Maria didn't care and smiled. Then she turned toward Visor.
I couldn't read Visor's gaze, but I saw his head turn slightly toward her.
"Because Jin-ho-nim is the guarantor for the damage, right?"
"That's correct."
Visor's affirmation.
"For the record, this loss is claimed under the guarantor status for an outsider. Therefore, the company's worker protection rules do not apply to Yu Jinho."
It meant that since the damage was caused by an outsider, the company wouldn't have to take responsibility.
"What if Jin-ho-nim gives up the guarantor?"
I looked up. Maria's eyes were steady, fixed on me without a single tremor.
"In that case, it will revert to the original subject, and Yu Jinho's responsibility will be nullified."
"Jin-ho-nim, that's what it says."
Maria smiled sweetly.
"You can give up the guarantor."
Logically, I understood. I knew the saying "what is sown is what is reaped."
Maria's fault should be resolved by Maria.
"It's okay like that, right, Visor-nim?"
"Originally, a report must be submitted immediately after the judgment ends. However..."
Visor adjusted his glasses for a moment and opened the clipboard again.
Then he quickly wrote something on the last page.
"This proposal reduces company losses, so considering the special nature of this case, the submission deadline is extended to 13:00 tomorrow."
"Then what about Maria-nim?"
"Unfortunately, she will have to bear it all."
Kim Gichan threw in one more line.
"You won't be going to the temporary residence tent?"
Inside the tent we had set up inside the Dimensional Control Bureau. Narrow, rundown... in the chaotic crowd. Could I really send Maria in there? Could Maria handle it?
"It's fine! Actually, I managed even better in worse places!"
Maria said with a smile.
"Maria-nim doesn't have the ability to pay."
I yelled at Visor like I was complaining.
"Once the Plane Drifter procedure is complete, the contract will be made in the form of recovering a portion of the subject's labor income monthly."
Visor explained.
It sounded like we could get money no matter what.
...Even if the subject was in any state.
Our eyes met. Maria smiled as if to say not to worry.
"Jin-ho-nim, thank you for guiding me for the day."
I hadn't even decided yet.
The conversation was moving on its own.
Why did it feel so... suffocating?
"Miss, are you really okay? In this convenience store, most places don't even pay minimum wage. It would take over a year."
"Considering the average worker income in Sanctum City, we plan to recover 380,000 Luos monthly after excluding minimum living expenses. Taking interest into account, payment will be made over about ten months."
"But I have to bear the sin! The Outer God will take care of it."
"If the Outer God took care of it, this situation wouldn't have happened... anyway."
Kim Gichan's and Maria's conversation continued.
It was over.
It was over?
I looked at Maria. She was still smiling without a hint of worry.
She really didn't understand how the world worked. She must have grown up as a flower in a greenhouse at the cult. Because she didn't know that trusting the world too purely was dangerous, she could smile like that.
Suddenly, my little sister came to mind.
Maria's image overlapped with hers.
The way she was casually giving up on herself.
Was that why?
"Everyone. Don't talk nonsense."
Because I couldn't stand the decision that was flowing without any will.
I couldn't hold it back anymore.
I exploded.