Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Part-Time Boss!
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- D-da, I'll get back to you next time!
"Customer? Customer? Hey, you fucking bastard?!"
The call was already disconnected.
That's why he's cursing—he knows it's hung up.
People like that are known for writing shitty reviews if you get on their nerves.
"Huhu! Looking so young! My efforts are finally bearing fruit! This is splendid!"
Reneah was bouncing around the office in excitement, while Kim Yang threw herself into nonstop headbutting practice.
The real issue was that those headbutts were aimed at me, not the customers.
Truth be told, it wasn't that I couldn't pay their salaries.
I could liquidate some stocks right now if needed.
'But pulling out now would be a massive loss.'
It wasn't just any loss—it was the kind of boneheaded move that would have everyone pointing fingers.
The market had dipped temporarily due to the natural disaster.
Wolfguard stocks might be toast, but the rest would normalize soon enough.
"Kim Yang."
"Yeah?"
"Can we push the salary back just a little?"
"......"
"Ah, really just a bit. It's a loss to withdraw right now."
"B-ba, boss! Bo-boss!"
Kim Yang's headbutts grew even fiercer.
I clamped my mouth shut and started flipping through some documents.
'Any holy marriage fees coming in anywhere?'
Speak of the tiger, and it appears.
My phone rang right then.
"Ah, yeah. Cheol-su."
This was the third beastkin introduction from him alone.
I'd been hoping this tanuki beastkin might work out—
"Yeah, yeah, ah... I see. Yup. More of a furry vibe. Yeah, yeah."
Click.
After hanging up, a short sigh escaped me.
At this rate, maybe I should just head to an animal shelter and pick out a pet?
"More of a furry beastkin, huh."
As I scanned the file binders, closing time rolled around before I knew it.
Reneah was pacing around for some reason, and Kim Yang was getting ready to head out.
She slipped on her jacket, grabbed her bag, and tilted her head at me.
"B-boss. Overtime?"
"I was out all day, so I figured I'd knock some stuff out before leaving."
I still needed to sort out Kim Yang's pay, too.
"......"
After staring at me blankly, Kim Yang muttered something about heading home and left.
I stood up to grab a smoke and headed for the entrance—
Thud!
Reneah suddenly blocked my path and slammed right into me.
It wasn't even that hard, but she went tumbling to the floor.
"Ack!?"
"......What the hell."
Was she angling for some insurance scam or something?
"To defeat me so easily... No helping it. By the duel marriage pact, I shall wed thee—"
She flipped right over and stormed out.
Reneah chased after her, yelling her lungs out.
"Why not! Baek Yeonhwa accepted it like this! Doesn't that mean I can too?!"
"You've picked up some weird ideas. Besides, Baek Yeonhwa left a note saying if she shows up, you'd introduce her to a man separately."
Not sure if she'd accept it, though.
"No weird loopholes. You know you're still F-grade, right?"
I warned Reneah, who'd followed me all the way to the smoking area.
She hadn't shown enough change for a grade reevaluation yet.
At best, she'd started part-time work and rented a place.
"Grh, y-yes, I know."
"Fuu."
I exhaled a puff of smoke.
Glancing at the fidgeting Reneah beside me, I offered some advice.
"How about landing a proper job? Not part-time—something like office work?"
"W-wouldn't that require computers? I don't know how to use them."
Fair point. She'd only gotten her phone recently, after all.
"There are academies for that. They run courses to help folks from the 4th and 5th floors settle in."
Skipping the 6th floor, since tech's so advanced there anyway.
There were schools teaching all sorts of skills for people from the 4th and 5th.
"Mm, such things exist? Guess I do need to put in some effort, huh?"
"Fuu, yeah."
Actually, there was one dead-simple option.
Have Reneah become a hunter.
She'd one-shot the Net Queen and claimed a 200 million bounty, and once stopped a blue dragon with a single arrow.
If she went that route, she could jump from B-grade straight to A-grade in no time.
Age was an issue, but older hunters just threw money at it to smooth things over.
"Grh, maybe I should check out a job training academy for real."
I glanced at her as she pondered.
Even with her gloom over having to work society, picking up the bow again didn't seem to be on the table.
Flick flick.
I shook off the ash and stretched.
"Fuu, I've got overtime, so head home first."
"......Being home alone's boring."
"This ain't a playground."
"You haven't heard the full 22-syllable poem yet."
"Ah, for real."
In the end, we both ended up back in the office.
"By the way, didn't you say earlier you had someone to introduce?"
"Ah, right. Check this out."
"Mm-hm."
I pulled out a file binder and showed her.
Name: Kim Geun-bae.
Age: 46.
Origin: 3rd Floor.
Occupation: Executive at Future Civil Engineering & Construction.
Overall: C-grade.
"This guy's loaded, you know? But he's terrible with money—"
"......"
"Don't pretend you didn't hear that."
"Even I have preferences! Someone who looks like Cha Un-woo!"
"At 1,901 years old, you should be grateful anyone's willing to take you..."
Well, if she turns it down, nothing I can do.
Can't force a match, after all.
As I worked, the sky gradually darkened.
"Kuul."
Reneah had dozed off, slumped over the desk right next to me.
If she was gonna crash like that, why not just sleep at home?
'I'm starving.'
Before the blue dragon showed up, I'd have ordered jjajangmyeon without a second thought.
Sadly, cup ramen it was tonight.
As I filled the coffee pot with water for the ramen, the office door swung open.
"Huh?"
Kim Yang stood there in casual clothes, holding a bag from an old-school fried chicken joint.
"B-boss. For overtime, I got this."
"For real? Damn, that's actually touching."
"Sniff sniff! That savory smell!"
Reneah bolted upright.
Kim Yang blinked in surprise at seeing her still here this late but set everything up without a word.
"H-how's it going? Get some done?"
"There's stuff organized on the desk, so just make those calls tomorrow. I've got about five couples lined up."
"Okay."
She wasn't eating—instead, she kept ripping off pieces of chicken and offering them to me.
Looked like she had something to say.
"What's up? Is it really about the salary? I can pay you, you know."
"......A f-few days. Late's f-fine. S-stocks are a l-loss right now, right?"
"Well—yeah, that's true."
Even for a small company like ours, was it okay to share finances this openly with an employee?
"Smack, thanks. Sorry I'm such an incompetent boss, Kim Yang."
"B-boss isn't incompetent."
"He is! He keeps trying to set me up with guys who look like Cha Un-woo—!"
I stuffed a fatty piece of meat into Reneah's mouth to shut her up.
A swig of the cola we'd gotten together finally cleared my head a bit.
Maybe it was just the relief of Kim Yang saying the delay was okay.
"Phew, what a relief. I was seriously thinking of hitting up Ryu Seram tomorrow for some part-time work if it got any later."
Small business owners and restaurant bosses often picked up side gigs when things were slow, right?
"Huh?"
Kim Yang tilted her head like she had no idea what I meant, so I casually explained Ryu Seram's offer from today.
"Wanna die?"
"......"
"T-tomorrow. Go work there."
"No, it's fine if it's late—"
"G-gimme my salary—!"
A headbutt came flying my way.
What a bizarre life this had become.
'Picking up a side gig to cover employee salaries.'
For a company president, wasn't this the textbook path to ruin?
Once the stock market stabilized, I'd make damn sure to keep a minimum balance in the account no matter what.
Who knew squeezing every penny for that apartment dream would backfire like this.
The early morning destination was a 40-story skyscraper downtown.
Ryu Seram's agency: Hunter Management BLR (Black Line Risk).
Unlike the nonprofit Hunter Association, management firms put profits first.
Peak hunters usually worked at places like this, then transitioned to the Association upon retirement.
'If I'd become a hunter, would I have ended up working here?'
I could easily picture myself teaming up with Ryu Seram for missions.
At the entrance, Ryu Seram waited with a file binder in hand, wearing a Daeheung Bearforce baseball jacket.
Brown hair, sharp fangs.
Her free-spirited outfit screamed "not on the clock yet."
She smirked the moment she saw me actually show up.
"Honestly didn't think you'd come if you said you would."
"Same here."
"What, some change of heart?"
"Not exactly."
I couldn't bring myself to admit I was scrambling on foot because I couldn't pay my employee.
"More like reality kicked me in the back?"
"What bullshit. Whatever, I already told them—head to the 27th floor for your uniform. Change into it."
"Even gotta change clothes?"
"Today's gig is bodyguard duty. You planning to guard in that getup?"
I'd dressed up nice thinking it was a big corp visit.
"Bodyguard work's why a cert-less guy like you can part-time it. I parachuted you in, so don't fuck up."
I took the temporary employee badge she handed me. My name and photo were printed on it.
'When'd she snag this photo?'
The question flitted by, but I let it slide for now.
What I really wanted to know was the job details.
"That owl guy from yesterday? Guarding him?"
"Yup. Kinda wonder why we're babysitting some singer. Honestly, zero danger."
"Sounds like a sweet deal."
"Sweet as honey."
Ryu Seram grinned.
So that's why she'd told me to come part-time.
9 hours a day meant 900,000 won.
Three days made 2.7 million.
Even after taxes, more than enough for Kim Yang's salary.
'Kinda unfair comparing to a megacorp, but the gap's huge.'
Sorry, Kim Yang.
If we make it big, I'll hook you up with a fat salary.
"Go up, change, fill out the contract... Oh yeah, you renewed your passport?"
"Passport? Yeah, I did."
Back when Meracle was really taking off.
I'd bounced between floors a lot for promo on the 4th. Still had plenty of time before expiration.
"Good. Target's heading to the 5th floor for a schedule today, so keep that in mind."
5th floor?
"Hold up. Nobody told me that."
I blurted it out in a fluster, and Ryu Seram shot back with an irritated glare.
"Gotta clear schedules with part-timers now?"
Fair enough.
"Free trip to the 5th floor—you're coming out ahead. Hurry up and go."
Heading to the 5th floor right now was kinda risky, though.