The Basement Below Ground
Director Kim Sanghyun was already waiting.
Inside Choi Taehyun’s office.
A man sat on the sofa placed in the center.
It was the head of the Third Division, Director Kim Sanghyun.
“Ah, yes. You’re here, Director.
“Good. Since we don’t need to call more people, let’s start with this.
Choi Taehyun stepped toward the coat rack to remove his suit jacket.
Han Iseo, the Operations Team Leader, naturally headed toward the sofa where Director Kim Sanghyun sat.
At that moment, Han Iseo dashed over and plopped down right beside him.
She began peppering him with questions in a rapid, half-whispered tone, tapping his forearm.
“Director! What happened to that career-track person you interviewed last time? Why did a complete stranger suddenly show up as team leader?”
Director Kim Sanghyun answered in a strained voice, eyes darting around like he was chewing a mouthful of shit.
“No… um… he was reassigned to the First Division.
“What? First Division? That place is already overflowing with staff!”
“Well… the higher-ups decided it that way.
“No! You said the strategy planning team leader appointment was entirely within our Third Division’s discretion, and now you’re throwing a parachute in?!”
“Shh, shh, hush! We’ll talk later.
Director Kim Sanghyun cleared his throat urgently to gauge Choi Taehyun’s reaction and looked away.
At the head seat, Choi Taehyun sat with fingers interlaced, wearing his signature sly smile as he spoke.
“Well, then, let me introduce you properly. This is Baek Sujae, the newly assigned Strategy Planning Team Leader for the Third Division.
“…Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.
“…Hello.
“Yes, please take good care of us.
Director Kim Sanghyun forced a smile and nodded awkwardly.
Han Iseo, with the look of a soul having fled her body, barely managed to utter her greeting.
I bowed my waist in silent response.
Before I could finish, Choi Taehyun delivered the final blow.
“Though you lack any on-site experience, you’re a fresh-faced newcomer. But when it comes to the gate ecosystem and the internal conditions of Ilgang Guild, no one knows it better than you. I trust you will guide the Third Division superbly.
‘This guy is downright killing me, killing me, huh.’
A deep sigh escaped from the bottom of my heart.
I hadn’t even boarded the employee elevator in the lobby, and now he’s publicly advertising my total lack of experience for the entire world to hear.
From the glances around me, it was clear how they already viewed me in Ilgang Guild.
Unlike me, however, Han Iseo’s eyes widened in shock at Choi Taehyun’s absurd words.
“What? Director, you just said there’s no experience? For the strategy planning team leader position?”
“Yes, and the career-track recommendation from the HR department last time didn’t even have the feel of a team leader. Especially since the strategy planning team leader slot had been vacant for so long. I couldn’t just seat anyone in such a critical role, so I took extra care.
“No… but… still…”
Han Iseo’s face turned the color of fresh dirt in real time.
Choi Taehyun didn’t stop there; he added fuel to the fire.
“Besides, he’s young. The Third Division has stopped being called ‘old-timers.’ Young blood needs to be transfused in so we can catch the fresh wind and take on new challenges. Don’t you agree, Director Kim?
“Ah… yes… well… it’s not entirely incorrect, but…”
Director Kim Sanghyun wiped sweat from his brow, voice trailing off.
Han Iseo simply kept her mouth flapping without a single coherent word left.
Choi Taehyun clapped his hands, satisfaction written all over his face.
“Well, Team Leader Baek, if you have anything to say, go ahead and speak up.
Choi Taehyun urged me with his eyes.
I straightened my back and faced him directly.
“Yes. Officially, I have zero guild experience. The team leader position is even more of an overreach. But… I will prove what a capable analyst is capable of with my own body. Please take care of me.
Choi Taehyun’s lips curved upward at the bold declaration.
“Good spirit. Now, everyone, back to your desks. We’ll be extremely busy from here on out.
Director Kim Sanghyun mentioned he had something to report and stayed behind.
Choi Taehyun asked Han Iseo to show me to my desk.
Han Iseo and I left the executive office, the atmosphere thick with awkwardness.
Han Iseo, still reeling from the parachute shock, didn’t utter a single word the entire elevator ride down.
After confirming the floor at the end of the unbearable silence, I couldn’t help but furrow my brows.
[B1]
“…Why did you come all the way down here?”
Han Iseo, who had been leading the way silently, turned her head at an angle and looked at me.
“We need to go to the Third Division office.
“So that’s why I’m asking why we’re going underground to reach the office.
“This is our Third Division office.
“What?”
A bewildered laugh escaped me.
An office on the first floor of the underground, while the gleaming 48-floor Seochodong building stood above?
As I stared in confusion, Han Iseo raised one corner of her mouth and let out a sidelong smirk.
“The Executive Director must think highly of you to treat you like a prized talent. I guess he never told you what kind of treatment the Third Division receives. Poor thing, coming all this way to such a shabby place just for you….
Han Iseo opened the door with a sharp push, her smile sharp as a thorn.
Creak.
The moment the door opened, a thick, stale air hit me.
And inside, the office that no one would believe belonged to a major guild headquarters….
It was cluttered and dimly lit, looking exactly like a private staffing agency office.
‘This place is going to die of pneumonia before the division is dissolved…’
One glance at the environment and the verdict was clear.
The Third Division was already a division abandoned within the guild.
***
The Third Division Strategy Planning Room.
Compared to the first impression of the Third Division, this room was at least equipped with a separate space and furniture.
But was this really worthy of the grand title ‘headquarters’? No.
It was an office more like a team room than a department, but for a dumping ground, it was surprisingly decent.
Inside the narrow strategy planning room, there was even a staff member.
The man wearing the title of assistant manager had dark circles all the way down to his chin.
He staggered like a zombie, forcing a smile as the only person to greet me.
“Thanks for coming because I’ve been pulling all-nighters with poison. I’m your only team member, Assistant Manager Park Changyu.
Outside the office, the gazes of the Third Division employees were either chilly or outright hostile.
Hot stares drilling through the wall like arrows.
Well, that was a problem I’d have to solve eventually….
I sat at my assigned desk and checked the equipment box left on top.
I pulled out a few usable pens and items, then hung my employee ID with the Ilgang Guild logo around my neck.
Just a single plastic card, yet it gave me a strange sense of belonging.
Click. Wiiiing.
As soon as I pressed the computer power button, the old monitor flickered to life.
Now that my first day was over, it was time to start earning my salary.
Bang!
Han Iseo, the Operations Team Leader, burst into the planning room like the door had exploded.
She approached with a poisonous gait, slamming the stack of documents she’d been clutching against my desk.
Clunk!
The weight made the desk wobble noticeably.
“Team Leader Baek? There’s a mountain of backlog, so please process these first.
Han Iseo tapped the documents with her index finger.
I glanced at the top one’s title.
[D-Class Gate Conquest and Bid Approval Request]
[C-Class Gate Business Rights Renewal Review]
They were all gate-related documents that needed to be submitted to the association.
As I silently flipped through the files, Han Iseo crossed her arms and fired at me in a sharp voice.
“Because the strategy planning team leader position had been vacant for so long, our division was just sitting around twiddling our thumbs. Once the team leader analyzes everything and approves the gate bid documents, we can actually go out to the field and show results, right? Only then can we request more staff or more budget. These are all urgent, so I need you to finish them by today. Since it’s your first day, you probably won’t be familiar, so we pre-selected a few for you.
Han Iseo poured out the words like a waterfall.
Instead of answering, I turned my attention back to the documents and kept reading.
Pre-selected? Are you kidding?
They were clearly selected as bombs.
It was infuriating to think these were the gates the Third Division supposedly considered suitable right now.
When bidding on gate projects, only a legally qualified Dungeon Analyst could participate.
That’s why skilled Dungeon Analysts commanded high salaries.
In exchange, the Dungeon Analyst’s approval was tantamount to signing a legal guarantee that they would fully assume responsibility for the gate’s risk.
What if I approved without properly reading the content and something went wrong?
A Dungeon Analyst who signed off blindly would be the perfect target for a poison pill.
“Yes, please take your time. I’ll check them.
These documents didn’t even need further review.
As I slid them aside, Han Iseo’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“You’re really going to check them all by today, right?
“Yes. You can go.
I clicked the mouse and shifted my gaze to the monitor.
Her fingers flew across the keys as Han Iseo bit her lower lip, swallowing her frustration.
Just as she turned to leave, I threw one last comment at her.
“By the way, Team Leader Han. The remaining budget for the Third Division is only this much?
I frowned at the accounting ledger displayed on the monitor.
Even if it was an abandoned division, this was extreme.
This amount wasn’t enough to cover even one month of the division’s operating expenses, let alone put up a bid guarantee for a single gate.
‘…Choi Taehyun, if you’re going to exploit me, at least give me enough to survive on.’
Where was I supposed to find a way to secure gate business rights when the coffers were empty?
At my pointed question, Han Iseo let out a sharp, incredulous laugh.
“So you’re the one stamping your feet in desperation! Not only did you underestimate the budget from the start, but there are fixed operating costs every day, and with no new gates coming in, the reserves are naturally draining! Since there was no analyst to even enter the bids, of course!”
Han Iseo understood why a parachute analyst would be frustrating, but I had to do my own job.
“Understood. You may leave.
I replied indifferently, then rested my chin on my hand and scrolled through the association’s gate bidding site.
Han Iseo’s lips moved as if she had more to say, but soon she gave up and left with heavy footsteps.
Inside the tense atmosphere, Assistant Manager Park Changyu was already crawling into his chair like he wanted to disappear.
For several hours, I clicked the mouse in the eerie silence.
I stood up, picked the jacket hanging on the coat rack, and slipped it on.
The rustling sound made Park jump his head out like a spring.
“T-Team Leader. Where are you going?”
“I’ll do a quick field visit.
At my words, Park jumped up from his seat.
“Should I come with you?”
“No need. It’s a light errand, so I’ll go alone. Assistant Manager Park, please finish organizing the documents I asked for.
“Ah… yes.
Park hesitated before sitting back down.
As soon as I stepped out of the strategy planning room, the Third Division employees in the open-plan office all lifted their heads at the same time, as if on cue.
Among them, Han Iseo stood out.
She was pointing at a subordinate’s monitor and speaking seriously.
When she noticed me crossing the hallway, she slowly raised her head, blocked my path, and asked.
“Team Leader Baek. Where are you going?”
I swallowed the words ‘going out without working’ and shot back.
“I’m going to buy some coffee. Do you need any?”
Han Iseo’s eyes slowly shifted from disdain to outright contempt.