Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Promotion Afterparty
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Just another ordinary day, no different from usual.
The conveyor belt was as noisy as ever today, and the endless stream of goods left my mind in a haze.
I hustled around, pulling the jack like a machine part once more, moving the logistics cargo diligently.
'Ah, this is so boring.'
The work wasn't particularly tough anymore.
It was just a little... dull.
Still, quitting wasn't on my mind.
Even if monetization got approved for my Shorts channel, I'd probably keep coming here.
'It's not like I have something else to do if I quit.'
Having an AI-generated Shorts YouTuber gig as my main job felt a bit off.
If that became my real career, my life would be totally screwed.
"Min-jae."
A familiar voice called out while I was deep into picking.
I turned to see the Team Leader standing there.
"Come see me for a sec."
"I've gotta finish this batch."
"Just come. It's good news."
She winked playfully and beckoned me over.
That gesture was so cute, I followed her like I was under a spell.
Our Team Leader hadn't changed much from back then or now.
The only difference was her title?
Six years ago, she was a regular employee; now she wore the red vest of an OM—Operation Manager.
Graduates from Seoul National University really were on another level...
"Something special I need to handle? Side work?"
"Come on, do I look like the type to dump side jobs on you? The Center Manager wants to see you. Go on."
"The Center Manager?"
It was unexpected.
What business would the Center Manager have with a mere team captain like me, just a field worker?
In this logistics center, the Center Manager was basically the boss.
The Team Leader who commanded the floor was department head level.
Anyone above that was someone you rarely met one-on-one.
I glanced at her.
She smiled with a 'you'll see when you go' expression.
"Got it. I'll head over."
"Do well."
I swept back my sweat-matted hair and headed to the Center Manager's office.
The heavy door at the deepest part of the office building.
I knocked twice, and a deep voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Cool AC air greeted me as I opened the door.
It felt refreshingly different from the chill of the field.
Our logistics center handled fresh food, so it was like a giant fridge—always freezing.
The Center Manager sat behind the wide desk in the spacious office.
He set aside his papers and gave me a kind smile.
"Good day, Center Manager."
"Come on in. Have a seat there."
I awkwardly perched on the sofa.
Our Center Manager always used polite speech.
To everyone—even his own kids, from what I'd heard.
That was why he had a pretty good reputation among the employees.
"How's the work? Manageable?"
"Yes. I could do it blindfolded now."
"Haha. I bet. You've been here a while, haven't you, Min-jae?"
It was a sudden question.
I thought back for a moment.
"One year before the army, five after... It's been six years by the calendar."
"Six years... That's a long time. Your records show perfect attendance and top marks from your Team Leader."
The Center Manager nodded in satisfaction.
I remembered everyone calling me crazy when I jumped right back into the field after discharge.
But I needed money fast.
Nothing beat manual labor for steady cash.
"Min-jae. Nothing major, but a spot just opened up."
"A spot... you mean..."
"I'm promoting you to AM."
AM.
Area Manager.
A section overseer, equivalent to a manager role.
No more just physical labor—you'd manage an entire zone and direct personnel.
It meant trading the captain's yellow vest for the mid-level manager's orange one.
"Your Team Leader recommended you strongly. Said there's no one better. Do you plan to stick around with us? If you're thinking of leaving soon... this offer's off the table."
His eyes turned serious.
He couldn't hand the manager band to someone about to bail.
I cheered inwardly.
I had zero plans to quit anyway.
A raise from the promotion, plus rice farming in the game.
And Shorts revenue on top...?
'Might lead to an even cushier life?'
Move to a better place, buy a car.
The thought brought a smile to my face.
"Center Manager. I plan to be buried here."
His face lit up at my firm answer.
"Perfect. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Start as AM today. Personnel order's going out right away."
The meeting ended anticlimactically.
As soon as I stepped out, the supply guy handed me an orange vest like he'd been waiting.
"Congrats, Min-jae. Or should I say Manager now?"
"Come on, bro. Don't get all weird on me."
I stripped off my sweat-soaked yellow vest.
The vest that had seen my early and mid-twenties.
I tossed it into the bin like a casual basketball shot.
Vests got swapped daily anyway—no attachments.
'Swish.'
I donned the new orange vest.
Zipping it up felt pretty good.
I pulled my employee ID from my pocket—it always dangled annoyingly during fieldwork, so I'd stuffed it away.
No need anymore.
Managers wore theirs proudly around their necks.
Back on the floor, the air felt different.
The Team Leader greeted me first, arms crossed, beaming proudly.
"Oh. Wings for our Min-jae? Congrats."
"You recommended me, right? Thanks."
"If you're grateful, work even harder. I recommended you to make you my third hubby."
The red-vested Team Leader playfully smacked my shoulder.
Five years since my discharge—she'd seen it all.
One look in her eyes, and I knew.
She genuinely wanted me to succeed.
The nearby coworkers gawked at my new vest color.
"No way, Min-jae hyung. You actually got promoted?"
"Heard Dal-soo hyung left that spot. Guess you filled it."
"Congrats, Min... Jae... Man... a... ger... sir."
They stopped working and swarmed with congratulations.
Some seemed less than thrilled, but...
Embarrassment washed over me.
"Alright, enough. Back to work, everyone. You know we do overtime if we don't clear today's load, right?"
My stern shout drew chuckles.
"Look at him, already playing the boss with the band."
"Gotta work now, I'm scared~"
They laughed and returned to their spots.
The floor noise ramped up again, but somehow it felt less grating than before.
That evening.
After clocking out and heading back to my studio, I fired up the delivery app right away.
Menu: chicken.
We'd talked about a team dinner to celebrate the promotion.
But it was Tuesday—that was the issue.
With work tomorrow, faces fell, and we agreed to push it to Friday night.
Not just me—the whole team wanted Friday.
"Gotta celebrate solo at least."
I spread the delivered chicken on the table and grabbed beers from the fridge.
Shower, then chicken and beer in the AC breeze.
This was living.
Chicken leg in mouth, cracking open a cool can—
Ding-dong~♪
The doorbell rang.
No one should be coming at this hour.
Not delivery either.
I checked the intercom screen.
"...Huh?"
A familiar face stared back.
The Team Leader.
I rubbed my eyes, looked again—yep, her.
I bolted to the door and flung it open.
"Team Leader?"
There she stood, not in work clothes but neatly dressed in casuals.
Blouse and slacks.
Nothing like her charismatic field vibe—a refined city woman instead.
Her face was slightly flushed for some reason.
"Oh, hi..."
"Come in, come in. Sorry it's a mess."
I hurriedly stepped aside.
That's when I spotted the living room floor.
Clothes I'd stripped off upon getting home because it was hot.
Even my underwear, shed like snakeskin.
"Gah! Hold on!"
I dashed over at light speed and scooped them up.
"If I'd known you were coming, I'd have cleaned up..."
She burst out laughing at my frantic stuffing into a corner.
"This is why I like you, Min-jae."
"Ugh..."
"It's fine. We've seen each other's worst."
She slipped off her shoes and entered.
Tossed her outer layer on the sofa and eyed the spread.
"Knew you'd be doing this solo. Already started drinking?"
"Nah, just about to."
I scratched the back of my head sheepishly.
She set a black plastic bag on the table.
"Good timing then. I was sweating bullets worrying you'd already be buzzed."
"You could've texted ahead."
Out came beer cans, a plastic tub.
And a paper bag wafting savory fried scent.
The tub brimmed with red tteokbokki; the bag overflowed with golden fritters.
"Was gonna kidnap you after shift for drinks."
"Kidnap?"
She plopped down next to me—side by side, not across—and cracked a beer.
Liked that she chose beside me.
"But we were all sweaty and grimy from work."
"Me too. Came home, showered first."
"Even between us who've seen it all... Had to go home, wash up, change. That's why I'm late."
Her shy demeanor felt both unfamiliar and adorable.
She was always oddly sweet and cute with me on the floor, but alone like this, she was the perfect close noona.
"Eh, I don't mind."
Playfully, I leaned toward her.
Brought my face near her nape.
Sniff sniff.
"M-Min-jae... I mean, even so, that's embarrassing..."
She startled, face reddening.
Of course—no sweat, just body wash scent.
She fanned herself, flustered.
The mood relaxed even more.
Thus began our modest two-person promotion party.
YouTube on in the background, we snacked on chicken, tteokbokki, and fritters with beer.
Tales from my early days.
Gossip on a coworker who left badly.
Half-joking marriage talk, etc.—stories piled over years could fill the night.
[Monetization approval completed.]
My phone chimed cheerfully.
I checked the screen out of habit.
YouTube Studio alert.
My lips curled up involuntarily.
Finally, even this crap channel was gonna make money.
"Whew, monetization approved~ Finally~"
BMW?
Or humbly a Ray?
The Team Leader, munching tteokbokki, tilted her head at my mutter.
"What got approved? Monetization what?"
"Oh, I do YouTube. Just got approved."
Her eyes widened round.
"For real? Don't you need big numbers for that? That game guide you mentioned last time?"
I'd casually mentioned rice-farming in games before.
And making YouTube vids from it.
She'd tilted her head then too: 'How do you make money gaming without being pro?'
I shook my head with a grim smile.
"Nah, that got like 1K views, so I dropped it... This is a new channel I'm building."
"What is it? Show me."
I pulled up my phone, showed her the channel.
The thumbnail was pure clickbait.
Nurse uniform pic with bold text.
[Shocking! The Real Reason Nurses Spank Butts Before Injections!]
Her jaw dropped.
"Th-this..."
"Too sensational?"
With trembling hands, she fished out her phone.
Opened YouTube, showed her subs.
"I'm... subscribed to this?"
"...What?"
My channel was on her screen.
Notifications enabled, even.
No way—our Team Leader was a fan of my crap vids?
"I thought the creator was hilarious... That was you? Wow, never imagined."
Her gaze shifted from shock to respect, back to shock.
Pure shock.
"Hold on. So... in that Dr. Lee Soo-yeon video, the guy who met the channel owner and got a butt shot... That was you?"
I nearly spat my beer.
She'd even watched that*?*