Hurry Up and Work! (3)
“An intern, you mean?”
“Yes. An intern.”
Park Jungki, who had been helping me with one thing and another from the side all this time, gave me a look that was a little suspicious.
To be fair, it was not an unreasonable expression. An internship, at a time when the guild was collapsing around us... Of course he would think no one would apply.
But under the present circumstances, it was not a bad choice.
If public opinion and the media worked together, applicants would come in eventually anyway.
We just had to shape the image our guild could project.
A young company, a young guild!
The reference point had to be the venture firms on Earth. A free, creative environment where everyone could smile.
Of course, reality might be a little different, but appearing that way on the surface was extremely important.
We needed a guild where talented people would want to work, and entry-level noncombat staff who would devote themselves to the company for relatively low pay.
That’s what an intern is for.
“For now, I think it would be best to change the interior a little.”
“Pardon?”
“The office feels a bit stiff. What the young talent of Lindel wants is not a guild like this. Remove all the desks and use dye magic to redesign the place with blue as the main color.”
“That... I’m not sure I understand why the interior needs to change all of a sudden.”
“What Blue needs is innovation. No decent ideas are going to come out of an environment like this. First, we need to make a place that’s good to work in. Not just for us, but a place other people want to work in.”
“Ah... yes. Understood.”
There was nothing easier to sell than the word innovation. He probably knew exactly what kind of scam I was trying to pull.
“It would also be good to tear down the walls separating one office from another. Start with the walls of the executive offices the likes of Lee Seolho used to occupy and take them all down. An open space looks much better. It might also be nice to put in a large sofa where employees can stretch out. Ah, and I’ll add something like a sleeping capsule so people can take a quick nap. Rather than buying everything separately, please prepare it by making use of what we already have. Keep the budget to a minimum. What matters is the atmosphere. The atmosphere. It needs to be a guild that feels free, active, and worthy of the dreams of the young. No, at the very least, it has to look like one.”
“Ah... yes...”
“As for the lounge where employees can use their breaks, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a pool table, card games, or anything else, just put something in there. Ah, having board games like chess wouldn’t be bad either. It’s not like it’ll cost much. On top of that, let’s change the guild cafeteria to a buffet style.”
“The cafeteria budget...”
A well-fed slave can work with more vigor.
Whatever else I might think, there was no doubt the cafeteria used by ordinary guild members and staff needed some improvement.
The gap between that and the executive cafeteria is too big.
“We can pay for it by clearing out the useless luxuries the old faction had set up in the past.”
“Even so, it may still be a little short. What level are you hoping for...?”
It was a problem that required some thought.
But the answer was very simple.
“From now on, Blue will have no such thing as a dignity maintenance allowance. Please cut the monthly dignity expenses that had been paid out for the welfare of party members and executives. Putting in part of the leftover budget should be enough.”
Honestly, I’d rather use that money to keep slaves running.
Dignity maintenance, my ass.
Just the salaries the executives and party members were already receiving were more than enough for that.
From the start, the idea that they had been separately pocketing this money was absurd.
I could say with confidence that if the old guard had not been there, Blue would have become an even larger guild.
“Ah, of course, the guild master, vice guild master, and the foreign affairs executive’s expenses will remain as they are. However, please reduce the amount they receive by 30%.”
Even so, I was still entitled to take a bite. That was the honest heart of a corrupt official.
Besides, I would be going out often, so there would be things I needed to spend money on separately.
It was not rationalization; it was a fact.
The weight of the gaze on me was making me uncomfortable for some reason, so I hurried on.
“We won’t set a fixed lunch hour. People can eat whenever they want, and I won’t care about the time. Eat whatever you like, whenever you want. This applies to all guild staff as well. Please announce it separately tomorrow morning.”
“Yes.”
“We’ll also open up all the facilities that were previously reserved only for executives.”
“Pardon? Wouldn’t that be a little small for all guild members to use...?”
“We’ll run them on a reservation system. Of course, it would be best to give party members and executives priority in booking. They were built to be used; letting them go to waste would be a shame. Besides, during expeditions, nobody uses them at all anyway.”
Efficiency.
“Ah, understood.”
“We’ll also run classes for ordinary guild members and staff who want to study magic, swordsmanship, or imperial law. For the magic class, Jeongyeon... For the swordsmanship class... if Lee Sanghee-nim allows it... no, I’ll speak to Lee Sanghee-nim directly.”
“Yes, understood.”
“How much do you think the budget will come to?”
Even as I asked, I started calculating slowly.
It would not cost that much.
Park Deokgu could handle the labor, and if I considered the dignity maintenance allowances the old geezers and executives had been taking, the budget might even come out ahead.
If we’re going to use interns anyway, this is the way to do it.
Compared to wages for the year-long employment period of interns who would be working for free, the cost of employee welfare was much lower.
This was the best possible environment: one where I could use slaves as I pleased in exchange for making a big deal out of something trivial.
From the beginning, comparing gains and losses this way was a stretch.
“No, you don’t need to calculate it. Now that I think about it, it seems fine. Let’s have everyone do today’s overtime in their own lodging. Everyone can go home, and please bring the documents I need to review directly to my room. Jungki, you can bring them.”
“Pardon? Right now?”
“Yes. We’ll start construction immediately.”
“But the guild master’s approval...”
No need for that.
“The master’s approval isn’t necessary. I’ll speak to him directly afterward.”
“Ah... yes.”
In the first place, Kim Hyunsung had said there was no need to approve trivial matters.
I thought this would be far more efficient than wasting time making reports just to get approval.
He had his own work to do as guild master, so it made more sense to focus on that for now.
“Then let’s begin.”
“Yes, sir.”
After giving Park Deokgu’s broad back a pat, he too nodded.
The construction progressed exactly as I wanted, at a breathtaking pace.
There were plenty of people available for simple labor.
I hired technicians from the Lindel Labor Union at a cheap rate and gathered artists in the square who had been letting their talent rot away.
For those who had been painting faces for other people for pocket change, this would surely be a chance to spread their wings.
Empty spaces began to be filled, one by one, with works by artists who wanted to promote themselves for free, and even that was not enough to stem the flood of people willing to donate pieces they had no intention of selling.
I knew nothing about art, but the faces of those who had been selling their paintings and sculptures for 40 or 50 gold were blooming with smiles.
It’s a world where it’s hard for artists to make a living.
Park Deokgu busied himself enthusiastically smashing down the walls of the old men’s offices and doing this and that. Since I thought it might not be bad to accept it, I adopted most of his suggestions.
Even Park Deokgu, who had never shown the slightest interest in anything requiring brains, was starting to take an interest in the environment, so you could say the plan was going quite well.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim, how should we handle the extra space?”
“Now that you mention it, how is our guild’s childcare welfare arranged?”
“There is a subsidy, but...”
“Ah, then it would be good to create an in-house daycare where people can leave their children while they work. If there’s anyone who worked as a childcare teacher on Earth, please report them to me. How many households in the guild currently have families?”
“Three households.”
“Almost none, then.”
“People seem to be a little reluctant to marry...”
If parents swear loyalty to the guild, their children are also more likely to devote themselves to it.
We needed to raise not short-lived slaves, but slaves who would dedicate their entire lives.
Expanding childcare welfare and maternity leave was the right call. Dumping the image of a stale, ossified company that threw out women the moment they got pregnant was the right thing to do.
It felt like the guild’s appearance was changing far too abruptly, but there were not many who seemed confused.
It was good news for the people who had already been there, after all.
Of course, publicizing the fact that our guild had changed was also an essential part of this.
Contacting the Lindel Daily was a given, and so was making an advertisement board to hang at the transportation union. That required a lot of thought.
The title could be...
[Blue, the Dream Job, the Dream Guild]
Or maybe.
[It’s Completely Changed. 23 Reasons Blue Is a Dream Job, According to a Blue Guild Employee]
Something along those lines would do.
Employee welfare, a non-vertical but horizontal atmosphere, a workplace where everyone could smile together, and welfare benefits that helped people grow their individual capabilities.
Whether I knew it or not, it would probably move people’s hearts a little.
After some time had passed, the guild’s appearance had reached a very satisfying level.
There were obvious deficiencies, of course, but showing a few shortcomings would be human in its own way.
If it looked too perfect, that would be bad in its own way too.
“Word of mouth is the most important thing. Please keep educating the guild members. Public opinion matters more than the media. After work, send the guild members to taverns and cover the cost of company dinners. Given the guild’s finances, let’s set a cap on how much can be spent on that.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Go laugh and talk your heads off. Of course, I won’t allow anything that interferes with work the next day.”
“Yes... yes. Understood.”
“Innovation. Innovation is what matters. It would also be good to keep planting that image in the guild staff and ordinary members. A young guild and innovation. That is the image our guild needs to project from the outside. In addition to company dinners, we’ll support a variety of other activities. Don’t stop developing yourselves. That goes for you too, Jungki. Your agility stat seems good... It would be a waste to let that talent rot.”
“Ah... thank you.”
“Come to think of it, why aren’t you wearing the guild emblem?”
“Pardon? Ah... that was said to be only for executives and party members...”
“Ha... those insane old fools...”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. From now on, all ordinary guild members and staff will wear the emblem as well. When going out, everyone especially must wear it. You are the face of the guild. And just so it’s clear, if anyone causes trouble outside, be prepared to lose your head. I’m not using that as a mere example of a threat. I really will cut it off. Keep that in mind. I won’t allow shabby appearances either. I’m not asking for a uniform, but at the very least, you should go around looking neat and presentable.”
“Yes. Understood. Th-thank you.”
“I don’t really know what there is to thank me for. It’s only natural.”
The plan was moving along smoothly.
In fact, public opinion was not bad either.
After helping the people still left in the guild a little and changing the atmosphere, they had started promoting the guild among themselves in competition with one another.
Outside opinion was excellent as well.
Even though the application period had not yet begun, inquiries were coming in regularly, and after a little more time had passed, we would have to hold an entrance briefing and do some media play that showed off the inside of the guild.
What surprised me a little was that work efficiency had gone up in the process.
Just going out on the street was enough to hear people talking about Blue all the time, so it was no wonder talent was salivating over us.
The more time passed, the more public attention naturally concentrated on us.
And, naturally, it was positive attention, not negative.
The incidents that had happened before had become a thing of the past, and the question of whether Blue could really rise again had changed into the thought, I want to go to Blue.
Even Red Mercenaries and Black Swan, who had once been one with us, were reaching out again, so the image of a young guild standing against big capital was taking shape.
The old men who had caused trouble before were already out of sight and out of mind.
What I liked most was that the staff were, for once, actually doing well.
Maybe if it hadn’t been for their organized movement, rumors would never have taken root in Lindel this quickly.
They still didn’t understand that the company dinners I sent them on were part of the job too.
Even the guides already affiliated with large guilds were showing interest in this place, enough to make me realize how thoroughly Blue’s members were being trained.
Even the former guild members I had once thought were the absolute worst had started to seem reasonably likable.
Lately, the reports are coming in on time too...
The previously grotesque mistakes had decreased noticeably.
Of course, they were still far from being competent slaves, but at the very least, seeing them make a sincere effort was satisfying enough.
While handling various matters simultaneously, I also had to keep an eye on public opinion outside.
We had held out as long as we could, but when the shortage of guild staff had reached the point where a small number of people could no longer cover it, I finally had no choice but to put out a recruitment notice.
With some apprehension, naturally.
[Blue Internship Recruitment Notice]
[We are looking for people who will become part of Blue’s new family. Possibility of conversion to full guild membership]
After nervously checking the reaction outside, it turned out to be more explosive than I had expected.
“Blue’s open recruitment just dropped.”
“I told you they were recruiting.”
“They are hiring combat members too, right?”
“Ah...”
Lindel became noisy enough to hear the uproar from everywhere.