The Art of Getting Fired
My cousin is the Deputy Director of the Personnel Department. The family gathering was as tiresome as ever. The banquet hall was so gaudy, I couldn't even guess how much money had been poured into it. They had built this entire structure just for a single night’s party, only to tear it down afterward. This time, the hall was designed to look like a sacred temple, perched atop a high mountain peak. Even for a non-awakened person like me, just getting up here was an ordeal.
It was a vast plateau carved out of a peak in the Taebaek Mountains. They had lined up massive marble pillars and topped them with a roof right where the clouds touched the earth. It looked like a place where the gods of Olympus might frolic. "Building a temple in the 21st century? The theatrics are as ridiculous as ever. Tsk, tsk, tsk..." I clicked my tongue as I surveyed the hall. A massive artificial waterfall had been engineered to pour from the ceiling and flow along the mountain range. There were dazzling antique tables, luxurious food, and expensive ornaments adorning every single pillar. It was a mysterious and brilliant sight, rare for this era, but the thought that it would all vanish in a day made it feel utterly futile. They were just wasting money as usual.
Creating such extravagant venues for family gatherings was a hobby of the Patriarch. One of only two S+ class hunters in Korea—and one of only thirteen in the entire world—the Patriarch, known by the epithet [The Dignified Patriarch], had cleared countless dungeons. Among them were, naturally, S-class dungeons, and some with even higher danger ratings. They say a dungeon is like a world unto itself. These grand venues, created for every family gathering, were all said to be inspired by the dungeons the [Dignified Patriarch] had traversed.
"Wow, holy crap. That looks delicious. I’m just going to stuff my face and leave."
"...Hey!"
I ignored my younger sister’s warning and headed deep into the banquet hall. Dignified Patriarch or not, I was essentially an outcast. I’d come because I had no choice, but what was a non-awakened person like me supposed to do here? Since the country was going to hell anyway, I figured I might as well eat my fill before I left.
"Man, this just melts in your mouth."
These were foods I hadn't been able to eat properly since being cast out of the family. Eating them after so long, they practically dissolved on my tongue. I could feel gazes lingering on me from all sides, but I forced myself to ignore them. So what? What are you looking at? What do you want? Having put in some time at the Hunter Association, I wasn't going to shrink away from those kinds of looks anymore.
"Wait, isn't that Jiwoo oppa?"
"You're right. It's Jiwoo hyung!"
Just as I was about to eat a piece of sushi topped with plenty of sea urchin, someone approached. I popped the sushi into my mouth and turned my body toward the voice.
"Haram? Aram?"
It was Lee Haram and Lee Aram. Were they my eighth cousins? We were around the same age, so we’d received family education together when we were kids. I thought I’d heard they were both active as hunters in major guilds. Anyway, it had been a long time. Of course, we weren't on good terms.
"What is it, hyung? How did you get here? Don't tell me you awakened at that age?" Lee Haram asked in a loud voice, snickering as if to tease me. Beside him, Lee Aram, wearing her hair in twin tails, was sneering at me with a similar expression. Being twins, they were both equally annoying.
"Do you really think I'd awaken at this age? I just ended up here somehow."
They weren't people I wanted to converse with, so I focused back on my sushi. But these naturally vile and low-class brats didn't leave; they hovered around me.
"Oh! Did you say you joined the Hunter Association, Jiwoo oppa? As a regular employee? Congrats~ Isn't that hard to get into for a non-awakened person?"
"Ah, is that why you came today? Because you got into the Hunter Association? So, are you a regular staffer now? An assistant manager? Aren't you guys just the ones who clean up after the hunters? Hahahaha!"
What are these bastards talking about? Do you want to try running laps in a level 10 dungeon to get your heads straight? Still, it was clear that they weren't exactly treated well by the family either. In our family, not having the surname 'Shin' meant you weren't of the direct line. (Even for women, if they are of the direct line, their children take the mother's surname.) Lee Haram and Lee Aram were from a branch family and hadn't been looked upon favorably since they were young. Perhaps that’s why they were trying to look down on me, a non-awakened person of the direct line. Anyway, the fact that they didn't know why I was here meant they were still not close to the direct line. They didn't seem to know about the Unbound Awakened either. I don't know if they just don't watch the news or if they lack social skills.
Just as I was about to say something, someone else approached me.
"Shin Jiwoo."
Among the hunters dressed in all sorts of colorful outfits, there stood a man in a neat black suit. He was a hunter, too, but different from the ones who usually ran dungeons. "Chi-hyun hyung." Shin Chi-hyun. A direct descendant of the family and an A-class hunter, he was also affiliated with the Hunter Association, just like me. Of course, he wasn't a low-level employee like me; he was a staff member at the Korean Hunter Association Headquarters. Specifically, the Deputy Director of the Personnel Department. As the person with the most influence over personnel transfers, he was the existence Association employees feared most.
He was an A-class hunter, but in terms of combat power within the family, Shin Chi-hyun wasn't particularly strong. However, he was smart. He’d judged that he couldn't secure a position in the family through strength, so he chose to hold a key position in the Association instead. Since there were few family members in the Association, Shin Chi-hyun had managed to carve out a niche for himself.
"I heard the news. You've accomplished two major tasks not long after joining." Shin Chi-hyun said, his voice steady, not a hint of disorder despite the wine glass in his hand.
"I didn't do it."
"As humble as the rumors say. Well, you have no choice, do you? To survive in this family as a non-awakened person, you must have lived as if you were dead. But if you act like that at the Association, you'll be fired in no time. Association employees are always desperate to steal credit."
That’s exactly what I want. Can someone please take my credit? And who the hell started the rumor that I'm humble? Because of that, no one listens to a word I say.
"I don't need it. That kind of credit."
"Still festering with the inferiority complex you developed in the family. I thought you’d become a real person after joining the Association, but I'm disappointed."
What are you disappointed about? And honestly, we weren't even close, were we? Even though we're both direct descendants, that doesn't mean we all know each other. If you don't actively interact, you often only know each other's names and faces. It's because the direct descendants have children like crazy. I have dozens of uncles and aunts, and so many cousins I can't even remember them all. So how many cousins like Shin Chi-hyun could there be? Sure, I saw him a bit when I was young, but I don't think we're on a first-name basis or anything.
"Be disappointed or don't..." I grumbled and picked up my udon. The Japanese food was delicious today. "Usually, employees crawl on their bellies when they see someone from the Personnel Department, yet you don't. I suppose your guts as a family member haven't completely disappeared. Well, that must be why you've accomplished such big things in succession."
"What is that supposed to mean, Chi-hyun hyung? Jiwoo hyung accomplished big things?" Lee Haram asked Shin Chi-hyun, who was making assumptions on his own. I didn't even want to respond, so I silently slurped my udon. I wondered if they’d brought in a Japanese master; the noodles were firm and the broth was exquisite. How could it taste this good when it was just broth and noodles?
"...What? An Unbound Awakened? A magic mine?"
While I was marveling at the simple udon, Lee Haram and Lee Aram shrieked in shock. They really didn't know? It was a fact every hunter knew. Are they being bullied in their guild or something?
"I-is that true, Jiwoo oppa?"
"How on earth did you do it?"
"Nom, nom."
Ignoring the shocked Lee Aram and Lee Haram, I picked up a second bowl of udon. I wanted to just let it slide, but Shin Chi-hyun continued with an explanation I hadn't even asked for.
"It’s clear that you meticulously analyzed the mana fluctuations of both dungeons. In modern times, since most dungeons have similar forms, there’s a tendency to neglect mana analysis. Especially the dungeon revealed to be a magic mine; it occasionally emits sparks, and those fluctuations were similar to the mana reaction of a Toridon."
"B-but you can't tell that just by looking at it. At the very least, you have to examine all the dungeon analysis equipment, and even then, to think there would be a magic stone is more complex..."
"Indeed. You all learned this at the Korean Hunter Academy, didn't you? Mana fluctuations of magic stones are something only professional mineral exploration hunters know. In other words, this guy possesses knowledge on par with professional hunters. Not just about magic stones, but in most fields, I’m sure. Otherwise, the things he’s accomplished so far wouldn't make sense."
"It takes years of studying just to pass the difficult exams to become a professional hunter... and a non-awakened person knows all of that?"
"This is insane... Just how much knowledge have you accumulated, Jiwoo oppa!"
They’re writing a whole novel here. I didn't do it by calculating things like that. Of course, I have common sense regarding professional fields, but that was just part of the entrance exam subjects. Is it even logical to work with such complex thoughts? I’m not an AI.
"I heard that after being cast out by the family, you sat at your desk for years; that part is worthy of recognition as a fellow Association employee. Especially with this magic mine case, there’s talk within the Association about needing to innovate dungeon management methods. Experts are finding inspiration in this guy's methods."
What exactly is my method? Could it be that the recent revisions to dungeon management policies were because of this? They were overhauling regulations because of me? No, what on earth is happening at headquarters? I didn't do anything!
"Not only that, but your meticulous management of the free hunters in your assigned area, the eye for discovering an Unbound Awakened, your sincerity, and the passion and boldness to pursue work with conviction in your own claims—as a non-awakened person, I acknowledge your ability as an employee."
His delusions were so severe I didn't even know where to start responding. Above all, Shin Chi-hyun was the type who never said things like this. If Shin Chi-hyun was saying this much, it meant my name was definitely coming up a lot at Association headquarters. My head started to ache.
"...So. What do you intend to do about this magic mine case? I heard the Seoul Headquarters Director left the entire operation to you."
"...Ah. Right."
What do you mean, what do I intend to do? I’m going to ruin it spectacularly and quit.
"I say this out of concern, but handle it fairly as you've been entrusted with it. I heard talk that there was mention of leaving it to the 'Red Consortium' on-site. Do not grant them priority just because they are family. After all, they are just outsiders without a single drop of family blood."
"Ah, come to think of it, they were here today too?"
"They kept showing their faces quite persistently."
"...!"
Hearing that, my body flinched. As expected, the view of my mother, sister, and older sister wasn't good either. A few years after my stepmother and father remarried, my father died in a dungeon accident. Since her husband was gone, my stepmother had no justification to remain in the family. She wasn't originally a family member. However, my mother, sister, and older sister were still active in the family. The only connection was me. Of course, even that wasn't much of a connection—I wasn't his biological son, and on top of that, I was non-awakened. As a result, my stepmother and siblings didn't get good treatment in the family. Sometimes they were treated even worse than I was. Especially by people like Shin Chi-hyun, who valued bloodlines above all else.
"Naturally, you, a non-awakened person of the family, are a disgrace. But don't drag the family's prestige down any further by getting involved with those who aren't even family. You aren't still living in the same house as those vermin, are you?"
Of course, the existence of my mother, sister, and older sister had been acknowledged by the Patriarch. People like Shin Chi-hyun saying things like this was just their own dissatisfaction. And in the past, I would have been enraged by words like these. Back then, I thought of them as my only family, even if they were my stepmother and stepsisters. So I think I used to get angry when stories like this came up. Of course, not anymore... Wait, hold on.
"...Hyung, you're the Deputy Director of the Personnel Department at Association Headquarters right now, aren't you?"
"That is correct."
A thought flashed through my mind. This hyung is the Deputy Director of the Personnel Department at the Association! He’s the second-highest person in personnel after the Director! That means, what if I get on Shin Chi-hyun's bad side here? If he's the Deputy Director, firing a single employee wouldn't be a problem at all. And in fact, Shin Chi-hyun was famous for having such a shitty personality that he’d fire anyone who didn't please him. This is it. Unbound Awakened, magic mine, whatever. If I get on Shin Chi-hyun's bad side properly today, I’ll get fired. Turning a crisis into an opportunity. To think that this family gathering I hated coming to would turn out like this. Life really is all about how you think about it.
"...Shit, hyung, what did you just say?"
"...What?"
"Those vermin? Did you just call my family vermin? Shit?"
"What’s with this oppa, why is he suddenly snapping?"
Grab—
I grabbed Shin Chi-hyun by the collar. Grabbing an A-class hunter by the collar was an insane thing to do, but it was all a calculated move. First of all, if a hunter attacks a non-awakened person, they are punished according to the Hunter Law. Sometimes, guild-affiliated hunters might make a mistake against a non-awakened person if they lose their cool. Still, guilds usually prioritize profit. If they have ability, they’ll re-hire a hunter who returns after being punished. But if you're affiliated with the Association, once you’re disciplined, you can never work as an Association employee again. It’s the fate of a civil servant, I suppose. Shin Chi-hyun, who considers his high position in the Association important, would never do anything that would get him disciplined. It’s the only way he can maintain his position in the family. Instead, he would attack me as strongly as possible without getting disciplined. The attack he could make against me, an Association employee, would naturally be firing me. If I pick a fight with Shin Chi-hyun like this, I can get fired!
"...Shin Jiwoo. Are you insane?"
"The insane one is you, hyung. What? Those vermin?"
"...Let go while I'm talking nicely, Shin Jiwoo. Unless you want to see something ugly."
"So what are you going to do? Hit me? A hunter hitting a civilian? Go ahead, hit me! Na-na-na-na-na-"
"You little bastard...!"