I Choose to Remain an Office Worker

"Thank you, sunbae."

"Did it help, even a little?"

Sunbae Hae-in gave a bright smile and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠put her sunglasses back on.

"Yes, a lot. I don't think I'd be changing careers out of curiosity or boredom. If I truly wanted to become an actor, I'd need to be prepared to sacrifice everything, just like you said."

"Good thinking, Dong-su. The entertainment industry isn't an easy world—not that banking is either, of course. But here, your entire life gets publicly judged by viewership ratings and box office numbers, over and over. It takes more than ordinary resolve to endure that!"

"You're absolutely right. What I need to protect right now is... the foundation I've built my life on."

"Exactly. Stability isn't something that comes easily. The trust and experience you've built over more than ten years at Daehan Bank carry tremendous value in themselves. There's no need to throw that away for nothing."

She patted my hand gently.

"Whew... thank you, sunbae. Thanks to you, my mind is finally made up."

"That's right. Whatever you decide... I'll be rooting for you. And if you ever find yourself wanting to try acting again, call me anytime. I'll be a solid ally for you then, as your sunbae."

"Thank you."

Song Hae-in waved out the window as she drove away.

She'd said she'd treat me to a meal sometime, as soon as possible.

The black van slipped quietly out of the parking lot.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, I let out a long, slow breath.

What a refreshing feeling.

I have to make my choice with conviction.

Whether to remain an office worker or take a different path—the moment of decision was now truly close at hand.

After seeing Sunbae Hae-in off, I returned to the office.

It was already quitting time.

"Manager Kim. You're leaving late today? You're not secretly dealing with some kind of trouble, are you?"

Team Leader Jeong, on his way out, stopped to talk to me.

Looking at his face, I wondered—does this man actually worry about me?

"No, sir. I'm organizing the files for tomorrow's report. I'll head out as soon as this is done."

"Right. A veteran like you doesn't need to be working overtime. Wrap it up and get home."

Once Team Leader Jeong left, the other employees began their rush for the exits too.

Time remaining: 1 minute 35 seconds.

To everyone else, I appeared to be staring at my monitor.

But my eyes were still fixed on the Status Window.

And yet, my heart no longer raced.

The profession of actor that had once set my pulse pounding, the Full-Time Investor promising a windfall—both were nothing more than lightweight fantasies in the face of reality's weight.

Song Hae-in's words echoed through my mind.

'Challenging something simply because it's no fun, because you're bored—that's never the answer. That kind of choice is far too dangerous.'

She was right.

The giddy excitement I felt now stemmed only from the temporary opportunity the commercial had brought and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my colleagues' sudden attention.

I didn't yet possess the unwavering passion or preparation it would take to quit my job for acting and toss away the stability of my livelihood.

And then it struck me.

Over the past month, work had actually started to become enjoyable.

The dull, repetitive commute now carried a flicker of anticipation, and the perfunctory small talk with my colleagues had turned into compliments about me.

"Class Change... I'm letting it go."

I murmured quietly to myself.

I didn't know how things would turn out down the road, but for now, this was where I belonged.

This familiar corridor, these familiar teammates, and the familiar fence of Daehan Bank that now brimmed with new opportunity.

At that moment, the Status Window flickered and displayed the final notification.

With the message, a new selection window for Ability Enhancement bloomed before my eyes.

I raised my finger without hesitation and tapped the [Time Pass] entry on the Status Window.

This time, no agonizing was required.

Time Pass was the ultimate ability.

Its only drawback was that it left me with no memory of the skipped hours.

And now I could fix that with this enhancement.

Of course I had to press it immediately.

The moment my finger touched it, the Status Window began radiating an intense blue light.

Time Pass was still limited to once a week, but it was now fundamentally different from the Time Pass of the past.

The 'memories' of those 9 hours would remain fully intact.

My personal weapon for enjoying life as an office worker had just leveled up.