Time Pass

After sealing the deal and returning home, I pulled out a calculator.

Purchase price of the commercial building in the neighborhood: 4 billion won.

I'd set aside roughly 500 million won for the acquisition tax and the second-floor renovation.

That left about 500 million won to spare.

I now owned a home and a commercial property in the heart of Gangnam, with an expected monthly return of somewhere between 15 and 20 million won.

It was a situation where I could retire right then and there, quietly satisfied, and no one would blink.

But no — I felt like a player standing at the very starting point of a game.

What would my next ability be?

The moment the thought crossed my mind, my heart began to race along with a surge of dopamine.

Anticipation spread through my whole body. From here on out, the really fun life was about to begin.

Work?

I could just keep showing up to that worthless place.

This week, too, crawled by painfully.

But with the reward in mind, each day passed faster than I'd expected.

The moment I filled the 40-hour work week, a new ability unlocked.

Time Pass?

"I can skip nine hours just like that...?"

Could this even be called an ability?

There were people out there wailing that 24 hours in a day wasn't enough for them, and here I'd be leaping over nine of them wholesale.

And this thing was five stars?

It felt like one of those games with a 'Skip' button.

It seemed useless at first glance, but after much deliberation, I settled on a time to use it.

Nine in the morning, obviously.

The second I sat down at my desk after clocking in.

"Time Pass."

In an instant, the scenery around me slid smoothly past.

In the blink of an eye, the elevator doors opened, the corridor unfolded before me — and the clock pointed to six in the evening.

"Huh?"

I looked down at my phone screen again.

Unmistakable reality. Six p.m. — quitting time.

And then it hit me.

"This is... actually insane?"

Everyone else would spend over nine hours bent over their desks — lunch break included — but as far as I was concerned, the day was already over.

On top of that, not a trace of fatigue.

No stress, either.

Clocked in and immediately clocked out.

A company like this, I could actually stand working at.

For the first time in my career, laughter burst out of me right there in the office.

Ready to go home the second I arrived. I would welcome this bizarre experience two, three, even a dozen more times.

And it was usable once a week.

Meaning this wasn't some one-time consumable.

While everyone else worked five days a week, using this ability meant I effectively worked four.

And there was more!!

"Manager Kim, great work today. That briefing this morning was incredible."

"I'm sorry... what?"

Team Leader Jeong approached and launched into a sudden storm of praise. Assistant Manager Seo and Employee Park came over as well.

"This presentation was absolutely flawless."

"Manager Kim, your tone, your gestures... you looked like a total pro up there?"

"Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the department head was thrilled."

Praise I wasn't used to. It kept coming, wave after wave.

Just what kind of work had nine-hours-ago me actually done?

"Manager Kim, the department head was raving about you. Said it was the most compelling briefing he'd ever seen. Honestly, even I felt proud watching it."

Team Leader Jeong grinned and clapped me on the shoulder.

A upturned curve of the lips I'd never seen on him before. It felt strangely unfamiliar.

The whole situation was dizzying.

"Ah... yes. Glad to hear it."

Still trying to figure out what on earth had happened, I checked the files open on my monitor.

The materials I'd presented that afternoon.

The content was perfect. The structure, the graphics — even turns of phrase I'd never normally use.

Sentences that, oddly enough, didn't feel like mine at all.

When did I... make something like this?

The version of me I didn't know about was omnipotent.

So that's why it's five stars.

"Well then, great work today, everyone! Go home early, all of you."

"Good night, everyone."

On the way home after work.

A day where you clock out the moment you clock in... how should I put it?

It was like playing a game and skipping the tedious, difficult cutscenes.

So that's what "Player" meant?

That you could play life like a game?

.

.

.

Since the me inside the Time Pass had even cleared the backlog, this week was essentially paid leave in disguise.

And working a five-day week as if it were four made time flow twice as fast.

Before I knew it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠— Friday. Six p.m.

The moment I filled the 40-hour work week, a new ability unlocked.

Like a gamer finishing a tedious grind and reaching for the reward, I checked it immediately.

What is this?

Hangover Cure?

A one-star.

Useless for someone like me who can't drink...

No, wait. This is exactly the ability I need!!

That very instant, I grabbed the shoulder of Team Leader Jeong, who was on his way out the door.

"I haven't bought my promotion dinner yet. How about tonight?"

"Hm? You're buying what?"

Team Leader Jeong's eyes went wide as a rabbit's.

Daehan Bank.

Staff at the central headquarters, Marketing Promotion Team.

Eight years on the job. Rank: manager.

And this month, I'd been promoted.

Customarily, a promotion comes with the so-called "promotion tab" — the company dinner you treat everyone to. I'd skipped it.

Because I was Alcohol Trash.

The human equivalent of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dumpster for alcohol — I couldn't hold a drop.

What kind of promoted manager can't even drink a single glass?

Right here. That was me.

Never mind a bottle of soju — one beer and my face would flare up bright red, and by the second glass I was on the verge of throwing up.

I'd been born this way, so there was nothing to be done about it, but in this industry it was a fatal weakness.

A company where drinking gatherings were constant.

Who knew a bank would be such a heavy-drinking workplace?

Worse still, it was a place where people judged you by how much you could put away.

Even within the financial sector, Daehan Bank was notorious for it.

And inside that machine, I had always been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the boring one — no fun at all.

But tonight was different.

"Excellent! Manager Kim's buying tonight — everyone free?"

"Of course, let's go."

"We've got to toast his promotion."

The sudden dinner invitation caught everyone off guard, but not a single person bowed out.

Nobody turns down free drinks from the newly promoted.

"It's a bit late, but I'd like to buy you all a round to celebrate my promotion."

.

.

.

Glasses clinked all around.

"Manager Kim's footing the bill, so tonight we go all in!"

"Aigoo~ Manager, think of your wallet and take it easy, everyone."

"Take it easy, my foot — we're going all in tonight!"

The glasses struck together with a chorus of cheers!, and the sharp scent of soju stung my nose.

Ordinarily, my face would have been burning from the very first glass — but tonight was different.

"Hangover Cure."

I drained the glass, and it went down clean.

Not the slightest churn in my stomach.

If anything, I felt strangely refreshed.

For one hour, I was invincible.