Chapter 4: Return from Vacation (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: Return from Vacation (3)
It was a stroke of luck for the clan, but a disaster for the residents of Eunpyeong-gu.
The government and heroes moved quickly in response to the unprecedented event of over ten dungeons bursting at once. Fortunately, they were all low-rank, so cleaning up wasn't an issue, but the dungeons that had cropped up as if surrounding Eunpyeong-gu caused the already low property values to plummet.
The government took possession of the dungeons that appeared in vacant lots, while Square Garden secured seven, and the clan I worked for, Breakline, obtained two.
Since we had only targeted one area and walked away with two dungeons, Breakline was in an absolute frenzy.
"Oh, you little cutie!"
As soon as the dungeons burst, Kim Yun-ah ran all the way to my office, hugged me, and rubbed my cheeks with both hands. If there hadn't been people watching, she looked ready to kiss me right then and there.
It was understandable. These two dungeons were the first ones Breakline had ever owned. For a ten-year-old clan to finally own a dungeon just now showed how abysmal the success rate of quarterly omen investigations usually was.
Furthermore, a mere HR manager who didn't know anything had managed to pull off something the Strategy Department hadn't been able to do in over a decade. It was a glaring testament to their incompetence.
Kim Yun-ah, who seemed to be arch-enemies with the head of that department, was ecstatic, likely because that was the part she enjoyed most.
And I was excited too.
My bank account was about to get fat, and I might even be allowed to enter the dungeons under the guise of an investigation.
The clan provided specific incentives for results in omen investigations, and I had become the first employee since the clan's founding to receive an incentive that no one else had ever touched.
Finally, I could train properly and buy equipment.
No matter how much I aimed to be a supporter, my body was far too frail; I needed physical conditioning. There was no way an Awakened would see real results from doing bodyweight exercises at home; it was better to train professionally at a specialized training center. In the game, the results were guaranteed to be proportional to the money invested.
[Stamina: 2 | Strength: 3 | Agility: 3 | Mana: 13]
These were the stats I had managed to scrape together through my efforts at home.
My mana had increased by 5, but everything else had only gone up by 1. Since my base stats were low, they should have been shooting up, but these figures were a miserable testament to the inefficiency of home training.
I needed to register for a training center immediately.
Having gathered the employees, Kim Yun-ah clapped her hands and bragged about me.
"Alright, everyone, gather 'round. You all know our Manager Jeong Yeon-woo did something huge, right? We're having a company dinner tonight, so attendance is mandatory."
Mandatory company dinners? This wasn't the military.
However, the employees' reactions were positive. Some immediately started looking for a place to eat, while others congratulated me, creating a warm atmosphere. I’d heard that company dinners were one of the things office workers hated most, but perhaps the culture was different in this world?
After work, we headed to a nearby meat restaurant for the dinner.
Since it was a female-dominated society, even with the entire department gathered, there were only a few male employees in sight. There were men like me, hired as eye candy for the manager positions, and then there were just regular staff.
If they had one thing in common, it was that they were surrounded by female employees and being doted on.
I wasn't sure if it was the influence of the game's illustrations, but the men here tended to be quite handsome. The good-looking ones had high-bridged noses and deep-set eyes like foreign actors, radiating a soulful gaze.
Regardless of gender, beauty is always nice to look at, so I was fine with that—but I couldn't stand hearing them use such disgusting speech patterns with those faces.
No matter how much the gender roles were reversed, seeing them act shy and flirtatious with high-pitched, aegyo-filled voices just didn't match their appearances at all. The women only had slightly more masculine tendencies, so why were the men so drastically different?
"I've got to have a drink with the star of the night."
Won Tae-hun, who held the same rank as me, sat down beside me. He had an average appearance, but his personality felt relatively masculine, making him a person I found less off-putting.
While I just saw him as a normal guy, the original owner of this body had thought of Won Tae-hun as a cool and sophisticated person. Someone confident and dignified who knew how to stand up for men's rights, or something like that.
Because the original owner had followed him like an older brother, Won Tae-hun had often come by to look after me while I was working.
"Seriously, where did you go on vacation to come back looking so cool? There's nothing left for this hyung to teach you. No, wait, I should be the one learning from you now. How on earth did you pick the dungeon locations like some kind of shaman?"
"He's right. The Strategy Department is talking about nothing but you, Manager."
"I want to hear it too. Tell us the story, Manager."
Once Won Tae-hun opened the floodgates, the surrounding employees swarmed like jackals. Looking into the eyes of the female employees, which were filled with desire, I couldn't tell if they were truly curious or if they were just looking for a chance to get a piece of me.
I suppose it was natural for attention to gravitate toward us, since two of the few men present were sitting together and talking.
"I just thought there might be something to it since a big guild like Square Garden was showing interest, so I investigated that area. It was all luck."
"Ooh~ and humble to boot. You've really become something else."
"Have another drink, Manager."
Won Tae-hun nudged my side and laughed brightly. Seeing their chance, the employees toasted with me and filled my glass. I only let the alcohol wet my lips. I had to manage my body, and if I just mindlessly accepted every drink offered at a company dinner, I'd be drunk in no time.
When a brief lull occurred while dealing with the people coming to my seat, I whispered to Won Tae-hun.
"By the way, do you happen to know how much my incentive is this time?"
"No matter how close we are, I can't tell you that."
Won Tae-hun, who managed the payroll, said this while quietly holding up two fingers under the table.
Considering the value of a dungeon, twenty million won was a bit stingy. Even if they were low-rank, giving only ten million per dungeon... maybe the reason they hadn't gotten any in ten years wasn't because it was hard, but because they just weren't interested enough to try?
The equipment heroes used started in the millions even for junk, so there wasn't much I could do properly with twenty million.
"Heave-ho, I can't just stay in one spot. I'll be hated if I hog the star of the show for too long."
Won Tae-hun, who had been at the table for a while, stood up and leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"It's a hundred million."
Having noticed my disappointment from my expression, Won Tae-hun gave me the real figure and smirked.
"Since you monopolized what was supposed to go to the Strategy Department, the scale is different. Don't quit just because you made a killing; I'll be lonely."
Won Tae-hun patted my shoulder and moved to another seat.
My money problems were solved in one fell swoop. Originally, the incentive would have been distributed among the various Strategy Department employees who participated in the omen investigation, but since I had done it alone, the digits had changed.
The corners of my mouth curled up as I realized I had just earned more than half of what I had saved up during over twenty years of military service.
"You seem to be in a good mood."
Han Ju-hee bowed her head slightly in greeting and sat across from me. Her cheeks were flushed, suggesting she had already had a fair bit to drink.
"Yes, it's been a while... no, it's the first time I've actually been helpful to the clan."
"No! You're doing great, Manager!"
Perhaps because of the alcohol, her voice was louder than her usual polite self.
"Lately, you've been handling the workload so well, and you point out things that I or others have missed with such precision. And suggesting to the Department Head that we look into recruitable B-rank heroes was a great idea. And..."
Han Ju-hee's talking didn't stop, as if she intended to list every single thing I'd done at work. Even if there wasn't much to do, I felt self-conscious just sitting at my desk training, so I had made a few suggestions. It seemed they had looked good in her eyes.
To be honest, it made sense. A guy who used to do nothing but surf the web suddenly brought in dungeons and started working proactively; their evaluation of me was bound to change.
Even if I hadn't lived the corporate life, I had enough experience from grinding away in the military to identify the problems within the clan. Ultimately, a clan was no different from a military unit. The combat personnel were the main focus, and the departments supporting the heroes were just like unit operations.
The core members of Breakline were all heroes who had been with the Clan Leader, Park Sung-jun, for a long time, so they were older. The clan was too fragile to keep running while relying solely on heroes whose growth potential was low and who might retire at any moment.
Others had probably identified the problem as well. It was just hard to speak up because those core members were comrades who had gone through thick and thin with the Clan Leader.
In the end, someone needed to take the lead, and I was that person.
Taking advantage of my rising stock after discovering the dungeons, I had taken a shot, and Park Sung-jun had surprisingly agreed quite easily. It must have been bittersweet to hear that his days as an active hero were numbered, but seeing him acknowledge it and move forward immediately showed he was a man of surprisingly great character.
The first round was at the meat restaurant, and the second round was at a karaoke bar. However, from the second round onward, participation was optional, so many people left. I still needed more time in this world to get used to the sight of female employees holding onto the men, not hiding their disappointment and begging them to stay a little longer.
"I'll be heading out now."
"Going to see your lover? I'm jealous~"
"I'm sorry."
"No, go on ahead. I heard you on the phone earlier; they sounded pretty mad."
Having sobered up a bit, Han Ju-hee responded clearly to the teasing employees, bowed to me, and disappeared into the neon-lit street.
So she had a lover.
As I watched her go with a slight sense of regret, Kim Yun-ah draped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me close.
"You know the star of the dinner has to stay until the very end, right?"
Honestly, if it had been a balding middle-aged manager or a military superior who only knew how to bark orders, I might have thought about punching them. But there aren't many men who could refuse a woman's invitation while she's rubbing her large breasts against them.
Ah, wait, are there many in this world?
Anyway, the karaoke bar I went to with high expectations was less fun than I thought. Especially since I didn't know any of the songs here, there was nothing to do but watch. And since I was the 'star,' I was sitting in the innermost seat with Kim Yun-ah, making it awkward to leave.
All I could do was clap when the employees sang their hearts out and sip the beer in front of me.
As I sat there bored, watching everyone get hammered—apparently, there was no culture of moderation here—Kim Yun-ah pressed her shoulder against mine.
"You did really well this time. I could hear Kang Jeong-mi screaming in the Strategy Department all the way from the company entrance."
"That sounds a bit scary."
That's why you should listen when people talk. Then again, no one is going to say "Oh, good job!" when a guy who never worked suddenly starts asserting himself in meetings.
Kim Yun-ah stealthily touched my thigh and whispered.
"Don't worry. I'm more powerful than Jeong-mi. I'll protect you."
I looked down at her hand stroking my thigh for a moment before looking up to meet her eyes.
There go those naughty hands again.
Whenever we were at the clan, she would always tease me by fumbling around and then backing off. Well—this wasn't a porn video, and if I asked her to fuck me in the office with all the employees around, I'd have to question my own sanity, but it had been a bit frustrating.
I gave Kim Yun-ah, who was wearing a sultry expression, a smile and grabbed her wrist.
"Customer, this product is a bit expensive."
Kim Yun-ah, who had looked disappointed when her wrist was caught, laughed again at my words and played along.
"Hehe, I make decent money. Bring me the most expensive one."
"No, it's a bit much for you, customer. Instead, I have something a little cheaper. Would you like to check it out?"
"...What is it?"
Instead of answering, I pressed her wrist against my crotch.
Startled by the heavy presence, Kim Yun-ah flinched for a moment before she began to gently stroke my cock.
"Are you sure this is the cheap one? This is even better."
"I'm giving you a special discount, just for you."
As if my answer pleased her, Kim Yun-ah bit her lip and smiled. I had also built up a lot of frustration from her constant teasing sexual harassment.
Kim Yun-ah's hand, which had been passive at first, became aggressive, using even her wrist to stroke my cock.
"Your face is so pretty, so why is this thing so wicked?"
"I'll be taking my payment now."
I whispered softly and slid my hand under her short skirt.
Kim Yun-ah's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at me. I pushed past her crotch, which was already soaking wet through her underwear, and began to gently scratch with my fingers. Kim Yun-ah hunched her shoulders and squeezed her legs together.
Perhaps she was excited by the thrill of playing under the table in front of all the employees, but the thick folds beyond the fabric twitched.
Her relaxed demeanor vanished. Kim Yun-ah bit her lip, trying to suppress her excitement, but a moan escaped her as I pulled her underwear aside and forced my fingers inside.
"Haa-ah...!"
The sound was loud enough that all the eyes previously fixed on the karaoke machine turned toward Kim Yun-ah.
"Ah... this is..."
"The Department Head says she wants to sing."
"Oh, I'm sorry! We were having too much fun by ourselves, weren't we? Here, the remote is right here."
I quickly pulled my hand out and acted nonchalant before we were caught. Kim Yun-ah, who took the remote with an awkward expression, glared at me.
"I'm looking forward to your song, Department Head."
When I gave her a bright smile, Kim Yun-ah bit her lip and operated the remote to pick a song. Even though she chose a ballad right when everyone was hyped up, no one said a word.
As everyone's eyes turned back to the machine, I put my hand back into Kim Yun-ah's crotch and began to thrust. The excited employees had all gathered near the machine, so no one was around us. Since Kim Yun-ah was leaning forward against the table, no one could see what I was doing underneath.
The employees, who knew how to play the corporate game, slowly waved their hands above their heads to create a wave, and Kim Yun-ah quietly began to sing.
"Because it was truly you... hng... though I can't see you anymore... haaa..."
As I slowly moved my fingers in time with the employees' hand waves, Kim Yun-ah's voice became tremulous. It sounded like she was adding vocal flourishes, which was quite pleasant to hear.
Staring intently at Kim Yun-ah as she tried her best to maintain a calm expression, I inserted another finger and scratched the upper wall, causing her cries to grow louder.
"The one person who made me smile!!"
"Whoa, she's hitting those high notes, Department Head!"
It was a perfect high note, even to my surprise. Though it was actually a moan from reaching her peak.
Squirt, squelch...
The vaginal fluids pouring out from her pussy drenched my palm. Kim Yun-ah, her body trembling, looked at me with panicked eyes. Her skirt was completely soaked; it would be obvious if she stepped into the light.
Without a word, I knocked over the water glass sitting in front of me.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Department Head!"
Water spilled across the table and onto Kim Yun-ah's legs. The employees, startled, pulled out tissues and offered them.
"The Manager must be drunk. Are you okay, Department Head?"
"Oh dear, you spilled so much. Even the chair is all wet."
Caught among the employees who swarmed her before the afterglow of her climax had even faded, Kim Yun-ah glared at me with flushed cheeks.
Why was her expression, filled with both excitement and a sense of being wronged, so cute?
As I smiled and lightly licked my wet hand, she bit her lip with an expression full of shame.