The Regressed Trash Emperor is Seha M. Llamas Copy
Chapter 1: Finance Team Manager
My current state… I was tired and exhausted.
Even just nine years ago when I first joined the company, I was full of drive and confidence.
Now that I thought about it, I didn’t even know what I dreamed of or what I wanted from life.
I just lived because I was born, telling myself life wasn’t anything special anyway.
I was tired. So damn tired.
Everything from yesterday repeated itself exactly the same today.
Even back in middle and high school, I hated this slave-like mentality of mine.
Deep down, I hated it…But I thought I had neither the courage nor any choices, so I let something invisible drag me along and played the model student for ten whole years.
Or was it?
Counting elementary school too, that made it sixteen years.
Maybe because of that, I even wished for some kind of space-time jump so I could grow old faster.
Damn it, but…Even after becoming an adult, nothing changed.
If anything, the burden on my shoulders only grew heavier.
“Manager Kang Junho, when will this quarter’s closing report be done?” Team Leader Kim Taesik’s voice rang out.
It echoed across the entire office.
I lifted my gaze from the computer screen where I had been staring blankly and looked at him.
The clock already showed 6:30 PM.
“Huh? Ah, yes, Team Leader. I’m reviewing the data from each department, but Sales Team 2’s figures have some errors…”
“Errors? Then shouldn’t you have gotten them corrected immediately? I have to report to the director tomorrow morning. When can you finish?”
Hoo… damn it…A sigh escaped inside me.
Team Leader Kim was always like that. He never cared about the cause of the problem or the process of fixing it. The only thing he cared about was when it would be done. Meanwhile, he left work right on time and dumped all responsibility onto his subordinates… a textbook middle manager.
“It’ll probably go past tomorrow morning. I requested revisions from Sales Team 2, but the person in charge already left work…”
“Huh? Then why don’t you just fix it yourself, Manager Kang Junho? Finance just adjusts numbers anyway. No need to worry about other departments.”
I gripped the mouse tightly. I wanted to hurl it straight at the bastard who spewed nonsense so casually.
Sales Team 2 had multiple instances of duplicated revenue entries. To correct them properly, we had to recheck transaction details by client, and only their team had those records.
But even if I explained that, Team Leader Kim would only respond with, “I don’t care about the details, just have it ready tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, understood.”
Without even saying, “Good work,” he vanished.
What an easy life that man lived.
I called over Assistant Manager Park Minsu, who sat beside me.
“Assistant Manager Park, can you help review Sales Team 2’s data? There are duplicated entries that need checking.”
Park Minsu glanced at his screen with an indifferent expression.
“Manager, I’m organizing payroll records requested by HR right now. They need it by tomorrow too…”
“When did you get that task?”
“Uh… this afternoon. And there’s a lot to do…”
I glanced at his monitor.
Ha… that damn guy. Instead of payroll data, an online shopping site was open. He had spent the entire afternoon on personal stuff and was now making excuses.
“Assistant Manager Park, payroll is routine work and not urgent. Don’t you know the closing report is more important right now?”
“Well… that’s true, but I have plans tonight. You’re thorough anyway, Manager. You can probably finish quickly by yourself…”
Damn it, was this how employees thought nowadays? They prioritized personal schedules over responsibility and tried to dodge work whenever possible.
When I was a rookie, that was unimaginable.
But if I said that now, they’d probably just call me an old-school boomer.
“Plans? Ha… fine. Go.”
“Sorry, Manager. I’ll head out then…”
After Park Minsu hurriedly packed up and fled, I wrestled alone with the computer in the empty office.
I opened Sales Team 2’s Excel file and compared numbers one by one to correct errors. Duplicate revenue entries, date mistakes, wrong client names… basic errors piled up.
Doing all this running around for a salary that wasn’t even that high… seriously…
By the time I looked up, it was already past 9 PM.
As employees left one by one, I eventually found myself alone in the office.
Under the fluorescent lights, working alone in the wide space, a sense of emptiness suddenly washed over me.
What the hell was I doing at thirty-five? Should I start pointing fingers and acting like an old boss? Or glare back at Team Leader Kim and confront him?
Some of my friends were already married with two kids, and here I was, single, drowning in overtime every day.
Just then, bzzz—my phone vibrated.
A message popped up in my college group chat.
[Seongho]: How about meeting this TGIF? Long time no see.
[Jinwoo]: Sounds good! I’m in.
[Hyunmin]: If my wife allows it… haha
[Sanghun]: Junho? How have you been lately? You’re free, right?
After hesitating for a moment, I replied.
[Junho]: Sounds good to me. Let me know the time and place later.
It was past 11 PM when I finally finished organizing the data.
I stood up from my chair, rubbing my shoulders. My neck and shoulders were stiff. It felt like the repetitive posture had given me chronic neck and shoulder pain.
As I turned off the office lights and left, I thought about tomorrow’s schedule.
Morning team meeting, afternoon report to the director, and more urgent tasks… an endless loop.
There was still time before the last subway, but I took a taxi. I was too exhausted to even stand on the train. The taxi fare felt wasteful, but on days like this, it couldn’t be helped. At least this much comforted me a little…
On Friday evening, I met up with my friends. I arrived an hour late because of overtime. I had actually left work early just to make it at all.
The four friends I met were at a barbecue place near Hongdae. Seongho ran a small company, Jinwoo had been promoted to manager at a major corporation, Hyunmin was happy about expecting his second child, and Sanghun bragged about his new apartment after moving recently.
“Junho, when are you getting a girlfriend? At least try going on blind dates.”
After Hyunmin spoke, the others chimed in too.
“Sigh, I’m busy as hell. And it’s hard to meet good people these days. I’m not getting any younger…”
I didn’t even know what counted as a “good person” anymore. I was just running on a hamster wheel without thinking.
“What are you talking about? Thirty-five isn’t old. You’re in better shape than me.”
“What’s so good about my situation? I’m just average.”
“Hey, you’re still a finance manager at a mid-sized company. Stable, professional.”
“Finance isn’t some profession. I just fiddle with numbers all day.”
Encouragement that didn’t quite feel like encouragement. A bitter feeling settled in my chest. Maybe the grass just looked greener elsewhere.
My friends probably had their own struggles they didn’t show. Still, maybe it was my own inferiority complex.
Everyone seemed to be working hard and enjoying life in their own positions, while I felt stuck in place.
The drinking went on to a second round. We even went to karaoke for a third round, taking turns singing to relieve stress.
Even after drinking quite a bit, I was still sober. My friends were nearly wasted when we parted ways.
I finally managed to catch a taxi home. But there was no one waiting for me at home anyway. Just the same reality waiting again.
Come Monday, the same routine would repeat.
Past 1 AM, I got out of the taxi and took a shortcut. It was a narrow alley with sparse streetlights. Dark and eerie, but I passed through here every day.
Wasn’t Korea supposed to be extremely safe? Maybe because I’d been drinking, I felt sleepy and just wanted to get home quickly.
“Hey, you there. Hold it.” A low voice called from behind.
What? When I turned around, a man in a hoodie approached.
As my instincts sensed danger and I stepped back, another man appeared from the opposite side.
“Let’s not make this complicated. Hand over your wallet.” The hoodie guy suddenly shoved a knife against my side.
My mind went blank. I never thought something like this would really happen to me.
“Ah… okay.”
As I reached for my wallet with trembling hands, a heavy blow suddenly struck the back of my head.
Thud!!
Those damn bastards. I was giving them my wallet, yet they still sucker-punched me.
My vision blurred, and strength drained from my legs.
Ah… damn it, was this how it ended…?
As the asphalt rushed closer, I lost consciousness.
My final thought flashed through my mind.
The sorrow of a life that ended as insignificantly as it had been lived.
**
“Uuugh…”
The back of my head still throbbed painfully.
What happened?
Huh? Why did everything feel so strange?
It felt unbearably hot. It should’ve been chilly in the late autumn dawn, but hot air wrapped around me like a midsummer afternoon.
Was my condition that bad?
As consciousness slowly returned, I tried to open my eyes. But my eyelids felt strangely heavy. My entire body felt dull yet overly sensitive at the same time.
Damn it, the mugging… right, the alley…
My memory returned.
The hoodie guy, the knife at my side, the blow to my head.
After that, I remembered nothing.
Was I in a hospital? Why was it so hot?
I finally forced my eyes open.
Huh? What was this?
The ceiling looked strange. It wasn’t a white hospital ceiling. It was high above, covered in elaborate patterns. Complex gold and crimson geometric designs filled my vision.
What… where was this?
As I turned my head to look around, confusion deepened. A massive bed, luxurious curtains, strange paintings on the walls… It looked like an ancient palace straight out of a movie.
But strangest of all was my body.
When I lifted my arm, it looked thin and small. Not the thick arm of a thirty-five-year-old man, but that of a young boy.
What the hell…
Fear suddenly surged through me.
I tried to stand up, but strength wouldn’t gather in my body. Like a baby learning to walk, I couldn’t keep my balance.
Then it happened.
[You… who are you?]
Another voice echoed inside my head. Not my voice, but one that sounded like a child’s—yet somehow carried authority.
I froze instantly. Was it a hallucination? Aftereffects of a concussion?
[Get out of my body! Whoever you are, get out!]
The voice came again. This time clearer, filled with anger.
“W-what…?”
When I muttered, my voice sounded strange. Not the deep voice of an adult man, but the high tone of a child.
[You’re the one speaking? Answer me! Answer!]
“I… I think I’m the one talking… but who are you?”