5. Your New Home (2)
Sometimes, that feeling hits me.
The sense that I'm frozen in place while the world rushes by.
The day I got Kang Mi-young's death notice text from the Department Head, the weather was exceptionally clear.
Not a single cloud in the sky, sun blazing down. No trace of the morning chill.
Too perfect a day to think about someone dying.
Unfortunately, there was no time to mourn Department Head Kang. Things were too urgent.
I boarded the subway. Machines or crowds carried me from home to the office.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd walked on my own two feet.
I arrived at the company. People in suits, stiff faces, eyes glued to phones.
The old office.
I checked my email. Stood up again. People brushed past. People.
People...
Maybe I was in shock over Department Head Kang's death.
I had no memory of how I even made it to the head office lobby.
Or how I handled the paperwork and ended up at my new workplace.
"...This must be it."
And so, there I was.
It was a room. An office. And on top of that, the place where I'd handle my new duties.
The vent hummed in the corner by the wall. Yellowed wallpaper reeked of stale cigarette smoke.
Sure enough, the window—older than me, not just worn but ancient—had newspaper pasted over it, letting in only faint light, with a "Smoking Area" sticker slapped on.
Smoking Area
I couldn't see it, but cigarette smoke—or maybe dust—hung in the office air.
...
This place felt timeless, like night and day didn't exist. Overall, it screamed 90s office vibe.
Here, "90s" meant slapping ignorance onto a collage of scenery, grafting on misconceptions and prejudices.
As I scanned the office, I cautiously opened my mouth.
"Excuse me."
The faint whir of the vent fan brushed my ear and faded. No reply.
Maybe I'd gotten the wrong office. I checked the door plaque outside.
Follow-up Special Duty Division 1
Follow-up Special Duty Division 1. This was the place.
But the office was empty. No people.
This doesn't feel right.
Even in my unfamiliar surroundings and poor mental state, that much was crystal clear.
As expected, I guess.
I went back inside. A quick search followed.
"No one's here, as expected..."
After poking between partitions, I realized there wasn't a single person—or anything resembling one—in the whole place.
Why?
It felt utterly alien.
This was Mirae Co., Ltd. The company didn't handle things like this.
Should I just wait...?
In the end, I became a drifter in the office, clinging to my wobbly legs like a shipwreck survivor.
"This isn't easy..."
"What isn't?"
I jumped, eyes flying wide. I shot up from the chair I'd been sitting in.
Or maybe I didn't quite make it.
The voice had come so suddenly that I ended up in an awkward half-sitting, half-standing pose.
"Whoa, you got startled. Sorry about that. So, what's your business?"
"Hello! I'm the new hire assigned to Follow-up Special Duty Division—"
A man stood right behind me. A pantry door loomed beyond him.
There'd definitely been no one here earlier. When did he show up?
Wait, pantry?
An old door hung on the office wall. It had appeared as suddenly as the man.
Of course, I'd probably just overlooked it in my tension about the new job.
Must be imagining things. It's a normal spot in an office.
Still flustered, I mumbled, and the man asked again.
"Assigned?"
He wore a hazy smile.
"...Oh Sung-jin, assistant manager."
The man stared blankly at my face, then muttered.
"Newbie? But assistant manager? That's weird. You know what this place does?"
"Yes. Follow-up Special Duty Division."
"Besides that. Like the team members' ranks."
Ranks?
"If you're in Follow-up Special Duty track, you came from Field Ops, right? Didn't your seniors tell you anything?"
As I hesitated, he pressed on. Then it hit me—the thing I'd forgotten.
The lowest rank here is assistant manager level...
Now that I noticed, his gaze wasn't friendly. Did he think I was some green rookie?
I tensed up, and his eyes sharpened further.
"Suspicious... You sure you're assigned here?"
The vibe turned hostile. I had to shift the mood somehow.
That's when I thought of the fountain pen.
This guy—whether senior or boss— was just annoyed.
This was a cutthroat department.
The kind where if the new guy's incompetent, you die.
So, I just needed to prove my skills.
"Um... this..."
I uncapped the fountain pen and showed him. His face lit up.
"Oh? Fountain pen? Nice, gold nib. Even an assistant manager with a gold nib is reliable. We were short-staffed and whining, and they send us something good."
A low whistle. His expression relaxed.
It worked. I wanted to sigh in relief.
"Oh Sung-jin, assistant manager, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Han Hee-jung, assistant manager. Grab a seat anywhere."
I eyed the room and plopped down at the farthest desk.
The monitor there was a vacuum tube relic. Haven't seen one since elementary school computer lab.
Exile, they said. Even this is outdated.
But I couldn't sigh.
Because Han was standing right behind me.
"Lemme see... No word on a newbie coming, though?"
He casually dropped the concerning line.
"Must be some mix-up..."
"Ah, don't worry, I'm not saying you're a spy or anything. Happens all the time. They screw up the system entries, but it's still fuzzy."
He chuckled and patted my shoulder.
"State-of-the-art gear. World changes too fast these days. Navigation, computers, all that. Honestly, I can't keep up. Right?"
I forced an awkward smile.
Office sarcasm is so pathetic.
"But it's convenient. Training's all on this now."
Muttering that, Han turned on the computer. Boot-up looked like it'd take forever, but it didn't.
The monitor flickered to life.
One icon on the desktop.
1st Company Contest Winner: New Hire Training UCC
UCC? Felt like I'd time-traveled.
"I just watch this?"
I stammered, and Han smirked.
"That's for regular Field Ops grunts. Elites like us get special training vids. Gimme your email. I'll send it."
I gave him the address. He fiddled with the computer and sent the file. Big size—progress bar took its time.
"Bit of time left... Wanna tour the office?"
"Thank you."
"Alright. Follow me."
I stood. Han led a tour around the office.
Nothing special. Just a vintage office. Doubts about the assignment grew.
"You look unhappy. Something wrong?"
"Haha... No."
"Just nervous? Our office is pretty good. Got computers. Latest tech. Cutting-edge."
"Right," Han said, turning.
"Coffee till the team lead shows? Our pantry's great. Has a proper brewer."
He headed to the pantry. As I followed—
Clack—
The office door opened. In walked a balding middle-aged man. He squinted and barked right away.
"This office is a mess. Who changed the plaque?"
His eyes flicked between me and Han.
"Huh? New faces? Who're you two?"
Not the politest company talk. As I pondered, Han piped up cheerfully.
"That's Department Head Jo Gil-taek. Our boss."
Han thumbs-upped. I bowed deeply.
"Hello! I'm Oh Sung-jin, assistant manager, newly assigned to Follow-up Special Duty Division!"
"Assigned? You're the one?"
...Not easy. Jo Gil-taek's first impression: classic boomer.
Jo shifted from me to Han.
"You're done. And you—who're you?"
Han gaped. 'Joke.' He laughed. 'He does this every time.'
Not good news. Headache incoming.
"C'mon, Department Head Jo. I'm Han, assistant manager."
"Oh yeah? Now you know my name? Fine, Han assistant manager. Which Han?"
"Han Hee-jung assistant manager. Don't you remember?"
"...Han Hee-jung assistant manager?"
Jo looked suspicious.
"Han Hee-jung... Yeah. Han. What're you doing with the newbie?"
"Showing him around. Was about to hit the pantry—want some?"
"Pantry?"
Jo's suspicion lingered. He eyed the wall's "Pantry" door and Han, then sighed.
Pantry
"Coffee during work hours? Do your job. Work."
"Aww—."
"No whining. Sit and boot your computer."
"Fiiiine. Too bad, Oh assistant manager. Coffee at lunch."
Han waved casually and headed off. Jo watched sharply, then turned to me.
"You. C'mere."
"Yes, sir!"
I snapped to attention and followed.
"You talk to that guy?"
"That guy...?"
"Han assistant manager."
"...Yes."
Jo sighed.
"You go to the pantry?"
"Not yet."
"Good."
Jo pointed at his keyboard.
"First task. Unplug this, roll it up."
Nonsense, but I did it. More nonsense followed.
"Done? Bring it and follow."
Jo headed to the wall behind Han's desk.
"Stand there and watch close."
Han Hee-jung was lost in his computer, some old-school BBS-like screen, oblivious to us.
"Hey, Han Hee-jung assistant manager."
Jo muttered, hoisting his keyboard high.
"Huh, Department Head?"
Han turned.
"Quit screwing around and fuck off—!"
Jo swung.
Thwack—! The keyboard arced through the air, smashing straight into Han Hee-jung's face!
Keys flew. Han crumpled, head slamming into the monitor.
Crash—! The monitor shattered. Han's head punched right through it.
What? Why? What the—?
Shock numbed me to reality. Still, my body reacted: mouth agape, finger pointing, babbling incoherently.
"Good. Problem solved."
Jo tossed the keyboard aside, wiping sweat from his brow.
Then it sank in.
"What the hell was that!"
"Huh? What?"
"Y-you just killed a guy...!"
"Killed? This?"
Infuriating words.
Smashing a colleague's head!
I knew the company was weird, but not this weird.
"How can you be so casual..."
As I started ranting—
"Of course. Casual. One less task. Look."
Jo jabbed at Han's limp body.
Then.
Han's body began to rot.
Accelerated decay.
Flesh softened, rotted off, bones left, then bones melted into sludge, crumbling to dust in a blink.
No. One more thing remained.
The cigarette smell I'd noticed entering the office.
"Wha—huh? What?"
I stammered in panic. Jo snorted.
"Han Hee-jung assistant manager's been dead since I was a newbie."
"What the hell does that—"
Vent-chopped sunlight danced on Jo's cheek.
Shadow, light, shadow, light.
"News to you? Get used to it. That's this place. They pop up sometimes. How many dead you think haunt here?"
Not words to say so casually. Not words to hear so casually.
I screamed. Internally, of course.
Jo chuckled at my stunned face, then straightened up.
"Enough gawking. C'mon. Gotta change the plaque."