Chapter 8 : Save Your Colleague (1)
Save Your Colleague (1)
So this is the weight of reality.
I walked out of the meeting room acting as cool and sharp as I could, but the moment I returned to the office, my legs gave out.
I sat in my chair, slumping like a limp invertebrate.
I couldn't help it.
The limits of someone who, until recently, was just an ordinary office worker are right about here.
As soon as I recognized reality, a wave of anxiety crashed over me. I had done something outrageous in the meeting.
First, I made enemies of several department managers. That was intentional, so it is what it is.
The problem is, I declared—on my own—that all IPs at the theme park except for 'Battle Fire' would be removed.
What authority did I have to make such a guarantee?
In truth, all I intended to show at this meeting was, "I'm very interested in the theme park and I've been studying hard."
That was supposed to be it.
"Haaa..."
I let out a deep sigh.
Just like in front of the Chairman. Do I have a tendency to go off the rails when I get nervous?
I had honestly thought about wiping out all other IPs except 'Battle Fire' from the theme park before. So I don't regret bringing that up.
But the fact that I just blurted it out, without even getting the Chairman's approval, is definitely a problem.
A big one.
Whatever. There's a saying, isn't there?
It's easier to ask for forgiveness after doing something than to get permission in advance.
I shouldn't regret something that's already happened. Still, I should think about how I'll make a living if I get fired.
Headquarters probably wouldn't take me back, right?
"Hm..."
There were some positive outcomes, I suppose. Of the people the team leaders brought, a few looked quite interested.
They're probably expecting real changes at the theme park because of me.
Being able to confidently state my beliefs in such a big meeting was thanks to the message the Chairman sent me.
I want to express my gratitude, but I'm too scared to do it now.
I stared at my phone. My heart pounded at the thought that the Chairman might call at any moment.
I felt like a kid again.
Why does the anxiety I felt sneaking out of hagwon behind Mom's back creep up on me at my age?
"Haaa..."
Another sigh escaped.
Sooner or later, I'll have to fight with the executive vice president, the event planning team, and the strategy planning team leaders.
Maybe even the Senior Executive Vice President.
To stand up to them, I need someone on my side.
Someone came to mind.
The one who wrote the "History of Next Planet Business Failures" report, Choi Hyena.
I started searching for Choi Hyena's personnel file.
"Wow..."
An exclamation slipped out before I realized it.
I'd never seen a personnel evaluation like this in my life. No, it's more than that.
This is the kind of evaluation that should never happen.
It's amazing—truly amazing.
F, four years in a row.
She got an F even in her first year? How? Even the worst newcomers get at least a C.
[Frequent conflicts with team members and superiors.]
[Lax work attitude.]
[Negative and uncooperative about everything.]
If every evaluator wrote things like this, it's likely she has a serious personality problem.
Or maybe she's being ostracized for some reason.
Anyway, she wrote an enormous and incisive analysis in that document. People who don't care about the company could never write something like that.
And she survived for four years after getting an F in her first year—which is practically an open invitation to leave.
Choi Hyena definitely has something.
[Choi Hyena: I'm busy. I have to leave work, so don't bother me.]
A message from her popped up.
It made me bristle a little. Even so, I'm the division director... Normally, you just listen to your boss in office life, right?
Does she really have that big a personality issue?
[Me: I'd really like to meet and talk with you tomorrow, if possible.]
When I was a regular team member, I didn't realize how nerve-racking it is to ask a subordinate for something.
No wonder no one wants to be a team leader these days.
[Choi Hyena: I'm quitting at the end of this month.]
Ah... quitting. That can't be helped. Should I give up on her?
But I'm desperately alone, surrounded by no allies. And she seems to have some ability.
What should I do?
***
A day passed.
Maybe because I had so much on my mind, I woke up before 6 AM and just decided to go in early.
A message arrived via company messenger.
[Choi Hyena: You're here, right? Mind if I come to your office?]
It was unexpected. Why would she reach out first?
And it was only 7:30 AM. She came in this early? Even though she's quitting soon?
About ten minutes later, I heard a knock. Soon, a woman with long black hair and horn-rimmed glasses walked in.
"Hello, division director. I'm Choi Hyena from the Business Strategy Division. Nice to meet you for the first time."
Her voice was stiff and her gaze was sharp—but it didn't seem hostile. Maybe she was just always like that.
I made her a cup of coffee. I planned to break the ice and ask why she wanted to meet, but she spoke first.
"The finance team leader recommended I listen to you, division director. That's why I reached out. And I came early because I didn't want others to know I was meeting you. With your position, you know how it is."
Ah! Kang Sangsu, the finance team leader. The one who encouraged me.
But my position... She must mean that I'm an outsider parachuted in—but did she have to be that blunt...?
"I got a lot of help from the finance team leader at work. He's also one of the few real people at the theme park."
"I see. But what do you mean by 'people'?"
"Someone who's sane and doesn't just slack off."
So there's hardly anyone she considers a real person... In other words, most employees aren't people in her eyes.
Is she being reckless because she's quitting, or is that just her personality?
"Why did you want to see me, division director?"
Straight to the point. I like her honesty, so no need to sugarcoat things myself.
"Let's just say it's half gratitude, half curiosity."
She tilted her head.
I smiled and continued.
"Did you hear about the Business Strategy Division meeting?"
"I don't know all the details. Just that because of you, our team leader freaked out."
"So I was a hot topic."
"Seeing the team leader all riled up was kind of amusing."
"You helped make that happen, you know."
"Huh?"
She furrowed her brows. Her sharp gaze grew sharper—she looked about ready to walk out.
"I read your report and proposal about Next Planet and pretended to know about it at the meeting. Especially that analysis of its failed history—I read it multiple times. Thanks to that, I avoided public embarrassment. That covers the gratitude part."
She stared at me for a moment, then sipped her coffee.
"So... you actually read that... I figured no one would. So what about the curiosity part?"
Was it my imagination, or did her tone get softer?
"I was curious. With a field of vision sharp enough to write reports and proposals of this caliber, and to write them sincerely even though no one would read them, you must really care about the company. And yet, how did you get F ratings four years in a row?"
"That personnel review..."
"I've never seen one like that. I bet you're the only one, even if you include headquarters."
"The gratitude part just about melted my heart—but the curiosity part is upsetting."
She let out a huge sigh.
"My teammates don't like me. Especially my mentor and team leader."
"Is it alright if I ask why?"
"We had a fight. When I was new, it wasn't like now—I spoke politely. But my mentor dumped all the work on me, then reported it as if she did it all herself to the team leader."
So she knows what kind of image she has.
"Division director, I've had almost no practical work experience in my four years here."
"How... is that possible?"
"My team leader only ever had me do data entry in Excel, formatting documents, requesting office supplies—grunt work. Nothing else."
"Then how did you write those reports and proposals?"
"Our team doesn't have much actual work. Isn't that ridiculous? How is the company's core team..."
She fanned her face with her hand as if she was getting heated.
"Anyway, every chance I had, I read every document and report uploaded to the intranet. Even the ones from other teams. So, naturally, I became interested in writing reports and proposals. I wrote them whenever I had the time. Of course, neither my team leader nor mentor cared at all about what I did."
"I cared."
"Thank you. Can I trade your gratitude for my own?"
"Deal."
But I still had many questions for her.
It was a sensitive subject, and she probably didn't want to talk about it, but I had to ask.
"Why don't you get along with your teammates?"
"It's not that I don't get along—it's that they dislike me."
"Isn't that the same?"
"No, it's a bit different. It's even worse than not getting along."
"What happened...?"
"It happened in my second year, at a team dinner. I got drunk and lashed out."
"Oh boy."
"I couldn't help it. Every meeting, we just went through the motions. The theme park keeps getting worse. We're the team that's supposed to strategize for the company, so just sticking with the status quo can't be right."
"What exactly did you say...?"
"I called them idiots for expecting different results from doing the same thing. I was the youngest on the team. I know, I'm the problem. But at least I used honorifics, for whatever that's worth..."
Her words trailed off, her tone losing strength.
Does she also tend to explode under stress? At least she realizes she was wrong. Maybe her core nature isn't bad.
"You could've just held it in..."
"I was too angry. I came out to this Nonsan countryside alone because I wanted to work at a theme park, even though I knew nobody here. When I was job hunting, this was the only place hiring for a regular position."
"You wanted to work at a theme park, period?"
She nodded, then covered her face with both hands, bowing her head. Suddenly, she sounded pitiful and forlorn.
"I was too young. I thought I'd be happy if I did what I wanted. But it wasn't true. Now I hate eating alone, it's lonely with no one to talk to, and I'm scared I'll be seen as dead wood. I'm just tired. I want to go back home. I'm scared to be unemployed again, but I'm only twenty-eight. There's got to be somewhere I can work."
I was practical enough that I never chose what I truly wanted. Yet somehow, I got a chance to do what I want.
By contrast, she was idealistic and chose what she wanted, but that choice drove her away from what she loved.
What an irony.
"I understand now what kind of person Choi Hyena is, so my curiosity is satisfied."
"So that's it?"
"No."
"What's left?"
"The future."
Her face twisted in discomfort. She really can't hide her feelings.
"In your report, ms. Hyena, you said this: 'Next Planet's problems won't be solved by just bringing in expensive, scary rides. The theme using the parent company's game IP failed. We need an even more powerful theme.'"
"You really did read it thoroughly."
"Why did you make that point?"
"If we can't find and introduce a new theme, Next Planet will fail. I believe the only way to save it is to have a bold theme."
"I agree. I'm putting more emphasis on making it loved, though."
She nodded. For a moment, I saw a spark in her eye.
"Haaa... I really wish our team would discuss this seriously in a meeting, but having an in-depth talk with you now just feels like a waste of time and energy."
"One more question. Have you found a theme that could save Next Planet?"
"I'm not that talented. For three years, I racked my brain every night, but I couldn't find one."
"Let's look for that theme together."
Her eyes widened.
"Are you talking to me? Me, who's quitting at the end of the month?"
"I'm rejecting your resignation."
"What? HR already processed it."
"Still, I'm rejecting it."
"On whose authority?"
"Mine. I know it's unreasonable."
A moment of silence passed between us.
In times like this, I can't help but think of the Chairman.
I still don't fully understand why he gave me this chance, but right now, I think I get it a bit.
That strong gut feeling about her. The urge to give her a chance.
The Chairman convinced me by showing me his sincerity.
"I'll do everything I can to save Next Planet."
"Next Planet feels dead already."
"Even if it's dead, I'll bring it back to life. That's why I'm here."
"At this point, you sound like a cult leader."
I told her about what happened with the Chairman.
"It'd be a waste to only ever burn halfway at something you love."
"Of course it's a waste. Actually, I'm going crazy over it."
Her emotions erupted. Was it that? She seemed to be speaking with her heart, not her head.
"I want to help save Next Planet more than anyone. But what can I do with a parachuted director who has no experience? The only thing that's sure is that we'll just be tossed around and become a joke. The future's obvious, so how can I devote any more time to this? If I end up just getting hurt, and turn thirty with no real experience, then what?"
What could I say to that? I didn't have anything rational or logical to persuade her. So...
"If that happens, let's find a new job together."
"... What?"
"If that happens to you, it means I got fired, too."
"You can just go back to headquarters, can't you?"
"I'm not planning on it. Success or failure, I'll share the responsibility, too."
"Director, are you rich?"
"No. I grew up in an ordinary home."
"Then why are you throwing yourself onto the path of ruin?"
"Let's not assume failure so easily."
I told her what the Chairman said to persuade me.
"If you really love something, you have to go a little crazy for it."
For him, maybe it was something from his past. For me, it's what leads to my future.