Chapter 43: Working as a Security Guard at Stark Industries Comes with Free Meals
Besides that, I also doubted they would allow security guards to work while wearing a jacket that covered the official uniform, because from what I had observed so far, all the personnel wore their uniforms neatly without any noticeable additions.
I then began carrying out my duties as a security guard assigned to watch over the parking area, a job that seemed simple on the surface, yet in reality still required full attention and high consistency to ensure that not even the smallest oversight occurred.
I had to make sure the entire parking area remained safe and under control, occasionally walking around with slow but steady steps to check every corner, observing the parked vehicles carefully, ensuring there was nothing suspicious, then returning to stand guard at the entrance and exit with a vigilant stance.
In addition, every vehicle that came and went could not escape my observation. I watched everything closely, paying attention to the drivers’ movements, the brief expressions on their faces, trying to catch anything that might feel out of place.
As well as the way they entered and left the parking area, whether they were too rushed, overly cautious, or seemed nervous without any clear reason, while occasionally glancing at the CCTV screens displaying multiple angles of the parking lot at once.
Those screens continuously showed moving images without pause, presenting the condition of each point in real time from different perspectives, and I had to ensure that nothing was missed—because even the smallest detail could become important in certain situations if overlooked.
Overall, this job felt very suitable for me. It was not too complicated to understand since the flow was clear, and it was not too exhausting to handle over a long period, as long as I maintained focus and didn’t let my guard down.
Yet it still carried real responsibility that could not be taken lightly, because a single small mistake could lead to many unwanted consequences.
In fact, there was a certain comfort in doing it, as if the calm and steady rhythm of the work gave me space to think more clearly without excessive pressure, while still performing my duties properly and according to procedure.
Moreover, when mealtime arrived—whether lunch or dinner—the security guards working in the Stark Industries building were also given a chance to eat at the cafeteria, although of course there were rules that had to be followed strictly without exception.
We couldn’t just eat right away like other employees who had more flexible schedules. We had to wait until all the employees had finished first before it was our turn, something that had already become a fixed routine and couldn’t be changed easily.
Even then, we had to eat in turns and within a fairly limited time, because the guard posts couldn’t be left unattended for too long, so there was always someone staying behind in the work area to ensure that security remained intact.
This situation made mealtimes feel a bit rushed, with not much time to sit back or have long conversations, as if every passing second carried a value that had to be carefully maintained.
Even so, one thing I couldn’t deny was the fact that I could eat for free while working here. It might seem like something simple to some people, but to me, it felt like a significant advantage.
Especially with my current financial condition, which wasn’t entirely stable yet and still required a lot of saving, getting food without having to spend extra money truly became something that helped greatly in daily life.
It could even be said to be one small but important reason that made this job feel even more worth doing every day, despite the limitations that had to be accepted.
Maybe this was one of the best things I could immediately feel on my very first day working at Stark Industries—a small comfort that felt real, simple, yet meaningful enough to make the corner of my lips lift into a faint, unconscious smile.
Ah, no… thinking about it more honestly and without any sugarcoating, the best thing is still payday.
That thought came just like that, accompanied by an image of numbers in my bank account that would finally no longer look depressing, no longer force me to calculate every expense with anxiety.
Damn… my money is really almost gone. The thought slipped into my head uninvited, making me let out a quiet sigh as I stared at the food in front of me with an expression that was hard to describe.
The warm aroma of the free meal should have been appetizing, rising slowly along with thin wisps of steam drifting in the air, yet behind all of that, there was a sense of relief mixed with bitterness that I couldn’t simply ignore.
I scooped a spoonful slowly, deliberately slowing my movements, trying to savor every bite as if it were a luxurious dish I rarely had the chance to enjoy, letting its warmth spread across my tongue and down my throat.
If not for this free meal benefit, I might only be able to scrape by, carefully counting the days while hoping time would move faster until payday finally arrived.
It wouldn’t even be impossible for me to go hungry more often, or to buy cheap food that wasn’t truly filling, just enough to keep my stomach from being empty without offering any real satisfaction.
At the very least, for now, I didn’t have to worry too much about an empty stomach. The warmth slowly filling my belly was enough to calm the thoughts that had been tangled since morning, giving me a little room to breathe easier.
However, there was one thing that bothered me slightly on my first day of work. Throughout the entire day, I hadn’t seen Happy or Tony Stark, and that fact kept lingering in my mind, impossible to ignore.
As for Tony, I could already guess without thinking too deeply. A man like him must have a packed schedule, busy with various important matters I probably couldn’t even fully imagine.
Meetings, projects, experiments—who knows what filled his time from morning until night. Someone like him clearly wasn’t the kind of person you could just casually meet, especially not for a new security guard like me who wasn’t even properly known by anyone yet.
But Happy… it was quite surprising that he hadn’t shown up at all either. I frowned slightly as I thought about it, the spoon in my hand pausing briefly in midair before moving again.
My memory of Happy was still clear—calm, firm, and always looking ready to handle any situation without saying much.
Was he really that busy? Or was his job as Tony’s personal driver far more demanding than I had imagined?
If that were the case, then it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him Tony Stark’s trusted man. And if that was true… then I had to admit one thing honestly—I was quite lucky to know someone like Happy Hogan.
After all, the two of us came from the same orphanage. That connection might sound simple, maybe even trivial in other people’s eyes, but to me, it still held a meaning that couldn’t just be ignored.
From that simple connection, I was able to stand here now, wearing a security guard uniform in this magnificent building—something I had never truly imagined before.
Happy was the one who helped me get this job. Without him, I might still be wandering aimlessly, searching for work from one place to another, with hope growing thinner day by day.
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