SOLIRF~14

Chapter 14 

The Owner of Daijo

For an office worker, nothing motivates more powerfully than money.
There’s a reason people joke about financial therapy.

This is my chance.

Life in the capital wasn’t easy. Prices were far higher than in Opel, yet the situation for my four siblings hadn’t improved much. Marcella still hadn’t found a stable job, and even basic medical treatment in the capital was absurdly expensive.

As we weren’t high-ranking nobles, we weren’t even eligible for temple healing unless we made a massive “donation.”

So much for divine compassion.

The idea of a god charging people to be healed was disgusting.
They pretended to be holy messengers, but to me, they were just profiteers cloaked in white.

Still, I had to be satisfied with even the slightest improvement in Rio’s condition.
I needed to earn enough to cover the cost of his medicine. If anything happened to him while I was here, I’d never forgive myself.

The risk is high—but the bonus should be at least worth several months of pay.

The Daijo Trading Company was a large enough firm to offer proper rewards, at least for appearance’s sake.

I followed my senior, Yul, to check the progress of other departments.

The first stop was the External Relations Department.
The senior there, Pineane, was a plump woman who looked utterly exasperated.

“How are things?”

“Awful! They told us this project must succeed—but do they think it’s that easy? They should try it themselves!”

“Calm down. What’s the current situation? We have to check and report, too.”

“There isn’t any situation! Nothing! And now they’re throwing a fit out of nowhere!”

The raw frustration in their voices was something every office worker could relate to.
I quietly stepped back to give them space to vent—it’s healthier to curse it out than to keep it in.

But really… who pushes a new business plan this suddenly, without preparation?

From what I knew, cosmetics weren’t Daijo’s main products.
Their focus was on daily goods and food, not luxury items.

And there hasn’t even been a major cosmetic hit from competitors lately. “Must succeed,” they said? That makes no sense.

A company owner who lived and died by sales numbers wouldn’t normally act this recklessly.

“Coco, you’re here?”

Pineane spotted me and walked over with a tired smile.
Behind her stood Gemini, the twin brother of Gemina, who gave me an awkward nod.
I nodded back politely.

“You look exhausted, are you okay?”

Pineane shook her head.

“I don’t even know where to start. The product’s ready, but we have no idea how to promote it. Suddenly, they’re ordering us to make it a success. It was supposed to be a small-scale project! Daijo has almost no experience in cosmetics, so how are we supposed to—oh no, I’m not getting sent back home, am I?”

“Calm down, Pineane.”

I wanted to reassure her that low-level employees like us were relatively safe from the fallout—but with so many ears around, I held my tongue.

“The whole place feels heavy and tense.”

For someone as bright and cheerful as Pineane to look this defeated… it really did feel like a funeral.
And I couldn’t blame her. When it came to cosmetics, marketing was just as important as product quality.

“But why such a sudden decision?”

That question had been stuck in my head since earlier.

“Who knows? Maybe the owner had a change of heart.”

“That’s not it,” a voice cut in from behind.

It was Gemini. Startled by our stares, he raised his hands slightly.

“I thought it might help. Sorry if I interrupted.”

Unlike his twin, Gemini had a far more outgoing personality.

“No, it’s fine. Please, tell us.”

There was no reason to refuse information.

Gemini looked relieved and continued, “You’re new, so you might not know—Daijo’s real owner isn’t the chairman.”

“What do you mean?” Pineane asked in surprise. I was curious too.

“Daijo belongs to the Marquisate of Aurelius.”

“The Marquisate of Aurelius?”

A marquis—a high-ranking noble family, no doubt. Even the elegant pronunciation of the name made it sound lofty.

Gemini continued under our expectant gazes.

“Meaning, the chairman answers to the marquis’s household.”

“So this ridiculous ‘must-succeed’ order came from the Marquisate?”

He nodded.

“I don’t know about any mission, but yes—it came from them. Apparently, the marquis’s daughter is very interested in fashion and beauty. Rumor has it her father can’t say no to her. If she wants something, he’ll scour the entire countryside until she gets it.”

Now everything made sense.

So it wasn’t a crisis—it was a classic top-down order.

In other words, a direction given without reason, goal, or plan—just a “Do it.”

The kind of directive that drives employees insane.

Companies that issue too many of these often lose good people to burnout and resignation.
At least in this case, there was a bonus at stake—that made it a little easier to swallow.

But Gemini wasn’t done.

“Three years ago, the marquis’s daughter wanted a rare gem—but Lady Seraph of another noble family found it first. The very next day, the entire External Relations Department was replaced.”

“What?”

“Replaced—as in, all of them?”

Pineane gasped, covering her mouth.

“From department head to the lowest clerk.”

Gemini drew a finger across his throat. My heart sank.
So much for thinking low-level employees were safe.

“But why punish everyone? Shouldn’t the upper management take the blame?”

“Rumor says one of the department clerks leaked the gem’s information to Lady Seraph’s side. So they cleaned house completely. Even the chairman and vice-chairman were disciplined.”

The ripple effect of one traitor was staggering.

One word from a marquis’s daughter had wiped out an entire department.
This world was no better than my previous one—maybe worse.

A family-run company, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of those disasters.

Knowing that my survival now depended on fulfilling the whims of a spoiled noble girl left me bitterly amused.
Any shred of professional pride I’d had crumbled like sand.

Forget it. I’ll just focus on that special bonus and make sure I don’t get dragged down with the rest.

Orders from the chairman—or in this case, the marquis—weren’t optional.
The sooner I let go of my pride, the better.

I decided to start with a market analysis.

“I’ll need data on competing products, current trends, popular cosmetic brands, and which items are favored by women right now.”

Pineane rummaged through a stack of files.

“Most of that’s already ready. I was in charge of market research for this project, so I’ve gathered everything I could.”

I knew she was competent.

Even back when we worked overtime together, she was sharp and diligent.
Thanks to her, my workload was cut in half.

With her permission, I shared the data from the External Relations Department with our Management Department.

The manager encouraged everyone to share suggestions freely.

This isn’t the time for ‘my job’ or ‘your job.’

Everyone pored over the documents, rushing between departments in search of better solutions.
Executive meetings were held several times a day, and shouts from the chairman’s office could often be heard echoing down the halls.

The lights at headquarters never went out—not even at night.
I volunteered to stay late as well.

While reviewing Pineane’s data, a potential solution came to mind.
The question was whether I could convince anyone to accept it.

That special bonus… it’s mine.

***

“There’s not much time left. From what I hear, they’re planning to distribute new ad flyers and expand the product displays.”

Pineane came to the archive room to update me on the situation.
It was the most common strategy—and frankly, not a good one.

“Actually… I have another idea.”

“Really? What is it?”

“You sound surprised.”

“Well, you’re being more proactive than I expected.”

Instead of confessing that it was all because of the bonus, I smiled vaguely.

“If this fails, it’ll be a huge setback.”

“True. So, what’s your plan?”

Using Pineane’s research, I laid out my thoughts—target audience, positioning, and a new, unconventional promotional strategy.

“That’s… bold.”

“I know. It won’t be easy.”

“But it makes sense. Honestly, it sounds much more likely to succeed than what we’re doing now.”

“The biggest problem is convincing upper management. There’s no precedent for this.”

That was my biggest concern too.

“I’ll help!” Pineane clasped my hands firmly.

“I’m putting my faith in this plan!”

“Uh… in what, exactly?”

Just then, Nicola entered, both hands full of snacks.

“You must be hungry. Here, have some.”

Pineane gestured excitedly. “Nicola! We’ve found a new idea!”

After hearing the details, he let out a low whistle.

“I’m no expert in this stuff, but Coco, your idea is definitely something new. No one else would’ve thought of it. You have to present it!”

“But we’re running out of time.”

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was already past 10 p.m.

If we were to report tomorrow afternoon… sleep was out of the question.

“Special bonus…”

“Huh? What was that?”

“Nothing. All right, let’s do it. I’ll need help, though. You two up for it?”

“Just say the word!” Pineane pounded her chest confidently.

“I’ll do my best too, Coco!” Nicola raised his snacks like a battle flag.

I smiled faintly, a dark glint in my eyes.

You’ll regret saying that…

And so, the long night of handcrafted PPT slides began.