Chapter 5
“Do you smoke?”
“I quit. Let’s go up to the rooftop.”
When they reached the rooftop, he saw a man smoking a cigarette, drawing on it as though it were some delicious food.
“By the way, rookie, did you hear? Apparently, the CEO has finally arrived. From what I heard, he came around the same time they recruited the new hires. You really see all sorts of things in this world.”
“Is it really that strange for a CEO to come to the company?”
“It is strange. Our company has been operating without a CEO for a very long time.”
“What changes now that we have a CEO?”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I doubt things will change that much, though. It’s not like this is a company that can simply disappear.”
It was a strange company with an even stranger legal adviser. Come to think of it, he was the CEO of that strange company.
“Anyway, if you happen to run into the CEO while you’re working, put in a good word for me.”
After hearing him say that, Simin thought there might actually have been something like that in the contract.
Article 6 (Special Provisions)
1. The CEO shall possess all decision-making authority concerning the operation of Lighthouse Co., Ltd.
“Isn’t it only natural for the CEO to have authority over personnel matters?”
“That’s true, but this isn’t an ordinary company. Once you’ve been here a little longer, rookie, you’ll understand what I mean.”
He burst out laughing, apparently finding something about the situation amusing.
“Anyway, you heard what I said earlier, right? Put in a good word for me with the CEO.”
“Sure. I’ll do that.”
“Great. Then I suppose I’ll have to work hard to help our rookie.”
Apparently, the secretary’s office had more influence than he had expected.
Come to think of it, the looks people gave him whenever he went up to the eighth floor had seemed rather unusual.
“First, let’s have you go to the police station three days from now. There are a few things we need to find out before then.”
Simin nodded at his words. For the next three days, he met with Grandma Kim Soon-bok and Jin-su, talking with them about various things. Then, on the third day, he arrived in front of the police station with Attorney Hwang Soo-ho.
“So, are you nervous?”
“Not really. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“The law can be like that sometimes. Depending on how you use it, the same thing can look completely different. A rookie needs to be careful about that. Our company has one foot on this side and one foot on the other, you see. That’s why you need to be even more careful when dealing with matters on this side.”
Simin couldn’t quite understand exactly what he meant, but he nodded and entered the Criminal Affairs Division with Hwang Soo-ho, where Detective Na Jae-ho was waiting.
“My name is Kim Simin.”
“Oh, Mr. Kim Simin. Come on in. And who is this gentleman?”
“Oh, I’m Hwang Soo-ho, legal adviser to Lighthouse Co., Ltd.”
“You’re a lawyer?”
“Yes. I heard one of our employees had gotten into trouble, so I came here.”
“Do lawyers normally represent company employees as well?”
“Well, that’s how things work at our company.”
The detective seemed somewhat flustered by the sudden appearance of a lawyer. After making an awkward expression, he began writing up the report.
“So, Mr. Kim Simin, you’re saying you acted that way to stop the iron pipe that the old man was swinging at the grandmother. And there’s no evidence from the scene?”
“That’s right.”
“This is troublesome. The injured party filed a report, but there’s no evidence that can really be used as proof.”
“Aren’t you detectives supposed to investigate and verify things like that? A man named Cha Jinsan swung an iron pipe. In a house where an elderly grandmother was living. Looking at the broken belongings, shouldn’t that be enough to verify what happened?”
“Well, yes, but there’s no proof that he was the one who broke them.”
“Wouldn’t you know if you asked the grandmother?”
“Ah, of course, we did speak with her.”
Detective Na Jae-ho hesitated, as though something was bothering him.
“If there’s no evidence, you could always reach a settlement.”
“Why should I settle when I didn’t do anything wrong?”
“Usually, in cases like this, it’s better to handle it as a civil matter and have both sides reach an agreement. Even if you take it to court, all you’ll do is exhaust yourselves. What good would come of it?”
He looked exactly like someone who simply didn’t want to do his job.
“If I hadn’t been there, who knows what that bastard might have done to the grandmother. Do you really think this makes sense?”
“Well, I’m sorry, but you’re not a police officer yourself. There’s no need to raise your voice like that.”
“What exactly are you sorry about? That man has been coming to visit his elderly mother, threatening her and extorting money from her. This time, he even threatened her with an iron pipe. He threatened an elderly woman who was collecting scrap paper just so she could somehow survive while raising her young grandson. I stepped in and defended her because I was trying to stop him. And you’re telling me to settle with him? Does that make any sense?”
“Hey! Do you even know where you are right now, raising your voice like that?”
The detective glared at Kim Simin intimidatingly. Simin was so dumbfounded by his attitude that he simply stared straight back at him.
Tap, tap.
At that moment, Hwang Soo-ho, who had been listening quietly with his arms folded, lightly tapped Detective Na Jae-ho on the shoulder.
“W-what is it?”
Attorney Hwang Soo-ho wore an indifferent expression that somehow managed to irritate anyone who looked at him.
“Take a look at this.”
He handed over a USB drive.
“What is this?”
“Evidence. It’s evidence.”
“Evidence? I thought there weren’t any nearby CCTV cameras or dashcams.”
“Our employee was too flustered to notice it. I secured it myself.”
Detective Na Jae-ho connected the USB to the computer.
The footage showed Cha Jinsan swinging an iron pipe and threatening them.
“…”
Na Jae-ho fell silent.
It was an almost unnaturally perfect piece of evidence.
“Ahem… ahem…”
“Wow. Anyone can see that he was threatening someone while holding a weapon. We’re thinking of filing a counter-complaint for making a false accusation and special intimidation as well. What do you think?”
“…”
Na Jae-ho let out a deep sigh.
“I’ll keep the evidence on file. Mr. Kim Simin, you can leave.”
Seeing the detective, who had been so intimidating only moments ago, suddenly become subdued was quite satisfying.
And so, the two men left the police station after resolving the entire situation with a single USB drive.
“Thank you for helping me, Attorney Hwang.”
“Well, it was only natural for me to help as your senior. And again, put in a good word for me with the CEO.”
“I will. And since you’ve already helped me, could I ask you for one more favor?”
“What?”
“I want to make sure the grandmother can properly transfer her money to her grandson. When the lawsuit is filed this time, I’d appreciate it if you could make that point clear.”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure it gets taken care of properly.”
Suddenly, he draped an arm around Kim Simin’s shoulders.
“Well, it looks like everything worked out. Shouldn’t we go grab a drink to celebrate?”
Heh.
Simin laughed at his easygoing manner. No matter how he looked at him, Hwang Soo-ho seemed more suited to being a fixer than a lawyer.
“Our rookie’s laugh is really getting on my nerves. I know a good place, so let’s go!”
Simin was practically dragged along by Hwang Soo-ho into an area that looked like a traditional market district.
At an old but cozy gukbap restaurant, the two of them drank together until neither of them could think straight.
“So, little brother, what were you doing before you came here?”
“Me? I only ended up here because of the lady who runs the neighborhood supermarket.”
“Grandma from Daedong Mart?”
“You know her?”
“Of course. All our employees probably know her.”
“…”
He had thought she was an unusual person.
“Anyway, so what did our little brother do wrong?”
“Me? I don’t think I did anything particularly wrong.”
“Huh. Then were you specially recruited?”
“Specially recruited?”
“Yeah. This is a place where people who have something hanging over them end up coming.”
“Is that so?”
“Just drink. Thinking about it will only give you a headache. You must have gotten a feeling about our company too. It’s a company that exists somewhere between this world and the afterlife.”
“Well… I did have a vague feeling like that.”
He had only gone to work twice, but there was Daedong Mart, the bracelet, the contracts that suddenly disappeared, and the way people kept referring to this world and the afterlife.
Kim Simin wasn’t stupid, nor was he so oblivious that he hadn’t noticed.
He simply hadn’t gotten used to it yet, and he still hadn’t fully grasped that all of this was actually real.
“If we help the grandmother, what do we receive in return? She doesn’t have the means to pay us anything.”
Hwang Soo-ho smiled at Simin’s question.
“That grandmother has quite a lot.”
“What?”
“Do you know how many children she has helped despite barely having enough for herself, while going around collecting scrap paper?”
“…”
She must have had enough trouble raising her own grandson, yet she had still been helping other children.
“Life really is strange. The grandmother failed miserably when it came to raising the children she gave birth to herself, but that isn’t the whole story.”
“How do you know all that?”
“When you work at our company, you eventually learn everything. Anyway, that’s why the grandmother has quite a lot waiting for her in the afterlife. So you don’t need to worry about the payment.”
“You mean the price for the opportunity she borrowed is paid with money from the afterlife?”
“That’s right. That’s why people call the opportunities we give them miracles. Though, technically, they aren’t miracles. They’re simply opportunities given to people based on the lives they’ve lived.”
The living would never know that the price for their opportunities was being paid with invisible money from the afterlife.
So, naturally, they would consider those opportunities miracles.
“In that sense, it’s rewarding work. We’re people who lend out miracles. It’s very fulfilling. It puts you in a good mood, too.”
“I suppose it would.”
Simin nodded. Seeing the grateful expression on Grandma Kim Soon-bok’s face had made him feel the same way.
As they continued drinking, both men became thoroughly drunk.
“Little brother, let’s do our best. Looking at you, I think you’re going to become a very important person. Remember me when you make it big. Hahahahaha!”
He laughed heartily, his scruffy beard sticking out in all directions, his smile making him look like a genuinely good-natured man.
“I’m the one who should be asking you to take good care of me. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other often.”
“Sure. If you ever need anything, just tell me. Hahahahaha!”
Heh.
Simin clinked his glass against his senior’s, enjoying the warm, genuine laughter of a good person he hadn’t seen in a long time.
That night, after returning home, Kim Simin leaned against the sofa, his body dizzy with alcohol.
[Low-Rank Request, ‘Grandmother’s Handcart,’ has been completed.]
An inexplicable message window appeared in front of him.
[Rewards are being provided. Three blue fortune pouches have been granted.]
Fortune pouches?
His head, which had been spinning from the alcohol, suddenly seemed to clear.
Then he realized that three fortune pouches were in his hands.
“What are these?”
— The user receives rewards different from those of other employees.
“Different rewards?”
— Yes. They are listed as performance bonuses in the contract.
So these were rewards for completing requests.
“What do the fortune pouches do?”
— You may think of them as random reward boxes.
“Like a lottery?”
— Correct.
He opened one of the fortune pouches.
The pouch emitted a brilliant light before disappearing from his sight.
[1,000,000 won in cash]
One million won…? Cash?
Without hesitation, he opened the remaining two fortune pouches as well.
[A slight enhancement to physical abilities has been granted.]
[1,000,000 won in afterlife currency]
Two different rewards appeared.
An enhancement to his physical abilities and one million won in afterlife currency.
What on earth is this?
— The rewards available to the user are varied. I cannot provide information about what you will receive next.
Still unable to resolve all his questions, he stared for a long while at the one million won that had appeared before him.
Then, without realizing it, he collapsed and fell asleep.
