Chapter 13
The Loser’s Circumstances
Among all kinds of people I despise, the worst are those who pick on the weak and cower before the strong.
That bastard Bator was one of them—he’d taken out his anger on Gemina because of what happened with me.
He confessed that he hadn’t even had the courage to show up to work. So instead, he’d switched shifts with his twin brother, Gemini.
“What? And your brother just let that slide?”
I was speechless.
“H-he didn’t know I was hurt. I just asked because I’m a little s-scared of Bator. He was trying to help.”
Apparently, the two of them worked in different departments and rarely saw each other, even at home.
“A-and besides, Bator doesn’t t-treat my brother like that…”
That makes it even worse, you idiot!
My head started throbbing.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better for you two to just switch departments entirely?”
It was Pinea who cut in with a completely reasonable suggestion.
“B-but I can’t just dump my work on someone else. I’m not really suited for the External Relations Department either.”
So you’ll just sit there and take it?
Neither the brother nor the twin seemed to have any real will to fix this situation.
“From the looks of it, this isn’t the first time. Violence is a crime. You should report him.”
Gemina shook his head.
“I-it’s fine. Bator wasn’t always like this. He used to be a g-good friend.”
“…What?”
I thought I’d misheard him.
When I stared at him like he’d said something insane, he awkwardly tried to explain.
Apparently, Bator had been close with the former Head of Administration. But when that superior got caught taking bribes and was fired in disgrace, Bator had changed—becoming more violent and unstable ever since.
I honestly didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to do with that information.
“So what?”
“…Huh?”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“I-I’m just saying, Bator used to be a good—”
I couldn’t even finish my sentence. Pinea cut in sharply, anger flashing in her eyes.
“And what does that have to do with anything? If something like that happened to you, would you start hitting your friends too?”
“I, uh… I wouldn’t…”
Gemina looked genuinely lost, like no one had ever said something like that to him before. It was frustrating to watch.
“What kind of friend are you afraid of, anyway?”
He wouldn’t change unless he realized it himself. Otherwise, this would just keep happening again and again.
How could someone let things get this bad?
I’d seen some strange things in office life, but this was on another level.
The next day, Gemina showed up to work as usual. I could feel his nervous glances on me throughout the morning, but I pretended not to notice.
It’s not like I have the right to interfere.
The more I thought about it, the more pointless it seemed. I wasn’t his family or his friend—just a coworker. Getting too involved would only end with someone getting hurt.
He’ll figure it out. As long as it doesn’t affect me, that’s all that matters.
Still, if that jerk Bator ever pulled his crap on me again, I wouldn’t let it slide.
“Cornelia, check if the Product Sales Department has finished inspecting the new stock.”
Right. Time to get back to work.
At Senior Yul’s command, I headed up to the second floor.
The Product Sales Department was in charge of producing, inspecting, and managing goods sold through the trading companies. Sometimes they crafted the products themselves; other times, they took supplies from workshops or smaller vendors.
If I remember right, Nicola works here.
I’d heard he’d been busy lately because of a new product launch.
“Coco! What brings you here?”
Nicola spotted me the moment I stepped inside and hurried over. His drooping eyes looked even heavier with exhaustion, and I felt a bit sorry for him.
“I came to check if the inspection for the new products is complete.”
“I’ll show you!”
Thanks to him, I didn’t have to wander around. His senior, a man with similarly gentle eyes, stepped over.
“Wait here a moment. I’ll fetch the product list and inspection forms. Nicola, show her around in the meantime.”
Even his tone matched Nicola’s—soft and warm.
Nicola beamed, clearly delighted to have a visitor, and began chatting as he led me through the room.
“How’s work been, Nicola?”
“Busy, but fun! Everyone’s been really nice to me. The seniors are great, and my coworkers are kind too.”
He wasn’t lying; his smile was too genuine.
So this is what happens when you’re actually a decent person, huh? I’ll give him that.
With a kind senior and a cheerful new recruit, their department must be a little paradise compared to ours. I sighed, thinking of my own office and its lovely seniors.
Nicola eagerly showed me around the products—some were already finished, others still in prototype form.
“You can test them if you want! The ones on display are just samples. The stock for stores will be produced separately.”
“All of these are for sale?”
“Not all. Some are experimental items or test imports from other regions. We sort through them here and decide which ones make the final cut for release.”
“I see.”
Among the products, I noticed some of the cosmetics my seniors had given me as gifts. I’d tried a little that morning—good pigmentation, no powder fallout, surprisingly high quality. I wouldn’t mind buying more if there was an employee discount.
Then something shiny caught my eye—a sleek fountain pen. Its design practically whispered that it wrote smoothly.
When I pressed the small button on top, red ink came out. Another click switched it to black.
“This is nice.”
“Right?” Nicola grinned proudly.
“It just launched this week! No more switching ink bottles every time you need a new color. Plus, it’s got leak-prevention magic—so no more smudges or spills! You refill the ink from the back—super easy.”
“Sounds expensive.”
“It is. Hehe.”
Convenient, but definitely not cheap.
Nicola said something to his senior, who rummaged through a drawer and handed me something.
It was that same fountain pen.
“There’s a small scratch on the side, so we can’t sell it. If you don’t mind, you can have it.”
“R-really? Isn’t this too expensive to just give away?”
The senior smiled.
“The Administration Department does far more paperwork than we do. You’ll make better use of it. Bring it here anytime—you can refill it for free. Nicola told me you came up from the capital with him, right? Take care of each other.”
Nicola… what kind of saintly boss did you end up with?
Still dazed, I trudged back to our bleak little office, clutching the precious pen.
I barely had time to sit down before Yul handed me another errand.
Bator had apparently “left something at the main store” and needed me to fetch it.
Useless piece of trash. Let’s see how long you last here.
Muttering curses under my breath, I made my way to the company’s flagship store—a three-story building where nearly all imperial products passed through before shipping nationwide.
I searched high and low for the item Bator mentioned, but it was nowhere to be found. Even the store manager said such a product didn’t exist.
That bastard… he’s dead.
A childish prank, wasting a working woman’s precious time. My blood boiled. If I saw him right now, I’d probably explode.
And that’s when I felt it—a stare.
Someone was watching me.
I turned and met eyes with a tall, broad-shouldered man—handsome, aristocratic, with dark gray hair streaked faintly with violet, swept neatly to one side.
He looked like a lone wolf.
Seriously, how is one man allowed to look like that?
I quickly plastered on my best professional smile.
“Can I help you, sir?”
His gaze dropped to my hand—to the pen.
“What’s that?”
Ah, of course. Nobles never bothered with formalities.
“It’s a new fountain pen model. It alternates between black and red ink at the press of a button. It’s also charmed to prevent leaks! Would you like to try it?”
I guided him to the writing section, instinctively recommending matching desk mats, pen stands, and note covers.
“Not bad,” he murmured, testing the pen on paper.
Then, without hesitation, he bought everything I’d shown him.
Now that’s noble flex.
Honestly, I didn’t care if he spoke down to me—he’d just boosted my department’s sales numbers.
“Thank you for your purchase, sir.”
He gave a faint nod in response.
Strange. The company doesn’t mean anything to me, yet watching someone buy our stuff feels… kind of nice. Weird.
“But you…” he began.
“Yes? Did you need something else?”
Before he could finish, Senior Yul burst through the door.
“There’s an emergency meeting. Let’s go.”
Emergency meeting?
I apologized to the customer and handed him off to another employee before rushing to the conference room.
Every trainee and manager from the Administration Department was there.
Director Samora’s face was grim.
“I’ve called this meeting on direct orders from the Head Merchant.”
The room fell silent.
“The upper management is watching this new cosmetics release very closely. They’ve ordered us to ensure its success.”
Everyone’s expressions froze.
Upper management? Ensure success?
A few choice words stood out to me, but before I could think on it, Assistant Soledad raised a hand.
“…And if we fail?”
The director took a sip of water, clearly uneasy, before replying.
“Then we’ll have to face the consequences. Responsibility will not be easy to escape.”
Meaning—if things went wrong, heads would roll.
Well, they’d go after the department heads first, right? No way they’d fire a new hire like me.
For a moment, I almost relaxed.
Then the director added:
“Of course, if we succeed, there will be substantial rewards. A generous bonus, to be exact.”
Okay, never mind. It’s definitely my problem.
