INV 39

‘Why? Why did Gwak Deukcheon do that?’

Yesterday, after leaving work, Kwon Yihyeon completely cut off all thoughts about the company. When work and daily life become too fused, a person has nowhere to rest. Kwon Yihyeon wanted to preserve a sanctuary. He wanted to protect his home, at least.

However, Kwon Yihyeon has now clocked in, and so, he must ask questions. He has to earn his paycheck, after all.

Thus, a mere intern tested a superior of department-head rank.

‘Why did you do it, Team Leader?’

—he thought, casting a subtle glance.

Even without a coffee time, there were enough hints. His gaze as he watched Myo Woon’s sudden behavior. The look in his eyes.

The strange conviction contained therein. Followed by relief.

‘Probing this means I won’t be able to pretend to be a docile rookie anymore.’

Kwon Yihyeon wanted an answer as to why Gwak Deukcheon incited Assistant Manager Woon into something that could have resulted in her death.

And of all things, something that could have gotten her killed by Jae Angshin.

‘No, “something that could have gotten her killed” is an incorrect expression.’

It is a truly incorrect expression. If Kwon Yihyeon hadn’t talked a good game, Myo Woon would be dead. Without a doubt, she would have been torn to shreds by Chacha’s claws.

Why? Why did Gwak Deukcheon foster such a situation?

‘There are three possibilities worth suspecting.’

First, he targeted Kwon Yihyeon. Second, he targeted Assistant Manager Woon. Third, he aimed for two birds with one stone.

Kwon Yihyeon does not know the answer.

Would simply raising his guard against Gwak Deukcheon solve this? Would the threat disappear if he hid the secret he realized and held his breath? No. The penalties given to him are too excessive to survive with the simple mindset that defense is the best offense. Offense is the best defense. Therefore, Kwon Yihyeon wants clear evidence. Since the operating principles of the living usually depend on desire and lack. If he can figure out “why” Gwak Deukcheon did that, Kwon Yihyeon can understand Gwak Deukcheon a bit better. Being able to understand means being able to see moves ahead. If he is currently playing a losing game of chess, Kwon Yihyeon is a gambler. He is a person who will scrape together the few winning chances he has to strike a checkmate.

That is why Kwon Yihyeon provoked Gwak Deukcheon.

‘In my experience, I have to open up the fact that I’m the kind of guy who notices this much on his own for communication to be easy in the future…’

He curled his lips. Softly and leisurely.

And provocatively.

“…! Ha, this guy!”

The Gwak Deukcheon he had observed so far was strangely… free of prejudice toward Kwon Yihyeon. Was it because of a personality that dealt out character flaws equally to everyone? Gwak Deukcheon didn’t particularly discriminate against Kwon Yihyeon. He didn’t get scared, and he even gave advice. To make himself known. To carve the three letters of the name Kwon Yihyeon… The profundity of that moment was strange. So much so that it felt insulting even to compare it to the outer shell he was showing now.

“Mr. Kwon, young man? Are you ignoring my words?”

“No, I am listening.”

“Then why don’t you stop that act of pretending to be pitiful and sorrowful to slowly seduce my team members?”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

“That! Stop doing that! That thing, you brat! You show all sorts of faces in front of me, so why do you suddenly change the moment those kids look at you?!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you’re talking about…”

“Argh!”

As seen by him kicking the sofa, Gwak Deukcheon is a loafer who, on the surface, is no different from a vagabond.

Despite that, he has eyes that seem to pierce through and see a person’s soul entirely.

At the same time, it was also Gwak Deukcheon who incited Myo Woon to jump into a path where she would 100% die without Kwon Yihyeon.

However, putting all that aside, there is something that must be considered first.

“Intern. Is ignoring me tasty? Huh? Is the chewy texture just killer? Yes?”

What is most strange at this very moment is Kwon Yihyeon’s intuition.

‘He is not dangerous.’

—the intuition that insists on emphasizing that. To put out something like this as a hint, my once-useful intuition must be past its prime. Kwon Yihyeon thought cynically. Kwon Yihyeon is not an idiot who blindly trusts a judgment without evidence. He is a person who at least tries to use his brain to find evidence.

‘But there isn’t a shred of evidence to be seen.’

As he pondered, he ended up casually ignoring Gwak Deukcheon’s “Stop leaving me on read” comments and just sipped his brown rice green tea. At that, Gwak Deukcheon gripped the back of his neck in ten times more shock, but the reinforcements arrived before his roar could fall. The team members, unable to watch any longer, jumped right in.

To summarize the bickering, it meant something like this…

“Ah! Because you’re like this, all the rookies run away! Let’s try to make them work for a long time!”

“That’s right! We want to, like, raise a youngest member too!”

The sentences actually uttered were composed of a more sophisticated way of speaking in circles, but the point was the same.

However, no one gathered here guessed that this would be the prelude to the <1st Kwon Yihyeon Struggle> between Team Leader Gwak VS the rest of the team.

…At least for now.

“Team Leader Gwak, restrain yourself. The labor shortage isn’t a day or two old, and if this continues, all our kids will drop out. You know. If there is labor that rolled in on its own, you should say ‘Right on’ and take them in gratefully!”

Manager Kang Taerim was treating Kwon Yihyeon as “labor” with surprising “purity.”

Perhaps the attitude of Kwon Yihyeon while settling the conflict with Assistant Manager Myo Woon was impressive, because Manager Kang, whose gaze had softened since then, seemed very displeased with Gwak Deukcheon picking on the labor—no, Kwon Yihyeon.

On the other hand, Assistant Manager Jeong’s side was different.

“That’s right! We’re doing all this just to make a living! Hehe… we shouldn’t starve to death. Isn’t that right, Team Leader? So for today, let’s restrain that temper a bit?”

Assistant Manager Jeong Yujin, whose silver-gray shortcut and round glasses were impressive, looked somewhat anxious despite her smooth voice. Even though she was smiling enough for her plump cheeks to curl up roundly, her grey-green eyes were shaking unstably.

Unfortunately, Kwon Yihyeon had good eyes and was quick-witted.

A momentary change in expression or a glance that could normally be overlooked remains as a deep trace to him.

Let alone now, when several people are tangled up and pouring out opinions.

There was no way he wouldn’t recognize it.

‘…That person is afraid, of me.’

From yesterday when Myo Woon began her confrontation with Kwon Yihyeon until today, Assistant Manager Jeong was greatly agitated every moment a conflict occurred involving Kwon Yihyeon. Even if she was smiling coyly like a tomboy on the surface, it felt as if she would scream with her whole body that she was scared to death if forced to speak the truth.

…After that, Kwon Yihyeon continued to accumulate records of the team members in his head one by one.

‘The person who is skinny and looks tall only because he’s wearing a priest’s robe is Employee Man Juhae.’

Man Juhae had critical eyes as if he wanted to nitpick Gwak Deukcheon’s every move, but he kept his words as sparse as possible. And he made an effort to pretend otherwise while glancing back and forth between Assistant Manager Jeong and Kwon Yihyeon.

‘He’s bad at acting but quite brazen…’

The person behind him in black clothes is Employee Lim Muyoung. It was easy to remember him because of his somewhat introverted type and his shadow-like name that matched his all-black attire.

He was still at a loss without saying much. However, the way he opened and closed his long hands made it seem like he intended to step in if necessary.

For reference, Assistant Manager Myo Woon was at the front line. It meant that she was the one most actively standing against the picking on the intern.

“Team Leader! If you’re going to be like this, please reconsider! As I said, I will handle the training!”

“Ah, I said Assistant Manager Woon’s reliability has dropped.”

In contrast to her disciplined manner of speech that felt like a firm determination, Gwak Deukcheon murmured in a limp voice, and Jeong Yujin scrunched her face in a momentary burst of anger before shouting with an exaggerated laugh.

“Among us, the Team Leader’s reliability is the lowest! It’s at the floor, the floor! Nothing is proper!”

“Am I even the Team Leader? Why do you pick on me so much?!”

At any rate, Gwak Deukcheon ran wild with his eyes rolled back like a barking Chihuahua, and the team members, whether they were pouring oil or restraining him, were passionate in their own way about changing Gwak Deukcheon’s target.

Kwon Yihyeon, who was entering character information into his head while watching them silently, smiled to himself.

‘By this point, there won’t be a situation where I freeze the atmosphere by calling another team member the wrong name to their face!’

“What are you smiling at!”

It was a smile just right for Gwak Deukcheon to pick a fight with.

However, because Kwon Yihyeon’s spirit is incredibly strong, as soon as he heard the shout, he bounced up from his seat and bowed ninety degrees in greeting.

“Since my sunbaes are showing me such affection, I ended up making a mistake in my joy. I am sorry!”

“…”

“I will continue to work hard in the future!”

“…”

For reference, having a strong spirit means knowing very well what kind of sound is good for making others speechless.

If he made even Gwak Deukcheon gape in absurdity, that says it all, doesn’t it?

‘Since the conflict with Assistant Manager Woon, it was impossible to hide my temper. In that case, being treated as a moderate nutcase would widen my range of movement.’

It was an action determined by such rational judgment, but the gaze returning as a result was quite bizarre.

‘Those are looks directed at a nutcase who has gone a bit too far, not a moderate one.’

…Why are you looking at me like that, work sunbaes.

‘I was only being rational.’

⋆˙⟡

Perhaps because of the sudden “I look forward to working with you!”, the lesson Gwak Deukcheon had been lazily postponing began quite quickly. Taking advantage of the gap while Kwon Yihyeon was debating whether to think of this as a relief or to worry about an image that might be strangely solidified, Gwak Deukcheon shouted.

“Now. Remember this. Spirit, Ghost, Monster, Immortal, God.”

“…”

Gwak Deukcheon’s tone somehow brought back nostalgic concepts. Kwon Yihyeon, who briefly recalled the 12-year education process from elementary school to middle school and high school, let out a hollow breath, speechless.

‘Cramming education has been introduced to the underworld!’

How did the product of Korean-style “pali-pali” come all the way here? Truly, the modernization of the afterlife seemed to be endlessly surprising no matter how many times he heard about it.

“What are you doing, aren’t you following along?”

“…S… Spirit, Ghost, Monster, Immortal, God.”

“Aren’t you going to do it louder! This teacher can become an angel or a demon depending on your achievement!”

“…”

Now he has even absorbed the repertoire of a school trip instructor…

‘No, other possibilities cannot be ruled out.’

Kwon Yihyeon bowed his head with a somber expression and then solemnly raised only one hand. Gwak Deukcheon was going to scold him first, but since his expression was so serious, he jerked his chin as if asking what it was, and Kwon Yihyeon, having received permission, opened his mouth as if he were going crazy with despair.

“This is… a question I’m asking because I don’t know much about the occult, so please don’t take it personally.”

“What is it. What are you going to ask to turn my stomach inside out.”

He was curious about what “Spirit, Ghost, Monster, Immortal, God” meant, but that wasn’t what he had to ask now.

Kwon Yihyeon asked cautiously.

“Given your temper, you wouldn’t be an angel, but there seems to be a fair chance you’re a demon. By any chance, can a demon also be an underworld Reaper?”

“…”

“Please tell me. I’m not trying to practice species discrimination; it’s just that I really don’t know anything about the occult.”

“…”

The eyes of Kwon Yihyeon asking that were truly sincere. They were so clear and transparent that they could almost be compared to glass beads. Even the sunbaes who had fallen for Kwon Yihyeon’s sorrowful act began to start contemplations like “Is something perhaps a bit wrong with your brain?” and “Isn’t it strange that you can be truly serious while saying such things?”…

The most mind-boggling part was that all of those remarks were sincere.