Yokai Come to the Countryside Café

Chapter 43: Return Gift (3)

(Manager Kim, did you get a new cam? Why is the screen so clear?)

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

Just before it was time to leave work, Assistant Manager Lee suddenly pointed at my cam on the monitor and asked.

It seemed he had only now gotten around to checking my screen after all the busy work.

With a slight exaggeration, the resolution was so clear that you could probably see even a flying fly.

It had to be that way.

The all-in-one computer I received as a gift from the Chairman wasn’t just the latest model—it was the highest-spec version available.

Most of my work involved document handling, which even my old laptop could handle easily.

But this new computer, which was over three times more expensive, made a noticeable difference even in these small areas beyond work efficiency.

(What? That penny-pincher Manager Kim bought a cam? Really?)

(Oh, come on! It looks the same on the Division Head’s computer too!)

“Haha…”

Because I couldn’t bring myself to lie outright, I just scratched my cheek and let out an awkward laugh.

I couldn’t very well say I got it as a gift from the Chairman, could I? But pretending I bought it didn’t match my behavior up to now either.

In moments like this, it’s best to casually steer the conversation toward work.

“By the way, is there any news about the business plans for the second half of this year?”

(Ah, right! Each department is starting to filter things out now. We should prep things in advance so it doesn’t all come in at once like last time, right? When you come in next week, try contacting everyone, Manager Kim.)

“How about letting Assistant Manager Joo Dohyuk handle it once?”

(Huh?)

“He’s already reviewed quite a lot of the relevant documents. He should be more than capable. Plus, he can use the chance to get familiar with faces in different departments.”

(Really? If you say so, Manager Kim, then we’ll go with that.)

“You can do it, right?”

(Sure, I mean… wait, me?)

“It’s nothing difficult. Just drop by the Sales Team tomorrow and casually ask if they can share some business-related materials. They usually appreciate it when we prepare things in advance for them.”

Each team typically puts out at least three or four business plans.

Among them, only one is usually an actual intended project; the rest are just for show.

But it’s hard to take any action before upper management makes a decision, so this is how we prepare in advance. If a major issue crops up midway, all that prior effort goes to waste.

The feasibility assessment report we request and compile from related departments holds about that much value.

It’s the only objective data that can be verified from a third-party perspective before a project begins.

Of course, some departments ignore it entirely since it doesn’t make much of a difference to have it or not.

Which, frankly, is a relief for us—it just means less work.

“You can do it, right?”

(Why not? Let’s give it a shot. You said it’s just about asking for the materials, right?)

“Yes, once you receive them, just organize everything according to our file classification format. Well then, I’ll be heading out first.”

(Oh, Manager Kim. Take care.)

(Good work!)

-Beep.

That one button to turn off the cam was my signal to clock out.

A dream scenario for any office worker, perhaps?

Aside from minor deductions in extra pay and a slightly less favorable salary table, this was an ideal work life.

Not having to ride the hellish, jam-packed subway for nearly two hours a day greatly improved my quality of life.

Of course, humans are creatures of adaptation, so I’ve gotten used to even that by now.

-Creak.

“You’ve clocked out!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Were you having fun?”

“I was reading a picture book!”

Sanyi held up a worn picture book above her head with her front paw so I could see it well.

[Toots and Splats: Explosive Diarrhea]

Good grief, a children’s book like that actually exists?

It seemed to be designed for learning Hangul. After all, kids love vivid words like ‘fart.’

I understood in theory, but seeing the blunt title and cover in person…

“It’s fun!”

“Sanyi loves it. I’ve already read it to her more than ten times.”

And it wasn’t Sanyi reading to Ria—it was the other way around.

“I already memorized it! G! The fart from a singer goes toot-toot. N! The fart from a butterfly goes poof-poof.”

Sanyi began singing the phrases from the book, stringing them into random lyrics.

“D! The diarrhea of a squirrel…”

“Okay, that’s enough. We’re about to eat, and you’re singing something weird!”

Teaching someone is really hard work.

With so many picture books in the café, all that effort led to a song I definitely didn’t want to hear before a meal.

Looking at Sanyi like that suddenly reminded me of my one and only student(?).

But I had worked hard all this time—hopefully nothing would go wrong.

* * *

The next morning, in front of the Sales Team 1 office at Daecheon Solutions.

Since working hours had already started, the only people coming and going were a few employees headed to the restroom at most.

And one more person—Joo Dohyuk—who kept scratching his head as he reached for the open button, then turned back around repeatedly.

‘All I have to do is ask for the pre-designated second-half business plans. No big deal. Just one word and they’ll hand it over, right? Like they won’t give it to me? I’m Joo Dohyuk, after all.’

But Joo Dohyuk couldn’t quite bring himself to enter the office.

Because of the person who assigned him the task.

Even for simple tasks, Kim Jinseong’s working style always considered the next steps—it was so impressive, I’d internally slapped my knee in admiration multiple times.

Catching fatal numerical errors in documents was basic. His ability to identify phrases that could cause problems if omitted or added made it impossible to dismiss his work as mere support for someone else's projects.

That’s why Dohyuk hesitated even more.

There had to be a reason why Kim Jinseong assigned him something that could’ve just been handled over the phone or email.

Still, he couldn’t just linger in front of the door forever.

“I am Manager Kim Jinseong. Manager Kim Jinseong, with incredible work skills.”

-Clap clap.

“Whew, alright.”

Chanting this mantra while slapping his cheeks, Joo Dohyuk finally opened the office door with a resolute expression.

“Hello. I’m from the Strategic Planning Team.”

“Who… Shin Ji...?”

“I’m Assistant Manager Joo Dohyuk.”

“Joo Dohyuk? Ah! J-just a moment! Division Head! Division Head!”

Only then did the employee asking his business realize who Assistant Manager Joo Dohyuk was and hurried off to the Division Head’s office.

From inside came a loud “What?” and out stepped a middle-aged man with a gaunt frame and deeply furrowed frown lines, alongside the staff member.

“Oh! Nice to meet you. I should’ve come to greet you first. I’m Jeong Ji-won, Division Head of Sales Team 2. Please, have a seat.”

Division Head Jeong Ji-won, in the most polite manner imaginable, pulled out a business card and led Dohyuk to his office.

Just as expected from the Sales Department, where your position title is your brand, the card had the impressive title of Division Head prominently printed, not just Team Leader.

“What are you doing! Aren’t you getting the coffee? So frustrating, seriously.”

“Um, what kind of coffee would you like...?”

“Ah, right. What about coffee? How would you like it?”

“I’m fine. I don’t usually drink it.”

“But you’ve come all this way. Hey, hurry up and at least bring some tea.”

Though he bowed deeply to me, the way he snapped at his subordinate with a casual ‘hey’ stirred up an inexplicable discomfort in Dohyuk.

It was something he himself had done just a few months ago.

Not quite as blatantly, but because he was about to leave the department anyway, he hadn’t felt the need to memorize names or titles.

He thought it was natural to talk down because of the rank difference.

But his perspective had changed since joining the Strategic Planning Team.

The team members, who had initially seemed awkward and distant, treated him as a colleague with appropriate friendliness after just one group dinner.

‘Yo, Assistant Manager Joo! Want a shot of soju later? I won’t complain even if it’s just beer this time!’

‘Dohyuk, doesn’t it seem like these guys are crazy? They send emails at 5 p.m. Friday and want it done by Monday morning meeting. Makes you want to open up their skulls and check inside.’

Even knowing that he was the Chairman’s son, they never bowed or scraped—instead, they casually dragged him into every little chat.

He had grown used to this strange sense of belonging to an ordinary workplace. Moments when he was just called “Assistant Manager Joo” felt more comfortable than being known as the heir of a chaebol family. The small complaints shared with his teammates felt more genuine than the over-the-top praise from friends at social gatherings.

Let alone Kim Jinseong, who had become a mentor, someone he had slept beside(?) and even shared personal matters with.

That’s why he disliked Division Head Jeong Ji-won all the more.

‘Wait a sec, Division Head Jeong Ji-won? That jerk from the meeting minutes?’

It finally clicked for Dohyuk, like finding the last missing puzzle piece.

It was him. The guy who nitpicked everything and muddied the focus of every project.

“May I ask what brings you here today?”

“I came to see if I could get the files related to this year’s second-half business plans...”

“Ah! So you came for that! Hey! Hey! Why are you taking all day with the coffee? Bring over the business plan documents for submission, too! My apologies, the younger folks these days are all so sluggish.”

Sitting across from him, Dohyuk had already memorized everything about Division Head Jeong Ji-won from the countless meeting minutes he had pored over. He wasn’t worth the courtesy of honorifics.

But when a bit of informal speech slipped out, Dohyuk forced himself to add a polite ending.

Because Kim Jinseong wouldn’t have done it that way.

Just as he was growing tired of Jeong Ji-won’s meaningless chatter, the staff returned with coffee and a thick stack of documents.

“We should’ve sent these first, sorry for the inconvenience, haha.”

“May I take a look?”

“Ah, yes! Of course!”

Dohyuk carefully turned over each neatly presented page.

‘Now I understand. Why I was the one sent. These people were all inside these documents I kept reading. He wanted me to realize that.’

They say interpretations are better than the dream itself.

At this moment, Dohyuk felt as though he had received a great lesson.

He closed his eyes, and the words Kim Jinseong had told him began flashing through his mind like a panorama.

‘The documents generated for a project contain far more information than Assistant Manager Joo Dohyuk might think. Even the writer’s personality and attitude.’

‘Our role isn’t to dress up successful projects. We have to identify problems first—ideally before the project begins.’

With that lesson freshly etched into his heart, Dohyuk opened his eyes again.

“Is there a problem?”

“No. I’ll be going now.”

‘A problem? Of course there is. You. You tumor-like bastard. I’ll spend today rooting out every single bastard like you. Because that’s what Manager Kim Jinseong would want.’

Wrong.

The reason he was sent to retrieve the second-half business plan files himself was due to confidentiality—they were classified as internal-use only in other departments and couldn’t be emailed or viewed externally.

Kim Jinseong’s warm intention was simply to help him make rounds and get familiar with faces.

But that thoughtful gesture had been utterly distorted.

The only successor to the all-powerful Chairman was now reborn as a cold-blooded judge roaming the Sales Department.

It didn’t take long for word to spread among the employees that Kim Jinseong—personally favored by the Chairman, to the extent of receiving direct gifts—was backing him.

The next day, one anonymous post on the employee community became the catalyst.