Chapter 34

“Ughhh… I don’t wanna work.”

10:21 AM. I, Assistant Manager Han, was writhing on the sofa, feeling the brand-new, stiff leather texture all over my body.

I slept in on this long-awaited weekend to relieve the fatigue accumulated over the past few days. However, modern people aren’t built to escape chronic fatigue just by sleeping a few more hours.

“Am I already in h*ll? Or maybe I’m a brain in a vat? Maybe I’m already dead and wandering around as a ghost?”

Someone save me from this endless cycle of fatigue! Except for Jesus!

To escape from this chronic fatigue, which is more horrifying and disgusting than a cruel fate, I desperately rolled on the sofa. And fell off.

Thud!

“Koreans run on rice. Most problems can be solved by eating. Let’s just eat.”

As I forced myself up, my body creaking ominously, it felt like half of my fatigue had already disappeared.

I roughly fixed my messy hair and picked up the basic-colored coat hanging on one side of the wall. A coat is essential for an autumn man. In fact, those who go around without a coat don’t deserve to be called autumn men.

As usual, I was about to have a late breakfast and early lunch with Kongnamul Gukbap when I stopped at the sound of knocking on the office door.

It’s my first client at my Supernatural Phenomenon Solver Office.

I sat down at my unused desk, resting my arms on it, preparing a stern expression and voice, and told the person at the door to come in.

And the one who opened the door and came in was none other than S Man, the guy who helped me clean up the corpse the other day.

“Oh, for f*ck’s sake!”

“Uh, did I come at a bad time?”

“I thought you were a client! What about my exciting first time?! Ah, that sounds g*y, let me try again. Why the h*ll are you the first one to come to our office?!”

“You dropped your business card last time, so I found my way here using the map drawn on the back.”

“Why?!”

“I was wondering if you might be looking for a disciple, an assistant, or at least a part-timer…”

Now that’s a different story.

“Come in. See the break room over there? Go make some coffee. Two sugars for me.”

“I’m really good at making coffee.”

S Man naturally entered the break room, made two cups of Maxim coffee with Mr. Maxim’s face on them, and placed one in front of me.

“Sigh, drinking coffee before a meal ruins my appetite. But I can’t resist a cup of coffee early in the morning.”

“It’s already past 10 AM.”

“So, did you have lunch?”

“Not yet.”

“Then it’s still morning.”

This guy doesn’t even know the basic fact that Koreans divide their day based on three meals. Did this guy reincarnate from another world or something?

While I was charging my brain with sugar with my double-sugar coffee, S Man sat at one side of the reception table, sipping his coffee.

Glancing at him, I saw he was in casual clothes, carrying a large backpack. As if he was ready to settle everything today.

“So, you came here because you wanted to be my disciple, assistant, or even a part-timer?”

“Ah, yes! I was impressed by the sacred exorcism and the skill with which you send even the most vicious criminals to heaven!”

“That sounds too g*y. Again.”

“I was filled with respect after witnessing your sacred exorcism and the skill with which you send even the most vicious criminals to heaven!”

“Right. But I have to tell you something unfortunate. First of all, I’m not looking for a disciple or an assistant.”

“I… see.”

I finished my hot coffee in one gulp, crumpled the paper cup, and casually tossed it out the window. The sanitation worker will clean it up anyway. I’m just giving him another reason to go to heaven.

“You’re S Man, for crying out loud. You have a bright future ahead of you, envied by others, almost as much as those with questionable occupations. Why would you come crawling here?”

“It’s just that my parents told me to get a good job since I studied hard. I hate to remember, but the reason I was able to help those friends who tutored Seon-yeong was because I have so many friends like that.”

“So, you’re a ‘mom’s friend’s son’?”

“Haha, not to that extent…”

“By any chance, is your family rich?”

“We only have an apartment and a few commercial buildings in Gangnam.”

“Right. So, you’re a guy who has everything except for a long-lasting S-pen. Why the h*ll did you come here? Ah, is that a bit g*y too?”

Thinking that I should be careful, very careful, about the G-word, I asked, and S Man suddenly lowered his head with a serious expression.

“My life has been full of boring things!”

“Lucky you. I always wanted to live such a boring life.”

“I’ve only walked the path laid out by my parents. I couldn’t even enjoy myself freely, I had to study and exercise consistently, and endure boring college and work life. Now I want to live my own life!”

“If you want to live your own life, you should go to a club, not here. If you throw some money around there, you’ll quickly learn what kind of life you want.”

“I’m not interested in such trivial entertainment.”

S Man raised his head again, his eyes burning fiercely with passion and determination.

They were the eyes of Columbus, about to explore a new continent. Even though the guy was a murderer and a slave trader, anyway.

“What I want is a thrill I’ve never experienced before! A thrill I’ll never experience again! A thrill that will never happen again in my life! I don’t want to walk the same path as everyone else!”

“So, what kind of lunch did you usually have?”

“I either went to restaurants with my friends or used the company cafeteria with my colleagues.”

“Then, from today onwards, our lunch will be Jjajangmyeon. Now, get up, we need to go eat.”

I leisurely left the office with S Man, whose expression had visibly brightened.

“Let’s have an interview on the way. You’re S Man, so you must have experienced those typical pressure interviews at big corporations. What can you do that would be helpful to me?”

“Well… I’m fluent in foreign languages.”

“Anything else.”

“I have a driver’s license. Of course, I also have my own car.”

“That’s a plus. What else?”

“I know a lot of people through my family, so I can get help if needed.”

“Not bad. Lastly, tell me your grand ambition. It could be your future vision, anything that could appeal to me.”

“I won’t take a salary.”

“You’re hired.”

Arriving at the Jjajangmyeon restaurant, we walked in with swagger, like gangsters coming to collect protection money.

There’s a saying that the customer is king, so I just wanted to act like a king for once.

“Chef! One of your best Jjajangmyeon here!”

“I’ll have Jjajangmyeon as well.”

“So he says. And a large Tangsuyuk for service.”

I placed a 50,000 won bill on the counter and sat in the center of the largest six-person table. It was too early for lunch and too late for breakfast, a time when there were awkwardly few customers.

Here’s a tip for eating Jjajangmyeon: Jjajangmyeon eaten at such an awkward time is the most delicious.

Because it’s made with secret sauce, fresh vegetables and meat brought in today, seasoned with a generous amount of MSG, and stir-fried over high heat.

Just like freshly baked bread is the most delicious, freshly stir-fried Jjajangmyeon is the tastiest.

“Oh, by the way, I haven’t paid you for your trouble.”

“I forgot about that too. You saved my life, and I couldn’t even offer you a token of my gratitude.”

I suddenly remembered after drinking a glass of cold water and held out my hand. S Man fumbled through his pockets and handed me a thick yellow envelope.

“I wanted to put more in, but an elder in my family insisted that I put only a specific amount in this envelope. I apologize if it’s not enough. I can make a bank transfer later…”

“No, it’s fine. This is enough.”

I nodded, seeing the bizarre pattern and Chinese characters drawn inside the yellow envelope with red chicken blood. The amount inside was exactly 4,440,000 won, made up of 50,000 won and 10,000 won bills.

“Uh, you’re bleeding from your nose… Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine. But are you, by any chance, the only male heir for three generations?”

“Yes. Our family has always had a shortage of sons…”

“Your ancestors have a spicy touch. Make sure to prepare a grand ancestral rite table for them later.”

I tore the envelope under the table, out of S Man’s sight, took the money, and stashed it in my pocket.

I went through a lot to save this precious only son, and they’re trying to curse me with the help of a shaman… I don’t know how this guy managed to come to me against the wishes of his elders.

“But did you get permission to come here?”

“I’m an a*ult now, so I don’t think I need permission for my personal life, so I didn’t ask.”

“Right, a man lives and dies by his pride. Still, I don’t think it’s a good idea to quit S Electronics and work under me.”

“Honestly, working there is really boring. Those guys, full of themselves, play office politics as a matter of course, and if they think they have even a slight edge in education, family background, or appearance, they look down on others. I’m sick of working in a place like that.”

“It’s the same everywhere people live. Except for heaven. Let me know if life gets tough for you. I’ll send you to heaven.”

We chuckled at the dinner table and soon offered a reverent prayer of thanks before the Jjajangmyeon and Tangsuyuk set brought out by the chef himself.

But before expertly mixing the Jjajang sauce and taking a bite, I cautiously brought up a point that I needed to clarify with S Man.

“Do you pour the Tangsuyuk sauce or dip it?”

“I’ll follow your lead, sir.”

“I’ve never met anyone who says that and doesn’t complain later. Tell me honestly.”

“I prefer dipping.”

“Actually, me too. But dipping our Tangsuyuk in the same sauce is too g*y, so let’s dip separately.”

We divided the sauce equally into empty bowls and dipped our Tangsuyuk.

Just then, my burner phone connected to the office vibrated loudly.

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