Chapter 11

“Ha, is this right?”

The idea I proposed seems to have worked far better than I expected.

It’s only been two months since we launched it, and we’ve even gotten the merchant guild’s head support with a company dinner.

It had essentially become an achievement recognized by the merchant guild head.

“Did you expect me to ask so bluntly?”

A question came in while I was zoning out, and I tried to stay calm but blurted out whatever came to mind.

‘I should’ve held back!’

I was busy trying not to seem cocky. I couldn’t look incompetent either. At first, I even struggled to reword “mystery shopper” into something understandable — it was such a radical idea by this world’s standards that I assumed it wouldn’t pass.

But the reaction was unexpectedly positive.

‘It’s fine, actually.’

‘Makes sense…’

‘The fact it doesn’t incur extra costs… I really like that.’

Even the manager drove it home at the end.

‘Right, managers should also visit the field regularly.’

‘You don’t have to take me this seriously…! I’m a new hire, my idea might be short-sighted, so perhaps you should reassess it…!’

I blurted that out in surprise, but it echoed back in silence.

“Your drive is something even big companies can’t match.”

My vow to blend in naturally was laughably obvious.

Life never goes the way you expect.

My decision not to stand out hasn’t lasted a single day since my first day; I grabbed my head.

“Ughhh.”

I calmed myself, thinking what’s done is done. I remembered I originally came to sort the filing cabinet. I noticed the scattered papers like a cluttered desktop full of icons.

“How much will I kick myself later?”

You might think old documents won’t be needed again, but they often turn out to be surprisingly useful.

You usually need archived documents when something urgent comes up. In emergencies your focus narrows and you can’t find things you normally could. If you don’t sort them by date and category as you go, you won’t be able to find them when needed.

I picked up a stack of papers.

“Put this over here, and the paperwork from ten years ago goes here…”

The simple work cleared my mind. Before I knew it, I was engrossed in the documenting and lost track of time.

While diving through the piles for a while, I found an unexpected treasure.

“Praise… letters?”

It was a stack of “Praise” recommendation letters. Bundles of recommendations, from old to recent, were neatly kept in a box. Recommendations really were rare — the whole collection fit in a single medium box. Considering the number of Daijo branches and the guild’s history, it was very few.

I hurriedly searched for the letter that recommended me. It was recent, so it stood out quickly.

“Who could it be?”

I opened the already unsealed envelope, but couldn’t find the information I wanted—the recommender hadn’t revealed their name or status.

But the neat and tidy handwriting didn’t seem like the culprit’s.

‘Noble? But nobles almost never visit Opel Daijo…’

It was written in a calm tone, briefly praising the satisfying customer service and the calm handling of problematic customers. The sentences were as concise as the handwriting.

I tried to picture each visitor in my head to find someone who fit, but unfortunately none matched.

“Still, seeing it in person makes it feel real.”

My chest tingled. Whoever it was, thanks to them I got to come to the capital, so I’m surely grateful. It’s a shame I can’t remember.

“If I ever find out later, I’ll buy you a meal.”

I took one last look at the neat handwriting and put the letter back in the box.

I finished sorting the filing cabinet just as quitting time approached. I was covered in dust from handling old papers, but I felt quietly proud seeing the organized cabinet.

I returned to the administrative office feeling light, and noticed packages I’d never seen piled on the desk.

‘Fruits and jam, cookies… cosmetics?’

Not knowing what it was, I toyed with the items, and the aide Soledad came up and patted my shoulder encouragingly.

“It’s compensation.”

From the other side, Yul senior staff came up.

“They’re snacks sold by the guild. I can’t vouch for the taste. The cosmetics are our guild’s new products. I didn’t know much, so I just grabbed whatever I could find.”

When I tried to decline saying I didn’t deserve it, Soledad firmly pushed the package toward me.

“Thanks to you I can finally sleep. You saved me.”

Now that I noticed, the dark circles that had always been heavy were notably lighter. She must have been working overtime on this issue every day.

“I only shared my thoughts. It was the seniors who developed them and pushed them forward appropriately. I didn’t do much.”

“Develop?”

‘Oh right.’

I hurriedly corrected myself.

“I meant you developed the idea further!”

“I wouldn’t say that entirely.”

Yul senior staff shook his head.

“What you said was the core. No need to be humble.”

Fortunately, I felt no malice in their praise.

“The new department head seems to listen to good ideas regardless of rank, and though it was a strategy meeting, it felt like I was working properly for the first time in a while.”

Soledad nodded slowly twice, expressing satisfaction.

“Your minutes were good too. They were neatly organized by item, easy to read. Did you teach whoever wrote them?”

“No. They wrote like that from the start. It was fine, so I left it alone.”

“Writing in order is fine, but when meetings get long, organizing this way is better. Let’s do it like this from now on.”

“Yes. Understood.”

They bounced off each other perfectly.

“Well then, good work.”

They patted my shoulder again and Soledad and Yul left.

‘I’m screwed.’

Despite the praise, I wasn’t happy at all. I felt awkward instead.

The seniors, unsurprisingly, didn’t care about the lower-ranked staff’s feelings, so they never considered my position. But I felt it — Bator’s blazing glare.

‘My face is going to melt off, seriously.’

Giving my opinion in the meeting was really accidental, but that guy didn’t believe it.

‘He must think I’m some kind of ambitious woman.’

A new hire who dishes out opinions to the manager without direct supervisor approval on the first day.

‘But my ambitions have nothing to do with the company!’

I sighed softly, returned to my desk, and checked and sorted the package contents. I was honestly a bit pleased — there were fruits and snacks I couldn’t normally afford on my salary. I was curious to see the guild cosmetics in person; they’re brand new. A gift only possible from higher-ranked seniors.

“Good skills~.”

I heard a sarcastic voice from beside me. His tone grated like someone hitting the wrong note.

‘Yeah, he’s not going to let it go.’

He had been picking fights nonstop during the two months the mystery shopper program ran.

“You, a woman, proposed that system? I don’t buy it. You probably batted your eyelashes asking to be included.”

I pretended not to notice his sneer.

“The seniors did it all. They liked the few words I added. Unfortunately, I don’t have any charm to flirt with. Thanks for seeing it well.”

“Then get a grip on the topic. Don’t go around snickering.”

It was a sharper reprimand than usual. Seeing the seniors handing me gifts right before his eyes seemed to make him boil in rage.

‘This bastard is saying whatever he wants as if we’re the only ones around.’

By then, my responses were getting sharper too.

“Smiling is better than crying, senior.”

I smiled even brighter out of spite. Jemina tried to stop things from the side.

“B-Bator, stop! Bringing up the seniors into this isn’t good. What if someone hears you!”

Her words only fanned his resentment.

“The seniors too! The meeting time was nothing special, so what’s with the praise. Seeing them acknowledge some girl like this shows their level, right? Ha! Did you sell something or what?”

The smile vanished from my face in an instant. That crossed a line I couldn’t just ignore.

“Then would you like to check?”

“What?”

When I retorted with a serious face for once, Bator seemed a little surprised.

“I’ll call the seniors. If you directly ask what I sold, won’t your curiosity be satisfied?”

“What?!”

“You seem to be seriously misunderstanding, so I should clear it up. Wait a moment. I’ll go call them.”

As I turned toward the seniors’ and aides’ office, Bator shouted.

“Hey, you, stop right there?!”

I ignored him and walked on.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Stop there!”

Hearing the commotion, Yul senior staff and Soledad came out. Bator’s face went pale. Yul senior staff asked, sensing something off.

“What’s going on?”

I plastered on a bright smile as if nothing was wrong.

“No. I was admiring the packages you gave. I’ll put them to good use, thank you, senior.”

Yul senior staff glanced at me and told me to stop causing a fuss before going back into the room. Soledad also closed the door and went in without comment.

‘What a real piece of trash.’

I turned back and, passing by him, whispered in his ear.

“You’re pathetic, senior.”

“What?!”

Life’s balance is brutal. I thought I had decent supervisors, but they gave me a worthless colleague.

‘One of the types of people I hate most.’

Someone who plays tough-weak-weak-tough. Especially a jerk who only applies it to women.