Chapter 1: I’ll quit

While browsing an internet community forum, a particular post caught my eye.

[Museum ← Thought it was a crappy app, but it’s surprisingly useful]

Saw it on the trending page and tried it out, it’s better than I thought.
I wondered what weird movies it would recommend, but it actually knew my taste.

[12 Comments]

[It’s seriously great when you have nothing to watch]
[I like that there are no rating bots]
[That place was originally a playground for movie nerds. Sometimes the server crashes and it feels like a total mess, but I’m using it pretty well lol]
[Seriously, even the site operators are movie experts, so the reviews are pretty decent lol]

Museum.

An application that provides movie recommendations, ratings, and review services to users based on data.

It started as a small website created by a film club, but thanks to the accuracy of its long-accumulated data and curation service spreading by word of mouth, it has now grown into a medium-sized company that even critics occasionally use.

The company is also actively expanding its business by partnering with various companies to provide rating information.

And here I am, in the break room of that amazing company, holding a worn-out mop and wiping away a spilled coffee stain.

At 11 a.m., when work should be in full swing, me, a full-time employee, mopping in a corner of the break room is definitely not a normal situation.
Voices, starkly contrasting with my own situation, drift in from beyond the wall.

“Garyeon, someone posted on the inquiry board about a bug in the comment system.”
“Ah, I just checked and fixed it. But Seolha, are we really getting investment from that company? They’re incredibly famous.”
“Yeah, they’re very interested in the video subscription service I mentioned before.”
“Video subscription… Will something like that really work?”
“Well, whatever it is, it’s still a long way off, so we should just focus on our work.”

Investment, huh? When did that failing film club grow so much?

“Hey, Yudojin.”

While peeking through the crack in the door to observe my colleagues, someone called my name irritably.
A woman with long, black hair that gave her a pure look and a youthful face that belied her twenty-eight years, Chae Seolha.

She’s the CEO of this company.

“Yeah.”

Hearing my response, Chae Seolha clicked her tongue and held out a bundle of papers.

“If you have nothing to do, stop spacing out and shred these.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, wait a sec. While you’re at it, could you change the water cooler too?”

As I was about to take the papers and head towards the shredder, a quiet voice reached my ears.
Turning my head towards the source of the voice, I reflexively frowned. Her hair, shimmering a bright silver in the sunlight streaming through the window, was unbearably dazzling.

“…Why are you staring at me like that? It’s creepy, I can’t even ask you a favor.”
“No, Garyeon, it’s not like that, I was just suddenly blinded.”
“Whatever. There’s no point talking to you.”

The woman in charge of Museum’s development, Yu Garyeon, raised an eyebrow in displeasure. Her blue gaze felt sharp.
Although she uses the term “Hey,” which implies familiarity, it’s just a way to keep her distance from me. She’s definitely a woman.

“Oh my, you haven’t changed the water cooler either. What are you even doing? Are you just slacking off because we let it slide a few times? Or what, have you already found another company to move to? Is that why you’re acting like this?”
“Seolha, stop it. It happens.”

A soothing voice interrupted the sharp criticism directed at me. It was the voice of Lee Dasom, who was in charge of design at Museum.
Stepping between Chae Seolha and me, she began to whisper something in my ear.

“Dojin, you have to understand. Seolha is very upset today…”

Her ivory hair, tied back with a hair tie, tickled my cheek. I tried to subtly pull away, but it was difficult to create distance from her as she held my arm and relentlessly pushed herself closer.

“You haven’t been doing a good job either, Dojin, so don’t run away and listen properly. I told you not to do anything unnecessary. You just need to stay at the company and do the cleaning as you’re told. And give me a shoulder massage when you’re done. That’s not difficult, is it?”
“Sorry.”
“Dasom! If you keep letting him off the hook, he’ll just develop bad habits. We can’t keep being nice forever.”

Chae Seolha separated Lee Dasom and me with a disapproving look. I turned away from the two arguing and turned on the shredder in the corner of the office.

I really tried to learn a lot for the company.

Not to mention my major, design, I also studied hard, sacrificing sleep, thinking that things like development and accounting might be helpful.

But as you can see, I’m useless. No matter how many certificates I acquire, all I can do at this company is cleaning, coffee runs, or massages.

Are they disappointed in my incompetence?
My colleagues, with whom I once laughed and had fun, now show displeasure at the mere sight of my face, let alone laughter. As if looking at an ugly duckling among swans.

“Seolha, I’m done.”
“Yeah, whatever. About you going to that planning meeting earlier, it was for work, right? Not for personal reasons.”

This is the fifth time I’ve been asked this question today.

“Yes, I told you several times. I sent an email to see if there was anything to discuss regarding advertising, and they asked to meet.”
“…Okay.”

Chae Seolha sighed after hearing my answer. I couldn’t see her expression because her head was down.

“But… was she a woman?”
“Huh?”
“The design team leader you met, was she a woman?”

Bloodshot eyes turned towards me.

“No, I…”
“Dojin, we’re working so hard here, and you’re out meeting women?”

Yu Garyeon, who was typing on her computer, spoke in a disgruntled voice.

“I met her for work.”
“Whatever. I asked if you met a woman.”
“She was a woman. Yes, a woman, but we didn’t talk about anything special. We just shared opinions on how to advertise and what style of design to use.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the sound of a hand slamming down on the desk assaulted my eardrums.

“A woman? You admit you met a woman! I told you to just stay at the company and do nothing, but why are you so obsessed with women every chance you get?”
“Seolha is right. Dojin, I’ve told you over and over again that in this day and age, getting reported for gender issues can tarnish the company’s image. Why do you keep doing this?”

I could only repeat my apologies.

“I’m sorry.”
“Do you think apologizing is all it takes? Don’t do things you have to apologize for in the first place.”

It was always like this. Women, women, and women.
They must think I’m neglecting my work and playing around with women.

But I just wanted to find something I could do for the company.

“I’m back…”

Just then, with a creaking sound, someone opened the office door and entered.

“Huh, why are you fighting again…?”

Brown, disheveled hair sticking out like fur, half-closed eyes, and a languid voice. This must be what a human with a power-saving mode would be like.

“That jerk was out meeting a woman again!”
“Hmm… Really?”
“The person in charge that I met for work was a woman.”

Oh Minseo, the woman in charge of Museum’s accounting, grinned. It was a very artificial-looking smile, with only the corners of her mouth turned up while the rest of her face remained expressionless.

“You should still be careful… Since you’re always running around without any skills, people might misunderstand and think you’re just playing around…”

Right. After all, all I can do is wipe up coffee stains in the break room, and lately, I haven’t even been able to do that properly, so they must be angry.

“…”

But that’s only until today. This wasn’t the life I was meant to live, and it wasn’t the life they were meant to live either.

I turned my head to look at Chae Seolha’s face. That face, filled with the displeasure of looking at an insect.

“Yudojin, what are you staring at? Is there something on my face?”

As expected, staying like this would only be a waste of time for both of us.

“I’m asking you a question, answer me.”

Ignoring Chae Seolha’s voice, I pulled out a prepared envelope from my desk drawer.

“Uh, hey. What’s that?”

I took the envelope containing my resignation letter and approached Chae Seolha.
This would be the first and last gift I could give to them, who had been considerate of me until now.

“…What? Suddenly. Did you write a letter of apology?”

With a calm heart, I held out the envelope, symbolizing the end of a long relationship, to her.

“I quit.”
“What?”

Chae Seolha’s eyes widened after checking the contents of the envelope.

“You, what is this.”
“A resignation letter.”
“I didn’t ask because I didn’t know what it was! What are you trying to do? Are you trying to tell a joke?”
“R-Right. Hey, that’s not funny at all. Don’t make jokes that don’t even make sense.”

They were bewildered.
Perhaps they’re concerned that a founding member leaving a growing startup would look bad publicly.
But in the long run, it’s best that I disappear as soon as possible.

“No, I’m serious.”
“Ha, why, again? What are you dissatisfied with?”
“Why? You said I’m not helpful. Staying like this would only hold you back.”
“What are you talking about so annoyingly…! Wait, you don’t mean…”

Chae Seolha’s hands gripped my arms tightly.

“Are you trying to leave for another company? Where? Who are they to try and poach someone else’s employee? Do they offer you more money than us? How much more?”
“No, there’s no such place.”

I shook off Chae Seolha’s arms. She stared at her own hands for a moment before speaking.

“…Then what, are you going to be jobless without a plan? Do you have a lot of money? What you’ve earned now will be gone in a few years. Eventually, you’ll have to work again. But do you think there’s any place that would accept someone like you besides us?”
“That’s true.”
“If you know, then behave yourself while we’re being nice. Don’t come crawling back later.”
“But I wasn’t here for the money. I’ve been making money with crypto. For a long time now.”
“What…?”
“I’m just leaving because staying like this will only burden you.”

I showed Chae Seolha my smartphone, which displayed a Bitcoin exchange app.

“Huh? W-Wait, uh…?”
“I’m sorry for everything. For taking up space despite being incompetent.”

With those words, I walked towards the exit.

“W-Wait! Hey!”

The frosted glass of the door separated me from them, and their faces, which had been clear a moment ago, shimmered like dust and disappeared.