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005 – The Superstar of the Company Dinner! # 1

“Who is the most suitable Greek god to be a spouse?”

“Write 5,000 characters.”

In my freshman year of university, Professor Jusu, who taught new students as young as chicks, once gave us this unusual assignment.

And an unexpected result emerged.

The ‘best groom among Greek gods’ chosen by the female classmates was none other than the fearsome god Hades.

He was relatively family-oriented among the Greek gods, most of whom were philanderers. They said his thorough but infinitely weak and gentle demeanor towards his wife resembled a character like a ‘northern duke’.

Hearing that, it made sense.

The CEO of this Soul Society is a rare henpecked and devoted husband even among the Greek gods.

You can tell just by the fact that he, who absolutely does not tolerate the dead coming back to life, accepted his wife’s request, moved by Orpheus’s music, and conditionally allowed Eurydice’s resurrection.

And his precious daughter, Melinoye, born to such a wife.

The CEO probably loves his daughter so much that it wouldn’t hurt to put her in his eye.

Here’s a problem.

What if a scoundrel appeared who dared to touch such a daughter?

And what if that scoundrel was me?

Aaaaah—

Perhaps I would face a punishment worse than death at the hands of the fearsome CEO.

I might have to roll another rock next to Sisyphus’s, forever.

So, as I was getting nervous, our great Princess Melinoye squinted her pomegranate-red eyes, looking at the artificial sun floating on the ceiling.

“I heard this ‘Happy World’ was dark and gloomy due to power shortages. But looking at that mechanical sun, it doesn’t seem so bad. Is it thanks to Sisyphus’s guidance? And this friend is the one who accomplished that.”

“Yes! The fact that the sun of the underworld can shine so brightly! And the fact that stable power is supplied to the ghost workers’ dormitories, increasing work efficiency by more than three times the original, is all thanks to Joy!”

Section Chief Bones bowed deeply.

He went on to reel off the story of how I accidentally discovered a gold vein.

“He is a truly amazing friend! It hasn’t even been two winters since he joined, but now it’s safe to say that our Punishment Enforcement Department wouldn’t function without this friend!”

In social life depicted in dramas, superiors seem desperate to steal the achievements of their subordinates, but this boney section chief seems to have no such greed.

Only Krates, the ace of Punishment Enforcement Team 1, shouted as if full of dissatisfaction.

“But this guy was late on an important day like today, wasn’t he? And he reeked of alcohol.”

That’s right. I was late.

That must be an unchangeable truth.

*Clack!*

At that moment, the Princess of Hell grabbed my shoulder.

“I didn’t know the geography of this place well, but thanks to this man, I was able to find the company. I originally wouldn’t have been late, but I lost my wallet…”

The princess quickly shut her mouth.

She cleared her throat and corrected herself.

“The reason I was late is that I made this man drink too much last night, so please understand. Thanks to Sisyphus Energy hitting its highest price, the alcohol was free, so we just drank endlessly.”

“Huh? Alcohol? Free?”

Krates was dumbfounded.

However, Section Chief Bones beamed with a wide grin on his bony face, exclaiming in admiration.

“Indeed!!! Assistant Manager Joy was attending to Princess Melinoye from last night! Did you perform additional work even after the 6 PM closing time? Truly our outstanding employee! In all my life, I have never seen an employee with such high company loyalty! Everyone, take him as an example!”

“He works even after closing time?”

“Furthermore, he spent the entire night as his boss’s drinking partner. Ugh, I couldn’t do that.”

…

No, how did things turn out this way?

Marki, oblivious to my feelings, patted me on the shoulder.

“Friend, did you really read the note I gave you and search all the pubs after work to find where the executive was staying? Wow, Marki truly acknowledges you.”

The information Marki gave me?

Curious, I opened my office mailbox and found a note.

“I found information that might be helpful to you. I heard the new executive really loves alcohol. —Markius to his dear colleague Joy.”

If I had seen this before leaving work yesterday, would the situation have been different?

I might have changed my strategy, calculating the probability of meeting an executive who loves alcohol at a pub.

So, as I stood there with my mouth agape like someone who had been tricked, Princess Melinoye, the Goddess of Nightmares, patted my shoulder.

“Outstanding employee Joy. I will continue to observe your future actions.”

“…I am honored.”

I was thoroughly marked by the Goddess of Nightmares.

What’s more, I even spent a night with her.

It was truly a desperate situation.

Nightmarish days surely awaited me.

What the Happy World!

# # #

Apollo is the god of the sun.

And in the Greek worldview, Apollo was sometimes not just the god of the sun, but the sun itself.

Gods were like that.

They were sometimes regarded as the very domain they presided over.

It could even be called personification.

Then what about Melinoye, the Goddess of Nightmares?

She was the goddess who presided over nightmares and at the same time, nightmares themselves.

She was the personification of nightmares.

So, nightmarish days were sure to begin in ‘Happy World’ where Melinoye had been appointed as a high-ranking executive—

—There was a time when I thought that.

Half a month had passed since the new executive’s appointment, but for some reason, my life was the same as always.

In some ways, it could even be described as peaceful.

“Assistant Manager Joy! Sisyphus has sent a petition asking you to increase the weight of the rock even more! What did you do to Sisyphus to make him such a docile prisoner! You are truly a frightening man!”

“Assistant Manager Joy! Reports are coming in that the prisoners’ punishment compliance rate has increased by more than 2 times after listening to Orpheus’s songs!”

“Assistant Manager Joy!”

“Joy—”

“George!”

“George!”

Of course, the amount of paperwork I had to process increased, and the hell cockroaches always howled strangely with their huge bodies, but.

There was no major change in the tasks of this Happy World, which I had somewhat gotten used to.

‘I’m afraid of myself getting used to this job. Is there no end to human potential?’

Ironically, all the miscellaneous work I did while studying for my master’s degree under Professor Jusu seems to have been a great help in my work environment.

But Happy World was still like hell to me.

It means I couldn’t let my guard down about what might happen at any time.

Just like now.

“There will be a company dinner with Vice-General Manager Melinoye today. We will finish work early at 4 PM and head to the dinner venue, so everyone, please attend without fail!”

*Clack! Clack!*

Section Chief Bones clacked his jaw, which was nothing but bone, spreading the thunderous news.

A company dinner with the Goddess of Nightmares.

I felt like there was a hole opening in my stomach.

‘I guess that’s why it’s been quiet and peaceful these past few days.’

Although the Goddess of Nightmares had been appointed, it was true that my daily life had passed relatively peacefully because she and I had no reason to meet at all.

I was merely a lowly assistant manager.

On the other hand, she was the daughter of the fearsome CEO and a high-ranking executive.

What are the chances of an ‘affiliate company assistant manager’ meeting the ‘headquarters CEO’s daughter’?

The problem was that I had broken through those insane odds, drunk with her, and even spent a night.

Just thinking about that day made my blood run cold, and even that delicious alcohol tasted bitter.

‘Of course, since that day, I’ve been living as if nothing happened, but…’

The fact that nothing happened was what made me uneasy.

It would be more comforting if our great goddess would call me and say, “Let’s forget what happened then,” or “It was just a one-night fling, keep it a secret.”

That’s why these past few days, I hadn’t been able to rashly implement my Olympus transfer plan.

In fact, I don’t even know what happened that day.

My memory was hazy because I was too drunk.

‘Maybe nothing really happened? We just slept, that’s all.’

I hope so.

Why?

Because the ultimate fate of mortal men entangled with goddesses in this Greek worldview can be explained by ‘Orion’ alone.

He died and was embalmed as a constellation.

Although I wished to leave this ‘Happy World’ and transfer to the high heavens of Olympus, I would decline becoming a constellation.

‘This is all because of the Nymph.’

If I had known that Melinoye, with whom I drank that day, was a Nymph from the start, I would have been wary, thinking, ‘Could she be an executive?’

However, for some reason, her ears were not pointy like a Nymph’s, and I had been at ease.

‘Is it because she’s a goddess and a Nymph at the same time?’

A goddess and a Nymph at the same time? Honestly, does that even make sense?

These two are different species.

That’s like being a cat and a dog at the same time.

I don’t know how that’s possible, but gods were always such peculiar beings.

Therefore, for my mental health and Olympus transfer plan, it’s beneficial not to get entangled with ‘gods’ as much as possible.

Fortunately, I was a lowly assistant manager, and executives (gods) were such magnificent beings that you couldn’t see them just because you wanted to.

“Assistant Manager Joy! You were last year’s outstanding employee, so I’ve specially arranged your seat next to the executives! You know well that not just anyone can sit next to superiors at a company dinner! Consider it an honor!”

*Clack! Clack!*

Section Chief Bones clacked his jaw.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

“Argh! My stomach hurts, so I’ll excuse myself from the company dinner first. I’m sorry. Ugh, my stomach really hurts so much! Maybe something I ate the day before was bad—”

“It’s fine! I have a fruit that’s incredibly effective for stomachaches! Sisyphus gave it to me. My lower belly often rumbles when I eat protein supplements, you see.”

Damn it!

I can’t even escape the company dinner as I please.

I don’t even know why Section Chief Bones eats protein supplements when he’s nothing but bones.

In the end, I was inexorably seated next to the executives.

It was like a private sitting next to a division commander eating a meal.

‘Kill me.’

No, even if I die, can I escape this ‘Happy World’?

As I cried copious tears in sadness, Section Chief Bones exclaimed in admiration.

“Was sitting next to the executives such an honor? Joy, your company loyalty truly pierces to this Bones’s very bones! But be careful—”

Section Chief Bones’s skull eyes glowed blue.

“There are two things you must always keep in mind at a company dinner with executives.”

Section Chief Bones folded his bony fingers one by one as he spoke.

*Tap.*

“First, never open your mouth until the executives speak to you first. Second, never get up from your seat first.”

He lightly patted my back and added.

“If you just follow these two rules, there’ll be no problem. Of course, there are other minor courtesies, but I’m sure you’ll do well without me having to list them one by one.”

“What happens if I don’t follow them?”

“It will immediately affect your performance review. And if the executives’ mood sours… in the worst case, you might have to lose your job. You would lose this glorious and great workplace…!”

Section Chief Bones spoke of losing one’s job as if it were a terrifying curse or a dreadful tale.

Immediately, Marki and the other employees who had been listening to our conversation trembled.

“Getting fired for a minor mistake. I don’t even want to go near the executives.”

“In this Soul Society, ‘if you fall behind, it’s over,’ isn’t it?”

“If you get fired, you’ll be even lower than the bottom of this deep abyss. Re-employment is difficult too…”

At this moment, my tasks also became clear in two ways!