episode_0007

Five hundred books.

He is the vice president of the leadership team at Asung High School and is a classmate of mine who is called ‘the leader’s right hand man’ among students.

The image of White Paper that I know is that of a master of insight. Sometimes he would treat me as if he could read my mind or predict the future. If this were a workplace, Baek Seo would have been promoted quickly.

Recently, she appeared disheveled.

‘It’s a strange thing.’

One of Oh Baek-seo’s hands was bandaged.

It was because he got burned.

The healer in the infirmary said that he would be completely cured in 4 days thanks to the recovery magic, but it was inevitable that I would feel anxious every time I saw him.

Baek Seo, whom I have known since first grade, has always been a perfect person. After all, this was the first time since she entered Aseong High School that I had seen her disheveled appearance.

‘Well, where can there be a perfect person?’

As we became the manager and deputy manager and spent more time together, I guess I got to see things I couldn’t normally see.

I nodded my head in understanding.

Rather, it was fun to get to know her new side. Because I felt humanity.

Of course, apart from that feeling, I was worried.

‘… ‘Something bad has happened, right?’

If the white paper looks disheveled one more time.

He would seriously ask White Paper what was going on and use any means possible to help her, including counseling.

White Paper is my closest associate and precious friend.

Come on!

Suddenly, I heard someone running noisily from the hallway.

Soon the door to the leadership department’s executive office suddenly opened.

“A wild Hayesong has appeared!”

I knew it.

“Welcome.”

“Manager, hi!”

Ha Yesong, the person in charge of cracking down on public morals, appeared in the leadership department’s executive office.

“Welcome.”

Deputy Director Oh Baek-seo, who was drinking tea at the table and reviewing the agenda, welcomed Yesong.

“White paper Jjiing! It’s beautiful today too! Panting!”

Yesongmon enjoyed the touch of the Oh Baek-seo trainer, who was smiling kindly.

It’s a usual sight.

Yeson follows the White Paper like an idol. At the same time, I really like it.

Even though that feeling had the side effect of turning Yesong into a dog, no, a dog, it was clear that it was a good feeling.

“Are your hands okay now? Doesn’t it hurt? The precious hands of our white paper… .”

“It’s okay.”

I took my eyes off the document I was looking at and quietly watched Baek Seo and Yesong having a conversation.

“Hmm… .”

Since becoming the leader, I feel something special every time I see Yeson.

Should I say that it was an inconvenience that arose after Yeson was placed in the executive position? The discomfort became even more noticeable when compared to the white paper next to it.

It was the skirt length.

Even though she became an executive, her skirt was short.

Your legs are so clearly visible.

‘Should I say this or not…’ .’

Recalling my past life, pointing out the length of a skirt at work was considered sexual harassment in the workplace.

That’s why I kept thinking about it.

Because it would be difficult if Yesong felt sexual shame.

“Manager, do you have something to say to me?”

Yesong asked me with a skeptical expression.

… It won’t work.

Let’s talk today.

‘An executive’s shortcomings can directly lead to a decline in my authority.’

I decided that it was an issue that needed to be taken seriously.

There is also a basis for pointing out the length of the skirt.

“Ha Yesong.”

“Neng, manager.”

I pointed at Yeson and urged him.

“Principal Rule Article 45, Paragraph 5, Item 2 of the Dress Code states that no matter how short the skirt is, a maximum of 10cm above the knee is allowed. We respect the individuality of our students and allow that to be appropriate, but your skirt length is far outside the standard.”

“?”

“You are now an executive in the leadership department. I need to strictly follow the school rules and be a role model for students. If you’re going to wear a skirt that short, at least wear pants. If you want to show off your legs, wear shorts instead.”

“… … ?”

“Even more so if you are in charge of disorderly conduct. You have to behave properly.”

hmm… .

Was it too stereotypical nagging?

no.

‘This is an unavoidable admonition.’

How can a girl, who is in charge of cracking down on public morals, tolerate her wearing a short skirt that is so blatantly against the school rules and carelessly exposing her legs?

As an executive of the leadership department, Yesong needed to adhere to the dress code.

“… … .”

But for some reason, Yesong opened his eyes and glared at me without answering.

Soon she had an unexpected reaction.

“Old man.”

“What?”

For a moment I couldn’t believe my ears.

Because I heard a word that never suited me.

Yesong turned towards me, leaned on the back of the sofa, and spoke passionately.

“The manager is such an old man! Thinking remains outdated! I can’t help but be amazed that there are still people like this among the new humans!”

I couldn’t believe it.

‘A person with an open mind like me is called an old man… ?’

The admonition I gave you a little while ago was done with you, me, the leaders, and everyone in mind.

Are you a brat with that?

I have to say something that makes sense.

“… Ha Yesong. Even if it’s a joke, it’s hard to ignore that.”

“No?”

“No. Because I’ve only heard such things from you in my life.”

Including my past life.

“Huh?”

Yesong covered his mouth and smiled sinisterly.

“Ah… , That’s right~.”

Yesong is slowly approaching my desk.

Isn’t that it?

The look in Yesong’s eyes as if he had found his prey.

“Are you the manager?”

Yesong stretched out his upper body to me, put his hand over his mouth, and spoke privately.

“Jeong Then, shall we take a test?”

“Test?”

“Let’s decide today whether the manager is an old man or not.”

That sounds interesting.

Even though I didn’t know what it was, I was confident.

“Good. Give it a try.”

I accepted the win.

If Yesong were to criticize me with an odd claim, I was going to respond by pointing out her logical flaws.

“Why don’t the couple heads join in too?”

Because we can’t leave our precious husband alone.

“I guess so.”

White Paper entered the war with a grin.

“There’s no problem if we do it together, right?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Then do you have a problem?”

Yesong put his hand on my desk and spoke excitedly as if he was giving a quiz.

“You went to a meat restaurant during the leadership club’s dinner party! But your subordinate is busy eating the meat without grilling it? At this time, what will the manager and deputy manager do!?”

“What… ?”

‘My subordinate doesn’t cook meat…’ ?’

Is that possible? ?

I was embarrassed because it was an unexpectedly aggressive question.

‘Boo, it’s uncomfortable…’ ?’

Isn’t this a situation where the more you think about it, the more your mouth itches?

I think back to my past life.

I couldn’t even imagine something like that, either in the military or at work.

The same is true here, in the leadership team.

Last year, at a company dinner, I grilled cultured meat with all my heart… !

but.

‘Anyone who points out that they should grill meat here or presses their subordinates is a direct route to becoming an old man.’

No matter how much I thought about it, it was an uncomfortable and frustrating situation.

At that moment, a question raised its head and my eyes opened wide.

‘me… ‘Was he actually an old man?’

The hand holding the pen trembled.

No matter how much you think about it, how can you be swayed by an answer that an old man would give?

‘Let’s calm down.’

Hold off on answering for now.

I straightened my upper body again and carefully opened my mouth.

“Conversely.”

“Neng?”

“Let’s say you are having a dinner party at a meat restaurant. What if third-year seniors were hand-grilling meat there and you realized, ‘I was just eating it’? Yesong, what are you going to do?”

Yesong smiled brightly and answered my cautious question immediately.

“I have to ask for it to be cooked more deliciously!”

!

‘How can you say that… !?’

Just imagining it made me feel like I was hemorrhaging blood.

‘You should bake it!’

Why aren’t you grilling the meat?

The 3rd grade seniors are grilling it for you, so why are you just eating it? !

“Hmm.”

I pretended to be calm and worried.

Should you answer honestly or make up an answer with a hint of lies?

Should I admit that I am an old man or not?

That question agonized over my mind and made me feel an enormous weight.

This is a serious problem that causes self-reflection.

It was by no means a light question and answer.

I said this to myself as if I was casting a spell.

‘This is an issue that needs to be clarified as the head of the leader department, a military group of about 400 people, ranked first in the military hierarchy at Aseong High School. ‘Whether or not the person in command is an old man is an issue that cannot be overlooked in terms of satisfaction with the leadership team’s activities.’

No matter how charismatic the leader was, if satisfaction with club activities was low, the loyalty of the leaders would naturally decrease and morale would decline.

So, as the person with command authority leading them, I needed to properly establish my values.

‘I thought it would be a light question and answer… .’

I’ve been reincarnated in this world for 17 years, but I’ve never been at a crossroads that caused me this much agony.

What should I answer?

What is the most appropriate answer for Leading Manager Ahn Woo-jin?

“Still.”

at that time.

White Paper opened his mouth with a doubtful look on his face.

“Isn’t it right to ask your junior to bake it for you?”

“Neng… ?”

The white paper spoke sternly.

“I think it’s a matter of courtesy. I think it would be more difficult if there was such a lack of courtesy between seniors and juniors. In particular, aren’t we a leader where the relationship between superiors and subordinates must be clearer than anywhere else? I guess it’s a bit like that.”

‘It’s a white paper… !’

How can you get such a clear answer!?

That refreshing feeling.

As expected, my vice-president never disappoints me.

“Uh… ?”

Yesong looked surprised, as if he had not expected such an answer to come from the mouth of the always kind Baek Seo.

There was an unexpected silence for a moment.

Eventually, Yesong managed to open his mouth.

“That’s… that… Go?”

As mentioned above, the white paper is Yeson’s idol.

It seemed like it would be difficult to dare to call Baek Seo an old man, even if he was an opponent.

The white paper looked at me.

“What is the manager?”

“I am also the same as the vice president.”

“That’s right?”

Vice President, we exchange something naturally.

Just like I expected it to go like this.

Yesong sighed, “Keuung.”, was lost in thought for a while, and then opened his mouth again.

“Okay, then I’ll hold off on answering for now. Let’s move on to the next question! Do you often tell your juniors that you are more comfortable now, saying things like ‘That was back in my day’?”

“It’s a new semester, so I haven’t said it often, but it’s true that the manager has tightened the students’ discipline. At least I think I did it because I thought it was better now than last year.”

“Well, then… ! What if you see a junior coming later than you during a club activity? Do you find it annoying!?”

“Unless I had to come early because I had a lot of work to do? Still, I think that if you are a junior, you should come earlier than me.”

“Do you think it is right for juniors to attend company dinners as much as possible? ?”

“Wouldn’t that be good? If you’re our junior, you’re a freshman. I’ve just started participating in club activities, but I think it’s a good idea to try to build more bonds with each other.”

Every time Yesong asked a question, Baekse smiled like a fairy and answered without hesitation.

Each time, the white paper asked me, “ Manager?”, and I had no choice but to answer, “Me too.”.

Yesong must have been shocked and gave an ‘abubble’.

The answer I thought would come out of my mouth first was said by the white paper, which was why I couldn’t play around.

‘this… .’

Looking back, wasn’t this a situation that could have damaged my image?

For some reason, I felt as if the deputy director had shouldered the gun instead. As if he was trying to protect my image.

“Hmm… .”

The white paper smiled awkwardly and began to twist his hair in a circle with his index finger.

Her eyes rolled to the side.

It seemed like he was intentionally making awkward facial expressions or gestures, but the kind and pure vice president couldn’t have done that.

Soon, White Paper looked back at me and Yesong and asked carefully.

“I’m a little old-fashioned… Was it?”

“No no, Baek Seo Jjing can’t be an old guy!”

Yesong reacted violently, quickly shaking his head.

If Oh Baek-seo, who is considered a goddess and angel in name and reality at Asung High School, is an old man, then ‘old woman’ should at least be a word that replaces ‘saint.’

Swish! Yesong turned his head towards me again and nodded, forcing a smile.

“Hmm, I guess this is the wrong question! If the world calls White Paper Jjing an old man, that would be wrong with the world!”

Those values were reasonable.

What was wrong was not our vice-president, but the world.

Yesong cringed and returned to the sofa.

He was like a child who found a coveted toy but was disappointed that he couldn’t play with it.

Soon, Yesong lowered his head.

“I was arrogant… . I’m sorry for trying to judge old people with a complacent and narrow-minded way of thinking… .”

“Huh? I’m even sorry… . I don’t know why I’m apologizing.”

The white paper looked doubtful, but then smiled kindly and patted Yesonggyeon’s head.

In the meantime, I asked.

“So what about the skirt?”

“We will increase… .”

Yesong retreated.

Well, that’s it.

“But how many questions did you plan to ask?”

White Paper asked Yesong in a friendly tone.

“About 12? Okay, I’m just going to throw it all away… . I lost my excitement. I’m going to enjoy White Paper Jjing’s touch even more… .”

Hmm.

Anyway, this.

‘It ended on a bland note.’

In fact, important questions and answers were not answered.

‘but… .’

Yesong may have asked the question as a joke, but the question unintentionally gave me a heavy task.

It was not simply a matter of preserving face and dignity as the head of the leading department.

That is just the minimum condition that must be met with a sense of responsibility as a person in command.

How should I lead the leadership team in the future?

How to negotiate between honesty and hypocrisy at every moment.

Find the right spot… .

“ Manager, are you thinking?”

“Manager, are you thinking dirty?”

The dog and the angel forcibly pulled me out of my thoughts as I was trying to seriously consider my attitude as a leader.

… …

“Three days ago, around 12:49 p.m. There was a hostage situation at the second cafeteria.”

The sunset light came through the window and softly illuminated the room. I liked the atmosphere so I didn’t turn on the lights on purpose.

I was sitting at my office desk and listening to the incident briefing from Oh Baek-seo, Vice Director of the Leading Department. She stood in front of me, looked at the documents, and continued talking.

While listening to the content, I glanced sideways at Oh Baek-seo’s hand holding the clipboard. Even though the burn was completely healed and the bandage was removed, I was still worried.

“The criminal grabbed the victim and made a fuss against the food service department. Even magical power was used.”

The cafeteria club was a club in charge of all aspects of academic affairs.

We plan, cook, and serve meals with balanced nutrients that are appropriate for the students’ age and development stage.

He had such an important role.

I clicked my tongue as I looked at the criminal’s personal information listed in the report.

“Hostile behavior towards the cafeteria department is nothing short of a challenge to the school. There is no room for extenuating circumstances. Punishment shall be as severe as possible in accordance with the school rules.”

“Okay, I’ll reflect on it. But 600 students submitted a petition asking for him to be acquitted. Should I ignore that?”

“Hmm?”

what?

“Petition… ? 600 people in 3 days?”

White Paper nodded.

Attacking the cafeteria department was an act that undermined public interest. It is an unacceptable serious crime.

I couldn’t understand why 600 students supported the criminal.

… for a moment.

“What was the criminal’s motive?”

“I guess they were dissatisfied with mint chocolate being included in the menu. The trigger was that mint chocolate was served on the day of the incident.”

Write it.

I automatically lost my breath.

“Also, he recalled that mint chocolate was included three times in this month’s menu, so he stated that he couldn’t stand it.”

“Three times… ?”

“The new nutritionist in the food service department insisted on mint chocolate.”

Unbelievable.

This was ridiculous.

“Anyway, since it is a serious crime, it should be punished with maximum severity… .”

“Chief Vice Manager.”

I narrowed my eyes, put my arms on the desk, and looked at the white paper intently.

For some reason, when White Paper made eye contact with me, he raised the corners of his mouth and smiled broadly.

“Why, manager?”

“Ordered by the authority of the lead manager. Lower the severity of punishment to the minimum possible.”

“Huh?”

“Because it was a criminal act for the public good. There is ample room for extenuating circumstances.”

Isn’t that person a hero who sacrificed himself for the future of the school?

Still, since the school rules were broken, it was inevitable to be punished coldly.

‘Ugh.’

I was just upset because this was all I could do.

I’m sorry that I’m not good enough, hero… .

“Hmm… , okay.”

White Paper shrugged his shoulders.

‘uh?’

You just accept it?

White Paper collected the documents on the clipboard and hugged them as a gesture of finishing his work.

“Don’t you ask me why?”

“I’m the person who serves the manager most closely, right? I must follow your orders, no matter the reason. As for extenuating circumstances, I’ll take care of it myself.”

“… … .”

The white paper was talking about heavy things as if it were obvious.

I slowly leaned back on the chair.

“Hmm… .”

“Manager, what’s wrong?”

I know.

‘He wasn’t this obedient person in the game.’

Although the portion of the white paper in the game was small, it was clear that she was not the type of person who followed the leader in this way.

These days, I’ve been paying more attention to the white paper than usual, so all kinds of thoughts seem to come to mind.

So I feel it even more.

“No, thank you.”

To me, Baek Seo is a very grateful person.

White Paper seemed to be surprised by my answer, so he closed his mouth for a moment and then smiled kindly.

“Really?”

A white paper suddenly leans its upper body towards me.

A subtle playfulness was evident on her face.

“If you appreciate my loyalty, would you like to praise me?”

“Hmm?”

Sometimes white papers would come in like this.

Should I say that he was looking for an opportunity, and at an unexpected moment, he grabbed me by the tail and pulled hard.

“Do you think I need to be praised sometimes to be motivated?”

The white paper smiled slyly and gave an expectant look.

‘This is a bit burdensome… ?’

You sublimate my ‘thank you’ into an excuse to receive praise.

This seemed difficult to just ignore.

The words that immediately came to mind were ‘competent and pretty people.’ Baek Seo is such a likable woman that I want to put her first among candidates for the vacant position as my bride.

However, if you say the word ‘pretty’ even if you don’t have a special relationship, the other person will feel pressured. There were concerns that things would become awkward between the two.

“Well, then… .”

So, from a colleague’s perspective… .

I decided to just pour out a normal compliment.

“You are capable, strong, and sincere. He’s more perfect than anyone I’ve ever seen. So, this is the person I want to keep by my side from now on.”

“… Really?”

“Yes. He is also someone I can always trust. It is also dependable.”

“Mmm. Can you pat my head too?”

“Huh? no… ? This hand was raised to scratch my head.”

White Paper raised his upper body with his usual kind smile.

The corner of her mouth twitched intermittently. Both fingers holding the clipboard seemed tense, as if they were nervous for some reason.

“Thank goodness. If I had made it that far, I probably wouldn’t have lasted.”

“?”

I almost couldn’t make it?

ah.

‘Was it that cringy…? ?’

It was objectified later.

I just used a cheesy expression… .

As I thought about what I said a moment ago, my hands and feet began to tremble.

It was clear that the reason White Paper was holding the clipboard tightly and his hands were shaking subtly was because he was trying hard to keep from cringing.

In a flash, White Paper turned his back, walked towards the table, and put away his luggage.

The movements seemed faster than usual.

“Manager, I’m done with work, so I’ll leave now.”

“Uh, yeah… . Goodbye.”

“See you tomorrow.”

The white paper smiled at me once and left the clubroom.

My walking speed was faster than usual.

“… Ah.”

I put my hand on my chin and forehead.

I am also aware of this.

The reason White Paper ran away instead of continuing his prank like that.

It was clear that he couldn’t help but cringe and was trying not to show it.

‘I should have ended it with ‘It’s good that he is competent’…’ .’

I said I would give an easy answer, but I was too honest.

Today, perhaps the white paper’s image to me has been damaged.