"Hey, you fucking bastard. You think you're still human after pulling that shit?"
"Hah?"
Perhaps because he hadn't expected me to suddenly go off the rails, CEO I Hyeoncheol's expression turned bewildered.
But having already decided not to give a damn about the consequences, I poured out everything I'd been holding back about him all at once.
"A failure of a bastard short as a fucking dick who probably got his ass kicked every day in school, do you feel like you're someone special just because you're holding a measly bit of power? Get a grip, you bastard. It's because you've only got ass-kissers around you that you can't come to your senses, but if you keep this up, you're really going to get fucked. And fake evidence? You think the court will just let it slide when they find out it's fabricated? What kind of fucking dramas have you been watching for a bastard who calls himself a CEO to think money solves everything? What, do you think chairmen of major conglomerates go to prison because they don't have money? Anyone looking at your actions would think you're a fucking billionaire."
"You, you... you!!"
Perhaps because it was the worst profanity he'd ever heard in his life as someone who'd followed the elite course, CEO I Hyeoncheol's face turned red and blue as he pointed his finger at me.
But I had nothing left to fear now.
And those with nothing left to lose are invincible by nature.
"So what if you point your finger? What the hell can you even do to me right now? Or are you going to sue me? If it's like you said, it'll take quite a while for the results to come out, won't it? I guess the legal team won't be able to help you with this one?"
"Gim Taemin, you bastard! Do you really want to die?!"
As I kept blatantly provoking him, CEO I Hyeoncheol eventually couldn't hold back his anger and threw the water bottle sitting on the conference table at me.
*Snatch!*
But thanks to having played baseball in middle school, I naturally caught the water bottle, placed it back on the desk, and said,
"And watch your mouth. I'm a precious son in my family too. I have no reason to hear that from a piece of trash like you."
But CEO I Hyeoncheol didn't listen to my words one bit.
He had probably gotten properly heated up as well.
"You think you can get a job at another company after acting like this?! I can make some calls and make sure you never set foot in this industry again!"
I flinched.
Honestly, I hadn't thought that far.
But since I hadn't considered the aftermath from the start, it wasn't something I could have done otherwise.
But if I showed weakness here, he might get cocky again, so I immediately said mockingly,
"Under what right? Is the game industry your front yard? If I say I'll get a job, how exactly are you going to stop me?"
"I'll spread rumors! I'll combine everything you did and didn't do and blast it throughout the entire industry!"
"……."
The more I listened, the angrier I got.
Even though the situation had come to this, this bastard I Hyeoncheol still showed not the slightest sign of remorse.
If anything, he was watching for an opportunity like a rat, scheming to crush me somehow.
So I pulled out the hidden trump card I'd saved until the very end.
"Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"
"What?"
"I asked if you can take responsibility."
As I said that, what I pulled out from my suit jacket pocket was a slender, cylindrical voice recorder.
I'd originally bought it to record meeting contents, but I never knew the day would come when I'd use it like this.
"Everything you said up until just now is recorded here. It must have been nice chattering away excitedly thinking you'd completely won, right?"
"!"
Only then did CEO I Hyeoncheol realize his mistake and hurriedly order the audit team leader beside him.
"Team Leader Choe! Snatch that! Quickly!"
Hearing those words, the audit team leader rushed at me in a desperate, all-or-nothing charge.
But that confiscation attempt was blocked by Saori, who had been listening silently to all the exchanges in the meeting room until now as a third party.
"Stop."
The moment she muttered that in a low voice, the audit team leader's body stiffened as if he'd turned to stone.
But CEO I Hyeoncheol, who understood nothing, threw a fit at that sight.
"What the hell are you doing?! Team Leader Choe?! Are you playing with me right now?!"
"No! Sir! It's because my body suddenly won't move!"
Leaving behind the audit team leader who could do nothing but flap his mouth, I slowly cracked my knuckles and approached CEO I Hyeoncheol, who was sitting at the head of the conference table.
*Crack—crackle—*
"D-don't come near me!"
Perhaps thinking I was going to hit him, CEO I Hyeoncheol recoiled in fright.
But I didn't stop walking.
"I was wrong! I'll apologize for everything I've done wrong to Manager Gim, so please forgive me just this once!"
His attitude, which had been coercive just moments ago, disappeared like a lie. Placed in a situation where he was the weak one, he rubbed his hands together like a fly, a truly pathetic sight.
*Because of a guy like this, my seniors...*
The images of team members entangled in office politics, leaving the company hugging boxes with no other choice, were still vivid in my eyes.
Stopping right in front of CEO I Hyeoncheol, who was trembling in fear, I pulled out an envelope I'd been keeping safe in my inner pocket.
It was the resignation letter I'd written last night.
"If this was something that could end with an apology, I wouldn't have started it in the first place."
*Crumple!*
Grabbing it hard with my fist, I threw a punch at CEO I Hyeoncheol, who was shaking before my eyes.
***
Having finished everything, when I exited the meeting room, I saw department people gathered around gossiping instead of doing their work.
Ignoring their gazes, I was about to head to my seat to pack my things when I suddenly spotted my junior standing among them.
"……."
I strode over to him.
Normally he would have approached me with a smile, but today he subtly avoided my gaze.
I spoke to that junior.
"Hey, I Seokjin."
"...Yes."
"How could you do that to me? I thought of you like my own little brother."
Honestly, I didn't feel much hatred.
Although he was I Hyeoncheol's henchman, I knew about his difficult family circumstances, and having just become a permanent employee from an intern, he must have had a lot of worries he couldn't speak of.
Of course, that didn't make the sense of betrayal I felt disappear, but compared to CEO I Hyeoncheol, who was an unforgivable son of a bitch, he was at least somewhat understandable.
*Thud!*
"Kuhuk!"
Punching the unsuspecting Seokjin hard in the stomach, I pulled two 50,000-won bills from my wallet and scattered them over his head as he doubled over in pain, saying,
"This is for the punch. Use that to buy something tasty for your siblings at home, and don't do bad things again. This is advice from a close older brother before being your senior."
Well, I guess I won't be seeing him anymore.
Muttering that, I ignored the gazes of those around me and headed to my seat to pack.
***
It was a desk I'd used for about five years, but since I usually didn't bring many personal items to the office, even gathering all my personal belongings didn't amount to one box's worth.
Carrying the cardboard box with all my things, I boarded the elevator, and Saori, who had observed everything silently without saying a word like a transparent man, followed me in and opened her mouth.
"In the end, from beginning to end, you never asked me for help."
Hearing that, I realized it was true and awkwardly scratched my cheek.
Yesterday I'd begged her for help with all sorts of nonsense, yet somehow I'd ended up resolving it all myself.
"To be honest, there wasn't time for that."
After hearing that Seokjin was the traitor and going off the rails cursing, I'd been practically a runaway train.
My eyes had already rolled back, and CEO I Hyeoncheol was also pouring out wild curses in fury.
If I hadn't prepared the recorder just in case, the situation might have been reversed at the end.
"Still, thanks to you coming all the way to the company, I was able to gain courage."
If I'd been alone, I wouldn't have dared to even think of getting angry.
But because I had her as a solid ally by my side, the moment I started fighting with a spirit of abandonment, paths I couldn't see before began to appear.
In a way, you could say she had become my goddess of victory.
"Hehe, you flatter me."
Saori said that, but she didn't seem to be in a bad mood at all.
*Ding!*
Anyway, as we talked, the elevator arrived at the first floor, so I took off the employee ID hanging around my neck and asked,
"Is there anything you want to eat? To commemorate my resignation, I'll buy everything."
"As long as I'm eating with you, Teacher, anything is fine."
"Don't say that. If there's something you want, tell me quickly. Your Teacher has this."
As I said that and showed the adult card I'd just pulled from my wallet, Saori made an incredulous expression before soon breaking into a smile and saying,
"Then I want something sweet."
Because you always need sugar after overworking your brain.
"Good. Then I'll take you to a cafe I know well. It's a cake specialty shop that's often mentioned on social media."
Having thus decided what to do that afternoon, I left the company building with Saori, feeling somehow refreshed.