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Inside a spacious office, a young man was so deeply lost in the world of numbers and graphs that he didn't notice the sunlight coming in from outside, even though it was clearly blocking his view.
He sat there with his head lowered, eyes slightly narrowed, completely absorbed in his PC screen.
"Everything looks great… then here we go."
As soon as he double-clicked the save button, his eyes lit up.
"Now I won't have to do anything important until the end of this month."
Relaxing, he leaned back and rested both hands behind his head, slowly swiveling his chair from side to side.
"Matt. You ungrateful wretch! Don't you have even a little shame?"
Hearing that sudden, yet familiar voice, Matt immediately stood up, straightening himself and adjusting his loose shirt to match the office dress code.
"Damn. How did I not notice him coming?" Cursing inwardly, he turned around.
However, instead of looking at the big-bellied man standing in front of him in a black suit, Matt's eyes were fixed on the man's feet.
"He's wearing them?"
The black alligator-skin shoes left him stunned.
He couldn't understand how his boss, who usually stomped around loudly just to show off his expensive, thousand-dollar shoes, had managed to come up behind him so quietly.
"Boss… what brings you here today?" Matt asked, his voice shaky.
"Cut the act! Speak, how much you were paid to leak our company's information." The boss shouted, slamming his hand down hard on Matt's desk.
The commotion instantly caught everyone's attention. All around the office, people perked up and couldn't stop themselves from looking in Matt's direction.
It was clear the situation was serious, but for most of them, the real interest was in the drama that was about to unfold.
"Please don't accuse me without any proof, Senior Lee. You're a manager. How can you say something like that? I was just—"
Before Matt could finish, Manager Lee cut him off.
"Do I look like an idiot to you? Or do you think it's written all over my face? You really think I don't know you applied for a job at Skyrise Enterprises? You even sat through their damn interview. That's it. You're done. Your job is gone... You're fired!"
Spit flew from Manager Lee's mouth as he growled, some of it landing right on Matt's face.
Matt instinctively took a small step back. But what bothered him the most was how this fatty Lee even found out about it.
Only his desk mate, Steve, knew about any of this.
Suspicious, Matt shot a sideways glance toward the desk next to his. And sure enough, the moment he saw Steve's smug little smile, everything clicked.
"That bastard sold me out."
His fists clenched tight. His teeth ground against each other. Still, he forced himself to stay in control and turned back to his manager with a polite, almost pleasing smile.
Because picking a fight with Steve mattered a lot less than saving his job.
After all, he didn't have another offer yet, and on top of that, he still needed this month's paycheck.
But Manager Lee didn't give him a second. The moment Matt's nonsense began, he waved his hand sharply at the two guards who had just rushed in.
"Throw him out of the office. And make sure I don't see a single filthy thing that belongs to him."
The two guards moved instantly, like loyal dogs, grabbing Matt and dragging him away.
One of them locked his arm tightly, while the other quickly swept Matt's belongings off the desk and dumped them into the nearby trash bin.
Matt was drenched in sweat, screaming as they dragged him along.
"I didn't do anything. I swear. Why are you lying?"
But before he could say anything more, the guard's grip tightened even harder.
"Fuck you, Fatty Lee. I know all about your cheap little tricks. You want to replace me with your little mistress, don't you? Then just say it. What's the point of throwing these fake accusations at me? If you've got the guts, call the police."
The pressure had gone way past Matt's limit. He was completely done holding back. However, exposing him didn't have the impact it should have had.
And why would it? Who would want to interrupt their peaceful life anyway?
"Great. Really great," Lee said coldly. "I kept you employed for all these years, fed people like you. I was bound to get repaid like this. Fatty, huh? Fine. Remember, this Lee will make sure you don't get another job anywhere. Now get the hell out of here."
Manager Lee dismissed the guards with a gesture and walked back toward his cabin.
While everyone else quietly went back to their work, as if nothing had happened at all.
Thud!
Out in the parking lot, the two guards slammed Matt down onto the ground. But even more brutally, they threw his belongings straight at his face.
Luckily, there was nothing sharp in there. Otherwise, his already average-looking face would've ended up with a brand-new scar.
His fingernails scraped against the cement floor as Matt glared up at them.
"What, want to hit us?" one guard snapped. "Get up and get out. If we see you anywhere around here again, then—" The guard raised his fist, threatening him.
But Matt was genuinely scared.
He glanced at his thin, stick-like body and grimaced. "Can I even fight with this body?"
Then without any resistance, he silently started picking up his scattered belongings and getting ready to leave.
The scar-faced guard who had just threatened him frowned. He had been hoping Matt would do something stupid, and give him an excuse to land a few punches.
He was no saint. If this had been somewhere else, he would've jumped in without waiting for Matt to react. But this place was covered with cameras on all sides.
Matt had not gone far when his phone buzzed. It was an email notification from Skyrise Enterprises.
As he tapped open the mail and read, his eyes darkened.
The job he had been expecting was no longer an option. According to them, there were issues with his previous work profile, a so-called lack of integrity.
"How vicious you are, Manager Lee," he muttered. "So this is how you're settling your personal grudges now."
Still caught between shock and rage, another notification popped up.
This one was from the bank.
[Your account has been debited by $2160.00 toward loan repayment. Available balance: $530.10]
Seeing his miserable bank balance, Matt went quiet.
Then, letting out a tired sigh, he slipped both hands into his pockets and walked toward the small garden beside the office building. He reached an empty bench and dropped himself onto it.
Across from him, large display screens played nonstop ads. Luxury products, houses, and cars, all far beyond his reach. Then there were recruitment ads for the Hunter Guild, something completely outside his world. He wasn't even qualified to be a porter there. Even that job demanded physical strength.
"What am I supposed to do now? Almost all clerical jobs are out of reach, and this loan... It keeps draining me every day. Truly, in a world of monsters and heroes, surviving as an ordinary man was nearly impossible, especially without money."
"Is this really my fate?"
Matt's eyes grew wet. He would have broken down in tears if there hadn't been children playing nearby.
Still, two tears slipped down his cheeks and fell onto the ground.
But then, suddenly, a cold voice crackled in his ears like lightning.
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