NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: A Prickly Perfectionist
“Tell the keepers to report if any of them starts talking. Oh, and there’s an interview scheduled for 4 PM tomorrow.”
“I thought the recruitment was over.”
“The position of ‘Wooheon’s Partner’ is always open.”
Wooheon frowned at Wooseok’s statement.
“Why do you keep hiring people who won’t even last a few weeks?”
“You need to fix your attitude before you can move on. You know why father keeps placing you here.”
“Well, I wonder why. Maybe because I’m such a troublemaker... Or maybe because I’m a playboy?”
Wooheon said with a blank expression, and Wooseok laughed incredulously.
“Exactly. If you fix that attitude, maybe you’ll stop sleeping around.”
“If I change, I’ll probably explode from my temper.”
“Seriously... I’m tired of cleaning up after you. I wish you’d impress father and move on already.”
“Then hire someone competent, or at least someone who could last more than a few weeks.”
“Do you really think it’d be easy to find someone who can tolerate working with you? And this time, I found someone who’ll likely last ‘at least’ a few weeks,‘ so make sure to hire him when he comes.”
“Well, I’ll see.”
Wooseok sighed quietly as Wooheon turned away, uninterested.
When he was young, Wooheon was exceptional in almost every way.
He was smarter and had better judgment than his older brother, Wooseok, and his younger sister, Uhui. That’s why their father, Kang Jihyeok, raised Wooheon to be his successor. Wooseok had no complaints about it. He acknowledged Wooheon’s superiority from a young age.
The problem was Jihyeok’s method of education. From a young age, he taught Wooheon, “Don’t show any kind of emotions. There are many people who want to tear apart us anthropomorphs, so you must always be perfect. Always do your work meticulously and strive for perfection. Always be cold and calculative.”
If Wooheon showed even the slightest weakness, Jihyeok severely reprimanded him in his black mamba form, which led to Wooheon becoming the strict, prickly perfectionist he is today.
“Please... I desperately want you to move beyond the team leader position. If you keep on acting like this, rumors will spread within the association. We’re barely managing to keep it under control.”
“Is it my fault? I scold them because they can’t do their job properly. It’s their fault if they can’t handle it and leave in tears.”
“That’s because you’re giving them impossible tasks.”
“Why can’t they bear it? I know I can do it.”
“You... Sigh. Never mind, at least just ‘try’ this time.”
Because of his father’s harsh methods, Wooheon lacked proper communication skills. All he talked about was work.
Moreover, as a perfectionist, he expected others to be perfect too. If they weren’t able to meet his strict standards, he would lash out with cold and cruel words, often making them cry or even suffer an emotional breakdown.
Realizing that Wooheon had become strange, Jihyeok assigned him to work as a team leader in the Investigation & Rescue Team, where working in pairs was the rule.
But unfortunately for Wooheon, he had stayed in the same position for years.
Even when faced with a pitiful anthropomorph who was in a dire situation, he strictly followed the principles of the association, lacking even a hint of sympathy.
He was a rigid person to the core.
“If you’re planning to keep up with your nagging, I’m leaving.”
“Anyway... Please just hire him. He used to work as a keeper, so maybe he can change you for good.”
“Then why not put him in the keeper role instead of bringing him here?”
“Stop nitpicking. He is a white weasel, so keep that in mind.”
“Doesn’t sound very useful.”
Wooseok sighed as he watched Wooheon turn away coldly. All he could do now was hope that Yueul would win Wooheon’s favor and endure working under him.
He didn’t know how well Yueul would do, given his history as an illegal keeper, but this time, he wanted to believe in him.
He didn’t even need to change Wooheon’s personality. If Yueul could somehow last only a few months, Wooseok was more than ready to shed tears of gratitude.
If Wooheon had a partner, at least he wouldn’t be bothering other anthropomorphs.
* * *
As soon as Yueul arrived on the third floor, he leaned his head against the white wall.
He didn’t have the courage to go in. An interview with Wooheon was more terrifying than meeting Wooseok.
But he also couldn’t turn down the job at the association out of fear. It was a dream company for most of the anthropomorphs in this country, even for those who graduated from the nation’s best universities. Yueul lifted his head and cupped his soft cheeks with his hands.
‘A black mamba? Piece of cake. In the wild, weasels can defeat small snakes all the time. Don’t be afraid. You’re a fierce weasel, Yueul! Just focus and act natural!’
To calm his racing heart, Yueul repeated, “I’m a fierce weasel.” He then walked into the quiet office.