Yokai Come to the Countryside Café

Chapter 53: The Reward of Good Deeds (2)

It happened in an instant—no one present had expected Jinseong to act like that.

And so, a marathon at full speed was launched down the long corridor leading to the conference room.

A showdown for the ages unfolded between an employee trying to drag his boss who struck him into the abyss, and that very boss desperately trying to stop him.

And, naturally, the victor was Jinseong, who possessed the robust physique of a man in his thirties.

A man who couldn’t even run 50 meters before gasping for breath pleaded in tears.

“Huhk… I-I’m sorry… It was my fault! Hah… Hah… Please don’t! Please!”

“Wahaha! Now that’s a real man. He even wrung out an apology!”

“Yeah, a real man. He stood by his word.”

“What? Don’t tell me…”

“He went straight into the conference room where the executives were.”

“Whoa.”

In the awkward silence, we returned to the past and continued the story.

-Thud.

Gripping the doorknob of the conference room, Jinseong waited for the unnamed superior from the Sales Team who had chased after him.

And not long after, the man came running up the stairs in tears and snot, grabbing Jinseong who was still holding the doorknob.

“Please don’t go in! Please…”

Realizing that he had exhausted all his strength from sprinting, the man instinctively knew he couldn’t stop Jinseong from entering by force.

With his legs giving out, he collapsed to his knees.

All he could do now was cry and beg.

He figured, Jinseong grabbing the doorknob and waiting must mean he wasn’t going to go all the way,

That if he sincerely pleaded, they could maybe turn back from this.

However, what came out of the young employee’s mouth was something utterly unexpected.

“I’d prefer you show that sincerity here.”

“What?”

“There’s nowhere left for you to retreat, is there?”

-Bang.

Jinseong threw the door open with force.

The presentation in the conference room had mostly concluded, and the executives were already standing up, gathering in small groups, and heading for the exit.

“Excuse me!”

“Hm? Who are you people?”

“We’re from Sales Team 2! Just five minutes! No, even three minutes would be enough!”

Jinseong bowed his head. No, he nearly toppled forward in a deep bow. The superior beside him, flustered, bowed as well.

“Please!”

“Pl-please!”

Even without a mic, their voices boomed through the conference room, compelling the executives to stop in their tracks.

A brief silence.

Then, the eldest-looking executive with white hair smiled kindly and sat back down.

“Anyone else in a rush? If not, take a seat. Team Leader Kang’s saying something important.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

And with that, all the executives sat back down,

And having received a second chance, Team Leader Kang took the mic once more.

‘Yeah, this really is the last chance. If we don’t produce results again this year, it’s the end for me and the team! Let’s go for it.’

“Hoo.”

One deep breath, and the tears clouding his vision cleared.

His gaze landed on the executives watching him with puzzled looks, his teammates sitting like they’d returned from hell, and finally on the unnamed employee from the Strategic Planning Team calmly standing by his side.

‘Why is he so calm? Is it because this doesn’t concern him?’

Feeling a bit resentful toward such a composed Jinseong, the tremble in his hand holding the mic ceased.

“We will now begin the revised new business presentation from Sales Team 2.”

The presentation went well over three minutes. Yet not a single person seated showed signs of discomfort until it ended.

That was because they had clearly heard the crying and Jinseong’s voice outside the conference room.

At first, they had scolded them for bringing such an unpolished presentation,

But then they remembered—they were managers once too.

And they realized too late that for the Sales Team Leader, already embarrassed during a New Year’s presentation before executives, there were no yellow cards left.

The second chance was then judged with a fair perspective.

The statistical summary data that had been a problem was, of course, now supplemented with explanations the executives could accept.

“This concludes our presentation.”

No sooner had the short but intense presentation ended, the elderly executive who had been smiling kindly turned on the mic on his desk.

“Hmm, not bad.”

“Recovering the initial investment cost seems to be the key. Didn’t Director Choi’s team recently run some server infrastructure project? Maybe it could tie in.”

“If it lands on track, maintenance won’t cost much either.”

-Clap. Clap. Clap.

The white-haired executive clapped toward Team Leader Kang with an even broader smile. The applause spread among the surrounding executives.

-Clap clap clap.

Team Leader Kang, Jinseong, and the members of Sales Team 2 rose once more, bowing repeatedly as they received encouragement from the departing executives.

Among the executives offering handshakes or shoulder pats as thanks for their efforts, one man stood before Jinseong. It was the same white-haired executive who had earlier invited the others to sit down.

“Hey, you. Why’d you go that far? I heard what happened outside. You were the one who pushed Team Leader Kang forward, weren’t you? Even if this project doesn’t get approved, it has nothing to do with you, right?”

“While it may have nothing to do with me, this project is something others are desperate enough to shout and cry over.”

“Really? Haha, you’re not like most young folks these days.”

“That’s some boldness!”

“Team Leader Kang from Sales Team 2, was it? Presentation skills aside, you’ve got a fine subordinate. That’s talent too, you know.”

And finally, the person who stood before Jinseong didn’t offer a pat on the shoulder, but bowed his head along with him.

“Thank you… Thank you so much!”

“It’s nothing. Anyone would’ve done the same.”

The man unable to lift his head, eyes glistening with tears, was none other than Team Leader Kang of Sales Team 2—the one who had once spoken harshly and struck Jinseong.

“I was really young back then.”

“Come on! You think that’s something a kid does out of youthful impulse? You were ready to take the fall and leave if it came to that!”

“So, you’re telling me the occasional coffee deliveries from Sales Team 2 are because of Manager Kim Jinseong?”

“Manager Kim’s practically an honorary member of Sales Team 2.”

“But what does that have to do with the expression Manager Kim just had?”

“Because that was the same face he made when he came back after that presentation.”

“I’ll never forget it. So, just tell us the truth already. What happened this time?”

“Yeah! Stop holding back and just say it!”

Seeing the worried look in their eyes, I became all the more certain.

I had already made up my mind to help SL Software. Just like when I returned after helping Team Leader Kang from Sales Team 2.

"I have a personal connection with the CEO of SL Software. It's not something I can just ignore as someone else's problem."

I confessed to the team what I hadn't been able to say until now.

Starting with the child named Ria, whom I had temporarily taken care of, her friend, and SL Software run by that friend’s mother.

"If that’s the case, Manager Kim, this isn’t someone else’s problem anymore."

"But how can we help? The Audit Team is already in."

Just like that, the number of people at the company who could help SL Software slightly increased.

And now, it was my turn. I quietly closed my eyes.

"Manager Kim, do you have any ideas? Manager Kim! Are you asleep?"

At the same time, at the dimly lit Dangsari Café.

A familiar car glided into the café’s parking lot.

-Ding-a-ling.

"I’m here, Elder."

"Hello, Mister!"

"Hohoho! Food has arrived!"

As soon as Director Baek Mahyeon stepped into the café, Sanyi dashed forward and snatched the lunch box from his hand.

"You rascal, it’s Mahyeon who came. At least greet someone when they arrive. You really can’t hide your beastly nature, can you?"

"It was the fox who ordered the delivery."

"It wasn’t a delivery. If you were going to come anyway, I asked you to bring food as well."

"That is a delivery! And it’s even worse because you didn’t pay! Worse than any real delivery!"

"Ahem!"

It was true that since Jinseong said he wouldn’t be back until late, they had requested a ‘delivery’.

The only delivery they got—Jokbal—was tolerable, but they ordered it far too often. And the only one capable of bringing food, the Gumiho, had absolutely no personality for errands.

"Director Baek is pitiful. If Jinseong were here, he would’ve scolded us for calling the Director for something like this. Hohoho! There’s even shrimp fritters! Oh, and I even called a chauffeur since we’re taking Director Baek’s car home. Ah, I’ve never seen this kind of fishcake before!"

"Just focus on one thing at a time, would you? Tsk."

"I’m fine."

"Oh! If you’re fine, then go to the kitchen and bring out the kimchi! Ria and I are too short to reach it!"

Following all the way to the kitchen, Sanyi added extra detail to what was supposed to be a simple errand for kimchi.

"Ria and I like the leafy parts."

"If there’s too much seasoning, it’s spicy!"

"Then take off some of the seasoning. Ahhh, but if you take off too much, it won’t taste good!"

Director Baek Mahyeon felt just a bit envious of Jinseong, who had the liberty to tug Sanyi’s cheeks whenever he found her disagreeable.

Just as they were about to finish the meal with well-ripened kimchi and lunch boxes,

"Oh no! We didn’t send a photo to Jinseong."

Sanyi hurriedly grabbed her phone.

"What’s the point in sending a picture after it’s all eaten?"

"Even if it’s gone, sending a photo shows we care."

-Click.

A very unappetizing photo of the half-eaten food was uploaded to the group chat.

Both the Gumiho and Director Baek Mahyeon knew that if Jinseong hadn’t eaten yet, it would be an infuriating taunt. But they didn’t say it out loud this time.

Because they hoped Jinseong’s anger would act on their behalf.

-Whoooosh.

However, what swept through them at the café wasn’t Jinseong’s fury—it was the massive aura of the Divine Eye.

"Elder."

"You felt it too? It seems even stronger than when we helped Yongman ascend."

"I can’t even guess. With a power that emits an aura this strong, how far can one see?"

"The Divine Eye is the eye bestowed by the heavens. It is said to pierce through all creation and reveal the principles of everything. But in truth, it was you who opened those eyes, wasn’t it? Did you sense anything in that aura just now?"

"You always say I’m the one who awakened it, and now you ask about the Divine Eye? I didn’t see a thing."

"Tsk, you’re making me curious."

"What about Sejong the Great?"

"Yi Do?"

"Huh? Now that I think about it, even Yi Do never said what he saw with the Divine Eye!"

"Same with Damdeok."

The Gumiho felt a chill down his spine at that thought.

‘They all walked the Path of Heroes. Isn’t that the path walked by those in the greatest peril? But Yi Do and Damdeok didn’t have that kind of nature…….’

It didn’t make sense.

If the Divine Eye merely foresaw the future, then two men without ambition should have lived out their lives farming in the mountains.

With the ability to see bandits, famine, and plague coming, they could have spent their days in peace, farming in tranquility.

Yet, by coincidence or fate, both became kings.

Though they were men who wouldn’t even pluck a nameless wildflower, they never yielded the throne to their brothers. And they walked a path of blood.

There was a difference between paving that path with others’ blood or with their own, but the fact that they walked it remained unchanged.

And one thing was clear—Jinseong, who emitted such immense energy just by opening the Divine Eye, was walking a different path.

It was a path that even the Gumiho, who had lived for thousands of years, could not easily fathom.

"What in the world do these guys see with the Divine Eye? And what is he seeing?"