41 – 41. Fate (2)
“Oh, you’re here. I’ve been waiting. Please come in.”
…Things had been very strange since the morning.
Paul had been quietly receiving my petting, but then he suddenly jumped out of the open window and flew away somewhere.
I had a gut feeling that he would come back. He had left the house without a word several times before, and he would always return.
Maybe it was because of his size, but sometimes he would come back with a few crows and act like the boss while sharing his food with them.
In other words, he was not entirely my crow.
Just a companion living with me in my house. That’s how it felt.
But at least before leaving, he would cry out several times and flap his wings at the window as if asking me to see him off.
But today, for some reason, he disappeared without a word.
That feeling… I wonder why. It was so similar to the feeling I had been denying all along.
Even though I knew it was already gone, that it didn’t exist,
I still keep hoping.
That the game, the game where she appeared, is actually here,
And that she, the one I’ve been looking for, actually existed.
And this desire only grew stronger.
With everything related to crows surrounding me and approaching, I threw sparks into the straw-like hope.
Perhaps she is not looking for me… I wondered.
Now, I was following the guidance of an employee.
“Our CEO personally requested this – please understand that the task may be a little special.”
“When you say ‘special’, what do you mean?”
“…Your job is to come up with ideas. Unique ideas. To create a story.”
“A story? For what purpose -“
“Any story will do. The marketing department will adjust it accordingly.”
A story? What kind of story?
It’s flowing a bit differently from what I expected.
No, am I just delusional?
Holding onto the foolish idea that she would be here?
…Yes, it must be an excessive delusion. If I just think that she’s not here – it might be a little more comfortable, that’s all.
“But why me… and why the CEO?”
“Well, since the CEO has led the company this far with extraordinary ideas, we cannot fully understand their intentions. Besides, the person you met is not even in this building.”
“Not here?”
No one in this place knows the person who directly instructed me to be hired?
What kind of company is this?
“Yes. Surprisingly, yes. In fact, this building follows the basic principle of remote work for everyone except essential personnel. However – due to the uniqueness of the task, you will be working here.”
“Ah…I see.”
“All the necessary items are prepared in the room. Computer, pen, pencil, manuscript paper… If there’s anything you need, feel free to use it. In the break room, there’s a vending machine for drinks and some simple snacks. You’re welcome to help yourself.
Oh, and just so you know, the room is under 24-hour surveillance. Please understand. Think of it as a room for brainstorming. It’s a security measure.”
“Yes…I understand.”
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Once again, welcome to your first day at Raven Corporation.”
With a cheerful smile, the man stepped aside.
As I opened the door and entered, I found a rather ordinary room waiting for me.
“…An idea? From someone like me?”
To begin with, I hadn’t exactly excelled in my studies. Even if Raven Corporation had a good reputation, it wasn’t a company that was particularly well-known.
I couldn’t even grasp what kind of work they did.
Information. Networks. Stocks. Corporate connections, and so on –
It was a company that only listed vague things.
And they assigned someone like me, who barely managed to maintain my grades and only had a few mediocre language certificates on my resume, to the idea department?
And they did it in such a casually organized room…like this.
I wonder if this is an experiment.
Well…what should I use as an idea?
Knock, knock.
Startled by the knocking sound, I turned around to see the man from earlier poking his head in.
“Oh, hello. It seems there were some missing items in the instructions, so I came to inform you. hahahaha…”
“What items?”
First, regarding your salary, please take a look at this. Your annual salary is set at 45 million won, and any bonuses or other allowances are stated here as well…
Handing me the contract, they pass me another file.
“This came from upstairs. Since the job you’ve taken on is a bit special… it’s a file that contains instructions, congratulations, and other such information.
Please read it carefully, and then you can start working.”
Carefully accepting the documents contained in the transparent file, I quickly flip through the pages.
…It might take some time.
But, the light coming from the camera has been bothering me since earlier.
Who exactly is watching that?
“Um… by the way.”
“Yes, if you’re curious…”
“I can’t help but be a little concerned about that CCTV. Who gets to see it?”
“Uh – well, I don’t really… know either. Maybe it’s not mentioned in the contract?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, let me explain. This room hasn’t been prepared for long, and the idea for this position was also newly created when you joined.”
This room hasn’t been prepared for long?
And my position is also newly created?
“I see…”
“Yes, so… I apologize for not being able to provide a detailed answer.”
“Oh, no. It’s not like I asked for something unnecessary…”
“Then, I’ll go now.”
“Yes, please come in.”
The man closed the door carefully and left his seat,
I carefully took out the papers from the file and spread them out on the desk.
*
Hello, and welcome to Raven Corporation.
Our company collects various information and provides services based on contract mediation between companies or data collected.
Although our company has not been established for a long time, the CEO of our company has succeeded in making a name for himself in the industry based on his unique skills.
Our company is still growing and will continue to grow in the future, but in order to approach the public with a friendly image, we needed ideas.
However, we sought a slight differentiation.
Instead of receiving orders in the design industry, we decided to hire individuals directly and then develop ideas based on them.
You have the honor of becoming the first employee to join our experimental method.
We look forward to your creative imagination without reservation.
Raven Corporation.
…No, I mean.
Rather than outsourcing to the design industry, bringing in complete novices to obtain innovative ideas?
What a load of crap. It would be much better to leave it to the experts.
…Still, I can’t say anything to the employer.
Yeah. I can’t say anything. I’m just a subordinate.
And the contract… um…
“It is prohibited to disclose work content to a third party or share it with another company.”
Ah, is it because of this?
Well, it’s a company that deals with information… Maybe they’re sensitive about things like this.
So they’re not outsourcing, but hiring personnel instead.
That’s how it is. Well, whatever… Let’s put that aside –
A raven.
In English, it’s called a raven.
Paulie. A huge creature with wings, like a winged dog. hehehe.
Then let’s see, should I roughly sketch a picture based on Paulie?
…But it’s quite… ah.
Seems like it’ll be a tough task.
If it’s a raven, I drew it to the point of getting sick of it from the other side.
*
How many did I roughly draw on A4 paper? Before I knew it, the desk was filled with ravens.
My hands were covered in ink stains and graphite dust, but I didn’t really mind.
Knock, knock.
It’s probably that person.
When I opened the door, his expression changed from calm to astonishment in an instant.
From Noble mtl dot com
Ah, right. She had the same reaction.
She stood there, one by one, meticulously drawing each child and even the feathers, while staring blankly at me.
The fact that her face turned pale when looking at the picture was just a bonus.
Ah, of course, the reason… Not that I drew myself, but rather because I invested a lot of time with the crows.
“T-This is all… No, more importantly, how did it turn out like this – “
“…Just as a hobby, that’s all.”
“You draw crows as a hobby? Seriously?”
“Well, if you look closely, they’re beautiful. Their eyes are round, intelligent… I even have one as a pet.”
“You have a pet crow? Wait… What… Huh. Is it… destiny?”
“hahahaha…”
Whether it’s raising crows or drawing them… It’s all thanks to her.
“Anyway – are you planning to submit this now? On the same day as the assignment?”
“You said it’s for today?”
“It’s already our… quitting time… hahahaha…”
“Huh? Really?”
“It’s already six o’clock. You should go home.”
Already? That can’t be right. I only drew this much…
“Well then… just follow the instructions and finish the task. Please.”
Following the instructions means… putting the artwork in an envelope, sealing it with a seal… and now writing the address here, done.
“You can give it to me.”
“I’ll leave it to you then…!”
By handing him my envelope, the day’s work is finally completed.
*
Sigh, why does even their work look so… lovely?
Sunwoo, Han Sunwoo. I can finally call you by name.
Not that facade, but your true self…
Just as I saw you, or perhaps even clearer.
But I still can’t reach you. I’m sorry.
Just wait a little longer.
I will definitely appear in front of you then. Mm…