Prologue: A Life in Decay

Every night, in my dreams, I returned to that prison they called 'the office.' No one looked at anyone else's face; everyone was melting away in the digital vortex of their own screens. It was then that I felt the heavy, sticky footsteps of the manager on my back. My heart began to pound like a bird struggling against its ribcage."Itoyama! What's the deal with this report? Incompetent!"The manager's greasy, sweat-smelling voice, sounding like someone constipated, echoed right behind my neck. My hairs stood on end; it felt as if a cold hand was squeezing my throat. My voice, choked by a lump, barely came out:"I apologize, sir, I was processing the additional data you gave me at 11 PM…"I heard my own voice. How pathetic, how fragile, and how… obedient it was. I had used this voice as a defense mechanism for almost all those years, constantly changing jobs and making it a habit to work harder without being settled, but now it rang in my ears like an insult. The manager leaned over my desk. His disgusting laugh tore through the silent, aseptic air of the office. I could even see the food remnants between his teeth; my stomach churned."Didn't you have enough time? Look, even the intern finished faster than you. Maybe I should give your place to her, huh? Of course, she doesn't complain all the time like you. She's more… compliant."His words pierced my heart like a poisoned arrow. Then his voice dropped even lower, hissing like a snake next to my ear:"Also, there's an inconsistency in this month's 'Service Zangyo' report. You must have forgotten the 'Fixed Overtime' clause in your contract. You, as if this company belongs to your father, ask for permission to leave at 10 PM. This is disloyalty, you know that, don't you?"My breath caught, my vision blurred. I tried to object with a trembling voice:"Sir, for the past three months, I've barely slept five hours a week… My body is now—"What cut me off was a thick stack of files thrown onto my desk. The rustle of the papers echoed like a slap in the silent office."Your body? This isn't a hospital; this is a 'family.' Sacrifice is essential in a family. Look at Tanaka next to you; he fainted at his desk last week, and the first thing he did when he came to was apologize and return to his Excel sheet. You, however… You are a virus, Itoyama. A parasite that lowers productivity and corrupts the minds of the young."I glanced at the intern at the next desk. The vile harassment in his gaze, that possessive disgust, made my stomach turn. When I saw the fear on the young girl's face, something inside me snapped. The manager moved towards the intern's desk a little further away. He placed his hand on the woman's neck and ran his fingers along the collar of her shirt. I could see the woman trembling, her eyes tightly shut. The manager leaned towards the woman's ear and whispered:"If you don't finish these reports tonight, tomorrow morning I'll drop a note to Human Resources saying you're 'incompatible.' You know, without a reference, you can't even be a waiter in this industry."The rage inside me was about to erupt like a volcano. I couldn't hold back; my voice came out trembling:"Mr. Manager, please… She's uncomfortable."The manager's fake smile froze instantly. His eyes narrowed, his face turned crimson with anger. The expression on his face was as if a monster's mask had fallen off."What did you say? Uncomfortable? I make the rules here, Itoyama! This is a family, understand? There are no such 'sensitivities' within a family. If you don't like it, the door is there! Thousands of hungry dogs are waiting outside to do your job for half the price. Who are you to lecture me on morals? What's the difference between you and a damn paper shredder?"I felt something break inside me. The colossal dam formed by ten years of accumulation, sleepless nights, unpaid overtime, and countless swallowed insults burst. The burning sensation I felt as my fist hit the table spread from my palms to my entire soul. The entire office held its breath with me."ENOUGH!"As my voice echoed between those white walls, the sound of keyboards abruptly ceased. The office suddenly fell into a graveyard silence. The 'corporate slave' mask I had worn for years shattered, revealing the wounded human beneath. Tears streaming down my face, I cried out with a trembling voice:"I resign! I'm sick of your disgusting system, your greasy face, and this office that smells like a barn!"The manager was momentarily stunned by surprise; then that twisted, devilish smile reappeared on his face. He slowly pulled a paper from his pocket. As if he had been waiting for this moment, he threw a pre-prepared paper onto my desk. The paper slid across the desk and stopped in front of me."Resign? You're too late, Itoyama. We already deleted you from the system five minutes ago. Here, read it."At the top of the paper, those cold letters shone: "Termination of Service Contract." Below it, the note was added: "Disclosure of company secrets and aggressive attitude towards superiors." My 2 years of effort were thrown into the trash with a single inked lie. The company was kicking me out for "indiscipline" and "disrupting company peace" to avoid paying severance.I looked at my colleagues. Not a single one met my gaze. Some sipped their tea, others continued to stare at their screens. Even the intern girl I had just defended had bowed her head. Society's darkest truth slapped me in the face: when the system chews you up and spits you out, no one wants to taste it.The manager slowly turned. There was not anger on his face, but an expression of terrible pity. I looked at my friends at the next desk; Tanaka, Suzuki, all of them… They bowed their heads even lower. No one supported me. On the contrary, there was a hatred in their eyes that said, "Why are you disrupting the order?" This was the worst side of humanity: feeling anger towards the victim of oppression instead of stopping the oppression.The manager continued mockingly: "Didn't you read that 40-page contract you signed, Itoyama? Any exit that damages the company's reputation is grounds for termination without severance. You can't resign… I'm firing you. It's funny to think you could resign."These words shattered my soul. Two years of my life ended for nothing, with a lie. As tears streamed onto my keyboard, only emptiness and rage remained within me.