A shitty life

Everyone has their own goals in life, yet in the end, everything seems to converge. We push ourselves to become better, but how can we achieve that when people constantly walk all over us?By the way, my name is Han Tae-yul, and I have absolutely no desire to go to work. But in today’s world, I don’t really have a choice. You need money to survive, and without money, you’re nothing. I grabbed my bag, put on my work clothes, and headed toward the place I hated most in the world.A heavy atmosphere surrounded the company, the same suffocating feeling I always sensed whenever I came here. I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"Ah… they really won’t let me go, will they?" I thought as I felt the employees’ greetings brushing past me.

"Did you see that? He’s back again?" some whispered.

"That guy seriously doesn’t know when to quit," others said.

"They say he’s been here since the company was founded, yet he’s never even been promoted once. Even the newcomers outrank him now," some mocked, clearly entertained by ridiculing him.

They’re talking about me openly without even trying to hide it anymore. At this point, it doesn’t even bother me, I thought, not showing the slightest hint of irritation.

But since everyone treated me like a joke, I eventually had to face the head of my department—the woman who dumped every bit of work on me whenever she felt like it.

“Good morning, boss.”

I bowed slightly, but she did not even spare me a glance and simply walked past me. I straightened up and sat at my desk, reflecting on the way these people treated me and wondering why I was still stuck in such a low position.

Suddenly, a young woman hurried toward me with a stack of files in her arms.

“Mr. Han,” she said as she approached my desk. “Could you please take a look at my work?” she continued, handing me the documents.

After taking them, I let out a quiet sigh and began reviewing the report. It was easy for me—analysis was my area of expertise. Analyze, analyze again, stay calm, and eventually find the solution to every problem: that was my hidden talent… or rather, the strength I relied on.

I closed the documents and handed them back to her.

“It’s pretty good, but there are still a few points I mentioned earlier,” I said before she took them.

“Thank you, Mr. Han,” she replied before walking away with the files.

Thank you, huh? I thought with a faint smile. If everything goes well for her and she becomes the next person to get promoted, I wonder if she only got close to me for that reason… just like the others.

I returned to my work.

“Mr. Han,” an employee called as he approached me. “The team leader would like to see you,” he added with a grin.

What does she want now? I wondered as I stood up and headed toward her office.

The moment I entered, the woman casually tossed a sheet of paper onto the desk in front of me.

“Sign it,” she said while staring at her computer screen.

I picked up the document and realized it was a resignation letter.

“What? I never wrote this,” I said in shock.

“You didn’t write it, but we did it for you,” she replied with a smile. “We don’t want you in this company anymore, so we prepared your resignation letter ourselves. It’s already completed—all that’s missing is your signature, and then you can leave.”

At that moment, I realized something I had always feared was true: even in a life where you could shine, where your talent could amaze everyone, nothing will happen if you fail to assert yourself from the very beginning. Nothing changes if you simply wait for something to come along and transform your life.

It’s better to have everything you need on your side and become strong enough that nothing—friend or foe—can ever stop you.

But for me… it was already too late.

I signed the resignation letter, remembering how the people I thought might help me had only looked down on me before ultimately throwing me out onto the streets.

I left the company and walked home alone. When I reached the city’s busiest pedestrian bridge, I stopped and gazed up at the blue sky, feeling for a moment as though something could still happen here and now.

But that feeling quickly faded into emptiness.

“Ah… what a shitty life I’ve lived,” I muttered with a bitter smile.