How to Survive Restructuring

Chapter 102

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 102: New Employee Lee Eunho (2)

Last time, during the mission where I received the most sponsorship money and earned the lens—

There was also an awards ceremony like this.

Back then, a giant balloon-like screen floated in the sky, broadcasting my face across all of Yongsan District.

'I thought that was excessive at the time...'

I was wrong.

That was a modest, small-scale event because it was just a district-level affair.

'I didn’t know.'

—Flash!

To give out an award, they actually turned off the sunlight in broad daylight.

"Wh-what? It’s nighttime now?!"

"What the hell! I can’t see!"

Darkness suddenly descended.

People’s startled screams echoed around me.

And amidst the chaos—

—Flash!

A dazzling spotlight fell from above.

Like a theater stage erasing the audience and illuminating only the protagonist, a massive platform and I alone were bathed in light.

A path of light stretched from my feet to the platform.

"Heh... So it really was the young man!"

"But this is weird. He ranked first out of a hundred thousand people, so why am I not surprised at all?"

Amid the darkness, the security guard’s sigh and Lee Yeji’s puzzled murmur reached my ears.

"Even if it were a million, it would’ve still been that bastard. Who else but that guy would win?"

"Go and come back safely, hyung! We’re proud of you!"

The foul-mouthed guy and Jaehyuk added their own proud remarks.

And so, I turned my back on the others and walked toward the stage.

—Step.

Had they been watching my every move?

As soon as I turned around, murmurs erupted as if they had been waiting for it.

"That guy is Lee Eunho?! No way...!"

"Oh, oppa! He’s not bulky at all! I knew he looked different when he was using the sword earlier...."

"What? Are you seriously siding with him right now?"

Sigh.

The stares at my back burned so much they were almost painful.

"He took all my points, and I lost to him?"

"When did I ever take them? Watch your words."

"You totally did!"

"Hey, can’t you all be quiet?"

Annoyed, someone who clearly didn’t care told them to take their argument outside.

"You. Come here."

With clenched teeth, Myung Seungtae spat out his words and disappeared.

"That guy...."

"Then just what kind of ability...?"

This was the first time in my life I had ever received so many people’s attention.

I never cared much about what others thought, but when the number of eyes on you reaches a hundred thousand, it’s different.

[Target Lee Eunho, please hurry!]

A hundred thousand eyes clung to my every step.

The weight of their gaze felt so heavy that my feet seemed to sink into the grass.

But.

—Step.

I was the one who had once run with legs as stiff as wooden planks.

This much weight wouldn’t stop me.

[Target Lee Eunho, please hur—]

"I'm going."

In the midst of darkness, bathed in a flood of light, I walked forward as the protagonist.

—Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Leaving just those words behind, I crossed the grass.

—Swish!

I stepped onto the red carpet leading to the platform.

The soft carpet stretched all the way up to the barely visible stage above, making it feel like I was walking on a staircase reaching up to the sky.

As I walked down my personal red carpet, voices in oddly translated tones filled my ears.

"Aah! Is that the strongest one?!"

"So cool—!"

From girls speaking in cutesy tones—

"Oh, that Asian guy is quite...!"

"...Right?"

"Is he a student? He looks young, but he’s incredible...."

To deep-voiced murmurs of admiration.

I ascended the steps.

—Tap!

And at the top, I saw a giant man.

Behind him, people sat in perfectly aligned rows.

It looked like a school principal giving a speech in an auditorium, with teachers seated behind him.

Except for one key difference—

—Click! Clang! Creak!

Every single "teacher" was armed with terrifying weapons.

Regardless—

'There must be at least a hundred of them.'

Among the sea of unfamiliar faces, I spotted someone I knew.

"!!"

Administrator Harona.

She sat neatly with her signature twin tails, and strangely, I felt relieved.

Maybe it was because we had negotiated before and talked a few times—I was feeling a sense of familiarity.

[This time, the award ceremony will be presented personally by the Director of the Bureau!]

[Surprised? Even I, Sera, am seeing him for the first time!]

[This is a huge deal—!]

Following the announcer’s excited voice, I stepped before the massive man.

'So this is the Director of the Bureau.'

His enormous shadow blocked out the light.

Perhaps that’s why—

For a moment, the air felt chillingly heavy.

The Director wore an about-to-burst suit, his slicked-back black hair perfectly styled.

A deep scar ran across his face, giving him the aura of a seasoned warrior.

'Rather than a suit...'

A blood-red suit of armor would suit him better.

The moment that thought crossed my mind—

—Gasp!

I instinctively sucked in a sharp breath and immediately bowed deeply.

I hadn’t meant to.

My body folded in half on its own.

Just by looking at him, the oppressive weight seeped into my lungs.

'!!'

Was I startled by his massive size?

Or was I overwhelmed by his monolithic presence?

I couldn't breathe.

And so—

[The New Employee Representative for District 13 is...]

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Harona's heart pounded.

[Congratulations!]

[From the ROK-SEO region—Lee Eunho!]

[Please step forward!]

The moment Sera made the announcement, emotions clashed.

[Kyaaah!!]

[W-What...!]

Harona clenched her hands in a victorious burst of excitement.

Jookwang’s face froze.

[What kind of trick did you pull?! What happened?!]

At that moment, as Jookwang, more than anyone else, refused to accept the outcome and raised his voice—

[How noisy.]

Someone placed a firm hand on Jookwang’s shoulder.

Crunch!

They crushed it.

[......!!]

Jookwang let out a silent roar.

No, he had screamed, but it was blocked.

The owner of the thick hand on his shoulder had stifled it.

A prison of sound.

[D-Division Chief!]

Harona trembled.

The towering figure that cast a shadow over them was none other than the Director of the Bureau, Geukryang.

Though he had been pushed into the shadows of power, he was once the ruler of the Bureau.

One should never provoke him.

Any further commotion would be dangerous.

[M-My apologies.]

And then, when she finally regained her senses and turned to the podium—

[W-What?! Why is the Director...!]

A horrifying scene was unfolding.

The Director’s killing intent was directed solely at Lee Eunho.

His special ability, known as the Invisible Hand, was bearing down upon the newly hired recruit.

This was bad.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Harona shot up from her seat and shouted.

[No human body can withstand that pressure! We have to stop it...!]

[Look.]

But as she followed the Chief’s gaze—

There, at the end of it—

"Kuhh...!"

Lee Eunho, coughing up blood-like breaths.

[...He endured it?!]

Thud!

Harona, who had instinctively leaped to her feet, collapsed back into her seat.

This was impossible.

The Director’s Invisible Hand was an absolute power over those of a lower rank.

Even she would struggle to withstand it...

[Could it be... he’s stronger than me...?]

No way, that was ridiculous...

Not just ridiculous—it was utterly unthinkable.

Yet, she was serious.

Because that was how shocking it was.

Just as she felt her strength drain from her body—

[!]

Their eyes met.

Even in such a situation, he had the composure to turn his gaze toward the audience?!

And with those eyes...!

Gasp!

[......!]

Harona, utterly flustered, instinctively averted her gaze.

Then, a thick hand patted her small shoulder.

[Calm yourself.]

[...I apologize for showing such an unsightly display.]

Harona bit her lower lip as she barely regained her composure.

The Chief shook his head, as if to say he understood.

But even the usually composed Chief—

[That is...!]

His jaw dropped at the item in the box handed over by the Director.

Just like every other administrator present.

[No way...]

[T-That’s impossible!]

[Why would the Director...!]

Inside the ornate box was a small snow globe.

But instead of snow, it held a silent desert.

[That’s unmistakably... the Sand Pit!]

The Director’s unique ability—Sand Prison.

An artifact that summoned it.

It was impossible to tell if it was single-use or reusable, but...

[The Director personally bestowing his power...!]

For centuries, no one had ever contained such a power, let alone given it away.

This was an unprecedented privilege.

A clear sign of the Director’s extraordinary expectations.

And yet!

Why?!

[Why is he so indifferent?!]

That completely unaffected expression!

[T-That, that, that... seriously!]

As Harona clutched her chest in frustration—

[...As expected.]

The man standing beside her, eyes gleaming, observed the unperturbed Lee Eunho...

And then—

Swoosh.

He left his seat.

[Where are you going, Chief?]

[I’ll be stepping out for a moment.]

[What? But the event isn’t over yet...]

His attendant hurried over to ask, but received no answer.

[Where is he going?]

[No idea.]

But from the glint in his eyes—

And the hurried steps, unbefitting his massive frame—

It seemed he was off to do something very interesting.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]