The Day I Got Fired

Life really is unpredictable.

It was a Friday afternoon.

Under normal circumstances, it should have been a time to look forward to the weekend and make exciting plans.

“Ha…”

But Ruri couldn’t bring herself to do that.

Because…

She had been fired just one month after being promoted to manager.

<Lee Ruri, Manager, Strategic Consulting Team 1, Brandis Korea>

Ruri lowered her gaze to the employee ID card hanging around her neck.

Thunk.

Thunk.

She leaned against the elevator wall and lightly bumped the side of her head against it.

“…That hurts.”

Nothing changed.

If anything, it only made one thing painfully clear.

This wasn’t a dream.

It was cold, unforgiving reality.

Ruri was an orphan.

Even so, she’d always believed she was fortunate.

She had learned that instead of envying what belonged to others, she should cherish what was hers.

She studied.

She sacrificed sleep.

She endured.

She found a job.

The company she’d joined, Brandis Korea, was the Korean branch of a global brand consulting firm.

Before she knew it, five years had passed.

Last year, she’d finally finished paying off her student loans.

Just last month, she’d been promoted from Associate to Manager, earning recognition for her abilities.

Even the stocks she’d been investing in on the side had been bringing in respectable returns.

She thought she’d done well enough.

She’d believed it was finally time to start enjoying life.

And then…

Two weeks ago, headquarters announced that it would be downsizing the Korean branch.

The office had naturally descended into chaos after the sudden announcement.

As everyone scrambled to prepare for new jobs, an email titled Meeting Schedule Notice had arrived a week ago.

[I know you already know this, but… I’ve set a wedding date.]

[My mother is currently hospitalized.]

[My wife is due to give birth to twins next month.]

On the day the individual meetings were announced, the team gathered in the break room, each person desperately listing the reasons they deserved to stay.

Ruri remained silent throughout it all.

She didn’t need to say anything.

Everyone kept glancing at her.

They all knew she had no family depending on her.

The unspoken pressure was obvious.

You’re the one who should make the sacrifice.

The very people who constantly praised her, saying she was the best manager on the team and that they couldn’t do their jobs without her, were now silently pressuring her to give up her position.

It had been like that for five straight days.

Then, this morning…

Everything finally exploded.

A problem had arisen with the agricultural food brand renewal project Ruri was managing.

[“Manager Lee, how exactly are you planning to fix this?”]

[“Director, you were the one who insisted we emphasize the mascot. I originally proposed focusing on the fragrance concept—”]

[“Are you seriously calling that an excuse? If you thought it was wrong, you should’ve convinced me until the very end! That’s exactly what the project manager is supposed to do!”]

The client disliked the proposed direction for the rebranding and demanded the contract be terminated.

The superior who had ignored Ruri’s recommendations and pushed through his own ideas was now dumping the entire responsibility onto her.

Then, just moments ago…

The same superior had summoned her for her individual meeting.

Using her alleged failure to manage project risks as justification, he’d recommended that she resign.

“Ha… Seriously.”

It was enough to make her feel like she was dying from frustration.

But her opponent was the Head Director of Strategic Consulting Team 1.

On top of that, he happened to be the branch manager’s relative.

He possessed the kind of ironclad backing that guaranteed he’d never lose his job.

Ruri had no such support.

No matter how capable she was, once someone with that kind of influence decided to make her a target, there was no surviving it.

“‘A voluntary decision,’ my ass…”

The more she replayed his words in her head, the more absurd they sounded.

He’d repeatedly emphasized that it was entirely her own choice.

If she accepted the company’s offer, they’d pay her severance package along with a generous compensation bonus.

No one would happily agree to become unemployed overnight just because a lump sum of money was involved.

Ruri was no different.

But…

She had grown completely disgusted with the constant ostracism and her superior’s shameless refusal to take responsibility.

She was sick of the suffocating corporate life.

So, in the end…

She told him she would make the “voluntary choice.”

Then she decided to use up the rest of her paid leave immediately.

Yeah, of course.

I’m the easiest target.

Just you wait.

If they even try to shortchange the compensation they promised…

If my severance payment is even a single day late…

Silently cursing her superior under her breath, Ruri straightened herself.

The elevator was about to reach her floor.

“Ding.”

“Ninth floor.”

The calm announcement echoed as the elevator doors slid open.

The moment she stepped into Strategic Consulting Team 1’s office, no one spoke to her.

No one even looked her in the eye.

Everyone clearly knew what had happened during the meeting upstairs.

“…”

Without saying a word, Ruri walked to the copy room.

She emptied an A4 paper box that had been filled with scrap paper and carried it back to her desk.

She opened her drawers and quickly packed away her personal belongings.

She carefully peeled off the laminated four-leaf clover she’d stuck to her monitor and tucked it into the box.

With her handbag over one shoulder and the box in her arms, she looked around the office one last time.

Every single person kept their head lowered.

“I’m heading out!”

The moment she called out loudly, the team members who had been pretending not to notice all stood up at once.

“Oh… right. Manager Lee, you’ve worked really hard.”

“You know what they say—every cloud has a silver lining. You’ll find somewhere even better. Seriously.”

“Keep in touch, okay?”

Yeah.

They’re all relieved.

Relieved that it was me instead of them.

Just wait.

This will become a new opportunity for me.

I was just unlucky.

I’m not getting fired because I wasn’t good enough.

Facing the people she would probably never see again, Ruri forced the corners of her lips upward into a smile.

“I will.”

“Take care of yourselves.”

With those insincere parting words, she left the office.

The moment she stepped outside, the bright June sunshine made her instinctively squint.

The bustling weekday streets looked strangely unfamiliar.

“…So.”

“What do I do now?”

At twenty-eight years old…

Lee Ruri officially became unemployed.

The incessant chime of notifications stirred Ruri awake.

Her hand groped around for her phone.

The moment she caught sight of the time through half-open eyes, she shot upright.

“What the—”

I’m screwed… I’m late!

The reason she never finished the sentence was…

<Just take a little break!>

<You can do it! You can do anything!!>

<Lee Ruri’s life knows no such thing as defeat!!!>

The motivational slogans she’d plastered across the wide wall beside her bed the night before came into view.

“…Ah.”

“I got fired.”

The realization hit her all over again.

She flopped backward onto the bed with a thud.

Her gaze drifted toward her phone.

She’d wondered why it had been buzzing nonstop.

It turned out to be push notifications from the game she’d downloaded yesterday afternoon.

[Your carrots are ready to harvest!]

[Your corn is ready to harvest!]

[Your tomatoes are ready to harvest!]

[Your milk is ready!]

[Your eggs are ready!]

[Your blueberries are ready to harvest!]

[You have a new order waiting!]

The cheerful notifications completely filled the screen.

Ruri narrowed her eyes.

“Why does this game demand so much from me…?”

Yesterday, after returning home in the middle of the day, she’d spent hours browsing job sites.

By the time evening came around, she’d missed dinner entirely.

As night fell, it felt as though someone had soaked her heart in brine.

Dragging her feet, she wandered to the convenience store near her apartment.

Instead of buying an actual meal, she grabbed several cans of beer and a handful of lollipops.

She took a long drink of cold beer.

Then she sucked on a lollipop.

Then she drank more beer.

Bitter.

Sweet.

Then bitter again.

As she savored the strangely familiar taste of life while scrolling through job listings, her thumb stopped over an advertisement at the bottom of the screen.

<Start now and receive 1,000 Gems!>

<Build your own farm and achieve your dream of becoming a wealthy farmer!>

A wealthy farmer.

The words practically glowed in bright pink.

The truth was…

Ruri had spent her early childhood in the countryside.

Some of her happiest memories were of playing beside her grandmother while she worked in the fields.

Maybe that was why.

Deep down, she’d always longed for rural life.

She often imagined that if she ever earned enough money, she’d build herself a little house in the countryside.

She wanted to leave behind the crowded city and spend her days tending a small vegetable garden in peace.

The memories of her childhood stirred something inside her.

Before she realized it, she’d already tapped the advertisement.

Entranced by the adorable characters covering the screen, she murmured,

“…Maybe I’ll give this a try.”

That was how it all began.

The moment she installed the farming simulation game, she was hooked.

Her fingers never stopped moving.

She tapped frantically across the screen.

Plant.

Harvest.

Sell.

Plant again.

Unlike reality, the little farm actually needed her.

She became so absorbed in taking care of its crops and animals that she didn’t even notice dawn breaking outside.

Every time she expanded her farm with the money she’d earned, she felt a quiet sense of accomplishment.

When she won first place in the game’s Premium Produce Competition, she actually let out a triumphant cheer.

Even inside a game, she found joy in working.

She was, through and through, the very definition of a Korean office worker.

She abandoned the job sites entirely and devoted herself to the game.

She didn’t finally fall asleep until she noticed the sky growing bright outside.

She must have completely lost track of time.

“…Should I just become a real farmer?”

The words slipped out under her breath.

A small laugh escaped immediately afterward.

She had always dreamed of country living.

But the only things she’d ever successfully raised were a few succulents.

As a busy woman living alone, she considered it a victory if she could simply take proper care of herself.

“…I should at least eat something.”

Even as she got ready to leave…

Even while sitting inside a nearby restaurant waiting for the single roll of gimbap she’d ordered…

Her thoughts never strayed from the reality that she was unemployed.

Should she stay in the same industry and look for another consulting job?

Or should she seize the opportunity to start her own business while she was still young?

If she did start a business…

What should she do?

Should she actually learn farming?

Where would she even learn it?

…Sigh.

Maybe a fried chicken franchise?

No.

I should probably get a part-time job first and make enough to cover my living expenses.

One thought chased another without end.

Just as Ruri picked up a piece of gimbap…

“An annual revenue of one billion won!”

“The man who cultivates luck itself—Ki Jangseop!”

The powerful voice of the television narrator immediately caught her attention.

Ruri turned toward the TV.