Soo-Ha's POV:
Soon I understood! I have been completely delusional about Han Publications! Reality hit me very hard! There is nothing such as happy and friendly environment at workplaces...
Madam Sawako boldly walked inside and told me to follow her. I walked inside reluctantly in a grumpy mood. She took me to an empty desk at the corner of the office. I even had my name-plate on the table. Somehow my mood lightened up a bit after seeing my name-plate. I admit the atmosphere inside was horrible but if I work here totally as professional without any unnecessary friends or relationships, then working here won't be much tough! After all, it's the leading publishing company of Seoul. I tried to motivate myself a bit...
"Miss Kim Soo-Ha, this will be your desk and if you need any help you can ask me or your senior editor here, Miss Ma-eum." She told me while pointing her finger to a desk nearby me. A lady in her early 30's, who seemed to be living under extreme stress and appeared to be half-dead, stood up from her desk and greeted me. Damn! I felt afraid a bit! Will I become a half-dead editor too like her with this work stress? I got myself a big trouble by applying here!
"Miss Soo-Ha have a great work journey here! I will leave now! Feel free to ask Ma-eum anything! Soon our owner and CEO of Han Publications will come and greet you. He is a very kind and employee-friendly person you know!" She patted my shoulder lightly and left. I was feeling a bit nervous there all alone. All those editors were again staring at me, but this time their stare felt a bit different! It appeared as if they were feeling pity for me!
Soon, Miss Ma-eum came to my desk where I was standing all clueless. Suddenly she grabbed my hand tightly and whispered to me- "Come with me to the smoking zone!" She was dragging me somewhere without even listening to my response.
I shivered a bit with fear. Why is she dragging me to the smoking zone? I don't smoke at all! Well is this some kind of welcome ritual here? Dragging the newbie without her will to somewhere unknown? Or are they really zombies? Does she want to kill and bury me somewhere? No no! What am I even thinking? I think I was completely loosing my mind!
Shortly we reached the smoking zone. It was a small open place like a balcony. She left my hand and nervously looked all around, maybe she was searching something! I was standing there awkwardly while staring at her.
"Phew! There are no cameras here!" She spoke normally this time.
Ohhh! So she brought me here to escape from the cameras! But wait! Why is she escaping from cameras? Does she really want to throw me from this balcony? Damn if I fall from 13th floor I won't survive! Shit I left my bag on the desk, there was a pepper-spray inside! Now I don't have anything for self-defense! I was getting chills on my spine while thinking all these...
"Listen to me carefully! I couldn't tell inside as there were hundreds of cameras observing us." She told me in a deep voice.
"Ye-Yeah!" I replied awkwardly.
"This workplace is a hell! We are already half-dead just waiting for our souls to leave the body! The authors are totally assholes and even the publishing department too! These authors will never submit their manuscript within deadlines and the publishing sector grills us to take out their frustrations! Sometimes we even have to write those manuscripts which the authors dictate over phone! And if you commit a single mistake in editing a script, they will make you rewrite the full script with changing all the action beats and dialogue tags! That's not even our job but still they will make you do it while working overtime brutally! Look at me! Look at my dark circles! My face looks like a corpse now! I have been working overtime on 4 scripts which I collected from an asshole author forcibly to save my job, but still with every single mistake the whole publishing team makes me rewrite everything again! I didn't even sleep from 3 days! But still I am piled up with stress!
And Madam Sawako is a witch! Don't fall for her smiley face! She will first treat you nicely, lure you in the trap and then throw you in the hell! She doesn't have any mercy for the editors here! She will pile you up with works and won't allow you to nag also! One nag and you will be punished with more piling manuscripts! Moreover she will watch over you always with those CCTV cameras! And that CEO? He is the most lazy, dumbass owner who doesn't know anything about responsibility! He has given full authority to that witch Sawako and she treats people according to her mood! That dork owner doesn't even know how to manage a company! He will give you orders without even realizing the workload and if you refuse you will be kicked out immediately! Don't fall for his innocent face! We are still surprised that how this company is still the top leading publications of Seoul with this dumb owner! You won't have time for dating, marriage, or to fulfill any other dream of your life! All you will have a life where you have to keep working like a freak till your soul gives up! You are the 16th chief editor here! The editor before you had to be hospitalized due to severe workload and mental pressure which led him become crazy! The others ran away from this company to save their lives! We remaining editors here are working because we all have a miserable life! Most of us are enduring this torture as the pay is good and we also need to support our needy family! I am 34 years now. My mom begs me to get married and even if I want to- but I have 4 siblings too! I support my siblings with this money and that's why I can't escape this hell to get married! Most of us have the same problem here. We want to run away but our consequences are inevitable..." She almost ran out of breath while speaking! I was gasping at her while listening everything! My mind was completely blank!
"Please breathe! You are running out of breath!" I answered slowly.
She grasped my shoulder tightly, "you are new here! You still have time and oppurtunity! This is the truth of editorial department here! Run for your life! Don't push yourself in this hell! Run away!" She warned me with a cold and deep voice.
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~Hello my lovelies! Author's here for a special announcement! I hope you are enjoying my story! So I am gonna feed you more!
I have sent powerstone goal for my story!
100 stones in one week- 2 extra chapters
150 stones in one week- 3 extra chapters
Will notify you all once I hit the goal!