novelraw Chapter 210: Role-Playing Interview (3)
Chapter 210: Role-Playing Interview (3)
Jo Yonghan
[Manager, have you perhaps found any clues?]
At the beginning, Jo Yonghan tried to probe So Moonnan moderately.
However, So Moonnan maintained a defensive attitude. He hadn’t found many clues, so he feared that saying the wrong thing might actually help the target.
I used that to my advantage.
Not too strongly, just moderately.
Jo Yonghan
[If you’ve made any progress, could you please share it with us… ㅠㅠ We’ve already had two rounds, but there doesn’t seem to be any progress!]
A sense of unease began to spread through the chat, which had previously been filled with idle chatter.
Only Ahn Joyong, in the team leader position and seemingly convinced he wasn’t the target, remained unfazed.Ahn Joyong
[Manager So Moonnan, please share anything you’ve found!]
Yeong Yangga
[Ah, if he found something, Manager would have told us already!]
‘Well, well, are you two a package deal?’
My colleague’s attempt to cover for his superior was touching. I wasn’t sure if So Moonnan was the leader of the workplace harassment against Jo Yonghan, but I now knew that if So Moonnan was the problem, Yeong Yangga would have to go with him.
The second free chat session ended with that.
Next, there would be 20 minutes of room investigation and 15 minutes of conversation.
Starting from the next chat session, the team would have to identify someone they suspect as the target, kick them out of the messenger, and investigate their room.
“If the first resignation letter listed bullying as the reason, then he must’ve brought it up in the resignation interview. Maybe he just couldn’t officially submit it?”
I sat on the desk and stared at the resignation letters spread out in one corner.
‘I have to avenge this.’
At first, I thought it would be enough to avoid being discovered as the sole resigned employee.
‘I have to help our Mr. Jo Yonghan find peace.’
So, who should I send out first? For the first time in a while, I felt intrigued.
***
The participants began to uncover hidden clues in their respective rooms little by little.
As time passed and the more challenging hints came to light, the members’ character traits solidified further.
Among them, Kim Iwol found several things in a password-protected USB: a photo of an internal contest winner list with his and Seong Silhan’s names, and an errand list belonging to So Moonnan.
“Since many participants have no acting experience, we planned it remotely this time, but everyone’s immersion is pretty good. We could have done it face-to-face.”
Director Ma expressed his regret. Indeed, most of the cast were seriously engaged in the role-playing.
Just as a writer was about to check the remaining time until the next conversation session, a monitor showing Kim Iwol’s set caught their eye.
“Huh?”
Each room had a small whiteboard and character photos.
Kim Iwol was standing in front of the whiteboard, pinning photos with magnets and drawing a relationship chart between the people.
And then….
[Manager So Moonnan ─ Perpetrator]
[Yeong Yangga (Colleague) ─ Accomplice]
[Manager Yoo Yeonseong ─ Bystander]
[Team Leader Ahn Joyong ─ Bystander]
[Seong Silhan (Colleague) ─ Bystander?]
…He labeled them boldly beneath their names.
“Looks like Mr. Iwol has already figured out the behind-the-scenes setting.”
The writer relayed to Director Ma.
“Huh?”
“Look at the whiteboard!”
Director Ma’s gaze shifted to Kim Iwol’s whiteboard.
Kim Iwol started writing numbers next to the characters’ names. Starting with Yeong Yangga, numbers were assigned to each person in order.
“What’s that? Elimination order?”
“Wow, Mr. Iwol is scary.”
The staff murmured. Standing tall, one hand holding a marker, the other stroking his chin, Kim Iwol made quite an intimidating figure.
“But how did he know? Wasn’t the target only supposed to know that they were the resigned employee?”
“That’s right. That was the plan, but…”
Viewers loved open-ended interpretation just as much as a clear resolution. This characteristic stood out even more in mystery or planning content.
After a broadcast, people often searched for strange details or pieced together clues to discover hidden backstories—’This is what was really going on!’—helping the show stay relevant even after it ended.
This time, the production team had planned to subtly reveal the reasons why the resigned employee, ‘Jo Yonghan’, had to leave the company, and the hidden sides of the other employees who concealed it, letting viewers deduce the story. That was the plan, until Kim Iwol, who they thought would be fooled by a fake resignation letter, meticulously combed through all the materials and uncannily started closing in on the backstory.
Typically, once a cast member realized they were the target, they focused on how to disguise their identity—not on who to eliminate first.
But Kim Iwol was different.
『Shall I cut off the limbs first…?』
Uttering words unbefitting an idol, but perfectly suited to his own face, Kim Iwol sat down in the chair in front of the desk.
The reins of the conversation time that followed were entirely in Kim Iwol’s hands.
Jo Yonghan
[Mr. Yangga, you’ve been taking Manager So Moonnan’s side, but you haven’t said much about yourself.]
Seong Silhan
[That’s true…?]
Usually, initiating an attack like that led to being ganged up on.
However, that didn’t happen.
So Moonnan
[What the]
[Mr. Yangga, were you trying to ride my coattails to stay safe?]
‘Yeong Yangga is in cahoots with So Moonnan, and is loyal to him.’
‘So Moonnan has a history of harassing someone, which could lead to him being targeted as the perpetrator.’
‘To avoid being targeted, it’s better for So Moonnan to abandon Yeong Yangga, who knows a lot about him.’
Because the situation and conditions perfectly aligned.
As a result of the anonymous vote, Jo Yonghan received one vote, Yeong Yangga received four, and there was one abstention, revealing Yeong Yangga’s identity.
『Ordinary employee, Yeong Yangga, is removed from the team member list.』
As the mechanical voice announced, everyone except Kim Iwol looked bewildered.
Nevertheless, Kim Iwol remained calm. He had already proven his investigative prowess early on.
Rather, it was So Moonnan who was in a difficult situation, the one who abandoned his completely loyal junior…
And because of that, he became suspected of using this opportunity to eliminate a close associate who might have known about his questionable actions.
『I wonder how you’ll overcome the next crisis.』
Kim Iwol smiled and opened the door of the set as instructed. It was time for all the participants to face each other for the first time.
***
The participants, wearing name tags, busily exchanged greetings. The comedian who played Yeong Yangga, the first to be eliminated, waved to the remaining members from inside the ‘Silence Room’, modeled after a smoking room. It really felt like we were on the rooftop of some unknown company.
After a brief moment of pleasantries, we immediately started searching Yeong Yangga’s room. The room’s layout was similar to my set. However, there were additional clues symbolizing the close relationship between So Moonnan and Yeong Yangga.
“So they were university seniors and juniors.”
“This makes it even stranger that Manager So Moonnan didn’t try harder to cover for Yeong Yangga. Shouldn’t they have formed a tighter alliance?”
Yoo Yeonseong and Ahn Joyong chatted while looking at the university diplomas certificate. Meanwhile, Seong Silhan approached me.
“Since Yeong Yangga wasn’t the target, we probably won’t find much in this room, right?”
Seong Silhan asked in a low voice. But seeing him rummaging through the papers, I wondered if even that low voice was part of his act as a ‘quiet, hardworking, ordinary employee’.
“I guess so. Mr. Yangga hid too much information that I thought he was the target, but it seems that wasn’t the case.”
“By that logic, Manager So is really suspicious, isn’t he?”
“Team Leader, why are you picking on me?”
A rift formed between Ahn Joyong and So Moonnan. Yoo Yeonseong, who had been keeping quiet, seemed satisfied to be excluded from suspicion and didn’t try to stop Ahn Joyong.
I had nothing against the actor playing the character, but I was quite satisfied that the character So Moonnan was in a difficult situation.
If someone like So Moonnan really existed, how would they feel right now?
With no one left to support them and even the person they flattered no longer trusting them.
If they were in this situation, would they ever think about the people they themselves had alienated?
The game was easier and simpler than reality, so justice quickly triumphed over evil.
In the next voting time, Manager So Moonnan received all the votes and was eliminated.
***
Once the number of suspects dwindled, 1:1 messaging became possible. Simultaneously, my personal inbox was flooded with notifications.
Ahn Joyong
[Mr. Yonghan, I trust you.]
[So, let’s be honest with each other.]
[Don’t you find Manager Yoo Yeonseong suspicious?]
Yoo Yeonseong
[Mr. Yonghan, didn’t you find the Team Leader suspicious?]
Seong Silhan
[Mr. Yonghan.]
[What do you think?]
Yes, I’m the most suspicious one.
Actually, from now on, all I had to do was eliminate the bystanders one by one. Whether they ganged up on me or not didn’t matter—as long as the real perpetrators were gone, I was satisfied with the MISSION music video playing at the end of the broadcast.
However, I wanted to postpone Seong Silhan’s elimination until the very end. I had something to settle with him.
And if possible, I’d like to steer this story in a direction that was more intriguing for the viewers.
After all, It was more fun when there was something to immerse in.
I sent a message to my new team leader first.
Jo Yonghan
[Actually, Manager Yoo Yeonseong doesn’t seem particularly suspicious.]
[But excluding the Team Leader and Mr. Silhan, who don’t seem to be the target, he’s the only one left…]
[So I read through the messages, and while Mr. Yangga only agreed with Manager So Moonnan, Manager Yoo Yeonseong only reacted generally.]
[Mr. Yangga couldn’t help it because of his character, but I think Manager Yoo could have acted differently. I wonder if he was trying to piggyback off Mr. Yangga.]
Ahn Joyong remained silent for a long time after my message.
He was probably reading through the messages in the group chat. Meanwhile, I turned to Yoo Yeonseong.
Jo Yonghan
[This is just my personal deduction, so it’s not necessarily reliable,]
[but the reason we initially excluded Team Leader Ahn Joyong from suspicion was because he seemed to have a good grasp of the team structure and work division, right?]
[But that just means he has a lot of information, not necessarily proof that he’s the outsider Manager So Moonnan mentioned.]
[Considering there were diplomas of Manager So Moonnan in Mr. Yangga’s room, maybe the personnel files in Team Leader’s room were just normal HR info?]
[So what I thought was… since our common ground is that we’re subordinates, and the Team Leader is the highest-ranking person without a superior, maybe he’s the target.]
[It’s just a thought, so please disregard it if it doesn’t seem right! :crying_face:]
Words like ‘actually’, ‘personally’, and ‘just’ seemed vague.
Yet, with these modifiers, people tended to listen more attentively. And they perceived the speaker’s words as more ‘truthful.’
As if he had finally finished checking the message window, a message arrived from Ahn Joyong.
Ahn Joyong
[You’re right.]
[Then what is Manager Yoo’s identity?]
Jo Yonghan
[An industrial spy, maybe? ㅎ]
Ahn Joyong
[Hey, come on,]
[Don’t jokeㅋㅋ]
He sent ‘ㅋㅋ,’ but he probably wasn’t laughing. He was likely running to Seong Silhan right now, persuading him to eliminate Yoo Yeonseong next.
A reply from Yoo Yeonseong arrived at the perfect time.
Yoo Yeonseong
[To be honest, both the Team Leader and I suspected Seong Silhan,]
[but thinking about it, what Mr. Yonghan said makes sense.]
[Seong Silhan has never failed to answer a question.]
Jo Yonghan
[That’s right.]
I had already coordinated with Seong Silhan. Ahn Joyong would be eliminated first, then Yoo Yeonseong second.
“This is all the karma of the superiors who failed to build trust.”
No betrayals this round. Our team leader and deputy were escorted to the Silent Room in turn.
Watching the two dragged away, I thought of someone. That was the first time I realized I could dream sweetly even without sleeping.
***
The target wasn’t revealed until four out of the six people were eliminated. So now, even Seong Silhan must know. That I was the target.
Seong Silhan and I stepped out of the booths and sat facing each other at the table in the middle of the set where we first greeted each other.
Seong Silhan asked with a wry smile,
“Isn’t the game over now?”
“Why do you ask?”
When I asked back, Seong Silhan looked as if asking why I would even ask.
“If you choose me, no one will be left.”
“And you’re going to abstain?”
Seong Silhan’s eyes widened at my words.
“What are you going to do, leaving only me in this company? I’m the one who resigned, remember?”
Seong Silhan’s expression crumpled as I spoke with a smile.
“Ah…”
Seong Silhan sighed.
Jo Yonghan definitely resigned due to workplace harassment. He had three colleagues, and one of them sided with the perpetrator.
Then what about the other colleague?
That collegue was close enough to Jo Yonghan to participate in the company contest together, but didn’t openly display their friendship like So Moonnan and Yeong Yangga. He completely followed Jo Yonghan’s opinions without expressing his own.
The reason for that was probably…
“You suspected it, right? That Mr. Silhan was also harassed, but wasn’t the target.”
…Because he had figured out that Jo Yonghan, fighting and shouldering the burden for Seong Silhan as well, couldn’t endure it and left the company.
It also explained why Seong Silhan couldn’t nominate me first because evidence of being harassed was found in his room. He probably couldn’t step forward, thinking he was the victim and the target.
If the last employee revealed the target’s identity, the game ended in the participants’ victory.
However, judging by Seong Silhan’s current demeanor, he didn’t seem likely to reveal my identity even though he knew it. Because I could genuinely see… guilt in his eyes.
“A target winning is a cool twist too. Justice and all that. But how about this instead?”
“…?”
“Mr. Silhan nominates me, and I nominate Mr. Silhan. We both leave the company together!”
The people in the Silence Room and the production crew looked shocked.
Did they not anticipate an ending where everyone resigned together while making office content?
Seong Silhan fell into deep thought. Perhaps finding my trick appealing, he accepted my proposal after a brief deliberation.
“Alright. Then…”
Our eyes met over the table. As promised, Seong Silhan requested the final vote without outing me.
This vote was usually meaningless, so it wouldn’t normally happen. I could feel the cameras focusing on this rare situation.
『Voting has ended.』
A clear narration resonated. Seong Silhan smiled, looking tired but relieved.
However, his smile didn’t last long.
『Resigned employee, Jo Yonghan has been identified. Company security remains intact.』
Because I abstained. This meant Seong Silhan had caught the target.
“W-Why…?!”
Seong Silhan jumped up from his seat.
“Because, Mr. Silhan, you liked working here.”
He could have settled down in Germany, but he purposely returned to Korea, joined this company, voluntarily participated in the contest, and endured the harassment. That said a lot.
“There’s nothing to harass you anymore. So do what you want to do here.”
I handed him the USB containing our contest winning entry.
“Congratulations on winning!”
『Ordinary employee, Seong Silhan protects the company’s security.』
The narration overlapped my congratulations. The people confined in the Silence Room rushed to Seong Silhan and embraced him.
‘A heartwarming ending is good for a mystery, right?’
I cautiously approached Seong Silhan and gently hugged the man slightly shorter than me.
Mr. Han Gawoon of Parte, who played Seong Silhan, trembled slightly.
“…Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, sunbaenim.”
“And I’m sorry…”
I thought he was incredibly immersed in his character. It seemed he felt guilty towards me.
But come on—the dressing room scolding was forever ago. So was the chaos in IDC.
Seeing him holding onto such things and trying to repay me somehow made me think this friend’s life in the entertainment industry wouldn’t be easy.
Well, I let this slide because Parthe hadn’t released a new song recently. If there was competition for music video airtime, I wouldn’t have gone easy.
Anyway, the filming ended beautifully. On the way back, the manager and I picked up Choi Jeho, who had just finished filming a dance competition program, and returned to the dorm. It was a long day.