BVSM 02

Chapter 02

I swallowed hard and opened my mouth.

“…Sorry, my throat tightened for a moment. I’ll continue with my answer.”

The final method for survival.

For now, just obey meekly.

After clearing my throat, I began answering as cautiously as Aiden had demanded.

“Seven years ago, when the Irehn flower—a specialty of Doguk—became popular in the Empire, some merchants deceitfully distributed seeds of a similar-looking poisonous herb. So I…”

“I already know the background. What I’m curious about is how you distinguished the ‘fakes.’”

Aiden cut me off sharply and added coolly,

“Surely you’re not claiming that you, at just fourteen years old, had botanical knowledge?”

‘Look at his manners.’

Is this an interview or an interrogation?

My expression nearly cracked, but I barely managed to keep smiling.

“No.”

“I thought so. Then…”

“It wasn’t a matter of botanical knowledge in the first place. The sacks containing the seeds were suspicious from the start.”

The Irehn flower was a nationwide trend, so many Imperial citizens had suffered losses from fake seeds.

But not a single incident occurred with the seeds distributed through the small port city of Sirena, where I lived.

“You said sacks?”

“Yes. Seeds sensitive to moisture require double-layered, moisture-proof sacks. But the shipment that day came in single-layer sacks. I thought there was no way such a precious cargo would be packed so carelessly.”

As soon as I noticed something off, I tore open every sack and inspected them.

It was a classic testing method—floating the seeds in water. It took several times longer than usual, but it was worth it.

“As a result of the full inspection, I discovered they were all counterfeit and was able to take action.”

‘Actually, the sacks weren’t the only strange thing. The expressions of the Doguk sailors carrying the cargo were also unusual.’

But adding such details would only make the answer longer.

So I closed my mouth there and nervously watched Aiden.

His eyes, scanning my resume and recommendation letters, were devoid of emotion. That made it even more unsettling.

His face had not a trace of warmth, and his eyes lacked any kindness—he seemed less like a person and more like some artificial being.

‘When will this end? Still, it feels like the interview has been going on for quite a while.’

“Just one last question.”

Finally!

Composing my expression, I nodded calmly, feigning composure.

“You said earlier that you didn’t know what kind of trading company <La Mar> is.”

Damn.

Before I realized Aiden’s identity, I had said something like that.

But I had no chance to gather information. I’d lived in a rural port town and had only arrived in the capital a few days ago.

‘I was too desperate for a job to look into what the company trades. And even if I had, this company is so secretive that a mere job-seeker like me wouldn’t have found out anyway.’

“Then why did you apply?”

I quickly racked my brain.

‘The original story’s timeline is a year from now. The information I know is from around that period.’

So speaking vaguely about what <La Mar> currently does would be suicide.

But giving a safe answer like “I want an opportunity to grow” wouldn’t work either.

‘I can’t afford to get hired. I need to fail this interview!’

So what should I do?

‘I have no choice but to be honest.’

An answer came to mind that was consistent with what I’d just said, yet something an employer would hate the most.

The truth was, my reason for applying despite knowing nothing about <La Mar> was obvious.

“Because the job posting said you guarantee the highest salary in the industry.”

“So, money?”

“Yes. Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but after seeing this place, I thought it might not be a lie. And it seemed like you wouldn’t delay wages either.”

“Ha.”

Was that a dry laugh?

“What made you think that?”

Aiden asked, then lowered his gaze back to the documents.

It seemed like a routine question. Or maybe he was so dumbfounded that it slipped out.

Whatever. I just needed to answer and get out of here. I said the first thing that caught my eye.

“Because you use real blackwood desks.”

“…What did you say?”

“Blackwood. It’s a species that grows very slowly, taking nearly a hundred years to reach a size suitable for a desk. So it’s extremely expensive.”

That’s why even wealthy people often use dark wood painted black instead of blackwood.

With good dye, it’s hard to tell the difference with the naked eye.

“But not only in your office—all the desks in the workspace are real blackwood. So I thought, ‘They probably don’t miss payroll.’”

“You noticed that just by looking, the moment you came for the interview?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

To be precise, I could tell because I’d seen so many black-painted darkwood furniture pieces during quality inspections.

This was my first time seeing real blackwood. But it had a subtle, luxurious, and smooth sheen.

‘No wonder he’s the villain. His office is all black—I only noticed because I was looking around.’

Come to think of it, not only his clothes but his entire office was drenched in black.

Is this how he expresses his true nature so no one forgets he’s the antagonist?

At this point, it’s not a taste—it’s an obsession. Half exasperated, I politely asked,

“So, are you done with the questions?”

“…Yes. We’ll contact you through the referral agency.”

“Thank you.”

As I turned to leave, I thought:

Well.

I’m not getting a call.

‘I thought I’d suffocate.’

Only after backing out and closing the office door could I breathe deeply.

Still, I’m relieved.

‘I’m definitely rejected, right? It has to be. Aiden didn’t seem particularly fond of me.’

I have pretty good intuition about these things.

Even without knowledge of the original story, I had a gut feeling the moment I entered the interview room. It was going to be tough to pass.

And I even stumbled during the interview, so the outcome was obvious.

‘He wouldn’t harm me just because I did poorly on the interview, would he…? It bothers me that I handed over all my personal information myself, but I can’t exactly sneak it back out.’

Adjusting my glasses and tidying my clothes, I walked down the corridor.

Someone was leaning against the doorway in the distance. It was the employee who had greeted me when I first knocked on <La Mar>’s door.

“How did the interview go?”

“Haha, I wish I could say it went well.”

“Our boss isn’t easy, is he?”

Despite his somewhat rough appearance, he spoke to me in a friendly manner. His name was Luther.

I suppressed the urge to grimly agree and answered, forcing a smile.

“I learned a lot. It was a good experience.”

He seemed surprised by my answer.

‘Oh…’ Luther stared at me for a moment, then grinned.

“Alright then, you’ve worked hard. Here’s your interview fee.”

Before I could even take it, Luther slipped an envelope into my bag and waved.

“Now, take care.”

Finally, I stepped out of <La Mar>.

The company’s logo was engraved on the closed door.

I stared at the waves, the craggy rocks, and the silhouette of someone sitting on the rocks in the logo, then let out a hollow laugh.

“Mr. Mason always said the capital folks aren’t trustworthy. And here I run into the number one untrustworthy one.”

The owner of my previous workplace, <Mason Trading Company>, Mason, and I had grown quite close over seven years.

Even so, I came to the capital because Mason retired.

Traveling the world after retirement was his long-cherished dream, but he hesitated because he worried about me losing my job. A few days ago, I half-pushed him out the door and said goodbye.

Straightening my expression, I started walking again with energy.

“First, back to the job referral agency.”

Running into Aiden was shocking, but I had to do what needed to be done.

I have debts. And they’re with vicious loan sharks.

‘The principal is about 200 million gold, but the monthly interest alone is 5 million gold. …That’s practically an impossible amount to pay back.’

It was my father’s gambling debt, so legally, it can’t be forgiven.

That’s why I need to find a job as quickly as possible.

‘Come to think of it, how much was the interview fee?’

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the job posting.

[※ Industry’s top-level salary guaranteed]

[※ Paid during probationary period (1 month)]

The salary terms were tempting, but—

[※ Interview fee paid immediately]

—it was this interview fee that made me apply more than anything.

I was in immediate need of money.

‘To be honest, just because a company uses expensive furnishings doesn’t necessarily mean they pay well. And besides, it’s that Aiden. I shouldn’t get my hopes up…’

But just as I found the envelope and picked it up—

“Huh? With this thickness…?