If you can't interpret this in five minutes, you risk losing your job. My manager, Scott, throws a pile of Japanese documents on my desk. Despite being a worldwide organization, even in our New York office, communication in Japanese is still required.
However, this seems like outright harassment. I feel like he's stuck in the Stone Age because everything is on paper. It would take at least half an hour just to read through this mound.
Why should he have the power to terminate me in the first place? Really, I give him a cunning smile and meet his eyes. "Are you even capable of firing me?
I don't mean to offend, but you're only a manager, right? " Scott freezes, as he should, taken by surprise. At that moment, multiple footsteps and the sound of high heels reverberate along the corridor.
A woman with jet-black hair rushes up to me as soon as the door opens and gives me a tight hug. Of course, I return the embrace and give her a quick kiss in greeting. All eyes turn to the bunch of savage guys standing behind her, and everyone in the room looks on in disbelief.
I'm 42 years old and go by Alan Smith. Although my job requires me to travel to several places, I typically reside in Japan. I still have a lot more locations to see, though, and I can't help but be struck by how big the world is.
I'm currently back in the United States, where I was born, for a variety of reasons, but even now that I'm back, I don't miss America all that much. To be honest, I don't remember much of my early years spent here. When I was in first grade, my parents separated, leaving my father and me alone.
I became resentful, since my mother's absence left our house feeling chilly and empty. However, I was treated kindly by a Japanese woman who was staying with a family in the neighborhood during that time, and I soon became close to her. Naturally, as I spent more time with her, I started learning Japanese.
In this sense, while being an American by birth, I spent a large portion of my youth immersed in Japanese culture and language. Calling it fate may seem theatrical, but I had the impression that a higher power was attempting to bind me to Japan. To complete the transaction, my mother then unexpectedly contacted me in the eighth grade and extended an invitation for me to visit Japan.
By that time, she was employed in Japan's fashion sector and had remarried a Japanese guy. When it came time to make decisions about my high school plans, my father, my homeroom teacher, and I got together to talk. "Allen has extraordinary intelligence and skill.
Anything he sets his mind to, he will succeed. Such opportunities are not often seen. Although I understand that it may be difficult for you, I believe he needs to visit Japan.
" "Well, I'll figure something out. If Allan goes, getting in the way of my son's future is the one thing I will never do. " I gave it careful thought and listened to the adults before deciding to travel to Japan.
I felt as though I would never be able to have that experience if I remained in America. I wasn't sure of anything at first, and I was totally lost. Fortunately, though, I had a big edge because I speak Japanese fluently.
My Japanese was refined and exquisite, as the woman who had taught it to me apparently hailed from a wealthy family. I was sometimes invited into the world of high society, and there were even rumors that I might be descended from nobility. However, equality has always been at the heart of my thinking, whether someone is a noble who's never known financial struggles or an immigrant working hard to make ends meet.
I see them all as respectable individuals. Living this way naturally drew people to me, and by the time I was in college, I had built an extensive network of connections. After graduating, I joined one of Japan's top department store chains, and that's where I met Arisa.
She was a stunning woman with jet-black hair, as beautiful as a movie star. For someone like me, short and a little on the chubby side, she fell far out of my league. But Arisa was head over heels for me, and I, too, came to see her as someone I wanted to cherish with all my heart.
After a year of a smooth and happy relationship, I married Arisa. My life was fulfilling both personally and professionally. Then trouble arose.
A whistleblower report revealed issues at the American branch of our company. To verify the truth of the matter firsthand, I decided to infiltrate the American branch myself. This time, the target was Scott Refurd, the sales manager of the American branch.
Scott graduated from a prestigious national university in Japan and started his career at a major bank. Five years ago, he was recruited from the bank to help establish the American branch of our company. A year later, he was appointed sales manager.
Now, at 38 years old and single, he's not a heavy drinker or anything, but he's not exactly sociable either. He has no friends to hang out with after work. According to the report sent to Japan, he seems to have a policy of avoiding unnecessary interactions with other employees.
From this point on, I need to stay close and investigate what kind of person he is and what exactly the issues might be. I considered sending one of my subordinates, but since this issue occurred in America, I decided to take the lead myself. Thus, I set foot in America for the first time in a long while.
The distinct atmosphere of America enveloped me. To be honest, I'm not particularly fond. of this air.
If it weren't for work, I wouldn't consider staying here for an extended period. For now, I sent my luggage to the hotel, hailed a cab, and headed straight to the American Branch. Our U.
S. branch operates three locations in Washington, New York, and Los Angeles, and is recognized as a major company, even in the American market. Although we haven't been in America for long, our brand has gained popularity as a part of Japanese culture, generating substantial profits, especially during holidays and special occasions.
The taxi carrying me stopped in front of our corporate building. I'd heard that the sales department was on the fifth floor, so I took the elevator straight there. The floor was fairly spacious, with enough distance between desks to provide breathing room.
However, I couldn't help but think that the lack of partitions between workstations might be a slight issue. For now, I headed toward the manager's desk at the back and called out to Scott. "My name is Alan Smith.
As of today, I've been assigned to the sales department at the American Branch. I'm a mid-career hire, so there are still many things I need to learn, but I'll do my best. I look forward to working with you.
" "Oh, so you're the guy I heard about. I was expecting someone a bit more impressive-looking, but you're just a short, stocky old man. Well, no time to waste.
We're heading to As's office, so you'll be driving the documents. " I had handed over to Scott intentionally omitted my exact academic background, presenting me simply as a mid-level employee. From day one, I played the role of an incompetent rookie.
Even with a GPS, I struggled on the roads of America, which had changed drastically since the last time I drove here. Not knowing any back roads, I ended up being 15 minutes late to the appointment despite leaving early. The client didn't seem particularly bothered, but Scott's anger was intense, turning the car ride back into something straight out of hell.
He berated me in English the entire way, jabbed me in the ribs with his elbow, and even slapped the back of my head with his hand. To make matters worse, there were still three more clients I had to visit for introductions. By the time I finished writing the reports and returned to the hotel, I collapsed into bed, sleeping like a rock.
Despite being treated as nothing more than a chauffeur on my first day, I began gathering information under Scott's nose. I actively joined my sales department colleagues for drinks, gradually learning more about the internal dynamics and relationships within the office. During one such drinking session, one of the employees grumbled, "I don't know what kind of achievements got him to where he is, but having a guy like that as a boss is a nightmare.
I honestly don't see anything remotely competent about him. " "Exactly. He has no compassion for his subordinates, and there's nothing about him that feels approachable.
But he's incredibly good at nitpicking others' faults. It's gotten to the point where just coming to work feels dreadful. " In any case, Scott's reputation within the sales department was abysmal.
Given his academic background and previous job, he could be considered a so-called elite, and he was certainly aware of it. However, working with him revealed that his only standout skill was taking credit for others' accomplishments. His actual ability seemed far lower than what the public or recruiters in the industry might expect.
Spending more time near him, I also realized that Scott was quite the Japanophile. Perhaps the reason he accepted the offer to join the company was simply because the headquarters was in Japan. During breaks, he would brew green tea with an expensive-looking teapot and indulge in it as if it were some grand ritual.
But his Japanese was difficult to understand, and whenever someone spoke better Japanese than him, his hostility would be palpable. As a result, the other employees were careful around him. One day, I had the opportunity to answer a work call and spoke in Japanese for a while.
When I hung up and looked up, there was Scott standing beside me, his face twisted into a terrifying expression. "You never mentioned you could speak Japanese. Have you lived in Japan for a long time?
" "No, not really. I just enjoy Japanese movies, that's all. " "Don't lie!
There's no way watching movies could make you that fluent! You don't trust your boss, do you? " "Fine.
If that's the case, I'll treat you accordingly. " From that day on, Scott became openly hostile toward me. He started assigning me unnecessarily time-consuming tasks, turning my workload into a grueling nightmare just because I was more proficient in Japanese than he was.
He resorted to these petty acts of harassment; it only proved how small-minded he truly was. Scott seemed determined to convince everyone around us that my Japanese skills weren't as good as they seemed. Of course, no one else cared who spoke better Japanese, but for Scott, it was a monumental issue.
That afternoon, a video conference with the headquarters in Japan was scheduled, limited to department heads. Exhausted from pulling an all-nighter to input data into the computer, I was already at my limit. Then Scott approached my desk and dumped a mountain of Japanese documents onto it.
"If you can't translate this in five minutes, you're fired! " Apparently, the documents were materials for the meeting with headquarters that Scott had volunteered to handle entirely on his own and then had someone print out. But this could only be described as harassment.
The fact that it was all on paper made him seem outdated, and the sheer volume—enough to take 30 minutes just to read through—was ridiculous. Even the most talented translator couldn't finish this in five minutes, and the meeting was fast approaching. I felt an uncontrollable surge of.
. . Anger repeatedly harassing the coworker just because we didn't get along, threatening to fire me.
This was the behavior of an incompetent man, and why should I, of all people, have to fear being fired by someone like him? By now, I had already completed my mission of gathering all the data related to the misconduct at the American branch. Everything that needed to be done was done, and in a few days, I planned to vanish without a trace.
After that, I’d leave the rest of the experts and wait for the report back in Japan. But before that, I wanted to see Scott utterly frustrated. I intentionally put on a sly grin and stared directly at him.
"Do you even have the authority to fire me? No offense, but aren't you just a manager? " Even Scott couldn't hide his discomfort, suppressing a grunt.
Just then, the sound of high heels and numerous footsteps echoed down the hallway. The moment the door opened, a woman with jet black hair rushed in and threw her arms around me. I instinctively embraced her and greeted her with a light kiss, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Everyone in the room turned pale as they noticed a group of brawny men standing behind her. The woman with jet black hair was none other than my wife, Arisa. Standing at 5'9" with strikingly bold features, she always stood out in a crowd.
She's 38 now, but during her late teens and early 20s, she had juggled school with a career as a model. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I’m only 5'5" tall and have a stocky build. Whenever the two of us went out together, we often received curious stares—not that it mattered to either of us; we couldn't care less what others thought.
I had told Arisa that I was on a business trip and returned to America alone, making sure to video call her every night from the hotel. She’s a bit of a clingy person, and every night she'd tell me, "I wish you'd come home soon," which was honestly a little difficult to handle. And then, as it turns out, she couldn't bear the loneliness any longer and came to America herself.
In fluent English, Arisa spoke to me, exasperated but playful. "If you were going to come to America, why didn’t you bring me along? You know how much I love America.
" "You're right, I'm sorry, but this is an important job. Even if we had come together, I wouldn't have been able to spend much time with you. " "I'm fine being left alone.
Just being in the same place as you, breathing the same air makes me happy. " When Arisa speaks English, she directly translates the first words that come to mind in her native language. Because of that, her English can sometimes sound a bit dramatic or overly poetic.
Still, whether in English or Japanese, her love for America always comes through in a way that's pleasant to hear. Maybe I’m biased because I’m in love with her, but I tend to be more forgiving when it comes to evaluating her language skills. At that moment, Scott cut in.
"Arisa, didn't you hate America? When I asked you out, you turned me down saying, ‘That's why I don't like Americans. ’" "I never said I disliked all Americans.
I just don't like you. I've always loved America as a country and its culture, but I didn't marry Allan because he's American. I married him because he's Allan.
" Arisa has always had a deep admiration for America. She even graduated from one of the public Ivies in America. I was genuinely surprised to learn that Arisa and Scott had met before.
She had once told me about a male classmate who persistently pursued her during college, but I never imagined that person was Scott. Arisa first came to America when she was in third grade. Her father was a huge admirer of America, but he moved his family there to seek medical treatment for his frail wife.
Miraculously, after continued treatment, her mother's health improved rapidly, and within a year, she had made a full recovery. Deeply moved by this, Arisa's father developed a strong attachment to America and began visiting frequently. Arisa, too, grew to love the country that had healed her mother and eventually came back as an exchange student in middle school.
When it was time for high school, she chose to stay in America instead of returning to Japan. Her striking beauty, jet black hair, and elegant features quickly made her well known in high school, and she later went on to attend an American university. That's why she speaks fluent English and communicates with me so effortlessly.
Maybe in some way, the fact that I'm American was part of the reason she chose to marry me. But considering she passed over someone like Scott, who could be considered conventionally handsome, and instead chose someone as plain looking as me, I have to say Arisa is definitely one of a kind. Scott clearly wasn't happy about it.
"Why him? How did I lose to a guy who looks like that? What kind of tricks does a man like you have to pull to win over a woman like her?
" I didn't really know what to tell him. Maybe it's just that for Arisa, I was the one, and for me, she was the only one on this planet. Scott's jaw dropped in disbelief, his expression frozen in shock.
That's when I finally realized that the surrounding employees had been listening to the entire exchange. I felt a bit embarrassed, but at this point, it was time to reveal my true identity to everyone. Luckily, Scott ended up doing it for me, so I didn't have to say a word.
"You're married to Arisa! That means you're part of the executive board, aren't you? " I knew the chairman had a thing for America, but I never imagined he'd let his daughter marry someone like you.
Executive board? No, I hold the highest position here. The former chairman collapsed, and his son-in-law stepped in as his successor.
As an employee, you should already know that, shouldn't you? Ora's father, my father-in-law, was the chairman of this department store chain. From the moment I married Arisa, it was already decided that I would eventually take on the responsibility of leading the company.
Scott looked utterly baffled, his expression frozen in disbelief. "What makes you and me so different? I'm a serious man, and I have the height to stand next to Arisa without embarrassing her.
" "Oh, so what you're really trying to say is that you're handsome? You're ridiculous. Women don't choose their husbands based on height or looks—at least I don't.
And honestly, marrying Allan has made me the happiest woman in the world. " Scott was left speechless, unable to come up with a retort. Scott, who had always been a fan of Japanese culture, now found himself face to face with a tall, jet-black-haired beauty of the same age as him.
What's more, they had been in the same university and the same department. It was impossible for her not to catch his eye. It wasn't hard to imagine that plenty of confident men had confessed their feelings to her back then, but Terisa had never thought of herself as particularly beautiful; she was completely indifferent to her own looks.
Scott had, to some extent, already made peace with the fact that it was all in the past. What bothered Scott more was the fact that I, the chairman of the company, had gone out of my way to return to America and engage in what seemed like espionage. Scott refrained from persistently pressing the issue about Ora and instead redirected his focus and frustration toward me.
"Why did you hide your identity and show up in front of me like this? If you're the chairman of the company, why not just live a comfortable life in Japan? " "It's true that under normal circumstances, the only time I'd return to America would be around New Year's.
However, the stage for the first major problem since I became chairman was set in America. Even though I live in Japan and have a Japanese wife, the patriotism deep within me has never disappeared. Sure, I don't hold particularly strong feelings for America, but that doesn't mean my roots have changed.
They never will. Living abroad, I'm reminded every day of the fact that I am American. No matter how much I love Japan, I can never truly become Japanese.
At the end of the day, I'm still an American, and there's no way I can simply ignore the country that shaped who I am. When a major scandal erupted at one of our branches here in America—a place so deeply tied to my identity—I couldn't just turn a blind eye. While I have plenty of trustworthy subordinates, I felt a strong need to see the situation with my own eyes.
In reality, the issue hasn't surfaced publicly yet. Our department store chain has maintained steady sales and is gradually expanding, even amidst the unstable global economy. However, as the saying goes, a single tiny anol can bring down a great dam; even the smallest issue can shake the very foundation.
This mission required someone who was either American or fluent in English, so I decided that if I were to conduct an undercover investigation in America, I might as well see everything with my own eyes. That's how I volunteered for the role of spy. When I first heard Scott's name, it didn't ring a bell.
As the chairman of a global department store chain, it wouldn't have been unusual for me to know the names of department heads at the American branch. However, since he wasn't a founding member of the branch but rather someone recruited later through headhunting, I let it slide. If the allegations turned out to be true, I initially thought I might extend some leniency after considering Scott's personality.
At first, I approached him with that level of kindness and understanding, but sadly, after dealing with him firsthand, it became clear that he wasn't someone deserving of such compassion. On top of that, I had no idea about his connection with Arisa during their university days here. I couldn't afford to make the wrong decision; ensuring that this wouldn't negatively impact future management was critical.
I lowered my gaze to Scott's wrist, noticing the watch he was wearing. "By the way, are you a collector of luxury watches? You seem to have quite the knowledge about them.
" Scott's shoulders twitched slightly and his face turned visibly pale. "No, I wouldn't say I have any special knowledge. I'd own three or four watches as a hobby, but they're not exactly the most expensive ones.
Besides, with your position, you must meet Arab billionaires now and then, right? Surely their collections are far superior. It's well known that wealthy individuals consider luxury watches as part of their assets, and those kinds of high-end timepieces aren't typically sold in regular department stores.
In America, the watches that American collectors covet are in the range of hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars. Even at the three American branches of our company, watches in that price range are part of the inventory. But if those items were ever funneled elsewhere or misappropriated, it would cause a massive scandal capable of shaking the entire American branch.
I fixed my gaze firmly on Scott's eyes. The reason I infiltrated the American branch was due to allegations of luxury watches being siphoned off within the branch. A whistleblower brought the issue to me as the chairman, and after discussions with the executive board, it was decided that I would conduct.
. . " The investigation itself, the president of the American Branch fully cooperated with this investigation, allowing me access to the hidden ledger data that Scott had been concealing.
With that, I was able to secure solid evidence. I pulled a small USB drive out of my pocket and gave it a slow wave. "Is that the hidden ledger data?
Exactly. All the evidence is right here. " I nodded firmly, gripping the USB drive tightly before slipping it back into my pocket.
"If the former chairman finds out that such corruption was taking place at the American Branch he loved so much, he would be heartbroken. On top of that, I've also gotten a good look at the atmosphere within the branch. All of this will serve as valuable insight for the future growth of our company.
What's going to happen to me? I'm willing to accept a salary cut; just don't fire me. When I was promoted to sales manager, I went ahead and built a house.
If I'm fired, I won't be able to pay off the mortgage. " His personal circumstances, however, were none of my concern. The former chairman had chosen to establish our first overseas branch in America because of his deep affection for the country.
Knowing that such an incident had occurred at the American Branch would undoubtedly sadden him greatly. As an American, I felt an overwhelming sense of shame. "My role here ends now; the rest will be left to the president of the American Branch.
So at least handle the situation with sincerity from here on out. Even while living in Japan, I've never forgotten my sense of patriotism. You two should carry both pride and responsibility for being an American.
" "Pride and responsibility," I think I'm starting to understand why Arisa chose you and why you're the leader of a global department store chain. There really are Americans like you out there. Somehow we could both sense each other's feelings in that moment.
If we had met sooner, we might not have ended up as adversaries like this. I couldn't help but wonder if Scott had met me earlier in life; perhaps he wouldn't have grown into someone so disliked by everyone. Scott didn't seem to fully realize how his sarcastic personality and petty tendencies had shaped him.
Had someone pointed it out to him earlier in his life, he might have changed his way of thinking and made more friends along the way. That said, Scott was still in his 30s. I wanted to believe he still had plenty of opportunities to turn his life around.
At that moment, the assistant sales manager approached me with an apologetic expression. "Well, the video conference with headquarters is about to start. What should we do?
" "There's no need for the meeting anymore. The issue has been resolved. Besides, the whole point of that meeting was just a distraction to keep Scott from noticing the investigation.
It's all over then. Now I finally have my Allen all to myself again. " I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close, then walked out of the sales floor with confidence.
Our bodyguards silently followed behind us. I would never return to this place again. The data I gathered served as undeniable proof: luxury watches were indeed being siphoned off from the American Branch.
Scott had been drowning in debt, and he had orchestrated the scheme to cover his financial losses. From here on out, I would hand things over to the president of the American Branch and return to my regular work as expected. Scott was promptly fired.
The case was taken to civil court, and Scott was sentenced to spend the rest of his life repaying the company. But why did Scott need so much money in the first place? As it turned out, he had become infatuated with a woman who worked at a nightclub and had been funneling the embezzled money to her.
Rumor had it that she bore a striking resemblance to a woman from his past—jet black hair and similar features. Scott had genuinely fallen for her and was even considering marriage. However, whenever the topic of marriage came up, she would skillfully dodge the conversation, keeping the relationship strictly as employee and client.
She must have known that maintaining that dynamic allowed her to extract the maximum amount of money from him. In the end, the moment she found out Scott had been fired, she vanished without a trace. When I returned to Japan and reported everything, my father-in-law simply sighed and said, "It's a story as old as time.
" He reassured me, adding, "This won't make me hate America. " His words reminded me of my responsibility, not just to him, but to all the employees working for our company worldwide. I knew I had to work even harder.
As for what became of Scott afterward, I began hearing rumors from employees at the American Branch. He needed to find another job to pay back the company, but securing employment proved difficult. On top of that, after pouring so much money into his dream woman only for her to disappear without a word, he developed a deep mistrust of women.
His life spiraled downward. Unable to make ends meet, he was ultimately forced to sell the brand new house he had just purchased. Perhaps that home was meant to be the place where he and the woman he adored would start their life together.
Even then, Scott was still far from repaying his debts. In desperation, he turned to underground lenders; their collection methods were ruthless. Before he could fully pay back what he owed, Scott disappeared without a trace.
No one knows where he is or what he's doing now. Two years have passed since then, and our family has grown. We welcomed a daughter into our lives.
Wanting a name that could also be written in Chinese characters, we named her Maria. With such an adorable granddaughter, my father-in-law has completely embraced his role as a doting grandfather. Recently, Arisa and Maria appeared in an advertisement for our globally recognized company, drawing widespread attention.
Our family has now become a symbol of admiration across the world. To protect this happiness and to make it even greater, I intend to continue striving forward.
