As of right now, you're fired. My manager abruptly announced my termination when I got to work. I had anticipated having another typical day—putting up with the typical snark from my boss, completing my work, and going back to my dilapidated empty apartment.
How did this happen? A woman was waiting for me when I arrived home. "You're home early.
" "That's right. " I didn't realize at the time that meeting the homeless woman would fundamentally alter my life. Ryan is my name.
I work at an office. “Well done. Today I'm leaving.
” “You're done for the day, Ryan. Would you like to join me for a drink? ” My coworker, who must have finished at the same moment, yelled out to me just as I was ready to go.
I paused for a moment, considering what I was going to do that night. “Nah, I'll pass. ” “You're no fun, man.
Come on, you don't even have a girlfriend, is there at home? You're just going to be bored, right? In fact, the supermarket is having a bargain; I want to get more supplies.
” “You sound so much like a housewife. ” “Wow. In any case, I'll invite you again later.
Sorry about that. ” Luckily, my refusal didn't seem to offend him. Ryan is my name.
I'm an office worker who is 25 years old. I live a very impoverished existence; evening grocery sales are my greatest ally. Naturally, I don't have a girlfriend while I live this way.
I live a lonely, unmarried life. There's no need to hurry, I remind myself. I'm only 25.
But, to be honest, it's sort of disheartening that I've never had a girlfriend in my life. That being said, I can't just find one overnight. I keep working hard at my job and going about my everyday business because I need to organize my life first.
I noticed the office was unusually noisy one day when I got to work. “Good morning! What's happening?
” “Oh, Ryan. I just heard the company president passed away from an illness. ” “The head of state like that?
Even I find it hard to believe. Right now, the entire business is in disarray. Nobody is going to do much today.
” “Yeah, if the president's gone, what happens to the company? ” “Logically, his successor will take over as the new president. ” But our department manager, Mark, trailed off mid-sentence.
After a brief pause, he forced a neutral expression and said, “Well, the company will probably survive somehow. ” “What was that about? ” A few days after the president's passing, we were all called together for a meeting.
A man we had never seen before appeared before us. “Everyone here? All right, let me introduce myself.
I'm Brandon Mitchell, the son of the former president. From today onward, I will take over as the new president of this company. ” “The president's son?
I had no idea he had a son. ” Well, if that's the case, it makes sense that he takes over. But I noticed a few people around me looking uneasy.
All of them were longtime employees, including Mark. “What's going on? ” It didn't take long for me to find out.
“So, Mr Mitchell made another unilateral decision? ” “Yes, what should we do? ” “Let’s put that on hold for now.
Take these documents to the department head and have them proceed with this instead. ” “Understood. ” It had been a few days since Brandon took over as president.
Ever since then, the company had been in constant turmoil. Mark, the department manager, looked completely exhausted. “Good morning.
Are you all right? ” “Oh yeah, thanks, man. Mr Mitchell is really giving us a hard time.
Things seem pretty rough. Mr Mitchell has no clue about running a company. I remember the previous president once muttering that he was worried about letting his son take over.
” “What? Seriously? So that means our company's management right now is basically running without him?
The executives, senior managers, and department heads are all scrambling just to keep things afloat? ” I had no idea things were that bad. “I'm sorry I didn't notice.
If there's anything I can do to help, even just a little, let me know. ” “Thanks, just hearing that means a lot. I never imagined Mr Mitchell would be this kind of person.
Is our company really going to be okay like this? ” As I was mulling over my concerns, an even bigger problem was waiting for me. When I returned from an external sales visit, I saw Mr Mitchell walking toward me from the front.
“Hello, sir. ” “Yeah, hey. What's your name?
” “Oh, Ryan. ” I never expected him to ask for my name. It's not like our company has a massive number of employees.
I figured as president he'd at least know that much. Mr Mitchell stared at me, his gaze filled with an unpleasant sense of scrutiny. “Oh, what is it?
How old are you? You can't be much younger than me, right? ” “I'm 25.
” “25? So we're the same age, huh? And you're still just a regular employee?
” Did he just scoff at me? No, maybe I imagined it. “No way, right?
Aren't you embarrassed? You're 25 and still a nobody while I'm already a company president? ” “Oh, well that's because your father was the previous president.
It's all because of my own ability. A lowly employee like you could never understand my struggles. ” Spitting those words out, Mr Mitchell walked off briskly.
I just stood there, stunned. Did he just completely mock me? No, there's no doubt about it; he looked down on me.
And this is our new president? Now I fully understood why Mark and the others were so stressed out. Even after that, Mr Mitchell continued running the company however he pleased.
The executives were constantly arguing—clearly overwhelmed—while the rest of us could only watch in concern. And for some reason, Mr Mitchell started singling. .
. "Me out, pestering me at every turn. Ryan slacking off already at this hour?
No, it's my break time! Break time! That kind of lazy attitude is exactly why you're still just an entry-level employee.
Hard work is what makes you valuable to a company; right now, you're nothing but a leech. " He nagged me about this kind of thing every single day, and my stress wasn't coming from work anymore—it was all because of Mr Mitchell, even though he couldn't even manage the company properly. How many times had I wanted to say that to his face?
But in the end, I could never muster the courage to speak up. Instead, I just muttered a quiet "I'm sorry" and escaped the situation day after day. Knowing him, saying the wrong thing could get me fired on the spot.
Losing my job suddenly would be a huge problem; I'm already living in poverty, so I can't afford to lose my income. But the stress kept piling up. To clear my head, I started spending more time at a nearby park.
I didn't do much there, but listening to the rustling trees and chirping birds helped soothe me. On weekends, I'd see kids playing, running around with boundless energy. Watching them always brought a small smile to my face.
Since I couldn't afford any vacations, I had to find ways to unwind close to home. Then one day, on my way home from work, I glanced at the park and noticed a woman sitting alone on a bench. It was already past 8:00 p.
m. because I had stayed late at work. What was she doing here at this hour?
She was dressed lightly, despite the cold; she looked freezing. It's winter! I should check on her.
"Please don't call the cops on me," she said. "Um, what are you doing here so late? " "Oh, I'm not doing anything, really.
" "You'll catch a cold dressed like that, and it's dangerous for a woman to be out alone at this hour. " "I'm fine. " No matter what I said, she insisted she was okay, but she was clearly shivering, and there was something off about the way she stubbornly refused help.
Was she in some kind of trouble? "Really, don't worry about me. " "Oh, see?
You're already sneezing, and the weather forecast says it's going to snow soon! " "Snow? " "You should warm up.
" "Uh, um, do you want to use my bath or something? " As soon as I said it, I realized how weird it sounded—me, saying that to a woman I just met. She had every right to call the cops on me!
Just as panic started to set in, the woman hesitated for a moment and then gave a small nod. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate it. " "Eh, uh, are you sure?
" Her response caught me completely off guard, and I ended up blurting out something weird again. "No, no, that totally sounded like I had ulterior motives! " Frantically waving my hands in front of me, I tried to recover.
"No, it's not a problem at all. My place is really close. " "Thank you; you're really kind.
" I mean, I couldn't just ignore a woman freezing out here, but not everyone would be so kind to a total stranger. "Oh, well, thanks anyway! My place is this way.
" My voice came out louder than I intended, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. Flustered, I quickened my pace, leading her toward my apartment. While she was in the bath, I scrambled to clean up my place.
I'd never had a girlfriend, so this was the first time I'd ever invited a woman over, and a single guy's apartment wasn't exactly the cleanest place. At the very least, I needed to make it look somewhat presentable. As I rushed to tidy up, I suddenly heard a voice behind me.
"Thank you for letting me use your bath. I feel warm and refreshed now. " "Oh, that's great to hear!
" I hadn't noticed in the dim light of the park earlier, but she was absolutely stunning. I just led a gorgeous woman into my apartment! My heart started pounding.
Come to think of it, why was she alone in the park so late at night? "Um, I hope this isn't too personal, but why were you at the park by yourself? " "Ah, well, sorry if you don't want to talk about it; that's totally fine.
I was just worried. " "I see, thank you. Actually, I have nowhere to go.
" "Nowhere to go? Wait, does that mean—? " "Haha, yeah.
I guess you could say I'm homeless. " She gave a small, troubled smile, and I was left speechless. How did this happen?
Did she have no one to turn to? How long had she been in this situation? I had so many questions, but the first thing that slipped out of my mouth was, "Uh, um, if you're okay with it, you can stay here—at least for now.
" "Huh? You don't have anywhere to stay, right? But it's winter, and sleeping outside would be dangerous.
I can't just lead you out there, and staying in a hotel would be expensive. " "Are you sure? " "Yeah, though I have to warn you—I’m pretty broke too, so I can't offer much in the way of hospitality.
" "Haha, thank you! I'm really glad I ran into you at the park. Um, may I ask your name?
" "Oh, I never introduced myself. Sorry about that. I'm Ryan, and you?
" "Ryan? My name is Sarah. Nice to meet you.
" "Nice to meet you too! " I had invited her to stay in the heat of the moment, but after hearing she was homeless, I just couldn't turn her away. Yeah, this was an act of kindness—just helping someone in need, right?
Even though the idea of living under the same roof as a beautiful woman made me nervous, I kept telling myself it was the right thing. To do while I was at work: Sarah started taking care of the household chores. At first, I told her she didn't have to, but she insisted, saying, "I feel bad just staying here without doing anything.
" I guess it must have been uncomfortable for her to live here without contributing somehow, and honestly, coming home to find my chores already done made my life a lot easier. "Hi, I'm home! " "Welcome back!
I found a great deal on napa cabbage today, so I made Hot Pot. " "Really? That's perfect!
It was freezing outside today—Hot Pot is feeling warm inside. " I headed to my room to change. It wasn't just the food; having someone say "Welcome home" when I walked through the door and not having to cook for myself—it all felt so nice.
At first, I was constantly on edge around her, but now I was getting used to having Sarah around. "Wow, tonight's Hot Pot looks amazing! " "Hit!
Everything in it was on sale. " "Seriously? But it looks so fancy!
" "You're really talented, Sarah. " "Thank you. I had left all the shopping and cooking to her, but knowing how broke I was, she always made sure to buy only discounted ingredients.
Her thoughtfulness meant a lot to me, and since I was used to eating alone, meals with Sarah always felt so much more enjoyable. " "Ha! If only there were someone as considerate as you at my workplace.
" "Sounds like your job is tough. " "Oh, well, yeah. Our previous president passed away recently, and the new one—well, let's just say he's been causing a lot of problems.
" "I see. But even so, you shouldn't push yourself too hard. " "Thanks.
I appreciate it. " Even when I accidentally let out complaints about work, Sarah never seemed annoyed; she just listened patiently. She was so kind.
I never got around to asking, but how did she end up homeless? Talking to Sarah eased my mind a lot. Maybe that's why my performance at work started improving.
"Ryan, have you finished summarizing those documents? " "Yes, I have. I also made some adjustments to make them easier to read.
" "What do you think? " "Adjustments? Oh, this is great!
It took time to find specific information before, but now everything is right where it needs to be. " "Thanks. " "No problem.
I just want to be helpful to you and the team. " "Ah, I'm really lucky to have a subordinate like you. " Gradually, I started receiving more praise from Mark.
Living with Sarah had taught me the importance of consideration. Would this make things easier to read? Would this help my co-workers?
The more I put thought into my work, the more others appreciated it, and the more satisfied I felt with my own efforts. It helped in my day-to-day tasks and even when I was out on sales visits. "As my work performance improved, however, Ryan, you've been doing well lately, haven't you?
" "Good evening, sir. " "As a junior employee, working hard should be a given. Don't start thinking you're special just because you're finally pulling your weight.
" "I know that. " "Good. In that case, I have more work for you: get these reports summarized by tomorrow.
" "Wait, what? This isn't just one day's worth of work! I need time to gather the data.
" "A capable employee like you should be able to handle it, and if you can't finish in a day, just stay at the office until it's done. " "You can't be serious! Besides, a low-level employee leaving on time or after just an hour of overtime is ridiculous.
That's just laziness! " This was beyond unreasonable, and from the looks of it, the work was actually urgent. Everyone else seemed too swamped to help.
"Fine. I guess I have no choice. " I hated Mr Mitchell, but I still cared about this company.
The previous president had treated me well, too. In the end, I didn't get to go home until past midnight. To my surprise, when I arrived, Sarah was still awake.
"Welcome home! You're really late. Are you okay?
" "Sarah, you're still up? " "Yes. You weren't coming home, so I was getting worried.
" "Sorry, I had no choice but to work overtime. " "Did Mr Mitchell make you do it again? " "Uh, yeah.
" "You really see right through me. " "Uh, not really; I just had a feeling. It's late, but do you still want dinner?
" "Yeah, sorry for making you wait. " "It's fine. Don't worry about it; I'll warm it up right away.
" I felt bad for making her worry. How long is this going to continue? My only real source of stress was Mr Mitchell.
A few days later, when I arrived at work, my eyes widened at what I found on my desk: a termination notice. On my desk lay a termination notice; my name was carefully written on it, clear as day. There was only one person who could have done this.
Grabbing the paper roughly, I strode toward the president's office. "Mr Mitchell! " "Wha—what's with the sudden shouting?
What's the meaning of this? " "Leaving a termination notice on my desk—a termination notice? This… you're the one who issued it, aren't you?
" I thrust the paper toward him, but his expression remained puzzled. "I didn't do this. " "Then who did?
You're the only one who had it out for me! " "Doesn't matter what you say. I don't know anything about it.
Someone else must have done it. " Was he really telling the truth? If this was his doing, I expected him to smirk and say something like, "Well, I guess you're fired!
" But his reaction was far from that; it threw me off a little. "So then, who put this on my desk? " As I stood there confused, Mr Mitchell straightened up and spoke again.
"Well, since the termination notice exists, you have to leave the company anyway. So even though you didn't issue it, you're still firing me. " "That's right.
If someone…" Went through the trouble of preparing it; I have to respect that decision. This made no sense, but the document was real. Arguing any further would be pointless.
With no other option, I packed up my belongings and left the company. How was I supposed to tell Sarah about this? That thought was all I could focus on.
I never imagined I'd lose my job so suddenly. "I'm home. " "Welcome back!
You're home early today. " "Sorry, I got fired. " I decided to be honest and tell her everything: how I found the termination notice on my desk this morning, how I confronted Mr Mitchell only for him to claim he had nothing to do with it, and how despite that, I was still let go because the document existed.
After I finished explaining, Sarah gave me a small smile. "I'm sorry for how sudden this all was. " "Hot?
That termination notice? I'm the one who prepared it. " Her unexpected words left me gaping in shock as I stared at her.
"Sarah, you did this? " "What do you mean? I've been keeping a lot from you.
Let me explain everything from the beginning, okay? First, my name. My last name is Mitchell.
" "Mitchell? Wait, like the president? " "Yes.
Originally, I was supposed to inherit the company, but my younger brother Brandon forcibly took the position from me. " "You two are siblings? Wait, then how did you end up being homeless?
You were supposed to be the company's heir, right? " "At that time, I guess Brandon saw me as an obstacle and kicked me out of the house. " "Kicked you out?
That's awful! So that's why you were at the park? " "Yes, but I'm really grateful I met you, Ryan.
If I hadn't, I might have collapsed from the cold out there. I'm really glad I found you. " I couldn't believe they were siblings.
So all this time, I had been venting to Sarah about her own brother. I felt kind of bad, but then again, he was the kind of person who would throw his own sister out. Maybe I didn't need to feel guilty after all.
I finally knew Sarah's true identity, but the mystery of the termination notice still remained. When I urged her to continue, she nodded. "A few days later, I discovered that my father had secretly set up a new business for me.
" "He did? " "Yes. He must have realized that Brandon was after the company and started the new business in secret.
Brandon still hasn't figured it out. " "I see, so your father really cared about you. " "My father was always very perceptive, and so I became the president of that company.
" "Wait, what? You're president? " "Sorry for keeping that from you.
" "No, it's fine! But then why the termination notice? " "I heard all about how Brandon was mistreating you—bullying you and dumping work on you.
I prepared the notice so I could recruit you. " Suddenly everything clicked. Because I had vented to Sarah so often, she knew all about how Mr Mitchell treated me, and she wanted to help by bringing me into her company.
"Are you sure about this? " "Yes! After hearing so much from you, I know you're hardworking and thoughtful.
I'd love for you to put your skills to use at my company. " "Yes, I'd love to. " I never imagined things would turn out this way.
Apparently, Sarah had already talked about me at her company, and everyone welcomed me warmly. Some even said, "So, you had to deal with that guy? That sucks.
Want to go out for drinks? I'll treat you. " They were good people.
The work itself wasn't all that different from my previous job, which helped a lot. I didn't have to learn everything from scratch, and I could contribute right away. And best of all, there was no one dumping work on me or harassing me anymore.
I could finally focus on my job. My efforts paid off, and Sarah's company started growing rapidly. What was once a small business soon became big enough to rival my former company.
One day, I got a message from an old coworker. "I need to talk to you. " For the first time in a while, I met up with my former coworker.
"Yo, long time no see! I was surprised when I heard you left so suddenly and even more surprised to find out you joined the former president's daughter’s company. " "Ah, yeah.
Sorry that I hadn't told you anything. " "Ever since then, our company's been a mess. Everyone keeps comparing Mr Mitchell to his sister, and he's been on edge non-stop.
It's exhausting, really. " "Yeah, I mean, suddenly the company that's rising the fastest is the one run by the woman who should have been our president. Everyone's saying she would have been the better choice.
" "Well, that makes sense. People are fed up. Man, by the way, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.
Is your company hiring? A lot of us just can't take working under Mr Mitchell anymore. They all want to leave and join you.
" So that's what this was about. The upper management who had been holding things together must have finally reached their limit. "Got it.
I'll talk to Sarah about it. " "That'd be a huge help! " When I told Sarah, she responded immediately, "Of course!
We'll gladly welcome them. " Once I passed the message along, it became clear just how many people wanted to leave. One after another, they started transferring to our company.
"No way! Is this really happening? " Even Sarah looked surprised at this point.
"It might be faster for us to just buy out Brandon's company. " "Buy it out? " "Yes!
If we merge, people won't even need to switch jobs. And in that case, who would be the president? " "We'll let the employees decide.
" Sarah smiled elegantly. "Well, let's be real; the outcome was obvious. The companies merged, and when it came time.
. . " To choose the president, the decision was made in an instant.
Not a single person nominated Brandon; it was clear why his behavior had finally caught up with him. No one wanted a reckless leader like him in charge anymore. Why?
Maybe you should reflect on everything you've done, Ryan. This is your doing, isn't it? I know it is.
Stop blaming others. Oh, and here, this is from the president: a termination notice. You have no trust from your employees, your management was a disaster, and no one wants a president who only causes problems.
So goodbye. "You can't do this! I'm the president!
" "Former president. Now that you're an outsider, please leave immediately. " According to what Sarah later told me, Brandon, with his lack of real-world experience, struggled to find another job.
His poor reputation as an ex-president who got fired only made it worse. He brought it upon himself. He looked down on everyone, but in the end, without his father's help, he wasn't even worth a low-level employee.
Honestly, he should be grateful he wasn't kicked out of his own house. As for Sarah. .
. "Oh, Ryan, can you head home first? If you're still working, I'll stay and wait.
" "You really don't have to. " "I need to stop by the supermarket on the way home anyway. We might as well go together.
" "Right, that's true. Okay, I'll wrap this up quickly. " She was still living at my place.
Well, to be more accurate, we had started dating since then. Spending time together was fun, and she had always been my emotional support. Before I knew it, I had completely fallen for her, and it seemed like she felt the same way.
So now, instead of being a guest, she was officially my living partner. There will be challenges ahead, but as long as we're together, I know we can overcome anything.
