Surviving Restructuring

Up on the pavilion where the Cane Elder had once been lounging, a different kind of board was now set out. It was not a Go board, a Janggi board, or a table for drinks, but a sales floor. In fact, there were four of them.

“So this one is...”

“No, no. This one is better...”

“If you add them all together...”

Customers swarmed in until all four of them, including Eun-Ho, had to handle one each.

“Done! It’s all filled up!” Jae-Hyuk shouted, pointing at the glowing performance chart floating in midair.

[OJT’s Special Orders]

[1. Greet a customer: 20/20]

[2. Learn their hobby: 20/20]

[3. Get invited inside: 10/10]

[4. Become friends: 10/10]

[5. Make a sale: 10/10]

The five white lines shimmered one after another, turning a bright gold. Then, the announcement followed.

[Congratulations!]

[You have completed all of OJT’s Special Orders.]

[Please check your trial rewards!]

They had arrived at the Sky Tower shortly after 10:00 AM, and now it was 1:00 PM. In less than three hours, they had cleared the entire OJT’s Special Orders list.

Normally, Eun-Ho would have stopped everything immediately to check the rewards. However, just because the system’s tasks finished, there was no reason to close up shop just yet.

“These three. Give me all of them.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll confirm your order. You got the District 7 Deep-Sea Expedition and the Underground City Tours correct?”

“That’s right. And how much is that?”

“That would be fifty thousand Points in total. Since you passed thirty thousand, you’re eligible for a physical therapy session. Shall I assist you with that?”

“Please do. Rumor says that you have magic hands.”

Even after the trial ended, business continued smoothly.

[Team 25 - Sale Successful!]

[You have received 5,000 Points in commission.]

[Total Sales: 335,000 Welfare Points]

Watching the numbers climb was deeply satisfying.

“Oh, yes, ma’am! You get a free coffee just for consultation.”

“Give me one, then. By the way, your skin looks amazing! I’m so jealous!”

“Aww, your skin is prettier! It’s glowing like porcelain, like a baby’s! Oh wait. Calling you a baby isn’t rude, is it?”

“Haha, not at all!”

Seeing Ji-Eun smoothly charm her customers made him proud. Also, Jae-Hyuk worked hard despite being somewhat clumsy.

“Ah! Yes! Private Tutoring, Just the Two of Us in the Car, and It Was Summer... That would be a total of thirty-two thousand Points, ma’am!”

“Shh! Don’t say that so loud!”

“Oh, sorry!”

Besides, Wei was doing just fine.

“... So what’s this little bean-sized kid’s name?”

“... It’s Wei.”

“What? Speak up! I can’t hear mosquito talk.”

“... My name is Wei, Sir!”

“Why? Ah, your name is Why?”

“No... not Why. Wei.”

“Eh? Not Why but Eh? Who names a kid like that?”

“... True.”

Wei sighed occasionally, but handled himself far better than expected. Eun-Ho had been afraid that customers would dismiss him for being a child, but not quite. Perhaps because the residents gathered here varied wildly in age and appearance.

“Hey, mister! Come over here! This Eh kid is amazing at calculations!”

“Quite a diverse crowd he brought,” Eun-Ho muttered quietly.

“Looks like the Cane Elder wrote a great recommendation. Our Hyungnim here sure has talent.” the mentor answered as he practically collapsed beside Eun-Ho. “So how long are you planning to keep going, Hyungnim?”

“Until the end, of course. We have nothing to do back at the center.”

“That’s what you think. You’ve filled your quotas. You’ve earned plenty. Isn’t it time to wrap up, Hyungnim?” His mentor seemed to have grown fond of Eun-Ho’s new nickname. “Come on, my legs hurt. I’m tired.”

“If you’re that tired, you can head back first. Just tell us how to return.”

The mentor frowned, hesitating. “Hmm, it might be dangerous though...”

Thud!

Suddenly, a thunderous stomp shook the pavilion floor. It was Ji-Eun’s customer: a muscular man, maybe mid- to late-thirties, covered in tattoos from wrist to neck. He wore a tight shirt, jeans, and gaudy gold accessories.

“Hey! Hurry up and give me the referral bonus or whatever it’s called!” he barked. Clearly, he wasn’t a quality clientele.

“Sir, I’m sure I already gave it to you—”

“What? That tiny amount is all? I brought five people here!” said the rude man.

“What’s that brat doing here again?” asked the old man.

“Shut up, you old man! Don’t scare the young lady!” barked the rude man.

“Um... Actually...” Ji-Eun said. All eyes turned to her. Even when standing before a man twice her size, she appeared perfectly calm. “Your five friends purchased a total of 110,000 Points, so you received five percent of that which is 5,500 Points as cashback. It’s calculated correctly. May I ask why you felt it was lacking?”

She was unshaken and her voice was steady. Her manner was professional indeed.

“Look! I brought five whole people! And that’s all I get? You expect me to promote you again when this is how you treat me?!” he shot back.

Ji-Eun maintained her polite, soft gaze, showing not even a hit of irritation. “Yes, sir. So you were disappointed that besides the cashback, there wasn’t an additional reward for introducing so many friends.”

Her delivery was smooth, almost robotic in precision, just like a seasoned sales agent.

Impressive, Eun-Ho thought.

However, the man was worse than expected. “Hah... I didn’t want to say this, but you don’t know who I am, do you?”

There it was, the dreaded “Do you know who I am?” attack.

If she said yes, he was going to say something like “How dare you treat me like this when you know who I am?” And if she said no, he could say “You don’t know who I am?!”

It was a lose-lose tactic.

What a piece of work.

Honestly, losing one customer wouldn’t matter. With their current numbers, Team 25 would be top-tier regardless of other teams’ performance.

But if he’s this greedy... There are definitely other ways this guy could be useful.

He stepped in front of her. “Hold on a moment, Ji-Eun.”

“Eun-Ho?”

The man asked, “What’s this? Are you the boss here or something?”

“Yes. I’ll handle your consultation. You brought five friends, you said?” answered Eun-Ho.

“That’s right! And I was planning to bring even more from my floor. But if you treat me like this, don’t you think I’ll be offended?”

“Your floor, sir?”

Does that mean the Sky Tower has different residential tiers as well?

Now that he thought about it, the man’s clothes seemed nothing like the older residents’. Eun-Ho should’ve known something was off.

“I understand.”

“If I feel like it, I could even ruin you peddlers in—hmm?”

“Normally, everyone gets the same conditions. But since it seems like you’ll be putting in so much effort to promote us, I’ll extend a special consideration.”

Eun-Ho already had a business model in mind. It was one he would never have tried if he’d had only refined, respectable clients. However, it was perfect for someone like this.

“Oh! That’s more like it. So what can you offer?”

“If you bring just five more people, I’ll add an additional one percent on top.”

The man scowled, unimpressed. “What? Only one percent?”

“And this is something I only tell special customers...” Eun-Ho stepped closer, lowering his voice. “What if you used your friends as your own sales channels? For example, out of the six percent total return, you give them maybe three percent.”

He was proposing the branch-out model.

“What?!” The man was taken aback. “But hey! That means my cut gets smaller!”

“The total revenue increases. Five percent of a hundred thousand Points is five thousand, but three percent of two hundred thousand is six thousand. You see?”

“... Huh?”

“So the more friends you have helping, the more you earn. And you don’t have to lift a finger.”

The man’s frown slowly straightened. He even smacked his lips thoughtfully.

Almost there.

“You can also adjust the distribution. If three percent feels too much to give away, you could keep four and give them two.”

“... Well, when you put it that way...”

Just one final push...

“That method is honestly genius!” With a roaring laugh, the man slapped Eun-Ho’s back, and a sharp smack echoed across the pavilion.

[99.5%]

As a result, Eun-Ho’s Stamina bar visibly dipped. Still, he forced a smile anyway.

The man, eyes gleaming with greed, leaned in. “Then I’d better get moving! You open until six?!”

“... Yes.”

“Good! I’ll be back soon so wait for me!”

“Yes, sir.”

He vanished like a gust of wind. Eun-Ho turned to check on Ji-Eun, when a cheerful chime rang out, followed by an unexpected announcement.

Ding!

[Congratulations!]

[You have unlocked a new achievement, Operating a Multi-Level Sales Network!]

What?

[You have acquired the title Multi-Level Marketer!]

[Would you like to check the title effects?]

“Check.”

[You can designate the Sub-Sales Agents.]

[You can manage the Sub-Sales Agents’ performance.]

[You may sell products above standard price.]

[Your voice gains increased credibility.]

[Increased chance of gaining notoriety.]

Is this even good? It’s hard to say.

***

It was 2:00 PM and two hours had passed since he made his deal with the troublemaker.

[The Multi-Level Marketer title effect has been activated.]

[Your voice gains increased credibility.]

“Based on what you told me, I believe you’ll prefer this product over It Was Summer. Customer satisfaction among women is quite high.”

“T-then I’ll take that one!”

“Yes, sir. One Proposal Panic, coming up. That’ll be ten thousand Points.”

“Thank you!”

Eun-Ho had grown comfortable handling all sorts of customers, with quick hands and quick calculations. Thanks to that efficiency, he had gained the space to observe the clientele while working, and came to one conclusion.

The customers here... Each one of them has a different era’s style.

The Sky Tower was not just filled with elders like the Cane Elder. It was a patchwork city with people from wildly different times and lifestyles, forming their own small communities.

That thug earlier definitely lived on another floor.

A woman had been staring at him for a full minute. Her neat, school-uniform-like outfit made her look far more modern than the elders. “Um... Excuse me...”

“Did you need something else?” Eun-Ho asked gently.

However, the moment their eyes met, she panicked and bolted instantly. “N-no! Nothing!”

[Team 25 - Sale Successful!]

[Total Sales: 529,000 Welfare Points]

[Calculating Sub-Sales Agent sales.]

[From a total revenue of 383,000 Points, 360,020 Points are added to your sales after deducting six percent commission.]

Wow. He really sold a lot.

Thanks to the thug’s recruitment spree, their cumulative sales finally broke 880,000 Points.

“Looks like that’s the last of the buyers, Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk said.

“Same here. The group that guy brought was probably the final batch,” Ji-Eun added.

Wei, exhausted, had collapsed under a tree, akin to a napping puppy.

“It’s only 2:00 PM though...” Eun-Ho replied.

He genuinely regretted the slowdown, as he could have sold even more.

The mentor, sprawled beside Wei, letting out a deflated sigh. “Ha...”

“Oh, you’re still here?”

“Hyungnim, don’t you think you are a little too greedy?” asked the mentor.

Not particularly, Eun-Ho thought.

“I just believe you should earn as much as you can while the opportunity is there.”

The mentor gave a dry laugh. “It seems like customers from the floors above and below all came today, and you’re still saying it’s not enough?”

“Is that unusual?”

“Unusual? It’s unheard of. Do you even know what you’ve done?”

Of course I don’t. This whole bizarre company, this tower, and these strange products, everything is unfamiliar.

Seeing Eun-Ho frown, the mentor explained, “I never told you? You can only visit one floor per day.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Whatever. The Sky Tower is restricted. Only with Sales Department authorization can you visit one floor per day. That’s the rule.”

If the rule was one floor per day, today would have been exceptional. They had sold to every floor—up, down, and around.

The mentor let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head, “Even the best sellers can only sell once to each customer on that floor. That’s the absolute limit. But you guys’ daily revenue is 880,000 Points. Do you hear me? That’s Employee of the Year-level volume!”

“Employee of the Year, meaning the annual top seller in the whole department?”

He was comparing Eun-Ho to the one who had survived the restructurings, passed all OJT phases, and earned a full-time Sales Department placement, meaning the best of the best.

“Exactly! It’s an incredible achievement! An honor!”

“... I should’ve pushed harder, then.”

“What?”

Ugh, it’s just a little disappointing.

Lying on his side with an arm propping up his head, the mentor frowned in confusion. “H-hold on, did I hear that wrong? I said sales on par with Employee of the Year, and that’s your reaction?”

“We’re four people,” Eun-Ho explained calmly. “So that means we should’ve done four times more. Doesn’t it?”

There were several reasons they had managed to explode their numbers so quickly. His strategies mattered, of course, but the real force multiplier was working together as one unit.

Losing to one person, even though it was Employee of the Year, slightly scratched at his pride. He explained it politely, but the mentor was quiet.

Later on, the mentor only muttered, almost trembling, “What a terrifying kid...”

“Well, anyway, we should start wrapping up,” Eun-Ho said.

Their results were solid enough that they didn’t have to worry about other survivor teams outpacing them. That was when the sound of heels clicked across the dirt floor.

A lady was wearing heels that did not belong in this rural-looking village. She had even shorter hair than Ji-Eun’s bob, which was a sharp, cropped cut. She wore black sunglasses, red lipstick, and very short pants. Her high heels didn’t wobble even once on the uneven ground.

He found himself blinking in surprise when the atmosphere changed.

[You greet the Master of the 26th Floor.]

[You greet the Master of the 26th Floor.]

[You greet the Master of the 26th Floor.]

...

Customer after customer bowed low, heads dropping like ripples moving outward.

With each step she took, the wave of kneeling followed. When it reached them, the mentor beside him snapped into a perfect right-angle bow, swept up by the tide.

Then, the woman lowered her sunglasses just enough to reveal her eyes. “Are you Boss Lee?”

She was not looking for Ms. Kim or Mr. Park, but the president. The woman stared directly at Eun-Ho.