Genius Manager Who Sees Algorithms, Episode 001
— — —
Prologue
— — —
-I came here because the YouTube algorithm led me to this.
-I really must praise the algorithm for recommending me.
Algorithm. A word that has become familiar in our daily lives.
However, if you were to ask what an algorithm actually is, not many people could give you a concrete answer.
Algorithm.
By dictionary definition, it is a set of procedures, methods, or instructions for solving a problem.
You don’t need to overthink it; it’s easy to understand if you think of it as the flowcharts we learned about when we were young.
‘You know, the ones where you choose yes or no, and it leads you to the next step.’
Exactly.
This world is already dominated by countless algorithms.
Even a vending machine that dispenses a cup of coffee relies on numerous algorithms.
Then what about our lives?
Could it be that we are being moved by some algorithm set by a being we don’t even know?
Might there be an algorithm that leads to a happier, more successful path?
And….
That algorithm, the one that rules the world.
I can see it.
1. Do You Want to Try Being a Manager?
— — —
“An algorithm?”
“Yes. The algorithm is the most important thing.”
I picked up my pen and opened my notebook.
“To put it simply, it’s the same concept as this flowchart.”
Using various shapes—rounded rectangles, rectangles, diamonds—I briefly illustrated the marketing plan as a flowchart.
“It looks simple, but it’s quite profound. It changes depending on the time, the situation, and the platform’s tendencies. Since the logic changes every quarter, grasping it faster than anyone else is the standard for measuring one’s competence in this industry.”
The client’s CEO, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“Does that mean you are that confident, Mr. Kim?”
I was a second-year contract worker, but my title was Assistant Manager.
It was a common case of title inflation at a small-to-medium enterprise—often referred to as a ‘shitty company.’
“Of course. They say that for a brand to be exposed on YouTube or Intas, it has to be ‘chosen’ by the algorithm. But here at Adon Ad, we don’t need to be chosen. Because what we do best is identifying that very algorithm.”
Only then did the CEO’s expression soften.
“Hmm. You speak with such confidence that I find it trustworthy. Very well. Let’s sign the contract.”
“You’ve made an excellent choice.”
This was already the third contract this month.
I cheered inwardly as I gathered the documents.
‘That one really wasn’t easy.’
The result was good, but I never wanted to go through that process again.
The client’s CEO, a former executive at a major corporation, was meticulous about every little detail.
On top of that, he even showed up in person during the final contract stage to verify everything.
Well, it was annoying from my perspective, but it was only natural for his company to do so.
‘Right, that’s how a CEO should be. Compared to that, our company is… sigh.’
Adon Ad.
A marketing consulting firm started by the son of a nouveau riche.
Honestly, if it weren’t for my suddenly difficult family situation, I would have handed in my resignation long ago.
‘Still, it’s my livelihood, so I can’t just quit easily.’
I could only sigh at the bleak reality.
A salaryman at a shitty company who has to work just to survive.
That was my current situation, viewed objectively.
‘To think I’d be doing marketing work after being hired as a programmer, good grief.’
Having to play multiple roles was the reality of a shitty company.
I dragged my exhausted body back to the office.
But as soon as I sat at my desk and looked at the monitor, my vision blurred and pulsed.
‘Hmm. Is it because I’ve been overworked for the past few weeks?’
I massaged my neck and stretched.
However, the stiffness wouldn’t go away easily.
It was all the result of the effort and passion I poured into winning this contract.
I had been working overtime for so long that I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had a good night’s sleep.
On top of that, the Department Head, who wouldn’t even offer a word of praise, started shouting the moment he saw me.
“Kim Jung-woo, you bastard, how are you handling the Samhan Enterprise marketing, wandering around like that?”
‘Here we go again.’
Anyone listening might think I’d done something wrong, but that was far from the truth.
A while ago, I had raised an issue regarding some suspicious company expenses, and ever since then, he’d been picking fights with me at every turn. He was the one in charge of the approval chain back then, so he probably had something to hide.
“You said you’d finish it by last Friday, didn’t you? What are you going to do if it’s late? How on earth are you handling your work?”
For a second, I almost shouted, “You’re the one in charge of that!” but….
I forced a smile and tried to calm him down.
“The deadline was tight, so it couldn’t be helped.”
“Are you making excuses now? If you couldn’t do it, you should have said so, so we could at least try to fix it!”
“I already reported the relevant details to you.”
“What? So now you’re saying this is all my fault?”
Of course it’s your fault.
I couldn’t bring myself to say it, so I answered with silence.
Was I scared?
No, I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I’d start spewing profanities.
‘Don’t. This is my livelihood.’
I suppressed my anger. But the Department Head’s rage showed no signs of subsiding.
“Tell me, what exactly do you do while you’re busy collecting your paycheck? Do you think it’s easy to take other people’s money? Sigh… I knew I didn’t like you the moment I first saw you.”
The longer he talked, the more the marketing issue that started it all faded into the background.
Even though the situation stemmed from his own incompetence, the only thing I could say was fixed.
“I’m sorry.”
I bowed my head quickly, as usual, to appease him.
‘If you’ve done this much, just stop. Everyone here knows it’s your fault.’
He didn’t seem to realize that the more he shouted, the more he was spitting into the wind.
But the clueless Department Head finally uttered words he shouldn’t have.
“Forget it. Don’t come to work starting tomorrow.”
That was a bit of a shock.
I could endure anything else, but I couldn’t let this slide.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Today marks exactly two years. We aren’t renewing your contract, so get out, you punk.”
Huh, this guy is suddenly changing his tune?
“That’s not what we agreed on. You promised me a permanent position, didn’t you?”
“Then you should have done your job properly.”
The sight of him blaming me until the end made my blood boil.
“Properly? How much more properly could I have done it?”
“…What? What did you just say?”
“You know I cleaned up all the shit you left behind just for the sake of that permanent position, don’t you? You can’t do this to me.”
“Ha, look at this guy talk? Have you completely lost your mind?”
A sense of injustice surged within me.
The promise of a permanent position was something everyone in the office knew about.
Yet, not a single person watching offered to help.
“…….”
The terrifying silence of the people.
Well, perhaps it was a natural reaction.
If I became a permanent employee, it meant someone else wouldn’t.
In the end, they were all just competitors in the same boat.
“Ha.”
A bitter laugh escaped me, not just at my boss, but at the atmosphere of this shitty company.
However, instead of just getting angry, I thought of a more practical revenge.
“Are you serious? You’re going to regret this.”
“Not a chance. You’re the one who’s screwed now. How dare you talk back to your Department Head.”
Thinking it was all over, a winner’s smile appeared on the Department Head’s face.
But too bad for him, the real game isn’t over until it’s over.
‘You’re the one who’s screwed, you bastard.’
I didn’t bother to use foul language.
All I did was click my mouse twice.
The Department Head looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“What are you doing now?”
“I sent an email.”
“An email? What kind of email?”
“An email with the documents attached regarding the company funds you embezzled.”
“W-what? To whom?”
There was no need to answer.
The email had arrived for every employee in the office simultaneously.
Of course, that included the Department Head.
“Wh-what? How far did you send this?”
The color drained from the Department Head’s face as he hurriedly checked the recipient list.
From the newest hire to the CEO, including the Department Head himself.
Every single employee was a recipient.
“Y-you crazy bastard….”
The Department Head, now pale as a sheet, couldn’t even finish his sentence.
I whispered into his ear.
“I warned you. You’d regret it.”
“…….”
“Well, it was miserable meeting you, and let’s never see each other again.”
* * *
It was a small company, but the impact of the email was significant.
I quit and left the company before the CEO could call me in.
Since I was already fired, I had no intention of getting dragged into that mud-slinging fight.
“I feel so relieved.”
It felt like a lump that had been bothering me for two years had finally cleared.
Whoosh.
But soon, the cold wind brought me back to reality.
It was a particularly biting winter wind for a young man who had become unemployed overnight.
‘Sigh. I didn’t quit the film to end up like this… I once had big dreams, too….’
Suddenly, the dream I had given up on felt painfully close.
A director who shoots the works they want to shoot without worrying about production costs,
An actor who performs to their heart’s content regardless of their image,
A singer who reveals their own colors to their heart’s content,
To define it in one word,
[A company where both producers and artists do the work they want to do]
That was the image of the entertainment company I wanted to build.
‘Because I wanted everyone to be able to pursue art happily.’
It was the most ideal company every artist dreams of.
But to a poor film student, it was literally a dream that felt like a dream.
‘The reality was that even paying tuition was tight.’
Just recalling those days made a bitter taste rise in my throat.
In the end, the reason I graduated from film school and rushed to get a job at a company was because of my uncertain future.
I had given up on my dreams for a stable life and worked harder than anyone else, yet all that remained was a terrible sense of disillusionment.
‘I could use a drink….’
Feeling down, I desperately wanted a drink.
But drinking alone in my rooftop room felt a bit too pathetic….
Zzzzt-
Just then, my phone rang.
It was Sungho, a senior from college.
He’d become a girl group manager and we hadn’t been able to meet, so I wondered what was up.
-Come out. Let’s have a drink.
Nice timing.
* * *
“Ah, this is good.”
Sungho frowned as he downed a shot of soju.
"Hyung, what’s with your face? Your dark circles are hanging down to your Adam's apple."
"Don't even ask. I haven't slept more than two hours a day for the past week."
He’d said the girl group schedule was no joke, and it seemed he wasn't exaggerating.
"For the acting team, you just have to match the filming schedule, but the idol team... we're basically slaves. We have to match the broadcast station's schedule, so every single day is a forced march. I barely managed to carve out time for this today."
It seemed that even among managers, the situation varied wildly depending on the celebrity they were in charge of. From my perspective, it was a world away.
"Haa."
Sungho sighed repeatedly.
"Why do you keep sighing? Is something bothering you?"
"It's just... I have to pick a script."
"A script? Aren't you a girl group manager?"
"I am. But I'm thinking of sending one of the girls into acting this time, and I have no idea who to send. Their acting skills are all about the same, and there aren't any suitable projects, either."
Sungho let out a deep sigh.
"If only I could see clearly which kid would make it, which project would be a hit, what would work, and what would flop... how great would that be? I wouldn't even have to worry about things like this."
Now that I thought about it, having an ability like that would make you the ultimate manager.
"Sorry. I've only been talking about myself."
"It's fine. You're paying today, anyway."
"You brat."
Sungho chuckled, then looked up again.
"Anyway, so you just quit? You should've at least slapped that department head across the face."
"And pay for his medical bills? You don't avoid poop because you're afraid of it; you avoid it so you don't get it on you."
"Do you have any other jobs lined up?"
"I just got fired today. I'll have to start looking now."
Sungho, who had been watching me closely, filled my glass and glanced at me. Did he have something to say?
"Why don't you try being a manager for a change?"
"A manager?"
"Yeah. As it happens, there's an opening on the acting team."
Was this why he asked to meet after so long?
"Why the acting team? Wouldn't it be better if you brought me onto your team?"
"Do you want to end up like me?"
"……."
I averted my gaze. It was a gesture that spoke volumes.
"What do you think? I think you'd be good at it, given your personality. You have marketing experience, and you're good at handling people, right?"
No need to say more. I’d dealt with all sorts of difficult client representatives.
"It's low pay and hard work, but there's a certain joy in helping someone grow. There’s a reason I can't give this up, even looking like this, you know?"
I had just been fired, I didn't have any other prospects, and the timing was perfect. However, it wasn't a field I could easily jump into.
'I chose employment in the first place because I wanted a stable job.'
But I wondered if it was right to choose a manager position, which was even more unstable than a film degree. Realistic problems were always the issue.
'I'm sorry, but refusing is the right thing to do.'
No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed better to leverage my experience as a contract worker. My mind naturally settled on the decision to refuse.
"Thanks for looking out for me, Hyung. But…."
The moment I was about to answer, a strange energy suddenly enveloped my body.
It was a feeling that was cool yet warm, hazy yet strangely pleasant. My head rang, and it felt as if I were hearing some kind of bizarre sound.
'What is this?'
I thought it might be the alcohol, but suddenly, something strange began to appear before my eyes.
'What is this now?'
I rubbed my eyes and looked straight ahead again. A mysterious shape, looking just like CGI, appeared in the air.
"What is that?"
"What?"
"That thing. That shape…."
No matter how much I spoke, Sungho’s gaze was directed elsewhere.
'Is it only visible to me? Or am I just that drunk?'
Even after rubbing my eyes, I could see it clearly.
A rhombus.
It was definitely a rhombus. And inside it, the following text was written:
[Q: Have you accepted Sungho's offer?]
[Yes] or [No]
'Huh? This is… it looks like a flowchart.'
It was similar to the diagrams I drew whenever I explained algorithms to clients.
My gaze naturally followed to what was below it. The result for choosing 'Yes' was hidden by a question mark. However, the result for choosing 'No' was clearly visible.
[Probability of death: 90%]
I broke into a cold sweat at the horrific result. It felt like the alcohol had instantly worn off.
'What on earth is this?'
My mind went blank at the sudden turn of events. I looked again, wondering if it was a dream or reality, but it was still clearly visible.
"Stop talking nonsense. Are you going to do it or not?"
Sungho, completely unaware of the situation, asked again as he nonchalantly refilled his glass.
"……."
I moistened my dry lips with my tongue. 90% was an incredibly high probability.
'Besides, this is a matter of my own life….'
I couldn't ignore its presence by dismissing it as a hallucination. In the end, my decision was destined to flow in one direction.
"Hyung… I'll do it. I'll be a manager."
I swallowed hard and answered.
As I spoke, the option labeled 'Yes' began to glow brightly.
And at that moment, a voice rang out in my head.
[‣ God's Plan]
[‣ The God's Algorithm is opening.]
[‣ Synchronization rate: 3%]
[‣ Grade: Great Virtue (大德)]
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