Game of the Monarch

Prologue

“I’m going to die.”    

The man had reached the peak of exhaustion and stared at the monitor with blurry eyes. 

His name was Park Moonsoo. 

Although he had no relation to the famous royal inspector [1] in history, he did not want to go through the hassle of changing a name his parents had given him.

He was just an average person, studying, graduating from college with student loans, and just doing whatever he could to get a job and pay off the loans. Eventually, he joined a civil engineering company that had zero relations to his major. 

That was how his hell-like life in Korea started. 

Overnight work, overnight work, overnight work, overnight work, overnight work… 

Having the evening off became a fantasy a long time ago in this endless loop of overtime. Society demanded LOOOOTS of effort from a greenhorn like himself and deemed it to be normal. 

He had thought of quitting his job countless times, but the thought of his student loans held him back. Just like that, three years had passed since he joined the company.

And then…

‘Huh? Why is the monitor spinning?’

He could feel his vision blurring. Then the world tilted over as he lost control over his body.

Plop!

“Assistant Manager Park! Assistant Manager Park!”

“Call the ambulance!”

He only realized the situation after the people near him raised a ruckus. 

‘Ah… I must have collapsed.’

The next thought on his mind as soon as he realized that was…

‘I’ll get to rest for the first time in three months.’ 

Even this vicious company would not continue to overwork someone that had collapsed. 

Thinking such happy thoughts, Park Moonsoo closed his eyes with a faint smile.

He really wanted to get some rest.

1. Royal inspectors (암행어사) were undercover officials appointed by the king in the Joseon dynasty to inspect government officials and local provinces in secret.