A month later.
"Welcome to Happy Banks."
It was Gun's first official day on the job.
Fresh out of university, he still couldn't believe he'd landed this opportunity. Happy Banks was massive—almost as big as the central bank—and its services were touted as the best in the country.
But the pay? Miserable.
He sighed, already resigned to the reality that working a corporate job wasn't going to make him rich.
The atmosphere in the building was overwhelming. Even on his first day, he could feel the rigid hierarchy among the employees, like an invisible weight pressing down. It didn't take long for him to realize that this was a place where status mattered more than anything else.
It had been surprisingly easy to get hired. Too easy, in fact. His background was vague at best, and yet, they brought him on board without much scrutiny.
Lunch break came, and he sat quietly, trying to stay under the radar.
"Did you hear about the staff disappearing every year at Happy Banks?" his coworker Tim asked, leaning in conspiratorially.
Gun raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond, Bright, another coworker, laughed and waved it off.
"Stop spouting nonsense, Tim," Bright said with a grin. He turned to Gun. "So, how does it feel to finally be a staff member and not just an intern? Pretty cool, huh?"
Gun shrugged. "It's fine, I guess. Not much of a difference."
Bright smirked, his tone shifting. "Must be nice to have influential parents."
Gun stiffened, his posture turning rigid. "Excuse me?"
Bright shrugged, folding his arms. "Come on. People fight tooth and nail to get into Happy Banks, but you? You waltzed in as an intern and now you're a full staff member. What do you think that says?"
Gun shifted uncomfortably. "I'd say some people are just lucky."
Bright let out a derisive snort, taking a sip of his coffee. "Luck doesn't get you a job here, my friend. Connections do."
Gun clenched his jaw, his mind racing. He had wondered about it before. How had it all been so easy? The thought nagged at him, but he pushed it aside.
Bright leaned back in his chair, a sly grin on his face. "Anyway, the collection's in two days. Better be ready."
"The collection?" Gun asked, confused.
Bright chuckled darkly. "Yeah, the day we reclaim our loans from the people who think they've outsmarted us."
"Are we the ones who collect the loans?" Gun asked curiously.
They shook their head. "No, we don't have that power. Loans are collected by the Loan Recovery Specialists."
Tim nodded enthusiastically. "It's the end-of-the-year event. You should definitely come."
Gun frowned, the unease settling deeper into his gut.