1. The Performance Review Nobody Asked For
The meeting room assembled itself.
That was the first bad sign.
The table unfolded from pure light. Chairs manifested with nameplates. A pot of tea appeared, already cold—because Heaven believed warmth encouraged informal behavior.
Ne Job stared.
"…Why does this look like an HR room?"
Qi-Yun took his seat calmly. "Because the universe is afraid of you now."
Ne Job laughed nervously. "Haha. Very funny."
Qi-Yun did not smile.
Across from Ne Job, a translucent panel flickered into existence.
PERFORMANCE REVIEW: INTERN NE JOB
Evaluation Period: Undefined
Reviewer: Multiple (Some Unwilling)
Ne Job's soul attempted to resign.
"I didn't submit for a review!"
Yue appeared beside him in a shimmer of light, already stressed. "You triggered an external audit. Of course this summoned a review."
"I thought audits were reviews!"
"Those are internal," Yue snapped. "This is… existential."
2. Strengths, Weaknesses, and 'Problematic Traits'
The panel scrolled.
STRENGTHS:
– Persistent
– Resistant to erasure
– Displays unauthorized empathy
– Refuses to accept final rulings
Ne Job squinted. "Wait, that last one feels like a weakness."
Qi-Yun sipped his tea. "It is listed under strengths because it has prevented system collapse twice."
Yue rubbed her temples.
WEAKNESSES:
– Authority Level: Inadequate
– Compliance Rate: Concerning
– Escalation Pattern: Alarming
– Tendency to Make the System Self-Aware
Ne Job pointed. "HEY. That one's subjective!"
The panel chimed.
NOTE: Subject disputes feedback.
Qi-Yun nodded approvingly. "Accurate."
3. Heaven Tries to Categorize the Uncategorizable
The room darkened slightly.
New text appeared.
ROLE ASSESSMENT:
Intern status no longer reflects operational impact.
Yue stiffened. "…They're reclassifying you."
Ne Job panicked. "WAIT—do I get benefits? Please tell me there are benefits."
Qi-Yun leaned forward. "Be careful. Reclassification cuts both ways."
The panel hesitated.
PROPOSED TITLES:
– Junior Auditor (Rejected)
– Anomaly Handler (Rejected)
– System Stress Test (Rejected)
– Unknown Variable (Pending)
Ne Job slumped. "That one sounds ominous."
NULL's voice echoed faintly from nowhere.
"It is. Congratulations."
4. The Question That Breaks the Review
The panel froze.
One final question appeared, glowing brighter than the rest.
CORE EVALUATION:
Does Intern Ne Job improve the system…
or destabilize it beyond recovery?
Silence.
Yue clenched her fists. "…They're deciding whether to keep him."
Qi-Yun closed his eyes briefly.
The Archive itself began producing conflicting reports—charts overlapping, data contradicting data.
Ne Job swallowed.
"…I didn't mean to break anything."
Qi-Yun opened his eyes. "You didn't break it."
He looked at the panel.
"You revealed it."
5. Ne Job Answers Without Being Asked (Again)
Ne Job stood.
The chair vanished behind him, startled.
"I destabilize the system," Ne Job said quietly. "Because it was stable in the wrong way."
The panel flickered.
Yue whispered, "…Ne Job, stop talking."
He didn't.
"I improve it," he continued, voice shaking, "because people stop getting crushed when someone finally asks 'why.'"
The room trembled.
Qi-Yun did not interrupt.
"I don't know how to fix Heaven," Ne Job finished. "But I know pretending nothing's wrong isn't working."
Silence.
Then—
EVALUATION RESULT:
Subject demonstrates corrective potential through disruption.
NULL laughed softly. "Oh, they hate that they agree."
6. Final Determination
The panel resolved.
STATUS UPDATE:
Intern Ne Job — Retained
Classification: Active Variable (Provisional)
Oversight Level: Elevated
Consequence Threshold: Undefined
Ne Job blinked. "…That's it?"
Yue exhaled shakily. "They didn't delete you."
Qi-Yun nodded once. "That is a victory."
The panel added one last line.
MANDATORY DIRECTIVE:
Subject is to be observed, not corrected.
The room dissolved.
The chairs vanished.
The tea evaporated.
7. After the Review
Ne Job collapsed onto the Archive floor.
"That was worse than dying."
Yue sat beside him. "You scared Oversight."
Ne Job winced. "…Am I in trouble?"
Qi-Yun looked down at him, expression unreadable.
"No," he said.
"You are now a responsibility."
NULL's voice faded in the distance.
"And Heaven hates responsibilities it didn't choose."
Ne Job groaned. "Great."
8. Somewhere, the System Adjusts
Deep within the Archive, new subroutines quietly activated.
CONTEXT REQUIRED: TRUE
APPEALS ENABLED: LIMITED
VARIABLE MONITORING: ACTIVE
The universe did not like it.
But it accepted it.
For now.
END OF CHAPTER 277