Vengeance System A Bullied Man

Chapter 2

Alex let out a long sigh. It seemed like despair and resignation had etched their marks on his face, once again, for who knows how many times.

"Why does my life have to be so unlucky?!"

Alex kicked the bottle of drink in front of him, letting it fly and land wherever it pleased.

The recent events that had unfolded shortly after Alex left his workplace continued to haunt his mind. Honestly, he still felt frustrated and angry about everything that had happened today.

Now, Alex chose to sit on the small staircase outside his workplace. His gaze stared blankly ahead, lost in thought. For a moment, Alex contemplated it all.

His mind led him back to the moment when he obtained a small piece of paper that now faithfully remained in his grasp.

Bam!

The bathroom door, which had been locked by Alex from the inside, was suddenly heard being forcefully broken down by someone.

Before the knife that Alex had been carrying all this time could harm his own wrist, a man named Angga, whose name was on his ID card, kicked the knife away, causing it to fall to the floor.

"What do you think you're doing?! Is this all true?" Angga asked, his gaze fierce and anger ready to explode.

Alex, whose logical thinking had been clouded and unable to process, momentarily wanted to rebel and disagree with Angga's actions, as if he was trying to stop him.

"I don't need your pity! I know you're just like the other employees who enjoy seeing others suffer. Don't interfere in my affairs! It would be better for me to disappear here and make it a historic moment for this workplace!" Alex yelled, his voice trembling.

It was evident from his words how emotional and angry he was at that moment.

"Do you want to die now?" Angga threatened the man in front of him.

Alex remained still, staring at Angga with an expression that was difficult to interpret.

"Get out! Don't interfere in other people's business!" Alex firmly ordered, driving the man in front of him away.

Angga developed a smirking smile, gazing intently at Alex.

"Do you think what you're doing is right? I never cared about you, but one thing is certain: what you're doing violates the office rules," Angga stated firmly to Alex.

Angga didn't care about how the man would react or whether he could comprehend his words.

As someone responsible for security and preserving the reputation of the company, Angga wouldn't allow an employee to resort to such drastic measures.

Without waiting for Alex's approval, Angga forcefully grabbed his hand, insisting that he follow him.

"Let go! I said let go! Don't interfere in my affairs!" Alex resisted as he was being taken away.

Angga remained silent, disregarding Alex's defiant gaze and protests, knowing well that Alex wouldn't dare to resist for long.

Knock!

Angga reached out, knocking on the door bearing the name of Director Kim.

"Excuse me, sir!" Angga called out as he heard a response from inside the director's office.

"Angga? Yes, what is it?"

Angga pulled Alex's hand, urging him to follow his steps.

Director Kim's forehead creased visibly upon seeing Alex's downcast state.

"I just wanted to report, sir. About the misconduct of one of our employees in the office. You can see the evidence here, sir," Angga said, pulling Alex's right hand, which still showed traces of fresh blood. Additionally, Angga brought the knife that had previously fallen on the bathroom floor.

"I've sent the video recording to you, sir. You can check the message I sent to your number."

Director Kim stared sharply at Alex. There was no trace of friendliness on the director's face at that moment.

"You may leave now, Angga. Thank you for the report you provided. As per procedure, you will receive a bonus later."

Angga developed a slight smile on his face before leaving, leaving Alex alone with Director Kim.

Director Kim then walked to his desk after placing the last book he had been holding.

"Do you know what you've done? Are you aware of all this?" Director Kim inquired, probing Alex.

"I don't understand why this company and office still choose to retain employees like you. Even I can't fathom the low actions you intended to take. It doesn't reflect the true character of this company or office!"

Director Kim then criticized Alex, staring sharply at him.

Although Alex still didn't lift his face, he could still feel the sarcastic and intimidating gaze specifically directed at him.

"Come here!"

Alex walked over to Director Kim, who was sitting at his grand desk.

"In accordance with the procedures and rules of conduct in this office, for anyone who dares to attempt self-harm and tarnish the company's reputation, you will receive a written warning. SP 1 from me."

Alex sighed, expecting that something like this would happen.

Whether he liked it or not, Alex still had to take the letter.

After thanking Director Kim, Alex left the office, walking away without hesitation.

Here he was now, sitting on the office terrace, his hand still tightly gripping the warning letter.

Alex gazed towards the warehouse, not far from the designated employee parking area.

He looked at his old, beat-up bicycle parked near the warehouse.

"Just because I stayed here for a few days, they immediately want to put my bike in the warehouse. I should have known how worthless and meaningless I am to this company."

Alex took a deep breath.

Lately, intentionally, Alex had been leaving his bike at the office and choosing to take the bus to and from work.

It wasn't without reason, but because for the past few days, the company had been strict about punctuality. Employees were required to arrive on time. If Alex used his bike, it would take more time and he wouldn't arrive at the designated time.

Alex sighed once again.

He straightened his posture and walked towards his bike with a resigned step.

Resigned to accepting whatever fate had in store for him.

"It turns out, the world is just a big joke."

Alex then discarded his warning letter into the nearby trash bin, not far from where his bike was parked.

He mounted his bike and started pedaling, leaving behind the office that had only caused him pain in his heart.

Throughout the journey to his apartment, Alex continued to be lost in his thoughts. His mind seemed unable to focus on the present reality he was facing.

"Sigh... the world can be so unfair, isn't it? Why does everything have to unfold with a sense of cosmic injustice like this? Why?"

Those words kept swirling in Alex's mind, refusing to dissipate from his thoughts.

"If there will only be sadness in my heart forever, then why do I have to keep on living? Why doesn't God just take my life away?"

The wild thoughts continued to infiltrate his mind, keeping Alex further away from snapping out of his reverie.

Tin! Tin!

So deep in his distractions, Alex almost took the wrong path, causing a couple of vehicles to honk at him for veering off course.

Alex shook his head repeatedly, attempting to clear his mind of the persistent and strange thoughts that lingered.

Just as Alex was on the brink of regaining awareness from his actions, his eyes widened as he noticed a cat crossing his path, nearly becoming a victim of his own carelessness.

Bugh!

Unable to avoid it any longer, in order to prevent harm to the cat, Alex chose a different path, causing him to lose balance on his bike.

"Are you alright, young man?"

Just as Alex fell, a stranger whom he didn't recognize approached and offered assistance.

"Thank you, sir!" exclaimed Alex to the unfamiliar man.

The stranger smiled, feeling that performing acts of kindness like this was his duty as a fellow human being.

"You're lucky you didn't hit the cat."

The stranger seemed impressed by Alex's decision.

Alex nodded slowly, a faint smile forming on his face.

"My parents used to tell me never to harm others, including animals. Especially cats, they say that if we don't avoid them, misfortune might come our way," Alex replied in his own words.

The stranger smiled, acknowledging the sentiment expressed by Alex.

"Where are you from, young man?" the man asked Alex.

"Hmm... I just finished work, sir," Alex replied.

The stranger furrowed his brow, appearing somewhat puzzled. If Alex had just finished work, it shouldn't be the time for him to be heading home.

"There's an issue at the office. That's why I'm leaving earlier than my colleagues," Alex clarified to the man.

After that, the perplexed expression disappeared from the stranger's face, indicating that he now understood Alex's explanation.

Alex then proceeded to examine his body. On his knee, there was a torn wound that was not too large but couldn't be considered small either. In his palms, there were scratches running along the length of his hands.

Alex let out a long sigh. How could all this happen? He hadn't even had the chance to tend to the previous wounds on his hands.

"Does it hurt?" the stranger suddenly asked.

Alex lifted his face, looking at the stranger with an expression that was hard to interpret.

According to Alex, the stranger's question was quite amusing. When experiencing injuries like these, who would say that they didn't hurt?

"The wounds are quite extensive. Of course, I feel pain."

Alex tried to give his best response.

The stranger smiled and looked closely at Alex.

"Next time, be more careful. Don't focus too much on what has already happened, but look ahead, at your real world."

Alex felt confused by the words he just heard. However, not wanting to dwell on it, Alex chose to nod as if he was simply agreeing.

However, despite Alex's indifference to all the words spoken by the stranger, one sentence caught Alex's attention, specifically the last sentence before the stranger disappeared into the unknown.

"Don't let yourself lose control when you achieve something bigger later."

Upon hearing that sentence, Alex straightened his posture. He intended to ask for further clarification about that statement.

However, to no avail, the stranger had already vanished into thin air.

One thing was certain, Alex couldn't find the man anywhere.

"Where did that man go? I don't even know his name. Why did he say those things? What actually happened? Who is he, really?"

Alex continued to wonder in his mind, trying to guess who the unfamiliar man was who suddenly acted so familiar with him.

Especially the last sentence that made Alex more uncertain.

Trying to dismiss these strange thoughts, Alex got back on his bike, intending to continue his journey home, which was not far away.

Although Alex had clearly tried to ignore all his thoughts about the stranger's words, it seemed that the sentence only echoed louder in Alex's mind.

"I don't know why I'm still thinking about that sentence. Come on, Alex! Maybe it was just a casual remark. You don't even know who that man was, right?"

Alex continued to try to convince himself, attempting to charm his thoughts into forgetting it all.

A few minutes later, Alex arrived at his apartment complex. He parked his bike in the designated area and took a deep breath before entering the building.

As usual, no one greeted Alex. There was not a single person he knew, not even his neighbors near his apartment unit.

Just as he was about to enter his apartment, Alex opened his bag to search for his key. However, when he looked down after turning the key, he was taken aback to find a mysterious box right by his feet.

Alex stood frozen, feeling conflicted and wondering where the box came from.

"Whose is this?" he murmured to himself.

Alex picked up the box and glanced towards the nearby trash bin.