Full transcript
0:00While other kids dreamed of becoming
0:01scientists or astronauts when they grew
0:03up, Mike had only one wish, to become a
0:05government official. Mike's father
0:06worked at a government office. When Mike
0:08visited his father's office as a child,
0:10he saw the employees sitting around for
0:12hours without doing much work, which
0:13made [music] government jobs seem very
0:15comfortable to him. From that moment on,
0:17he started preparing to get a government
0:18job. Even when answering the phone at
0:20home, he would act like an important
0:22official and speak in a serious voice.
0:23Eventually, through his hard work, Mike
0:25finally got a government job. For him,
0:27his office job was nothing short of a
0:29king's [music] life. His family and
0:30relatives also respected him greatly.
0:32His father-in-law would sit and drink
0:33with him while his mother prepared nice
0:35clothes for him everyday. Then he would
0:37ride his bicycle to the office in front
0:39of his house. Even at work, he did not
0:41have to put in much effort. Most of his
0:42job was limited to paperwork and
0:44formalities. This way, Mike was
0:45comfortably enjoying his life. But his
0:47comfortable [music] life was not going
0:49to last much longer. The government
0:50decided to reform its workforce. To free
0:52up government housing, employees began
0:54facing layoffs and transfers. All the
0:56employees were gathered in a large hall
0:58where an official began explaining the
1:00rules for the layoffs. Employees who had
1:02completed 30 years of service were not
1:04supposed to be removed. In addition,
1:05married employees and those with
1:06children were also supposed to be
1:08protected. Hearing this, Mike was
1:10secretly happy. He was completely sure
1:11that his name would never appear on this
1:13list. But before long, only three
1:15employees remained in the hall. That was
1:16when Mike realized that his own job was
1:18also in danger. To save their jobs,
1:20everyone started giving their reasons.
1:22Some mentioned supporting a disabled
1:24family member while others brought up
1:25problems faced by relatives. But after
1:27all the excuses were exhausted, Mike was
1:29the only employee left who was supposed
1:30to be removed. Hearing this, Mike felt
1:32as if the ground had disappeared beneath
1:34his feet. Then another idea came to him
1:35to save his job, marrying his
1:37girlfriend. Mike thought that if he
1:38became married, his transfer might be
1:40stopped. But before the rule could even
1:42be applied, the official made it clear
1:43that getting married would no longer
1:45help. With no other choice, Mike took
1:46off his wedding ring and brought his
1:48girlfriend [music] out of the
1:49restaurant. Now his transfer was
1:50certain. As he left the office, Mike
1:52kept looking back at his old workplace
1:54for the last time. This was once the job
1:56he had dreamed of as a child, but now he
1:58was being forced to leave it. After
1:59that, Mike boarded a long-distance train
2:01and headed toward his new workplace.
2:03Throughout the journey, he kept thinking
2:04about his old life. Gradually, he also
2:06began to feel that [music] perhaps his
2:08girlfriend did not love him, but was
2:09only attached to his government job. As
2:11soon as he [music] reached his new
2:12workplace, he called his girlfriend. He
2:14clearly told her that he would never
2:15call her again and that their
2:16relationship was over. Meanwhile, at the
2:18new office, Mike learned that the
2:19government was offering compensation to
2:21[music] employees who voluntarily
2:22resigned. After thinking about it
2:24carefully, almost all the employees
2:26signed [music] the agreement. But Mike
2:27firmly refused to do so. He believed
2:29that he had to keep his government job
2:30at any cost. So his superior
2:32deliberately sent him to a remote
2:34grassland area.