This is the story of how I got my revenge. It’s a long one and might not be that scary, but if you have some free time, stick around.
Years ago, I went to a vocational school for auto mechanics and earned my certification.
It was during the "employment ice age," so finding a job was tough, but I managed to get a job offer from a major car dealership.
I was so happy at the time and fully determined to give it my all.
For three months, I was put through grueling training at the head office before being assigned to my shop. And that's where the nightmare began.
My assigned shop was about a twenty-minute drive from my house. It wasn't very big, with a shop manager, assistant manager, three sales reps, and four mechanics. I was hired as a mechanic.
Everything seemed fine at first, but the shop's lead mechanic was a total nightmare.
You don't see it much anymore, but even though it was a major dealership, he had bleached blonde hair and piercings. Whenever I made a mistake, he’d flat-out kick me.
Things gradually escalated: he started dumping huge jobs on me and cutting me out of everything.
To be honest, the idea that "you graduated mechanic school, so you’re ready for the field!" is ridiculous. If anything, there were far more things I didn't know.
But when I went to ask questions, he'd give me blatant clicks of his tongue and violence. Every day was him screaming, "You went to school for this and you don't even know that?!"
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One day, I messed up on the job and Blond Piercings sucker-punched me in the face. After that, I was no longer given mechanic work. My days were spent doing car washes, interior detailing, and minor errands.
By that point, it had devolved into outright bullying. They called me "Garbage." Around then, my mental health completely shattered and I quit. I saw a psychiatrist, was diagnosed with depression, took meds for a long time, and even had periods where I wanted to die.
After quitting, I focused on recovery at my parents' house. A few years later, once I felt somewhat better, a local auto repair shop hired me part-time.
The pay was better than before, overtime was paid, and the work environment was great... It was the best job ever. To be honest, even though I went through hell at that dealership... I still loved cars.
Working happily in such a supportive environment, I was eventually promoted to a full-time employee. By the way, my salary was more than double what I used to make, with bonuses and paid time off.
"...Man, that dealership was toxic in every way, both interpersonally and financially..."
That's honestly how I feel now, and I think a car dealership is a place you should only ever visit as a customer.
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I kept working hard for years after that, and one year I was promoted to assistant shop manager. My manager even told me, "I'm expecting great things from you!" and I felt genuinely glad to be alive.
One day, the manager gave us a work update: "The glass company we've been using shut down, so a new vendor is coming in today."
I moved the target car into the bay and was filling out paperwork when I heard a cheerful "Hello!" from behind me. When I turned around, his features had rounded out considerably and he had a flawless salesman smile, but there was no way I could forget him. It was without a doubt "Blond Piercings." The name on his badge matched too.
I had grown taller and my voice had deepened since back then, so he didn't realize... but I could never forget. They say the bully forgets, but the victim remembers for life. I think that's completely true.
Blond Piercings said, "Ah! This is the vehicle! I'll get right to work!"
He got to work cheerfully, but all I could manage was a faint "Ah, okay." The memories flooded back so hard I felt like throwing up.
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"Alright, job's done! Please don't move the car today, and make sure it doesn't get wet!!"
With that cheerful departure, Blond Piercings left. The time was 5:45 PM. Quitting time was 6:00 PM, and unless there was urgent work, we could head home.
The manager said, "Well, looks like another successful day. What do you say? Want to go grab a drink?" I appreciated the offer, but declined: "No, sorry, there's a vehicle I'd like to check on today."
"Always so diligent..." he said, as the other technicians and office staff left on time.
There was no "vehicle I wanted to check on." The chance to get revenge on Blond Piercings had simply arrived—that was all.
A car's windshield is fitted from the outside and held in place with high-strength sealant adhesive.
Once it cures completely, it will never come loose or leak water.
The vehicle that had its glass replaced today was part of our used inventory. We bought it from a customer, but the glass was chipped by a flying rock and wouldn't pass inspection, so we fixed it.
I would never do something like this to a customer's car.
Now, time to execute.
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First, I grabbed two towels, pressed them from inside the cabin, and pushed against the glass as hard as I could without breaking it. Since the adhesive wasn't cured yet, it made a squishy, peeling sound as the glass lifted slightly.
Then I got into the car and drove it over the bumps on the shop premises several times at a decent speed. After that, I blasted the edges of the windshield with a high-pressure washer.
Water droplets were already trickling down inside the cabin, so that was enough. I wiped it clean and went home.
The next day was rainy. When I arrived at work and walked into the office, the manager was on the phone. "Yeah, about the car that had its glass replaced yesterday... it's leaking rain."
That car. The manager, who had arrived earlier, had noticed the leak and was calling the glass company to complain.
Hanging up, the manager noticed me and said, "Ah, good morning! You know the car that had its glass replaced yesterday? I saw it this morning and it's leaking. I moved it into the paint booth, so don't touch it, okay?"
I know. I felt bad for the manager who had been so good to me, but I was the one who did it. There were no security cameras and no nearby houses, so my misdeed would never come to light.
I knew it was something you shouldn't do as a human being. Still, maybe I had flaws back then too, but he didn't have to push me that far...
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We get windshield replacements once or twice a month. When other technicians came, I did nothing. Only when Blond Piercings came would I press firmly on the glass from the inside. I found out that doing just this was enough to cause a leak.
That resulted in two leaking cars. By the second time, even my manager said, "Is that guy gonna be okay?"
The glass to be replaced this time was for a luxury car worth over six million yen. Naturally, I was too scared to even get inside that one, so while Blond Piercings replaced the windshield, I left it untouched.
When I came to work the next day, the manager was screaming on the phone. Eavesdropping nearby, it turned out that the luxury car had leaked. This time, I hadn't done a single thing.
"What are you going to do about this?!" my manager barked, raising his voice—a rare sight for him. Due to the leak, the interior was soaked and stained, and the navigation system was fried.
Leaving a six-million-yen car outside right after a windshield replacement might have been partially on us, but we were told not to move it "today," and since the rain fell the following day, shouldn't it normally not have leaked?
Blond Piercings and his boss were coming over to apologize, so I decided to wait.
The moment the glass company guys arrived, the first thing out of their mouth was, "We are deeply sorry for this!!" It was the president of the glass company.
Blond Piercings also bowed, half-heartedly mumbling, "I'm so sorry." Huh... so that's the attitude you take.
My manager said coldly and disdainfully, "Why is it that every vehicle he's replaced glass on recently ends up leaking?"
The president bowed repeatedly, saying, "The cause is... currently under investigation... We're also checking with the adhesive manufacturer..."
I asked, "Mr. [Name] (Blond Piercings), is there anything that comes to mind?" He replied, "No, nothing in particular," without even making eye contact.
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The manager and the glass company president went to inspect the leaking car, leaving me alone with Blond Piercings in the reception room. Honestly, I hated being in the same space, but the second the president and manager left, the guy pulled out his smartphone and started scrolling.
Hey, hey... are you seriously disrespecting us this much? At this point, I didn't care if my identity was exposed. It was time to pay him back for what he did.
Me: "Mr. [Name], does really nothing come to mind about the cause?"
Him: "Yeah~ I don't know~ It's under investigation~" he said, eyes glued to his phone.
Me: "You went to mechanic school, you worked at [Name] Motors, and you don't even know that?"
I threw his own words right back at him. His hands froze, and he looked at me with a startled expression. I continued, "So? You come here to apologize and pull an attitude like that? You understand what's going on, right?"
Whether he realized who I was or remembered the situation he was in, he put his phone away and just mumbled, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" I yelled, kicking a nearby trash can.
Right at that moment, the manager and president returned and asked, "Uh, what happened...?" I turned to the president: "Does your company's employee training endorse messing around on a smartphone in front of a client during an apology?" "Honestly, I find it questionable both as a human being and as a company."
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Hearing this, the glass company president's face turned bright red. "Mr. [Name]! Is this true?!" he demanded. The guy stumbled over his words: "No, well, you see..."
Me: "If he says he didn't do it, does that mean I'm lying?"
When I said that, the president blurted out, "Far from it!" and added, "Please allow us to review this matter internally, including our future response. We will contact you again regarding compensation for the damage and his disciplinary action!!!"
Saying that, he dragged Blond Piercings away with him.
I held the upper hand now. Besides, who would believe a word from a guy who just caused massive damage with water leaks? A few days later, we received a call: "We will compensate for all damages incurred. Blond Piercings will be terminated, so a different representative will handle your account."
That was the outcome. Honestly, it felt so refreshing. There's a saying: karma comes around. So maybe this karma will come back to bite me someday too...
But that's fine. I'll gladly accept it when it does.
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Some time passed after that. My work was going smoothly, I saved up money, and I bought the sports car I had always wanted for around five million yen.
On a day off, I decided to go for a drive and stopped by a convenience store to buy a drink. When I finished shopping and walked back to my car, an old minicar pulled up next to mine.
The person who stepped out was Blond Piercings. The healthy look he once had was completely gone; his eyes were hollow, and his appearance was shabby.
I recognized those hollow eyes. They were identical to mine back when I was taking psychiatric meds and suffering... In other words, he had ended up in the exact same state I used to be in.
Back then, he wore a ring on his left ring finger, but he wasn't wearing it anymore. A lot must have happened.
If it was that brutal for me in my twenties to fall ill, losing your job and falling ill—well, for a guy over forty, things must be extremely rough...!
I went out of my way to speak to Blond Piercings as he got out of his car.
Me: "Long time no see!"
Blond Piercings looked at me in shock, and at the same time, pure disgust washed over his face. As if to say, "It's your fault I ended up like this!!!"
It is partly my fault, but it's your fault too.
Me: "Mr. [Name]! It's been a while! Is work going well?! If you have any more funny stories, be sure to share them! Oh wait, maybe you can't? Ahahaha!"
As I said that and turned to get into my car, Blond Piercings punched me with all his might.
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I fell to the ground, slammed my head against the parking curb, and started bleeding.
A guy on a motorcycle in the parking lot tackled Blond Piercings to hold him down, and the convenience store clerk called the police.
When the police arrived, they asked me, "Do you know him? Do you want to press charges?" I replied, "I don't really recall... He's probably a stranger. Yes, I want to press charges."
Blond Piercings was screaming frantically, but since I had hit my head, I took an ambulance to the hospital, got a medical certificate, and filed formal charges.
Did you think I was just unlucky to get punched out of nowhere... but that this was my karma catching up to me?
Wrong. I had been looking for this guy the whole time. I knew he lived around here. He was only fired from his job, right? That was way too soft.
Provoking him into hitting me was completely calculated. I researched pressing charges, criminal records, all of it before doing this.
When his parents begged me to drop the charges, saying, "Please. Our son is remorseful! The reason he couldn't come here today is that he's mentally ill and hospitalized..."
Hearing that made my heart leap with excitement.
Me: "I will demand compensation for my injuries, but I will drop the criminal charges. In exchange, make him write an apology letter once a month for two years and send them to me." I made that deal. His parents agreed.
The letter for the sixth month just arrived, but his writing is even more broken than last month's. He's probably still in the hospital, trying his best to write it, but I wonder what kind of letter he'll send me next month.
I can't wait.
What? Is forcing him to write letters in that state going too far? Is it pitiful?
I'm not stopping.
Not until I receive a letter that says, "He has passed away"...
Heh... Ahahahahaha!