Chapter 1 – Recruitment of New Employees (1)
Swish… Swish
It’s not a sound coming from my mouth.
My index finger aimlessly swiped up and down on the small LCD screen, moving as if it were desperately searching for something.
[★☆$Recruitment Ad for New Employees$☆★]
……This.
A pop-up window that exudes an aura of ‘Do not click,’ no matter who looks at it.
Is this really how recruitment ads for new employees are done these days?
“…….”
But was it because of such provocative phrasing? It felt as if I was being drawn in by something.
My curious index finger, which had been staring at the obviously scam-like text.
Tap
With a light touch.
The window switched to the recruitment ad.
—–
[Recruiting New Employees!] (Everyone is welcome!)
<Qualifications>
Experience: Not required. (The younger, the better.)
Education: Not required.
Preferred: Healthy body. Diligence and sincerity.
<Working Conditions>
Employment type: Full-time.
Salary: Performance-based differential payment.
Location: Worldwide.
—–
…No experience or education required.
And the preferred qualifications are young people with healthy bodies.
This is a perfect opportunity to make the front page of tomorrow morning’s news.
It might be more intuitive to change the posting to ‘Recruiting people who want to bid farewell to life early.’
Normally, the correct answer would be to ignore such an ad that clearly seems deeply involved in crime.
No, it’s not even a matter of it being the correct answer. There’s no way anyone would apply after seeing this recruitment ad.
If there’s someone applying to this posting, they must be illiterate and unable to read, or a curious idiot.
“……Two people have already applied.”
Is this for real?
There are so many incomprehensible people in this world.
But my index finger, which had been idly hovering over the application button.
Just as I was wondering what deep thoughts it was having.
With a tap sound.
[Your application has been submitted.]
Well, now it’s three.
My index finger had just tapped the <Apply> button, which had been at the center of my grand critique.
My index finger has gone crazy!
This wasn’t my doing. It was all my index finger’s idea!
Actually, my right hand has a dark flame……
So goes the act of Park Yeon-jeong, a job seeker lying on the bed.
Oh, by the way, I’m a guy.
I’ve always been told my name sounds feminine.
To clear up a small misunderstanding, whenever I go for a job interview, they always check my resume and my face twice.
‘..You must get a lot of comments about your name being feminine, right?’
And my response is.
‘Ah… yes. I hear that a lot.’
By now, it’s become something I don’t really care about, to the point where if someone taps my shoulder, I reflexively respond.
Right now, there’s something more pressing to address than the trivial matter of my name sounding feminine.
The issue of why Park Yeon-jeong applied to that absurd recruitment ad.
Was it because I felt a sense of helplessness about life?
ㄴ. Yes. (So I’m planning to order chicken for dinner.)
Did I need money to take care of my parents’ illness?
ㄴ.NO (But they seem so healthy!)
…Wait! Did you cosign for someone?
ㄴ. No. (And who would be foolish enough to cosign these days? Even elementary school kids know better.)
……Then why?
ㄴ. Obviously for fun. Does there need to be a big reason?’
Yes, this was purely an action taken for fun.
And.
There seems to be some misunderstanding.
I’m also a job seeker with both eyes wide open. Don’t compare a job seeker who has already jumped into the job market several times with your own standards !
I’m not foolish enough to be tempted by such absurd terms.
The recruitment site I’m currently looking at on my smartphone isn’t a normal site.
It’s a creative works wiki site.
And there.
Currently, a collective intelligence horror creation site that has gained popularity online.
A site that has long immersed me, someone who has always loved genres like ‘urban fantasy.’
<Ghost Record Storage>
Literally, a concept site that records various urban legends, incorporating countless bizarre phenomena that may not exist in this world.
An organization that manages urban legends.
Countless bizarre urban legends.
And even cool weapons for suppressing urban legends.
Currently, with its surprisingly solid world-building, <Ghost Story Record Storage> has gained a large fan base and is even selling merchandise through various crowdfunding campaigns, showing an upward trend as an IP.
I’m so deeply immersed in this site that I’ve even bought the most expensive items available through its crowdfunding.
So.
You might have some idea about that ‘new employee recruitment notice’ I just saw.
A freshly uploaded urban legend that has just passed the scrutiny of many seasoned users.
=======
/Ghost story journal
[New Employees Are Always Welcome!]
: Identification Code Cd-F-1129.
F Grade.
First recorded on 20XX.01.01. An (F) grade urban legend. An urban legend that requires ongoing investigation as little has been revealed about it.
Known peculiarities include taking the form of a large library, but there is not a single book on the shelves.
=======
An F-grade urban legend, like a newborn.
Now, this little one will be reborn with countless settings by many urban legend enthusiasts.
“……What am I doing right now?”
A deep sigh escapes my lips as I realize I’ve been wasting time holding my smartphone and rambling on.
I’ve entered my 20s and have been in the job market for over two years now.
I know.
Companies these days don’t exactly welcome people in their 20s.
I’ve also learned, while preparing for jobs, that most companies are like that.
But, humans.
Humans, you see.
After being rejected several times in the job market, sometimes a sense of helplessness creeps in.
Yes, I’m at that point right now.
After failing several interviews, lying on my bed, I’ve reached the point where I’m applying to a trivial ‘new employee recruitment notice’ made by someone for fun.
I’ve lost my will.
It feels as if rain has fallen all over the room, and the dampness dominates the space.
“……Ah! I need some fresh air!”
If I stay like this, I feel like mold will start growing on my body.
At this rate, mushrooms might even sprout.
I need to move.
Worrying won’t help at all.
I stuffed all the books on my desk into my bag and hurriedly left my damp, moldy-smelling studio.
*****
The bright morning sunlight shone down.
I took in the refreshing morning air under the warm sunlight.
It’s so cold.
Thinking about it now, the outside temperature is.
Minus 8 degrees Celsius.
As I hurriedly buried my face in my clothes and trembled with regret for leaving the warm blanket, a vibration was felt from my right pocket.
Thinking about it, today is the start of a new year.
Is it a congratulatory message from my friends?
With my hands trembling from the cold, I took out my smartphone and checked the source of the vibration.
[International Call]
『You still haven’t found a job and of course, you don’t have a girlfriend, right? Don’t spend the New Year alone, let’s have dinner together. You have plenty of time anyway. LiNe : 12*ce』
“…….”
[Blocked Call.]
For some reason, the cold I felt just now disappeared, and a hot surge spread throughout my body.
And today, I felt like I could focus on studying more than ever.
‘I’ll succeed, even if it’s out of spite!’
Sometimes, motivation comes from unexpected places.
More energetic than ever? I headed to the library I always go to.
-Giwon Library
A library I’ve frequented since high school.
As I grabbed the door handle to open the library entrance as usual, a piece of paper fluttered on the glass entrance.
Normally, I would have thought it was just a small event notice and passed by without a second thought.
But for some reason, my eyes were drawn to that piece of paper that day.
Even now, I don’t know why.
<★☆$Recruitment Ad for New Employees$☆★>
A strange sense of familiarity.
And the content of the urban legend I checked this morning flashed through my mind.
=======
<Caution>
: If you see a ‘New Employee Recruitment’ poster in front of the library entrance, run away without looking back. (Unless you want to die a miserable death….)
=======
…Well, well done.
It felt like the work of a fellow fan who also enjoys <Ghost Story Record Storage>.
Moreover, this is dedication.
How serious is the person who put up this paper about that urban legend site?
It hasn’t even been a few days since the [New Employees Are Always Welcome!] urban legend was posted on the site, and they’re already showing this level of dedication.
The confusion I felt just now turned into admiration.
It didn’t take long.
It was fun, friend!
I grabbed the loosely hanging door handle again… and swallowed my saliva.
Damn it! Why did they have to put this up so creepily!
I take back what I said about it being fun, friend!
Now I can’t even go into the library because it’s so unsettling!
“…Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“……Aren’t you going in?”
“Ah…….”
A woman with bangs covering her eyebrows and wearing horn-rimmed glasses. The typical model student style.
While I was pointlessly agonizing over the library door, a woman around my age was looking at me with a strange expression.
She even had her smartphone tightly gripped in one hand.
If I had acted any crazier in front of the door, I might have ended up studying at the police station instead of the library.
“……Sorry.”
I bowed my head deeply and moved away from the library door, and the woman quickly opened the door and rushed inside as if diving in.
Through the glass, our eyes met again.
With the woman’s cold, suspicious gaze, I made a resolution to quit <Ghost Story Recording Storage> for a while.
“…Let’s just study.”
Creak!
I opened the library door and went inside.
Ding dong dang dong~♪
Along with the familiar song echoing through the library, an announcement played.
[We will be accepting additional requests for children’s books for January. All those who wish to make a pre-request can do so at the ‘Forest House’ information desk on the 1st floor.]
[We appreciate your many requests.]
It was a normal announcement.
Actually, I was a bit scared.
The small piece of paper visible beyond the door bothered me a bit, but I thought it was just my imagination and moved forward.
Chik-chik-chik!
Startled.
The announcement that followed.
This time, the voice that reached my ears was a discordant noise mixed with heavy static.
[January ■■■■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■. ■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■ ‘■■ ■■■’ ■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.]
And the last part of the announcement came through with an eerily clear voice.
[We appreciate your many requests.]
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