Chapter 2 – Recruitment of New Employees (2)
—
“Did I hear that wrong?”
“Did I hear that correctly?”
—
[January New Employee Recruitment.]
The fragmented words I heard earlier recombined into a single sentence.
If that announcement was truly about recruiting new employees, even someone who genuinely wanted to apply would have run away.
Or…
Is this what they call the MZ-style of thinking these days? [TL/N: “MZ generation” refers to the combined Millennial (M) and Generation Z (Z) cohorts in Korean society.]
Is this horror-themed recruitment ad meant to appeal to the younger crowd?
Well, I’m not a fan.
Or maybe… have I truly gone insane from the stress of job hunting…?
I hope it’s the latter.
It might be better for everyone if I’m the only one going crazy.
The specific words that came through clearly amidst the meaningless static. And that bizarre announcement—was I the only one who heard it?
Thud.
People who had come to the library, like me, began glancing at each other. One by one, they started gathering in the central hall where I was standing.
“What’s going on here?”
I wish I knew…
“It’s probably nothing.”
I really hope so.
For some reason, my eyes were drawn back to the flyer posted at the library entrance.
This unease… it must be because of that flyer someone put up…
Huh?
It’s gone.
No, to be precise, it’s not that the flyer is gone—it’s that an impenetrable darkness has descended outside, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
Wasn’t it just 11 a.m. a moment ago?
I turned on my phone again to check the time.
[14515 (hours) 12516124 (minutes)]
“…….”
Okay.
I’ve definitely lost it.
At this point, I need to be rushed to the hospital immediately.
Just as I was thinking that, someone raised their finger and shouted.
“T-The time is messed up!”
“I can’t make any calls!”
“14515 hours… what’s going on?!”
“They locked the entrance too!”
Thankfully, it seems like I’m not the only one going crazy. It looks like everyone here is losing their minds.
Static—
The announcement started again.
But this time, it wasn’t the woman’s voice from before. A cheerful middle-aged man grabbed the mic and spoke.
—
[Welcome, everyone!]
[Thank you so much for your interest in our new employee recruitment! Now, let’s give a round of applause!!]
Clap clap clap clap clap!
The sound of applause echoed through the speakers, as if all the library staff had gathered in the broadcasting room to witness this situation.
As soon as the applause ended, the announcement continued smoothly, ignoring the panicked crowd.
—
[It’s a perfect day for interviews!]
Huh? Isn’t it too dark?
—
[Today is different from other days, as so many of you have come. So, let’s skip the boring introduction and get straight to the point!]
Click!
As soon as the announcement ended, all the lights in the library went out.
“Aaaah!!”
“What the hell is this?! Let us out!”
“Are you people insane?! What are you trying to do?! Are you trying to take us hostage in this day and age?!”
The crowd’s emotions were escalating.
If only the library lights had gone out, it might not have been a big deal. But the outside was also pitch black.
Which means…
It’s too dark.
I can’t see a thing.
Not even my own feet.
Anyone who says they’re not scared in this situation is lying. But one man here was preoccupied with a different thought.
This… is a Ghost story.
‘Was that flyer… real?’
Not just any —it’s one from the <Ghost Story Recording Storage>, a site I’ve been browsing until just now.
—
=======
/Ghost story journal
[New Employees Are Always Welcome!]
: Identification Code Cd-F-1129
=======
Click!
With another sound ringing in my ears, a single light turned on, illuminating a desk with a stack of papers on it.
—
[I’m already excited to see what kind of applicants we have today! Don’t you agree, everyone?!]
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.
The applause that followed the man’s words at regular intervals, as if rehearsed, only made the situation even more bizarre.
Everyone here would agree that the applause was making things even weirder.
—
[Now! The application form isn’t too difficult! Once you’ve finished filling it out, just drop it into the box next to you!]
[Easy, right?]
[Oh! For those who’ve already prepared their resumes, there’s no need to fill it out again. Just stay where you are for now.]
—
Is there really someone here who’s going to fill out that obviously suspicious application form?
Has the part of my brain responsible for judgment completely broken down? There’s no way someone would fill out that resume unless they’re insane.
“…Are you going to fill it out?”
“Are you crazy?! Who in their right mind would fill that out?!”
“…….”
I agree.
I don’t even want to go near that resume.
I want to live.
Thud.
“……Hey, hey. Look at that guy!”
“…What a lunatic. He must have a death wish!”
“Hey, young man!”
Yeah, I want to live.
So.
“…….”
Where my footsteps stopped, a spotlight was shining on a desk, with papers and a pen on it.
I carefully picked up one sheet of paper and the pen.
‘Why does it have to be a red pen…?’
—
Name: Park……Yeon-jeong
Age: 27
Blood Type: B
Physical Disabilities: None……
Aspirations: I’ll work hard…….
—
My hand wouldn’t stop shaking.
This resume is embarrassingly simple, hardly worthy of being called an application form.
But I checked it over and over to make sure there were no mistakes.
If all resumes in the world were this simple, whether for better or worse, it might have been a topic of discussion.
‘This should do.’
As I said before.
I want to live.
That’s why I filled out this resume.
If I hadn’t filled it out and held out until the end…
—
=======
/Ghost Story Journal
/New Employees Are Always Welcome!
<Exploration Record – #12>
1. Resume Submission
: The resume submission is simpler than you think, so don’t worry too much. Surely, there’s no idiot who wouldn’t fill it out, right? (Who would throw away their chance to live with their own hands?) Those who don’t submit their resumes… <Read More>.
2. Aptitude Test
: The aptitude test is a simple physical assessment, so don’t worry too much. (Highest number of casualties recorded here.)
3. Interview
: Don’t stress too much. After all, it’s all up to the interviewer’s discretion. (Pray to God—who knows, they might pass you?)
4. Results Announcement
: Congratulations on becoming a full-time employee! When the successful candidate, ‘Hansol,’ asked if they could go home now, the announcement responded with a bizarre, splitting laugh.
From now on, this is your workplace and your home.
Record ends.
=======
—
Yeah, filling out the resume is the right answer if I want to live.
I wrote my name on the suspicious application form that everyone was avoiding and dropped it into the box next to me.
Static—
As if responding, the speakers vibrated slightly, and the announcement began again.
—
[Without a moment’s hesitation, ‘Park Yeon-jeong’ has submitted their application to our company! Let’s give them a round of applause!!]
[You might be the first person to submit your application so quickly.]
—
Thankfully, the man on the mic praised me in a cheerful voice.
With this, I’ll live for now…….
—
[However, we can’t accept this application.]
—
…Huh?
Suddenly, the announcement said they wouldn’t accept my resume.
Did I do something to upset him?
I’m going to die.
Static—
—
[No need to be so disappointed.]
—
Click!
The spotlight that had been shining on the desk now illuminated the top of Park Yeon-jeong’s head.
—
[‘Park Yeon-jeong’s’ application has already been submitted to our company! We’ve seen your passion for our company!]
—
Huh?
When did I submit an application to this company with no future…….
……Ah.
That time.
While browsing the <Ghost Story Record Storage> out of frustration with the job market, I submitted an application on a whim.
The work of my index finger.
—
[Now, we ask for the cooperation of the remaining applicants!]
—
“…….”
“…….”
“……That guy’s insane.”
After I submitted my application, not a single person stepped forward to do the same.
I get it.
Even I wouldn’t have filled out that suspicious form so readily.
……A lot of time has passed.
If this continues, everyone here except me will die.
Wait, does that mean the other two people who submitted applications after seeing the ad on the <Ghost Story Record Storage> site haven’t shown up yet?
Does that mean I’m the only one who submitted an application in advance?
—
[10 minutes until the application deadline.]
—
Just 10 minutes.
If these 10 minutes pass, everyone left here will die. How they’ll die… I won’t go into detail because it’s too gruesome.
Let’s just say it’s the most horrifying death imaginable.
…….
Just thinking about it makes me nauseous.
………Ugh.
—
*****
—
“…….”
“…….”
—
[7 minutes until the application deadline.]
—
The mechanical voice echoed in the hollow silence. But this sound will also end in 7 minutes.
Soon, this entire situation will be resolved.
Whether it’s for the better.
Or for the worse.
After submitting my application, I avoided making eye contact with anyone here.
They probably see me as a lunatic for filling out the application in this unpredictable situation.
—
[3 minutes until the application deadline.]
—
This is really the end.
The end of life as we know it.
Death.
Even if I survive this, I’ll just die during the next ‘aptitude test.’
It’s harsh, but there’s nothing I can do.
I need to stay calm…….
“……Mom.”
“!!”
From the crowd I had been avoiding, a student’s sobbing reached my ears.
………Sigh.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been stuck in this brutal job market for too long.
I think I lost my mind for a moment.
At least maintain some dignity, Park Yeon-jeong.
“E-Everyone! Fill out the application here!”
“…….”
“…….”
My voice broke the silence that had lasted for several minutes.
At first, everyone looked up at the sound of my voice.
But when they realized it was coming from me, the one who had filled out the application, they covered their ears, shut their mouths, and lowered their heads.
“…If you want to live, you need to fill out the application!”
“…….”
“Doesn’t this seem weird to you?! This situation, this space, the eerily quiet outside!”
—
[2 minutes until the application deadline.
—
At first, my voice stuttered, awkward from shouting. But as the countdown continued, I put more force into my words.
“Right now, we need to follow their conditions and observe the situation! We can’t provoke them!”
“…….”
“Don’t you all want to go home safely?!”
“Home…….”
At my plea, a female student hesitated.
But her friend, a short-haired student, stepped in to stop her.
“Are you insane?! You’re going to believe that lunatic?! What if he’s in cahoots with them?!”
“…But, Minji.”
“Snap out of it, Kim Hye-sun!”
“……….”
I was wrong.
The voice that had been pouring out my frustration just moments ago was now met with silence.
The others, who had been hesitating, stopped in their tracks because of that one girl’s words.
That little brat!
—
[1 minute until the application deadline.]
—
One minute left.
“Everyone!”
“Shut up!”
“That’s right! There’s no guarantee that filling out the application will make things better!”
“If you’re going to die, die alone!”
Panic.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
The situation is only getting worse. Just when it seemed like it couldn’t get any worse.
Thud.
A woman with horn-rimmed glasses strode confidently toward Park Yeon-jeong.
And the words she spat out were:
“……Just fill it out, right?”
“……Yes.”
I recognize her.
The woman who looked at me with disdain when I was acting foolishly in front of the library earlier.
She quickly filled out the application and dropped it into the box next to her.
Static—
—
[Are you our savior?! Thank you for submitting your application to our company!]
[We’ll be closing submissions in 1 minute.]
—
After submitting her application, the woman locked eyes with me again.
And she whispered softly.
‘If this is a lie, I’ll rip out your tongue, you bastard.’
?!?!?!
Before the question marks and exclamation marks in my head could disappear.
The woman took off her horn-rimmed glasses and tossed them aside, then swept her bangs up with one hand.
“There’s less than a minute left! Good luck, you idiots……! Oh! And those girls over there might fetch a higher price.”
……Huh?
Where are we being sold to?
The woman suddenly started spouting nonsense.
But with that one line filled with curses and insults.
“Are you tricking us?!”
The fish started biting the bait.
“Fill out the application now!”
“Mommy!!”
“Hey! Kim Hye-sun……! Seriously!”
And as if enjoying the situation.
—
[10….]
[9….]
[8….]
—
The countdown to the deadline began.
It felt like watching a bargain sale at a mart.
—
[4….]
[3….]
[2….]
[1….]
[Deadline!]
[Thank you so much for your applications!!]
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