chapter_0042

42 – I Got Noticed by My Senior on My First Day at Work

42 – I Got Noticed by My Senior on My First Day at Work

Gong Seung-yeon was the last candidate for the interview, so once she left, the interview naturally came to an end.

And then, bang.

“Ouch.”

The Boss’s playful slap landed on my head.

“What if you just blurt out that she passed in front of the candidate!”

“But… she was perfect. The other candidates I saw before weren’t that great, so I thought it was fine to say she passed right away.”

“The results of the interview are to be communicated after you go home. If that candidate hadn’t been the last one, what would the others waiting outside think?”

Thinking about it, I realized I made a mistake since it was my first time as an interviewer.

“Ah. Um. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“… It’s fine as long as you understand. It’s my fault for assuming you’d do well even though it was your first time and not properly training you. Just be careful not to make a similar mistake next time.”

“Yes.”

After saying that, I tilted my head.

A similar mistake next time?

“Will I have another chance to interview again?”

“Not for now, but as the company keeps growing, you never know when another opportunity might come… Speaking of which, go follow Manager Yeom and get some interviewer training.”

“Huh? Right now? I want to sleep a bit.”

“Do it now.”

“… Okay.”

Manager Yeom Hee-seong, who had been watching our conversation, gestured for me to sit down.

It meant he would let me know when the Boss left.

After the Boss left for the next schedule, Manager Yeom pulled a chair closer and sat in the spot where the Boss had been.

“Well. Honestly, I don’t have much to say to you, Jia. Just be careful about things like that at the end. If you give off a vibe that guarantees a pass, then you have to pass that person no matter what.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“Well, this time the Boss said it was fine as long as he liked the candidate, so I just checked if there were any issues with their character. As for the last candidate, Gong Seung-yeon, I thought she was okay too. So don’t worry too much. You did well enough.”

In fact, I didn’t like any of the candidates except for Gong Seung-yeon, so I had kept my mouth shut throughout the interview.

Whenever the Boss asked me to speak, I just poked around to hear their true feelings.

So I felt a bit embarrassed.

“Thank you for the compliment, even though I was inexperienced since it was my first time.”

“Honestly, just quietly watching the candidates as an interviewer is half the job. In the end, the Boss’s opinion is the most important.”

“… I think it’s because Manager’s gaze is so fierce.”

“Hey, I’m more like an angel.”

The HR Manager, who said that, had a smile that looked angry.

Even in his mid-thirties, he seemed to have gone through a lot, as his wrinkles were quite deep, and his eyelids were noticeably puffy, causing interviewees to flinch every time they entered the interview room.

Anyway, I realized again today that the saying “silence is golden” isn’t just a saying.

In an unfamiliar environment, just staying quiet is half the battle.

While I nodded to myself, the HR Manager spoke.

“I’ll go make a simple interviewer manual for you, so study it later. Got it?”

“Are you making that because of me?”

The HR Manager chuckled as he stood up.

“Well, for now, it is because of you. But there will be people getting promoted in the future, and more new hires will come in. It’s better to set it up in advance for convenience later.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I didn’t expect much from you, Jia. Are you a bit overly self-conscious?”

“… No, it’s not that. I was just wondering if you were doing something troublesome because of me.”

“Haha. That consideration of yours. There’s a reason the Operations Team Leader praises you all the time. Anyway, I’m off now. Enjoy your lunch.”

“Yes. You too, Manager. Enjoy your lunch.”

After bowing, I was left alone in the meeting room.

Let’s see. I need to clean up, but everyone neatly pushed in their chairs, so there’s not much to do.

I just need to return the other chairs that I had pushed aside for the candidates to sit alone to their original places.

… ─ — Parallel Gallery ─ ─ — …

[Sharing my interview story]

First of all, there were three interviewers.

Momo was in the middle, and there was one person sitting on each side.

Momo (the Boss) mainly asked the questions.

The person on the left asked surprisingly many questions, and in the middle, I unknowingly hit it off with that person and excitedly talked about Komari’s broadcast.

That person seemed to enjoy it a lot too.

I never expected to have such a nerdy conversation during an interview.

My tension completely eased at that moment.

So maybe there will be good news…?

[Comments]

— Parallel874: Congratulations in advance on passing!

–
Parallel067 (Author): Hehe, thank you!

–
Parallel743: I heard that if the atmosphere in the interview room is too friendly, the chances of failing are actually higher.

–
Parallel067 (Author): What?

–
Parallel874: Is that so?

–
Parallel067 (Author): No, if you say that too…

— Parallel385: How about Momo’s red pill?

— Parallel224: Good luck!

– Parallel067 (Author): Thanks!

… ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ …

The HR Manager was exploring the community that Majiya had previously informed him about even after the interview ended.

If there were people casually discussing the candidates they had seen during the interview, it was to withhold passing them.

After all, this wasn’t just any company; it was Parallel.

The mystery surrounding the identities of Virtual YouTubers was highly valued.

If anyone mentioned the Boss’s red pill, immediate judgment would fall.

Majiya had written down exactly what she thought about the three candidates she wasn’t satisfied with from the four who interviewed.

[I think I saw Jikwon D in the interview]

[Jikwon D seemed to have a higher rank than expected?]

[Momo was the blue pill]

The last candidate Majiya chose, Gong Seung-yeon, clearly made an effort to hide her descriptions and stories about people.

The fact that understanding the company could be differentiated by such trivial points was something the inexperienced candidates probably didn’t realize.

However, if one truly wanted to join, it was better to know the specifics of the business in advance.

For a manufacturing company, proposals and considerations about the direction the company should take could be made through the disclosed pipeline and R&D status.

For a service company, one could suggest how to set alternatives based on past conflicts or issues with customers.

Parallel is a Virtual YouTuber business.

In other words, those who do not adhere to the unwritten rules of the Virtual YouTuber industry are not worth hiring.

“Jia has quite a good eye for people.”

In fact, this wasn’t the first time the HR Manager had noticed Majiya’s talent.

Was it during the first batch’s on-site audition?

While waiting outside the interview room, she answered questions from candidates, guided them to the restroom, and handled various tasks.

With just the information she gathered then, she advised the Boss, saying, “I think this person will cause trouble later.”

That person, who was actually rejected, ended up sinking with the company after being accepted by another small corporate affiliation due to issues with school violence and her current boyfriend.

The HR Manager had been keeping an eye on her as a person of interest, so Majiya’s advice particularly caught his attention.

Later, when he asked her how she knew, Majiya replied that there was a Virtual YouTuber she used to watch who accidentally showed a ring mark on her finger during a broadcast. That person eventually confessed the truth after being pressured by fans and graduated in disgrace.

The person I pointed out also had a similar mark on her ring finger, and when I casually tested her, she seemed flustered. So I was suspicious.

… This answer surprised the HR Manager.

However, it seemed that the radar didn’t activate for everyone.

When she got hit by the former Operations Team Leader, who left after three months, she also had a few days where her expression wasn’t good.

It seemed that it was a special radar limited to internet broadcasters, especially Virtual YouTubers.

Even if there were some flaws, the HR Manager valued that intuition highly.

Even if a successor comes in later, he thought that Majiya might be better than the successor when it comes to Virtual YouTuber interviews.

So when he went to report the summarized interview results to the Boss, he spoke candidly.

“Excuse me, Boss. I was thinking, how about including Jia as an interviewer when we conduct interviews for the second batch?”

“… Jia?”

“Yes. She has quite a good eye for people. Especially for those in broadcasting, or rather, not just for Virtual YouTubers. I think she’s really good for that.”

“Ah… well, that could be possible. She watches a lot of broadcasts.”

Dohee carefully examined the interview results report she received and said.

“So, are you suggesting that Jia should be included in the original trio of me, the planning team leader, and the HR Manager?”

“I think that would be the best. If you think there are too many interviewers, I’m open to other ways of involving her.”

“Such as?”

“I know Jia helped out here and there in the waiting room before. We could assign her as the official waiting room manager. As you know, a lot of conversations happen in the waiting room. If we let Jia lead that, she might be able to uncover stories that candidates try to hide during the interview.”

“Hm.”

Why do large companies insist on having young employees manage the waiting room?

Because it’s lighter compared to the stiff and heavy atmosphere of the interview room, allowing candidates who are overly tense to easily bring up things they couldn’t say during the interview.

Of course, most of the conversations are just simple small talk with new employees in the field, but the questions posed by the young HR staff hidden among them are an extension of the interview.

While they may not have a decisive impact on passing or failing, they could serve as a casting vote between two candidates who are truly hard to distinguish.

Cheon Do-hee also remembered how Majiya pinpointed a risky individual during the first batch selection, so she received the HR Manager’s suggestion very positively.

Moreover, Majiya’s appearance had an absurdly destructive power that induced the conversation partner’s carelessness.

“Candidates probably wouldn’t show any wariness toward Jia.”

“Exactly. At that time, Jia was quick-witted and caught on, but usually, it’s rare for someone to get caught like that.”

“Right. When trying to hide something, they tend to become more meticulous.”

“So I thought that if we assign Jia as the waiting room manager, there would be many stories that come to light. That’s what I was thinking.”

It’s not a bad suggestion.

The only problem is that it means Majiya has one more task to handle.

But by that time, the newly hired Gong Seung-yeon would likely be taking over some of Majiya’s work, so it didn’t seem too bad.

“I guess we’ll have to raise Jia’s salary significantly as she gets promoted. You’ll have to help persuade the accounting director, Manager.”

“Oh, that’s my specialty. It won’t take long after I go and sweet-talk him.”

“No, you shouldn’t be doing that when you’re not feeling well…”

“Well, what can I do? I have to take medicine and go to the hospital. A working person is originally a patient, right? It’s nice to spend the salary on enjoying life, but one-third of it goes to medical bills.”

Dohee swallowed a bitter smile as she signed the Boss’s section of the printed interview results report.

─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

[2024 Q4 New Hire (1st Round) Results]

— Operations Team (1): Gong Seung-yeon

…

─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

The notification of acceptance and Gong Seung-yeon’s start date was faster than anyone else.

That’s because Cheon Do-hee hoped for someone to take over Majiya’s work as soon as possible, and as a new hire, she could start immediately.

Thus, on October 31, the day of the first batch’s Halloween collaboration.

Gong Seung-yeon succeeded in taking her first step into society just two days after her interview, a month and a half after graduating from university!

“Wow…”

How touching that is.

Gong Seung-yeon arrived an hour early at 2 PM, the time her senior was supposed to come out to greet her, and was busy taking selfies against the backdrop of the building.

“Wow!”

She still couldn’t believe that she had passed.

However, she thought that the lively conversation she had with Jikwon D that day must have helped her to some extent.

She was determined to express her gratitude when they met again.

How long had she been taking pictures and having fun?

“Gong Heung-young?”

“Ah!”

Startled, Gong Seung-yeon turned around to see a girl who was smaller than her palm, munching on something and looking at her.

The legendary monster. Jikwon D, Majiya.

Gong Seung-yeon couldn’t help but smile, wondering why they seemed to meet so often.

“Hello! You’re eating fish-shaped bread? It’s just the right season for it.”

“Want one?”

“Wow, I’d be grateful if you offered it.”

Suppressing the desire to poke Majiya’s cheeks that puffed up and deflated, Gong Seung-yeon received the warm, no, scalding fish-shaped bread.

“Ouch, ouch.”

“I bought it right in front, so it’s still hot.”

“Thank you.”

“Follow me, let’s go up.”

Majiya said that and trotted ahead, entering the building first.

While she struggled to push open the heavy glass door, Gong Seung-yeon caught up and asked.

“Um, but I have to wait here. My senior is supposed to come out. I was guided to go up together…”

“That’s me.”

After pressing the elevator button, Majiya looked up at Gong Seung-yeon.

Gong Seung-yeon looked back at Majiya.

Huh?

Does this mean Seung-yeon will be working with someone much higher up?

Or was it that Jikwon D wasn’t as high-ranking as Seung-yeon had thought?

“Um… was my senior… you?”

“Yes. We’ll be working together from now on.”

Majiya said that and extended her small, delicate hand.

“My name is Majiya. Nice to meet you.”

With her mind in a whirl, Gong Seung-yeon hurriedly took Majiya’s hand with both of hers, fish-shaped bread still in her mouth.

‘Am I really working with Jikwon D?!’

Unintentionally, Seung-yeon’s lips tightened around the fish-shaped bread.

The poorly baked fish-shaped bread tore open, and hot red bean paste burst out.

The fish-shaped bread was still scalding hot.

“Zbvtahdth!”

Unable to withstand the burning sensation on her lips, Gong Seung-yeon spat it out.

The fish-shaped bread, which had no wings, flew through the air and fell to the ground.

Being a dead fish, it couldn’t flounder.

As she watched the gradually cooling fish-shaped bread, Majiya muttered.

“If you don’t like fish-shaped bread, just say so.”

“Oh, no! No, it’s not that!!”

A word from the author (Author’s note)

I support everyone who is working hard today, whether at their workplace, in graduate school, at university, in high school, in middle school, or in elementary school!!