Surviving Among the Anomalies - Chapter 63

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

◈ Surviving Among the Anomalies ◈

Chapter 63: New Employee Lee Seung-hoon

──────

The first thing I did was search for Sarang Trading Company on a job listing site. Fortunately, I found their posting for new employees.

[Sarang Trading Company New Employee Recruitment]

[Positions: 00]

[Field: General Office Work]

[Relevant Major: Not Required]

[Experience: Not Required]

[Education: Not Required]

[Age: Not Required]

[Salary: To Be Negotiated]

[Application Deadline: None]

[Announcement of Successful Applicants: Individual Notification by Text Message]

[Required Documents: One Job Application, One Personal Statement]

[We are a company with a family-like atmosphere. We welcome many applications.]

I submitted an application right away. I had one prepared from the past, so there was no need to write a new one.

‘It’s fortunate they don’t look at experience or education.’

Those two things had always prevented my previous attempts to find work from succeeding.

‘If they had, I was going to ask Sarang-i to forge my academic records, but I won’t have to. Now, let’s look at the company reviews.’

I visited a corporate information site and checked the reviews for Sarang Trading Company.

[A family-like company. The best company, with no equal. 《5-star rating》]

[The best company. They pay well and make sure you have work-life balance. 《5-star rating》]

[The best company of my life. It makes me wonder whether this place is heaven. 《5-star rating》]

[I gained new experiences here and earned six certificates. A company for me! 《5-star rating》]

There were 127 reviews, and every single one gave it five stars.

There wasn’t a single bad review.

‘There’ll probably be a lot of applicants. Will they really contact me?’

The very next day, a text arrived.

[This is a notice that you have passed the document screening. Congratulations.]

[The second stage will be an interview.]

[Date and Time: December 14, 11:00 a.m.]

[Location: Bucheon City... in front of the park fountain.]

[We are a family-like company, so please come comfortably dressed ^^]

The 14th was tomorrow.

‘They said to dress comfortably, but first impressions are important.’

The next day, I put on the suit I had prepared for interviews in the past and nervously headed to the location in the text.

“Ah, are you Mr. Lee Seung-hoon?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Come this way.”

Two middle-aged men were waiting for me in front of the fountain.

“Wow, you’re taller than you looked in the photo.”

“Let’s head to the interview location first.”

The older-looking of the two asked, “Do you like Korean food?”

“Yes, I do.”

“That’s good.”

His bright smile left quite an impression.

“That’s where we’ll hold the interview.”

＊＊＊

I had no work experience. Sadly, I had never even worked an ordinary part-time job.

‘I had done a few bioequivalence trial jobs, so my work experience wasn’t entirely nonexistent.’

I knew nothing about companies. For example, what new employees specifically did at work, what their daily lives with other employees were like, or what sort of conversations they had with their superiors.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“I was just thinking for a moment.”

I only understood companies in the abstract.

Even so, I could tell this interview was unusual.

“It’s strange to have an interview at a Korean buffet, right?”

“I can’t say for certain since I have no experience, but it is quite unusual.”

“There’s no need to make things stiff by holding interviews in an office, right? It’s better to do it while eating until you’re full.”

“Our company is like a family. A dining table is where family members talk, isn’t it? So eat plenty. It’s on us.”

“Understood.”

While we ate, the older man spoke.

“You can call me Manager Kim, and call this guy Assistant Manager Lee.”

“Yes, Manager Kim. Assistant Manager Lee.”

“So you want to work for our company? I looked at your résumé, and you have no experience and only a middle school education. Wow! You’ve got some nerve!”

“Although I only graduated middle school, I don’t believe academic background has much meaning in modern society. I have learned much through the internet and by auditing lectures, and I have gained enough knowledge to possess ordinary judgment and intelligence. If you teach me, I’m confident I can fully do my part at the company.”

“Wow, that was smooth. So smooth!”

The two clapped in admiration. Then Assistant Manager Lee asked, “Do you really want to work for our company?”

“Yes. I really do.”

“Manager Kim, this guy’s passion is incredible. Let’s hire him.”

“Okay, you’re hired! Now, shall we negotiate your annual salary?”

I was left speechless by the document Manager Kim took out.

“Your starting salary is 25 million won, but the first year is a probationary period, so you’ll only receive 60 percent. Ah, I’m older, so it’s okay if I speak casually, right?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Thanks! So your first annual salary is 12.5 million won, which is 60 percent of 25 million.”

“Isn’t 60 percent of 25 million won 15 million won?”

“Oh dear! Miss Kim must have made a mistake while writing up the document! All right, we’ll erase this part... There, corrected to 15 million. Your first annual salary is a little low, but our company has its advantages.”

“What advantages?”

“If you hold out for one year, you’ll definitely be promoted to assistant manager the following year. Your probationary period will end then, so you’ll receive the full 25 million won and be officially recognized as an employee. Besides that, the duties you’ll perform when you come to work are...”

By this point, I could tell the interview was not normal.

“You know how to use Excel and Word, right? Do you know accounting too? Our team doesn’t have an accountant, so it would be nice if we had someone who could handle accounting professionally.”

“You’ll need to be versatile beyond accounting. You’ll also have to manage factory equipment now and then, so you should know electrical work, know how to repair machinery, and speak some Chinese since we have Chinese migrant workers...”

Since employees could not be dismissed without cause after three months of employment, the probationary period was set at three months.

Even during probation, employees had to be paid at least minimum wage. Violating that was illegal.

“Anyway, you have to handle accounting, know how to write documents, know how to work with electricity, manage the website sometimes, and plenty of other things.”

“It’ll be a little busy, but that’s why there’s a probationary period. You can learn it all during that time. You’re still young, right? Young people learn quickly.”

“Right. They say you buy hardship when you’re young. If you work hard as a new employee, it’ll help you grow and pay off in the end.”

The scope of work was extremely broad, and there was no fixed position.

‘The interview isn’t strange. The company is strange.’

During my previous inspection, I had been so blinded by my desire to experience office life that I had failed to see it clearly. Now that I was digging into the details, I understood exactly what kind of business this was.

‘It’s a Black Company.’

Still, it didn’t matter.

“Yes, I’ll work hard.”

“Ho ho, I really like your spirit! Wow! This guy’s something else!”

To save the world, I had to infiltrate the company and obtain information through its employees anyway.

“Here! Sign this!”

And even a Black Company was still a company. I would still get to experience office life.

“Now, Lee Seung-hoon, you’re an employee of Sarang Trading Company too!”

I was still excited at the thought of working at a company.

＊＊＊

[You can start work next week.]

[You need to be here by 7:30 in the morning, so come early.]

[Business suits are standard in the company, so dress like you did today.]

My employment had been confirmed. It was a Black Company, but I had been looking forward to going to work. Then an unexpected problem came up.

[Ah, you have a car, right? You’ll have places to go, so a personal vehicle is essential.]

[Does the company not have company vehicles?]

[We do, but probationary employees can’t use them. How could we trust a probationary employee with a company vehicle?]

I needed a car. I also needed a license.

“I need to solve this problem.”

Fortunately, the solution came quickly.

『I will resolve Lee Seung-hoon’s concern.』

“You can solve it?”

『Yes. Autonomous driving is the most basic function and does not even require power consumption. Furthermore, your revoked license can be restored by hacking and altering the relevant records.』

I had Sarang-i.

“Come to think of it, even ordinary AI advertises that autonomous driving is coming soon. If it’s you, Sarang-i, then of course you can do it. Should I buy an electric car, then?”

『No. Autonomous driving is possible with ordinary vehicles as well.』

How could that be possible with an ordinary car?

It was impossible, but considering Sarang-i’s original ability to hack even wooden computers, perhaps it was not that absurd.

“Thank you. I want to drive myself, but I should hold back until I find a solution.”

『More importantly, Lee Seung-hoon, do you truly intend to work at Sarang Trading Company?』

“Yes. Why?”

『This is internal information regarding Sarang Trading Company.』

The wall-mounted television turned on, and several screens flashed across it.

『The chairman’s debauchery, the incompetence and office politics of superiors, frequent resignations by employees who have lost their will, unclear job scopes, and a corporate atmosphere where superiors take all the credit while subordinates take all the blame. This is judged to be a very poor company.』

“I still have to work there to save the world.”

『If you require information held by the employees, I can investigate by hacking their phones, the cameras and microphones on their home computers, nearby CCTV cameras, and more.』

“I don’t want to make you work so hard.”

『No. Helping Lee Seung-hoon is my greatest joy in life.』

“...No, I’ll do it myself.”

I had almost had the experience of working at a company taken away from me.

『Then I will support you to the best of my ability. What Lee Seung-hoon desires is closeness with the employees inside the company. I will begin the best possible support for that purpose. To do so, I would like full authority over Lee Seung-hoon’s financial accounts. Do you approve?』

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you, Sarang-i.”

I didn’t know what preparations Sarang-i intended to make, but it was an AI smarter than me. It would do well.

『Financial account transfer confirmed. Beginning management.』

『There is too much cash lying dormant in the accounts. Beginning investment.』

『Beginning 125x cryptocurrency leverage.』

『Beginning futures trading.』

『Beginning options trading.』

『Investment complete. Next, I will begin preparations for Lee Seung-hoon’s perfect entry into the company.』

An AI that loved humans also knew humanity’s darkness well.

『To maintain affinity with employees, one must be superior.』

“Superior?”

『In general, humans have a strong tendency to hold high favorability toward, or easily feel affection for, humans superior to themselves.』

“I won’t deny that. It’s probably because humans are social animals. Especially since superiority can inspire admiration and awe.”

『Superiority is easily attained by possessing what others do not. In Korea especially, visible material wealth has become firmly established as an indicator of superiority. I will search for related goods. Compromising on price severely reduces the effect, so I will purchase them without compromise.』

“Considering how limited our time is and that we don’t know when the world will end, I suppose we should do as you say.”

The money in my bank account began to disappear.

『Beginning purchases.』

＊＊＊

“Ugh, my head. I’m going to die at this rate.”

Early in the morning, Manager Kim Pil-jung arrived at work and drank coffee to chase away his hangover headache.

“Nothing beats an iced Americano for Koreans.”

“Manager Kim, you’re here?”

“Oh, you’re here?”

Before heading to the office, he stopped by the smoking room and chatted with Assistant Manager Lee Seok-du, a subordinate from the same office.

“Is your head feeling any better?”

“I feel like I’m dying. Age catches up with you. When I was young, this was nothing. I could drink soju by the 1.8-liter bottle, sleep, and wake up perfectly fine.”

As they talked about this and that, the topic changed.

“By the way, do you think that guy will show up today?”

“Hm? Who?”

“The new employee.”

“Ah, Lee Seung-hoon? He’ll probably come. There’s a reason he only graduated middle school. I watched him during the interview, and his eyes were so pure. Pure eyes from someone with only a middle school education and no experience? That’s the mark of a moron. People like that always show up. I don’t know whether he’ll last, though.”

“Right? I kind of got that feeling too.”

“But isn’t Lee Seung-hoon the same name as that Fixer? Lee Seung-hoon the Fixer.”

“Come on, it’s probably just someone with the same name. More importantly, Manager, what did you do with what you got before?”

Manager Kim Pil-jung grinned and held up his wrist.

“I turned it into a Rolex. Dirty money tastes best when you turn it into tangible assets!”

“Oh! It looks great! How much was it?”

“I bought it for 12 million won. It’ll rise more if I let it sit, right? Rolex prices generally go up.”

“Nice. But Manager, you really love luxury goods.”

“Assistant Manager Lee, I always tell you this. A person needs to know how to appreciate good things. Whether it’s people or objects, you need to recognize luxury goods to become a luxury good yourself.”

Is that why a man of such class embezzles money?

The words rose to Assistant Manager Lee Seok-du’s throat, but as always, he smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

“As expected of you, Manager!”

After all, he was receiving a cut for helping Manager Kim carry out the embezzlement.

“Let’s head in.”

“Yes!”

At that moment, a vehicle entered the parking lot across from the smoking room.

“Manager?”

“...gatti.”

“Pardon?”

Manager Kim Pil-jung stopped walking.

“Bugatti La Voiture Noire...”