I Got Hired
".. Gulp."
In a quiet, dark, and narrow room with nothing but a cold, hard iron table sitting alone in the center and flickering lights overhead, a sense of foreboding slowly crept into my heart. It felt exactly like an interrogation room straight out of a movie. Just then, the strange figure in front of me finally slid the last document across the table.
"Here. Please sign at the bottom."
The voice was bizarre, layered with static noise to the point where even the speaker's gender was impossible to determine. The person, roughly my height and dressed in a crisp suit, leaned in with a ridiculous clown mask that clashed horribly with the formal attire and urged me to sign.
A dangerous aura radiated from this place. I had already filled out a confidentiality agreement, enrolled in a life insurance policy, and provided my account number for salary deposits along with my resident registration number and other personal details. Now only the final signature remained.
"Usually... people only get the life insurance, right?"
I couldn't help but ask. My first job, and instead of the standard four major insurances, I was getting life insurance plus a confidentiality clause. It was impossible not to feel uneasy. Something was clearly wrong, and the clown mask alone was proof enough. Even without the Halloween costume, my one reliable ability had completely failed to work on this person, which was already a terrifying sign.
The clown-masked figure let out a short laugh, voice oddly polite despite the unsettling demeanor, and pushed the blank signature line closer to me.
"As long as you don't die, the company provides free treatment."
"Ah... I see."
Was this person really expecting me to just accept that? The condition "as long as you don't die" sounded ominous enough on its own. Still, I picked up the pen and brought the tip to the signature field.
Monthly net pay: a staggering ten million won. For someone with no verified credentials whatsoever, landing a job with an annual salary well over a hundred million right from the start was an offer too tempting to refuse.
Scratch, scratch, scratch...
[Signature Field: Geonung]
"You don't look like your name suggests. Ah, that's a compliment. I like that about you."
Like? A chill ran down my spine. It didn't sound like a compliment at all. Even if it had been sincere, I didn't want to hear it in that voice.
"Hehe. Welcome aboard."
Now there was truly no turning back.
Like everyone else my age, I had thrown myself into the job market, desperately searching for stable, decent work. But effort didn't always guarantee good results. My grades hadn't been good enough for a top university, though I had come close to entering a respectable department at a well-known school. Looking back, this whole ordeal stemmed from the strange ability I possessed.
I was born in a remote mountain village where the nearest bus stop was a forty-minute walk away. From a young age, I could hear the inner voices of living beings. I never thought of myself as special; I assumed everyone could do it. So I learned to suppress it, constantly reading the room and keeping myself in check.
When I first moved to the city with my mother's support, the flood of countless inner voices overwhelmed me so badly that I couldn't leave my room for days. Only after a counselor diagnosed me as a delusional patient hearing hallucinations did I realize this ability wasn't normal. Of course, spending all day listening to the stress-filled inner screams of city crowds was enough to drive anyone insane.
I tried everything to stop hearing the voices, but it was impossible to simply turn off an ability I never wanted. Because of it, normal things like dating or forming proper relationships became difficult for me. I had briefly considered using it at a casino to solve my money problems, but my overly cautious nature, drilled into me since childhood, made the idea of deceiving others for profit feel impossible.
After finishing my military service and bouncing between part-time jobs for three long years, I was starting to think I should return home and help my parents with the fields while my body was still strong. Then, while absentmindedly tearing open the usual stack of bills to throw them away, a suspicious black envelope slipped out and landed at my feet.
The paper felt expensive, and there was a faint scent of perfume. Curiosity got the better of me. It was addressed to "Sim Woong, Eunrang Art Museum, Seoul." An invitation from a famous conglomerate whose name even I recognized. Inside was a brief mention that they were interested in my ability, along with a job offer. Regardless of how they had found out, the promise of work that actually needed my so-called inconvenient ability was enough to bring me here.
And just now, I had written my real name and finished signing.
"We have a very high opinion of your abilities, Woong."
"My name is Geonung..."
"Woong."
"..."
...Call me whatever you want.
The clown mask tilted its head left and right, deliberately trying to get under my skin, and continued speaking.
"So, what exactly will I be doing?"
"Counseling."
"Counseling?"
Counseling? I'd received psychiatric counseling because of the voices in my head, but I'd never given any. I didn't even have memories of normal relationship advice.
"The entities or groups under our facility's protection often show anxiety symptoms in this unfamiliar space where their freedom is restricted."
"Entities...? You mean animals?"
If it was animals, that might be manageable. Thanks to my ability, I'd always felt more comfortable around animals than people...
"Well, something like that."
"...?"
Something like that? If it's an animal, it's an animal. If it's a person, it's a person. Was I supposed to counsel something that was "like" an animal?
"Your job will be their mental care. But don't worry too much. We'll start you off with the safer entities and help you gain experience gradually."
That meant there were definitely dangerous ones too.
"You seem reluctant."
"N-no, not at all."
Sharp. Too sharp.
"...Well, once you see them, you might change your mind."
The clown mask casually dropped another unsettling remark. At this point, I was starting to suspect it was doing this on purpose just to enjoy my reactions.
"Even so, I sincerely hope that you, our thirteenth Counselor, will stay with us for a long, long time."
[CODE NAME: COUNSELOR]
The clown mask slid a name tag toward me. Counselor... a codename? More importantly...
"Thirteenth...? Then the ones before me..."
"From now on, please call me by my codename, Joker, or simply Team Leader."
It lightly ignored my question and introduced itself. Anyone could see it had deliberately cut me off, but I lacked the courage to press someone whose abilities my own couldn't read.
"I'll... call you Team Leader."
Team Leader...? This clown was my superior?
"..."
Despairing once again at this new revelation, I reluctantly took the offered hand and finished the most unsettling handshake of my life.