Women-Only Workshops
Won Hye-min, Fine's senior engineer, checked the company-wide notice posted on the internal network. As always, she figured it was some pointless crap and clicked her mouse dismissively.
But this notice was different from the usual ones. The priority level was marked as Level 1, which clearly meant it was important. For Level 1 notices, you had to confirm receipt and personally report it to HR.
"Emergency workshop? What's going on?"
Hye-min, who'd been with the company for five years, had never heard of an emergency workshop. Fine held workshops pretty often, but they were always announced in detail weeks in advance. Nothing like this had ever happened on her watch.
Her name was on the attendee list. Scanning it, Hye-min spotted something odd.
"It's all women."
Development teams usually had a decent gender balance. But weirdly, the workshop list was nothing but women. Strange, but Hye-min didn't think much of it.
"Probably separating by gender."
She was swamped with deadlines, but you couldn't skip a mandatory company workshop. At least it was at headquarters, not some far-off location.
The next day came.
Hye-min headed to the multipurpose room on B1 of the headquarters building, just as the notice instructed. A few other female employees were already there.
The gathered staff came from all sorts of departments—HR, general affairs, development, sales, you name it.
No clear pattern by department. If she had to pick a common thread, they were all beautiful women.
"Looks like everyone's here."
At 9 a.m., a man stepped up to the podium at the front of the multipurpose room. Hye-min had never seen him around the office. He had blatantly dyed blond hair and deeply tanned brown skin that left a strong impression—for all the wrong reasons.
"I'm Geum Taeyang, in charge of this workshop. Nice to meet you."
Hye-min and the others gave a perfunctory round of applause. The obligatory, half-hearted claps.
The man who'd introduced himself as Taeyang scanned the room, then flashed a grin. A smile so creepy it sent shivers down her spine.
"Today's workshop theme is interview skills. You're all star talents who crushed the competition to get here. In this day and age with no such thing as lifetime employment, you'll probably jump ship someday. And the company's footing the bill to teach you how? What a great place to work, haha."
Something felt off to Hye-min at his words. Was this really so urgent they needed an emergency Level 1 notice?
And teaching skills to help jump to competitors? Using company time and money? Super suspicious.
"We'll do mock interviews, nice and simple. Who wants to go first? Ah, you there in the front row. What's your name?"
Suddenly put on the spot, Hye-min startled and answered.
"W-Won Hye-min. From development, but..."
"They say devs switch jobs the most. Come on up."
Two chairs faced each other on stage. Taeyang sat in one; Hye-min took the other.
"With all these people watching...? Really?"
Hye-min glanced nervously at the back of the stage. There were over 30 people in the room. Her back burned.
An interview. Hye-min had lucked into Fine straight out of college, so it'd been five years since her last one. Doing it fresh had her nerves jangling.
"The more spectators, the better. It means you're prepared. Controlling nerves is key in interviews."
Hye-min nodded, recalling her own hiring interview. Fair point.
"Pretend I'm an HR rep from a fictional IT firm. Proceed at your leisure."
Hye-min nodded, took a deep breath, and bowed her head.
"Won Hye-min, applying for development. Pleased to meet you."
Her voice shook a bit from the surprise, but it came out decent enough. Taeyang looked at her and spoke.
"Could you give us a detailed self-introduction?"
"Yes. I graduated from Jinglebell University Computer Engineering and joined Fine right away. Five years experience. Specialized in embedded systems; at Fine, I've been a key player in OS development for years. Worked on DBMS design and autonomous driving AI projects, and if hired here..."
"Ah, but what's your three sizes?"
"Pardon!?"
Hye-min froze at Taeyang's ambush question, dumbfounded.
What the hell was this guy saying? Too shocked to speak, she just stared as Taeyang continued.
"It's been five years since your last interview—you're totally out of touch with trends. That kind of intro has zero appeal these days. Probably the same for the rest of you."
He tsked and looked around. The watching women averted their eyes on eye contact.
"First off, that outfit's a fail. Hye-min, what'd you wear to your Fine interview?"
"A s-suit..."
"These days? Instant rejection. Guess I gotta teach you from square one."
Hye-min realized something was wrong. Or was it? Thinking about it, his words kinda made sense.
Current interview trends... I've been buried in code, no clue.
The others thought the same. If the company mandated it, there must be a reason. They soon bought into Taeyang's pitch.
For most students at Jinglebell University, the dream job was probably Fine. The world-class IT giant in Jinglebell City represented Korea and every job-seeker's fantasy. Ask a hundred seniors; nine out of ten would say they're gunning for Fine.
Fine was super close to campus—a huge perk for Jinglebell students.
They snagged internships easier than other schools and got two company tours a year. Plus, Fine held recruitment info sessions on campus once a semester.
These sessions were insanely popular—always packed. Even at Jinglebell, you had to apply early or miss out. So Jiyeong, a fourth-year, was thrilled for this rare ticket.
"Info session! I've been applying since sophomore year—first time I got in."
"They're notorious for it. Unlike other companies, they cap attendees. Fine pride?"
"Works for us. Fewer rivals. Right?"
"Almost missed it again. Hey, rumor is this one's women only. None of the guy classmates got picked."
"For real? Coincidence?"
"Dunno~! Lucky us anyway. Oh, auditorium's here."
Jiyeong arrived at the massive basement lecture hall in the humanities building with her friends. The circular setup was perfect for external lectures and info sessions. She'd attended classes and talks here before.
For a literature major like Jiyeong, landing an IT job was tough. But Fine, as a global tech leader, hired across fields—including lit, history, and philosophy grads from her seniors. Grounds for hope.
Plus, she'd passed document screening. Bright future ahead. She applied for secretary—best shot for humanities types.
With interviews days away, this session's intel would help big time.
Surprisingly few attendees. Jiyeong and friends took back-row seats, scanning the crowd—maybe just over thirty. Not even a quarter full in the huge hall.
Top-tier corp perks? Info session for so few?
And the rumor checked out—all women. Jiyeong shrugged it off. Probably gender-separated sessions.
Jiyeong's life had been a rollercoaster. Just years ago, she never imagined a normal adult routine. That's why she cherished this hard-won peace.
Get into Fine, pave a stable path! Yeah! After that middle school hell, I deserve this calm.
Steeled, Jiyeong looked forward. Suited folks entered—definitely not students. Fine people, for sure.
Fine was casual, few suits normally. But formal for external stuff? Made sense—first impressions matter.
"Jiyeong, that guy's kinda scary-looking."
Her friend poked her side. Jiyeong instantly knew who—only one up front fit "scary."
"Whoa, real company man? Heard they were free-spirited, but damn."
The guy catching stares: bright yellow blond-dyed hair, brown skin. Suited a beach more than a top firm.
His sloppy suit screamed delinquent—local thug shaking down vendors.
The others around him? Normal. Actually, stunning women. Jiyeong projected her future onto one.