The Degrading Interview Ritual
html, body { margin:0; padding:0; } CEO: GeumTaeyang9
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Park Jiyeong could only let out her frustration in explosive bursts.
The humiliation she'd endured today was something she'd never forget for the rest of her life. In front of all those students, she'd been forced to perform shameful acts and gestures. The memory of spreading her pussy wide open before everyone and recounting her very first masturbation experience was still vividly etched in her mind.
For a former magical girl like her, this kind of degradation was a first.
"What the hell are the magical girls doing anyway!?"
Magical girls existed precisely to handle situations like this. Having retired from the role long ago, she had no idea where the current ones were or what they were up to.
Reporting it to the police would be pointless if the culprit was a monster from the Shadow World.
There wasn't even any evidence to begin with. The other friends who'd attended the briefing with her had already fallen completely under the monster's brainwashing. That bastard had hijacked her smartphone at will, so it probably hadn't left any CCTV footage either.
The decisive reason her situation was so precarious was that the monster—over there—already knew who she was.
She'd managed to escape today somehow, but she couldn't relax just because the Shadow World monster knew of her existence and had backed off like a gentleman.
It'll definitely show up in front of me again.
Without the power of a magical girl, exorcising a monster was a pipe dream for her. Monsters from the Shadow World weren't that soft. Especially the one she'd seen today—it seemed even less so. It would probably kill a single person without batting an eye.
Right now, she had three options. One: run away. Two: wait for the magical girls to resolve the incident. Three: confront it somehow with her mere human body.
Waiting around for magical girls who might show up anytime is stupid. If I run away with this body... it'd just be avoiding the problem, not solving it.
Jiyeong bit her lip. Memories flooded back of her glory days, when she'd been called the strongest magical girl in history and crushed Shadow World monsters.
You think I'll just roll over without my Muse Watch!? You monster bastards. You're all fucked!
Jiyeong ignited her fighting spirit. As a magical girl, her true power came not from the Muse Watch, but from this unyielding will.
She pulled a note from her skirt pocket. It had the phone number of that man, Geum Taeyang, who'd subjected her to such immense humiliation today. She'd gotten it directly from him to track down clues about the monster.
That guy's definitely a victim of the monster too. A monster that manipulates humans at will... Was there one like that among the monsters I fought?
This monster's viciousness was the worst she'd ever encountered. She could still vividly picture Geum Taeyang vomiting blood, nearly on the brink of death. It was clearly the type that treated humans like disposable pawns.
Jiyeong dialed Taeyang's number.
"Yes, this is Geum Taeyang, HR Manager at Fine Company."
"Ah, hello. This is one of the students from today's briefing."
Fortunately, he picked up quickly. Hearing his voice brought back a fresh wave of today's humiliations.
"Ah, yes. Hello. What can I do for you?"
The man's voice sounded perfectly natural. She couldn't tell if he was still under the monster's control or not.
"Um... this might be a weird question, but... has anything strange happened around you lately?"
Jiyeong wasn't one for beating around the bush, nor did she want to.
It was a sudden question even to her own ears, but she asked anyway. What she needed now wasn't eloquence—it was breakthrough force.
"Haha, that's a fun question out of nowhere. Strange things... well... ugh!"
Suddenly, a scream came through the receiver. Jiyeong startled and gripped the phone tighter.
"H-Hey! Are you okay!?"
"Strange... grk! My head...!"
She sensed something ominous and focused her mind. It felt like some kind of restriction had been placed on the man.
"Grrgh! Come to think of it, lately the CEO's been acting weird... kuh! Like he's a completely different person... grrgh!"
From Taeyang's brief words, Jiyeong pieced together a crucial clue.
Fine's CEO is under the monster's control too?
The entire Fine Company might have been taken over by the monster.
"Ever since the CEO got his hands on some strange black orb... he's been off. Guhuk!"
"Black orb!?"
Jiyeong clapped her hands together. That was probably an X Egg, a condensed mass of negative energy.
An X Egg was the extreme accumulation of human negative emotions, a kind of monster in itself. The only difference from regular monsters was that it didn't take the form of a living creature.
Moreover, X Eggs were far stronger than ordinary monsters. That was one reason they were so tricky.
Destroying the X Egg will eliminate the negative effects it causes. So then...
Jiyeong's eyes sharpened. She now knew exactly what she had to do next.
"Ugh... what were we talking about?"
A weak groan came from the other end, followed by Taeyang's voice. He sounded like someone with short-term amnesia, completely forgetting their recent conversation.
"We were talking about the interview in a few days!"
"Ah, right. Haha. No backdoor deals, though. All I can say is prepare hard for the interview."
"Yes, got it."
Jiyeong said that and hung up.
The best way to access the X Egg in Fine's CEO's possession was to get hired by the company. Of course, just getting hired wouldn't grant easy access to company executives.
The silver lining is that my position is secretary.
Jiyeong closed her eyes and thought it through.
She couldn't rely on the police, had no clue where the magical girls were, and running away would just be dodging the issue. That left solving it with her own hands. And she had the ability to do so.
"You dare mess with me!? I'll make you regret it."
Jiyeong glared at her calendar. Five days until the interview. She'd prepare thoroughly and get hired no matter what. Then she'd destroy the X Egg and mock the monster that tormented her right in its face.
"Wait. But to get hired..."
The flood of shameful events from today resurfaced. Her face flushed beet red. Could she really go through that again? Even Jiyeong, with her iron will, wasn't entirely sure.
*-*-*
Fine's massive headquarters building was intimidating enough to make Jiyeong shrink back. And she wasn't the only one—the other applicants seemed overwhelmed by the grand, sleek atmosphere too.
But getting intimidated from the start would ruin her interview performance. Fortunately, her experience as a magical girl had made her adept at regaining composure. A few deep belly breaths calmed her excitement, easing her mind considerably.
She was here to exorcise a Shadow World monster. Even without the Muse Watch, her resolve to defeat it burned as fiercely as any current magical girl's. Hyping herself up repeatedly, Jiyeong entered the headquarters.
The interview room was on the 5th floor. Jiyeong sat in the hallway chairs with the other applicants, waiting her turn. The moment finally arrived.
The company's more normal than I thought. Has the monster's influence not spread throughout yet?
If so, perfect. She could wrap this up quickly.
Her goal was to destroy the CEO's X Egg. And to do that, she needed to get hired here.
Sneaking in to steal it... nah. Too risky, and I don't know the internals well enough. If I can just land the secretary position, opportunities will come.
She thought coldly. Haste makes waste—acting rashly could get her caught, and there'd be no second chance. Even in this situation, she judged calmly.
There weren't many interviewees, surprisingly. And among the few was her friend, Hong Jangmi.
"Jiyeong-ah, what's your interview number?"
"Number 5."
"Whoa! I'm 6. Guess we're going in together?"
"Ugh. Then you're my rival."
"Hehe! Let's do our best."
Jiyeong scanned the surroundings with an uneasy gaze. All beautiful women.
After a short wait in the hallway, a stern-faced woman in a suit emerged from the interview room. Jiyeong recognized her from the briefing. Won Hye-min, was it?
"Everyone's here. I'll distribute the interview badges now."
She said that and pulled out badges numbered 1 through 30. The short, bob-haired woman marked as number 1 stepped forward first. Without hesitation, she removed her suit jacket and bra.
Jiyeong flinched at the sight. The others watched nonchalantly.
Hye-min pierced the woman's nipple with the badge like a piercing. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 followed suit. Then it was Jiyeong's turn. She stiffly stepped up.
"Take off your top."
At Hye-min's sharp command, Jiyeong swallowed hard and did as the others had. Standing out here wouldn't help. Hye-min attached the badge to Jiyeong's nipple. Jiyeong bit her tongue through the stinging pain.
Once all interviewees had their badges, Hye-min opened the interview room door.
"We interview three at a time. Enter when called."