Chapter 9, Job Fair.
Chapter 9, Job Fair.
I'd spent the entire morning wrestling with complainants in the Civil Complaints Department, and before I knew it, lunchtime had flown by.
This afternoon was an off-site duty day.
It was getting to the point where if I didn't head out and grab a taxi soon, I might be late, so I jumped up and got ready to go.
Before leaving, I booked a taxi through the app.
"Oh, Gyeong-ho-ssi. Heading out on off-site duty?"
"Yes. I'll be back."
"Take care out there. Call if anything comes up."
"Uh. Should I come back to the office after off-site duty?"
"That's not what I meant. You wanna come back, do some work, and then head home?"
"Ah, no..."
Team Leader-nim chuckled at my reaction.
"I'm kidding, kidding. Once you're done there, just go home."
"Thank you, Team Leader-nim."
Team Leader-nim waved me off, so I waved back.
Then I bolted out the door and hopped into the taxi waiting at the entrance.
'My first off-site duty ever.'
It made sense since I hadn't been appointed long.
I never imagined they'd send someone like me out on off-site work.
For a normal off-site trip, I'd have gone with the other division heads.
But today was a shift rotation, so I was heading out solo.
No separate off-site allowance, but I could charge the taxi fare to the corporate card, so it wasn't bad.
Thanks to that, I could leisurely check out the scenery during work hours.
"Driver-nim, to the main gate of A Campus, please."
"A Campus... I heard the Job Fair's happening there today. You a student heading to the Job Fair?"
"Heh heh, I'm no student."
Being in my mid-20s, it felt kinda nice to be called a student.
"Ah, my bad again. This is the Hunter Management Bureau entrance, so yeah, no way you're a student."
"I'm a civil servant."
"Ooh. Must've studied your ass off? If only my son put in half the effort."
He seemed dead serious, no joke.
The Taxi Driver-nim said he'd get me there safe and sound, then pulled out.
Today's destination: Seoul Hunter University A Campus.
Just like the Taxi Driver-nim said, the Job Fair was underway.
In Korea, you have to graduate from a 2-year hunter college to become a hunter.
It's not optional—it's mandatory—so universities, guilds, and clans hold Job Fairs every year.
Think of it as the standard route: schmooze at the Job Fair, join a guild or clan.
'They used to do the training directly at the Hunter Management Bureau back in the day.'
But after privatization, hunter colleges popped up nationwide.
And among them, Seoul Hunter University was undeniably at the top.
The Seoul National University of the hunter world. Or even more than that?
'Wonder how the Gallery's doing today.'
I pulled out my phone and logged into the Hunter Gallery.
Sure enough, it was on fire with Job Fair talk.
[Title: Any guilds heading to Seoul Hunter U Job Fair today?]
[Our guild's got the whole HR team mobilized lololol]
[Gotta snag some good stock.]
ㄴCalling people "stock" lmao
ㄴThis dude's VPN is Cambodia of all places?
ㄴIsn't that a nobvpn?
ㄴNah nah fuck that's scary as shit.
ㄴWhich guild? Fuck off if you're some no-name shithole guild
ㄴㄴLol for real, nobody gives a shit unless it's Top 3 Guilds
ㄴㄴㄴ(Poster) We're a Top 100 guild btw -_-
ㄴㄴㄴㄴTop 100 guilds wtf
ㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴLmao who even ranks that shit
[Title: Fuck, I wanna join a guild too...]
[Regional hunter college senior, B-rank. Will ya take me?]
ㄴB-rank? Hit up Seoul big clans
ㄴㄴRegional college B-rank awakener = in-Seoul C-rank equivalent.
ㄴㄴㄴ(Poster) Y'all just talking shit fuck lol
[Title: Why does the Job Fair only let in current students/alumni? Discrimination?]
[I wanna be a hunter too and I'm D-rank.]
ㄴD-rank lololololololol
ㄴIf it bothers you that much, enroll you retard
ㄴㄴD-rank's just barely stronger than a normie right? Lol
ㄴㄴFact) D-ranks are barely porter material.
[Title: Heard the Management Bureau's coming to the Job Fair too? True?]
[Don't they recruit hunters via exams?]
ㄴQuasi-civil servant exam grinders
ㄴBureau hunters = second-stringers. Pension one-trick.
ㄴㄴStill, civil servant pension slaps lololol
ㄴㄴThis fucker must have some corporate pension if he's one-tricking on civil servant pension lmao?
[Title: Seoul Hunter U kids have it so good fr]
[Just graduate and Top 10 guilds are free pass.]
[Fuckin hell.]
ㄴBut admission's insane af...
ㄴㄴTuition's cheap tho? Gov pours money into it
ㄴㄴㄴThat's why it's so fuckin unfair
[Title: At our school's upcoming Job Fair, we're only hitting the Management Bureau booth]
[Definitely going Bureau hunter.]
[Civil servant pension best.]
ㄴLol Management Bureau only shows at Seoul Hunter U Job Fair
ㄴㄴFuck fr?
ㄴㄴThis is bullshit
[Title: Seoul Hunter U Job Fair reviews plz]
[Many hot girl hunters?]
ㄴYou think hunter chicks are hot? Muscle monsters
ㄴㄴShut up, mage types are full of total babes
ㄴㄴㄴReality) Mages (physical)
'They've got all kinds of shit going on.'
I clicked my tongue and turned off the phone screen.
As I skimmed the posts, the taxi pulled up to the destination.
"We're here."
I paid with the corporate card and got out.
The overwhelming main gate, and beyond it, sleek modern buildings.
I let out a sigh without realizing.
'Fuuuck, it's huge.'
Stepping onto campus, the youthful energy hit me hard.
Most of the students hustling around weren't average Joes.
Elite hunter hopefuls whose physical abilities far surpassed normals...
But there was something different about them compared to job-hunting college kids.
'Is this the smugness of a first-year civil servant?'
Now they just looked like college grads on the job hunt.
Some of them would land in the Top 3 Guilds, others get pushed to mid-tier clans.
Me? I'd already escaped that rat race.
After all, I was the civil servant managing them.
'Doesn't feel half bad.'
I headed to the comprehensive gym hosting the Job Fair.
The heat from the entrance was intense.
The gym had a dome ceiling and was massive.
Inside, it was packed with booths from countless guilds and clans.
[Hwashin Guild]
[Zeus Clan]
[Cheonma Guild]
From the big-name guilds everyone knew to recently surging mega-clans.
Each booth was decked out in their signature colors and logos, flashy as hell.
No rowdy hawking from mid-to-small guilds or clans here.
Guilds big enough for a booth like this? Hopefuls come to them.
No need to yell and advertise.
Our Hunter Management Bureau booth was sandwiched between those flashy guilds.
No blinking holograms or giant banners like the others.
Just a plain white banner in black Gothic font: [Hunter Management Bureau].
Quintessential government office aesthetic.
'Even so, that's a bit...'
But that simplicity carried a heavy weight.
As I walked up slowly, neatly dressed male and female hunter hopefuls filled the waiting area.
Their eyes all snapped to me.
More precisely, to the civil servant ID around my neck.
Envy.
Jealousy.
Aspirational longing.
It was blatant.
These students were Korea's top elite hunter hopefuls.
Graduates who could pull eight-figure salaries easy.
Yet even they looked different at a civil servant ID.
"Ahem."
Students at Korea's most coveted hunter university.
Even they yearned for this spot.
Me, a Grade 9 Civil Servant at the Hunter Management Bureau.
"Nice to meet you. You're the afternoon shift, right?"
"Ah, yes. That's me. Lee Gyeong-ho from Civil Complaints."
A staffer from another department who'd been working hard greeted me.
The HR Department Officer who'd arrived earlier that morning.
I sat at the reception desk and dove right into afternoon duties.
Behind me was a curtained-off temporary interview room.
Inside, our Civil Complaints Department's 7th Grade Civil Servant and the HR Team Leader were conducting interviews.
I was just the gatekeeper filtering them at the entrance.
My job was simple.
Collect resumes from on-site interviewees.
Cross-check student IDs and resumes.
Hand out waiting tickets.
Honestly, not busy at all.
The busy ones were the interviewers behind me reviewing resumes and doing the actual interviews.
Me? Just reception—pure honey.
'These resumes... no joke.'
A quick glance showed they were stacked.
Baseline B-rank and up, As popping up regularly.
Dungeon/gate practicum experience, subjugation certs, mana control scores...
Kids with monster specs sitting here for a civil servant pension.
'...But with this level, couldn't they rake in guild/clan cash without envying pensions?'
I handled resumes like that for a while until things quieted down.
The waiting line hit a lull during interviews.
I snuck my phone under the desk and hopped back on the Hunter Gallery.
Couldn't resist—new bullshit posts had dropped.
[Title: Fuck came to Seoul Hunter U Job Fair and the inferiority complex is real af]
[Saw that baby-faced civil servant kid at the Bureau booth?]
[Pretty boy just sitting there doing jack shit—makes my blood boil wanna die.]
[We're shaking for one interview lololol]
[Fucking bullshit.]
ㄴFr lol I saw too.
ㄴDude was hot af?
ㄴㄴAnyway those types) Tiny dicks. Trust me.
ㄴㄴㄴ(Poster)Bet 100% smaller than mine fr
ㄴㄴㄴㄴEven small with that face and civil servant ID? Steals your gf easy.
ㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴ(Poster)My gf's A-rank hunter?
ㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴA-rank so what? All equal before civil servants lololol
[Title: That Bureau civil servant just staring at his phone?]
[Phone zombie not working lololololol]
[Holy fuck Lupin-level salary honey gig]
ㄴWon't get fired anyway lol civil servant
ㄴIsn't that 7th grade? Why's a 9th grader there?
ㄴㄴObv a kid. 7th grade my ass
ㄴㄴBureau has no 7th grade exam. Always start at 9th no exceptions
[Title: That Bureau dude.]
[Dick 100% smaller than mine.]
[I guarantee.]
ㄴ(Poster)Mine's 17cm, his probs under 10.
ㄴㄴRetard lol 17 my ass probs 7
ㄴㄴㄴ(Poster)Wanna verify?
ㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴYeah do it retard
[Title: Ha... maybe I should just prep for civils]
[Quit hunter shit, become Bureau civil servant?]
ㄴWith your brain? Lololol
ㄴㄴBureau 9th grade exam still does PSAT retard lololol your head couldn't pass in 50 yrs
ㄴㄴㄴPSAT wtf weeb
ㄴㄴㄴㄴThat's why you can't pass lololol
[Title: But tbh he was pretty handsome]
[Why civil servant? Coulda been idol/model. Face wasted]
ㄴProbs F-rank mana
ㄴㄴFace is S-rank. Modeling alone makes more than Bureau civil servant you retard
Hm, is that right?
I remember Noona definitely made bank back then.
But don't male and female models have a big pay gap?
'Hm?'
That's when my eyes met one of the hopefuls in the on-site interview waiting line.
Buzzcut, sharp eyes.
Looked pretty built.
The guy startled when our eyes met and bowed his head deep.
Like he'd committed a crime.
That reaction.
I was certain.
'The fucker who just bet on my dick size in Hunter Gallery?
Fuck, probably smaller than mine.
Kinda pissing me off.'