Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The New Employee Ad
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1.
Swipe… swipe.
It wasn’t a sound coming from my mouth.
My index finger endlessly glided up and down over the small screen, as if searching diligently for something.
[★☆$New Employee Recruitment$☆★]
…This thing.
Anyone could see it radiated a “Don’t click me” aura, like some popup window.
Was this really how they recruited new hires in this day and age?
“……”
But was it the clickbait phrasing? Or some inexplicable pull?
My curiosity-driven index finger, staring at what was obviously a scam-laden ad,
Tap.
With a light touch,
The screen switched to that recruitment ad.
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[New Employee Recruitment!] (All Are Welcome!)
<Qualifications>
Experience: None required. (Younger the better.)
Education: None required.
Preferred: Healthy body. Diligent and sincere.
[Work Conditions]
Employment Type: Full-time.
Salary: Performance-based.
Location: Worldwide.
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…No experience or education required,
And preferred traits boiled down to a healthy young person with all limbs intact.
This was prime material for tomorrow’s front-page news.
They might as well post it as “Recruiting those eager to part ways with life early” for clarity.
Normally, the right answer would be to ignore an ad screaming “deep ties to crime.”
No, it wasn’t even a matter of right answers. No one in their right mind would apply to this.
Anyone submitting to this would either be illiterate or a curiosity-brained idiot.
“…Two applications already.”
For real?
So many incomprehensible people in the world.
But my index finger, hovering blankly over the application field,
Made me wonder what deep thoughts it was lost in.
Ding!
[Application received.]
Huh, now three.
My index finger had tapped the very <Apply> button it had just been grandly criticizing.
My index finger’s gone rogue!
This wasn’t me! It was all the finger’s doing!
In truth, my right hand has black flame…
Thus sprawled the job-hunting slacker Park Yeon-jeong on his bed, putting on a show.
Oh, by the way, I’m a guy.
I’ve gotten plenty of comments over the years about my name sounding feminine.
To clear up a minor mishap: at job interviews, they’d always double-check my resume and face.
“…You must get asked a lot if your name’s feminine, right?”
My stock reply:
“Ah… yes. I hear that often.”
Now it was so ingrained that a shoulder pat would trigger it reflexively. No big deal anymore.
But right now, forget trivial name gripes—there was a bigger issue to unpack.
Why did Park Yeon-jeong submit to that absurd job ad?
Feeling apathetic about life?
ㄴ. Yeah. (So I’m ordering chicken for dinner.)
Needed money to care for sick parents?
ㄴ. They’re way too healthy?
…No way! Cosigned a loan for someone?
ㄴ. Nope. (Who even does that idiotically anymore? Even elementary kids know better.)
……Then why?
ㄴ. Obviously for fun. What other reason?
Exactly. Purely for kicks.
And.
Something’s off here.
I’m a job hunter with eyes wide open. Don’t underestimate me—I’ve jumped into the job market multiple times with my own standards set!
I’m not dumb enough to fall for these ridiculous clauses.
The public recruitment site on my phone wasn’t your average job board.
It was a creative wiki site.
Specifically,
A anonymously-created, crowd-sourced ghost story creation site hugely popular online right now.
The site that hooked me—a long-time urban fantasy fan—for ages.
[Ghost Story Archive]
A concept site logging all sorts of ghost stories blending real-world oddities.
An agency managing ghost stories.
Tons of bizarre ghost stories.
Even cool ghost story suppression gear.
With its surprisingly solid world-building, [Ghost Story Archive] now boasted a huge fanbase, selling merch via crowdfunding and trending upward as an IP.
I was so obsessed I snagged the priciest reward tier.
So,
That “new employee posting” from earlier? I had a pretty good idea.
A freshly registered ghost story, vetted by veteran fans.
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/Ghost Story Log
[New Employees Are Always Welcome!]
:ID Code Cd-F-1129.
F-Rank.
Ghost story first logged on 20XX.01.01. (F) Rank—low info, needs ongoing exploration.
Known traits: Takes form of a large library, but not a single book on the shelves.
=======
Our newborn F-rank ghost story buddy.
Soon, it’d be reborn in countless ways by fans.
“…What am I even doing?”
A deep sigh escaped at the sight of myself wasting time glued to my phone.
It’d been just over two years since hitting my twenties and diving into the job hunt.
I knew.
Companies weren’t thrilled about today’s twenties.
Most weren’t, as I learned prepping for jobs myself.
But humans,
Humans are like that.
After repeated rejections on the job front, apathy creeps in sometimes.
Yeah, I was right there.
A few interview fails had me bedridden, submitting to some fan’s silly “new employee ad” for laughs.
Willpower drained.
The room felt as stuffy as if rain had fallen indoors, mold dominating the air.
“…Ah! Time for some fresh air!”
Staying put would sprout actual mold on me.
Maybe even mushrooms.
I shoved all the books from my desk into my bag and bolted from the musty apartment.
*****
Blazing morning sun.
I inhaled the crisp morning air in the warm sunlight.
Too cold.
Realizing now, outdoor temp:
Minus 8 degrees.
Shivering with regret for charging out without proper layers, face buried in my clothes.
Bzzz—
Vibration from my right pocket.
Right—new year’s first day.
Friends’ New Year greetings?
Trembling from the cold, I pulled out my phone to check.
[Overseas Sender]
『Still unemployed and obviously no girlfriend? Don’t spend New Year’s alone—have dinner with me. You’ve got time anyway. LiNe: 12*ce』
“……”
[Blocked.]
The chill vanished, replaced by burning rage surging through me.
And today, I’d focus on studying better than ever.
‘I’ll succeed no matter what, even out of spite!’
Sometimes motivation hits from unexpected places.
With uncharacteristic pep, I headed to my usual library.
-Origin Library
My go-to since high school.
Grabbing the door handle to enter, as always.
A paper fluttering on the glass entrance.
Normally, I’d dismiss it as some minor event notice and pass.
Why my eyes caught it that day?
Still don’t know.
[★☆$New Employee Recruitment$☆★]
An odd familiarity.
And this morning’s ghost story flashed by.
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<Caution>
: If you spot a “New Employee Recruitment” poster at this library’s entrance, run without looking back. (Unless you wanna die like a dog…)
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…Nicely done.
Felt like handiwork from a fellow [Ghost Story Archive] fan.
Impressive effort, too.
Whoever posted this—how obsessed were they?
The [New Employees Are Always Welcome!] story was mere days old on the site, yet here was this dedication.
My earlier bafflement turned to admiration quick.
Fun prank, buddy!
I gripped the slack door handle again… and swallowed hard.
Damn! Why post something so creepy!
Take back the “fun”—that friend’s a jerk!
Now I feel too uneasy to go in!
“…Um.”
“Yes?”
“…Not going in?”
“Ah……”
A woman with bangs to her eyebrows and horn-rimmed glasses. Textbook top-student look.
While I dithered uselessly at the door, a peer stared at me oddly.
Smartphone clutched tight in one hand.
A bit more loitering, and I’d be studying at the station house instead.
“…Sorry.”
Head bowed, I stepped away. She dashed in, flinging the door open.
Our eyes met once more through the glass.
Her wary, chilling glare had me vowing to quit [Ghost Story Archive] for a while.
“…Let’s just study.”
Creeeak.
Pushing through the library door.
Ding dong dang dong~♪
Familiar tune echoed inside, followed by the Announcement Broadcast.
[January children’s book requests will be accepted. All interested, please apply at the 1F ‘Forest House’ info desk.]
[We appreciate many applications.]
Routine announcement.
Truth be told, I was a bit spooked.
The scrap of paper beyond the door nagged, but it was just my imagination. I moved on.
Static—crackle!
Flinch.
The next announcement followed.
This voice grated with heavy noise distortion.
[January ■■■■■ ■■ new■■ ■■ ■■entry■■. Appli■■■ want■■■ to ■■ ‘■■ House’ ■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.]
And the final line rang out with eerie clarity.
[We appreciate many applications.]