Chapter 4: New Employee Recruitment (4)
How long did it take for everyone gathered here to consider me a madman?
A mere five seconds.
…Probably?
Maybe even faster than that.
‘My back is burning with stares…’
I knew it too. I was fully aware that my actions just now were entirely deserving of being cursed out.
I wasn’t so dense as to lack that much situational awareness.
Anyone who remembered everything that had transpired before our eyes and recalled the pungent stench piercing their nostrils would know—even a passing dog would realize that you shouldn’t talk back to the voice coming through the speaker.
[Exploration Log #6] New hire Park Ji-soo attempted to disobey the broadcast’s instructions, deviating from the procedures outlined in the manual. Though initially intimidated by the broadcaster’s increasingly fierce tone, she was relieved to find that no immediate physical harm was done to her. Park Ji-soo believed that if things continued like this, she would be able to complete the mission safely and return.
(Result: Deceased — Asphyxiation / Shock) (Cause of Death: A white glove appeared out of nowhere and gripped her throat tightly. With a crisp snap!, she died on the spot.)
The wiki site explicitly stated that one must never cross “Mr. Broadcaster.”
But…
What was I supposed to do?!
After that high school girl, the next person destined to die like a dog was obviously going to be me!
I was sorry, but…
I was terrified, too.
Naturally, known dangers are far scarier than unknown ones.
And even after the drawing of straws had ended, that white glove lingering in midair, wandering without vanishing, kept catching my eye.
…For some reason, the strange angle of that hand made it look like it was staring right at me.
‘It’s just my imagination, right?’
Please let it be.
Zzzzt—
Along with the static tickling my ears, I did my absolute best to soothe my trembling lips.
— Applicant Park Yeon-jung, are you attempting to raise an objection to our aptitude assessment? — To the long-standing policy of our company, honed over ■■ years?
Yes!
Every single thing about it is a problem!
Especially “long jumping across a floor covered in burning magma”—isn’t that just telling us to die?!
…Was what I desperately wanted to shout from the bottom of my lungs.
But if I actually said that, that white glove would mercilessly snap my neck like a dry twig.
Taking a sharp breath, I immediately directed my gaze toward the speaker.
“…How could that possibly be? These tests were designed by individuals far superior to a mere applicant like myself. If I possessed the wisdom to comprehend the grand vision of such great minds, I wouldn’t be standing here in the first place.”
— …
What kind of expression was the man behind the speaker—no, that anomaly creature—wearing as he looked at me?
There was no way to know right now.
Which was why my eyes weren’t fixed on the speaker, but rather on the white glove that could snap my neck at any second.
The hand hovered in midair, making a motion as if stroking a chin.
Was it… deliberating?
— …As expected, Applicant Park Yeon-jung! Unlike the others, you truly see into the profound depth of our company’s intentions! — You are a covetable talent indeed!
As if the voice that had been subdued just a moment ago was brimming with energy once more, the tone of the broadcast surged in pitch.
Yet, being praised by an anomaly didn’t make me happy in the slightest.
Even so, the moment I realized it held a favorable view of me, I couldn’t afford to let this chance slip by.
“However, I cannot help but feel deeply saddened! To think that the applicants gathered here today might fall short and be eliminated before they can even demonstrate their true talents!”
It was a desperation performance so raw it could put method acting to shame.
The remaining twelve applicants watching this scene were rendered speechless, staring at the sheer absurdity unfolding right in front of them.
— …
Even the creature beyond the speaker seemed lost for words, offering no response whatsoever.
…It was embarrassing.
An inexplicable wave of humiliation washed over me in the dead silence. But I had to endure it.
If I could walk away from this alive, I was ready to throw away every shred of my pride.
To somehow shake off this burning embarrassment, I threw my body into even larger, dramatic gestures.
Whoosh!
I flung both arms wide open above my head.
I yelled at the top of my lungs.
“How tragic, how utterly tragic! To think we must part ways with capable colleagues who could carry the future of this company! It breaks my heart! It breaks my heart!”
— …
“Ah, what a shame!”
— …
“Truly, what a tragic loss!”
— …
…Hello?
Why was there no reaction?
The broadcast speaker hadn’t offered a single peep for a while now.
Even the white glove—the only visual entity present—remained completely frozen in place with its palm spread wide.
‘Someone, anyone, please just give me a reaction!’
I was losing my mind from anxiety!
Then, crossing my ear canals to banish the dread, the static of the speaker hummed.
Zzzzt—
How I had longed for this static noise.
— …Hmm. Indeed, from the company’s perspective, if we can bring more talented individuals into our fold, there could be no better outcome.
It was a remarkably positive response.
A wave of expectation surged within me that I might actually be able to skip this aptitude test safely.
— It appears this matter requires further discussion with the board members who will conduct the upcoming interviews. — I shall provide a designated space where all applicants may rest for a moment.
Click!
Once again, the lights in the space we occupied cut out. When the illumination flashed back on—
‘…A breakroom?’
Before we knew it, we were standing in a space that closely resembled an office pantry.
— Please enjoy some sweet refreshments while you take a short break. — I shall return shortly.
With those final words, the entity’s voice vanished into silence.
“…Did it really leave?”
“It… seems so?”
No one lowered their guard until the very last moment.
They remained fully aware of the sheer danger of this space, so I made no effort to ease the tension.
A few individuals, feeling the pangs of hunger they had forgotten in their extreme terror, cast glances at the snacks laid out on the table.
Naturally, nobody ate them.
They merely darted glances.
No one was foolish enough to put food provided in such a bizarre realm into their mouth.
They were simply waiting for someone else to take the first bite.
‘To think you have to risk your life just to eat a single cookie. Unbelievable.’
I’d rather starve.
And right now, instead of worrying about snacks like that, I needed to mobilize all my senses to focus on the slightest shift in the speaker.
‘Did my trick work?’
…It had to work.
Otherwise, I was dead.
Whether my head got crushed by a falling shot put or my body smashed by a press machine, if I failed, the aptitude test would resume under the premise that my death was next.
However, just as I was waiting for the broadcast speaker, there was someone else who wanted to say something to me.
Tap.
“Eek!”
I answered the person reaching out with good intentions with a crisp, terrified shriek.
…Cut me some slack.
I was scared out of my wits too.
“Eeeek!”
As if answering my scream, a high school girl shrieked right along with me.
A high school girl?
Only then did I calm my pounding heart and look down to see Kim Hye-seon—her eyes still swollen red—sniffling her nose as she stared at me with an odd look.
“…Sorry. I scared you, didn’t I?”
“…N-No, it’s fine.”
…To say it was fine, her earlier scream was still echoing vividly in my ears.
“Um, excuse me… thank you for earlier. For saving me.”
“…”
…If that’s how she interpreted it, fine by me.
There was no need to be pathetic and blab out the unsightly truth like, ‘What are you talking about? I only did that to save my own skin.’
If she felt grateful, that was good enough.
…Yeah, let’s leave it at that.
“I just did what had to be done, that’s all.”
I didn’t technically lie.
Bow.
Bowing her waist at a crisp 90-degree angle, she was a remarkably polite child.
…This girl was truly…
She had the exact kind of personality that made survival inside an anomaly world nearly impossible.
She might have narrowly escaped death this time by stroke of luck, but she was far too easily influenced by others.
The next interview would likely be her limit.
Zzzzt—
The entity returned.
Accompanied by my blatant prayer that things had gone well, the low-quality audio spilled out from behind the speaker.
— Oh dear! It seems I’ve kept our applicants waiting for far too long! — As one of the executives in charge of this company, I offer my sincere apologies.
Apologies are great and all, but what happened to the decision?!
— After thorough deliberation with the board members… we have decided to grant all remaining applicants the opportunity to proceed directly to the interview! — Congratulations, everyone! — Ta-da!!
It was still a tacky celebration sound effect.
However—
‘It worked!’
Who cared if the celebration sound effect was tacky?
I was alive right now, and that was all that mattered.
Naturally, I wasn’t the only one rejoicing at the broadcast announcing the cancellation of the aptitude test.
Everyone present likely shared the same terror toward the absurd obstacles of that test.
They simply lacked the courage to talk back to the broadcast voice.
Since talking back usually meant death, I completely understood.
The entity’s broadcast continued smoothly.
— Now then! I assume everyone is ready for the interview?
“…”
“…”
“…”
— Haha! You are all still as shy as ever!
Just as I was growing numb to its bizarrely positive mindset—
— Let us begin the interview!
Mr. Broadcaster carried out his assigned role with faithful dedication.
Click!
The lights cut out once more.
Taking advantage of the brief darkness, I quickly mentally reviewed the format of the upcoming interview assessment.
[Exploration Log #8] Employee Lee Sol was one of the month’s top performers, setting the record for the fastest completion time in the aptitude test. The higher-ups held immense expectations for her. Employee Lee Sol’s pride soared to the heavens as even the broadcaster offered lavish praise in astonishment. Everyone believed that she would truly be the one to clear this anomaly.
(Result: Deceased — Suicide) (Cause of Death: Unable to answer the interviewer’s [CENSORED] question, Employee Lee Sol exhibited severe mental breakdown. For reasons unknown, she picked up a knife fallen on the floor and plunged it into her own neck.)
As seen in the logs regarding the interview, one must never commit an act that displeases the interviewers.
If so, avoiding their displeasure was simpler than it seemed:
Answer with absolute honesty.
The reason Employee Lee Sol died above was because she failed to provide an honest answer to the interviewer’s question.
Of course, even knowing this method, the questions that followed were bound to be far from easy.
It was a “watch-your-mouth zone” where a single slip of the tongue meant instant death.
‘Well, not that I’m going to take that interview anyway.’
Even if one was lucky enough to pass the interview, the final reward was an ending where you were trapped in this domain, forced to live out the rest of your days here.
I had no intention of ending my life living inside an anomaly.
Thus, there was only one single chance to escape.
That exact moment when the interview was about to begin was the opening.
[Exploration Log #13] Employee Ryu Jin-ho, unable to bear the pressure of impending death, confessed to the interviewer that he was lacking and unable to provide an answer to the question. A single tear fell from the interviewer’s featureless face. ‘Do not blame yourself so harshly. There will be another opportunity next time.’
(Result: Escaped) (Statement: Following those words from the interviewer, all lights in the room cut out once more. When the illumination returned, the subject stated they were back in front of the location prior to entering the anomaly.)
I had finally reached this point.
Escape was right before my eyes.
Swallowing my tears over my desperate struggles thus far, I was preparing to unleash another method acting performance when—
Click!
Along with the lights turning back on,
What met my eyes was…
＜Congratulations! Official Employee…＞
…What are you doing?
My eyes locked with the white glove, which was frantically trying to set up a banner with bizarre text between two pillars.
Though the banner wasn’t fully hung yet, those words that caught my eye—”Official Employee”—
Why did they instill such an overwhelming sense of dread…?
My gaze naturally swept across the surroundings at lightning speed. For some reason, instead of being inside an interview room—
I realized that I was standing all alone in the central hall, the very place where we had started.
“…”
Why?
Why was I the only one here?
Was there a glitch during the spatial transition? Just as endless questions filled my head—
Zzzzt—
The static noise that would conclude this whole ordeal sounded out.
— My, my. It seems I was far too impatient and summoned Applicant Park Yeon-jung here prematurely. — I wanted to give a grand surprise to Applicant Park Yeon-jung, who showed the most magnificent performance! — To think my intentions would be exposed like this. — It is… quite embarrassing.
…What was with this suddenly sentimental atmosphere?
More than that, I was terrified out of my mind.
My eyes kept darting back to the next word on the banner the white glove was holding.
It can’t be… I thought, but an inexplicable dread was slowly tightening its grip around my throat.
“…W-What is going on? I’m… a bit confused.”
I tried my best to maintain my composure, but my voice betrayed me.
— Since things have turned out like this, I believe it is only right that I reveal it cleanly. — Applicant Park Yeon-jung!
This pattern… no.
Please tell me it’s not.
— You have officially been…
No.
— Hired into our company! Congratulations! — Our company has immense expectations for your future performance!
No! F***!!
Employee Park Yeon-jung, Day 1 of employment… begins?
