Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

There was a job posting site called WorkNet operated by the Department of Labor. Many people looked for a job on this site, so there were always lots of applicants for the job posted here. Gun-Ho had been watching the job postings closely for a bookkeeper position, but he hadn’t seen anything good yet.

“The statistics say ten people apply for one good open position. I will have no chance to get this kind of job. The employer will hire a woman; why would they hire a man like me over a woman?”

Gun-Ho diligently looked through the classified section in Gyocharo newspaper published twice a week.

“What? Hiring an unmarried and neat looking female bookkeeper?”

It was a job advertisement from a company in an industrial complex located in Uijeongbu City.

“Fuckers! Will live with her? Why are they looking for a neat looking unmarried female?”

There was another advertisement that drew Gun-Ho’s attention.

“Job opening for bookkeeping and managing. No experience necessary. Someone who completed military service is encouraged to apply.”

The posting is in the newspaper. There was an additional sentence in a small font.

“We are looking for someone who can do bookkeeping and handling sales statements using Excel.”

They were kind enough to include their cell phone number. Gun-Ho called the number right away.

“Bangil Gas?”

“Yes.”

“I am calling for the position posted in the newspaper. Is the bookkeeper position still open?”

“We are currently taking the applications. You can visit us with your resume.”

“All right. The address is the one in the posting?”

“Yes. Pass the Eunhyeon Town township office and take the side road next to the Hyundai Oil gas station.”

Gun-Ho got off work early to visit the company in Eunhyeon Town.

“Eunhyeon Town… I’ve never heard of this area.”

It was a small factory with a tent roof. There were a lot of LP gas bottles in the yard. Gun-Ho saw the sign “Office” on the door of a dirty prefabricated building; he entered the office. There were a few desks. The president came and greeted Gun-Ho.

“Did you bring your resume?”

“Yes, here it is.”

The president looked at the resume for a while and then asked Gun-Ho, “Are you currently doing bookkeeping work at Dongil Tech?”

“No. I am with a production support team.”

Gun-Ho didn’t say he was working in a crushing site, but vaguely said he was with a production support team.

“We are not a factory; our company delivers propane gas. Will you take the job? We need someone who handles sales statements by entering the data into Excel and bringing it to the tax accountant office.”

Gun-Ho didn’t like the company; it was too small and dirty.

‘Maybe I’ll just gain my work experience here for a while then move to a good company.’

Gun-Ho thought he could use this job as a stepping stone since he had no work experience in accounting at all.

“This company is a 15-kilometer distance from my room at OneRoom, 30-kilometer round trip. I don’t have to move. Let’s do this.”

Gun-Ho decided to take the job.

“I will do my best.”

“Alright. I will let you know our decision tomorrow. The phone number on your resume is the contact number I can use?”

“Correct.”

The next day, a woman called Gun-Ho.

“Did you submit your resume to Bangil Gas in Eunhyeon Town?”

“Yes, I did.”

“We received three applications, and our president liked you the most. You can start tomorrow at 8 AM. Please bring your resident registration with you.”

“I will do that.”

Gun-Ho finally got a job in bookkeeping. Although the work was half bookkeeping and half handling sales documents, he could still list this job on his resume as ‘Bookkeeper in Bangil Gas Corp.’ when he applies for another company later.

Gun-Ho handed in his letter of resignation. The eyes of the crushing site team leader widened.

“Why are you handing over your resignation letter? Where are you going?”

“I think I’d better move to another company.”

“Which company? Will they pay you more?”

“No, not really, but I’m leaving because I want to try an office job.”

“An office job?”

“Actually, I have the computerized accounting certificate and Excel certificate, and I’ve wanted to work as a bookkeeper, and I just got a job offer.”

“Really? You have those kinds of certificates?”

“I am sorry I had to let you know this last minute.”

“I’m letting you go since you are moving for a better job… But we will miss you. Who will be a good replacement for your work?”

“I think Mr. Go in the washing team would be good.”

“Do you think the washing site team leader will let him go?”

“I’m positive Mr. Go wants to join this crushing team because of the washing team leader’s constant nagging.”

“Okay. I will ask the director. Ehyo, I really liked to work with you.”

Gun-Ho truly felt sorry for the team leader because he was really good to Gun-Ho while the team leader of the washing site had kept nagging him when he worked with him. Gun-Ho was under a lot of stress at that time.

Gun-Ho went to Bangil Gas in Eunhyeon Town, Yangju City with his resident registration.

“I don’t see the lady I spoke with on the phone the other day.”

Bangil Gas had five workers: three truck drivers, the owner, and Gun-Ho in the office. During the daytime, all three truck drivers were on the road for delivery; it was really quiet in the office. It turned out that the lady Gun-Ho talked with on the phone the other day was the owner’s wife; she often came to the office to help her husband do office chores and also to fight with him.

“Oh, this pretty young man will work with us? Are you married?”

The owner’s wife had a louder voice than the owner and she was vibrant. The owner and his wife were boisterous, but they seemed to be good-natured people.

“By the way, I am not sure if this company is a corporation. I want to list this company on my resume as Bangil Gas Corp. so it makes me look like I have work experience in a somewhat big company for my next job.”

Gun-Ho looked at the tax invoices scattered on the desk in the office; the stamp on the provider section showed Bangil Gas Corp.

“Thank God. It is a corporation!”

The owner said to Gun-Ho who was looking at the tax invoice,

“That is your desk, Goo Jooim.”

“Jooim?”

Gun-Ho thought the job title sounded so obsolete it was probably used during the Japanese colonial period.

“After our bookkeeper left the company, I’ve handled those tax invoices myself by handwriting. Since you are here now, we can issue the tax invoices electronically.”

Gun-Ho was perplexed a bit because he hadn’t had any experience with issuing electronic tax invoices. He remembered the things he learned from the vocational school. He could issue tax invoices either from the website of National Tax Service, HomeTax, or using an accounting program. During the practical training in the vocational school, Gun-Ho issued a few tax invoices for practice, but he was still worried if he could do perform well in the practical scene.

“You are not using an accounting program here, are you?”

“We are not. I heard tax invoices can be issued from some National Tax Service website…”

“It’s National Tax Service HomeTax website. Do you know your login ID and password? We need them.”

“ID?”

The owner hurriedly made a phone call to someone.

“Honey, it’s me. Do you know our ID for National Tax Service?”

“Why are you asking me that? You should know.”

“Why should you talk like that? I’m asking you because I can’t remember!”

“Look at the calendar on the wall.”

“Okay.”

The owner leafed through the big number calendar with a delivery company’s name on it on the wall.

“There is no ID here.”

“I see it below the company name. I will take note.”

Gun-Ho clicked his tongue.

“He is the so-called owner of this company! He should have written it down in his diary or something.”

Gun-Ho thought so.

While the owner was away from his desk, Gun-Ho practiced issuing tax invoices. When he made some mistakes in issuing two invoices, he was thinking of tearing them off, but he decided to take them with him home; he shoved them into his pocket.