Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

Gun-Ho was lost in thought looking at the WorkNet website.

“I have nothing more to learn at Bangil Gas. Whether it works out or not, I will update my resume when I get home. I can then email my resume to apply for that job.”

Gun-Ho scrolled down further to see the name of the company.

“The company in Asan is YS Tech. YS is the initials of Young-Sam, our former president Young-Sam Kim? This company is related to him? Haha. Probably not. The equity of this company is 300,000,000 won, and it has 80 employees. It is somewhat a large company.”

Gun-Ho loaded his car with his fishing gears.

Once he came back to his room, he updated his resume with additional work experience. ‘Bookkeeping at Bangil Gas Corp.’ It looked gorgeous. He also added the computerized accounting level-2 certificate, Word Processor level 1, and ITQ Excel under the certificate section of his resume.

“I wish I had level-1 computerized accounting certificate. Well, the company said ‘no experience necessary’, so level-2 certificate should be enough. Experienced high-paid people will not apply for this type of job which does not even require any work experience in the field.”

Comforting himself, Gun-Ho emailed his resume to the company. It was already 11 PM, but he didn’t want to head to bed. He felt too great after sending out his resume, and he also was a little hungry. He went to a convenience store in his flip-flops, dragging his feet, and bought a triangle Gimbab, dried squid, and peanuts.

“It is a company with 80 employees; I could learn real bookkeeping work there. A bookkeeper usually works closely with the owner, so even though I am new to this company if I earn the owner’s trust I could get a raise. If I make 40,000,000 won per year, I can have a decent life in a provincial city, having hobbies after work, etc. However, I’ve never lived in Asan even though I’ve passed by it before. Well, all provincial cities should be the same.”

The beer tasted delicious today. Gun-Ho did some physical exercise by going to the fishing site, and he applied for a job today. He felt great, and he enjoyed his beer. Feeling slightly drunk, Gun-Ho soon fell asleep.

Gun-Ho showed consistency at work as a bookkeeper of Bangil Gas in Eunhyeon Town, Yangju City.

“I am so bored doing the same work day after day.”

Gun-Ho usually worked alone at the office after the owner left the office for gas pipe repairing. He had no colleagues, no supervisor, and no subordinate at work.

“My title is a bookkeeper, but I am not really a bookkeeper here. I am more like a bill collector. By the way, when should I expect to hear from the company in Asan? It has been ten days already since I applied for a position there.”

In the past, when Gun-Ho gave up on the level-9 government employee exam and applied for a job in the private sector, he used to submit a self-introduction essay along with his resume. However, this company in Asan didn’t require a self-introduction essay; Gun-Ho submitted only his resume.

“I don’t think I will get the job. Maybe many highly qualified chicks applied for the same job again.”

Gun-Ho almost gave up on getting the job in the company in Asan he applied for earlier. He started worrying about his future.

“If I stay in this tiny company, when would I be able to get married? I get 1,800,000 won per month. I have to pay the rent, car payment, sunshine loan payment, student loan payment for my college, and cell phone bill… almost nothing is left in my hands after deducting all of the above from my monthly salary. Should I marry a foreign girl? They wouldn’t like me either if they know I have no money, would they?”

Gun-Ho felt depressed.

“F*uck, why are my parents so poor!? They shouldn’t have married if they didn’t have money!”

Gun-Ho resented his parents.

Bangil Gas, the company where Gun-Ho worked for, didn’t place a lunch order for employees since there was no one in the office except Gun-Ho and the owner. For lunch, the owner and Gun-Ho took turns going to the Korean restaurant close by the town entrance. Factory workers in uniform from the surrounding area usually crowded this Korean restaurant around noontime.

“Today’s menu is pork!”

Pork was Gun-Ho’s favorite. He heaped the pork dish on his compartment food tray and added lettuce. When Gun-Ho couldn’t find an empty table, he asked to share a table.

“Do you mind if I sit here?”

Two ladies lifted their heads; they seemed to be Southeast Asian.

“Today is my lucky day. I am sitting with ladies.”

It was not easy to find young people in a rural small factory area; most factory workers in uniform were in their 40s or 50s except foreign workers. Many foreign workers were young people. Gun-Ho glanced quietly at the young ladies in front of him.

“They look a bit different from us, and they are slim.”

Gun-Ho was thinking while having his lunch. Those ladies in a factory uniform also shot him a curious look. Gun-Ho was a young man.

Gun-Ho started looking at his smartphone while eating. There was a new message; he opened it.

“What is this? A message demanding the interest overdue?”

Gun-Ho read the message. It was from the YS Tech in Asan to which Gun-Ho sent his job application the other day.

“We appreciate your interest in YS Tech and the bookkeeper position. We would like to invite you for an interview at our office. The interview will be conducted at the conference room next Wednesday at 10 AM.”

“It came!”

Gun-Ho got goosebumps. He could feel his body’s temperature rise and it caused blushing in his face. He felt like maybe this could be a lucky opportunity for him.

“What if highly competitive people applied for this job like the last time I applied for that pharmaceutical company bookkeeper position?”

The trip to Asan for the interview could become a waste of time and labor.

Anyway, Gun-Ho felt great and felt like he could fly. He finished his pleasant lunch and got out of the restaurant. He was humming to himself the melody of IU (a Korean singer) song. When he arrived at the office, the owner’s wife was sitting at the table; the owner was not there.

“Any good news?”

“No, not really.”

“You were singing? I could see on your face something good is going on. You got a girlfriend?”

“No, no.”

“Well, since you came back from your lunch, I will leave. The boss went to the city hall to take care of something.”

“Oh, he did?”

When the owner’s wife left the office, Gun-Ho started thinking of possible excuses he could make to take time off for the interview next Wednesday.

“It takes probably about three hours to Asan by car. There could be a morning traffic jam and I could get lost on the way as well. I should then leave four hours before the interview time; it will be 6 AM to be safe.”

Gun-Ho looked at the clock on the wall.

“If the interview is completed at 11 AM, I can come back to work by 2 PM, assuming I skip my lunch. Should I tell the owner I received a notice for the military reserve force training at my parents’ address, or should I tell him that I am sick?”

Gun-Ho tried to come up with a good excuse; he decided to tell the owner his father was sick and he had to help him on his hospitalization.

“The owner will understand if I tell him I have to take my father from Juan Town to the Gil Hospital in Incheon, and I would be back to work in the afternoon. I have to keep this job; I might not get the job in Asan.”

It was on Wednesday. Gun-Ho dressed up for the job interview. He combed his hair neatly.

“I had a haircut yesterday; I look good.”

Gun-Ho polished his shoes. He left his room heading to Asan. It was early morning and the skies were still pitch black.