The personality test went on for over two hours.
Honestly, I didn’t expect it to take this long. I think I underestimated the number 277.
“I’m tired.”
I rubbed my eyes and leaned back in my chair. I had used the Sacred Spell too long, and I was starting to hit my limit.
On top of that, my Sacred Power was almost depleted, so I had to quickly pray to fill it up bit by bit.
Was it too greedy to expect to finish it in one day? I felt a bit regretful, but I continued with the assessment without giving up.
Fortunately, it was nearly over.
“There are about twenty people left now. Hang in there.”
Hainha, who had placed her resume in front of me, started to massage my shoulders and neck. It hurt a bit.
“Ugh…”
“Just hold on. Your muscles are tense, that’s all.”
“Then please go a bit lighter.”
“No way.”
Ignoring my whining, Hainha skillfully kneaded my stiff shoulders and arms. At first, it was just painful, but it gradually became refreshing. She was good enough to be called a professional.
Thanks to her, the fatigue from the long assessment started to melt away.
“That’s much better.”
I straightened my posture and smiled instinctively.
“Do agents at the National Intelligence Service learn how to give massages?”
“That’s not possible.”
Hainha sat down only after finally easing my back muscles. I stared at her side profile and opened my mouth.
“Are you starting to feel more comfortable? You seem to be speaking more casually.”
“Yeah, well… I guess it’s how it turned out. You’re surprisingly easygoing.”
“Well, the age difference isn’t that big, so we can get close slowly.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you looking at me with such wide eyes?”
I felt a bit irritated by her disbelief.
“You’re in your mid to late twenties anyway, right? We can generally say we’re around the same age.”
“You must be calculating that too loosely. There’s a nine-year difference between us. How is that considered the same age group?”
She was supposed to be joking, but she hit me with facts and critiqued me thoroughly. It felt like a humor massacre.
As I was reeling from the ruthlessness of the National Intelligence Service agent, a blunt voice continued.
“Honestly, if we’re just talking about looks, you do look younger than me. So just keep your mouth shut and keep smiling.”
Hainha still spoke politely, but it felt less stiff now. Her expression seemed to have softened just a little.
This was much better than when she was being overly formal. I had always preferred being close with subordinates.
But in this world, no matter how relaxed the atmosphere was, everyone treated me with respect, and sometimes it made me feel isolated.
The only ones I had a close relationship with were the Archbishop and the top Holy Knight who always assisted me. Even then, we maintained a strict line between work and personal relationships.
“I hope the person I’m hiring this time is like that.”
What I wanted was simple. Just someone who could be close to me and sensibly assist me in everything I do moving forward. That was all.
The job title of “External Affairs Officer of the Nuset Order” sounded grand, but the work was not that much. It was basically hiring someone to stop me from making impulsive decisions.
Would there be a talent among those who passed the personality test that could curb me?
Expecting to find the right kind of talent, I continued the assessment.
I wonder how much time has passed.
“This person is disqualified.”
With the last candidate disqualified, the personality test came to an end. It had taken a total of over three hours, including breaks.
Fourteen candidates passed the personality test, evaluated by exceedingly strict criteria that eliminated anyone with even minor issues.
Of course, I had passed the viewer who called me “Goddess” even though there were problems; I wanted to have a conversation with her face to face.
“Thank you for your hard work…”
I expressed my gratitude to Hainha and slumped over the table.
I was genuinely on the verge of fainting. If I had continued any longer, I would have collapsed from depletion of my Sacred Power.
“Here.”
Hainha poured some cold water and handed it to me. I drank half of it, leaving the other half to cool my overheated eyes with the cold cup.
The temperature was rising, but it wasn’t hot; I had just overused my power too much, and it felt hot.
“Is it that hot?”
After touching my eyes, Hainha went to the living room to chat with Seo-yoon. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes closed.
And after a short while.
“Try using this to massage yourself.”
When she handed me something, I casually accepted it; it was an ice pack. I could immediately tell it was cold enough to guess the intention behind it.
“Thanks…”
I immediately applied the ice to my heated eyes. The coolness spread rapidly around my eyes.
“How does it feel?”
“It’s much better.”
Exactly what I had been hoping for.
How could she understand my needs so well? As a National Intelligence Service agent, her assisting skills were excellent.
The external affairs officer I wanted was exactly this kind of person.
‘…Huh?’
At that moment, a silly thought crossed my mind. The paperwork I had been doing and the personality tests seemed utterly meaningless suddenly.
I lifted my head and looked up at Hainha, who was standing next to me, watching me closely. Her posture reminded me of someone I knew.
– Are you seriously saying you want to take a break after just ten minutes of work? If you’re going to do that, why not just take a permanent break?
The person I had known since childhood, the one who treated me more casually than anyone in the Order, suddenly popped into my mind – the top Holy Knight.
It wasn’t an unfounded thought. I was starting to feel a growing familiarity with Hainha.
Whatever task I assigned her, she diligently completed it; she found work on her own, assisted me in the best way possible, and even handled childcare duties. Her handling skills and job requirements were astonishingly similar.
Naturally, my heart started to lean toward her.
‘She’s the perfect fit, isn’t she?’
The talent I had been searching for was standing right next to me.
To be honest, when I held the public recruitment, I had no idea Hainha was such a diligent person. Back then, I just thought of her as a rude agent with a bad first impression.
But my thoughts had changed now. And that was a problem.
‘What to do?’
I felt bad just picking Hainha after all the applicants submitted their resumes. I couldn’t bring myself to do that.
What should I do? I pondered while continuing my ice massage with my eyes closed.
“Are you okay?”
I heard Seo-yoon’s voice, which made me open my eyes.
“Isn’t it too much?”
“I’m fine. Anyway, come with me for a moment.”
I led Seo-yoon into the master bedroom and closed the door. Then I earnestly shared my thoughts.
“I think the public recruitment was unnecessary.”
“…What?”
“I really want to hire Hainha now… please don’t look at me like that.”
Seo-yoon’s usual kind gaze turned colder than before. It wasn’t genuine contempt, but there was definitely a playful edge to it.
Even so, her piercing gaze made me avoid eye contact as I spoke.
“A person who honestly admits their mistakes deserves respect.”
“Shut up.”
“Yes.”
Maybe her head was hurting; Seo-yoon rubbed her head while glaring at me. Then she poked me in the ribs.
“What are you going to do now, Your Holiness?”
Following that, Seo-yoon flashed a teasing smile.
She seemed to feel much more comfortable around me than during the Park Si-woo days. It wouldn’t be long before she’d start calling me “sister.”
But if things kept going like this, wouldn’t she start seeing me as a pathetic person before that happened? I cautiously spoke to avoid such a disaster.
“I’m fine. Do you think I’ve never handled a few accidents before?”
I’ve been looking after Liam for over fifteen years now. Because of all the countless accidents I’ve managed, I became a cleanup expert.
The problems I was currently facing were just minor happenstances in my book.
Soon, I came up with a plan.
“Seo-yoon, I never mentioned in the broadcast what the ‘External Affairs Officer’ does.”
Solutions are always nearby.
“Did you?”
“Yes. And I don’t think anyone applied expecting to play the role of my guardrail. They probably thought it was a more significant role than that.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“It’s simple.”
I looked at Seo-yoon and smiled broadly.
“I’ll have the role I originally wanted to hand over to Hainha, and I’ll assign the new hire someone else.”
This was a seasoned response, born of long experience.
Just then, something I needed to prepare for came to mind. There was the most important position in our order.
“The External Affairs Officer will handle the public incidents caused by Liam in my place.”
This time, Seo-yoon didn’t shoot me a sharp look. She just stared with her mouth agape in confusion.
“Isn’t that… a punishment?”
It was a bit harsh but a plausible expression.
Still, Seo-yoon didn’t oppose my plan. Instead, she suggested treating all the successful personality test candidates as laypeople.
I didn’t hesitate to accept because it was something I wanted to do too.
“However, the one who called me ‘Goddess’ will be the exception.”
“…Do as you like.”
Having safely settled the situation, I quickly set a schedule for the interviews.
“Hainha, please notify the successful candidates of the interview schedule and date.”
“Yes.”
Hainha, who had already unofficially become an aide, accepted the instructions without a word.
I watched her organize the resumes for a moment, then took out my smartphone and sent a KakaoTalk message.
[Eluke: Just come dressed neatly for the interview day.]
A reply came shortly after.
[Jun-seok: Wow, I’m already looking forward to the day I meet you, Your Holiness.]
No matter how I thought about it, something about the wording seemed unnatural.
*
On the scheduled Monday for the interview.
Jun-seok was heading to the meeting place. The chosen location was a cafe.
According to the KakaoTalk message he had just received, it was a cafe reserved for today’s interview.
[Eluke: As a modern young person, I rented the cafe.]
[Jun-seok: That’s impressive!]
[Eluke: I know.]
[Eluke: (emoticon of a duck giving a thumbs up)]
While continuing the KakaoTalk conversation, it dawned on him that the Pope seemed eager to appear sophisticated and modern.
Was there really a need for that? After all, everyone knew he had lived for twenty years in another world.
[Jun-seok: Your heart is as beautiful as your appearance.]
While he couldn’t fully grasp it, he was doing his best to say the right things. It was because of the angel.
“You did well. The Goddess is also pleased.”
The angel above his head was openly showing up, unbothered by the streets. Only those blessed could recognize its existence.
Moreover, the angel was bound by blessings from the Goddess, which meant the Pope himself couldn’t perceive the angel.
So, he would constantly have to act as the Goddess’s avatar during the interview.
“I must have made a wrong investment.”
Jun-seok cursed his past self, who had sponsored out of curiosity, as he continued walking. Before long, he found himself at the cafe where the appointment was made.
Upon entering, he spotted a woman he had never seen before and another familiar face he had only seen on broadcasts, sitting at a central table.
The familiar face, the Pope, stood up and approached him.
“Are you ‘I Want to Get a Job’?”
“Ah, yes. That’s me.”
Jun-seok nodded slightly and replied. As he casually glanced at the Pope, he was taken aback.
She was wearing sunglasses perched atop her head, a flowing black dress, and a long beige coat. It seemed she had put a lot of thought into her outfit.
So, he decided to keep his true feelings hidden.
“Jun-seok.”
Just then, the angel tapped Jun-seok’s head lightly and spoke.
“Your efforts are commendable, but they amount to nothing more than being called ‘Auntie.’ Please convey that.”
“……”
“…Don’t tell her exactly; try to soften it as much as possible.”
Jun-seok felt like the world was collapsing around him.
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