Chapter: 1
“Yawn…”
A chilly dawn.
I was on the bus, yawning so widely that it felt like my mouth would split open, blinking my eyes in the process.
Perhaps because it was quite early, most of the people on the bus wore rather haggard expressions.
There was the student dozing off in the front seat and the man next to me checking the morning news on his smartphone.
Of course, the bus driver was no exception.
Screeeech!
The bus driver, who had been letting out sighs, perhaps catching my contagious yawn, misread a traffic signal and slammed on the brakes.
“Whoa!”
The sudden inertia broke the silence, and exclamations erupted from all directions.
People were trying to steady their racing hearts. The man sitting next to me had a troubled expression as if he had fumbled his smartphone.
“Hey… excuse me, student, could you pick that up for me?”
“Ah.”
It was in an awkward position, rolling awkwardly towards the front seat.
I leaned over to check the old man’s smartphone.
[A year that passed quietly, with giant towers appearing all over the world.]
As I reached out, the screen of the smartphone revealed the information about the tower that had been heating up the internet for the past year.
Swish.
“Thank you, student.”
I quietly handed back the smartphone and redirected my gaze to the towering structure visible from the bus window.
A mysterious tower that had appeared in the world at some point.
It was a massive tower that shot up through the clouds, and it was impossible to gauge its height, yet curiously, no one had seen the actual moment it appeared.
According to the rumors circulating online, the first person to discover the tower in Korea was an ordinary facility manager responsible for Gyeongbokgung Palace.
‘Didn’t he say he just walked in to clean and there it was?’
Since then, towers began to be discovered, not only in Korea but all over the world.
Of course, various famous scientists, internet fanatics, and countless self-proclaimed prophets were involved in heated debates, but they figured out nothing.
“Hmmm.”
I turned away from the tower.
What mattered to me now wasn’t this mysterious pillar appearing out of nowhere.
Today was the interview day at Sky Games for new employees.
How could I, a fresh recruit in a major corporation, afford to be late?
*
Arriving at the company right on time, I walked into the giant building that seemed easily over forty or fifty stories tall.
The entrance reminded me of a temple seen in fantasy games.
To be honest, aside from the entrance, the entire first floor was made of glass, which felt a bit bare upon closer inspection.
Whirr.
As the automatic door opened and I entered the building, I noticed men in suits bustling about for interviews.
The lobby on the first floor was chaotic… it was already overwhelming.
“Welcome! If you’re here for the interview today, please come this way…”
The female employee at the information desk extended her hand to guide people.
As I passed in front of her, she was about to say the same thing but caught sight of my employee ID instead and awkwardly waved her hand.
“Oh, please go ahead. It’s been a while since there’ve been so many people; I’m losing my mind!”
“True! By the way, it’s pretty early, and we’re already all gathered here.”
“Because it’s a big company!”
She smiled and responded to my comment, and I nodded along.
Getting a job at a large company.
It’s only natural to want to prepare thoroughly for an opportunity that could potentially be a turning point in one’s life.
I felt the same, and I figured the woman at the information desk did too.
“Excuse me… Seo Se-young?”
I took a quick glance at her ID badge and awkwardly called her name.
I had seen her every morning for a year, but today felt like the first time I had actually said her name.
“Yes?”
I frowned slightly when looking at the crowd gathered in front of the elevator.
Just seeing them made me feel short of breath.
“Has the staircase repair work been completed?”
Seo Se-young tilted her head for just a moment at my question but then nodded quietly upon seeing the group of interviewees clustered together in front of the elevator.
“I believe it was completed two days ago. You should be able to use it without any problems. But I think the HR department is on the 20th floor. Is that alright?”
That’s fine.
It’s more convenient to walk up 40 floors than to try to squeeze into that elevator.
“It’s better than that.”
“Really…?”
Seo Se-young’s eyes quickly scanned over me.
I thought to myself, “Maybe I should have done more lower body workouts,” yet regretting it now wouldn’t change anything.
“I’ll be going then. If I’m late, the manager will nag me a lot.”
“Oh, um…”
Seo Se-young seemed like she had something to say, but I quickly walked towards the stairs.
*
Damn, I should’ve taken the elevator.
“Those of you here for the interview, please come this way… Huh? Mr. Kim Si-in?”
The first person I ran into after flinging open the emergency staircase door was Oh Geum-seok, Deputy in HR, who was calling my name with a half-rotten face.
“Why did you come up the stairs?”
I let out a reluctant smile at his tone that seemed ready to criticize me.
“I dislike crowds.”
“Wow, Poet, looks like you’ve got plenty of energy left? I envy you. Some folks have been losing their minds all morning running around.”
Oh Geum-seok.
He’s a parachute-in employee who joined HR not long ago and is quite skilled at curry favoring higher-ups.
“Anyway, hey, just follow those folks to the auditorium. Don’t bother going to the office to lounge around.”
“Yes.”
It was amusing to hear the most aimless person calling me aimless.
But I didn’t want to stir the pot, so I decided to just roll with it.
I started moving in line with the employees who had already gone ahead, following Deputy Oh’s orders.
After all, the only task a junior employee like me was doing was directing people, so there was no need to overthink it.
The long corridor stretched out before me, matching the size of the building.
And shortly after, when we reached the end of the hallway, the staff member leading us announced:
“We’ll be starting the interviews at 9 o’clock. Please have the interviewees take their assigned seats according to their numbers. If you see anyone suspicious, please contact the security office.”
After the announcement, we naturally passed through the door.
‘But it doesn’t seem that busy, does it?’
Inside the spacious auditorium, there were quite a few people waiting for their interviews, their faces set in serious expressions.
But that was all. I didn’t expect to have enough work to warrant hearing Deputy Oh’s exaggerated nagging.
However…
“Excuse me… seonsaengnim?”
“Huh? Yes?”
I turned my head casually, trying not to seem startled by the sudden low voice right next to me.
“I’m really sorry if I startled you. Are you an employee here?”
With neatly styled hair and striking features, he looked like a man who took his fitness seriously, even if slightly obscured by his suit.
“It’s alright. What can I do for you?”
“Excuse me, but could I borrow your phone for three minutes? I’ve already submitted mine…”
“Oh… sure. Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
The man lowered his head, took my phone, and quickly dialed a number, holding it to his ear.
But soon, he looked back at me with an awkward expression, possibly because the person on the other end wasn’t answering.
“I’m sorry, they’re not picking up… Anyway, thank you for your hard work.”
“No problem!”
He fiddled with the interview badge hanging around his neck while continuing.
“You know, I had no idea there would be this many people here for interviews. I’ve wanted to work in the gaming industry since I was young, but with so many competitors…”
“It’s going to be fine! Still, it’s impressive to pursue a career aligned with one’s aspirations. Not everyone gets to do that.”
“Not really. I used to work in education but recently quit. It wasn’t really for me. Haha.”
Somehow, that habit he had of calling me “seonsaengnim” turned out to be a professional quirk.
(TN: seonsaengnim like sensei in Japan)
“Thanks for letting me use your phone.”
The man returned my phone with a somewhat bitter expression, unable to make the phone call.
“You can use it a little longer if you need it. It looks like you’re having trouble getting through.”
“It’s alright. It’s not an urgent matter.”
I felt a tad uneasy about lending him my phone again, but judging by his face, he didn’t seem eager to call, so I decided against it.
A slightly awkward smile spread across his face as he scratched the back of his head.
As I stared at him, he was the one to extend his hand first, introducing himself.
“Oh, I’m Park Jo-cheol.”
Park Jo-cheol.
The sound of his name seemed to match his appearance quite fittingly.
“I’m Kim Si-in.”
“Oh, your name is Si-in? Poet… That’s unique.”
“I hear that a lot. It’s not a common name.”
This man, Park Jo-cheol, was unexpectedly quite talkative, contrary to my first impression of him being reserved.
(TN: Si-in means Poet)
As if talking was his way of alleviating tension, he bombarded me with questions, and before I knew it, our conversation had taken an endless turn.
A peaceful exchange.
For someone who was always buried in work, this casual conversation felt like a great way to relieve stress.
“Anyway, I think I should get back to work now. There are many old folks around who notice if you linger too long.”
And just like that, our pleasant conversation was drawing to a close.
“Aha! I understand what you mean. Well, if I get hired later, then we can talk again…”
But just as Park Jo-cheol was about to continue his farewell…
Beeep!
“Huh?”
The phone in my right hand unleashed an obnoxious vibration and sound.
People’s attention splintered as they searched for the source of the noise, but soon that search became pointless.
Beeep!
Beeep!
Beeep!
The same annoying sound that had erupted from my phone rang out from everyone’s devices in the auditorium.
A familiar danger warning.
And Park Jo-cheol, standing in front of me, looked at me anxiously, as though remembering the person on the line who hadn’t answered.
“Is it an earthquake?”
“I don’t think it’s an earthquake…”
Since there was no evacuation announcement from the company, I hastily read the text message I had just received.
『National Disaster (Level 4 Serious)』
– As of this time, the national disaster crisis alert level has been elevated to serious.
– Citizens are advised to remain in a safe location until the situation is fully understood.
“National disaster…?”
It was a national disaster alert message, not a safety notification.
This didn’t seem like an ordinary natural disaster.
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