Shadows of the past

After yesterday's trip, I was sure that my only desire in the morning would be to lie in bed all day, but I woke up long before the alarm clock and felt surprisingly rested. I had three interviews planned for the first half of the day, things were supposed to be delivered in the evening, and most importantly, I needed to get myself breakfast. While I was getting ready, I received a letter from one company informing me that they had already found a suitable candidate and the vacancy had been filled. I was not surprised - I had received several refusals over the past week, but nevertheless, this news upset me. If I fail the remaining interviews, I have no idea what to do next. There will be enough savings for the first time. Starting next month, tenants will move into the remaining house in the village, but the amount they will pay for accommodation will not cover even half the cost of renting my apartment here. As a last resort, you can always get a job as a courier or waitress, and at the same time work part-time in your specialty, accumulating the necessary experience, but I tried to distract myself and not think about possible failure, because it was excessive excitement that could ruin everything. Somewhere in this big city there is definitely a place that is waiting for me, all I have to do is find it. I cleaned myself up, took everything I needed and left the house. The lock closed so easily that I turned the key again, first in one direction, then in the other, expecting a trick, but nothing happened. Deciding not to try my luck anymore, which would definitely be useful to me today, I went outside. The canceled interview freed up the morning, so I could take a leisurely walk to find a place where I could have breakfast and just explore the area in daylight. The street was quite crowded today - some were walking, basking in the rays of the autumn sun, others were running about their business. I went down the stairs to the place where the taxi driver dropped me off yesterday, and saw a cafe on the other side of the street - just what I needed. There were many empty seats inside, and after ordering, I sat down at a corner table by the window. When the order arrived, I literally pounced on the food. Maybe because I was terribly hungry, but it seemed to me that I had never tasted tastier tofu soup in my life, and the kimbap absolutely deserved a nomination for a gastronomic award, if such a thing exists. The atmosphere of the cafe was conducive to staying longer, but we had to go. After finishing breakfast, I looked at the address on the map where the first interview was scheduled. It was relatively close, but I decided to take a taxi so as not to get lost and arrive on time. Twenty minutes later I was already standing in front of a low building, where the private publishing house that I needed was located. A pretty girl with an administrator's badge took me to the office at the end of the corridor and, having introduced me, immediately left. - Ms. Baek Na Ri, nice to meet you. You're just in time. My name is Kang So Mi, I am the publication's director's personal assistant and temporarily acting as HR manager. Come in, have a seat, - a beautiful, confident woman stood in front of me, but there was not a drop of arrogance in her tone. - Very nice, - I bowed and sat down in the chair that Kang So Mi pointed to. - I have looked at your resume. In general, everything is clear to me - good education, readiness for a shift schedule. Please tell us more about your work experience, as you have written a little in this section. What did I expect? That no one will pay attention to this? I had nothing to brag about in this matter. I only had editorial practice while studying at the university, but when I returned to the village, I could forget about working in my specialty. I worked in a local canteen and grabbed any part-time job - cleaning somewhere, delivering something, replacing someone. And only in the remaining free time did I take orders for editing. - Ms. Kang So Mi, the fact is that this is all my experience. I would like to take the trump card out of my sleeve, but, unfortunately, there is none. Where I lived there was no need for my profession, so I had to work remotely. I have some of my work with me that I can show. Of course, this cannot be compared with the experience of permanent work in the company and recommendations, but that’s all I have - because of my nerves, I jabbered so quickly that my words sounded like ridiculous excuses that no one needed. - Hmm… - the woman leaned back in her chair and frowned thoughtfully. - And what should I do with you... - I’m ready for a probationary period - as long as it takes, for any tests, - at that moment I felt terribly awkward, as if I had made an impression better than I really was, and now the person was disappointed in me. - Baek Na Ri, I like you. And, if we forget about ethics for a moment, I can tell you that I like you more than all those with whom I interviewed for two days, but I have to refuse you. It is not me who makes the final decision; I was given only strict instructions about who I need to find, and you do not fall under them. I hope that you will understand me. - Yes, of course... Maybe you have other vacancies open with fewer requirements? I am ready to start working in any position. - We have a small publishing house and we rarely recruit new employees, so I’m afraid that I have nothing to offer you now. Let's do the following - I will leave your resume with me, and if we have a new vacancy, I will personally contact you. This in no way obliges you to sit and wait for my call, and I sincerely hope that in the near future you will be able to find a good job, but suddenly at some point in our lives we will be able to be useful to each other and we will be able to cooperate. At the very least, I would be happy about it. - It would be a great honor for me. Thank you, Ms. Kang So Mi. - Not yet. Good luck, Baek Na Ri! - Thank you! Have a nice day, - I stood up, bowed and headed for the exit, this time for some reason not feeling upset at all because of the refusal. - Goodbye! - Goodbye. The next interview location was less than half an hour away, so I decided to walk, grab a coffee, and collect my thoughts. This newspaper is the last item on my interview list, and if it doesn't work out, I'll urgently need to come up with a new plan. The newspaper's office was located in a modern business center, with a high staircase with glass steps leading to the entrance. Here I was greeted much more formally, besides, besides me, there were at least fifteen other applicants here, and something told me that our group of people wanting to get a job here was far from the only one. To get to a personal interview, you had to fill out a questionnaire and three pages with a test task. What chance do I have against everyone who came here? But I can't give up. Since I'm here, I need to do everything in my power. Having filled out all the sheets, I handed over the questionnaire and began to wait for the announcement of the results along with the others. After a while, the administrator began calling out names one by one, calling them to her. People reacted in different ways - they humbly left, did a victory dance, or started arguing about the bias of the assessment. There is nothing worse than waiting and not being able to do anything. All the time until my name was called, my heart was pounding wildly in my chest, and my fingers were numb from nerves. - Ms. Baek Na Ri! - Taking a deep breath and trying to look as calm as possible, I approached the administrator. – Based on the results of your test assessment, unfortunately, you do not pass further. Follow the publication of our vacancies, we will be glad to see you again in our company. - Yes thank you… Well... I knew I wouldn’t pass, so why is it so offensive now? I went outside, sat on the stairs and put my head on my knees. Okay, that’s okay, there will probably still be a few companies that I missed when I sent out my resume, but for now I need to look at some options for temporary part-time work. - Hey, is everything okay? – I raised my head and saw in front of me a young man who was with me at the interview. - Yes, in full. - Didn’t pass? Don’t worry, there’s always a big competition here, and only one person gets through, but he usually doesn’t stay for long,” he sat down next to me, stretching his legs down the steps. - Why? - This is the place. Not everyone likes the methods of this newspaper. - And knowing this, you still came to the interview? - Why not? Interviews are like a game. We need to treat them more easily. - Can I congratulate you on moving to a new level of the game? - Yes, a personal interview was scheduled for tomorrow, but it remains to be seen whether I will be able to pass it, and if so, whether I will stay on my own. - I would like your attitude towards work... - Well! Keep your nose up! There are still so many companies where you can send your resume. - And I’ve already received refusals from so many... - Oh, so that means you’re in the game too? - the guy lightly pushed me on the shoulder, making me smile. - That's better. Did you send your resume to Koinex? - You mean... Coinex Magazine? – Without noticing it myself, I switched to a whisper, pronouncing the name of this magazine. - Yes. - Are you kidding? This is one of the largest magazines in the country. I'm afraid to even think about writing there. - That’s a shame, there are decent vacancies there, - at that moment my phone rang, forcing my interlocutor to interrupt. - I'm sorry. I'm waiting for delivery today, most likely it's the dispatcher calling, I need to answer. - No problem. It's time for me to go anyway. It was nice chatting! Bye! - Mutually. I hurried to answer the call, and it was indeed the dispatcher. - The car will arrive at the specified address in approximately an hour. Will you be able to meet the driver? - Yes, sure. Please tell him that there is no access to the house, so I will wait at the stairs at the beginning of the street. - Thank you for the clarification. All information will be transmitted to the driver. Goodbye! At the nearest intersection there was a stop from which a bus went almost to the house, and I just managed to get there at the right time. Exactly an hour later, a truck drove up to the place where I was waiting. - Ms. Baek Na Ri? – the driver came out alone, opened the back and, without waiting for my answer, began to pull out boxes, placing them on the sidewalk. - Yes it's me. Unfortunately, there is no access to the house, I only found out about this yesterday, so I’ll have to carry my things further. But I'll pay extra. - Not necessary. The loader got sick today, so I’ll unload your boxes now, and then we’ll do the rest ourselves. - What do you mean sama? I ordered delivery to my apartment. - I repeat to you once again - the loader is sick, there is no replacement for today. They will recalculate you and return the payment for lifting things into the apartment. - Yes, I don’t need a recalculation. What should I do now with these things? - It is not my responsibility to resolve such issues. Contact the dispatcher. Do you have a copy of the agreement with you? - Yes, here, - I took the documents out of my bag, still hoping that this was some kind of joke. - Yeah. Here, sign that you received the things, - I signed in confusion, after which the driver slammed the doors of the body and drove off. God, why do I need so many things? I looked around at the number of boxes, trying to figure out what to do with them. Carrying from here one at a time to the apartment is not an option, it’s too long and difficult. Moving the boxes to some other point and gradually moving towards the house is an option with the same disadvantages as the first. Out of anger and hopelessness, I kicked one of the boxes, which I immediately regretted, and in pain I sank onto a nearby box. - Damn you!.. I had to find a company that could send movers today, but the search was fruitless - they offered to provide services next week, on the weekend, at the earliest - tomorrow, but when they heard my question about tonight, they politely refused and said goodbye. The prospect of carrying the boxes herself became increasingly realistic. Maybe we really shouldn’t waste time and start without waiting until it gets dark? I’ll call a couple more companies, and if they refuse, then I’ll have to act. At the moment when I was looking for the phone number of the next company, a shadow covered me, and I slowly began to raise my eyes. I got the impression that the person in front of me was like a continuation of this shadow - black clothes, dark hair, sunglasses, and only the contrasting light skin allowed me to recognize the mysterious stranger as my new neighbor. - What, the lock jammed again? - If you came to make fun of me, then let’s do it later, right now there’s really no time for you, - why did he appear here right now? - I didn’t plan to come here, but I saw that someone decided to set up a camp right in the middle of the street, and my curiosity took over. And for some reason I’m not surprised that I saw you here - anger was raging inside me from my day filled with failures, from this situation, from the usually calm, but slightly sarcastic tone of this man, and I tried to convey all this in my eyes, which she drilled into him, looking up. – Didn’t you think about ordering the services of movers when you made the delivery? - This will probably surprise you, but I’m not that stupid, - I dropped my hands exhaustedly, there was no mood to continue this verbal skirmish. - The loader got sick, and the company didn’t have time to find anyone to replace him, and I only found out about it when all my things were unloaded here. I’m calling companies now to find movers for today, but nothing yet. - At the end of the working day? It’s amazing - and why did I just tell him everything, obviously he’s not the kind of person from whom you can expect any kind of sympathy. - Listen, you were going somewhere, right? Let’s each continue to mind our own business, - there was no reaction to my words at all, the man simply turned around and walked towards the house. There is one less problem, but the main one is still not solved. I continued to look for the phone number of the next company. Call. Refusal. Next call and again denied. Well, the stages of denial, anger and bargaining are over, there is no time for depression, so we move straight to acceptance. I stood up and began to look around the boxes, trying to determine a strategy - which one would be best to start moving them, when suddenly, with my peripheral vision, I caught two silhouettes approaching in my direction. One of them again turned out to be my neighbor, next to whom was walking a very young boy. - Hello, allow me to introduce myself - I’m Kim So Joon, - the young man bowed politely and then broke into a smile. - Baek Na Ri, - I looked questioningly at my neighbor, but unlike his companion, he was silent. – If you haven’t found movers yet, we will help you move your things. - No, what are you talking about? Thank you very much for the help offered, but I will solve this issue now. - Ms. Baek Na Ri, let me still help us. While you are looking for someone, we will already move everything. - But there are a lot of boxes here, and they are heavy... - Kim So Joon’s offer was extremely tempting, but the fact that I would again have to accept someone’s help, especially people I didn’t know, made me feel terrible awkwardness. - Yes, there are not so many of them. And we will only be happy to help you, right? – he looked at the man, expecting his support, but he only nodded vaguely and took the nearest of the boxes. - Take some and let's go. And you, - the neighbor turned to me. – Sit here and wait. - Wait, let me carry it with you, it will be faster. - Don’t trust me so much that you’re ready to leave things unattended just in the middle of the street? - No, I did not mean that… - In that case, wait. The best way you can help is to not distract us with conversations. And I sat, waited and was silent. When the last two boxes were left, Kim So Joon returned alone, which made me both relieved and disappointed. - This one is small and doesn’t seem heavy, can you carry it? – Seo Jun handed me a box, which was really very light. - Yes, of course, - taking everything, we went to the house together. - I feel so uncomfortable because of this situation... - Uncomfortable? Why? If there is an opportunity to help someone, then why not do it? Moreover, you are now Mr. Ji Yu Ong’s neighbor. - Ji Yu Ong is this? - I nodded towards the house. - Yeah... Didn't he introduce himself to you? – Seo Jun looked at me with genuine surprise. - Apparently, he didn’t consider it necessary. - Don't judge him by his first impression. He is a rather private person... - It's hard not to notice. - Yes, but... He has his reasons. And he's very good. I would even say the best of everyone I have ever met in my life. - You've known him for a long time, right? - Yes, I was still very young when he saved my mother and me. - That’s it... - I fought the desire to ask what happened then - it would be tactless, but I hoped that someday I would still be able to find out. - Mr. Ji Yu Ong still does a lot for me - he arranged for me to work in his store, helps with my studies, and lets me go to exams. - To his store? - You didn’t know that either? Oh, I talk too much, - Seo Joon smiled shyly and lowered his gaze. - I solemnly swear that I won’t tell anyone anything, - I tried to turn everything into a joke and, it seems, I succeeded. Kim So Joon helped carry all the boxes they left at the door into the apartment. Together we went down to the store, where there were no longer any visitors, but Yu Ong was still finishing his business and was in no hurry to go home. - I want to thank you both for your help. To be honest, I was already on the verge of despair. - Yes? And so they refused, as if they didn’t need help at all. - I don't know how to be a damsel in distress, that's true. I'm used to the fact that my problems are my problems and no one will solve them for me, that's why it's so hard for me to accept someone's help, but thank you again. And please tell me how much I owe you in payment? - Is this what you came here for? – Ji Yu Ong put the documents that he had been sorting out all this time on the table, and, still not looking up, crossed his arms over his chest. - Including. Every job must be paid. - It wasn't work. Consider it a spiritual impulse. Voluntary. - Especially. I'm not going to abuse this. - Baek Na Ri, if I wanted to make money from your problems, I would have announced the price right away. So let's close this topic. And, if you finish, then you can go, the store is already closed to visitors. I looked at Kim So Joon, who had been watching our dialogue in embarrassment all this time, and now only shrugged his shoulders sympathetically. - No, I didn’t finish, - Yu Ong walked around the table, taking a couple of steps towards me, and for the first time I saw interest in his gaze. – I don’t like being in debt to someone. - And what if I like that you are now in my debt? - choking with indignation, either from the words I heard, or from the ordinariness in the tone in which they were uttered, I didn’t even find what to answer. - I offer a compromise - if I need help, I will contact you. But I still do not intend to transfer our communication to the financial plane. - Ok, - I doubted that I could be of any use to Yu Ong or So Joon, whom we undeservedly forgot in our argument, so I decided to offer another option. - Can I at least treat you to dinner? Wouldn't this be considered bribery? - I would love to, - Kim So Joon spoke for the first time since we entered the store. - But I asked for time off early today. I... Today I have... A date with a girl... - Ah... Yes, of course, I apologize, I didn’t think that you might already have plans for the evening, - Yu Ong did not agree, but did not refuse. – It’s all clear with you – you don’t like talking to someone outside of working hours, I remember. - This is not a reason to refuse delicious food. - Are you seriously? – he grinned, seeing that he had taken me by surprise with his answer. - I just don’t want to go anywhere today. - Can I order here? – Ji Yu Ong nodded affirmatively, again surprising me with the ease with which he agreed. – What do you love most? - At your discretion, I have no food preferences. - Boss, but how... - Yu Ong interrupted So Joon mid-sentence, putting his finger to his lips. - Shh! Ms. Baek Na Ri will make a choice herself, and let’s see how much we coincide in tastes. And if I find out that you've spilled the beans, I'll fire you. - Please forgive me, Ms. Baek Na Ri, but I can’t lose my job, - Kim So Joon gestured to close his mouth with a zipper and blink his eyes in disappointment. - Go already, huh, - Ji Yu Ong impatiently waved his hand towards the exit. - Thank you, boss! Ms. Baek Na Ri, - Seo Joon bowed, grabbed his backpack and hurriedly ran out of the store. - I'll go home then. I'll place an order and come back when it's delivered, right? - Yes, - Yu Ong returned to his papers and lost all interest in the conversation. What's wrong with him, huh? Can I place an order in two parts - one for me, the other for him - let him sit here alone, among his books. They seem to be the only ones who can tolerate his temper.