For Ye Han, betrayal is something that that is not nice to feel at all. To think all the time he spent mastering the game, the character and beating everyone else, did not matter at all. The effort, all the strategies, psychological warfare even the sabotages that took place during the competition were all wasted.
"And he still tries to act like some sort of a great teacher?! How dare he?!" But deep inside, he also felt sad. "I trusted him, dedicated everything to follow his teachings. But this is all I get? What am I suppose to do with these?" He glanced at all the prizes he won from the tournament. A brand new, top of the line smartphone, a VIP membership card of the establishment and finally, a gift card of unknown value.
In a fit of righteous anger, he almost threw all of it away. But as he was about to dump all the stuff, the flashbacks started coming to his mind. The experiences and fun times he spent, the people he interacted with, all of it gave him a profound sense of wholesomeness.
Finally, he let out a sigh. "I'll just consider this a blessing. And at least I could finally replace my old phone and maybe play with Suzuka-chan at last." He reassured himself.
He trailed along the sidewalks and went on his normal way when suddenly he bumped into something hard.
"Ow! What the f*ck? What hit me?" He exclaimed.
The impact was somewhat hard to the point that he fell right on his butt. Caressing his poor bottom, he looked at the wall that he ran onto and noticed a piece of paper sticking on there.
[Hiring. For more info, consult the management.]
"Oh sweet hippity hoppity, this is finally my chance!"
With no time to waste, he immediately picked himself up as he entered the establishment.
***
Thankfully for the magnificent job hunter, he just barely made it before the closing time. There are currently 2 applicants including him.
It was a man dressed in a very formal manner. He wore a matching pair of suit and pants. He held an expensive looking briefcase. His shoes are so well polished that Ye Han is able to see his reflection on it. The hairstyle also matched the attire, with a slicked back and cool sheen. Overall, he's the model applicants he saw every time in those articles.
Soon he slowly felt a slight amount of inferiority comparing himself with the man. But who cares, the attire will never matter to the eyes of a competent boss. 'Although I hope that's the case.' He thought somberly.
However, waiting with the man became a slightly annoying ordeal for Ye Han. The man kept giving him smug looks, acting as if he was the most superior and self-entitled being on the planet. He did not bother to hide the contempt in his eyes. And he would sometimes say an offensive comment about Ye Han's attire and the overall way he looks.
Ye Han tried his best to ignore him. He is already used to this kind of provocation, and he is never going to give what the obnoxious man wants.
'What's the deal with this guy? I get that he dressed up formally for this interview but why does he keep on jabbing at me. If this were the old times, I could legally gouge his eyes out. But sadly I'm stuck with this era.'
Seconds became minutes, minutes became 2, then 5 and after 30 minutes of waiting, they are finally going to be interviewed. They were then called inside a room.
***
The room appeared cozy in Ye Han's opinion. A huge whiteboard is hanged at the very front of the room. The board is filled with random scribbles and important notes right around the corners. In front of the board is a rather modest desk. Ye Han deduced that the desk is where the interviewer would be sitting at.
He sat at the very front of all the neatly placed foldable chairs while the other applicant is seated at the very back. Observing the room, he took notice of the various decorations placed inside. There is also part of the walls dedicated for portraits and such.
Ye Han's musings were cut off short by the sound of someone entering the room. The one who entered the room is a rather normal looking woman adorned with very thick glasses. She wore a different uniform than the normal employees he saw earlier. A uniform that is much suited for a management job. Her hair is tied into a simple ponytail. At the right side of her chest is a nametag with the word, "Manager" boldly printed on it.
She appeared to be tired as she scanned the forms that all the applicants submitted earlier. She briefly skimmed through all the papers and information as she proceeded to take a seat at the desk just in front of Ye Han.
"So you are all the applicants?" She started.
But before she could start with the introductions, she was interrupted by the applicant seated at the back.
"Before we could start with this interview, I would like to comment about this working environment. This establishment seems to be lacking in various area. Especially this room, it does not have enough resources to cultivate a competitive work environment. Thank you very much."
The manager just shrugged the comment and continued with what she was about to do.
"To start things off, why don't you start introducing yourselves."
Ye Han had already made a sensible script to present to the manager but then again, he was interrupted by the same person.
"Excuse me? Introduce ourselves? Preposterous! As a standard procedure for any establishment, I presumed that you would have already taken necessary measures regarding our background. For you to ask us to introduce ourselves is a serious disrespect of our qualifications and a breach of your ethical conduct. If not for the case of my heartfelt generosity, I would have filed a complaint against this establishment.
The manager who looked disinterested earlier took a semi-shocked expression. The gall of this man to question their application procedures did not put a smile on her face.
"What? This is the standard procedure. You either take it or leave it."
The man put on an offended expression.
"Well, well, well. It seems that this place lacks the necessary ethics and considerations toward their employees. I find this highly degrading for my well-being."
The manager who was clearly off-putted by the earlier remarks of the guy became even more infuriated. If looks could kill, that man would have been dead. But despite her negative feelings, she tried her vare hardest not to lash out. Though, Ye Han could see the carnage in her eyes.
"Okay, 'b o s s.' I really appreciate your intellectual observation. But it seems that you're sitting way too far at the back. What seems to be the problem?"
"Oh, this? I'm clearly evaluating your performance. As you interview that bumpkin over there, I would gather information and cross-examine it with my goals and aspiration. This would then determine the status of your establishment. Based on the data I'll gather, I would be able to paint a broader and much clear picture of this company. I could realize what are your core strength and qualifications. The benefits you could offer me, and most importantly the reason why I should be hired by you."
"…"
Both the manager and Ye Han were left speechless by the rather misplaced confidence of the man. The manager already seething manager did not bother to hide her anger as she murderously glared at the man while Ye Han squinted his eyes in pure astonishment.
The manager then took her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. To think a person of this caliber would apply to her humble store. They sure are "lacking."
"Security! Escort the esteemed guest out of here. We're clearly not worthy of accepting him here."
Two guards suddenly burst inside the room. And Ye Han felt surprised finding 2 of the kidnapping quartet working here. Upon seeing him the two gave a small wave at him and proceeded to do their task.
But the moment the two took hold of him, he angrily shook them off.
"Don't touch me! To think that you'd treat a prospective applicant this way, I'm deeply ashamed." He then swaggered towards the exit with his briefcase at hand.
The manager put her palms together bringing it underneath her chin. She then inhaled deeply and closed her eyes in contemplation. Ye Han sat there with both of his hands covering his face. He unknowingly took the shame the man should have felt.
'Thank god I don't own a suit.'