Chapter 17 - Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (1)
Gun-Ho’s parents are living in Juan Town, Incheon. Gun-Ho used to work in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province and then Pocheon, and now he is working in Yangju.
‘I even gave up the level-9 civil service exam; I don’t care where I live.’
Thinking like this, Gun-Ho has adapted to any place he had to live. The life as a factory worker estranged Gun-Ho from his friends and made him close with only Jong-Suk who was also working at a factory.
“Jong-Suk, did you get the welders certificate?”
“Uh, bro! I took the exam. The results were not released yet, but I think I passed it.”
“That certificate is for a welder or a welding technician?”
“Welders. While welders usually do shielded metal arc welding, special welders do TIG welding.”
“That’s how they are divided? I have no idea. Good luck with it.”
“What about you, bro? Did you take the level-2 computerized accounting exam?”
“I finished the course. I am now preparing for the exam. I don’t think I can pass the level-1 exam, but I think I can easily pass level-2.”
“Bro, you didn’t go fishing lately, did you?”
“I haven’t had time for it.”
“I won’t go fishing either since it had been cold, but I went fishing last week for nothing.”
“Why? Were there no blind fishes?”
“The fishes were not biting. Also, I didn’t see Chairman Lee there. He probably didn’t come because of the cold weather.”
“Yeah, probably so. Cold weather affects the elderly.”
“Hello? Is it AH Tech? I just saw a job opening advertisement for a bookkeeper position.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Can a man apply for the position?”
“Yes.”
“Do I need to visit the site to apply?”
“You can send your resume through fax.”
“Ok. Thank you.”
Gun-Ho’s heart started beating. He was going to send the resume right away.
“I can’t use the fax machine at the office, someone might think it strange. Let’s do it outside.”
Gun-Ho planned to fax it during lunchtime. Without having lunch, Gun-Ho went to the stationary store close to the Township Office and faxed his resume to the company.
“It is good that this company is not far from here; I don’t have to move again.”
Gun-Ho felt excited about the possibility of working in an office and not in a factory anymore. That thought made him enjoy even the factory work.
“Hey, Gun-Ho. Something fun?” The quiet team leader in the crushing site asked.
“No, nothing.”
“You look happy. You got a girlfriend?”
“No. I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“I’ve seen several pretty girls working in the factory next to ours. Go for it.”
“I haven’t seen any.”
“There is a very pretty girl from Vietnam.”
“You seemed to be interested in her.”
“I am not interested in any at all. It is already hard to live with one woman, my wife.”
A few days later, the AH Tech Gun-Ho applied for a bookkeeper position sent a text to him to invite him for an interview.
“I have to miss the work… Let’s tell them I am sick.”
In a small factory like this one, if someone missed work, the others had to work more. Gun-Ho felt sorry for his colleagues, but he had no choice. Gun-Ho started acting.
“I can’t work any longer today. I am not feeling well. I think it has to do with something I ate yesterday.”
“What? You were perfectly fine this morning! You drank yesterday, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t. I don’t know what is wrong with me. Wekwek.”
Gun-Ho pretended he was throwing up. That caused the team leader to raise his eyebrows.
“Go see a doctor.”
Gun-Ho moaned. “I feel like passing out.”
“Go to the company dormitory for foreign workers, and lie down there for a while.”
“My stomach aches.”
“It hurts? Go see a doctor quickly.”
Gun-Ho walked out of the factory telling them he was heading to a hospital.”
“Yippee. I made it. Today will be a hard day for the team leader; he will have to do the work I was supposed to do.”
The company Gun-Ho was having an interview for was a bit bigger than his current factory. He was not sure about the nature of their business but he could smell some chemicals; they were probably manufacturing pharmaceutical related products.
“I came here for an interview.”
“Please have a seat and wait in the conference room over there.”
In the conference room, there were four other candidates waiting. They were all female. As Gun-Ho entered the room, they glanced at him then focused on their smartphones. After a while, a man in his early 50s and a woman in her 40s came into the room, holding a file.
“Thank you all for coming today. I am a director of AH Tech. The lady next to me is a manager.”
“Nice to meet you.”
All candidates simultaneously bowed in a half standing position.