I’m Not That Villain

22 – Underdog (2)

People murmured.

There were more than a few people spouting foolish words.

“No…what does guessing the names of tools have to do with the job…”

“I mean, isn’t it enough to just do the job well?!”

“You should look at the experience! There are so many types of tools used in the field! How can anyone remember all of them?!”

“…Haa.”

Seo Ji-soo frowned deeply at the barrage of questions. She twirled the pen she was holding on her finger.

“Ah. Yes. It’s possible you don’t know. Experience? It’s important. Sure. Working at a good place proves your ability in itself. Indeed, tools are diverse and wide-ranging… It’s rare for someone to know all of them. Yes.”

“…….”

“And you might forget what you knew, right? I know that much. But about five part-timers who just passed through here?”

Seo Ji-soo stopped twirling the pen.

“I let it slide thinking they might not knowand they didn’t know anything else either. I hired them because their experience seemed fine, but they knew nothing about the work process. Whenever I asked them to bring a tool, they always brought something strange?”

“……”

“When I questioned them thoroughly before they left, wow. All their experience was a lie? With today’s technology, you can create fake experience in no time… It was like hiring someone who knew nothing. Someone who had no interest in this field. But when I asked why they lied even though it was clear they wouldn’t last long…”

Seo Ji-soo chuckled.

“They said they thought if they just got their foot in the door, things would work out somehowthat was their mindset.”

“…….”

The surroundings became quiet.

Seo Ji-soo spoke softly.

“I don’t expect anyone to get a perfect score. But I want to see the basics. Just the basics. I’m not running a business by digging up the ground, am I? The protection tax and all that costs a lot. So I want to hire someone who matches the value I’m offering.”

“…….”

“Now. We’re going to hand out a sheet of paper to each of you, and we’ll project the screen with a beam projector. Pictures of tools will be shown according to the numbers, so write down the name of the tool corresponding to each number. Any questions?”

“…….”

One of the applicants raised their hand slightly.

“Um…is it okay to use dialects? Like nicknames. I’m more familiar with those.”

“Yes. That’s fine. I have a rough understanding of that area. If it’s ambiguous, I’ll search and double-check. But please don’t write anything too absurd. If you leave the space blank, I’ll consider it sincere and give you extra points. I hate liars the most.”

A sheet of paper was handed out to each person in the murmuring crowd.

“If you want to cheat, do it discreetly… I’ll give you one minute per photo. If you want to copy from the person next to you, go ahead. I won’t particularly point out if you share ideas with each other. But remember, I’m only picking two people. If the number of successful candidates increases, it will only make you all tired. If you’re not confident, you can leave now.”

A few people stood up. Were they really here to butt heads?

Among those sitting, there were also people whose expressions grew heavy. One person voiced a complaint.

“Shouldn’t this have been announced in advance?”

“Is this some big corporation’s interview site? Isn’t it strange to think ‘let’s just apply first’ without even having the basics? I clearly stated in the application qualifications. Only those with ‘expertise’ should apply.”

“…….”

“Can you determine if someone has expertise if they don’t even know the names of the tools? Can you?”

“Still, if there was going to be a test, we should have been told in advance so we could at least study…!”

“Study? I don’t think the practical knowledge I need can be gained with a bit of studying. If expertise can be obtained within a week, can we really call it expertise?”

Every word was right. Wow, she speaks well.

The questioner’s face turned red. Unable to bear the insult, they stood up abruptly, but seeing the bodyguard behind her, they just exhaled heavily.

Seo Ji-soo smiled sweetly.

“You can leave now. It doesn’t seem necessary for you to take the test.”

“You…! Acting all high and mighty just because you made a name for yourself in the black market! Damn! You b*tch! I’ll kill you if I see you again!”

The man turned around in a fit of rage.

It was clear to anyone that he was trying to leave the garden. But Seo Ji-soo called him back.

“Hey, you son of a b*tch.”

At the same time, the man’s arms, who had just cursed, twisted abnormally.

Crack!

“You intend to kill me.”

“What?”

The man, who was looking down at his completely twisted arm, gaped. Lee Minho whispered.

“Next time, I’ll break your neck. Get lost.”

“A…aaah!!!”

“If you can’t leave, I’ll make you.”

The man who was kicked fell outside the gate. The sobbing sound from outside soon disappeared.

Is he…an ability user? This physical strength is unbelievable. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone’s arm twist in front of my eyes.

He’s strong. No joke. I glanced at his waist once more.

He had something like a baton tied there… Is that his special equipment?

Ability users usually don’t carry ordinary cold weapons.

Anyway, due to the series of events, the atmosphere in the hall turned icy. Seo Jisoo, who had a distorted face, smiled brightly again.

“Alright. Let’s part with a smile. The test will begin now.”

I held the paper and pen handed to me.

The beam projector clicked and projected the screen onto the temporary board. It was large enough for everyone here to see comfortably.

Even in the bright daylight, the brightness was clear. And naturally, the first question appeared.

Tools.

The very basics of basics. A spanner.

Sighs arose from here and there.

“……?”

No way. These guys.

What were they thinking when they applied?

“…Um…sharing knowledge together.”

“No.”

I coldly rejected the suggestion from the person next to me. The photos continued to change, and more people started to hold their heads.

It seemed like they were trying to discern, as more specialized equipment appeared, but most of them were basic tools that anyone who had made some equipment would know.

But as the tool photos continued to change, there was someone who kept cursing quietly. Not only that, but many people were also craning their necks to peek at the answers of the person next to them.

“The person next to me keeps looking at my answers?!”

“If it’s forced, you’re disqualified as soon as it’s visible.”

I quietly scribbled away in a secluded corner. It was so basic that there was nothing more to add, whether it was difficult or easy.

“Do only those with perfect scores pass?”

“No. The top two. And besides this, there’s also a simple practical test prepared, so please keep that in mind.”

“A practical test…”

“Oh. It’s simple. We’re going to ask how to use the equipment.”

Silently, a few people stood up. No. This is getting a bit funny.

These people. They were really head-butting dinosaurs, weren’t they?

“I’ll collect the test papers. If you don’t hand them in now, you’ll be asked to leave.”

She collected all the test papers and asked us to wait a moment as she quickly drew circles.

Quick hand movements. The hand that drew lines and circles without hesitation stopped a few times.

“…Spanner? Is there anyone who calls it that?”

“In Busan, that’s what we call it!”

“You’re from Busan?”

“Yes.”

“You came from far away.”

“I came to see the boss. Haha!”

“Oh dear. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see him for long. That’s the only one you got right.”

“Oh no!”

Thanks to the middle-aged man who looked older, the atmosphere in the exam room lightened a bit. She smiled as she tapped the graded test papers.

Swish.

Except for the first ten sheets, the rest were discarded elsewhere.

“Those whose names are called, please stay. Those whose names are not called, we will give you a small transportation fee.”

Transportation fee?

Even the salary part, the spending is big. This is something. There seem to be many virtues to learn as a boss…

Naturally, my name was called. I glanced to the side. Two women. Including me, eight men.

The rest left the garden with a transportation fee of twenty thousand won, in a softened state. Even if they had complaints, they couldn’t say anything. They must have seen the scene of arms being twisted in front of their eyes.

Well, twenty thousand won is enough for transportation and a bowl of soup. It can be seen as worth the effort.

“Perfect score… there’s only one, but what I need is the practical part, not the theory, so I left it like this. I ask for the understanding of the one with the perfect score. I won’t mention it specifically. We don’t want to discourage others, right?”

Seo Ji-soo smiled.

“Still, I want to personally commend you. I feel like I can finally work with a proper person. Please pass the remaining parts as well. Now then, shall we move inside the workshop?”

Seo Ji-soo led us inside the workshop. This was the workshop of a specialized equipment maker who was quite well-known even in the underground…

I glanced inside the shutter that was going up.

…Indeed.

It’s really impressive.

My workshop is full of junk, but this place is filled with nothing but brand new equipment. How much money do they make to install such facilities?

Even if it’s not as good as the Black Chain Workshop, it has almost everything, doesn’t it?

“Wow…”

“Whoa…”

The sparkling workshop was filled with machines and was also clean. Dirt in a workshop leads to accidents, so it’s a very proper attitude.

“There are many fascinating things, right? I think there are many things you’ve never seen before. They’re not very common. Since you’re all natives of Seoul, I think you learned about specialized equipment from books, the internet, or illegal workshops.”

“…….”

“Well, if you think about it, I’m also illegal, right? What’s not illegal in Seoul? Right?”

People laughed. Seo Ji-soo chuckled.

“The test we’re going to do now is to ask how to handle each piece of equipment. One person at a time. The rest of you can wait in the next room. Now, I’ll start with the person I call.”

We all waited in the room. No one spoke, awkwardly staring at their phones.

One person went out, and another came in. The somewhat complicated expressions seemed to prove that things weren’t going well.

“Lee Seo-jun?”

That’s me. I stood up.

Let’s finish this quickly and go eat.