[Chapter 2 – Verse 1]Does Aptitude Matter?
"Shaman?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Kid, if I don't consider aptitude, what do I base hiring a part-timer on?"
"…"
The cleaning company manager's reasonable point left me speechless.
Was he particularly clever?
No.
Every place I looked into checked aptitudes, whether for daily labor or full-time jobs.
'This is tough…'
Some job listings even explicitly stated, "Only applicants with this aptitude accepted!"
So, my options for even getting an interview were extremely limited!
And finding them was hard.
"Shamans deal with ghosts, right?"
"It doesn't mean I can't do other jobs. I have plenty of experience working at a convenience store."
"Hm…"
The manager pondered.
"Just to be clear, we deal with catching rats and pests hiding in houses. Not ghosts."
"Yes."
"If you start dancing or shouting like Yoo Il-am…"
"I absolutely won't!"
"Yoo Il-am says the same to reassure people, then catches ghosts by surprise so they don't notice…"
"I really won't! Fire me on the spot if I do!"
There's a reason the image of shamans, not exactly normal, is scraping rock bottom.
'Yoo Il-am again!'
It's unlikely, but it feels like he's retaliating for me rejecting his apprentice offer.
Is Yoo Il-am hiding somewhere nearby, secretly watching and laughing at me?
My blood was boiling.
"Kid."
"Yes."
"I like your enthusiasm, so leave your contact info."
"Thank you!"
Finally, a job!
"Wait. I didn't say I'm giving you the job yet."
"Then…?"
"I said I'd think about it. If you don't hear back in a week, assume it's a no."
"Yes."
It meant he'd hire me if no one with a better aptitude than "shaman" applied within a week.
Basically, no chance.
***
"I'm going crazy!"
I didn't expect a full-time job from the start, but I never imagined getting rejected for daily labor too.
'Of all times…'
I'd overlooked it, but this was the season when graduates, excited by P's aptitude test results, were scrambling to earn more than their parents' allowances.
So, finding a job was tough.
No—
Good or high-paying jobs were always competitive.
But even though I wasn't picky, struggling to find work was purely because of my aptitude!
"Such prejudice…"
It's all Yoo Il-am's fault.
'What now?'
Trudge, trudge.
I headed home with no results.
I wanted to look for more jobs, but I'd overdone it less than a day after being discharged.
"Bro!"
"…"
I must be hearing things.
"Bro! Moon-soo Bro~!"
Grab!
Someone hugged me from behind with both arms, calling my name.
A very familiar voice.
I knew who it was without even looking.
"What? Kang-hoon?"
Choi Kang-hoon.
A close younger friend I've known since we were clueless elementary schoolers.
'What a coincidence.'
Before my father lost all his wealth and passed away, plunging our family into ruin, we were neighbors and met often. But now…
It's hard to see him outside of school.
And once I graduate, it'll be even harder.
"Bro~!"
"…"
I was glad to see him too, but this guy was being overly dramatic, even tearing up.
What's going on?
"You should've told me you woke up at the hospital! I went there for nothing!"
"Oh… sorry. I didn't know you visited."
I genuinely didn't know.
We're close like brothers, but we've never really worried about each other.
'Or maybe not…?'
There's not much to worry about with Choi Kang-hoon, a rich kid with perfect looks.
The last time was probably in elementary school, when I wiped his tears and patted his back after he was teased for looking like a girl.
"That's harsh! I even wrote in the guestbook!"
"Did you…"
"I was shocked to hear you got discharged a day after waking up! The senior who collapsed with you is still in the hospital."
"Song Sun-young?"
"Don't know her name."
"You've never heard of her at school?"
"Nope. Not at all."
"I see."
As I suspected, only Song Sun-young and I shared the dream.
"Bro!"
"Weren't you heading to an academy? Don't be late."
"That's harsh! Aren't you happy to see me after so long?"
His face looked so hurt.
Like a puppy caught in the rain, I couldn't just walk away.
"…I was asleep the whole time. It feels like we just met yesterday."
"Oh! You'd feel that way, huh!"
Choi Kang-hoon's expression brightened instantly. But he showed no signs of leaving.
"Go on. You'll be late for your academy."
"It's fine. I'm not going to an academy—it's a company tour."
"A tour? You haven't even taken the aptitude test yet. Why?"
Job tours aren't urgent before the aptitude test.
If you get excited and tour something, only to get a mismatched aptitude, it's a waste.
That's why hardly anyone—count-on-one-hand few—does job tours before graduating high school.
"It's my dad's company."
"Oh!"
Family businesses are an exception.
Of course, if the aptitude is too mismatched, you could ruin the business, so it's not forced.
"I just need to tell Dad's secretary I can't go."
"It's a commitment, though…"
"It's fine. It's not just today. Touring all the departments takes days. Skipping one won't hurt."
"I see…"
A massive family business is another exception!
"Got time, Bro?"
"Don't skip your tour because of me."
"Busy?"
"Yeah."
"Why? It's break. You're graduating soon."
"Hm…"
No need to explain further, but to send Kang-hoon off, I answered honestly.
"I need to find a job."
"Wow! You're such an adult! Cool!"
"Well…"
I knew from experience his admiration was genuine, not sarcasm, but it still felt off.
'Admiration from a guy who never has to worry about jobs…'
The tour is probably part of it—successor training or early education?
Whatever it is, I'm a bit jealous of a life free from future worries.
"I'm jealous. Dad says to ignore my aptitude and learn the business bit by bit…"
"Is that so."
Even my well-off little brother has his own struggles.
"Bro!"
"Stop calling me. I'm going."
"Let's go together!"
"This bro is super busy preparing to be an adult. Don't skip your tour because of me."
"No way! The company stuff was forced on me because my big brother's sick! I'm not his substitute!"
"Calm down."
Kang-hoon has a half-brother, Choi Kang-min.
I don't know the details, but he's bedridden with an incurable disease, unable to leave the hospital.
"If you want me to calm down, hang out with me."
"What are you, a kid…"
Even as I scolded him, Kang-hoon sensed my wavering and pressed harder.
"Bro! I've got a great idea!"
"What?"
"I'll help you find a job!"
"How?"
"Dad's connections."
"Oh!"
I believe cronyism ignoring aptitudes should be eradicated, but I wasn't in a position to be picky.
"How's that?"
"…I'll think about it."
Thinking is my last shred of conscience.
"Don't think, let's go ask now."
"Who? A director? A manager?"
"Dad, obviously! He's at home."
"Cough!"
For the first time in ages, I went to Kang-hoon's house—not to hang out, but for a job interview.
Choi Kang-hoon lives on the top floor of a luxury officetel, rumored to be the most expensive in the area.
This top floor has a private elevator that only operates with a key card.
And,
(Master Kang-hoon and one guest have arrived.)
When the elevator reaches the top, the automatic door opens, notifying the homeowner.
Ding-dong!
Rumble-
"Welcome, Young Master."
"Welcome, Young Master."
"Welcome, Young Master."
The butler and maids, hearing the announcement, lined up on either side of the elevator entrance, bowing politely.
'Wow…'
As a kid, I'd pass through them without a thought, but now it felt incredibly overwhelming.
Who am I to receive such treatment?
That's the vibe.
"Young Master, is the person beside you a friend?"
"Oh my! You're back early."
"The Young Master brought a friend home? That's rare."
After formal greetings, the butler and maids spoke to Kang-hoon in a friendly tone.
To which,
"My bro, Moon-soo!"
The homeowner's second son introduced me briefly.
"Oh! My goodness! You've grown so much, I didn't recognize you."
The butler, who used to disapprove of my visits, let out a hearty laugh.
'Back when I looked up at him, he was a scary old man…'
Now, face-to-face as an adult, he was just a pleasant middle-aged guy.
"Oh! You're the one the Young Master always praised?"
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kang Moon-soo. Thanks to the Young Master, it doesn't feel like a first meeting."
"Please hand me your coat."
Except for the butler, the maids were all young, beautiful women with plenty of charm.
Should I question the homeowner's taste?
That hasn't changed either.
'Nostalgic.'
I used to come here often as a clueless kid.
Back then, I was more interested in free snacks than the expensive art and decorations displayed everywhere.
'If I could just sneak one of these and sell it… Ahem!'
Having such thoughts naturally means I've become a materialistic adult, right?
The only thing different from back then was the large family photo on the wall, but I couldn't look at it with the same innocence.
"Bro! Bro!"
"…What?"
"It's almost exactly the same as when you used to visit, right?"
"Seems like it."
Aside from the family photo reflecting the passage of time, even the furniture was exactly as I remembered.
'Big brother's missing.'
Choi Kang-min, Kang-hoon's half-brother, wasn't in the family photo.
"Is that Kang-hoon?"
"Dad!"
"Ahem! I told you to call me Father in front of guests…"
A man approached slowly, struggling to manage his expression as his lips threatened to grin widely.
Kang-hoon's father.
Minus the beer belly layered like sedimentary rock, he looked like Kang-hoon with a few forehead wrinkles.
In short, a handsome middle-aged man.
"It's fine now. We're not strangers."
"Who's this… Hm?"
"Dad, you remember, right? Kang Moon-soo, my bro who used to come over a lot as a kid!"
"Oh! That little food thief is here?"
"Yup!"
Despite the years, he remembered me clearly.
"Hello, sir."
"Yeah. I heard you collapsed at school and were hospitalized. You look rough. Your cheeks used to be so chubby, perfect for pinching."
"Haha… Things happened…"
We moved to the long sofa in the tennis-court-sized living room to continue our conversation.
"How are you these days?"
"Looking for a job."
"A job? Oh, right! You're a year older than my son. So you've taken the aptitude test."
"Yes."
"What's your aptitude? I've always wondered what a kid who only picked expensive snacks would grow up to be."
"Shaman."
"Trash."
"What?"
His sudden word caught me off guard.
What did he just…
"Shamans are liars who spew nonsense."
"…"
The smile vanished from his face, and his cold stare sent chills down my spine.