Chapter 5 — Friday
I went back inside the training center dormitory.
Warm air wrapped around my body. Modern civilization really was amazing.
Just as I was thinking that I could never understand people who willingly go camping instead of enjoying comforts like this, I realized it wasn’t just warmth surrounding me.
The recruits in their tracksuits were surrounding Kim Ain and me with curious gazes.
Among them, my roommate Park Sanghoon asked me:
“So what were you two talking about?”
Judging by the way he asked, he was probably expecting something like romantic tension. Seems like he needed some entertainment to cure his boredom.
And he wasn’t the only curious one.
Not only the recruits around him, but even Han Jia and Yoon Jungwook farther away were watching Kim Ain and me with interest.
…….
It’s not like that.
Since I had no intention of becoming a “set package” with Kim Ain, I quickly shook my head.
“Don’t expect anything weird, everyone. We were just talking about what happened earlier today.”
I glanced at Kim Ain, and she looked flustered. She probably thought I was going to mention her condition.
“Miss Ain—no, since we agreed to speak casually now, Ain asked me to keep it secret.”
She became even more flustered. She even tried to stop me, but I was faster.
“She said earlier that she ate 700 grams of steak, but apparently it was actually one kilogram. She’s embarrassed, so she asked me not to spread rumors that she’s a pig. Ack!”
“When did I ever say that?!”
Why does this girl throw hands so easily?
A sharp punch landed in my side, sending me stumbling back three steps. Clutching my liver, I looked at everyone.
“I thought I got hit by Mayweather. Anyway, we were talking about food. She said since she eats a lot, I should secretly save extra food for her at company dinners.”
“I never said that!”
Kim Ain even threw a jumping punch.
Whoa. You shouldn’t move around that violently. The male recruits don’t know where to look.
Everyone immediately turned their eyes toward the ceiling as her tracksuit bounced dangerously.
Only for a moment, though. Soon everyone burst into laughter at the sight of us.
Even my roommate Park Sanghoon laughed as he approached.
“So you two decided to speak casually now?”
“Yep. We reached an agreement involving secretly saving food for her at company dinners.”
“Really? Then… Miss Ain, can I speak casually too?”
At Park Sanghoon’s question, Kim Ain instantly returned to her usual self.
As if she hadn’t been running wild moments ago, she looked at him with those deer-like monolid eyes and a completely rude expression.
“No thanks.”
“Huh?”
“It’d be uncomfortable. Let’s stick to formal speech.”
She sounded ready to bulldoze him.
Park Sanghoon was twenty-eight. Kim Ain was twenty-four.
Even with the four-year age gap, the strange aura she gave off forced him to nod awkwardly.
“Al… alright.”
The atmosphere instantly turned cold.
Then Han Jia and Yoon Jungwook approached from farther away, breaking the tension.
“What are you all talking about so happily?”
“Let’s all introduce ourselves too.”
The vibe was basically:
Why are you all having fun by yourselves? The social stars of this place should be us.
Especially Han Jia.
She stepped directly between Kim Ain and me and stood pressed against my side.
I stared at her silently.
Han Jia smiled brightly.
But behind that smile, it felt like there was a blade hidden somewhere.
So in order to become the leader group, you’ve decided you need to secure Min Juchan.
Knowing who she was in my previous life, that’s exactly how it looked.
…Sigh. I suddenly felt exhausted.
Kim Ain, who only dropped formal speech with me because I laughed together with her.
Han Jia, who was sticking close to me to establish herself as the center of the leader group.
The recruits spreading out around me in every direction.
Everyone’s attention focused on me.
For an MBTI “I,” this was an unbearable situation.
And my social battery had already died.
I’d already spent all the energy I had for human interaction today.
I needed to recharge. And being the center of attention was exhausting.
So I quietly stepped backward.
“I’m going to call my parents for a bit.”
Using a suitable excuse, I slipped away from the group.
***
Using that excuse, I returned to the dorm room.
Kim Ain called for me through KakaoTalk.
Park Sanghoon even came into the room looking for me.
But I didn’t go back out.
I simply walked back and forth to the bathroom, waving off the recruits in the lobby who kept telling me to come downstairs before returning to the dorm room again.
Even so, I still observed people from afar.
The leader group centered around Han Jia and Yoon Jungwook had already formed.
Some people who failed to join them looked anxious, while—
Some people didn’t care at all and simply formed their own friend groups.
If I hadn’t been reborn, I might’ve been one of the people anxiously trying to fit into one of those circles.
Watching people laugh and chat together, I might’ve envied them like a student staring at the class next door eating fried chicken.
But not anymore.
I already knew that friendships made in the workplace weren’t eternal or deeply loyal, so I spent the night alone.
***
Two days passed.
Today was Friday.
Finally, the day we got to go home.
Everyone’s faces were full of excitement at the thought of finally escaping this training center in Yangpyeong, where there was absolutely nothing to do.
Some had already arranged drinking gatherings.
The most representative example was Han Jia.
She busily directed Yoon Jungwook around while organizing the first drinking party for the leader group she’d created. Enchanted by Han Jia’s flirting, Yoon Jungwook ran around among the recruits like Zhao Yun rescuing Adou.
But he didn’t invite everyone.
People lacking looks, social skills, or academic background were subtly excluded, while those possessing all three were discreetly invited.
It felt exactly like when Jang Geurae gets isolated in Misaeng. The twenty people not chosen by the leader group naturally became Jang Geurae.
[TL Note: Misaeng is a famous corporate K-drama. Jang Geu-rae is the protagonist—an underqualified, isolated intern who is initially left out and ostracized by his elite peers.]
I deliberately avoided being chosen myself.
I didn’t have time to hang out with these little kids. Once training ended, I needed to go home and secure my starting capital for crypto.
As I thought about that, Han Jia and Yoon Jungwook came over to me.
“Oppa, what are you doing after this today?”
“We’re thinking about going drinking with the recruits who get along well. What do you think? Come with us.”
So they hadn’t excluded me—they’d saved me as the final puzzle piece.
Both of them looked completely sincere.
Especially Yoon Jungwook. He looked strangely desperate.
Wondering why, I stared at him, and he subtly pointed at his smartphone.
Meaning: check it.
I opened my phone.
[Kim Ain said she’ll go if you go. Come with us.]
What a ridiculous message.
I turned my head and looked at Kim Ain.
She was staring at me expressionlessly.
Ugh… creepy.
By the time I died in my previous life, she was already the terrifying kind of woman who could calmly sit in front of detectives. I wanted no part in becoming a package deal with her.
“I already have plans today.”
Yoon Jungwook smiled awkwardly, looking disappointed.
One competitor eliminated. That was the vibe.
Han Jia reacted differently.
She suddenly plopped down beside me with a desperate expression.
“Oppa. Is it an important appointment?”
“Nope. Go back.”
“Huh?”
“I’m not changing my mind. Go back.”
“Is it your girlfriend?”
“No, just plans. Jungwook hyung, sorry. Let’s do it next time.”
Once I pushed back that firmly, both of them finally gave up.
But they didn’t give up on Kim Ain.
Leaving me behind, they immediately went over to persuade her instead.
A few other recruits joined in too, trying to convince Kim Ain to come.
Meanwhile, some recruits who wanted to go but hadn’t been invited could only watch from afar.
And yet they were trying this hard to bring Kim Ain.
Looks really are everything in society.
“If Juchan oppa doesn’t go, then I’m not going either.”
???
This woman…!
Why does she keep clinging to me?
With her cold, rude expression, Kim Ain pointed at me with her chin.
What exactly is your problem? Why are you so fixated on me?
Ah… It feels like a ghost attached itself to me. Right when I was thinking I wanted to bury whatever terrifying thing had possessed her back underground—
Click.
The door opened and the HR representative entered.
“Everyone, please take your seats.”
The recruits in their suits hurried to sit down like students in a classroom.
Me too.
I suddenly felt like a student caught by a teacher barging into class and peeked over cautiously.
The HR representative waited expressionlessly until everyone sat down.
Only then did he speak.
“Today’s training will end at three o’clock.”
—Wooooooah!!!
—Thank you!!!
Everyone reacted happily like excited students.
Everyone except me.
The memories of the past suddenly surged back, and exhaustion hit me all at once.
‘Right… it was today.’
They weren’t letting us out early as a reward.
Something incredibly annoying was waiting for us.
The HR representative immediately brought up that annoying future.
“The remaining time will be spent doing a marketing field exercise in Hongdae.”
A fancy way of saying marketing field exercise.
In reality, we’d be going around bars handing out hangover drinks and promotional items like street promoters.
You know those part-time workers in branded uniforms wandering around nightlife districts greeting people and handing out samples? That’s what they wanted us to do.
“This training program was designed so you can directly observe customer reactions in a busy entertainment district.”
—You know that scene in Misaeng where they sell socks? I think we’re doing something like that.
The recruits whispered excitedly, thrilled at the thought of becoming drama protagonists.
“From this point on, we’ll assign teams. Three people per team.”
Everyone had already formed social groups. They clearly wanted to stick with those groups, but the HR representative gave them no chance. He immediately started calling out names and assigning teams.
“Please sit with your teammates.”
People split apart and regrouped.
Same for me.
My teammates came over.
“Hi.”
Kim Ain sat beside me and greeted me.
With her cold expression, she kept waving until I reacted.
“First greeting of the day. Aren’t you going to respond?”
“First greeting?”
“Yep. You kept running away.”
“I wasn’t running away. I was avoiding something dangerous.”
“Don’t tell me I’m the dangerous thing?”
“I was about to say that. But aren’t you forgetting to call me oppa?”
“Oppa. Happy now?”
Being this rude was honestly a talent.
I gave her a thumbs up, and maybe realizing what it meant, she suddenly lunged toward me.
Whoa… At least wear the tracksuit if you’re going to charge at me like that.
She rushed over wearing a white blouse, making two firm bouncing shapes wobble noticeably.
For a brief moment, everyone’s eyes focused on us—
Then Park Sanghoon stepped between us.
“You two got along so well on the first day, but now every time you meet it looks like you’re about to fight.”
A perfectly timed intervention.
Park Sanghoon’s easygoing attitude softened the atmosphere.
Kim Ain and I calmed down.
The other recruits looked disappointed, but that wasn’t my problem.
Anyway, my team ended up being: Me, Kim Ain, and Park Sanghoon.
I looked around curiously to see the other teams.
Several had already grouped together, but one stood out in particular.
Yoon Jungwook, Han Jia, and another recruit.
They were loudly burning with competitive spirit.
The HR representative seemed pleased by the sight and smiled.
“I’m glad to see such enthusiasm. Since that’s the case, we’ve prepared a special reward for first place. Every member of the winning team will receive group gift certificates worth 500,000 won each.”
The recruits erupted in cheers.
Guys, this really isn’t something to get that excited about.
Just as I feared, the HR representative continued with satisfaction.
“Since there’s a reward, there’s also a mission. You all followed Sekyung Foods’ Instagram account, right?”
—YES!!!!
“Each team will be assigned a color. The team whose color receives the most comments on Instagram wins first place.”
—How do we get comments?
“You’ll approach people in Hongdae during events and ask them to leave comments after participating. Naturally, you should also ask them to follow the account.”
Approach people drinking.
Run promotional events for Sekyung Foods alcohol products.
Afterward, ask them to leave comments mentioning your team color. Followers are a bonus.
As soon as the HR representative finished explaining, Han Jia and Yoon Jungwook looked completely confident.
And for good reason.
They already had a strategy, and they’d actually won first place in my previous life.
Their method?
Promoting through their university connections.
Both of them had participated in tons of school events back in college, so they had huge social networks.
More than enough to secure first place.
In contrast, the more introverted recruits looked deeply troubled.
To them, being told to rip the Demon King’s throat out might’ve sounded easier.
Meanwhile, I stayed expressionless.
I simply scratched my head out of annoyance when Kim Ain looked up at me.
“Are you good at this kind of thing?”
“No.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
“Why are you picking a fight again?”
“You look relaxed.”
“That’s because I’m not thinking about it.”
Park Sanghoon chimed in from beside Kim Ain.
“What should we do?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“You look like you’d be good at this.”
What kind of nonsense is that?
The only thing I know about Hongdae is Hype Boy.
Still, there was one method.
“There is one strategy.”
“Really?”
“You actually have a plan?”
I nodded at the two of them.
“We just don’t get first place.”
The training center rankings didn’t matter anyway.
Once you entered the actual workplace, one mistake and people would just say: “Tsk tsk. He did well during training, but did he hit his head after getting assigned to a department?”
So the answer was simple.
Do things moderately.
As long as we don’t finish last, that’s enough.