Job Interview
Author's Note
Interview with author Park Yi-kang

“I hope we can talk comfortably and honestly today.”
The world of job interviews, where every moment is judged and judged without mercy!
A constant tug-of-war between those who dig traps and those who avoid them

Park I-kang, who received the Daesan Creative Fund in 2022 for his first short story collection, "One Day, a Metaphor Came to Visit," and wrote the full-length novel, "Hello, Chloe," which won the grand prize at the 10th Kyobo Bookstore Story Contest, has published a new short story, "Job Interview," as part of the Wisdom House Wepick series.

Leah, a marketer with 13 years of experience, is at risk of being laid off due to a sudden company merger and acquisition.
In order to “change to another ship before being fired,” he applies to two companies, but is rejected in the final interview. In the interview with the third company, which he goes to in desperation, he meets the interviewer ‘TT’, who has a young face, dreadlocks, and tattoos on his fingers and wrists.
TT, who grew up in the US and whose Korean is not very good, begins the interview with questions like, "Leah, do you like games? What character do you like? If you could be any famous game character, who would you want to be? And why?"
TT said he doesn't like the typical interview routine, and instead of a predictable self-introduction, he would like to "have a comfortable and honest conversation."
Leah, who couldn't tell whether she was being nice or trying to use advanced psychological warfare, cautiously answered TT's questions.

A job interview is a battle of wits between two entities representing the two axes of the corporate world—employees and employers—to further their respective interests. I believe the stories that unfold here best illustrate the nature of the corporate world. (Page 59, Interview with Author Park Yi-gang)

"Job Interview," which contains the author's experience as a director at a Korean branch of a foreign investment bank after working for several global companies, vividly conveys the tension and desperation of job seekers who must strive to please their interviewers, even when they perceive this situation as unfair and unreasonable, in a relationship where there is a clear hierarchy between the interviewer and the job seeker.
It is not easy to answer the questions of someone who is holding a rice bowl, let alone answer them “comfortably and honestly,” as a human being.
There is a clear distinction between right and wrong answers, but only the interviewer knows the grading criteria.

What about a self-introduction that "needs to be concise yet impactful" despite "it's all on the resume"? When you "feel like a stranger, utterly humiliated, demanding to answer the immense question, 'Who am I?'" it feels like all you can do is mutter, like TT in the story, "Well, shit happens all the time."

Life is always full of unpredictable and absurd events, and work life, where we are judged and judged indiscriminately at every moment, is a never-ending series of job interviews.
However, as revealed in the author's note, there comes a moment when one can say, "Because it was a time that was wasted and exhausted, there was something to be gained and gained."
"Job Interview" seeks to find an opportunity to reflect on "my current state of life" and "confirm the extent of my desires and possibilities" in an unfair and authoritarian interview.
Although there may not be any dramatic changes in life as a salaried worker, I strive to find “meaning and fun beyond simply earning money” and “not lose my identity in the process.”
Shit happens all the time, and if life is “originally…unfair,” we can reread this compromise as a slight victory rather than a listless defeat.

A special experience that allows you to breathe deeply into 'a single story'

Beginning in November 2022, Wisdom House will be introducing the most diverse and newest stories of Korean literature, one per week, through its short story serial project, "Weekly Fiction."
Over the past year, 50 stories have been loved by readers, including Gu Byeong-mo's "Shred," Jo Ye-eun's "Waiting for the High Tide," Ahn Dam's "The Girl Grows Alone," and Choi Jin-young's "Aurora."
The Wepick series publishes serialized novels in this way, and rather than the conventional method of binding together several short stories, it takes the unusual approach of composing a book with only one short story, giving readers the special experience of breathing deeply into each story.
Wepick is not bound by any criteria or distinctions such as material or format, and focuses solely on the completeness of a single story.
Through novels by a variety of authors, including novelists, non-fiction writers, poets, and youth literature writers, we break down genres and boundaries, expanding the possibilities and enjoyment of stories.

Following the 50 episodes of Season 1, Season 2 is filled with even more new writers and stories.
Season 2 will feature writers Kang Hwa-gil, Lim Seon-woo, Dan Yo, Jeong Bo-ra, Kim Bo-young, Lee Mi-sang, Kim Hwa-jin, Jeong I-hyeon, Lim Sol-ah, and Hwang Jeong-eun.
Additionally, Season 2 will include author interviews, telling a variety of stories both inside and outside of the works, further enriching the annual festival of 50 stories.

Introducing the Wepick Series

Wepick is a short story series from Wisdom House.
It offers a special experience of breathing deeply into ‘one story’.
I dream that this small piece will become a new piece that expands your world, that each small piece will come together to become your story, and that it will become a piece of literature that will be deeply engraved in your heart.