Taehyung

The HR interview is scheduled in thirty minutes from now, before which I decide to relieve my bladder and then take a short coffee break.

After using the restroom, I buy myself a big cup of piping hot coffee and sit down to relax a little at the coffee shop just outside the office building. My nerves ease a little, helping my mind to relax as well before the HR interview.

I've never attended an HR interview before, and I'm actually a little excited about it. I'm also mentally shortlisting the possible questions that I might have to answer, and given that it's just the two of us for this round, I have to scale up and be a lot more impressive to win this job.

Ten minutes later, I head back to the area where the interview is planned to happen, and the woman from earlier, Miss. Kwon, is already there.

She gives me a smile and acknowledges my presence with a small bow of her head, and I reciprocate her gesture as I walk in and occupy a seat across hers.

"Hi, Kwon Ye-Bin," she extends her hand to me, still keeping her legs crossed and her chin high.

"Hi, Kim Taehyung. Good luck with the interview," I offer a firm handshake and lean back in my seat.

"Thank you, good luck to you as well," she smiles again, and I must admit it that she does have some potential winning points over mine.

Her smile is pretty, and she must also have an equally competitive profile as mine since she has made it to this round of interview alongside me.

But I can smile pretty too.

In a little while, the interviews commence, and this time, Miss. Kwon is called in first while I remain outside, nervously waiting for my turn.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm called in, and Miss. Kwon exits the room.

This is my first HR interview, and what they are doing is basically assessing my market worth and negotiating a reasonable and fitting salary package and additional allowances.

The salary that I quoted in my application was obviously higher, almost double the salary that I am earning at present, but the company seems quite satisfied with offering me the demanded amount.

This HR round is almost like a discussion more than an interview, and everything ends on a positive note. They send me back with the assurance that they would get back to me with a confirmation by the end of this week.

My chest rapidly fills up with happiness and anticipation as I walk out of the office building, hoping and praying that this job should be mine.

The money is definitely a major factor, and this raised pay could easily raise my living conditions. I could pay off my loans more comfortably and probably even buy a car of my own, save a little for Areum, and, down the line, we could also plan for some nice vacations.

This job sounds promising, and I really hope I make it through.

***

It has been two days since the interview, and today I have received an email stating the terms and conditions of employment at the new firm, Arctic Healthcare. I was expecting a job confirmation letter, but still, receiving a terms and conditions email is still a positive sign.

As per their conditions, any selected candidate would have to join them within five days of receiving the job confirmation letter.

But the company that I am currently working for requires a mandatory notice period of two weeks to be served after resigning, failing which the employee would have to compensate for the shortage with their exit salary.

Corporate rules are so silly and arbitrary.

Weighing the options in my mind, I decide that resigning this job right away is the best thing to do now since I don't want to delay my joining at the new firm once I get the confirmation letter, which could happen any day now.

Without thinking much about it, I quickly submit a resignation through the internal web portal and also type out a letter of resignation for the record and print it out after emailing a copy of it to my workforce manager.

I don't bother to inform my co-workers because I was moved to this new team just a month ago, and I'm really not too familiar or friendly with anyone here.

***

"You resigned?" Jang-Mi's jaw drops in disbelief when I tell her the news during dinner time.

"What's resigned, appa?" Areum pops in with a question.

"It means that appa has quit my job, bubba," I put a piece of tofu into my mouth and chew it as I give her a big smile.

"So you don't have to go to your office anymore?" She asks excitedly.

"Do you not want me to go?" I lean closer to her and tap the tip of her little button nose with my index finger, making her scrunch her nose and laugh cutely.

"We can play all day and build a big castle with lots of bedsheets," she speaks with animated hand movements and giggles cutely, covering her mouth.

"And then what do we do for food and fees?" Jang-Mi scoffs from across the table, making both our smiles vanish in an instant.

"Of course, appa can't stay at home, bubba. I'll be working at a new office." I lightly ruffle her hair, shooting a glare at Jang-Mi for bringing up an unwanted topic into the light and innocent discussion.

After dinner, while Areum is busy brushing her doll's hair, I head over to her bedroom where Jang-Mi is making Areum's bed.

"Jang-Mi, why did you say such a thing? Areum is still a baby, and we shouldn't be talking such things in her presence," I speak in a hushed tone.

"Huh? Is she a baby now? She's not, Taehyung. She knows more than you think she does," she doesn't make an attempt to speak in a lower volume.

"Still, she was just innocently talking, and you didn't have to say something like that, about money and food" I run a hand through my hair, still keeping the decibel levels low.

"So everything that you do as a parent is right, and it's all my fault again. Great! Thank you!" She pushes me by my shoulder, making me stumble a little, and then walks past me and out of the room while I steady myself and follow her out of the room, combing my hair with my fingers.

I feel relieved when I notice Areum busy with her doll and not trying to listen to what was going on inside her bedroom. Together, we dress up the dolls and do a bit of role-playing for a while before heading to bed.

Jang-Mi is already in bed, as always with her whole form buried inside the duvet, and she doesn't bother to acknowledge my presence or apologize for the earlier incident.

A heavy sigh leaves my lips as I ignore her presence and lay down on my side of the bed, turned away from her.

I'm no expert at anything, but if there's one thing that I learned from being married, it is that the secret to a happy marriage will always remain a secret, and no person on earth will ever learn it.

I would be on a short vacation for three days, and I wouldn't be able to access high-speed internet or provide updates. But once I return, I'll give another double update!!
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Published on : 04/23/2022