Chapter 3

© Yeongwan (映完)

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“So, you’re a monk?”

The man who claimed to be the president of this small company looked to be in his fifties. Even those who didn’t know how to read physiognomy would think that with his thick belly, oily face, and expensive clothes, he must be someone who lived without worrying about money.

“I’m not a monk, but someone who has practiced for a long time at a temple.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“With insufficient faith, I cannot be called a monk. To put it simply, you can think of it as if I studied for the civil service exams at a temple for a long time.”

“Then what did you study?”

“I studied philosophy.”

Song Byungchang, the president of Myeongil Finance, was extremely flustered.

He had once mentioned to his sister-in-law, in passing, that he was having a hard time finding employees these days.

Out of the blue, he received a call from an unknown number, introducing him to someone his sister-in-law knew, who had come all the way from a local area to Seoul.

He decided to meet the person, expecting that someone who had been introduced and had come this far must have some shortcomings.

However, he never imagined that the person would be someone who had spent his entire life studying philosophy at a temple, almost like a half-monk.

“Hmm… I’m a bit flustered.”

“At least I studied all the high school and middle school curricula thoroughly.”

Song President felt his head go numb as he listened to the young man speak confidently about something that wasn’t really worth boasting about.

He thought he had met countless people and experienced everything, but this was a first.

“That’s a relief. Do you know what kind of company we are?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I suspect it’s a loan company that lends money to customers at high interest rates. However, I have one hope…”

“You do?”

“If it’s an illegal company that takes excessive profits beyond the interest rates set by law, I don’t think I can work here. I apologize.”

Song President looked at the slightly older young man with a displeased expression.

“You don’t need to apologize. We are not an illegal loan company.”

“That’s a relief.”

The young man’s bright smile now began to seem annoying.

“Your employment isn’t decided yet.”

“Of course. It’s only natural for the company to evaluate potential employees. I understand that.”

“You’re quite straightforward, but also quite frustrating.”

“I’m sorry if I made you feel frustrated. I haven’t had much experience in the workplace.”

“Never mind. Anyway, as I said, our company is a loan company, but not a typical one.”

“Is that so?”

Song President answered with a satisfied look, as he had expected this reaction.

“Most people think of loan companies as high-interest lenders who lend money to ordinary people. But we don’t lend money to ordinary people.”

“You don’t lend money?”

“We buy bad debts from second and third-tier financial institutions, such as savings banks, at very low prices and then recover the principal. That’s our job.”

“I see. I’ve read about it in the news a few times.”

“To explain it more simply, for example, we might buy a bad debt worth ten million won for one million won and then recover the principal or the principal plus interest. In many cases, we only recover the principal and give up on the interest, because trying to recover the interest is often futile.”

“I see. So, do you use very threatening and pressuring methods to recover the money?”

“If we did, it would be a big problem. In the past, people used to recover debts that way, but the world has changed. If you do that now, you’re likely to end up in jail. We try to recover the debts legally, but it’s not easy. Especially if the debtor files for personal bankruptcy or reorganization, it’s like a dog chasing a chicken and looking at the roof. We try to reach a reasonable agreement with the debtor, and if that’s not possible, we proceed with forced execution. We also investigate people who pretend they don’t have money by transferring their assets.”

Younghoon nodded, understanding the general idea, even though he didn’t fully grasp all the details.

“I see.”

“Actually, what we really need is not an office worker to manage the debts, but a collections officer who can recover the principal from bad debts. These days, even if we offer a monthly salary of 1.5 million won, we get plenty of applicants for office jobs.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Even if we raise the requirements to include a college degree, a Word certification, and a high TOEIC score, we still get many applicants. But no one wants to be a collections officer. It’s quite strange, isn’t it?”

“Why is it strange?”

“We give a bonus based on the amount of principal recovered. While others might earn 1.5 million won, a good collections officer can earn ten million won or more per month.”

“Wow…”

Younghoon was genuinely surprised.

He knew that a monthly salary of ten million won was something only the top 1% could earn.

“There’s no need to be surprised. In any sales job, the structure should allow people to earn more than regular employees to motivate them to work hard.”

“I see.”

Song President started to feel uneasy about the slightly older young man who had lived in a temple.

A collections officer needs to be very suspicious, but the person in front of him had an innocent expression that made it seem like he wouldn’t even notice if someone cut off his nose.

However, this was a misunderstanding because Song President didn’t know Younghoon at all.

As soon as Younghoon entered the office, he had observed Song President’s physiognomy.

Song President had a broad forehead, a prominent nose, and a lot of virtue in his lower face, indicating wealth and a generous, straightforward personality that would attract many subordinates.

Such a person wouldn’t commit fraud on a large scale.

Younghoon judged that Song President was not the type to lie to a newcomer from the countryside, so he believed his explanation.

However, the prospect of earning over ten million won a month made Younghoon realize that he wouldn’t be able to stay long.

If the job didn’t suit him, he wouldn’t be able to stay, and if it did, he was afraid he might become too greedy.

But he was curious about the job and decided to join the company to gain a new experience.

“To be honest, the job isn’t easy. If it were, everyone would do it. You’ll face rejection, and sometimes you might even be threatened with a knife. If you suddenly feel overwhelmed and say, ‘I can’t do this,’ it’s better not to start at all.”

This was a way of saying that anyone without strong resolve would give up.

Song President expected the innocent young man to be scared, but the young man smiled and said, “It’s fine. Oh, I haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Choi Younghoon.”

At this point, his employment was almost certain.

Song President cleared his throat and said, “We’ll have to observe you for about three months. It’s not easy to adapt to the job. During these three months, you’ll receive a salary. After that, you’ll receive a commission instead of a salary. If you don’t like it, you can refuse now.”

Younghoon almost said he didn’t need the money, but decided against it as it would seem too strange.

“I think that’s fair. I’ll do my best. Please speak to me informally.”

“Hmm… Okay, let’s do our best.”

After saying this, Younghoon left the office and returned to his boarding house.

He planned to study the basics of debt collection through the internet.

However, as soon as he sat down in front of the computer, he felt hungry.

He thought about cooking some ramen at the small restaurant in the center of the boarding house and went there, only to find a young woman moving a large kimchi jar.

She was wearing short pants and a short top, exposing her back, which made him pause for a moment. The owner, an auntie, came in and greeted him.

“Young man, you’re here? You said you were going to look for a job today, right? Did it go well?”

Earlier, when she asked where he was going, he had told her he was going for a job interview.

Hearing the auntie’s voice, the young woman who was moving the kimchi jar quickly stood up and looked at Younghoon with a wary expression.

“Yes, I’m starting work tomorrow.”

The auntie, with her chubby cheeks and cute appearance, clapped her hands excitedly.

“Oh, that’s great. Our boarding house has good luck. Good things happen when people move in. This is my daughter, and she works at a large company. It’s not easy to get a job there. She’s really amazing.”

It turned out that the young woman moving the kimchi jar was the owner’s daughter.

The auntie’s words were filled with pride and a desire to show off her daughter.

The daughter snapped at her.

“Stop it and help me. I’m not the one eating this kimchi, right? The men are.”

“Hey! Speak more politely. Don’t underestimate him. He’s a kind person. He brought all this kimchi here because he thought I was working hard.”

“Oh, yes…”

Younghoon, taken aback, helped put a few large kimchi jars in the refrigerator.

“Thank you, young man. You’re done, so go inside now.”

“I was about to go anyway. Phew, it smells every time I come here.”

She covered her nose in disgust and left the restaurant, and the auntie, looking apologetic, said, “Don’t mind her. She’s been sensitive today because I gave her some errands.”

“Oh, yes…”

The auntie spoke as if it was nothing, but Younghoon could sense the disdain in her daughter’s eyes.

Perhaps it was because he had experienced the looks that people in difficult situations often receive, which made him feel heavy-hearted.

The End