Chapter 34

──"Preview" skill has been activated!

──Please select the result.

──A. 10 sheets of Pipapo A8 paper

──B. Jullia Kim's academic and career information

──C. The Republic of Korea Criminal Code Article 231 (Forgery and Alteration of Official Documents) and related precedents

I immediately chose option B.

──"Quality to Quantity Conversion" has been completed.

──Please "consume" the converted item.

──Time limit: 5 minutes

A single sheet of paper fell gracefully from the air.

When I caught it and read it, it turned out to be part of Jullia Kim's resume that she had sent to another cafe.

[ Jullia Kim, 28 years old ]

[ Completed a 2-month course at Masuri Pastry and Baking Academy ]

[ SCA (Specialty Coffee Association of Europe) Barista Certification: FOUNDATION ]

[ Barista skills, brewing, sensory skills ]

Not a prestigious pastry school, but a local academy.

‘2 months? Are you kidding me.’

The barista certification is just a basic course if it's only Foundation.

Only 3 out of 5 detailed programs.

She doesn't even know how to roast.

“Damn.”

This time, the person I needed was really important.

In fact, they would be my deputy, my right-hand person, my number two.

They had to be someone who could manage the coffee, bakery, store, and all the employees even when I was away.

Most importantly, I thought,

‘They have to be someone I can trust.’

Trust.

But to find lies on a resume?

Absolutely unacceptable.

“First, blacklist.”

I set Jullia Kim's resume aside.

I wanted to tear it to shreds and feed it to the goats, but I held back.

‘If I just let it go, it would be like condoning it.’

Falsifying a resume is a crime of forgery.

She could cause problems not just for our cafe, but elsewhere.

“Hmm.”

While pondering how to deal with this shameless person, I opened the next resume.

[ Seo Han-yeong, 29 years old ]

The verification process was the same.

I handed the entire resume and cover letter to Tam.

“Tam!”

But if "Quality to Quantity Conversion" was impossible, it meant there were lies.

“She claims she increased the cafe's sales by 250% while working as a manager? Let's strike that out.”

I struck out a suspicious sentence and tried again.

Repeat the process until "Quality to Quantity Conversion" is possible.

Then, extract only the high-quality information.

──"Preview" skill has been activated!

──A. 1 sheet of Mokhyu A5 paper

──B. Messages exchanged between Seo Han-yeong and the store manager

──C. Reviews of the pumpkin sweet potato tart developed by Seo Han-yeong

Like this.

[ I can't understand why she would ruin delicious sweet potatoes like this. I want kimchi. I want to wrap it in kimchi. ]

“Haha, that's a bit harsh.”

Finally, I gathered all the false information and handed it to Coco, and surprisingly, I got some useful information too!

“Really! 250% increase in sales? It was only 250,000 won!”

I dissected each resume one by one.

I didn't pay much attention to the applicants' academic background, experience, certifications, or age.

That was a later issue.

After all, I couldn't taste the coffee or pastries they made right away.

The absolute criterion for passing the document review was something else.

‘Trust! Reliability! Integrity! Honesty!’

Someone who wrote only the truth, without a single lie, in their resume and cover letter.

I was waiting for such a person.

And it was really, really hard.

‘Oh dear...’

Many people, though not as much as Jullia Kim, had written lies.

Worked as a total manager for a year? Actually 10 months.

Graduated top of the class from a pastry and baking department? Actually in the upper-middle range.

Developed menus and strengthened expertise during a career gap? Actually preparing for civil service exams.

‘There are really not many people who tell the truth.’

Well, I could understand to some extent.

I did the same in the past.

I might have overlooked minor lies.

However.

[ Lim Su-jeong, 32 years old ]

[ Kim Ho-min, 34 years old ]

[ Choi Pil-soo, 51 years old ]

There were true winners who made it to the end.

Three of them.

They were amazing people who had maintained their honesty even in this chaotic world filled with division, hatred, confusion, and distrust.

‘...Really impressive.’

As a mere criminal, I could only admire them.

The interviewees were set to these three, and.

‘I haven’t forgotten! Jullia Kim!’

Let's see what that smart aleck looks like.

Some people might pass you based on your credentials alone, but let's see what happens when you get caught by someone like me.

‘Your skills will be exposed immediately if I put you to the test.’

That's it, document review complete!

“Done!”

After reading, drawing lines, and rereading for a long time, my neck and back were stiff.

“Ugh!”

I stretched, feeling a strange sense of relief.

I couldn't believe I was reading and reviewing someone's application.

‘But I think I did a good job.’

I was fair.

I only looked at the most needed skills and evaluated the rest without bias.

The only regret was that I had to do this process alone.

‘If it were a company, I might have gotten some praise for my hard work...’

Damn, only I could witness this exciting and fair document review process.

But.

──Congratulations! You are making progress every day!

──Understanding the skill principle and executing it in advance!

──You have completed the tutorial for 《Brilliant 30s》, 《Hidden: "Eagle Eye" Basics》.

...The tutorial was suddenly cleared.

“Oh?”

It seems someone was watching with an eagle eye.

There were improvements in Tam's experience, work efficiency, work time, and consumption time.

──As a quest reward, you have received a "Lucky Strike" coupon.

──【Subspace Workbench: Basics】 has acquired the skill "Eagle Eye"!

Quest reward: coupon acquired!

New skill acquired!

But what is "Eagle Eye"?

──Using the "Eagle Eye" skill, you can determine the authenticity of materials.

──If the material contains 'false' elements, the "Quality to Quantity Conversion" process will pause and the material will be returned.

──When returned, the material will have a 'false mark' engraved on it.

──"Eagle Eye" is always active without a coupon.

Determine authenticity? False mark?

It means it will find lies for me?

Curious, I gave Tam a cover letter right away, one from someone who had exaggerated their work period.

The "Eagle Eye" skill automatically activated before the "Preview" even appeared.

──"Eagle Eye" skill has been activated!

──!!!Warning!!! 'False elements' detected.

──!!!Warning!!! The material will be returned. Check the 'false mark'.

I reread the cover letter.

“Oh! So this is the false mark!”

A red underline on the sentence claiming 1 year of work.

The underline even glowed faintly, not like it was drawn with a pen.

I poured a little water on it with a water glass.

‘It’s still there!’

It didn't smudge, and the line remained straight even when the paper got wet.

A straight red line visible only to me.

“...Impressive.”

Even without this skill, I could determine authenticity.

But the repetitive work was a headache and a pain in the neck.

Now, Tam will find everything with "Eagle Eye"?

“Tam, you're the best! Really!”

Moreover, the applications for this skill were endless.

Police? Accountant? Judge?

With a bit of exaggeration, I could do their jobs better.

I could even become an FBI agent.

Identify spies and agents just by looking at their profiles!

“Ugh, no! Absolutely not!”

...That's not happening. I don't want to be an experiment in a U.S. military secret base.

Let's live a normal life without drawing attention.

Just like now.

‘Let's wrap this up.’

I copied the email addresses from the resumes and typed them out.

[ Hello, I am the representative of Cafe Amuse... ]

Representative?

Too formal. Strike it out.

[ Hello, I am the person in charge of Cafe Amuse. After a thorough review of your application... ]

All the liars have been eliminated.

*

A few days later, the much-anticipated interview day.

In the cooking studio located within the Ilpum Korea Food Research Institute.

In front of me were 4 applicants.

The 3 I chose with "Eagle Eye."

And 1 I called out of curiosity.

“Let's start the interview right away.”

My life, always on the interviewee side.

This was the moment I became an interviewer for the first time.

If you're confident, raise your sword.

The interviewer and the interviewees face each other.

The interviewer looks at the interviewees carefully, either with a relaxed face or a stern one.

The interviewees sit up straight.

They clench their fists as if holding an egg and force a smile.

Rhetoric and investigation.

Flattery and exaggeration.

A psychological battle where they constantly read each other's intentions and strategize.

...This won't happen in my interview.

“Please sit down! Sit comfortably!”

I gathered the interviewees around a large round table in the center of the cooking studio.

“Don't feel burdened by the interview. Just think of it as a tea time with people who love coffee and bread. Did you have lunch?”

The interviewees looked at each other, confused.

They were puzzled by the situation.

One of them broke the silence.

“No! I was so nervous that nothing went down. I just drank a lot of water!”

A petite build with a friendly face.

Neatly dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans.

Although she had only been baking for a year, she had already won awards in various competitions.

‘She makes unique bread.’

Lim Su-jeong, 32 years old.

You are now participant number 1.

“Oh, I see? I was going to offer you some coffee, but you have an empty stomach. Is that okay?”

“Really? I love coffee, so it's fine anytime, really.”

“Great. How about an espresso?”

“Yes, I like it!”

Order received.

I turned to the next interviewee, who immediately responded.

“I had a rice bowl with pork ribs for lunch.”

“Is there a place that serves pork rib rice bowls? It sounds delicious. Where did you have it?”

“Ahem, I made it at home. And I also like espresso.”

“Great!”

A sturdy build with a serious demeanor.

An experienced person who had opened and operated a cafe in a local area.

‘The reviews I found were really good.’

He said he applied to gain experience and save money before opening a cafe in Seoul.

Kim Ho-min, 34 years old.

He was the second interviewee.

And right next to him, the third interviewee.

A stylish gentleman, 51-year-old Choi Pil-soo.

“Ha ha, I'm fine with anything.”

“Great! But Mr. Pil-soo, you're really stylish. I was really surprised when I saw you come in just now.”

It was a genuine compliment.

He was just a SNS fashionista.

His hair was slicked back with pomade, white shirt, checkered pants, suspenders, and shoes.

How can someone age so gracefully?

“My friends say I'm silly as I get older?”

“Silly? If this is silly, I'd be silly for life.”

“Ha ha ha, I'm grateful just to be called here, and you're so kind. Thank you.”

“No, I'm grateful that you came!”

And the last one.

Number 4, Jullia Kim.

A blouse and skirt, dressed formally.

A beauty that would make any man say "Wow" just by looking at her.