Sister of the Ranking 1st (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2

“…….”

I got rejected from another part-time job interview today. This was already the fifth time.

Reading the text message starting with “Thank you for your application” through my phone, a wave of gloom washed over me.

“No matter that it’s after the Day of Ruin, you never even graduated high school, and you’ve got quite a gap in your resume. What were you doing during that time?”

I didn’t understand why they kept asking that. As long as I can do the job well, isn’t that enough?

“Sigh….”

A sigh slipped out involuntarily.

If I carefully stretched the money I currently had, I could last two months; if I broke into my savings, I could comfortably survive for up to a year. Until then, I absolutely had to find a new job, no matter what.

Someone like me should be the perfect cheap labor at a decent hourly wage—so why did I keep getting rejected like this?

Being sad wouldn’t change reality.

I was a bottom-tier citizen in this society—no college diploma, no Awakened registration, not even a Hunter license.

On top of that, I had neither time nor money. Just scrambling desperately to take responsibility for my own life, I’d become a twenty-three-year-old with not a single proper qualification to my name.

No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t make sense that I couldn’t find a job at all. Some didn’t even bother replying to my resume.

After a string of rejections, my self-esteem had hit rock bottom. I closed the browser window I’d been staring at.

Guess today just isn’t my day. Might as well read a novel.

[Ban Hyun Woo made up his mind. He would never forget this humiliation, not even if he died. If he were given another life, he would surely reclaim everything…]

Deeply absorbed in the novel, a small pop-up window appeared on my screen—a messenger message from someone.

[Ha Young, are you really not considering joining the Association? I’ll treat you well, I promise.]

I ignored the message. Who was she trying to sell medicine to?

But then another notification popped up right after—this time with crying emojis, followed by, “I really will treat you well!” and “The pay’s low, but the work’s manageable, right?”

Just as I tried to keep ignoring it, Senior Min Young even called me directly, and I gritted my teeth in frustration.

Can’t even read a novel in peace!

「Are you really not thinking of joining the Association?」

“I don’t want low pay.”

Not even the usual polite formalities were exchanged. My tongue clicked involuntarily.

「But they provide meals and lodging.」

“Ugh.”

The cramped room and tasteless food immediately came to mind, and my face twisted in distaste.

Senior Min Young, who was calling me now, had been one of the Association staff who’d looked out for me when I first returned to this world.

Because of that connection, she’d kept in touch with me ever since—and remembering my drunken message a few days ago, “I got fired… sniffle sob…,” she’d been tirelessly trying to lure me back to the Association.

The Korean Association for Awakened and Hunter Protection and Oversight—commonly just called “the Association.”

A government-affiliated organization that supported Awakened individuals, though it was infamous for constantly getting beaten down from all sides.

Though civil service positions were considered iron rice bowls, the workload was heavy, the job harsh, and the complaints endless—so the Association was always short-staffed.

Senior Min Young, who’d worked at the Association for over ten years, had always urged me to take a job there. Apparently, when I was naive and young, I’d innocently replied, “Okay!”—not realizing it was the sinister whisper of a wicked demon.

「Are you really not coming?」

“Nope. If I have to join the Association, I’d rather work at a construction site.”

「Don’t exaggerate. We don’t exploit you that badly.」

Yes, you do—and it’s low pay, too.

Civil service might be an iron rice bowl, but that changed if I was a Non-Awakened.

Why? Because I wouldn’t be a regular employee—just a clerical part-timer.

Even though the official schedule listed an 8-hour workday, the “provided meals and lodging” served as an excuse to keep me stuck at the Association building all day, effectively forcing me to work 24 hours a day.

They’d call me away the moment I scooped up a single spoonful of dinner, and I’d be stuck running errands for exhausted employees pulling all-nighters.

「I’ll try negotiating to get your salary raised.」

“No thanks. I know the other staff are on low pay too.”

「We’re not that badly paid!」

But you are. Even with room and board, the hourly wage barely met minimum wage.

Besides, there was another reason I didn’t want to work at the Association.

It was encountering top-tier Hunters.

Top-tier Hunters always boasted the worst personalities. Why did becoming a Hunter make people abandon their humanity?

They were worse than typical troublemakers.

They treated ordinary Non-Awakened people as lower than roadside pebbles and demanded special treatment just because they were Hunters.

If you didn’t comply, they’d get angry.

Of course, not all Hunters were like that—but the majority certainly were.

Because the regular staff were already overwhelmed, they’d assign me petty tasks like making coffee or receiving guests, and I’d endure every sort of ordeal while serving Hunters coffee.

Whether it was getting coffee dumped on my head with a “Is this how you make coffee?” or enduring outright insults, experiences like that made me never want to return.

Remembering vividly the meals eaten under constant scrutiny at the Association, I said wistfully,

“No… You find your own assistant.”

「After all we’ve done for you, how can you be so heartless?」

At my wistful tone, Senior Min Young sighed deeply. “All you did was throw a massive tantrum.”

Still, this senior really had no conscience. Every time we met for drinks, she’d endlessly complain about how tough Association work was—yet still try to push me into taking a clerical part-time job there.

After repeated attempts to persuade me yielded no results, Senior Min Young finally gave up.

Instead, she sent me a website link through the messenger.

「If you’re that against it, I guess there’s nothing I can do. But how about this instead?」

Curious, I checked the link.

[

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

– Resume required]

It was a Cheonrang job posting. I was dumbfounded.

“Why send this to me?”

「Worst case, you lose nothing. Cheonrang rarely hires people like this.」

I could genuinely feel how much she cared—but I was still baffled.

“Senior, doesn’t Cheonrang check your Awakened status even for clerical assistants…?”

Exactly. As the guild headed by the Rank 1 Hunter, Cheonrang carried immense prestige.

Which meant that even for the lowest clerical positions, they had strict requirements. I’d heard they checked not just your Awakened registration but also every possible certification.

But Senior Min Young remained unmoved by my sigh.

「You never know. Just apply once. They said this time they’re hiring without restrictions.」

“Who said that?”

「A Cheonrang guild member who came to the Association today with a pale face to negotiate terms.」

Ugh, fine—I’ll believe you.

My eyes narrowed, but unfortunately, she couldn’t see my expression over the phone. Anticipating what kind of face I was making, Senior Min Young burst into loud, cackling laughter. As always, her laugh was seriously odd.

After that, we exchanged some idle chatter.

When I asked how work was going, her voice instantly wilted, and she said, “Let’s meet up sometime—I’ll treat you to meat.” Another mountain of complaints was clearly reserved. Still, with my tight budget, I couldn’t possibly refuse meat, so I eagerly welcomed the offer with open arms.

After hanging up, I half-jokingly submitted my resume to Cheonrang.

After forcing myself to fill in the blank sections with whatever I could scrape together, I felt hungry. I pulled down a newly bought packet of ramen from the ceiling and ate it.

[This is the timeline separator]

And somehow, I got the job.

“Huh…?”

Because I’d eaten ramen late at night, my eyes were puffy as I stared at my phone screen—and I rubbed them. No matter how many times I rubbed, the message didn’t change.

The text from Cheonrang told me when and where to come for the interview.

I never imagined that shabby resume would actually get accepted. Maybe my past experience as a clerical assistant at the Association helped?

Even as I spat out toothpaste foam, I kept staring silently at the screen and swallowed a soundless scream.

I had plenty to say about Cheonrang, but the core point was this: it was a massive guild that had absolutely no reason to hire someone like me.

Though rejection seemed inevitable, I still couldn’t show up to the interview in just any outfit—so I rummaged through my closet and put on my most treasured clothes.

Thus, I went to the interview. The other candidates were such formidable Awakened individuals that I wondered why they even bothered applying for a clerical assistant position.

Determined not to be outdone, I answered every question the interviewer asked immediately—almost by spinal reflex.

After the chaotic mess of an interview, I walked down the hallway with a blank expression.

For some reason, I felt it would be a waste to let the day end like this. After all, I’d worn something nice.

Maybe I should finally contact an old friend and ask them to treat me to a meal.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I bumped into someone.

“Oh, sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going….”

“…….”

I apologized first. The other person was so tall that they completely blocked my view.

A gentle voice drifted down.

“No, it’s fine. Here for an interview?”

It was a pleasant, resonant voice—and strangely familiar.

Startled, I looked up and saw Cheon Shin Woo.

Cheon Shin Woo—the Rank 1 Hunter himself.

“Ah, um… Cheon… Shin Woo?”

“…You recognize me.”

A foolish sound slipped out between my teeth.

He didn’t get angry at me, even though I’d walked straight into him without looking.

“Y-yes…?”

Another foolish reply tumbled out. Cheon Shin Woo’s gaze remained oddly fixed on me. Was there something on my face?

“Guild Leader! About the Gate we cleared today, there are some additional—”

“…….”

At that moment, a man running from behind abruptly stopped upon seeing Cheon Shin Woo.

“Do you know this person?”

“…No.”

His brief reply brushed past me. I wanted to say something else, but my whole body had frozen—I couldn’t move.

“Tell them I have nothing further to say about the Gate. They can handle it themselves.”

“Y-yes?”

“I hope I get to see you again.”

With me standing right there, Cheon Shin Woo casually reached out and lightly patted my head. Thanks to his height, his hand was enormous.

“Huh? But you just said you didn’t know me—wait, wait a second! Guild Leader!”

After that indifferent touch came an equally indifferent stride. He walked so fast that the man who’d been chasing after Cheon Shin Woo had to start running again, breathless.

I could only stare blankly at their retreating backs.