Publisher's Synopsis
The novel: 2015, Republic of Korea The interviewers asked me about it again. About what I've been doing for those two years. I hesitated for a moment, but eventually I answered as always. As it is. That I wrote a novel. The interviewers laughed. You went to an engineering school, correct? Yet you wrote a novel? In fact, I would have laughed too. While everyone else was occupied writing cover letters for a job, this student, who majored in engineering, took two years off to write a novel. And It's not that he wanted to be a professional writer. The interviewers said that they don't understand. To tell the truth, I don't understand either. Why did I do that? At that time, I did that because I wanted to. I wrote because I wanted to write. It may sound a little sloppy. But what else can I say? That's the truth. Twenty nine. I'm turning thirty next year. In one and a half month. If I mess this up, then there will be no more interview this year. Which means, I should do this again next year. God, I hate it. No, it's not the problem whether I hate it or not. The problem is that I am going to hit thirty next year, and so that there will be less chance to get a job than now. And even now they say that I am old for the job. People I saw today at the interview, most of them were twenty five or twenty six. Twenty five or twenty six. How am I supposed to compete with them? I don't know. But I have to. I have to get a job. Or what? Or. Or I can go to graduate school. If I have more expertise, then I will have more opportunities. Take master's course here, and PhD in America. If it works out well, I may able to settle there. If it doesn't, I can still come back here and get a job, let's say, in a research center. Or in university. I hope. Someday. A professor. A professor sounds great. Although I am not sure whether I can go to America or not. First, it will cost a lot of money for sure. If I don't get a tuition waiver, I won't be able to go there. And being a researcher may also be quite different from what I imagine now. I need two years for master's degree, so. Thirty, thirty one, thirty two. Getting a job at the age of thirty two. That's almost impossible. Master's degree won't help much. In some case, people hide it from the company. Then what about doing a PhD here? In Korea. No. I don't think so. Well. It's a little risky to go to graduate school. In fact, there might be no big difference. Even if I get a PhD and get myself a job in some research center, I would still become a salaried worker. I may get paid a little better, sure. But I make no money while I'm studying. Think about the money that I can earn by working in a company during that time. There must be no big difference. In an economic sense. If, I can get a job now. What if I can't? Well, I can't be impossible. Should I try a little more? Or should I find another way before it's too late? If only I have more time. Then I can go to graduate school and see how it really is before I decide where to go. If only I have two more years. If only didn't take two years off then. If only I didn't write the novel. Stop. What's the point? It's already done. I should focus on what I can do now. On what I can do now. If I'm applying for graduate school, I will have to prepare for the interview. What about next interview of that company? It's already covered. Okay. Let them decide where I should go to. To the company or to graduate school. But what if they both want me? Then, I should think about it. There is still a month left. Don't go too far yet. There must be a way. I'll find one. So. What I should do today. Go have lunch. Study a little. Gyung-roak's lesson for four to six. Oh, the exam papere. I have to stop by the office. To the office, to Gyong-rok, Yi-seul, and Seung-jin. Then I'm off. I get back home at eleven p.m. Today I should go to bed early. Tired. Tomorrow is Thursday. And Friday. It's weekend already. Wow. Time really flies.
