Vanguard of the void

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHH!" In-su's exaggerated sigh of despair echoed off the sterile tiles of the office building washroom. He leaned over the sink, gripping the cold porcelain like it was the only thing tethering him to reality, and splashed another handful of cold water on his face.

Droplets cascaded down his cheeks, soaking the collar of his crisply ironed white shirt. He winced as he noticed the spreading water stains. "Oh, great. Just great," he muttered to himself. "Now I'm gonna look like I've been swimming instead of prepping for my dream job interview. Good first impression, In-su. Really nailing it."

He glared at his reflection, his wide, panicked eyes and disheveled hair making him look more like a man on the verge of a breakdown than a serious accountant candidate.

"Why am I so anxious? It's just an interview. A life-changing, career-defining, no-room-for-error interview," he rambled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Nothing to stress about, right?"

He straightened up, pointing a finger at the mirror. "You've got this. You've prepared. You've practiced. You've read 100 Common Interview Questions for Dummies so many times you could recite it in your sleep." He paused, his confident expression faltering. "But what if they ask uncommon questions? What if they hit me with, like, 'What's your biggest weakness?' Oh my God, I should've prepared better answers! Saying 'chocolate cake' probably isn't gonna cut it!"

His hands shot up to his head, clutching his hair like it might help hold his thoughts together. "AAAARRRGH, no, I'm doomed. This is it. I'm gonna embarrass myself so badly they'll ban me from accounting forever. My mom's gonna tell people I sell insurance instead."

Lost in his self-imposed spiral, In-su barely noticed the man at the sink a few feet away, cautiously washing his hands while throwing him side-eyed glances.

In-su caught his reflection again and straightened abruptly, forcing a grin. "Haha, interview pressure, am I right?" he said, his voice cracking slightly.

The man stared at him for a beat, raised an eyebrow, and then left the washroom without a word, shaking his head.

"Yeah, okay, nice talk," In-su muttered under his breath. "Really glad I could vent to you, stranger. Super helpful." He blew out a shaky breath, smoothing down his shirt and fumbling with his tie, which had somehow managed to knot itself into a weird lump during his mini-breakdown.

"Alright. It's fine. I'm fine. Just gotta get out there and—"

A shiver ran down his spine, cutting off his pep talk mid-sentence. The temperature in the room seemed to plummet, and the fluorescent lights above flickered ominously.

"What the…" In-su turned slowly toward the mirror, his heart pounding in his chest like a jackhammer.

The mirror began to ripple, its once smooth surface twisting and warping like disturbed water. And then it appeared.

"Grrrrrrkkkkkkk."

A massive, horrifying creature crawled out of the mirror, its grotesque form defying all logic. Its skin was pitch black and slimy, gleaming under the flickering lights. Rows upon rows of jagged teeth filled its impossibly wide mouth, each one glinting like tiny daggers. Glowing red eyes darted around hungrily, and thick, viscous drool dripped from its gaping maw, sizzling as it hit the tiled floor.

In-su stood frozen, his mind short-circuiting as he tried to process what he was seeing.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" his brain screamed.

"Am I hallucinating? Is this a prank? Did I walk into a horror movie by mistake?"

The creature let out a guttural screech, its claws scraping against the edges of the mirror as it tried to pull itself further into the room.

"Nope. Nope, nope, nope," In-su muttered under his breath, stumbling backward until he hit the wall. His legs felt like jelly, and his arms flailed uselessly in front of him. "This is not happening. This can't be happening. I'm probably still at home, dreaming. Or maybe I passed out on the subway and this is some kind of fever nightmare. Yeah, that's it. I've been working too hard. Stress-induced hallucination. Totally normal."

The creature paused, tilting its grotesque head as though listening for something. Then, with an ear-splitting growl, it retreated back into the mirror, which rippled once more before returning to its normal, pristine state. The flickering lights steadied, and the icy chill dissipated, leaving the room eerily silent.

In-su stood there, trembling and staring at the now-ordinary mirror. His reflection stared back at him, pale and wide-eyed, his tie still crooked.

"Okay," he whispered. "Okay, so I definitely saw that. Or I didn't. But I definitely did. But also, maybe not?" He let out a nervous laugh, running a shaky hand through his hair. "Yeah, okay, In-su, sure. Just pretend a giant nightmare monster didn't crawl out of the mirror like it was auditioning for a horror movie."

He straightened his tie with trembling fingers and took a deep breath. "It's fine. Everything's fine. Probably just my brain messing with me. Or maybe that street food last night? Those dumplings did taste a little weird. Should've gone with the kimchi pancakes."

He turned toward the door, pausing to glance back at the mirror one last time. "Note to self: no more late-night dramas. Or caffeine. Or mystery dumplings."

As he stepped out of the washroom, trying to look as composed as possible, his mind continued to race.

"I swear, if my stomach starts growling during this interview and they think I'm possessed, I'm never showing my face here again."

And with that, In-su adjusted his coat, plastered on a nervous smile, and walked toward what he hoped would still be his dream job interview… pretending the last ten minutes of his life hadn't just utterly shattered his perception of reality.

In-su sat stiffly on the edge of his seat, his knees bouncing uncontrollably like they were auditioning for a drum solo. Around him, the waiting area buzzed with quiet murmurs, the occasional rustle of papers, and the rhythmic tapping of someone's pen against their clipboard.

But to In-su, it felt like the air was thick with tension, every sound amplified to an unbearable degree. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the other candidates. Everyone looked so calm, so composed.

"Look at them," he thought, eyeing the man across from him, who was casually scrolling through his phone. "Cool as a cucumber. Meanwhile, I'm over here sweating like I just ran a marathon. What if I'm the only one who bombs this interview? They're gonna laugh at me as soon as I leave. 'Remember that guy who shouted in the bathroom about chocolate cake? What a loser.'"

He shook his head, squeezing his hands into fists to stop them from trembling. "No, focus, In-su. Don't overthink it. Just sit here, stay quiet, and—wait, are my palms sweating? Oh God, they're gonna want a handshake. Is sweaty hands a deal-breaker? Should I wipe them on my pants? No, that's worse. Just… act natural. Like a normal, functioning human being."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It didn't work.

"What if I forget my name? What if they ask me something random like, 'If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be?' and I panic and say durian? No one likes durian!"

"Hwang In-su!" a woman's voice suddenly cut through the room, startling him out of his spiral.

"YES!" In-su practically shouted, springing to his feet like he'd just been called to action by a drill sergeant.

The room fell silent as every head turned to look at him. A few people blinked in surprise, and the man with the phone snorted, trying to suppress a laugh.

In-su's cheeks burned as he realized how loud he'd been. "Oh, great. Smooth move, In-su. Really subtle. They're probably all thinking, 'Wow, that guy's already cracking under pressure.'"

The woman calling his name raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Follow me, please."

"Right! Yes! Of course!" In-su blurted, nodding like a bobblehead as he began walking toward her.

"Okay, you've got this," he told himself as he followed her down the hallway. "Just walk normally. Don't trip. Don't stumble. For the love of all that's holy, don't fart. Oh my God, what if I do fart? Is that why the bathroom monster showed up? To curse me with nervous gas? No, no, don't think about it. Stay calm. Breathe. In and out. Like a yoga instructor. Namaste, or whatever they say."

As he walked, he became hyper-aware of everything—his shoes squeaking slightly on the polished floor, the slight swish of his coat, the way his tie suddenly felt like it was choking him. "Why does it feel so tight? Did it shrink? Is that even possible? Can ties shrink from stress? I bet it's cutting off my air supply. That's why I can't think straight. Not because I'm nervous. It's the tie's fault. Totally."

He glanced at the back of the woman leading him. She walked briskly, her heels clicking with a confidence that seemed miles away from how he felt. "She probably sees a thousand people like me every day. Does she think I'm weird? She probably thinks I'm weird. Maybe she tells her friends about all the weirdos she escorts to their doom. I mean, interviews. Same thing, really."

Finally, they stopped in front of a door with a small plaque that read Interview Room 3.

"Go on in," the woman said curtly, holding the door open for him.

In-su nodded, swallowing hard. "Thank you," he said, his voice a little too high-pitched. He winced internally. "Why do I sound like a cartoon character? She's gonna think I inhaled helium before this. Or that I'm secretly a chipmunk in disguise."

As he stepped into the room, his thoughts reached a fever pitch.

"Alright, In-su. This is it. Your moment. Smile. Not too much, though. You don't want to look creepy. Be polite. Be confident. And whatever you do, don't say anything stupid. Just open with a simple greeting. Something professional. Something like—"

"HELLO, EVERYONE! BEAUTIFUL WEATHER WE'RE HAVING, HUH?"

The words came out before he could stop them, echoing awkwardly in the quiet room.

The three interviewers sitting at the table stared at him, their expressions a mix of confusion and mild amusement. One of them cleared their throat, trying to suppress a smile.

In-su froze, his brain screaming, "WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!"

He forced a stiff smile, adjusting his tie again as his inner monologue continued its relentless assault.

"Okay, it's fine. You can recover. Just sit down. Answer their questions. And for the love of God, don't bring up durian." This was his chance, and he wasn't going to let his overactive imagination ruin it… even if it already kind of had.