Episode 3: The Other Side of the Sofa — Living Again While Carrying Wounds

[Episode 3: The Challenge] — The 34,210 Yen Precipice and the Warm Straw Sandals

Job hunting after turning 50 was a daily process of having my dignity stripped away.

The attributes written on the documents handed to me at the public employment office were simply '50s, unemployed middle-aged man.' I applied to 20 companies and received 'rejection emails' from all 20. At the supermarket in the evening, I stood in line with people waiting for the half-price stickers. The lightness of my basket felt like the lightness of my own life, and the back of my throat grew hot.

Among them, there was one interview that was the final blow. The interviewer was a young HR representative in their early 30s, not much older than my own daughter.

'Taka-san, to what extent can you use Excel? Have you ever used PowerPoint or AI tools in a professional setting?'

'Oh, no... I was mainly in site management, so I can handle basic data entry...'

The interviewer sighed slightly and ended the interview without even looking at my face, saying, 'We will let you know the results later.'

At night, as I sank deep into the sofa in my apartment, I got a call from my daughter.

'Hello, Dad? Have you decided on a new company yet?'

I put on a brave face and lied.

'Yeah, I'm doing fine. I'm in talks with a few good places, everything is going smoothly.'

The moment I hung up, the room was enveloped in silence. 'How pathetic... I really am pathetic...'

The night before my 21st interview, my fingers trembled as I looked at the numbers in my passbook after updating it at the ATM.

[Balance: 34,210 yen]

If I pay the rent, I will be completely bankrupt next month. 'If I fail the next one, it's really over...'

At that moment, the air in the cramped apartment suddenly softened. From somewhere, the fragrant scent of grilled miso drifted over.

'Hey, hey, don't make such a gloomy face. You're ruining your handsome looks.'

Sitting on the edge of the sofa was a small man wearing a haori with flashy gold embroidery.

His code name was 'Saru.' He was the phantom of the man who rose from a peasant to the ruler of the nation.

'What business does the ruler of the nation have with a penniless man like me? I have neither pride nor money left.'

The monkey-like man cackled, pulled a pair of 'warmed sandals' from his robe, and placed them at my feet.

'Pride? Skills? What are you going to die from if you lose things like that?'

'Listen, Taka. I may act like a samurai, but I'm just the son of a mud-caked peasant. Everyone around me was wrapped in 'armor of titles,' boasting about noble lineages and martial arts schools. But I didn't have a single piece of that fine armor. That's exactly why I had to dive straight into people's hearts with nothing but my own raw self.'

'It's the same for you, Taka. I, too, had to desperately 'read the room' and tune into people's hearts just to survive. You see? People aren't moved by fancy titles or resumes. In the end, the only thing that moves people is a raw, living 'heart'—that's all!'

The monkey-like man thumped my chest hard.

'Don't play the part of a dignified old man. Come at them as your raw, mud-stained self!'

The next morning, I was at the office of a small local factory, the venue for my 21st interview.

'In a small factory like ours, I don't think a veteran from a major corporation like you would fit in.'

A formal rejection. But in my heart, Edison's lightbulb was glowing, and the monkey's sandals were keeping me warm. I shed my 'armor of pride' right there on the spot.

'—You are absolutely right.'

I looked the interviewer straight in the eye and let out my raw, honest truth.

'I was essentially fired from my previous company, and I left in tatters. Past 50, I couldn't keep up with new IT tools, and I've been rejected by over 20 companies. I am by no means an excellent person.'

'However, in harsh work environments, I have learned firsthand how to keep people from breaking. Because I have been hurt and have waded through the mud, I understand the 'pain' of working people better than anyone. Please, give me one more chance.'

I bowed my head deeply. The silence was broken by the elderly president's soft laughter.

'Haha, you got me. The people who come for interviews lately just recite pretty reasons for wanting to join, so I've been bored to death. But you're interesting. Even though you're a wreck, your eyes aren't dead. ...Can you start next week?'

The moment I left the office and looked up at the early summer blue sky, a hot lump surged up from deep within my chest.

'Yes...! Yes...!!'

It was the moment a 50-year-old man, rejected by society and reduced to less than zero, won a new place for himself using only his 'true feelings.' Next Episode [Episode 4: Evolution] — The Fear of Aging and the Man in the Black Turtleneck

'It's not AI that you're afraid of.'

With those words, he left behind a statement that fundamentally overturned my 50 years of life.