"Thank you ma'am. I understand." She doesn't actually need the pay, so... good enough excuse to look around while she searches for anything that might be section thirty-nine? What do people seem to be doing here.

It seems to be a factory.

People are working on an assembly line. Each person is tightening a screw, adding a chunk of equipment, welding two pieces together.

Is it... at all possible to tell what they're making? Doesn't look like clothing...

"Hey!" a man says. "You're not supposed to be wandering around. Where do you work?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm trying to find section thirty-nine? They said something about paint?"

"Come into my office," the man says.

"Okay?"

Moderately concerning! But she is here to learn what concerning things are happening here, so. Sure.

He closes the door. "You can't even find the paint section? What is this, your first day?"

"Yes?"

"Oh," he says. "Well, you're very stupid even if it is your first day. You couldn't get someone to guide you? What kind of moron are you?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't see anyone who looked like they had any free time on their hands."

"Of course not," he says. "Because the other people are hardworking and actually get their jobs done, and you are a useless, worthless piece of shit."

"I see, sir."

Observations, everyone with any authority here seems to be even more of a jackass than the average person with any authority. She does not feel like she has any idea... why.

"I bet you can make up for it," the boss says. "You're a pretty girl, I'm sure we can find something you're useful for." 

Pretty unsurprising that sexual harassment (and probably worse) is also an element of the general atmosphere of misery here. "Shall I get to the paint section and start working, sir?"

"Yes," he says. "And dinner at six pm tonight?"

"If you'd like, sir?"

"Very good. You can keep your job no matter how incompetent you are."

"Thank you, sir."

"I have to return to supervise the idiots in undercarriage. I'm sure you'll be able to find the way to paint now." He leaves her in the office.

She still has no idea where the paint section is??? It is a wonder that this factory produces anything at all, if in fact it does.

Whatever. She can go back to looking for the paint section.

Eventually she can find her way to the paint section and clock in late enough that she is not getting paid for today.

What, at all? - whatever, not her problem. Maybe the rest of the people here are in fact desperate enough for work that they keep working just for the possibility of being paid at some later date. Still seems like a pretty wild way to run a business, though.

Paint sounds like it probably gets applied towards the end of a creation process, what exactly is she painting?

She is painting the outside of a confusing collection of machinery. Unclear whether it actually is confusing and nonsensical or if she just doesn't understand machines.

Can she see what happens to the machinery after it gets painted??