“Episode 3”
“O-O…
What just happened to me?
The sense of reality didn’t return. Did I just see a smile on Chun Shin-woo’s face as he passed by, or was it just my imagination?
“What was that just now?”
“That Chun Shin-woo…?”
I heard murmurs around me. One person approached me.
“Um, are you acquainted with Chun Shin-woo?”
“What? Oh, no.”
“Then what was that just now? Surely…”
Their gaze scanned me from head to toe. It felt rude and uncomfortable.
“How did you pass the paperwork without an awakened registration certificate…”
I heard them chatting again from the side. Emotions surged within me for a moment.
“It’s not like that!”
“What, what’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they sensed something.”
This is insane. How am I supposed to explain this situation?
I felt the pretending-to-ignore gaze passing over me. The intense scrutiny drained me. Trying to explain would probably be futile. It’s better to just quickly leave the scene.
I dashed away from there.
It wasn’t until I got on the subway that my mind cleared, as if cold water had been poured over my head. I tentatively reached up to touch my hair and found it standing on end.
I dashed away from there.
It wasn’t until I entered the subway that my mind cleared, as if cold water had been splashed on my head. I discreetly reached up to touch my hair and found it standing on end.
When I turned on my phone to check, I saw a headline at the top of the internet news list:
[(Breaking News) Chun Shin-woo’s Hidden Lover? Revealing the Private Life of the Rank 1 Awakener.]
It was a news article based on a post someone made on an anonymous community.
Even this kind of thing is considered breaking news? Seems like people have nothing better to do.
If I really knew Chun Shin-woo, I wouldn’t have gone for the interview. He’s probably a guild member of Cheonrang…
Fortunately, there was no information about me. I closed the internet window and scrolled through my contacts list.
I should ask a friend to buy me some drinks.
***
As I opened my eyes, I felt a splitting headache. What, was it a hangover? When I checked the date, it wasn’t.
With half-closed eyes, I spent the night checking all my messages. There was one from an unfamiliar number.
“Still not sober, huh…
Even if I’m not completely sober, isn’t this joke a bit much? I put down my phone, which had absurd contents, and went to wash my face.
Even after washing my face, the contents of the message remained the same:
[Cheonrang Interview Result Notification]
“Huh. Still not fully awake?”
The sensation of water was refreshing, but just in case, I pinched my cheek again.
It hurt. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a dream.
It’s unbelievable. The content of the message was a notification of acceptance!
No matter how many times I blinked, the content remained the same. A friendly note about starting work was attached. They said I should start working from next week.
Forget about being accepted, wasn’t the interview just yesterday? Is it possible to receive an acceptance message in just one day?
My gaping mouth wouldn’t close. After rolling on the bed three times, my head was pounding. I tried to roll in place, but gave up.
I got accepted! It’s a 3-month short-term office assistant job, but I got accepted to Cheonrang!
I felt incredibly happy. Isn’t my life starting to look up?
I’m a working person now!
…With a heart full of excitement, it’s been 3 hours since I started my commute. I want to go home.
“Haha, Hayoung seems to be doing well at work.”
“Um, yeah. Haha……”
I was clearly happy when I picked out my clothes yesterday. I decided to work hard, grateful that they chose someone like me who doesn’t have much going on.
Even during the chaotic subway ride to work for 1 hour and 30 minutes, I felt somewhat happy……
But once work started, all I wanted was to run away.
My seniors were too busy to properly take care of their direct subordinates, and other team members roughly filled out reports needed for settlements.
Can’t they at least write the reports properly……
Someone sniffled. It was a team member who came back pale after going to get a report just now.
With the chaos going on, there was no room to take care of the new recruits. I gathered the scattered documents and organized them.
The team leader, upon seeing me working alone, rushed over in alarm. However, upon observing what I was doing, she suddenly became understanding.
That summarizes the situation I found myself in.
I followed her instructions, and the team leader displayed a happy expression.
“How do you know so much about the hunter ecosystem? I was worried because you’re a non-combatant…”
“I’m just interested in this area, so I’ve learned a lot. I’m glad if it’s been helpful.”
“Were you aspiring to be a hunter?”
“Well, sort of, for now.”
“It’s not easy for non-awakened individuals to succeed… But still, you made it into Cheollang. Take comfort in that.”
“Thank you.”
“But I’m more concerned about something else. We have quite a lot of work, don’t we? What if Hayoung refuses to come to work starting tomorrow…”
Despite her smiling face, she seemed to have a lot of sadness in her eyes. It was the face of someone who had experienced a lot. My voice lacked spirit.
“Surely you wouldn’t refuse to come to work at Cheollang.”
“Well, our team’s workload is quite heavy, isn’t it? Even if we ask for more staff, the higher-ups don’t listen… And those combat hunters have a bit of pride. They wonder why we’re getting paid when they’re risking their lives to conquer gates and make money, while we just sit in front of computers. And on top of that, they keep asking for staff reductions…”
“I see…”
The team leader’s words, filled with sorrow, were truly shocking. Whether it’s the association or Cheollang, it’s the same story. And even now, with things as they are, they’re talking about staff reductions here?
I didn’t feel like myself. If this continues, the guild will collapse. It’s definitely going to collapse.
Just now, someone screamed. It was because someone destroyed and devoured a combat measurement dummy.
The constant stream of accident reports from all directions only added to the already heavy workload.
Still, my small hope that if I work hard, they might see me in a good light and make me a full-time employee shattered.
I should run away. No matter what happens, I have to run away after three months.
Despite my feelings, the team leader kept praising me. It seemed like there was a glint of disappointment in their eyes as they said, “It’s a shame you’re leaving in three months,” but that must have been my imagination.
After concentrating for a while, I heard the clear sound of birds singing somewhere. The team members who had been burned white were slowly rising and moving silently towards some destination.
As I was pondering, the team leader, who was about to leave, looked at me and asked, “Aren’t you coming, Hayoung?”
“Huh?”
“Oh, I forgot to explain. It’s lunchtime. The company cafeteria is this way.”
Shouldn’t the supervisor usually explain these things? Though I didn’t even know who my supervisor was, I followed the team leader reluctantly.
The cafeteria was crowded, but not as bustling as I had expected.
“Come over here.”
The team leader, who had already taken a seat, called me over. I didn’t refuse and took some food before sitting in front of the team leader.
By the way, the food quality here is amazing.
Thinking of the tasteless rice from the association, I cautiously added some side dishes to my rice and began to eat.
And then, I almost dropped my spoon.
It was undoubtedly a taste I had never experienced before. I’ve never had 5-star food, but if such food exists, it must taste like this.
Seeing my expression, the team leader burst into laughter. “Haha, look at your face. Everyone makes that expression when they taste it for the first time, you know?”
“How can such a taste even exist…”
“The person working in the company cafeteria is an awakened in the culinary arts. Do you know about them? The food made by awakened chefs has buff effects. Although this mass-produced food may not be high in grade, the taste is incredible.”
“Oh my…”
“Moreover, some of the gate products are used as ingredients. Although the buff effects may be minimal, the taste is better than most restaurants. Isn’t it great?”
“Yes…!”
Tears welled up. The thought of wanting to go home completely disappeared. I felt glad that I chose to come to Cheollang instead of going to the association.
Seeing me like that, the team leader laughed for a while and casually said, “Do you want to have coffee downstairs after eating? I’ll treat you.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you!”
People are so simple. Just a simple meal can uplift one’s mood to this extent.
While savoring each grain of rice slowly, I noticed a familiar and famous face on the TV hanging in the company cafeteria.
“As Cheonsinwoo, known for conquering a Black One Day that even the elite parties of Amwol couldn’t conquer, continues to make shocking strides…”
It was a rerun of the familiar news. I glanced over, and there was a handsome and elegant man, speaking in a melancholic voice during the interview.
“He’s really handsome…”
“Hmm? Ah. Our guild leader is handsome indeed. You might even bump into him in the hallway on a lucky day.”
I couldn’t help but admire, and the team leader replied cheerfully. Then, she looked at me intently and added,
“You know, Ha-young, you look a bit like the guild leader.”
“Me? Really?”
“Yeah. Maybe it’s the eyes or the overall facial structure. There’s just a resemblance. I was quite surprised when I first saw you, Ha-young.”
“Well, haha.”
It was an absurd remark. Comparing my face to that handsome man was absurd and disrespectful to Cheonsinwoo. I actively denied it, and the team leader narrowed her eyes.
“Huh? You don’t believe me? I’m serious.”
“Thank you for saying that, but…”
“Come on, is there really nothing? You two look so alike… Actually, there have been rumors within our team because Ha-young is a supertaster. We know you’re skilled from seeing you work, but still, hmm?”
“In fact, I’m actually related to Cheonsinwoo.”
“What, really?!”
“Nah, just kidding! Just kidding! Our last names are different. I’m Park, you know!”
“Oh, come on, Kim, seriously? Well, if not, then not.”
The team leader’s voice asking if I was serious resonated loudly, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. I felt embarrassed. They probably didn’t hear the conversation.
As I hastily denied it, the team leader, with a skeptical expression, still eyed me suspiciously.
I really wish I were related to Cheonsinwoo. Then I wouldn’t have to struggle like this.
“Shall we get up if we’re done eating? The coffee on the first floor is delicious. I promised to treat, so let’s go quickly.”
“Then I won’t refuse and accept your treat.”
After finishing the meal, a peaceful time followed. The team leader joked about repaying the favor with my salary, but when I said I would, she panicked and stopped me.
After that, I continued to work as usual. The only difference was that someone who claimed to be my supervisor started kindly explaining things to me. Yeah, this is my life. Living day by day without any major events, just calmly flowing. I hope tomorrow will be like today.
