[ 36th Chapter ]
There are often relationships where one doesn’t know what to say when left alone with someone they consider close. Some people start doubting if they are truly close with that person, while others think there’s no need to force conversation if there’s nothing to say.
Of course, the latter usually applies to pairs who are generally quiet, so most likely, people fall into the former category.
This is currently Green’s situation.
It was Monday morning and the HunterKiller meeting time had come. Surprisingly, all team members were present, making the meeting proceed smoothly as usual.
After the meeting, members usually dispersed to their respective tasks, and Yellow and Blue did the same, heading home as usual.
Red would typically stay behind after work to fulfill their duties as a leader, but since Pink had taken a break for the Monday meeting, the two of them could be seen conversing more frequently.
Although their relationship has only improved over the past three weeks, they have been seen talking quite a bit during this time.
“Red, look at this.”
“Hmm?”
Pink usually initiated conversations first. Though Red was outgoing, Pink, even more so, would approach Red with trivial topics.
Pink showed her smartphone to Red, who immediately commented, “How cute.”
Curious, Green moved slightly back and saw a cat video playing on Pink’s screen.
“What kind of cat is this?”
“It’s a channel I discovered recently. Someone started raising it because the stray kept following them.”
Unable to figure out how to join their conversation about the cat video, Green stood quietly behind them before returning to his seat.
“You watch a lot of cat videos. Even while working?”
“What are you saying? Despite appearances, I focus on work during work hours.”
“Are things good for work these days?”
“Yeah, better than before.”
Recently, whenever Pink mentioned the cafe, she would light up, and Red would give a meaningful smile.
“A man?”
“What?!”
Struck by Red’s words, Pink couldn’t hide her embarrassment and looked away, eventually smiling.
“A boyfriend? Or just a crush?”
“Oh, no, not really.”
Unaccustomed to lying, Pink denied it, giving away that something was going on. Red leaned closer to interrogate her further.
“It seems like quite a deep relationship.”
“And you! You said before it wasn’t, but you’ve got a man, right?”
Red was also flustered, and Pink gave a meaningful smile. Both were clearly hinting at having a man, but they were hesitant to speak first, thinking it might make them lose.
“…”
Green opened her mouth with a soft voice, causing Red and Pink to turn towards her in surprise. Startled by their attention, she quickly closed her mouth.
“No, nothing.”
Seeing them puzzled, Green decided not to speak, leaving them to wonder.
The relationship between Red and Pink had progressed to casual chatting, but others still hadn’t reached that stage. They were cautious with each other, not necessarily because they disliked each other, but because they didn’t know each other well enough.
If they had met under these conditions from the beginning, becoming friends wouldn’t have been an issue. But now, trying to initiate conversation and suddenly narrow the gap feels too familiar to everyone in the HunterKiller team.
Red and Pink found a reason to get closer, but Green had none. She wanted to become friends with them but felt unsure how to approach them due to familiarity.
“So, what’s the deal with your man?”
Pink broke the silence, interrogating Red about the man she was with. Unable to dodge the question, Red replied, “Just someone I got to know while doing part-time work.”
Brightening at catching Red, Pink continued probing.
“Part-time work? Co-workers? Or customers?”
Red answered Pink’s questions despite looking troubled, and Green listened silently.
Then she remembered what A had said two days ago at the park.
‘Listening.’
He said that in conversations, one person speaks while another listens, and listening is equally important. Remembering this, Green nodded slightly whenever Red spoke.
Red and Pink noticed Green listening intently and turned to her.
“Green must be curious too, about Red’s boyfriend!”
“Not his girlfriend!” Red firmly denied, which seemed to confirm she had a boyfriend, making Green laugh involuntarily.
“…So what if he becomes her boyfriend?”
Noticing Red blush, Green asked, “Isn’t he her boyfriend?”
“No, he isn’t…”
Seeing Red lower her head and mumble, both Pink and Green thought Red looked cute. Love makes women beautiful, perhaps?
Though neither Pink nor Green had much experience, they could understand Red’s feelings.
“How about you, Pink?”
Pink’s curiosity about Green’s reaction led to a shift in the conversation. Her gaze turned to Pink, who felt unsure how to respond.
“Why don’t you just say it? You’ve heard me talk, so why not share?”
As Red approached, Pink recalled A’s face and blushed.
“Your face gives it away! He works at the cafe, right?”
“Yes.”
Under Red’s interrogation, Pink finally nodded. Green pulled her chair closer to listen.
“It’s not what you think! We’re not dating yet…”
Pink’s heart was set on dating A, but she hadn’t received a clear response. So, she told them they weren’t officially dating yet, but her expression suggested otherwise.
“Then you’re just crushing on him?”
“I guess… I do like him.”
Hearing this, Red tapped her thigh and focused more on Pink’s words.
Green found their conversation interesting and felt happy to be included.
Even though Green wasn’t particularly interested in love, hearing about how they met made her curious. She believed the conversation would lead to more interesting stories.
“Green, have you ever had this kind of talk?”
“I haven’t.”
Reflecting on her life, Green realized she had never experienced romantic love.
“I don’t have anyone like that. Unlike you two, I don’t work anywhere.”
Seeing Green’s honest reaction, the two nodded.
“But someday it will happen. I never imagined being with my older brother.”
“Oh, so he’s older?”
Feeling exposed, Red covered Pink’s eyes.
“Let’s save the rest for later.”
“Cheater.”
“Right, I’m cheating.”
After their fun chat, they felt happy and smiled playfully. Red believed that someday, when it happens, they could have even more interesting conversations.
“Sure, it will happen. I didn’t expect it either, but it worked out.”
“Yeah.”
Thinking about future conversations, Pink smiled and agreed.
Unlike Red, Green didn’t have any specific tasks left in the headquarters. She considered helping Red but felt Pink was more independent lately.
She didn’t mind. Green understood that for Red, it was easier to ask Pink, who was more active and inquisitive.
Leaving the headquarters, she arrived near her house but didn’t feel like going home.
Out of habit, she went to the park, thinking about the good conversation with the team. She wondered if A, who had given advice the day before, might be there.
Sighing, she thought about the ongoing investigation. For two days, she had searched for data but couldn’t find crucial details beyond the broad outline.
The sheer volume of 20 years of data made finding essential information challenging. The emergence of hyper-humans, early replacements, and reasons for current payments were complex issues.
Recent incidents involving hyper-humans were known, but some aggressive ones had harmed civilians without consequences.
Not getting her way, she lost her appetite. Luche had invited her for dinner, but she declined and came to the park to cool off.
She hoped Green might be there, but knowing the meeting schedule, she didn’t expect it. Seeing Green wasn’t there, she felt disappointed.
While thinking, she noticed a familiar green-haired girl standing nearby.
“Hello.”
Her brighter expression indicated a good meeting with the team.
“It’s hot today.”
“Yeah.”
They exchanged pleasantries about the weather, and Green sat beside her on the bench.
“Your mood seems good. Something happened?”
“Did it show?”
“Just a little.”
Embarrassed, Green scratched her cheek. Noticing her, Green realized the bruise was gone.
“Following your advice, I listened more, and it naturally led to a conversation.”
“First attempts are tough, but once you start, it’s not so bad.”
“Yeah, it was really fun.”
Thinking about Yubin and Yura, who were almost in a relationship, she wondered what they talked about.
“What did you talk about?”
“It was about their boyfriends.”
Coincidentally, the conversation was about that. She felt as if she hadn’t eaten anything.
“Me, a boyfriend?”
“Yeah. Both denied it, but it was obvious to me.”
Both were straightforward, so their attempts to hide it only made it more noticeable.
The issue was…
“The same topic we discussed earlier?”
“Yeah! It’s what they were talking about!”
Excited, Green began recounting their conversation.
It involved her and Yubin, and her and Yura’s first meetings. They tactfully avoided mentioning personal details, so neither suspected they were talking about each other.
Hearing it through Green, she found it amusing.
Green, unaware of the context, spoke freely without hesitation.
Though thoughtful, Green spoke casually about what she had heard and the reactions, making her feel relieved.
