[ Chapter 41 ]
“Sure. Will you be okay by yourself?”
It’s been several days since Green’s incident. The rainy season came and it rained every day outside, so there was no need to go out unless it was a special case.
Meeting her at the park was temporarily postponed, and Green found safety when her father entered prison, allowing her to stay home and rest.
However, I seem to have not completely lost the habit of spending time in the park, as even on the days I didn’t go to the park, I sat on a bench and stared blankly at the rain several times.
Today, I sat in the headquarters office and accessed the archive through Sierra’s account to look for data. It was too much trouble to ask her each time, and Sierra, who found it bothersome to connect to the archive every time I visited, gave me her account instead.
Of course, there were still no significant results. It seems that we’ve reached the limit of what can be found in the archive. Although there were past documents, they did not store classified materials, so higher-level documents were needed.
But lacking connections and abilities, I had to do everything within my current capabilities.
Today is the day Green has to attend the police station. While “attending” made it sound like she had done something wrong, it was simply a routine check-up.
At first, I thought I should go with her, but,
“If I really need help, I’ll definitely call you,” Green said, and I decided to wait until she could stand on her own two feet.
Although it felt like I was taking care of her, it was actually satisfying to see her find her way forward after struggling through difficult situations.
“Yes. Please contact me once it’s over.”
After hanging up with Green, I placed my smartphone on the desk. The situation was absurd—talking to Green from the Spacystro Seoul Headquarters about a HunterKiller—but thinking about how this might become a great strength someday, I didn’t feel anything strange.
“Looking for data again today?”
As I scrolled down the monitor, Luche approached me.
She seemed to have gotten her gray hair more neatly styled, perhaps after visiting a beauty salon.
“Did you go to the salon?”
“Yeah. It looked too messy.”
Luche brought a chair and sat next to me while we chatted casually, staring blankly at the monitor.
“Bored?”
“A little.”
It seemed Luche had nothing left to do today.
Due to continuous work at the headquarters, whenever she got bored, she would come to me, and I had to deal with her each time.
It wasn’t particularly annoying. I was quite simple-minded, and Luche was just as simple, so chatting lightly was enough to ease her boredom.
“Do you know anyone in the investigation team?”
“Where? At the headquarters?”
“Yes.”
“Is there someone?”
While Luche and I got along well, to someone who didn’t know her well, she seemed to have quite a difficult personality. Of course, that was only an impression; knowing her better, she was just emotionally rich.
Regardless, she seemed difficult to others, which meant her network was also limited. She may not be as limited as me, but given her position as a Team Leader, her network wasn’t very extensive.
“All the Team Leaders are at headquarters today. Is there something going on?”
“There was a monthly meeting. We also settled last month’s accounts.”
Though I hadn’t met everyone in person or seen them today, listening to the people working at headquarters, it was unusual for all the Team Leaders to be present. This made me curious about what was happening.
Meetings happen weekly and monthly, but since I didn’t know the exact schedule, all I could think was, “Oh, that’s right.”
There wasn’t anything special to think about. I was just curious why all the Team Leaders were present, and now that curiosity was satisfied.
“Shouldn’t you say hello to the Team Leader 1?”
At the mention of Team Leader 1, I frowned and looked at her.
“Are you trying to see who’s grumpy?”
“I don’t want to see who’s grumpy, but I think it might be fun to see.”
Seeing her expressionless face as she spoke with big eyes, it was clear she was sincere.
“There are many people I know in Team 1.”
“They were in the same unit before.”
“Why didn’t you join Team 1?”
“You assigned me to Team 3.”
“That’s true.”
Before coming to the Seoul Branch, I worked on a mothership docked in the Pacific. I came to the Seoul Branch because Luche, who became a Team Leader then, designated me to it. Frankly, even if Luche had nominated me, I wouldn’t have been transferred from the Pacific to Seoul.
Anyway, that’s what I believed, so I frowned at Luche’s question.
“Do you dislike Team Leader 1?”
“It’s not dislike, it’s fear.”
I didn’t truly dislike her. If asked what scared me most in the world, third would be the unbearable crying of Luche. Second would be a furious Yubin.
And first would be Team Leader 1.
“You wouldn’t know, but when I was under Team Leader 1 before…”
“I know.”
“How do you know? Our units were different back then.”
“…You don’t need to know.”
I had lived in Spacystro for a long time and moved through various units. My superior in the mothership was now Team Leader 2, Angelique. After the invasion and fleeing to space, my superior on the spaceship was Team Leader 1.
Back then, I didn’t know much about Luche. I had only heard of her as an outstanding Ace from another unit. Had I heard it from other Team Leaders?
The answer was obvious without needing to think further.
“Team Leader 4 told you?”
Sierra, who knew more about my past than anyone else, had always been in the same unit from the training camp to the spaceship.
“Enough. Let’s look at the monitor.”
Seeing Luche not respond, I concluded in my mind that Sierra had told me about it.
“Hey!”
Like a tiger responding to its name, I turned my chair at the sharp voice from behind and saw Sierra, with her long black hair tied up, walking toward me.
“Yes?”
“Are you using an account?”
“Yes.”
Approaching Sierra noticed Luche sitting next to me and glanced at the monitor I had been looking at.
“Why didn’t you use my office account when I’m here? Whose account is this?”
Since I was in an office setting with Luche beside me, I used polite language. Usually, conversations happened between two people, making polite language feel awkward.
Sierra didn’t seem used to apologizing, so she didn’t say anything more.
After knowing each other for a long time, I couldn’t remember the last time I apologized.
A moment of silence passed, and Sierra’s gaze shifted to Luche.
“Why are you so sour?”
“Does it matter?”
“This is where!”
Angered by Luche’s blunt response, Sierra grabbed her cheek, and Luche hit her hand, saying it hurt.
“Even though you’re below me in rank, I’m a Team Leader too!”
Luche was recognized for her ability and became a Team Leader, but Sierra was also recognized quickly and became a Team Leader herself.
Moreover, unlike me, Sierra didn’t take things lightly. If she treated Luche like I did, she wouldn’t stay quiet.
And she didn’t stay quiet.
“Team 3 is full of energy today.”
I looked towards the voice coming from nearby and stood up from my chair, saluting immediately.
Angelique, smiling, approached us from across the room.
The problem wasn’t Angelique. Next to her was a woman in a black suit with long platinum hair. As soon as I saw her, I felt tension in my shoulders.
“Hello, Ms. Esmeralda.”
I knew all the Team Leaders were at headquarters, but their sudden appearance was troublesome. There was no reason, or rather, no specific reason. No one would be happy to see their superiors gather around them.
“Yes. Long time no see. Eh.”
“I’ve been busy, so I couldn’t greet you recently.”
Seeing the two approaching, Sierra let go of Luche’s cheek, and Angelique looked at the monitor I had been watching.
“Still investigating?”
“Yes, but no useful information is coming up.”
Answering Angelique’s question, I felt a cold sweat as I sensed the atmosphere among the Team Leaders. I wished they would leave soon.
“But what brings you both here?”
Seeing they weren’t leaving, it seemed they had a purpose, but I couldn’t guess what it was.
“Cock is looking for you.”
“Cock is?”
I tilted my head in confusion at Esmeralda’s words. Cock, a colleague I hadn’t contacted much, was one of the few I interacted with before the surveillance mission.
Cock was also deeply connected when he worked under Esmeralda, but the important thing was that Cock was looking for me.
‘Are they here to deliver this?’
Given this minor detail, the two Team Leaders were here to find me.
“I wanted to pass on a message and see your face after a long time.”
Esmeralda must have read my thoughts, as she spoke directly, and I felt awkwardly transparent.
“In that case, I’ll be brief.”
Hastily, I left the gathering of four Team Leaders to find Cock on the first floor.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I felt the atmosphere grow heavy when Sierra arrived and all the Team Leaders gathered. Hearing someone else was looking for me was a good excuse to avoid that situation.
Glancing back, I saw the Team Leaders were still there, so I decided to delay my return, took the elevator, and went to the first floor.
Recently, I haven’t been anywhere except the lobby on the first floor. There was no real reason to go there, as it was mostly for a short break or to catch an elevator.
I went to the first-floor office area, checked my surroundings, and approached Cock, who was nearby.
“Hey.”
“Oh! Ah. You’re here.”
“Are you asking Team Leaders to call people for you?”
“I didn’t ask them. They were going up when they suddenly asked what was happening and went up.”
“So, what’s going on?”
Seeing Cock hesitate, he suddenly clasped his hands and bowed to me.
“Can I ask a favor?”
“What kind of favor requires this much effort?”
“Actually, it’s our wedding anniversary today.”
Cock was an unusual character. He wasn’t from the same planet as me and was from a planet invaded by Spacystro. Despite his sturdy build and masculine appearance, he was known for his delicate traits. Seven years ago, he married a human woman from Earth and now has a daughter.
My decision to meet Yubin without prejudice when I came to Earth was largely influenced by him.
Back to the point, I decided to listen to what Cock had to say.
“So, I want to take my wife out on a date. Can you watch our daughter from when kindergarten ends until dinner?”
“Why me?”
“How desperate am I to ask you?”
He must have thought I was the only person who could handle this request. More likely, he asked others and was turned down, ending up with me.
“What’s the compensation?”
Compensation wasn’t that important. I could spare a day for a friend’s request, especially since his daughter wasn’t a stranger to me.
Relationships involve give and take. Accepting a favor without offering something in return would be easier for both of us.
“When does kindergarten end?”
His daughter is six this year and still attends kindergarten.
“At 2:30 PM.”
Current time: 12:30 PM.
“Did you take a lunch break?”
“Yeah. I need a favor.”
“If you’re going to ask for a favor, do it sooner.”
Despite my grumbling, I got the address of the kindergarten from Cock, who thanked me repeatedly. Leaving things unresolved would be better, but I didn’t want to return to the heavy atmosphere on the third floor.
With nothing else to do, I thought it would be best to go early, kill some time around, and head to the kindergarten when it ended.
