Evil Organization’s Extra Mr. A

< Chapter 6 >

Overwork makes people sensitive, and sensitive people direct their stress somewhere.

Humans have limits when it comes to doing multiple things at once, and beyond those limits, fatigue accumulates. Without any time to relieve this fatigue, people must continue to work to find ways to live.

Red couldn’t remember the last time she had a proper rest. Hong Yubin was facing her first final exams as an adult and was under a lot of stress.

One might think that first-year exams wouldn’t be too difficult, but for someone with no free time, even the easiest tasks can become overwhelming.

“…”

Yubin’s limited study time was spent looking over her major books during the quiet moments at the convenience store counter when there were no customers.

She had always loved space science since she was young, but in a world invaded by extraterrestrial beings, space science became a highly sought-after field, leading to intense competition.

Several years ago, before becoming an adult, she had been active as Red on the HunterKiller Team. Despite barely managing to get into a well-known university, she still found herself attending weekly meetings to counter Spacystro and engaging in battles, leaving her with insufficient personal time.

It’s a universal rule that better environments and more study time lead to greater knowledge accumulation. As Yubin entered college, she found herself lagging behind her peers in terms of grades due to her lack of personal time.

“What’s this?”

Her current grade point average was in danger, and she hadn’t made friends with her peers because she couldn’t attend school properly. The HunterKiller duties kept her busy, and she never participated in the team’s drinking sessions.

She never felt like drinking with them either, knowing how busy she was.

Time was running out, and whenever she encountered unfamiliar formulas, her mind would freeze, causing her thoughts to stop. This quickly dampened her mood.

On the third floor of the Earth Defense Union Seoul Branch headquarters was the HunterKiller Team.

In Seoul, the HunterKiller Team was actively combating extraterrestrial invasion forces from outer space, known as Spacystro. With Spacystro forces appearing sporadically throughout the city, several teams were stationed at the Seoul Branch headquarters.

Among these teams, HunterKiller stood out for its achievements, earning envy from other teams while being the busiest.

“Where are Blue and Yellow?”

“I saw them heading off just now.”

After the meeting, Red and Yellow were nowhere to be seen. Green answered, having seen them leave. Yubin sighed.

“There’s no helping it. Blue has to take care of a child, and Yellow is always so laid-back.”

Pink added, and Yubin tried to accept it internally. She understood Blue’s situation and Yellow’s personality. However, it also occurred to her that abandoning the team before finishing the job was not a good action in group dynamics.

“…Let the two of them go. I’ll handle the report.”

After the weekly Seoul Branch meeting, each team submitted their weekly performance reports. Although HunterKiller performed well, the team atmosphere was chaotic, making it hard to come together. Therefore, Yubin often took on most of the reporting alone.

“Alright.”

Pink waved and headed towards the elevator, while Green glanced at Yubin.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Go ahead, Green.”

Though Yubin knew she had to handle the remaining work alone, she still felt concerned. Even though she wanted to stay, she understood that Yubin preferred to do everything herself without help, so she gathered her things and went to the elevator.

When Yubin reached the Branch Manager’s office and knocked, a deep male voice responded, “Come in.”

Inside, an elderly man with white hair sat at a desk. Yubin greeted him upon entering.

“Branch Manager, hello.”

“Start with last week’s performance report.”

Yubin presented the report she had prepared, which included strategies discussed in team meetings against Spacystro, outcomes of battles, and other details. Weekly reports were mandatory, even if battles occurred daily, sometimes twice or thrice a week.

The Branch Manager nodded as he listened, then looked up slightly after the report ended.

“HunterKiller is performing well, but… if you keep this up…”

The Branch Manager trailed off, causing Yubin to feel uneasy.

“How about distributing some of the results to other teams?”

There was a saying that unease was often justified, and Yubin’s unease was no different.

It was common knowledge that internal politics were rampant within the Union, even if they hadn’t yet spilled outside. Suggestions to increase the number of missions for lower-performing teams to boost overall results had been heard before.

However, Yubin’s stance remained unchanged.

“Battles aren’t child’s play. It’s not worth risking failure just to improve results.”

“But your main opponents consistently lose to you. Some say they are among the weakest in Seoul.”

Yubin knew what the Branch Manager was referring to. HunterKiller frequently faced a particular enemy team led by ‘Luche,’ who always won. Despite this, Yubin knew that these enemies fought fiercely, so entrusting them to another team wasn’t an option.

“We don’t need to change anything. We want to maintain our current status.”

While the team didn’t meet often, HunterKiller members weren’t distant from one another. They always discussed maintaining the team.

Despite various attempts to divert HunterKiller’s achievements, Yubin knew it was impossible to convince the Branch Manager immediately, but she knew he wouldn’t give up.

Once the meeting and report were over, the day was nearly done, but Yubin had no time to rest. Final exams were starting next week, requiring extensive preparation.

The next day, her schedule consisted of morning meetings and afternoon convenience store shifts. The meeting only featured Green, so a proper team meeting didn’t happen. Moreover, she stayed up all night working on data research the previous night and could barely sleep an hour before starting her shift, where she fell asleep repeatedly at the counter.

“Checkout, please.”

As she scanned barcodes, drowsiness overwhelmed her, causing a triangular rice snack to fall from her hand onto the counter.

“!”

She shook off the sleep and scanned the barcode again.

“You look very tired today.”

“Yes, a bit.”

She reflexively replied to the customer’s voice while scanning the barcode, lifting her head slowly.

“You look like a student.”

“Yes, a college student. There’s a lot of homework lately.”

This customer came to the convenience store every day at the same time for over a month. Though she worked only three times a week, she recognized the customer after a few weeks.

Initially, she thought the customer was just a regular patron, but noticing the consistent arrival time and daily presence during working days made her suspicious. Eventually, she stopped paying much attention and treated the customer as a regular.

“It must be tough.”

She couldn’t remember the last time someone expressed concern without even talking to her. The people she worked closely with seemed the most disorganized.

“It’s my duty.”

Earth Defense Union and HunterKiller Red responsibilities had turned into a sense of duty, which now felt like something she had to do.

“Goodbye.”

After packing the items into a bag, the customer left, and Yubin leaned against the counter, drowsy and without the energy to read her textbooks.

Returning home, she opened a book on ‘Cosmic Technology Theory.’ The complex equations and numerous unknowns frustrated her, causing her to frown from the start.

Frustrated by the lack of someone to ask, she slammed her head on the table and fell asleep.

Had she slept the entire night to make up for lost sleep? When she woke up, it was time to go to her part-time job. She hurriedly packed her textbooks and left for work.

“…”

Mumbling mathematical formulas, she stared blankly at the book.

When a customer entered, she put down the book and greeted them, “Welcome.”

The customer was someone she saw every week at the same time. She assumed the customer would pick something to eat as usual. Normally, she wouldn’t have thought much, but studying was challenging, leading to random thoughts.

“!”

Feeling despondent, she observed the customer. Their eyes met, and the customer averted their gaze, picking up items hesitantly. After selecting everything, they approached the counter and began scanning barcodes.

“That book looks difficult.”

“It is. My seniors and older brother said this is the hardest first-year subject.”

She only met her seniors and older brother during the entrance ceremony, and they mentioned that ‘Cosmic Technology Theory’ was the hardest course. First-year students often found everything difficult due to lack of knowledge.

“Space technology is indeed challenging. The initial theories are tough.”

She was surprised to find someone knowledgeable about her major. She had always considered the customer just another customer.

“Do you know a lot about it?”

“Yes… a little.”

Knowing about the difficulty of initial theories meant the person knew more than just that. At least, they knew parts she didn’t.

The customer finished checking out and left, but Yubin couldn’t look away.

She watched the customer through the glass window, and as they turned, she saw them enter a nearby building.

Perhaps this person could offer a solution to her studies. Sometimes, strangers can be easier to approach than acquaintances.

It was Sunday, and the customer returned to the convenience store. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the customer, who selected items and approached the counter, asking about a formula related to asteroid orbit calculations.

“Do you know the asteroid orbit calculation formula for cosmic exploration?”

“Yes, it involves interstellar distances and the planet’s orbital path…”

Seeing the quick response, Yubin couldn’t contain her excitement.

“You know it?!”

“Yes… a little.”

Even a little knowledge was valuable. She knew this person had answers to her questions.

Forcing the customer to teach her, Yubin was relieved when the customer agreed. They only needed to answer a few questions and receive appropriate gratitude.

After work, they headed to a large café. The man walked slowly, often falling behind, so she stopped occasionally to wait. Losing this chance would mean losing hope. Solving her final exam would lighten her burden significantly, so she had to seize the opportunity.

At the café, she learned he was an MAT graduate, a foreigner named ‘A,’ five years older than her.

She needed a way to connect with this man. Given his background, he likely possessed knowledge beyond her imagination.

“Older Brother.”

“Uhhhh!!”

The key was to close the distance. It was risky, but better to try than not at all.

She acted normally.

“Forgive me, but could I ask for help with studying when you have time? I can’t offer much, but I will show appreciation.”

Tense, she mustered the courage to speak. Her hands trembled, and she focused on his lips.

“If you’re okay with it, Yubin.”

“Just call me Yubin.”

With acceptance, she wanted to jump for joy but suppressed her excitement outwardly.

They exchanged contact information, and she wondered if she was thinking too much about using people as means. However, making a friend in this process wouldn’t be bad. From college to high school friends, she lacked people to call friends due to her HunterKiller activities.

Returning home, she couldn’t hide her joy. She punched the bed repeatedly, thinking she had met someone who could tell her more about her studies.

Not only did he possess knowledge, but he was also willing to share it. If she could understand the difficult concepts, she would be fine. This might be her only chance to meet such a person.

Recalling the moment in the café when he coughed after hearing “Older Brother,” she fell asleep happily that night.

The next day, she pondered how best to contact him.

She needed reference books for her exams and thought it better to go with him rather than alone.

Throughout the day, she contemplated what to say until a thought struck her.

‘Since our relationship started with studying, why not ask about studying?’

Where was the version of herself from yesterday who asked for help with studying? Had her happiness momentarily reset her brain?

First, she decided to ask about studying.

[Something I don’t understand. May I ask?]

Even sending a single message required considerable thought. She had never communicated with a man before, unsure how to phrase her text.

[Sure, no problem.]

[Older Brother, let’s use informal speech.]

[Ah;; My mistake. I’m not used to it. So, what’s your question?]

He encouraged her to use informal speech and answered her questions about the unknowns. While important, the main topic was elsewhere, so she waited for his detailed reply to bring up the main issue.

As the conversation shifted,

[Older Brother, may I ask something?]

[Yes, go ahead.]

[Do you have time tomorrow?]

She eagerly awaited his response, hoping for a yes. He responded quickly, almost immediately, as he did before.

[Yes, I do.]

His quick reply confirmed it. She wrote down the place and time: Kwanghwamun at 1 PM. Perfect timing after the morning meeting.

Though it felt one-sided, she felt relieved after sending the message and lay down on the bed. Having made significant progress in her studies, she felt content and fell asleep.