NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
Song Ah Rin spun around in her chair and looked at me.
“So, why are you here?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze shifted to Jang Chae Yeon and Yu Da On.
Unlike Yu Da On, who was cheerfully making coffee, Jang Chae Yeon was crossing her arms and staring intently at Song Ah Rin.
“…”
“…”
Their eyes met, and then Jang Chae Yeon uncrossed her arms, sat down, and resumed her work with a determined expression, bringing the situation to a close.
“…What’s up?”
At my question, Song Ah Rin sighed softly and tousled her bangs.
“It’s nothing. Let’s just continue talking.”
I guess she doesn’t want to say it.
Nodding along, she started speaking again.
“The theater incident has settled down. The survivors were successfully retrieved by the Management Agency and sent home through memory-erasure procedures.”
“What about the victims?”
“…”
For a brief moment, Song Ah Rin looked pained.
“I thought they’d return after the musical ended, but that didn’t happen.”
As if recalling a past event, she looked at me with an expressionless face.
“It’s not really a situation the Management Agency is thrilled about either, with so many people disappearing at once. But they somehow managed.”
“Somehow?”
“Somehow.”
I sensed her firm resolve not to disclose the methods.
“…That’s unfortunate.”
“Right.”
With an impassive expression, she replied and rolled her eyes.
“But that doesn’t explain why you’re here, Song Ah Rin.”
“Exactly. My reason for being here is not that.”
“What is it then?”
“For now, it’s a temporary assignment.”
“A temporary assignment?”
My expression undoubtedly turned doubtful.
Is she just thinking of us as some isolation team and planning to throw work our way?
“You look like you’re thinking something, but it’s probably not what you think… probably.”
“Is there a reason you’re adding ‘probably’?”
“If it’s not, then it’s not.”
Song Ah Rin shrugged.
“For now, the Human Resources Team won’t be dispatched anywhere.”
“Then why are we here?”
“They said to take a break.”
“Who said?”
“The guy you saw that time.”
“Why?”
“I guess I’ve been through a lot! Why are you interrogating me so closely?”
“No, you said there was a long story.”
If this is a long story, then my joining the Human and Isolation Incident Response Team would be an epic saga.
“This is really the end of it!”
Song Ah Rin exclaimed, patting her chest in frustration.
Such a believable statement.
“…Hey, I’m just telling you what I heard, alright? I’m also just following orders, so looking at me like that won’t get you anywhere.”
Song Ah Rin glared at me with fierce eyes.
“Okay, okay. So, we really aren’t being dispatched anywhere, right?”
“Nope.”
“Are you sure about that, Team Leader?”
Calling out to the Team Leader, who was engrossed in a mobile game, he merely peeked his head out and looked at me.
“What?”
“We’re not being dispatched, right?”
“Probably not.”
Saying that, the Team Leader returned to focusing on his mobile game.
It feels like he hasn’t done much work lately. Isn’t he just managing us without doing anything?
“…Anyway, we really aren’t going anywhere. No way.”
“I got it! Just because you say you aren’t going doesn’t mean I can do anything about it!”
Song Ah Rin reacted angrily again, and I could only shrug my shoulders and sheepishly return to my seat.
“Do you know how to handle office work?”
“I can handle the common sense stuff.”
Fortunately, this new recruit seems to have some experience, so I don’t think there’s much to teach her.
“…How do you do this?”
“Here, you click on this.”
“…You might kill someone with that kind of joke.”
Before I knew it, Yu Da On returned with her coffee, and as the sound of her teaching Jang Chae Yeon faded into the background, I switched on my laptop and got back to my work.
*
Believe it or not, nothing happened for a whole week.
There were no business trips, and no unexpected escapes by entities either.
Song Ah Rin perfectly adapted to the office work and was handling tasks efficiently, while Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon were similarly managing their responsibilities.
It was incredibly joyful and fortunate.
How grateful I was for normalcy in life. Indeed, only by losing everything do we realize its importance.
If every day were like this, I wouldn’t have any wishes left.
Occasionally, I heard rumors about the Human Resources Team, questioning why three beauties were working here and speculating whether a separate Human Resources Team had been established, but so far, nothing had been confirmed as truth.
In fact, today I had safely completed payroll processing, too.
In conclusion, today still nothing significant happened.
The Team Leader, tapping on his computer, suddenly called out to me.
“Hey, go buy some coffee.”
“Team Leader, I’m not your subordinate or anything. I don’t think it’s right for you to be ordering me around like this to fetch coffee.”
“I’ll give you my card. Buy whatever you want and take an hour with the kids.”
“Sounds good! Just remind me, you want a warm Americano with an extra shot, right? I’ll take my time.”
“Yeah. And you are my subordinate, right?”
As the Team Leader handed me his card and I stood up to take it, the other three also stood up.
“Are you going for coffee?”
“…”
“The Human Resources Team is so nice~ getting to walk around and drink coffee freely.”
If I sensed anything, it was that these three didn’t seem to have a bad relationship, but it felt like there was a sticky distance between them.
Is friendship among women usually casual like this?
That didn’t seem right either, considering how my younger sister talks on the phone with her friends.
I opened the office door and stepped outside.
As I walked toward the coffee shop, bringing the three along, an announcement blared.
“We would like to inform you that the room where you cannot leave unless you XX is currently in an unmanageable state, so please be cautious. Therefore, we recommend that you do not walk with individuals whom you are too compatible or incompatible with—”
“Here we go again.”
“What is that?”
At my mumble, Yu Da On asked back with a confused tone.
“It exists. The room where you can’t leave unless you XX… It’s a signature of our Gangseo Branch along with the monkey.”
“What’s XX?”
Now Jang Chae Yeon interrupted my words, and in response, Song Ah Rin scoffed and replied.
“What are we supposed to do when both of you are older than me and don’t even know that? Sex, idiot. Sex!”
“Se-!”
Yu Da On clamped her hands over her mouth, and Jang Chae Yeon expressionlessly swatted at Song Ah Rin with a crumpled piece of paper that had appeared from who knows where.
“Mmf! Mmf!”
“…Is that right?”
“Uh—”
How am I supposed to answer that?
As I shifted my eyes at Yu Da On’s question, Jang Chae Yeon patted my shoulder with a knowing look.
“You don’t have to say. We all know.”
“Yeah… thanks.”
I found it too tiring and annoying to explain any further.
Deciding to accept Jang Chae Yeon’s consideration, I walked toward the coffee shop.
Buying coffee didn’t take long.
We decided to get the Team Leader’s coffee last, and the four of us walked down the halls of the Management Agency.
The warm sunlight brushed against our faces, and the coffee in my hand filled the air with a comforting aroma that relaxed my body and mind.
“This is nice.”
“Right?”
In response to my murmur, Yu Da On smiled back.
“I don’t even know how long it’s been since I had a break.”
“You might have it even worse, Da On.”
After all, she was someone who had been with me since the moment I got embroiled in these incidents.
“It feels like the most peaceful time in my life.”
“Is it to the point of calling it that?”
At my remark, Yu Da On quietly smiled.
“Yes, it’s the most peaceful in my life.”
In a calm voice, she responded and sipped her coffee.
There was a strange incongruity in her voice.
But soon enough, I turned to watch Jang Chae Yeon and Song Ah Rin, who were walking behind us.
“…”
“…”
The atmosphere was terrible.
Not a single word was spoken, nor did they even glance at each other.
“Hey.”
“Yeah.”
When I spoke, Jang Chae Yeon raised her head and made eye contact.
“Shall we switch places?”
“Okay.”
Jang Chae Yeon moved closer to me, and in turn, I went to the back and stood next to Song Ah Rin.
“…Why?”
“Let’s try to get closer. Since you came in last, right? You should be making friends with everyone.”
“I’m doing my best.”
“If that’s your best, then maybe it’s time to reflect.”
At my words, Song Ah Rin let out a deep sigh.
“There’s a story behind it, a story.”
“A story you can’t share?”
“Yeah.”
It seems like there are plenty of stories that can’t be told.
“Shall we start heading back to the coffee shop?”
We still need to get the Team Leader’s coffee.
“Yes, sounds good!”
Nodding at my words, Yu Da On took the lead, opening the glass door—
“…Huh?”
The four of us found ourselves standing in a room lit by flickering fluorescent lights.
With a bad premonition, I looked up at the entrance.
On the worn sign, it read as follows:
[You cannot leave unless you XX]
The three girls paused, following my gaze to the sign, frozen in place.
“Is this… for real?”
“…Hey! Did you plan this from the start?”
Yu Da On and Song Ah Rin looked at me with shocking expressions.
“…I’m ready.”
What is this woman saying again?
Looking at Jang Chae Yeon, who was gazing at me with fierce determination, I had no choice but to say to the three of them.
“Open the manual. Now.”