The Senior Slayer's Gentle Offering
Even without any mention of when or where we would meet, or who would show up, the vacation remained undecided.
That was why today, too, had been a peaceful morning without any mishaps.
*Whoa!*
"Attention, living quarters. All personnel, prepare for deployment immediately. End of message."
The word "peaceful" vanished from my mind. Just like any other day, our unit was busy with deployment.
"What the hell?! Another deployment?!"
"I lit the fire just a second ago!"
"But isn't that a good thing?"
"I'm over the moon! What if I end up rich?!"
They said they didn't want it, but the rest of the living quarters were already gearing up in a way that showed their honesty.
When I thought about it, maybe this was the most peaceful thing ever. The deployment return rate was hovering at 100 percent.
A unit that stayed stable no matter the number of people. Wasn't that enough to call it peaceful?
Sitting on a chair near the smoking area outside the living quarters, I watched the seniors bustling about when Kim Heejin approached.
"Hey, drink."
"Huh?! Thank you!"
"No, I just asked if you had a drink."
"...Eh."
It wasn't a favor. It was a demand. I'd never had anyone bully me for money back when I was little.
"I'll get it right away!"
I stood up to fetch the drink and felt a spine-chilling chill crawl up my neck.
" Haha, just kidding. Here, catch."
Kim Heejin flashed a small smile, then tossed me what had made my neck go cold. It was a drink.
"Am I allowed to drink this?"
"If you don't like it, bring it back."
"...Understood."
"Don't make that sad face. I brought my own anyway, so you can drink without any hesitation."
"Understood!"
"Pfft... Really, everything shows on your face."
Kim Heejin smiled lazily and sat down beside me. The distance between us felt closer than ever, both physically and mentally.
She seemed to be adapting well. The way the seniors' attitudes toward me had changed so noticeably made my heart feel lighter.
After receiving Kim Heejin's kindness, I took a sip.
"What? Why are you drinking without using the straw?"
"Uh... Isn't that normal?"
"It's uncomfortable."
It was a 500-milliliter pouch, so it felt a bit awkward. But normally, when someone else gives you a drink, you don't drink it like that, right?
Anyway, since Kim Heejin seemed to want me to drink it directly, I brought my lips to the pouch. The moment I did, Kim Heejin immediately opened her mouth as if she had been waiting for it.
"Ah, suddenly it looks tastier when you drink it. Give me that."
Grape flavor.
The one Kim Heejin was holding was cherry flavor.
There was no choice for me anyway. When I handed it over, Kim Heejin's untouched drink came right back into my hand.
I opened the cherry-flavored drink the color of medicine and took a sip. It tasted delicious too. What drink didn't taste good?
"Nope. Now that I think about it, grape might be better. Give me that."
You sneaky girl!
Listening to Kim Heejin's demands that shifted like a reed, I found myself in a loop of passing one sip at a time.
Even though I wasn't the kind of age where a direct kiss would make my heart race, it felt strange somehow.
Was Kim Heejin really okay with this?
...She seemed okay.
If the other person was fine with it, then it was fine.
"Ah! I forgot my gloves!"
"Are you out of your mind? You're the one who fights with your fists—why'd you forget?"
"Sorry!"
"Ah, I forgot mine too."
"This is a total mess. Assembly at the smoking area today."
"Aaaah!"
Watching the deployment personnel bustling with equipment in a daze, another person appeared.
"What are you doing? Both Kim Heejin Superhuman and Harang?"
"Eh?"
Whoa, intense. Kim Heejin, who had been snarling like a cornered beast when the territory was invaded, lost interest and looked forward again.
"Just hanging out?"
"Do you have nothing to do?"
"You don't either."
"That's true. What about Harang? What were you doing?"
"Watching the ones deploying."
"Want to deploy too?"
"Um... no. I'm still a bit scared of real combat."
"Then what?"
"Just... I felt like our unit's level is way higher than I thought, so I was watching."
"Way higher? What do you mean?"
Kim Heejin asked.
"There are so many people and so many deployments, but not many get hurt, right?"
"Ah, yeah, that's true."
Yeon Byeori agreed.
"From some point onward, personnel changes stopped. Everyone's glued together like they're stuck to the walls. Now our unit, just looking at the ranks, should be in the top tier, right?"
"Really?"
"Right? Kim Heejin Superhuman?"
"Yeah... well, just looking at ranks, I'm a bit lower."
"Ranks..."
I looked at Kim Heejin.
"Why are you sending me?"
I lowered my eyes.
I already knew it was hard to get a Hero badge. But with Kim Heejin's seniority, she should have been able to get one.
"Kim Heejin Superhuman?"
Kim Heejin looked at me. She wanted me to speak.
"Kim Heejin Superhuman, aren't you Han Jihye's Hero's junior?"
"Huh? Yeah. Two months difference."
Yes! Two months! The important part here was how close that gap actually was.
Combined with two months and Kim Heejin's personality and abilities, a question arose.
'Why couldn't Kim Heejin get promoted?'
There were family circumstances, but they might have helped rather than hurt.
"Could you make one promise?"
"What kind of promise?"
"If I say something that might cause trouble, you cut me off right away."
I laid the groundwork first. It would be troublesome if things got awkward.
"Well... I'll figure it out. First, tell me what it is. What is it?"
"Why Kim Heejin Superhuman couldn't get promoted to Hero."
"Promoted?"
"Ah, didn't Harang hear about it?"
Yeon Byeori said. I had never heard anything about Kim Heejin's rank situation.
"...Does it feel uncomfortable? Should I not say it?"
"You've been telling me fine so far. You even boasted about it first. You didn't stop the others from talking either, did you?"
"That's different from this. Harang only knows the basics."
"What difference?"
"...There are some reasons. Anyway, it's a bit awkward, so let's skip it. You can figure it out on your own."
"By hiding it like that, wouldn't it feel weird when it's found out later? It might be better to let her hit first."
To let her hit first. That metaphor doesn't seem to fit well with a junior.
But it seemed to have a huge effect on Kim Heejin.
*Grrr!*
The reaction was like she'd been pricked in a sore spot. Then silence.
"Let's go, let's go! We're late!"
"It's already late."
"So make up for the time by working hard. What are you waiting for? We're waiting for two days!"
"Do you know why it's called two days?"
"Argh, just let's go!"
After the uproar, the deploying personnel disappeared. Enjoying the quiet that followed, Kim Heejin nodded. It meant she was giving me permission to speak.
Yeon Byeori sat down beside me.
It was a bit cramped for three people. I moved a little to the side to make space.
"Hmm."
"Superhuman Seo Harang? Did I do something wrong by sitting?"
"Ah, no. Just... um, just. It's fine."
Just... what?
My reaction seemed suspicious, but it didn't feel bad. If it had been unpleasant, she would have pushed me away. And I would have rolled on the floor from her strength.
"Thank you for making space, Harang. So... you wanted to talk about Kim Heejin Superhuman, right?"
"Yes."
"Actually, with Kim Heejin Superhuman's seniority, she could have gotten the Hero badge. She did a lot of things. She closed many gates and caught many monsters."
"That's why I'm more curious. I know how others feel because the seniors talked about it casually..."
"Missed promotion?"
I nodded. I'd heard it many times before. I didn't know the details, though.
"You don't know the full story?"
"I don't know anything!"
"Harang?"
"I'll find out!"
The aftermath of the engraved 'I don't know' on my body. Surprised by what I said, I hurriedly gathered the words I'd spilled.
"How will I find out?"
"I'll ask Kim Heejin Superhuman..."
"Me? I'll tell you myself... Well, if you ask, I'll tell you..."
She hesitated to speak directly, as if unsure.
Since it wasn't the 'find out for yourself' route, I felt relieved.
"If you'd rather not, I'll tell you."
"Yeah, go ahead. I'm listening."
"Listen up."
"Hard work."
"What do you mean by hard work... Harang."
"Superhuman Seo Harang?"
"Would you be disappointed even if your sister did something?"
"Ah, I won't be disappointed by that. If Kim Heejin Superhuman and our bond are like old times, it won't end there."
"...You speak well."
After Kim Heejin gave a wicked smile, she entered the living quarters.
"You handle social interactions well."
"Social interactions?"
"Yeah. Social stuff. You hate saying it, but you're forcing yourself. Our Harang has someone she really likes."
Really likes? Is she talking about her brother?
"Anyway... Kim Heejin Superhuman missed the promotion, right? That must be because someone messed her up."
"...Someone messed her up? You have a bit of a fiery temper, but surely..."
"True. She made an alliance with a superior and a senior. She was disciplined. One and a half months of isolation, one and a half years of missed promotion."
"How many people did she turn into pulp? Wait, superior and senior?"
No matter how outstanding her abilities, hitting a superior or senior was impossible to overlook. Being punished by missing promotion was the least they could do.
"Even so, there must be a reason you can't say anything."
"What reason?"
It seemed the story would get long. I waited anxiously for Yeon Byeori's mouth to keep moving.
"The new superior scraped the unit's personnel, and the senior caused an enormous issue with that superior separately.
Everyone was irritated and worn out. You know Kim Heejin Superhuman's personality? It was worse then than now. There were tons of complaints, but no one stepped forward.
Then that superior didn't know any of that... or did he? Anyway, he scraped them without realizing. This is FM. He was going to catch every little thing and issue discipline. Like that. Even though he wasn't doing it properly himself."
"Like Ji Yuna?"
"Yeah. That's the vibe? And the thing she had been holding back finally exploded. Kim Heejin Superhuman blew up, and instead of scolding the others, she took the heat. It was just... even thinking about it now, it felt so refreshing. That human rolling on the ground begging, 'Please spare me! Please!' with tears and snot everywhere."
"Is it a different case with the senior?"
"No. It connects directly. The irritating senior came out here. She threatened Kim Heejin Superhuman saying, 'This is insubordination. I'll bury you.' So what do you think happened?"
"I think she buried her too."
"Yeah. She just swept her away. And then it was caught. It was a major problem. A junior who beat up a senior and a superior. But somehow, the unit members' testimonies helped smooth it over, and it ended with the minimum discipline possible so she wouldn't be completely ostracized. That's why she couldn't get promoted to Hero."
A short summary, better than expected. The beginning, middle, and end were all covered cleanly.
I thanked Yeon Byeori for shortening the story that could have gone on forever, then entered the living quarters. Kim Heejin was there.
"Oh, you're back? You must have heard the whole story? Well... how was it?"
Kim Heejin avoided my gaze, as if a little scared, as I entered her field of vision.
"It was awesome!"
"What?"
"It was like a hero! She achieved what others wanted and carried the burden herself! It was truly amazing! As expected, Kim Heejin Superhuman!"
Kim Heejin, hearing my words, stared at me for a moment. Then she said carefully.
"...Really?"
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