Chapter 16: Pink, But Not a Slut (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: Pink, But Not a Slut (2)
Out of all the members of Team Hunter Killer, Pink is the one I have the least information on. To be precise, I don't have any deep intel on the other members either, but Pink is particularly mysterious.
Even though our team gets crushed by Hunter Killer every time, we have our own strategies and positions, and we've mostly figured out who is supposed to counter whom.
My primary opponent is usually Red. Depending on the situation, I also deal with Blue or Yellow. As for Green, I’ve heard a few things from other teammates who have fought her. It’s not exactly high-level intelligence, but it’s better than nothing.
But Pink was different. Even the teammates who had faced her in battle had almost no information to share. Of course, if I talked to people back at Headquarters, I might be able to dig something up, but unfortunately, I currently know absolutely nothing about her.
In the cafe kitchen, the work involves washing incoming dishes, prepping ingredients for drinks, and organizing supplies. Since today is my first day, instead of jumping straight into tasks, I’m supposed to be trained by Pink.
Let’s rewind a bit from when Pink was chatting away to 1:00 PM, right when I arrived at the cafe. The Boss gave me my uniform then. It wasn't anything special—just a black shirt and a black apron.
The Boss, a middle-aged woman, left all the training for the new part-timer to Pink. I had my first real encounter with her when I walked into the kitchen holding my uniform.
"Hello! You're the one starting today, right?"
Seeing her greet me with a bright, friendly smile, I gave a slight nod in return. Wearing a black apron over a baggy jumpsuit, she had a different aura than when she was in her suit. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was different yet.
"I'm A. I'll be working here starting today."
"A? That’s a really unique name. Did you live abroad?"
"Yes. But I've lived in Korea longer, so you don't have to worry about communication."
Hiding my name was impossible from the start. My real name was already printed on the health certificate I had to submit for the job. Still, I couldn't give out my actual background, and since I'm not officially registered anywhere, I made up a plausible story to explain myself.
"I'm not a full-time employee; I'm just a part-time kitchen worker. My name is Kwon Yura, and I'm 25."
She was the same age as my registered age on paper. Thinking back, I had given Yubin a rough estimate of my age before we reached our current relationship, but I'm glad I stuck to the age on my documents. I usually don't give my registered age much thought, but luckily, it came out exactly as I had memorized it in that moment.
Anyway, just from that brief exchange, I already had some information on Pink. In Yubin's case, it took over a month to find out her personal details. Seeing how quickly I was gathering info, this operation of joining the cafe as a part-timer seemed like a pretty good move.
"I'm 25 too."
"Really?! You're the first person my age I've met while working here!"
Her voice suddenly jumped an octave, startling me. Since she was wearing a mask, only her eyes were visible, forcing me to focus on them. Her light purple eyes were staring straight at me.
"Right... I see."
I couldn't think of a proper response, so I just gave a generic reaction. She took a step back and continued to stare at me. Her gaze felt like she was evaluating a new junior, making me wonder if I should have been more talkative, but the words were already out. I waited for her to speak next.
"Are you the quiet type, Mr. A?"
She asked the question, but before I could answer, she noticed something odd and furrowed her brows.
"I know I'm calling you by your name, but 'Mr. A' sounds a bit weird, doesn't it?"
No one had ever attached an honorific like "Mr." to my name before, so I hadn't realized it until now. Even Yubin didn't use that kind of formal title; she just called me Oppa.
"I don't mind how you call me."
"Don't you have a Korean name or something?"
"No, I don't."
I had never thought of an alias, and it wasn't like one would just pop into my head on the spot. Unable to find a suitable way to address me, Pink pondered for a moment. Then, as if she’d had an epiphany, she let out an "Ah!" and snapped her head up.
"Why don't we just speak informally?"
She asked "Why don't we?" but she was already using informal speech, so it wasn't like I could refuse. If I said, "That's a bit much," the atmosphere would turn awkward instantly. I'm not the most proactive person when it comes to social relationships, but I know when to read the room and go with the flow.
"Sure. We're the same age anyway, and it'll be more comfortable once we get used to working together."
"I like your attitude. Nice and simple."
She gave my arm a playful slap. I had been curious about her personality, but I didn't expect her to be this energetic. Or should I say... she seemed to have no walls when dealing with others.
"I'll give you a friendly nickname later. That is, if you don't quit before then."
Telling me to follow her, she led me to the storage room and explained where things were kept—what we used often, and what we only needed occasionally. Since I was a guy working in the kitchen, it seemed she intended to give me the heavy lifting. Lifting things was nothing to me, so I listened to her explanation calmly.
Watching her, I realized she had been working here for quite a while. I didn't know exactly how long, but she knew every single detail without a hint of hesitation or confusion.
The fact that the Boss left the training entirely to her without saying a word showed how much she was trusted.
"So, on my way here today..."
However, her well-structured explanation began to veer off-course. Since she worked the opening shift on weekend mornings, she started rambling about the men who had been staring at her on her way to the cafe.
"At first, I thought I was imagining it. But I guess my beauty shines through even with a mask on, right? I was totally right."
I had seen Pink's bare face once during a battle. Well, she is pretty. Anyone would agree she's beautiful, but hearing her say it with such narcissism made it hard to just nod along.
"Just to be sure, I waited a bit before coming into the cafe, and a guy actually came up and asked for my number."
"And?"
I had zero interest in the story, but I figured if we kept talking, something useful might slip out. It seemed unlikely given the topic, but I decided to listen intently, clinging to a sliver of hope.
"When I told him no, he got all persistent. So I gave him a piece of my mind."
"What did you say?"
"I said, 'Hey, you low-life son of a bitch, don't you have anything better to do on a weekend afternoon than chase girls around? I'm not interested, so if you don't want your head smashed in, go play somewhere else.'"
I had asked what she said, but the sudden, direct volley of profanity made me wonder if I’d heard her correctly.
"But then he started swearing at me! I already said no, but he was the one who kept pushing, right?"
"I suppose so."
"So I cursed him out one more time, ignored him, and came to the cafe."
I thought she was just energetic, but was she actually in a different league? It’s dangerous to judge someone’s character based on a single anecdote. Pink was in a situation where she had every right to be angry, and the man deserved to be yelled at.
Since she just reacted to that, it was too early to jump to conclusions about her personality.
"...He sounds like a strange person. Being the one in the wrong and all."
"Right?"
I decided to just agree with her for now. I didn't have much to say about the situation she described, nor did I need to. In times like this, just listening and giving the right reactions is the best way to keep the mood from souring.
If I kept this momentum going and guided her toward more personal topics, some intel might surface. There was no need to rush. During the month I spent silently monitoring Red, I learned how to be patient. Rushing things and making Pink suspicious would be counterproductive. Above all, this was only the first day of surveillance and our first real conversation.
Who tells their whole life story to a man they just met?
"And then yesterday..."
Apparently, she did.
The training and personal stories were so tangled that I couldn't properly assemble the information I was receiving. When we returned to the kitchen, we found a pile of dishes, and I immediately put on rubber gloves.
"I'll show you where the cups go."
The moment there was work to do, Pink stopped her personal chatter and showed me which cabinets the washed dishes belonged in. The difference from washing dishes at home was that I had to wipe them completely dry before putting them away. Apparently, water spots would form if they air-dried.
"What did you do before coming here?"
This time, she wasn't talking about herself; she was asking about me. Honestly, why did she want to talk so much with a guy who might quit this very day?
"Are you gossiping again?"
The Boss, who had been at the counter, walked into the kitchen. She headed for the fridge to grab something, and Pink just laughed in response.
"Yura tends to talk a lot. She’s not shy at all, so it might be a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it soon."
"Yes, ma'am."
I took the Boss's words to heart and gave a short reply.
Pink scratched her cheek and continued showing me where to put the cups I had dried.
"And Newbie, if some creep starts bothering people out there, just call Yura."
Leaving those words behind, the Boss went back to the counter. I gave a small acknowledgment and looked at Yura standing next to me.
"Leave it to me."
She looked so confident that I wondered if she had some amazing method for dealing with nuisances. Since most of my work was washing dishes and organizing in the kitchen, I doubted I’d have much interaction with customers, but I filed the information away regardless.
Still, a thought crossed my mind. I had never done this kind of work before, so I didn't really know how to handle difficult customers.
I had been a soldier since my days on the Homeworld. However, recalling what friends in service jobs had said, it was usually best to respond moderately and send them on their way. I didn't know how it worked on Earth, but based on my experience traveling across the universe, people are pretty much the same everywhere.
Since Pink was energetic and outgoing, I assumed she handled difficult customers with flexibility. The Boss telling me to leave it to her suggested she was trusted in that regard too.
"So, what kind of work did you do before?"
I thought we had moved past this topic, but she wasn't done. Should I tell her the same lie I told Yubin? No, based on what Yubin said, I suspected the atmosphere within Team Hunter Killer wasn't great, but that was just a guess. They were a team that had worked together for years; they probably shared some personal stories.
Especially since I was now Yubin's boyfriend, there was a high chance my name would come up. If I told Pink a different lie, I’d only be increasing the chances of my identity being exposed.
"I just did various part-time jobs. I don't really have a career."
"I see. What kind of part-time jobs?"
Why was she prying so much? There’s a limit to how much I can make up on the spot. Moreover, this was my first time ever working a part-time job on Earth, so I had no experience to draw from.
"Like... convenience stores."
The only thing I could think of was the convenience store, simply because Yubin worked at one.
"Have you ever done any unusual jobs?"
"No, nothing I'd call unusual..."
I trailed off, trying to end the conversation. Pink seemed to read my intent and stopped prying.
Then, a sudden silence followed. A brief silence in the middle of a conversation is nothing, but it was hard not to notice when someone who had been chatting excitedly just a moment ago went quiet.
I stopped washing dishes and slowly turned my head. Pink, who had been drying the cups and plates I washed, noticed my gaze and looked at me.
"What? Do you think I'm pretty too?"
She pulled down her mask to show her face. I honestly couldn't figure this girl out.
"Ah, well... yeah. You're pretty."
I couldn't exactly say no, so I just agreed and went back to the dishes.
"Right? I knew it. I am pretty."
Where did this confidence come from? I get that she's pretty. Usually, when a truly beautiful or handsome person is narcissistic, it doesn't feel annoying. People just react with, "Yeah, you are." But truly beautiful or handsome people rarely say things like that themselves.
Maybe it's just my prejudice, but at least in my experience, that's how it usually goes.
Seeing her state so definitively that she was pretty made me think one of two things: either she had immense pride in her looks, or she just spoke without thinking.
I've ended up monitoring a real weirdo, I thought. Just then—
"Yura!"
A voice called for her from the counter. Pink set down the cup she was drying, answered, and headed out. Curious, I poked my head out of the kitchen while still wearing my rubber gloves. I saw the other part-timer, the Boss, and a man standing in front of the counter.
"He's trying to get her number."
The counter part-timer was also a fairly pretty girl, and it seemed the male customer was trying to hit on her.
The Boss briefly explained the situation as if she were used to it. Yura walked around the counter, grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck, and started dragging him away.
"What the—?!"
"Sir, this is a cafe, not a hunting bar."
She dragged the struggling man straight to the door, opened it, and literally threw him outside.
"You see this?"
I hadn't noticed it before, but I found out later that at the bottom of the menu board standing in front of the shop, it said "No Hunting Allowed."
Even though this was my first part-time job, I knew this wasn't a normal situation. It was a baffling scene, and everyone in the cafe was staring at Yura.
Unsure where to look to process my confusion, I glanced at the Boss. She looked at me and spoke calmly.
"Yura is a Superhuman."
Superhuman. The term for humans on Earth who possess physical abilities strong enough to fight off invaders from outer space. Those belonging to the Earth Defense Union fall into this category, and the members of Team Hunter Killer are also Superhumans.
According to my research, Superhumans with such physical abilities usually don't reveal their status in their daily lives. But Pink was openly displaying her status as a Superhuman without a second thought.