Chapter 23: Pink, But Not a Slut (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23: Pink, But Not a Slut (9)
3rd Floor, Seoul Branch Headquarters of the Earth Defense Union.
Five members were moving busily, finalizing their preparations before the upcoming duel.
“Double-check your suits for any issues and make sure you’ve memorized the briefing. Keep visualizing the plan on the way there.”
Though she was the youngest, Red, the leader, checked her teammates' preparations. Following her lead, the members diligently performed their final inspections.
“You’re full of energy today, aren’t you?”
“Gotta be, if we want to win.”
Pink patted Red on the shoulder as she finished her prep, and Red offered a small smile.
Recently, the relationship between Red and Pink had become closer than ever. Neither of them had expected that a single clash would bridge the distance that had existed between them for so long, but the gap had closed surprisingly easily. Now, they could converse like normal friends.
“Are you working after this too?”
“No, I have work tomorrow, so I’m going to rest today.”
Chatting as they went, they grabbed their helmets and stepped into the elevator to head down to the underground parking lot. Their rapport was beginning to influence the other team members as well. It wasn't as if everyone had suddenly become affectionate, but the atmosphere during meetings and missions felt noticeably more relaxed than before.
As they reached the underground parking lot and walked toward the area where Team Hunter Killer’s bikes were parked, a van pulled in. People began to pile out of the vehicle one by one.
The individuals exiting the van wore multi-colored suits; they were members of another team belonging to the Seoul Branch, just like Team Hunter Killer. Given that Hunter Killer’s internal atmosphere had been poor until recently, they weren't exactly on friendly terms with other teams. They were mere acquaintances, so they simply spared them a glance before heading toward their bikes.
“What’s this? Is Hunter Killer heading out now?”
A man in an indigo suit took off his helmet and called out with feigned friendliness. Hunter Killer ignored him completely, not even acknowledging his approach as they started their bikes.
He was Indigo, the leader of Team Guerrilla—a team composed entirely of men, the polar opposite of the all-female Team Hunter Killer. The members of Hunter Killer did not think highly of him.
“Want to hang out with my team when you’re done?”
Indigo was famous for his debauchery and had been disciplined multiple times for causing trouble. Word was that he had recently assaulted a civilian at a bar, but the matter was settled with a mere payout. Because he was a Superhuman, he got off with a relatively light punishment. While it might have ended simply for Indigo personally, for the branch as a whole, it was an incident that significantly tarnished the public image of Superhumans.
Pink, who found Indigo physiologically repulsive and detested his behavior, raised her middle finger and flipped him off. Taken aback, Indigo stopped in his tracks. Team Hunter Killer didn't give the stunned man another second of their time and drove their bikes out of the parking lot.
The Hunter Killer members, who had been in a good mood before coming down to the garage, now felt their spirits dampened. Though they had never explicitly discussed the public image of Superhumans or their individual experiences, they all knew they shared a mutual distaste for Indigo, who was dragging that image through the mud.
“Why does that thug bastard have to talk to us every single time?”
It wasn't just Indigo; Team Guerrilla as a whole currently had a poor reputation within the Seoul Branch. They caused too many accidents, and their performance wasn't particularly impressive either. The only reason they were still allowed to operate under the name of the Earth Defense Union was that the number of Superhumans was so low.
Globally, the number of Spacetro far exceeded the number of Superhumans. Since Superhumans were always in short supply, the Union couldn't afford to discard active personnel when every single person counted. There were other Superhumans who hadn't been deployed to the field yet, but they were mostly too young, so it was difficult to expect reinforcements anytime soon.
“Leave him be. If we keep ignoring him, he’ll eventually tire himself out,” Red said soothingly in response to Pink, who was still fuming from the encounter.
In truth, the member who loathed Team Guerrilla the most was none other than Red. Team Guerrilla was the reason the topic of "performance redistribution" had come up in the first place. Originally, the Branch Manager’s plan was to have Team Guerrilla take over one of Team Hunter Killer’s deployments. However, because Indigo had assaulted a civilian right at that timing, the plan had ultimately fallen through.
“Are all men in the world like that?”
Everyone flinched at Green’s remark, as she rarely spoke ill of others. Then, everyone except Yellow burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! If even Green thinks he’s trash, just how much of a mess is that guy?”
Pink laughed the loudest. As she calmed down, she shook her head as if to refute Green’s question.
“Don’t worry. There are plenty of good men in the world. Like Red’s boyfriend.”
“What?!”
Startled by Pink’s comment, Red nearly swerved her bike as she whipped her head around.
“Eyes on the road! The road!”
“Boyfriend? What on earth are you talking about?”
Red snapped her gaze back to the front at the warning. When she questioned the remark, Pink simply tilted her head.
“Oh, am I wrong? You’ve seemed so happy lately, I figured you might have found a boyfriend.”
Was it that obvious? Red thought, breaking into a cold sweat inside her helmet. She let out a forced cough to stop Pink from saying anything more.
“No. A boyfriend? Where would I even find the time for something like that?”
Even though she did have a boyfriend, she couldn't bring herself to admit it so easily. She had never shared such things with her teammates, and the idea of introducing her first-ever boyfriend to others felt embarrassing to Red. It felt as if she had gotten a boyfriend just to show him off, and if she were to introduce him, she wanted to do it properly to people she was truly close to. Of course, she hadn't yet defined for herself whether her teammates fell into that "close" category.
“Stop talking nonsense and stay focused, everyone.”
Feeling awkward, she barked at her teammates. Watching Red struggle to hide her emotions, Pink simply smiled.
*
“I’m sorry!”
I made a huge mistake today. As the duel began, Red and Pink were the first to catch my eye. Since the duel is the only time I can see the two of them together, I did something stupid and tried to gauge the atmosphere between them. That lapse in focus disrupted our teamwork and became the reason for our defeat today.
“That’s rare. For A to make a mistake.”
Since I rarely mess up, my teammates were more fascinated than accusatory, which actually made me feel more burdened.
Inside the cramped van, we discussed the duel as usual, but my mistake wasn't the main topic. Everyone just said what was on their minds.
“You don't usually space out. Why did you just stand there?”
I was only talking to the teammates sitting close to me. I couldn't exactly tell them I was busy observing the enemy at that moment, so I made an excuse that I wasn't feeling well.
“If you’re sick, stay home and rest!”
Luche, who had been crying in the passenger seat, snapped her head around upon hearing my voice. Her voice was still thick with tears.
“And yet when I asked to be taken off duty so I could focus on surveillance, you said no!”
As the only one currently juggling two jobs, I shouted back, feeling unfairly treated.
“Being taken off the roster is different from taking a day off! Do you want to be removed and get paid less?!”
“Do you pay me extra for the surveillance?!”
The sound of the other teammates laughing at our bickering filled the van. Embarrassed, Luche and I stopped arguing.
“You’re getting scolded a lot today, A.”
“I’m telling you, she only ever nags me.”
I’ve never really seen Luche raise her voice or argue with the other members. I think I’m a bit of a special case, though I’m not entirely sure why.
“Years ago, you also—!”
Luche turned around again as if to say something, but she just glared at me once and looked back at the road.
“If you’re going to say something, finish it. Why stop halfway?”
“Forget it! You’re a blockhead anyway, so you wouldn't even remember.”
“Blockhead? That’s a bit harsh!”
Granted, I don't remember a few things that happened over the last few years very well, but how is a person supposed to remember every single thing they’ve ever experienced? People are bound to forget the minor details of what they did even yesterday.
The van was filled with laughter again, and until we reached headquarters, my teammates called me "Blockhead A."
“By the way, how’s the surveillance going?”
One of my teammates asked me as we came out to the lobby after changing into civilian clothes.
All my teammates knew I was doing surveillance work. When I first took the job, they all said it sounded like a lot of trouble, but their expressions blatantly showed they were just glad it wasn't them.
“If there were results, would we be in this mess?”
Of course, they didn't know the specific details of how it was progressing. Having seen the lack of results during the initial surveillance of Red, the teammates weren't expecting much information to come out of it.
“What are you doing?”
Luche, now in civilian clothes, came into the lobby and asked. My teammate and I held up our canned coffees, silently conveying that we were just having a drink.
“Luche, when are we having a team dinner?”
Come to think of it, it had been a while since our last one. Feeling like it would be nice to hang out in a good atmosphere for once, I looked at Luche. She looked up, lost in thought.
“This week is a bit difficult.”
“Why? They said it’s going to rain this weekend. Pajeon and makgeolli would be perfect.”
“It’s going to rain this weekend?! And I was planning to do laundry!”
At the sudden news of rain, Luche raised her voice in anger. I, who hadn't checked the weather forecast for the weekend either, pulled out my smartphone to check.
It was supposed to be clear until Saturday, with rain on Sunday. My first thought was that the cafe would have fewer customers on Sunday. Then, as I was wondering when I had started caring so much about the cafe's business, a text arrived.
It was from Yura. Specifically, it was a photo.
She must have been on her way home; she had sent a picture of a cat she saw on the street. The message was basically saying she was happy because she saw a cat.
“…….”
I sent a brief reply saying, “It’s cute,” and put my phone back in my pocket.
“A. How’s the surveillance on Pink? Is it going smoothly?”
“If it were smooth, I would have reported it, wouldn't I?”
At my blunt, obvious answer, Luche narrowed her eyes and glared at me. I avoided her gaze. I thought she was going to nag me again, but she didn't say anything more today.
“But I heard another team had a duel before ours today?”
“Yeah. Team 2. Actually, I just met with the 2nd Team Leader.”
Our team was Spacetro Seoul Branch Team 3, and there are four teams in total at the Seoul Branch. The number of teams didn't really matter, but regarding the duels, each team usually has one per day. It’s rare to have two duels scheduled for the same day.
There wasn't a specific reason for it; the schedule just usually worked out to one duel per day, so while it wasn't a problem, it was a rare enough occurrence to be interesting.
“The 2nd Team Leader is great. She has a good personality.”
Since we’d known each other for a long time and she was famous within the Seoul Branch for her good nature, I just threw the comment out there based on facts. However, Luche’s expression soured upon hearing it.
“Are you saying that for my benefit?”
“No. Just saying.”
I swear, that comment was just me speaking my mind; it wasn't intended as a jab at Luche.
“Fine! Team 2 has great results, so they get plenty of funding, and their leader has a great personality!”
This was the kind of thing that would make Luche pout for weeks. If I had to choose between Luche crying or Luche being genuinely upset, I’d pick the crying every time. Once she gets upset, her grudges last forever.
“I have a bad personality, and I can’t even… get results… results…. Hic, ugh!”
And the absolute worst thing is when she’s upset and crying. Our team lost again today, and I later found out that Team 2 had returned after a resounding victory. Luche, who had just met the 2nd Team Leader, was already feeling a sense of relative deprivation, and I had essentially poured gasoline and fire on her at the same time.
“Hey, help me out here….”
I tried to ask the teammate next to me for help, but by the time I realized it, they had already made their escape. I was left alone with Luche, who was glaring at me through her tears.
“That’s not true! You have a great personality, Luche! We just need to work harder for the results. I’m the one who messed up today. You didn't do anything wrong!”
Lately, it feels like every time I meet Luche, I make a mistake that’s more than I can handle.
I wanted to go see Yubin quickly and be comforted, but today, it took me two hours just to calm Luche down.