Chapter 53: Until the Blue Sky Comes (13)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: Until the Blue Sky Comes (13)
The same day, at the Seoul Branch Headquarters of the Earth Defense Union.
In the third-floor meeting room used by Team Hunter Killer, Red and Pink were at their posts, but Green, who usually attended every meeting, was nowhere to be seen.
“I wonder how much longer it’s going to rain.”
Red muttered to herself as she watched the late monsoon rain continue to drizzle outside. Pink remained still, slumped over her desk.
After learning about Green’s family situation, Red had given her a period of leave to rest. Green had insisted she was fine, but there were legal matters to resolve regarding her father, and Red didn’t want to add any more stress to her plate under the circumstances.
“It’s quiet.”
Perhaps conscious of Green’s absence, Pink had even adjusted her part-time job schedule to attend the meeting, thinking Red might feel lonely holding down the room by herself.
Even calling it a "meeting" was a stretch; because of the rain this week, no duels had taken place, and there wasn't much to discuss.
Originally, Hunter Killer meetings were a place for members to share their thoughts on the future or devise countermeasures when a duel was scheduled. Since the topics for these recurring meetings had grown sparse, and the members had been getting closer lately, they often spent more time just chatting.
“You’re right. Is your part-time job okay?”
“It’s fine. I told them I’d be in this afternoon.”
Red also had her shift at the convenience store in the afternoon. Since the meeting was technically over, she could have gone home, but she figured that since they were already gathered and she had to work later anyway, it was better to spend the morning talking.
However, whether it was because of the weather or because there were only two of them, Red and Pink spent the time staring blankly into space without starting a conversation.
“Hello.”
The two of them jumped in surprise when Blue opened the door and walked in. Red, who had been looking out the window, turned her head, and Pink bolted upright from her slumped position.
“Blue? What are you doing here at this hour?”
It was shocking to see Blue show up for a meeting during the busy morning hours, as she rarely attended them.
“It’s a bit of a long story.”
Blue had her own reasons. Now that she had decided to step back from childcare and handed over her previous responsibilities to her sister-in-law, she had nothing but time on her hands.
After declaring her independence, she had been looking for a new place to live, and only now did she find the time to visit the headquarters. If there had been a duel, she would have squeezed it into her schedule yesterday, but thanks to the rain cancelling everything, she had been able to look at houses at her leisure.
Blue summarized her situation as briefly as possible.
“So, I guess you could say my thoughts were cleared up thanks to that person’s help. My head feels much lighter now.”
She couldn't explain everything about A in detail, and even if she did, Red and Pink wouldn't know who he was. So, she narrowed the story down to explaining that things had improved significantly thanks to someone she happened to meet.
However, Red and Pink’s "romance sensors," which had been highly active lately, did not miss the key point in Blue’s story.
“So, what kind of person is he?”
It was obviously a good thing that Blue’s situation had improved. However, since things weren't fully settled yet, they felt that asking more about her current status or future plans might overwhelm her. Instead, they shifted the mood to their favorite topic.
“Huh? What kind of person?”
Blue hadn't expected them to ask about A—the person who had helped her. She couldn't hide her flustered expression, while Red and Pink looked at her with sparkling eyes.
There were a few things Blue hadn't quite finished processing, and one of them was her feelings toward A. For reasons she didn't understand, he had asked her questions without hesitation when she couldn't make up her mind, and he had suggested they go on a trip together—even if it was for the children's sake.
Furthermore, he had helped her look for houses, providing assistance without a single complaint about tasks that most would find tedious.
And then there was the trip. Eunji’s words had been weighing on her mind the whole time.
Just as Eunji said, A was a good person. She felt that if their relationship continued and developed further, he might even be too good for her.
Blue was also aware that Red had a boyfriend and that Pink was seeing a man she was close with. When the two of them started questioning her about a man, her thoughts of A became even clearer, leaving her momentarily speechless.
“Should I say... he’s a good person?”
“I had a feeling you’d meet someone kind, Blue.”
Pink nodded in agreement with Red’s comment.
“He is kind. He does what I ask, and he helped me when I was feeling lost.”
“...My oppa is really kind, too.”
As the conversation turned back to men, Red, wanting to brag about her boyfriend, spoke up. Immediately, the look in Pink’s eyes changed. It wasn't out of malice or ill intent; it was simply her pride surfacing, not wanting to be outdone.
“My man is incredibly kind, too. He doesn't have any prejudice against Superhumans. We even promised to grab a drink together after work this week.”
Red, who was hiding the fact that she was a Superhuman from A, couldn't bring up anything related to that. But Blue couldn't stay silent when it came to the topic of prejudice against Superhumans.
“That person treated me well even though he knew I was a Superhuman. I always thought there must be people out there without prejudice, but meeting one in person and having him be so good to me... it felt really nice.”
Blue, whose default expression was usually gentle and warm, saw her aura shift as she began to boast about the person she considered "hers." She didn't want to lose.
She wasn't sure if she loved him yet, but she absolutely didn't want the character of the man who had been so kind to her to be judged as inferior to anyone else's.
Of course, she knew her teammates weren't actually judging him. But even without their judgment, a competitive streak was triggered within her own mind and heart.
“Really? I guess if you truly love someone, you can accept them even if they're a Superhuman.”
Red still lacked confidence. She was plagued by the thought that the moment she told her boyfriend, A, that she was a Superhuman, the feelings and relationship they had built would crumble in an instant.
“…….”
Blue and Pink couldn't give her a definitive answer. While they had met men who didn't hold prejudices despite knowing they were Superhumans, they couldn't guarantee that everyone in the world was like that.
Red knew all too well that most people harbored prejudices against Superhumans. Having never revealed her identity to someone she loved before, a part of her was deeply anxious.
“If he truly loves you, wouldn't he?”
As Pink was debating how to answer, Blue spoke up first. She wore her usual gentle, warm smile.
“You’re pretty and kind, Red. I’m sure your boyfriend will still see you in a good light even if he finds out you’re a Superhuman.”
Blue knew she was making a promise she couldn't keep. She had no way of knowing whether Red’s boyfriend actually held prejudices or not. But if she said, "We can't know for sure," or "Love doesn't always overcome prejudice," Red would surely carry that anxiety with her indefinitely.
It was something that would have to be revealed eventually. They might even break up without him ever knowing. But if one looked at the situation optimistically, the relationship would last a long time, and the moment for Red to reveal the truth would surely come.
If it turned out then that Red’s boyfriend was someone with terrible prejudices, she would certainly be hurt. But Blue couldn't bring herself to make her anticipate that pain in advance.
Besides, who was to say Red’s boyfriend wasn't also someone free of prejudice?
Of course, the three women had no idea they were all talking about the exact same man.
“Seeing how everyone’s expressions have brightened lately, I guess meeting the right person really is important.”
Red and Blue nodded in strong agreement with Pink’s words.
Just as the conversation about men was about to reach full bloom, the meeting room door opened.
The three of them turned their gaze toward the door simultaneously. Green entered the room and gave them a shy greeting.
“Hello.”
“Green?!”
Red was even more surprised than when Blue had arrived, as she had told Green to take plenty of rest.
“Are you okay? Is it really alright for you to be at the meeting?”
Pink had also been incredibly worried about Green, fearing she might have pushed herself too hard to come out.
“I’m fine. It’s the weekend, and I felt bad about missing so many meetings.”
Then, Green and Blue’s eyes met. Green didn't know Blue’s news yet, but Blue, knowing Green’s situation, walked over and gave her a tight hug.
Since Blue was slightly shorter, it almost looked like she was being hugged by Green, but Green could immediately feel that Blue was hugging her to offer comfort.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
Embarrassed by the sentimental moment, Green’s face turned red, while Blue patted her on the back.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea what was going on all this time.”
Now that she had some breathing room in her own life, Blue realized she had been completely ignorant of her teammates' circumstances. Especially when she heard that Green had been suffering domestic violence from her father, she wondered what she had actually known or done for her during their long time as a team.
Of course, Blue hadn't had the luxury herself. Between being busy with childcare and exhausted by her sister-in-law’s constant nagging, it was true she hadn't been in a position to look after her teammates.
However, regardless of age, they were all equals, and as the eldest sister of the team, she felt deeply sorry and pained that she hadn't paid more attention to her younger teammates.
“It’s okay. It’s not hard anymore.”
Over the past few days, Green had been visiting the police station and the courts to cooperate with the domestic violence investigation, and on her off days, she had been composing herself at home. She felt the hard part was over, but the one thing weighing on her mind was that she hadn't been able to see A because of the recent heavy rains.
They were constantly texting, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him to meet at the park, thinking he must be busy with his own work. The more she held back, the more vivid A’s image became in her mind.
The night he listened to her story. The way he subdued her father when he approached her at the police station. Everything was becoming clearer by the day, and she soon realized she was thinking about A whenever she had a spare moment.
“If you need help with anything, just say the word. I’ll help you with whatever it is.”
Now that she had the capacity to look after her teammates, Blue desperately wanted to help Green. The members of Hunter Killer, who until now could only focus on their own situations, were finally able to see the teammates they had worked with for so long. They realized anew that since they had no one else they could truly call friends, their teammates were the only ones they could rely on.
Their long-standing mutual indifference had made it impossible to close the distance all at once, but the recent hot topic of romance was a huge help in narrowing the awkward gap between them.
“There’s someone helping me for now... but if I need anything, I’ll definitely tell you.”
Feeling a lump in her throat as she watched Blue and Green, Red pulled them both into an embrace, and Pink joined the group as well.
It was an awkward hug, but it was the first time they felt a sense of camaraderie they hadn't consciously recognized before.
“Who is this person helping you?”
In normal circumstances, who was helping wouldn't be that important. But for Superhumans, whose social circles were extremely limited, the existence of someone providing help was very precious and piqued their interest.
“Oh? He’s an acquaintance. How should I explain...?”
Green hadn't thought of a way to describe A. She never imagined a moment would come where she’d bring him up to her teammates.
Then, she suddenly remembered thinking back when Red and Pink were talking about romance that if she ever liked someone, she wanted to talk about him with her teammates.
When she tried to put those thoughts into words, Green’s face flushed. Seeing her shyly hesitating, the other three women caught on instantly.
Green had a man in her life, too.
“He’s someone I met by chance... he’s kind, warm-hearted, and reliable.”
With Green’s single sentence, the conversation about romance was fully ignited, and the four of them began to talk about the people they had come to like.
Of course, Blue’s feelings were still a bit ambiguous, and Green couldn't quite say she "liked" him for certain, but the fluttering excitement of an uncertain distance stimulated Red, whose romance was ongoing, and Pink, who was practically in a relationship even if they hadn't labeled it.
When Green told the story of how she first met A in the park and how he helped her, Red and Pink gasped in admiration. The story of a chance encounter that seemed like something out of a drama or movie touched the women’s sensibilities.
Blue also shared her story with Green once more. Then, Red suddenly remembered meeting Blue near her boyfriend’s house recently.
“Wait a second. Blue. When we ran into each other on the street before, and you said you were meeting an acquaintance... was that also...?”
“……Yes. I was going to meet him.”
“What? Why didn't you say anything?”
“How could I have said anything in that situation?”
Feeling as though her inner thoughts had been seen through, Blue’s face turned red. Red laughed and teased Blue, who, despite being the oldest, couldn't hide her shyness when it came to talking about romance.
The morning hours, which usually felt long even after meetings, felt exceptionally short that day. Unlike the sky outside where the rain was pouring down, the hearts of the four women were nothing but sunny.