To the Gate?
It had been several days since I'd come back from freeloading at Jihoo's house.
Ever since I'd become a woman, my days had been nothing but chaos—but just as I was growing used to this transformed body of mine, life was gradually settling back into something resembling calm.
Or maybe not. I'd been cooped up at home doing absolutely nothing until today—the date I'd been told to come in for basic training—so of course things had been peaceful.
It wasn't like I'd wanted to just loaf around. I'd tried to pick up short-term gigs like before, or help out at Mom's shop—but Mom, after hearing what had happened at Jihoo's place, had told me to please just rest properly. So I hadn't had a choice.
She'd even given me a light scolding for not saying a word to her about any of it. This time, I obediently stayed home and rested, just like she'd said.
And with all that free time on my hands, I'd been lying under the covers thinking—lately, I seemed to be getting tangled up with Jihoo's family a lot more often.
Jihoo and I had always hung out whenever we were bored, sure, but his parents? I only ever saw them when I occasionally dropped by their house. These days, though, we were texting each other personally, and I'd even had a few phone calls with them about things that had nothing to do with Jihoo.
Today's basic training was only happening because Jihoo's mother had pulled some strings to help me get in, after all.
Aside from when we were little kids, this was pretty much the only time I'd ever received this much one-sided help from Jihoo or his family. I'd always figured that if all you did was take kindness without giving anything back, that wasn't friendship—it was being a kept pet. So even when Jihoo and I went out to eat, I always insisted on paying for my own share. I'd always avoided just taking.
But now that I actually stopped to think about it—my closet was stuffed full of clothes Jihoo's mother had bought me, and my wallet held a terrifyingly expensive card his father had given me.
I really had been out of it, hadn't I? Just taking everything without even managing a proper refusal.
I should figure out a proper way to thank them later, I thought, as I shoved my small feet into a pair of black combat boots.
I awkwardly stomped my feet and checked my outfit, only to discover I'd forgotten to hook the back strap of my pants again. I quickly fastened it.
The text I'd received said that on the first day there'd just be a simple rundown of the completion process and a consultation, so I should come to the Association by 1 PM in comfortable clothes.
"...It's not even noon yet."
Maybe it was because I was a little excited about training day. Even though there was still plenty of time until the scheduled hour, I'd finished getting ready and even put my shoes on at the front door.
Walking from my place to the local Association building only took a few minutes. Had I finished getting ready way too early?
"Eh, whatever. I'll just call it a walk."
Having decided that, I happily swished my tail, opened the front door, and stepped outside.
Maybe it was the excitement and anticipation blooming in my chest. Even though the weather was pretty cold, my steps felt much lighter than usual. Walking the quiet weekday afternoon streets, I couldn't contain my good mood the whole way. The white puffs of breath that kept coming out in the cold felt like the excitement overflowing from my small body.
I arrived at the Association building in no time with those light steps. About nine people were gathered out front, murmuring among themselves.
Were these the basic training participants who'd be going into a gate today? A few of them stood out with particularly nervous expressions. Among them was a girl who still looked like a high school student. Was she aiming for the Hunter Academy like me?
I gave a light nod of greeting to anyone whose eyes met mine and headed straight into the Association building.
Since I'd arrived a full hour earlier than the time I'd been given, I'd planned to sit in the lobby waiting area and kill time on my phone—
"I'm telling you, they're not here."
"Damn it. We can't even leave because of that one person."
The moment I stepped inside, a commotion from the reception desk made me look up toward the noise.
Beyond the reception desk, Association staff were arguing with scowls on their faces. Some of them were lightly armed, so they were probably Association hunters assigned to escort today's trainees.
"Can't we just go without them?"
"I'm telling you, we can't enter unless we have the pre-registered headcount."
"Haa... Where the hell did the reception staff go?"
There was a taut tension running through the staff's conversation. From what they were saying, one of the scheduled trainees still hadn't shown up even though assembly time had passed.
"Wait. Hey. Look over there."
If you've got a set time, you should show up a little early just in case something unexpected happens. Otherwise you're inconveniencing everyone else. Though arriving a whole hour early might have been a bit much, I'll admit.
I was about to tune them out with that thought when the hunter who'd been losing his temper a moment ago came walking toward me.
"Excuse me. Are you Miss Miri, here for basic training?"
"Huh? Uh, yes. That's me."
"Hmm... She says she is."
He started looking me over as I sat in the waiting seats in the corner of the lobby.
"Yeah. Reptilian tail. Female. Looks like she's the one who didn't show, Team Leader."
"For crying out loud. Look, if you're late, you should go straight to the designated meeting spot. What are you doing just sitting around here?"
"Excuse me? No, I think you've got the wrong person. I got a text saying to arrive by 1 PM. You've mixed me up with—"
I tried to explain that there was no way I—someone who hadn't even started basic training yet—could be the missing trainee.
"Everyone's waiting. Let's go already. Got your ID?"
"W-wait a second. There's been some kind of mistake—"
"Ugh. This is why we shouldn't take replacement trainees even when there's a cancellation."
At the hunter's grumbling sigh, I clamped my mouth shut.
If a cancellation comes up, make sure they contact me...
In that moment, something Jihoo's mother had said flashed through my mind. She'd said she'd arrange things so I'd get notified if a cancellation opened up. The moment that memory hit me, I felt my tail go stiff.
Wait... was I actually late? The staff even knew my name. Had they tried to contact me separately and I'd just missed it?
Come to think of it, I might have ignored and blocked some unknown personal number that called me...
The second that thought landed, a cold sweat ran down my spine.
"...Uh. S-sorry for being late. I didn't get any separate contact. Here's my ID."
"Ugh. Confirmed. Just roughly fill out your personal info over there."
"Yes, sir..."
Those steps that had been so light with excitement suddenly felt heavy as lead. I hadn't meant to, but it felt like I'd inconvenienced everyone, and a heavy weight settled in a corner of my heart.
"Ah. I should at least send a text."
I hurriedly typed out an apology message to Jihoo's mother and sent it. There might be complaints because of how late I'd been, so I figured I should let her know ahead of time.
"But Senior, the trainee scheduled for today is listed as Yu Miri?"
"Don't worry about it. The office drones probably botched the paperwork again like last time. Let's just go."
Today was an important day.
It was the day I had to carry out an important task that the Association President himself had personally assigned to me, the branch manager.
A very important task: properly receiving the young woman favored by Mrs. Yu—the wife of the chairman of a famous magic engineering corporation, and the matriarch of a chaebol group that every Korean knew. Mrs. Yu, who had recently made a massive donation to the Association under the banner of "a natural duty for national security."
Of course the Association President was paying special attention. The Association was chronically short on funds as it was.
At any rate, taking proper care of her today was a critical matter—not just for my own career going forward, but for the Association's future financial well-being. Absolutely no mistakes allowed.
In preparation for today, I'd told her the appointment was at 1 PM, and I planned to arrive a full thirty minutes early to wait for her. Yesterday I'd already given the reception staff her description so they'd be ready to rush out the moment she arrived. Needless to say, I'd also bought premium refreshments and tea leaves out of my own pocket.
My preparations were perfect.
Association President, please watch closely. I, Park Seok-ho, branch manager of the Bundang Association branch, will lick boots if I have to for the future of this Association.
But as if mocking my resolute determination, a noisy commotion from the entrance shattered my peaceful resolve to pieces.
"I'm telling you, I'm scheduled for gate training today!"
"Well... that group already left and entered the gate, apparently..."
"I wasn't even here yet! How could they just leave without me?"
A woman who appeared to be a snake beastkin was yelling at the reception desk.
"B-Branch Manager. B-Branch Manager. We've got a problem. That woman is causing a scene, saying she's a training participant."
Hearing the flustered staff member's words, I slightly furrowed my brow and slowly approached the woman.
Quite the coincidence. I'd been told that the VIP I was expecting had also awakened as a reptilian-type beastkin. And the person throwing a fit also happened to be a snake beastkin with a snake tail. Curious. Still, the VIP had emerald-colored hair and horns...
Wait a second.
"Kim! Bring me the personnel forms for the group that already left, right now!"
An uneasy premonition flashed ominously through my mind.
No way. It couldn't be. Even if the field team sometimes half-assed their work, they wouldn't have been that sloppy with identity verification... right? Besides, today's gate training had been scheduled to assemble at 11:30. What were the odds that a young woman with connections to that chaebol family would arrive a full hour before her appointment, get mistaken for someone else, and get dragged into a gate?
But—
Yu Miri → Park Miri
Green hair. Horns. Tail. Female.
Looking at the roughly crossed-out name next to a newly written one, and the personal details that matched the description I'd been given of her, my mind went blank.
She was... in a gate right now?
In that gate training where the instructors constantly got complaints for their foul language, and where no one had given her any special advance notice...?
I should probably go ahead and write up both an incident report and my resignation letter.
I'm sorry, Association President.