Make Sure You Pass—We'll Meet at the Association

Gentle ripples glittered across the Han River. The smell of autumn drifted through Yeouido Park, and I sat on a bench, sipping an Americano with all the elegance I could muster.

"Haaah…"

This. This was freedom.

This is the Republic of Korea!!

I set the cup down and basked in the hopeful morning sun.

"Would've been even better if this weren't a clone. Shame. Real shame…"

My actual body was currently confined to the office of the Super-science Dungeon. Still, I'd take what I could get. Moderation in all things. A man had to know how to be content. After everything I'd sacrificed to sit here like this, a little gratitude was the least I owed myself.

I tapped my work tablet.

Social media was drowning in news about Ex-Bomora.

Ha! A miracle?

Give me a break.

There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. Cause and effect are always precise.

Bomber Bomora's crash had been anticipated from the start. I'd taken the combat data Sinnyeo displayed as an SS-Class inside the Super-science Dungeon, run the numbers, and the result came back clear: 88.3 percent of the debris would be eliminated. And the remaining 11.7 percent? Wasn't that the dangerous part? I'd thought of that too, which is why I'd pre-dispersed nano-cores in advance — so that any fragments that escaped the blast radius would simply disintegrate.

In other words, this so-called miracle was nothing but calculation!

Granted, I hadn't predicted the control room shutting down as a variable… but that was already water under the bridge!

"Heh heh heh…"

The time and resources consumed had been staggering. But when I weighed it against the gains, it wasn't a waste in the slightest.

My strategy had shifted a little, too.

That was the headline. And the news about me?

That's right. Paint Maesat as a Main all you want. Let the heroes take every last scrap of the credit. All I had to do was charm Sinnyeo as Lee Dogwang, and the perfect alibi would lock into place!

"You should be grateful. I've become your producer… Ksss-sss-sss-sss."

Now then… let's see just how viciously they've been tearing me apart.

I clicked into an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠article about Maesat. A feast of slander, naturally. I scrolled down in deep satisfaction — and then stopped at the comments.

"Hm?"

Yes. Yes. That's the spirit!

Maesat is a terrorist! The future of the Republic of Korea is looking bright. Thank god there are still people with common sense!

But — that was a miscalculation.

Something was going very, very wrong.

There was a netizen out there calling me a model citizen?!

Oh my goodness. I'm touched!!

For a second I thought I'd written that comment myself! Tears of gratitude welled up — and then I snapped back to my senses.

No. Fuck!

Hold. On. A. Second.

"Why are you defending Maesat?! I don't get it! Just swear at him like you always do!"

I was so flabbergasted I said it out loud. The problem was that I had no volume control… and a college girl who'd been jogging past me at that exact moment flinched to a halt.

I'd been living too long cut off from the secular world. Restraint. Restraint.

I shot to my feet and bowed my head to her.

"Ah— I'm so sorry. I was reading an article that made me furious, and I just…"

The college girl pushed up her round glasses. She tucked her neat bob behind one ear and gently pulled out an earphone.

"It's all right. Anyone would."

I could tell she was a model student from the first impression. She even bowed back politely when she answered.

She smiled brightly and became my conversation partner.

"I hear it's becoming a social problem lately, with more and more people defending Maesat."

"Aigoo… you're absolutely right. Heroes work themselves to the bone, and people are out here praising a Main of all things…"

I crossed my arms and let the complaints roll.

"No matter how handsome he is, how gentlemanly, how much of a super genius pioneering a new civilization…"

Her gaze locked onto me, unblinking, and I yanked the sentence into a hard U-turn.

"Maesat is an S-Class Main! You must never let your guard down and fall for his sweet talk! You understand that, yes?!"

"Ah… yes…"

She flicked a glance down at the documents I'd left on the bench.

"Oh? Are you on your way to an interview at the Hero Association, by any chance?"

Aigoo. I'd pulled them out to review and completely forgotten they were sitting there.

I gathered the papers and slid them into the envelope.

"Ah, yes. I'm applying for an Operator position. I don't have a Gift, but I still want to be of some help to the heroes, however small. Haha!"

Originally I'd planned to apply to the research institute. But then I'd have far fewer opportunities to make contact with Baekho. If I wanted to temper her in real time, a dedicated Operator glued to her three hundred and sixty-five days a year was the perfect fit.

And then, suddenly, she clasped both of my hands in hers, her eyes sparkling.

"Really? Wow! You're so welcome! We've actually been short on Operators lately because of the staffing shortage!"

I'd seen a complaint post once about a single competent Operator covering ten people and dying under the load.

…But that worked out just fine for me. It meant I could personally manage the hero team that would save the world.

Heh heh heh.

That was when an employee ID slipped from the inner pocket of her jacket.

Tuk—

"Hero Association… Baek Seoha? Wha—? Don't tell me you're a senior?"

Baek Seoha snatched up the badge in a panic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and shoved it back into her pocket, waving both hands.

"No, no! A senior? I'm just a lowly intern."

An intern?

I covered my mouth with one hand and whispered.

"Alpha. Search the hacked records."

When I'd visited the Hero Plus Research Institute, I'd hacked the Association's data through their intranet server. Most information I could pull up in seconds.

Huh… she really was an intern. And she'd passed a month ago, too.

But something about it was off.

A brand-new registration — with a modification log?

What was that supposed to mean? Had the HR officer typed something wrong?

Baek Seoha checked her wristwatch and gave a quick bow.

"…I've got an emergency meeting today, so I should get going! Good luck on your interview! Make sure you pass — we'll meet at the Association!!"

She winked at me and took off running. A wholesome girl, bursting with energy.

"Wow… she's something else."

According to the records, she was enrolled at S University. Studying and pulling night shifts in personnel control at the same time? Diligent, and a perfect score for survival instinct.

"I like her. Heh heh heh."

But why did I suddenly have chills?

Ugh! Cold.

I shuddered, shoulders shaking, and turned to gather my things off the bench.

"Eek!"

Hongryeon, dressed in full office attire, was staring at me with a completely blank expression.

"…Lord Maesat. This maiden reports that the Association interview hall has been secured."

Could you PLEASE make some noise when you walk? I'm going to die of a heart attack at this rate.

"Good work. And…"

I gave her lips a light tap with my finger.

"You called me 'Lord' again. Have you already forgotten we're disguised as humans right now?"

Hongryeon let her gaze slide away, hesitating. Right. Acting wasn't that easy.

While she composed herself, I knocked back the rest of my Americano.

And in that exact instant—

"Is that the type you go for, Mr. Dogwang?"

"Pffft!"

I moisturized the lawn with a generous spray of caffeine.

"Hack—! Type? What are you talking about."

I thumped my chest with a fist, proud.

"See? This is what natural acting looks like. That XX-chromosome just now didn't even suspect my identity. And Hongryeon, you too…"

Hongryeon parted her lips, just slightly.

"To think you would be so skilled even in the art of disguise… As expected of you, Mr. Dogwang… this maiden is in awe."

A few centuries of speech habits weren't going to vanish overnight, I supposed. Well. Fine. It was actually better to leave a few traces of Hongryeon lying around. If she couldn't be reformed into a hero… then unfortunately, she'd have to be eliminated.

I straightened my suit tie and beamed.

"Shall we go, then?"

The Hero Association building was a full seventy-three stories. I'd known it was tall, but looking up from directly underneath made the height hit differently.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Step by step, I walked toward the lobby.

An atrium with a ten-meter ceiling. Marble floors and walls of reinforced glass. A futuristic palette built around muted metallic tones. A massive display hanging from the ceiling streamed today's hero news in real time.

A lot of insect-type Main subjugation reports lately. Still, thanks to the heroes, today was peaceful too. They really did work hard.

Hongryeon bowed her head beside me.

"This maiden has a hero practical examination scheduled, and shall take her leave for a brief while."

"Yeah! Make sure you pass. Fighting!"

I waved after her as she left.

So. My turn, then?

"Next waiting number, seventy-four. Please enter the interview room."

I received the call and cleared my throat.

"Ahem."

Ugh. I was nervous. Probably because of all those consecutive rejections back in the day. Still, this time would be a little different.

The moment I stepped into the interview room, a familiar voice welcomed me.

"Welcome. I've been waiting for you, Interview Candidate Number Seventy-Four."

She smiled with her eyes and dipped her head, light and graceful.