Closer. Farther.
The light concussion... could that mean short-term memory loss?
"Mmm... Then there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
"The press release we distributed said it was a gas explosion, so..."
The fox woman tossed my profile onto the floor, then stared straight at me while muttering to herself. Every time she spoke, her ears twitched from side to side. Then she narrowed her eyes slightly. It looked like she had something she wanted to say to me...
"You really don't remember anything, correct?"
"Pardon? Remember what?"
After asking the question, she stared intently at my face again. It seemed like she was trying to read my expression. If I told even the slightest lie, those blue eyes looked ready to devour me whole. An awkward silence stretched between us.
The fox woman let out a long sigh as if to say forget it.
"Haa... Fine, whatever. Then that little incident is taken care of..."
"Incident?"
"It's annoying, but... the System's database also records it as an inventory ability..."
"Probably... that's right?"
As she spoke, the fox woman seemed to be organizing her own thoughts. She tapped her index finger on the table with rhythmic little clicks. There was clear doubt in the motion.
"But according to the Association investigation team's files... there was definitely some connection with Lee Siyeon..."
"...Don't tell me that fox-like bitch threw out a buff and then went into hiding...?"
"Then where the hell is she?"
What is this? She's doing it again. Muttering to herself while staring holes through a person. Her way of talking was completely one-sided. It was genuinely hard to follow the flow.
"Ah!"
Suddenly the fox woman snapped her index finger up with a sharp flick. Her energy shot up in an instant.
"She might be there!"
Then the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Her ears perked straight up as well.
"Yes. That's it!"
With that, she froze like a statue. She looked exactly like a fox sculpture with a lightbulb flashing above its head.
"Mmm........"
Had she really turned into a statue? She stayed completely still in that pose, as if time itself had stopped for a moment.
"No, no..."
Disappointingly, the statue cracked with a single word. She bit her lip lightly, looking irritated.
"I definitely searched the storage room..."
And then her previously perked fox ears drooped all the way down. Her fingers curled weakly.
"Then where is she..."
"Seriously... I thought I'd finally found that fox-like bitch, so I submitted the dungeon raid plan yesterday..."
Suddenly she covered her face with both hands and hung her head. Her white bobbed hair spilled downward. Between the strands, only her trembling ears were visible.
"I thought things were finally going well..."
"Ughhh... So annoying..."
This woman has some serious mood swings. The people around her must have it rough...
But ever since a little while ago, people in black suits had been quietly opening the door and entering. They looked like they had something to say too. However, every time the fox woman threw a tantrum, they flinched and hesitated in their steps. Still, one of them mustered up the courage to approach and speak.
"Um, Team Leader..."
"Haa... Nothing's going right... What is it? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"
"Ah... S-sorry... It's urgent..."
"What is it? Is it really that urgent?"
"Well... It's almost time for your meeting with the Association President..."
"Haa? That was supposed to be at 2 PM..."
Her fox ears twitched up and down awkwardly. The sharp tone she'd used earlier gradually died down. Seeing her swallow nervously, it seemed she'd completely lost track of time. The wall clock behind her showed the current time.
"Ah, right... The meeting is about to start..."
The fox woman glanced at the slim watch on her wrist as she spoke. She quickly gathered her phone as if she had an urgent matter and stood up.
"Mr. Kang Minwoo. Please collect your belongings from the first-floor lobby."
"So... is the interview over?"
"No, of course not. I'll contact you next time."
"Contact?"
The men in black suits opened the door and gave us meaningful looks. It was clear they wanted us to wrap up the conversation quickly.
"Ha... Even if you don't remember, the interrogation room incident never happened. We ask for your cooperation."
"Uh... wait..."
"I'm quite busy right now, you know? Save your questions for next time."
"That's all for now."
The fox woman said only what she needed to and left. I felt completely drained just from dealing with her. I was left all alone in the spacious conference room.
As expected from the Association. When they brought me from the hospital, they stuck to me like bodyguards. But the moment their business was done, they vanished like smoke.
A faint hunger stirred. Come to think of it, how long had I been lying in that hospital bed?
"Let's head down quickly..."
"Oh. Siyeon?"
"The Association was uncomfortable, wasn't it? I'll leave right away. Don't worry."
I answered with a gentle smile. I was worried about her. Ever since I woke up in the hospital, those Association people had been glued to my side. Even that fox woman from earlier seemed to be searching for Siyeon. It was only natural that she would feel anxious. I was anxious too. I knew what kind of treatment she'd received from her raid team. That's why pretending not to know anything was the best option.
I was worried about Siyeon inside the Cube, but I stayed quiet. Just now, though her voice had sounded happy, there was a slight tremble to it. It was a voice I'd never heard before. At the end, it even sounded like she was holding back tears.
"I'm fine. By the way..."
"Hey... why are you suddenly..."
Her voice caught me off guard. It was like a delicate leaf trembling in the morning dew. This was definitely the sound of crying.
"Siyeon... I'm really not hurting at all..."
Worry. The sincere feeling of burning with concern for someone else. But it felt strange. The emotion she had sent me—I'd received it countless times before. Yet it had never felt this sour and warm at the same time. Just a little, it felt like she was drawing closer inside my heart.
I closed my eyes. Still, she looked prettiest when she smiled. Even at this very moment, I could imagine her swallowing her tears while breathing shakily. I wanted to make her smile no matter what. I didn't want to see sadness on Siyeon's face.
"Don't cry... I'm really..."
I couldn't finish the sentence. The image of her that appeared before my eyes was different from what I'd imagined. She was gently wiping the moisture from the corners of her eyes with her pale wrist. But she didn't look sad. Instead, she turned her head slightly in embarrassment, hiding her sorrow.
Then, looking shy, she brushed her hair to the side. It looked like wet black silk sliding across pale skin. Her red eyes darted around awkwardly. Her face seemed to be turning a soft shade of red.
It was awkward. For both me and her. Neither of us seemed to know what to say. A strange atmosphere settled over us. It was our first time feeling this kind of awkwardness. It felt like there was a giant balloon right beside us. What was inside it? If either of us popped it by speaking first, what would happen next? I could feel it swelling bigger and bigger, but I couldn't bring myself to touch it. Something inside my chest tickled faintly.
"Siyeon..."
"Ah, you first."
A cute little gasp brushed past. Once again, she covered her mouth with both hands. That gesture... no matter how many times I saw it...
"H-have you eaten...?"
"Th-then. Oh! Should we head down quickly?"
I immediately stood up and left the conference room. My steps felt light. Even though she wasn't physically standing beside me, it somehow felt like we were walking together.
[ P.M. 14:42 — Association President's Office ]
"So... you're saying you intend to attempt the raid even in this situation?"
The man with deep wrinkles etched across his forehead swept back his experienced white hair as he spoke. In his hand was a thick stack of documents. On the front page, large letters were written clearly.
Dungeon Raid Plan
It was the document that notified the operation plan before the Association's raid team headed out.
"The current strength of Team 1 makes this reckless. Think it over again."
"Wh-what did you say? President. Are you saying our team is going to fail?"
At the white-haired elder's words, the person sitting in the opposite chair answered sharply. At the same time, fox ears shot straight up above her white bob.
The old man didn't like her attitude, but he set the papers down and admonished her. After all, the sponsorship funds that flowed in under the raid Team 1 she commanded were the highest.
"Team Leader Yoo Seolah... It's not good to push yourself too hard after failing at Underfall."
"F-failure? That was a supply issue! How many times do I have to say it?"
"Are you saying there's a problem with the supply team? The ability users don't use firearms, after all."
"Ha... No, I don't know the exact circumstances either, but the Special Operations Support Team keeps saying they can't meet the supply quota..."
"Then does that mean the previous failure was due to a lack of capability on the ability users' part?"
"Th-that's... ha...."
The President's words sharply pierced Yoo Seolah's logic. The old man was sharper than necessary. Yoo Seolah clenched both fists tightly without saying a word. A faint sense of unease crept in. She knew very well how cunning the President was. If they failed again like last time, she'd clearly be kicked out. In the worst case, she'd end up like that fox-like bitch...
"Team Leader Yoo Seolah... Doesn't your current team lack two S-class ability users?"
"...."
"And yet you're talking about Frozen Shelter... Isn't that an unconfirmed dungeon? Look into other dungeons instead."
The President pushed the stack of papers toward her as if throwing them and spoke. The documents scattered across the table. Yoo Seolah couldn't say a single word. There wasn't a single flaw in the President's statement. Their loss of combat power had been far too great. The S-class ability user Kim Hyundo, who had been in charge of the team's firepower. The one who analyzed monster patterns, secured routes, carried out diversion operations, and... Too many blanks floated up in her mind.
She didn't want to admit it. No... The other team members could handle it just fine. Even without that fox-like bitch...
"I'll handle the media. Tomorrow morning, we'll announce the postponement of the Frozen Shelter raid."
The President turned his chair as he spoke. At the word "postponement," Yoo Seolah's face twisted into a deep scowl. It felt like her abilities as a team leader were being completely denied. She'd always succeeded, yet after one failure she was being treated like this. It was the same as telling her to stand in front of countless reporters and say, 'Our team is weak. We can't clear an unconfirmed dungeon.'
"I'm going..."
"What?"
The President asked again as if he hadn't heard properly. But Yoo Seolah answered even louder.
"I said we're going!! Absolutely, positively!! We'll succeed in the raid, so know that!!!"
A small fox howled fiercely inside the President's office.
"Now, what kind of attitude is this..."
The President turned his chair, looking slightly angry. But what he saw was an enraged fox slamming the door with a loud bang as she left. The white-haired elder picked up the black document in front of him with a dumbfounded expression. It contained information about the dungeon she was heading to. There weren't many letters written on it.
Unconfirmed Dungeon Frozen Shelter.
Only one piece of information. Just as the name suggested—unconfirmed. What kind of monsters would appear, what the climate was like, whether the terrain allowed for operations—none of it was known. In other words, it was a dungeon that no team had ever successfully cleared. Their forces weren't even at full strength, yet they wanted to challenge an unconfirmed dungeon. It felt like watching a sailboat drifting far away between waves without a compass.
Only one word came to the President's mind.
Arrogance.
The old man set the paper down and murmured quietly.
"You must succeed in the raid. Team Leader Yoo Seolah. Even my patience has its limits."