Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 250 - 250. 계란으로 바위치기
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Translator: crow
Chapter 250: Egg Against Rock
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"Will she be alright?"
With a scrape, the young man pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at the middle-aged woman.
"Who knows."
"She'll be fine."
The tattooed man across from her grumbled in response to the middle-aged woman's mutter, his voice rough as gravel.
The people gathered there had absolutely nothing in common.
Some looked as saintly as a priest, while others looked like they'd never touched anything legal in their lives.
But they shared one thing.
Gangseo Branch Response Team.
"She said she lost her memories."
"And not just any— she doesn't remember us at all... but she still remembers those friends who... passed away."
Ailin's gaze flashed through all their minds.
The look in her eyes, as if seeing them for the first time.
Bewildered, yet wary, upon hearing they were her team.
"I never knew Team Leader could look at people like that."
As the saintly-looking guy muttered, the rough-faced man clicked his tongue.
"We can't forget. Team Leader's got tons of experience and great judgment, but she's still younger than us."
"...You're right."
"No matter how much we say age doesn't matter, that's for work experience. Life experience is different."
After a brief silence, the woman stood from her seat and smacked both their shoulders.
"It's fine. Don't worry."
The two men looked up at her, and she smiled.
"Team Leader might get lost, but she's not the type to take the wrong path."
"Right?"
"Yeah. Our Team Leader will definitely find the right way."
"She'll come back to us soon and say everything's okay."
"Yeah. When she does, we just have to welcome her back with open arms."
-Bang!
At that moment, the door flew open, and Ailin walked in.
Smiles bloomed across the three faces.
"Team Leader!"
"I scored another killer mix coffee—"
Ailin merely nodded at the three of them before striding off somewhere.
"Team Leader?"
Soon, she pulled a pistol from her desk drawer.
A rubber-bullet pistol.
What the hell was she planning to use that for?
The three watched her with puzzled expressions.
"...See that."
The rough-looking man tapped the saintly guy's shoulder.
His face was pale with terror.
"It's the HR Team..."
"What? HR Team? No way..."
The man's laughing face froze solid.
Beyond the door stood five people.
"Th-the HR Team..."
The saintly-looking guy's voice dripped with fear and caution.
HR Team.
The team rumored to have the branch chief's favoritism.
Word was, it was full of monsters who handled paperwork and field ops without breaking a sweat.
An office legend boasting combat prowess rivaling the Containment Team.
They'd handled top-secret missions before, and rumor had it they'd even fought Management Bureau enemy objects and returned without a scratch.
Above all, every member was infamous for their rotten personalities.
"Why is HR Team here...?"
"They aren't here to take out Team Leader, are they...? Thinking she's lost her memories or caught in some anomaly...?"
As if hearing their voices, the man at the front let out a massive sigh.
Did we piss them off?
Did they hear us?
They stared at the HR Team with wary expressions.
The black-haired woman who caught their gaze smiled and waved.
She didn't seem so bad-tempered, waving and smiling like that.
"She's drop-dead gorgeous, seriously."
"Shh, they'll kill you if they hear."
The woman reached out to silence the muttering rough-looking man, then turned to Ailin.
After grabbing two rubber-bullet pistols, Ailin donned a bulletproof vest and headed out the door.
"Let's go."
"We don't really have to—"
"If we're doing it, we do it."
She cut off the man with a firm voice and shut the door behind her.
-Creak... Bang!
As the door closed, the three exchanged glances.
"What's going on?"
"No idea."
"Team Leader will be okay, right...?"
Unease crept onto their faces.
"Sh-should we check?"
"Wait a bit longer...?"
"After we brace ourselves..."
Of all days, this had to happen when everyone was off-duty.
Clutching their heads inwardly, they began gearing up.
*
I snuck a sigh while watching Ailin stride confidently with the pistol holstered.
Here's how it started.
"HR Team, HR Team—but they're just office workers, right?"
Ailin looked at the three and opened her mouth.
The three tilted their heads.
"Office workers, yeah."
"Right."
"Kids riding eagles into battle calling themselves office workers? You guys should be grateful I haven't killed you yet."
Song Arin glared daggers at Yoo Daon and Jang Chaeyeon.
"...She's gotten better lately."
"Don't make me laugh. You handle computers worse than that black hair of yours."
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon clamped her lips shut, looking indignant.
In truth, Jang Chaeyeon couldn't handle computers as well as Yoo Daon.
Whether Yoo Daon learned fast or Jang Chaeyeon was slow, who could say.
"Anyway..."
Ailin trailed off, looking at us.
"Kim Jaeheon isn't the type to stay here. He'd do better in Response Team."
At her words, the three stared blankly at Ailin.
"We don't exactly lose out anywhere."
Jang Chaeyeon stepped forward as their representative, facing Ailin.
"No."
Ailin lifted her head to meet their eyes.
"If you don't believe me, I'll prove it."
And that's how we ended up here.
Ailin's condition was simple.
The winner takes him.
Best of three. Whoever wins two claims me.
My own will wasn't part of it, but I had no intention of getting involved.
"Sis... this really doesn't seem right..."
"...I told you it's fine."
Park Ye-eun stomped anxiously beside Ailin, shooting her worried looks.
Ailin's gaze flicked briefly to Park Ye-eun, then away.
"..."
I looked at Park Ye-eun.
Her face looked much better than yesterday.
After Ailin's hospital visit, I'd talked with Park Ye-eun. Her expression had been too grim.
What I'd told her then...
'Don't worry.'
All I could offer was a promise.
I placed a hand on Park Ye-eun's shoulder and knelt slightly to meet her eyes.
'Memories can be remade, and impressions can be reset.'
The current Ailin might be her true self—or the desperation of someone who's lost everything.
Family dead, comrades gone.
"Be her family. I'll help too."
It seemed like it would be good for both Park Ye-eun and Ailin.
Hearing my words, Park Ye-eun stayed quiet for a moment, then chuckled.
'What, gonna play daddy?'
'At my age, having a daughter your size would be a crime even if I tried. Call Team Leader daddy.'
'You trying to wreck a family? It's a double life.'
Park Ye-eun laughing like that looked better than before.
And now.
"You're really gonna get yourself killed, sis..."
"...Why do you keep scraping at my pride?"
"Nooo, it's not scraping—it's real..."
Park Ye-eun's desperate pleas fell on deaf ears, and soon we were all standing in the training room.
"First challenger, step up."
Ailin checked the straps on her bulletproof vest and spoke calmly. The moment she did, Jang Chaeyeon stepped forward.
Ailin drew her pistol.
"Conditions?"
"...Judge decides."
Jang Chaeyeon glanced at me as she spoke, and Ailin's eyes followed.
"Fine. Judge decides if the fight can happen, and calls the winner."
"Yes, I'll judge."
I'd learned one thing from HR Team life.
Just go along with it. This is just a sideshow. I came out 'cause I hate work—might as well pocket the salary. Yeah, that's the right mindset.
Jang Chaeyeon stretched, and Ailin drew her pistol.
"Ready."
The two faced each other.
Tension hung in the air.
"One."
Ailin gripped the pistol like she was about to rapid-fire, and Jang Chaeyeon extended one hand.
"Two."
A powder keg waiting to blow.
"Three!"
The instant I shouted three, Ailin drew and fired.
-Bang!
The rubber bullet let out a deafening crack impossible to believe,
Then it stopped dead in midair.
Jang Chaeyeon stared at Ailin, hand outstretched.
-Smack...!
She swung her hand, and the rubber bullet tumbled to the floor.
Ailin gripped her pistol again, Jang Chaeyeon let out a low sigh, then flicked her hand like swatting a mosquito.
"Agh...!"
Ailin's body floated into the air and flew off into the distance.
-Thud!
Ailin's body rolled across the floor.
Jang Chaeyeon stared at her blankly, then looked at me.
With eyes asking what now, I had no choice but to raise my hand.
"...Chaeyeon wins."
"...Sorry."
Jang Chaeyeon looked at me apologetically.
"Dragging you into something pointless."
"...No. It's... fine."
Yeah, let's slack off and pocket that salary too.
"..."
Ailin gritted her teeth and stood.
"...Next."
Her gaze shifted to Song Arin and Yoo Daon.
Song Arin sighed deeply and brushed off her hands.
"Fine, I'll—"
"I'll go. It'll be too easy if you do, Arin."
Yoo Daon stepped up, blocking Song Arin.
"...Fine."
"...It won't be that easy."
Ailin glared at Yoo Daon, teeth clenched, and Yoo Daon smiled sweetly.
"Knocking out's fine! Or, um, want to use live rounds?"
"Live rounds prohibited."
"Ah, sorry...!"
Yoo Daon flailed toward me, and Ailin shot her a disgusted look.
Song Arin shrugged and came to stand beside me.
"Better this way."
"Hm?"
"If I win, it's a dirty victory. Mental types are all the same. 'I won by sneaky mind tricks' or whatever."
She sighed and leaned against the training room wall.
"Just beat 'em in a straight fistfight, and they break. Even black hair knows that."
"..."
"Whatever."
"You two surprisingly get along?"
"Shut up."
Song Arin overflowed with curses as she watched the two.
"Weapons?"
"Nope."
"No need?"
"Yeah."
Yoo Daon answered Ailin confidently, and Ailin drew her pistol.
Tension built slightly,
-Bang!
And the gunshot rang out.