First Day Fiasco
I listened to a barrage of explanations: who the team leader was, who the regular employees were, how the organizational chart was structured, and how they distinguished between administrative, research, and field positions.
Fortunately, everyone was incredibly kind and polite as they walked me through it all.
It seemed the fact that Han Haneul had personally "escorted" me in carried a lot of weight.
"Um, Siwoo?"
"Yes!"
"What's your relationship with Hunter Han Haneul?"
"Ah, when I was trapped during the Gate Mutation, Hunter Han Haneul was the one who rescued me. She's been looking out for me in various ways ever since."
"Ah..."
Everyone already knew the reason behind my special hire.
A Gate Mutation.
In the midst of that emergency, an ordinary porter who was cut off had protected the other porters and even managed to kill a monster with a self-defense sword. It must have been quite the juicy piece of gossip within the guild. Since I had saved the guild's reputation, hiring me as a full-time employee was a reasonably understandable reward.
Honestly, if the porters had died that day, the ones who would have suffered the most were the people here in the Resource Team. If a disaster happens while using external labor, corporate logic dictates that internal staff get worked to the bone to clean up the mess.
Thanks to that, everyone seemed to view me quite favorably.
Of course, that goodwill was currently buried under a mountain of curiosity sparked by Han Haneul's sudden tour-guide act.
"So, do you have Hunter Han Haneul's contact info too?"
"Yes, I do."
"Wow... I'm in the same guild, but I've barely even spoken to her... I bet our team leader is the only one in our entire department who has her number."
"Oh, really?"
She was speaking in a very friendly tone, but...
I felt a subtle undercurrent of jealousy.
Yeah, I need to be careful not to draw too much attention to myself. It would probably be best not to mention that Han Haneul was the one who personally suggested I join.
"Well, even if we're in the same guild, regular staff and hunters are kept pretty separate. It's like the difference between the staff and the celebrities at an entertainment agency."
"Ah, I see."
"To be honest, I applied to Changcheon because I'm a huge fan of our Guild Leader... Oh, Siwoo, you know our Guild Leader's nickname, right? Holy Light, Yu Sua."
"Yes, of course I do."
The nicknames I know are 'alcoholic,' 'lunatic,' and 'crazy bitch.'
Unfortunately, it seemed those monikers weren't widely known.
"She got that nickname during the Archlich subjugation raid when she practically suppressed half the undead army by herself! I became a fan right after watching that video."
"...Well, you ended up joining Changcheon, so you're a successful fan."
"Right, right?! It's a shame she's so busy that we almost never get to see her in person, though."
Is she really that busy?
She seemed to have plenty of time to barge into my apartment uninvited and crack dirty jokes.
"But our Guild Leader hangs out with the office staff a lot, so there are plenty of chances to see—uh, wait?!"
The Resource Team senior who had been chattering away suddenly stared behind me, her eyes widening in sheer shock.
"Hello, Guild Leader!"
"Ah, talking behind my back?"
"No, of course not!"
The Guild Leader of Changcheon, the Holy Knight Yu Sua. My college club senior and current employer had suddenly dropped by the Resource Team. With her long brown hair tied back sportily, she looked incredibly cheerful. Since she was naturally boisterous and outgoing, her tone was remarkably friendly even when addressing her subordinates.
"Is this Siwoo? The new special hire?"
"Ah, yes. Hello, Guild Leader."
"Pfft, haha! No need to be so stiff. You can just call me big sister."
Since she was clearly pretending not to know me, I played along.
It was easier for both of us that way.
"I heard you saved our guild's reputation, Siwoo? Whenever a civilian casualty occurs in a gate, the news won't shut up about it for days. You saved my skin. Honestly, getting dragged to public hearings and yelled at is a massive pain in the ass. Haha."
"Ah, yes."
"Ah! Not that I think lightly of casualties, of course... You know what I mean, right? Don't misunderstand. I just hate being used as a scapegoat for politicians trying to boost their approval ratings."
"Yes, I understand."
Sua-nuna added quickly, casting a cautious glance at me. Given her personality, she often got misunderstood. We lived in an era where life was hard if you didn't sugarcoat your words.
Especially for someone as famous as Yu Sua, she had to watch her mouth. But since her natural personality made that difficult, it must be exhausting for her. Just the other day, she had called me drunk to complain about her life.
"Ayy, what am I saying in front of a rookie... Anyway, you were a huge help, Siwoo. Got it?"
"Haha... I was just struggling to survive, that's all."
"That's actually the hardest part—struggling. There are so many hunters who die because they can't even do that. If they just hold on, I can bring them back even if they're half-dead. But so many give up too early, and I can't save them. It's really tragic..."
Sua-nuna's voice trailed off.
She seemed to be recalling a painful memory.
Even though she was an S-ClassHoly Knight with healing powers far superior to most dedicated healers, she couldn't save everyone.
Working as a hunter in this day and age meant carrying the scars of losing comrades.
Especially for an active, front-line hunter like her.
"Our junior... I mean, Siwoo, if you ever feel like you're going to die, just let me know. I'll run over and pump you full of heals."
"I couldn't possibly trouble the busy Guild Leader like that."
"Ayy, it's fine, it's fine. Heck, even if you're dying of a hangover and need a quick purification, that's totally fine too."
"Why don't you go do some volunteer work at a hospital instead?"
"Ah, that's... because of licensing and conflict of interest issues, I'd need a medical license for that... Which requires working at a public health center for about two years..."
"Ah, I see..."
"And running the guild makes that... pretty difficult."
"Yes, ma'am."
Come to think of it, I recalled seeing something about that on the news.
There was a reason guilds operated their own private medical clinics. Besides, Yu Sua wasn't a dedicated healer; she was a Holy Knight. Since she was a combat class rather than support, focusing solely on healing would be a waste of her talents anyway.
She wasn't the highest-paid person in South Korea for nothing.
"Anyway, you have the office extension, right? You can call me anytime through that. Hang in there. I'm off."
"Yes. Take care, Boss."
"Pfft, haha! 'Boss'? That's a first. Alright, work hard, Employee Kim."
"Your grace is immeasurable."
After our little banter, Yu Sua left.
And once again, countless eyes locked onto me.
"...Siwoo?"
"Haha..."
"You're... incredibly social, aren't you? Chatting so comfortably with the Guild Leader..."
"I think it's more that the Guild Leader has an amazing personality. She treats everyone like family."
"Well, our Guild Leader is usually like that, but..."
Did she notice something?
Sua-nuna did slip up earlier and almost called me "junior" before catching herself.
"Still, it felt like she was exceptionally friendly with you..."
"Hmm. Perhaps it's because, as you mentioned earlier, I saved her from a lot of headaches? Since she's so busy, the thought of wasting time on a major accident must have been terrifying."
"Ah, is that so? I suppose that makes sense."
"Yes, I think that's it."
"Still, you've really hit the jackpot, Siwoo. First Hunter Han Haneul, and now the Guild Leader... The most famous people in our guild are so nice to you. I'm starting to worry you're going to take my job at this rate."
"Haha..."
Ah, so she is wary of me.
She wasn't being overtly jealous—she probably thought that would look pathetic. But it was only natural for her to feel a bit bitter. Human emotions don't always follow logic, after all.
Because of this, it was going to take some time to get close to my seniors. And even putting jealousy aside, it was always awkward to act casually around a rookie who had the eyes of the higher-ups on him. Normally, you'd bond by teasing and nagging the new guy a bit. But like this, I was basically a parachute hire who had just dropped in to play office.
"I was lucky enough to meet some great people and get this job, but I'll do my absolute best not to be a burden to my seniors! Please guide me well!"
"Ah, sure, Siwoo. Since you're a special hire, there must be a lot you don't know... Also, this isn't the military, so call us 'senior' or 'colleague,' not 'senior officer.'"
"Yes! I'll learn diligently!"
"Mm! At least you've got plenty of enthusiasm. I like that."
Well, what could I do? I just had to be as amiable and hardworking as possible. I'm not scary. I'm not just a useless parachute hire.
"Then, let's start with resource classification and how to use the tools... Oh, wait!"
Huh. This reaction felt awfully familiar.
"Hello, Hunter Han Haneul!"
"Ah. Yes."
...Again? Seriously, she just left after showing me to my department not too long ago.
"Um, are you looking for something? Did you leave something behind...?"
"No, it's not that. I was just... worried about whether Siwoo was adjusting well."
"Pardon?"
"Since you're a special hire, I thought there might be a lot you don't know... and your first day was rather sudden. Um... Siwoo, is there anything you need help with?"
"Oh? No, I'm fine. My seniors have been incredibly kind and are teaching me everything."
"Ah, is that so...?"
For some reason, the look Haneul-ssi directed at my senior was downright chilling.
My senior kept glancing back and forth between Haneul-ssi and me, fidgeting anxiously.
"Then... I'll be going now...?"
"Yes. Have a safe trip back."
After sending Han Haneul away once more, I continued learning my duties in an atmosphere as frigid as the Arctic.
Haneul-ssi kept popping back in at regular intervals. Probably about twelve times in total, including lunchtime. Thanks to her, I even unlocked the achievement of eating lunch completely isolated from my colleagues on my very first day.
Wow. I think my professional life is officially ruined.
I guess I'll just have to find some healing in my dreams...