Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: First Day at the Office
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The next day, at the Hero Headquarters in Old Town District 2.
Haon stepped out of the small conference room after her meeting with Hunter, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Phew. That was scary.”
“What was there to be scared of?”
Juyeol, who had been waiting outside the door, led Haon to the elevator.
She had been visibly tense since leaving the research institute, and even now, Haon walked stiffly, sticking close to Juyeol's side.
“But Hunter didn't seem too keen on me working here, did she?”
“Well, I can't say you're wrong, but what can you do? They're desperate for even one more engineer.”
“We did get permission… right?”
“Of course we did. She gave you the rules for working inside the headquarters, didn't she? Not an order to get out.”
Juyeol answered as if to say she had nothing to worry about, but in truth, he had practically forced Hunter’s permission out of her.
And he’d done it by egging on the team leader and deputy leader of Engineering Team A, who were dying from a lack of manpower.
“I know an engineer who’s currently on a break. She’s the one who made this.”
Yesterday, after examining Juyeol’s helmet in the engineering lab, Team Leader Kim Songmi had dragged him straight to Hunter’s office.
“Hunter! Get Dr. Eun Haon on Team A, whether as a new hire or a temporary dispatch.”
“What? You just barge in here and say that…? How much more complicated are you trying to make things?”
“You won’t do it? Then I’m going on strike. I can’t work like this anymore.”
“Kim Songmi.”
“Either find me three new engineers with the skills of veterans right now, or let me use Eun Haon. Decide quickly!”
“Ghost. What on earth did you tell them?”
“Their manpower seemed severely lacking, so I merely introduced them to a capable external resource.”
“Hunter! Just say okay already!”
“If Eun Haon joins the engineering lab, the headquarters can finish preparing to take down Two-Shot that much faster.”
“I’ll handle persuading the HR team myself!”
“Alright, I get it! Both of you, just shut up!”
Hunter surrendered to the joint offensive launched by Team Leader Kim Songmi and Juyeol, finally agreeing to bring in Eun Haon as a temporary dispatch.
Of course, she had also made that decision knowing just how dire the engineering team’s situation was.
In fact, Deputy Leader No Hyejeong had hesitated longer than Hunter, which was only natural, given that she would be working with none other than Eun Haon.
In the end, however, most of Engineering Team A welcomed the news.
Some staff members even said they would have approved if a squirrel had come to help them with their work.
Engineering Team A occupied the entire fifth basement level of the Hero Headquarters.
As they stepped out of the elevator, Haon’s heart pounded with nervousness, and she grabbed onto Juyeol’s arm.
Seeing no sign of her tension easing, he looked down at her and asked, just in case.
“Are you sure you’re not here against your will?”
“Not at all! I’m happy to have something to do.”
Juyeol’s gaze seemed to ask why she was so nervous then, and Haon hesitantly added.
“I-I just get a little nervous meeting new people.”
“Oh, you.”
Juyeol pretended to scold her, but the corners of his mouth stretched into a wide grin.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride whenever Haon, shy around others, clung only to him.
‘I can’t stick by her side the whole time at headquarters. I wonder if she'll be okay left alone with the other engineers.’
But Juyeol’s concern, tinged with pride, didn’t last long.
The moment she entered the engineering lab and was surrounded by large machinery, Haon’s expression visibly relaxed.
“Whoa. So this is how they set it up.”
She even let go of Juyeol’s arm, not noticing the growing distance between them as she went to look at the equipment.
Juyeol walked slowly behind her, feeling a strange mix of disappointment and bewilderment.
Curious about what was on a high shelf, Haon not only stood on her tiptoes but also gave a little jump.
A laugh escaped Juyeol at the sight, and he strode over and lifted her up in one swift motion.
“Ahhh! J-Juyeol!”
“Can you see what’s up there now?”
“I-I can see. A ratchet and a screwdriver set. That’s enough, you can put me down now…!”
“Alright. Stop messing around in the sacred engineering lab and put her down.”
Haon, who had been squirming, flinched at the unfamiliar voice.
Juyeol gently set her down and gave a slight nod in greeting.
Standing just a few steps away were Team Leader Kim Songmi and Deputy Leader No Hyejeong.
As if her earlier ease had vanished, Haon stiffly bowed.
“Oh, hello.”
“…She really does look like her.”
Team Leader Kim Songmi stared intently at Haon’s face before muttering in a daze.
Knowing that these two likely didn’t have fond memories of ‘Eun Haon’ either, Haon mustered her courage and added a word.
“But I’m a different person. I really am…”
“Well, alright. That’s fine. I’m Kim Songmi, the team leader for Engineering Team A.”
Team Leader Kim Songmi, her eyes still fixed on Haon’s face, nudged the silent person next to her with her elbow.
As if snapping to her senses, Deputy Leader No Hyejeong introduced herself.
“I-I’m the deputy leader, No Hyejeong.”
“I-I’m Eun Haon. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
As Haon bowed stiffly once more, Juyeol said he would come pick her up at the end of the day and left.
Suddenly left alone and flustered, Haon glanced around nervously until Team Leader Kim Songmi spoke with a serious expression.
“Dispatch. There’s something I need to confirm first.”
*Dispatch.* Haon realized that was the title she was being called by.
“I saw the helmet you made for Ghost. What exactly can you do?”
“I’m a Mana Engineer… but I can’t use Mana Engineering right now, so I won’t be able to make things like that helmet.”
Team Leader Kim Songmi looked confused by Haon’s cautious reply.
“I mean, I majored in Applied Mana Engineering, Particle Physics, Applied Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Materials Science, and AI Software.”
“…”
Seeing only a slight change in her expression but no response, Haon added a bit more explanation.
“I’m mostly known as a Mana Engineer, but if you had to classify me, I’m essentially a software developer and a mechanical engineer.”
Team Leader Kim Songmi clapped a hand on Haon’s shoulder, her expression grave.
“Dispatch. Do you know there are two engineering teams at headquarters? Are you sure you came to work for Team A?”
Team A consisted of engineers who built equipment for the Heroes. Team B was made up of engineers who developed programs and analyzed photos and videos for them.
Having been briefed by Juyeol beforehand, Haon nodded.
“Y-yes. But I can do both, so if another team needs help—”
“No!”
Team Leader Kim Songmi cut her off, her eyes wide, and spoke in a warning tone.
“Forget about the other team. You’re Team A. Deputy Leader!”
At her call, Deputy Leader No Hyejeong, who was standing beside her, held out a card.
“It’s a temporary access card. It should open the headquarters’ main gate and the door to the Team A engineering lab.”
“Th-thank you.”
Feeling slightly dazed, Haon hung the access card around her neck and was then introduced to the other engineers of Team A one by one.
As she was being led around by Team Leader Kim Songmi, no one said anything openly hostile, but there were still some who gave her displeased looks.
‘It’s okay. It was the same in the old town.’
Haon tried her best not to look intimidated and greeted everyone diligently.
Then, as if to prove that their claims of being shorthanded were no exaggeration, she was immediately handed a manual of immense thickness.
“You need to know what equipment we have and how it works before you can build or fix anything, so memorize this.”
With only those words, Team Leader Kim Songmi put on her work goggles and rushed off somewhere.
Looking around, Haon could hear the sounds of things being built and repaired from all directions.
‘I have to work hard, too.’
Haon steeled herself, opened the manual to the first page, and began to read through it quickly.
By the time she finished the last page and closed the back cover, about an hour and a half had passed.
Just then, Team Leader Kim Songmi walked past her.
“Team Leader! I’ve memorized it all. What should I do now?”
Team Leader Kim Songmi stopped in her tracks, checked the time, and turned back with a skeptical expression.
“You memorized it all? All 750 pages?”
It would have been a tight schedule just to read it, but Haon replied, “Yes.”
She had heard Haon was a genius, but wondering if something like this was even possible, Team Leader Kim Songmi decided to test her with a few questions.
“What’s the millimeter size of the receiver band’s spring bar?”
“1.37 millimeters.”
“The weight of that connector and the shape of its dedicated driver?”
“65 grams, and it’s a triangle shape with a concave center.”
“What are you?”
“…Eun Haon?”
“No. You’re *my* engineer. Go to workbench number 8.”
It looked as if flares were about to erupt from Team Leader Kim Songmi’s eyes.
Haon went to where she was pointing with sparkling eyes. Deputy Leader No Hyejeong was already there, fixing something.
“Excuse me, the team leader told me to come here…”
Noticing Haon’s arrival late, Deputy Leader No Hyejeong flinched visibly.
“Y-you can go to a different workbench. It’s not that busy here.”
Her voice was thick with discomfort.