Chapter 42
Chapter 42
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Paragliding Rescue
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Folding my wings, I check on the paragliding instructor and participant I had snatched out of the air.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh dear… Thanks to you, I survived. Truly, truly thank you!”
At least the paragliding instructor seemed to regain his senses fairly quickly.
But the man who looked like a participant was still only half there mentally.
Of course he was. When would someone experience something like this?
One wrong move and he’d have left this world behind. Staying conscious might even be the problem.
The man collapsed flat on the spot.
His legs had given out, and his face was deathly pale.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, y-yeah… I’m f-fine.”
Sweat pouring down his face, the man let out a long sigh of relief at still being alive, then staggered to his feet and bowed to me.
“Really, thank you… I almost died there.”
As soon as the man finished speaking, the paragliding instructor bowed repeatedly to him.
“I’m sorry! Turbulence wasn’t on the schedule. I never expected…”
“Whatever, just compensate me. I nearly died, you know.”
“Well, that’s…”
The man grumbled at the instructor, who looked flustered and glanced around awkwardly.
Compensation, blah blah… They’d sort it out themselves.
Anyway, once his argument with the instructor wrapped up, the now-calmer man turned to me.
“Once again, thank you so much. You saved my life. About compensation…”
“No, it’s fine. Technically, I’m a civil servant anyway.”
“Oh, still… I don’t know how to thank you.”
“I always say this: Not all mutants in the world are bad ones. If today’s experience reminds you of that now and then, that’s enough.”
“…I definitely will. Thank you so much!”
Smiling as I headed into the cafe, I heard murmurs of admiration and applause from around me.
No, this is too embarrassing…
Some even straight-up asked for autographs or photos.
“Um, could I get a photo too?”
Even the guy who’d just barely survived death was the same.
Hey, look, you almost died.
His nerves must be made of steel or something.
Well, it wasn’t like I hated it, so I happily posed for a photo with him.
Photos… Come to think of it, I don’t think I got any shots when I was geared up for paragliding earlier. Maybe I should snap one now?
They say all that’s left in the end are photos anyway.
Yeah. Not a bad idea.
* * *
“Man, how does it always happen right when you’re around? You’re so lucky.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re a total hero. Hero.”
“Eek, not that…”
“Why not?”
“It’s too cringy. Just say I did my job as a civil servant.”
“Weird kid.”
“I’ve always been weak to that stuff. It’s embarrassing.”
“You did something amazing. Why?”
“Just… it is.”
It was an embarrassment I couldn’t put into words.
Not like I was in some superhero movie, but people calling me a hero felt off.
Maybe it was my petty bourgeois nature.
The bizarrely inflated pride from becoming a dragon didn’t rear its head at times like this.
Of course, I didn’t hate it. There was still that satisfaction from doing a good deed.
“Now you’ll be all over the news again.”
“Is this really newsworthy…?”
“It is. These days, even dumb SNS stuff turns into articles.”
“I guess…”
“Anyway, maybe this’ll improve perceptions a bit. Some people were quietly uneasy.”
“Really?”
“Think about it. A dragon the size of a school field shows up in the middle of campus. You think people weren’t freaked out? They just didn’t show it.”
“…Yeah, probably.”
“We know what you’re like, but strangers don’t. This’ll help you big time going forward.”
“Yeah. I figured.”
I nodded at Tae-hoon’s words.
That’s when I remembered what I’d thought earlier.
Right, photos.
“Hey, we’re here—let’s snap a pic before we go. What do you think?”
“Now? Should’ve done it earlier in your flight gear.”
Jo Min-hyuk grumbled at my suggestion. Uh… yeah?
Then Han Tae-hoon chimed in.
“Hey, Seo-hyun wants to now. They say photos are all you have left. Oh, and let’s check the bodycam footage later. I bet Min-hyuk looks hilarious in it.”
“Me? Why?”
“You were screaming your head off while running. I could still hear you after.”
“Oh.”
“Scaredy-cat.”
“What, like I’m supposed to add to your fun?”
“Nope?”
“Then why pick on me, punk.”
“Just ‘cause.”
“Ugh, that guy.”
Han Tae-hoon and Jo Min-hyuk bickering was everyday now.
Anyway, photos it was. Min-hyuk always bounces back like that.
What a pain.
“Cut it out and come take the picture.”
“Coming.”
“Setup done? Found someone to snap it?”
“Oh, ask that instructor over there.”
We asked a nearby paragliding instructor wandering around to take our photo.
One.
Two.
Three.
Click-!
We looked at the shot.
It captured our bright smiles in the moment.
I smiled at the photo.
Thinking about it, this might be my first photo with friends since becoming a dragon.
Not a bad feeling.
I hoped for more days like this someday.
* * *
[Almost died today.]
Fuck this shitty weather service.
Booked ‘cause they said clear skies, but hit turbulence paragliding and nearly went to the afterlife.
Would’ve died for real, but Seo-hyun unnie saved me.
- For real?
- Yeah, someone posted footage.
-She’s really active.
-Wanted to give her some reward, but she waved it off lol. Said not all mutants are bad and went to peel peanuts with her friends at the cafe.
[Dragon-type mutants seem pretty decent personality-wise.]
Dives right in to save someone without hesitation, turns down reward to advocate for mutants…
Makes you think that’s why she became a dragon.
-Government puppet? Nah, doesn’t seem like it.
-Govt crazy? Try puppeting her and the regime’s done lol.
[I work for the Mutant Crime Eradication Agency…]
Our agency director is super nice.
IRL I’m a total loser who can’t even talk right, but she’s so kind, considerate even in casual chat.
She gets loser habits perfectly.
Knows exactly what makes us comfortable.
-For real?
-You that vampire who raved about the blood rice? How’d you get in…?
-Just happened…?
[But Mutant Crime Eradication Agency… Isn’t that kinda lame?]
Could just be Mutant Crime Management Bureau or something.
“Agency director” doesn’t roll off the tongue.
Could just call her Director simply.
-Lmao yeah.
-Govt’s hopeless at naming anyway.
* * *
-…So we’re getting complaints requesting a name change for the agency.
The next day, answering a call, the Deputy Agency Director spoke in a tired tone.
Already swamped with launch stuff, now complaints about the name.
“Uh… Can we just change it if we want?”
-It’s not hard now. Perfect timing since we just launched. Later would need extra budget…
“I’m fine with it. Calling you Deputy Agency Director is a mouthful… Deputy Bureau Chief is simpler, right?”
-Your opinion matters more than mine, Director. So, you approve?
“I’m good.”
-…Understood. What name do you want?
“National Intelligence Service affiliate: Mutant Crime Management Bureau.”
-Great. Got it, Director. Wait, now it’s Bureau Chief.
“Haha…”
-I prefer Deputy Bureau Chief over Deputy Agency Director anyway. Sounds higher, right?
“Perfect then. Anyway… you’re working hard.”
-Haha, well… yeah. But you did great saving that citizen last weekend.
“Really?”
-Positive articles popping up everywhere thanks to you. Public reaction’s great.
“…Glad to hear.”
-You’re in the big leagues now, Bureau Chief. No one hates someone like you stepping up.
“Even so, I don’t have real power. Just a college kid.”
-Haha! Position matters a lot. Anyway, this’ll help with budgeting favorably.
I was realizing anew: our Deputy Bureau Chief had serious skills.
Handling a national agency’s admin flawlessly.
Not alone—new staff joined—but supervising them takes talent.
No wonder she came from National Intelligence Service Director’s line.