I Mistook Him for Someone I Knew
"I mistook you for someone I knew."
I confirmed that the man in front of me wasn't Everett and smiled awkwardly, a beat too late.
The man tilted his head, then smiled back at me.
"I see."
His face had been strangely serious just moments ago, but the smile changed his entire impression so completely that he no longer reminded me of Everett at all.
He must smile often, because the smiling expression suited him far better.
Overall, his features are similar to Everett's, but his vibe is much softer and gentler.
I studied the similarities and differences between the man's face and Everett's.
Each time I spotted another difference, the uncomfortable feeling faded a little more.
Time passed gently, just long enough that the other party didn't feel awkward.
Roughly four or five seconds.
As if he'd been waiting for the right moment, the man lowered his eyebrows slightly with a troubled look and asked for my understanding.
"Well then, I'm sorry, but I'm currently on duty."
"Oh, right. I shouldn't have held up someone busy like you."
When I stepped slightly aside on the path, the man gave a light bow and quickly walked away.
I shrugged my shoulders.
The last sticky traces of unease were shaken off, and reality filled the space they'd left behind.
I'm going to be late.
I'd left for work fairly early, but after spotting a man who looked like Everett and straying from my route, I was now cutting it dangerously close.
To make up for the wasted time, I hurried toward the Inspectorate building like I was racing a warning bell.
It was a plain, monochrome building that didn't seem to have considered any aesthetic elements whatsoever.
What caught my eye more than its bleak exterior, however, was something else.
It's awfully close to the Emperor's palace.
It was what people called a stone's throw away.
The location made sense for a vital imperial department, but honestly, it felt burdensome.
I might actually run into the Emperor.
I stood in front of the building for a moment, glancing back and forth between the Inspectorate and the imperial palace, then shook my head vigorously to chase away the ominous thought.
Nah, even if we do cross paths, it'll probably just be passing each other from a distance.
I used the power of "probably not" to suppress the sprouting ominous sensation.
It's on the fourth floor, right?
Recalling Lucy's explanation instead, I headed for the 5th Division of the Inspectorate—the Blue Hawk's cover office.
After stopping in front of the office door, I took a deep breath.
I'd finished mentally preparing myself and was about to open the door when it swung open on its own before I could even touch the handle, as if it had been waiting for me.
"Come on in! Welcome to the Blue Hawk, Lina."
It was Lucy.
"Uh, um, yes. Hello."
Lucy winked her left eye out of habit as she greeted me and pulled me into the office by the hand.
"The others haven't arrived yet or are out on assignments. There are so many busy people here, so I'll introduce you to everyone little by little."
Seeing me quietly scanning the completely empty office, Lucy explained.
There aren't that many desks here.
The number of "people" Lucy mentioned seemed far greater than the number of desks in the office.
"How many colleagues will I be working with?"
"Hmm, well..."
I'd thought it was a simple question, but no answer came from Lucy.
It was only my second time meeting her, but she seemed like the straightforward type, so her hesitation struck me as odd.
"If it's confidential, you don't have to answer."
Thinking I might have asked about something I shouldn't, I added that she didn't need to reply. Lucy burst into hearty laughter.
"It is a tricky question to answer, but not because it's a secret. It's just a bit... ambiguous."
Lucy checked her watch once before continuing.
"Explaining this properly will take a while... I'd have to start all the way back at what the Blue Hawk even is."
Like a company history lesson for new hires.
The atmosphere had really turned into new employee orientation, just as I'd suspected.
Lucy truly began the story from the very origins of the Blue Hawk.
"His Majesty the Emperor could not stand by and watch the previous emperor's tyranny..."
It sounded exactly like she was reciting the current emperor's biography.
In other words, it was boring.
I hope this is the short version.
Lucy had been continuing her solemn recitation with a serious face when she suddenly looked at me—pretending to listen attentively with the most earnest expression I could muster—and let out a "Pfft!"
"Lina, you're the type whose face gives everything away, aren't you?"
Having laughed out loud, Lucy continued her explanation in a much lighter tone, as if the previous seriousness had only been a joke.
"To put it simply, the Blue Hawk guild is the predecessor of the Intelligence Division. When His Majesty ascended the throne, most of the guild members became part of the Intelligence Division, which is why this place is also called the Blue Hawk. Some people stayed with the guild due to issues with aptitude or background, and there are also latecomers like you, Lina. So the headcount varies depending on which criteria you use, which is why it's ambiguous."
Compared to the version that would've taken two nights and three days, this was a revolutionary summary.
"They must've been too lazy to come up with a new name."
At my candid remark, Lucy made a sound like swallowing a laugh and quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, would you like a tour of the office?"
"Yes, please."
When I accepted Lucy's suggestion—she'd joked that it had been so long since their last new hire that she wasn't sure what to do—Lucy first showed me to my desk.
"This is your spot, Lina."
They must have rearranged the office in a hurry and brought in a new desk and chair, because it still smelled of fresh wood.
"Do you know Heyman Miller? All the desks and chairs in this office were made by that master craftsman."
Lucy proudly introduced my desk.
Her boasting landed perfectly with someone like me, who'd only ever used the standard, rigid government-issue furniture.
"You're using something this expensive in the office?"
"We have a small team, so..."
Lucy spoke as if it were nothing, but I could feel the prestige of the Blue Hawk in that desk.
Noticing my expression, Lucy smiled and offered to brag a little more.
"Yours is especially the newest model. It has three different magic patents for preventing musculoskeletal issues. Now I'm jealous and want to be a new hire too."
As expected of the Emperor's right-hand men! His inner circle!
Lucy's sales pitch wasn't over yet.
"We replaced all the lighting as a welcome for our new Blue Hawk member. They help prevent eyestrain."
"That's amazing."
I expressed my admiration subtly, keeping up my professional facade.
"Right? Just let me know if you need any equipment. Most requests get approved."
It seemed Lucy was using the office tour to build loyalty in the new employee.
The tour went on for quite some time.
The break room stocked with limited-edition desserts was great, but...
When we reached the lounge furnished with luxury bedding that was even supplied to noble households, I wondered if I should make a run for it.
A bed in the office? This is too much.
But I'd already committed by that point.
Lucy must have noticed my cooled expression after seeing the lounge, because she quickly moved us along to the next area.
After finishing the guided tour and returning to the main office, several people had arrived for work in the meantime.
Most of them were strangers to me.
"Hello, Miss Diaz."
But there was one person I recognized.
"Ah, yes. Hello."
I greeted him, feeling a bit dazed.
He's not some office ghost, but seeing him outside the cafe feels weirdly unfamiliar.
It was Kyle. I'd almost failed to recognize him at first since it wasn't the cafe.
My new boss, starting today.
"Kyle Rus. It's been a while."
Kyle must have looked out of place to the others too when he wasn't at the cafe, because Lucy greeted him somewhat awkwardly.
"Yes, it's been a while, Lucy."
After returning her greeting, Kyle added,
"I'll be coming to the palace for a while. Things are about to get busy."
At Kyle's announcement, both Lucy and the other employees who had arrived expressed their disappointment through their faces.
"Oh dear. Such a cold reaction," Kyle said, his eyes curving into a smile despite the silent protest.
Didn't he usually work mainly from the guild?
In the original story, he handled guild and palace duties while occasionally working at the cafe as a hobby.
From what I saw, it looked more like he did guild and palace work in his spare time from the cafe.
Still, since he handled everything else perfectly, perhaps that's why the Emperor valued him so highly.
Anyway, having a boss who had been working remotely suddenly start coming into the office wasn't exactly welcome news.
Especially when the reason was that things were about to get much busier.
From the very first morning, the atmosphere in the office grew heavy and damp like monsoon season.
Seeing the deflated staff, Kyle smiled and added,
"Just me. His Majesty assigned me a task."
The air seemed to lighten up instantly.
The employees offered meaningless words of comfort to Kyle, saying he must have it rough.
"If you look that happy about it, it makes me want to be petty. Like asking, 'I couldn't even leave the office yet, but you're heading out first?'"
Everyone let out awkward laughs at Kyle's joke.
Fortunately, he wasn't serious, and the office worker black humor ended there.
Instead, Kyle called out to me, who was still standing by the door.