One Difficulty After Another

“Whew.”

It has been a long time since I felt this nervous about my commute.

I checked my reflection in the mirror one last time, nodding at my attire, which was notably more formal than usual. I felt it wouldn’t be right to receive an award in my everyday work clothes, so I had carefully picked this out—it looked decent enough.

I intended to just receive the prize and head back, but dressing up like this actually put me in high spirits. After finishing my preparations, I stepped out of the house.

“…The weather is nice.”

The sky was exceptionally clear today, as if it were congratulating me on the award. I took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and straightened my posture when I spotted the Deputy Team Leader’s car turning into the alley.

“Good morning.”

“You look like you’re in a good mood today. Nice clothes, too.”

I nodded at the Deputy Team Leader’s remark.

“It’s been a while since I last received an award, so I was a bit mindful of it.”

Until last night, I had wondered if I truly deserved to receive this, but as soon as morning came, my mood brightened. I couldn’t help but feel a bit ridiculous at how my heart flipped like a coin.

Still, it was an undeniable fact that I was heading to work with a much lighter heart because of it. I buckled my seatbelt and sat upright as the car began to move.

“Once we arrive at City Hall, people’s eyes might be on you.”

The Deputy Team Leader spoke as we exited the alley. I flinched at the mention of the attention, but nodded as he provided further explanation.

“Aside from the interest sparked by the website incident, it’s just a routine thing whenever an official from the Hunter Department visits the main building.”

“I see.”

“The Team Leader will likely say this too, but ignore anyone who tries to engage you in unnecessary conversation. It’s best not to mingle if possible.”

“Yes.”

If the Deputy Team Leader was going this far to warn me, there had to be a reason. He turned on the radio, signaling the end of his instructions, and I shifted my gaze out the window.

Once we reached the office, I would handle some simple tasks before heading to City Hall with the Team Leader. Come to think of it, I hadn’t been there since the day I stopped by before my first day at the Hunter Department. I visualized the glass-covered facade of the building, trying to ground my floating thoughts.

“…….”

At first, I was like a newborn chick who knew nothing, but not anymore. I clenched my fists, vowing that I would do nothing at City Hall that might tarnish the reputation of the Hunter Department.

*********************************

“Whoa, Team Leader, you actually owned clothes like that?”

“Everyone has at least one suit of ‘combat gear’ at home!”

I didn’t expect the Team Leader, who usually wore comfortable clothes, to show up looking so sharp. Clad in a suit with his hair slicked back, he couldn’t have looked more dashing. I watched as Officer Park and Officer Kim approached him to inspect the look.

“How about wearing this to work every now and then?”

“Forget it. If I go out to a site in my only set of dress clothes and it gets ruined, I’m out of luck!”

“Look! Even our Chick is too busy being impressed by your look to say anything!”

Officer Kim grinned as he brought me into the conversation. I snapped out of my daze and nodded in agreement.

“Team Leader, you look truly wonderful today.”

“…Even if you say that, I’m not wearing this as my daily gear!”

The Team Leader was momentarily speechless at the compliment before snorting his reply. It would certainly be a waste to wear those clothes into a dungeon. He checked his wristwatch and gestured for me to follow.

“We’ll be back soon, so contact me immediately if anything happens while we’re out.”

“Leave things here to us.”

“Right. Then, let’s head out.”

“We’ll be back.”

Receiving a send-off from the team, I left the office with the Team Leader, constantly stealing glances at him as we walked.

“Something on your mind?”

“It just feels like we’re leaving quite early.”

It was barely past nine o’clock. While I was worrying about whether our visit was too early, I met the indifferent gaze of the Team Leader.

“I told them we’d visit in the morning, so visiting at any time during the morning is fine.”

“Ah.”

“The later we go, the more unnecessary eyes follow us. It’s better to head there early and settle things quickly.”

“Yes.”

Hearing the explanation, I understood why we were moving so fast. I followed him out of the elevator and got into his car.

“Chick.”

A few minutes into the drive, the Team Leader broke the silence.

“Yes, Team Leader?”

“Any discomforts or issues while working at the Hunter Department?”

“Discomforts? Not at all. I’m just very grateful because everyone treats me so well.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s a relief then.”

The Team Leader smirked at my answer. He told me to let him know if I ever had any complaints, and I nodded.

“In other departments, even opening your mouth might make you walk on eggshells, but there’s none of that in the Hunter Department.”

“Yes, I know.”

“I’m saying this again because it’s important: if you have a problem, tell me anytime. We need to be in sync to respond quickly, but a relationship where only one side sacrifices won’t last long.”

“I’ll be sure to tell you.”

If he were just saying it for the sake of it, I wouldn’t have been able to answer like that. I continued to nod at the Team Leader, who was more sincere than anyone, and checked the time as the traffic grew heavier the closer we got to the city center.

“…It’s more congested than usual.”

Since it was unusual for the 9:30 AM traffic jam to persist, I immediately pulled out my phone. I checked for accidents but found nothing. Ruling that out, I searched for news about road closures or anything that would cause a slow-down.

“Anything coming up?”

“Nothing special on the City Hall website either.”

“Really? Maybe there are just a lot of cars out today.”

“It seems so.”

Unless there was a special situation, traffic shouldn’t be this backed up. Agreeing with the Team Leader, I looked outside. We eventually arrived at the City Hall building much later than the estimated travel time.

“Whew.”

Until a moment ago, I was excited about the award, but the moment I stepped out of the car, I couldn’t have been more nervous. As I struggled to hide my trembling heart, the Team Leader came over and gave me a heavy thwack on the back, causing me to double over.

“Alright, relax! Let’s just grab what we need to grab and get back to work!”

“Yes!”

The impact, accompanied by a dull thud, spread from my back to my entire body. A jolt of pain, sharp enough to reach the top of my head, snapped me into focus. I answered loudly, straightened up as the Team Leader’s hand moved away, and swallowed a groan.

“Let’s go!”

Letting out a chuckle, the Team Leader led the way. I followed him toward the building. A young man who had been busily moving about in front of the entrance brightened up and approached us.

“You’re from the Hunter Department, right?”

“Oh. Is this where we pick up the award and the prize?”

I thought we had to go to a specific reception area inside the building. At the Team Leader’s words, I looked at the man’s hands, but seeing them empty, I looked back at his face.

“We aren’t giving it to you here. Please, follow me. Preparations are already finished.”

“…Finished already?”

“Yes. We heard that the Hunter Department staff usually visit the main building early in the morning, so we prepared to hold the presentation ceremony quickly.”

“A presentation ceremony?”

I thought it would be a simple hand-off; I never expected a ceremony. The man nodded as our eyes met. I was stunned.

“Ah, you must be Officer Yeon Ha-neul, the one receiving the Kindness Award! Don’t worry too much about the ‘ceremony’—it’s just taking a few photos and receiving the award and prize, then it’s over.”

“…….”

The photos were the problem. I could only gape, and as the Team Leader spoke for me, I just nodded along.

“There’s never been a ceremony for the ‘Let’s Praise’ awards before, has there?”

“I heard it was newly established this time.”

“…Can we start the ‘newly established’ part next time? We haven’t even finished the paperwork for last week’s dungeon yet. You’re making us spend too much time.”

The Team Leader gave a pointed look as he finished. I added my own plea.

“We’re short-staffed in the Hunter Department right now, so we need to return as soon as possible. Is it possible to just receive the award and prize separately?”

“…Well, that’s…”

The man looked troubled as both the Team Leader and I spoke up. I slowed my pace along with him, and when he let out a sigh, I grew anxious.

“If it were something organized internally by City Hall, I’d try to help, but an outside figure is present. Please understand.”

An outside… figure?

“An outside figure? You didn’t invite the media, did you?”

“Ah, we didn’t call the media. However…”

I wished he would just say it. I looked at the man trailing off with an anxious gaze, and then froze as a name I never expected to hear came out.

“Assemblyman Lee Young-jin is here.”

“…Lee Young-jin? That Lee Young-jin?”

“Yes. He insisted on presenting the Kindness Award personally, so we had no choice.”

“Hah.”

It was natural for the Team Leader to react that way. Assemblyman Lee Young-jin was a figure famously known for having a terrible relationship with the Hunter Department.

Even those who weren’t civil servants knew of the feud between Lee Young-jin and the Hunter Department. I didn’t know why I felt so uneasy about the fact that the very man who led the charge in nitpicking every aspect of our cooperative funds was here today. I worried that I might disgrace the Hunter Department with a mistake.

The tension that surged in an instant made my head spin. It felt like my very bones were creaking. I raised my head as the Team Leader called my name.

“Some nonsense might come out of that loafer’s mouth, but just let it go in one ear and out the other.”

“…Yes.”

I didn’t even know if his words would enter my ear to begin with. My heart was already pounding as if it were about to explode. Swallowing repeatedly, I followed the guide as he announced our arrival and opened the door labeled ‘Second Lecture Hall.’

“…….”

Just a moment ago, I wanted to get this over with and leave, but now, all desire to enter that room had vanished. I wondered if this was what the entrance to a dungeon felt like. After hesitating for a long time, a pat on my back helped me make up my mind.

Right—hesitating here would only prolong the time I had to stay inside. If I had come alone, I would have been miserable, but the person with me was none other than the Team Leader of the Hunter Department.

As long as I was with the man who casually called an Assemblyman a “loafer,” nothing too terrible should happen. I took several deep breaths to suppress my nerves and stepped inside as naturally as I could.