One Difficulty After Another (2)

“They’re here!”

“…….”

The individual who entered first announced our arrival. At that, the gazes of the people who had been busily attending to their own tasks gathered upon us all at once. I was taken aback by the fact that there were far more eyes on us than I had anticipated.

I was told it would be a brief affair, but I hadn’t realized that the participation of a single National Assemblyman would draw such a large crowd. Swallowing hard, I stole a glance at the Team Leader, who had come to stand beside me, and tried my best to steady my nerves.

“Oh! Over here, Team Leader Yeom!”

The voice calling out to the Team Leader sounded familiar. I turned my gaze toward the sound and watched as one of the people sitting in the very front row stood up from his seat.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

As the man gestured, the Team Leader jerked his chin forward. I nodded and followed closely behind him.

“Assemblyman, this is Yeom Ki-tae, the Team Leader of the Seoul City Hunter Department. And beside him is…”

The man introduced the Team Leader to Assemblyman Lee Young-jin in a familiar tone, sounding like the owner of the voice from our phone call. As he trailed off and looked toward me, I spoke up first.

“Hello, I am Yeon Ha-neul of the Hunter Department.”

“Ah, so you are the one…”

The man scanned me from head to toe before cutting his words short. While I was watching him lost in thought, I sensed a piercing gaze and shifted my eyes.

“…….”

“…….”

I had seen Assemblyman Lee Young-jin on TV before, but seeing him in person, he couldn’t have exuded more charisma. The longer I met his flashing glare, the more it felt as though cold sweat was pouring down my back. I couldn’t even breathe properly due to the tension, and only felt my breath return once his gaze shifted sideways.

“It’s been a long time, Team Leader Yeom.”

“I’ll skip the empty pleasantries of asking how you’ve been, Assemblyman Lee Young-jin.”

“Tsk!”

“The recipient of the Kindness Award has arrived, so please proceed quickly! As you know, Assemblyman, the Hunter Department is severely short-staffed.”

“Even just considering the cooperative funds that go out to the Association, things would be sufficiently covered even if you didn’t personally step out into the field.”

“If that’s how you think, then why don’t you just abolish the Hunter Department entirely? If you claim everything is fully covered by the cooperative funds, then there’s no need to have hunters working for the state, is there?”

“Gasp!”

The sound of people catching their breath echoed from all around at the Team Leader’s remark. Startled, I looked at the Team Leader, but seeing him stare at Assemblyman Lee Young-jin with a face colder than ever, I looked straight ahead once more.

“…….”

The man stared back at the Team Leader, making no effort to hide his displeasure. Just as the tense standoff between the two threatened to drag on indefinitely, the cold air in the lecture hall finally thawed at the voice of someone announcing that the award and prize had arrived.

“Let’s get on with it. We’re busy.”

“Anyone listening would think you’re single-handedly managing all the affairs of the nation.”

“Not all of it, but I am responsible for at least the city of Seoul.”

“Team Leader Yeom, leave it at that! Haha, Assemblyman. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us. I’m sure you have your next engagement, so we will proceed immediately. Please, come this way.”

At the man’s guidance, the Assemblyman, who had been glancing back and forth between the Team Leader and me, rose from his seat. Stepping aside, I watched Assemblyman Lee Young-jin ascend the stage.

“Chick.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Let’s just accept it quickly and leave. If he asks to take a photo, just say yes and get it over with. He’s an official who throws a massive tantrum if things don’t go his way.”

“…Understood.”

If his tantrums were that severe, unnecessarily provoking him might only prolong our stay here. After checking on the Assemblyman, who had taken his place at the podium in the dead center of the stage and was tapping the microphone with his finger, I took a position near the edge along with the Team Leader.

“Hello, I am Lee Young-jin. I am delighted to attend such a meaningful occasion today.”

After delivering a brief greeting, Assemblyman Lee Young-jin scanned the lecture hall. When his eyes met mine, he stared intently in this direction as he continued his speech, causing me to ball my hands into fists.

“A small act of kindness by a certain individual can leave a large ripple effect on others. That ripple sometimes leaves a small trace, and at other times, a large one.”

“…….”

I could understand the meaning behind his words without even trying to interpret them. Watching him express his thoughts on the ‘Let’s Praise’ section in a roundabout way, I began to see exactly why the Team Leader had sharpened his edges against this man as the speech went on.

With every word he uttered, it was blindingly obvious that he was looking down on the Hunter Department. A surge of anger welled up within me at his contempt for those who worked harder than anyone else, so the moment the Assemblyman finished his speech and called my name, I snapped upright from my seat.

“Ch-Chick?”

I heard a voice calling out to me, but that wasn’t what mattered right now. Putting weight into every single step I took, I walked up onto the stage and stood face-to-face with Assemblyman Lee Young-jin.

“Congratulations on the Kindness Award, Mr. Yeon Ha-neul.”

The man extended his other hand as if to offer a handshake along with the certificate. Grasping his hand, I injected deliberate emotion into it as I shook it and replied.

“Thank you, Assemblyman Lee Young-jin.”

“…….”

As if about to say something, he smirked, curling up one corner of his mouth. I felt a flash of irritation at his patronizing gaze, which seemed to view me as a mere greenhorn, but I had no intention of falling for his provocation. Suppressing my irritation, I accepted the prize and the bouquet of flowers that were handed to me next.

“Alright, let’s take a photo!”

Unlike the grand speech he had spun while belittling the Hunter Department, it seemed he wasn’t going to give me a chance to speak at all. Watching the podium being cleared away immediately after receiving the award alongside the prompt to take photos, I hardened my expression as Assemblyman Lee Young-jin stepped up next to me.

“Officer Yeon Ha-neul, your expression is far too stiff!”

“…Yes.”

Once the photos were taken, I would finally be able to escape this place. Desperate to get away from Assemblyman Lee Young-jin, I forced the corners of my mouth upward, and only after a few shots were snapped was I able to step down from the stage.

“You went through a lot.”

“Yeaaah.”

I couldn’t help the way my voice dragged. Accepting the hand that stroked my hair as my eyes drooped, I cast a glance toward Assemblyman Lee Young-jin, who was leaving the venue while receiving greetings from others.

“…….”

Whatever anyone else said, the merits the Hunter Department had achieved over the years were not something to be bandied about by a smooth tongue. Thinking of him as a wretched, sly fox, I glared in his direction until the Assemblyman completely vanished from the lecture hall, only looking up when the Team Leader called me.

“Now that our business is done, let’s wait a moment before we move.”

“Sounds good.”

Even if we left right now, we would only end up crossing paths with that man again. I nodded promptly and then blinked at the peculiar look the Team Leader was giving me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…Well, I’m just saying you did well.”

The man who had been gaping for a moment soon grinned, praising me. Seeing the Team Leader’s smile, I felt my heart ease a little. I offered a faint smile in return, lingered in the lecture hall for a short while, and then stepped out to return to the department.

“I’m telling you, that’s exactly what happened!”

“Wow.”

“Our Chick is really growing up well.”

“…….”

If I had known this would happen, I should have stayed at the main building a bit longer. I couldn’t hide my embarrassment at the proud gazes of the team members, who were letting out continuous exclamations of admiration.

“I’ve only seen Lee Young-jin once myself, and I didn’t want to exchange a single word with him.”

“I agree.”

“He’s a snake of a man. He sat there throwing blatant, passive-aggressive shade, and if it weren’t for our Chick, I would have flipped the table.”

Since the Team Leader hadn’t mentioned anything related to Lee Young-jin at the lecture hall, I assumed he would just let it bury itself. Right, I had thought so, but the moment he returned, the Team Leader was too busy recounting everything that had transpired at the venue. Thanks to that, praises were pouring down on me like this.

“As expected of our Chick!”

“If I had been there, I might not have even been able to make eye contact! Our Chick seems to have surprisingly big guts!”

“Anyone would have been angry if they heard those things in that position.”

Belittling the Hunter Department in a venue filled with a crowd was something that shouldn’t be done, even by an Assemblyman. The fact that a person who held the title of a National Assemblyman had committed an act that shouldn’t even be done in a one-on-one setting filled me with anger, but more than that, it left me deeply disappointed.

The words he had spoken on the stage flashed through my mind along with Assemblyman Lee Young-jin’s glistening eyes. I grit my teeth, suppressing the rising fury within me.

“…Lee Young-jin must have been quite startled, right?”

“It certainly seemed so. I expected him to stick around after the event to say a word or two, but he left immediately.”

“Pfft! I should have been there to see that look on his face!”

Perhaps because they had suffered a lot under him in the past, they were too busy letting out continuous bursts of laughter. Watching them look so vindicated, my own emotions seemed to gradually soften.

“But still, why did Lee Young-jin come to that venue in the first place?”

I, too, was curious about the reason why a man who possessed nothing but loathing for the Hunter Department would deliberately seek out City Hall. I nodded at the quiet remark made by Officer Park.

“I find it strange as well. He’s a man who cringes at the very mention of the Hunter Department.”

“An official from the Hunter Department was receiving an award, so his stomach must have been turning with jealousy.”

“…If that’s all it is, then it won’t pose a problem, but we should keep an eye on him. Nothing good has ever happened whenever Lee Young-jin shows his face.”

“That’s true.”

“I’ll look up articles related to Lee Young-jin whenever I have free time too!”

Since I didn’t have any separate tasks assigned, it was only right that I take charge of this. The team members, who had been conversing with the humor drained from their faces, turned their eyes toward me. Looking at the somewhat surprised team, I continued my words.

“Officer Han isn’t here either. …And I don’t like Lee Young-jin either.”

Though I had experienced various types of people over time, a person like Lee Young-jin was truly the absolute worst. It had been a long time since I encountered someone who made my brow furrow just by thinking about them.

“Pfft!”

“Haha, right, right!”

“If the Chick says we should, then we must!”

Officer Kim, who had locked me in a headlock, roughly disheveled my hair. As I helplessly endured his touch, the sight of everyone enjoying themselves entered my view. I slowly curled the corners of my mouth upward.

Thinking only of the actions Lee Young-jin had committed made me angry, but seeing everyone so cheerful seemed to soothe that emotion a little. Of course, just because everyone was pleased didn’t mean I had the slightest intention of letting this matter slide as if watering down wine.

Vowing to display the grit that had pulled me through the civil service exam after three failed attempts, I balled my hand into a fist.