The Visit (5)

“Kim Han-yong?”

“Oh, if Representative Kim came with them, then the situation probably isn’t as bad as we thought.”

At the mention of Representative Kim Han-yong accompanying the guests, every team member seemed pleased. Judging by their reactions, unlike Representative Lee Young-jin, Kim Han-yong appeared to be someone the Hunter Department genuinely liked.

As the Team Leader put on his jacket and straightened his appearance, I quickly stood up as well. After hastily fixing my clothes and hair, I took a deep breath.

“Maknae.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“No matter what Representative Lee Young-jin says, try not to engage with him if possible.”

“Understood.”

Even if I were ordered to talk to him, I had no intention of doing so.

My immediate answer made the Team Leader chuckle.

Looking at him, I nodded and steeled my resolve once more.

“Looks like our youngest really hates Representative Lee.”

“Didn’t they say he had a stare-down with Representative Lee when he went to receive that commendation award? Our maknae is that kind of person!”

“Shh! Watch what you’re saying. They’ll be here any minute.”

“I’ll head to the elevator and guide them up.”

“Alright, thanks.”

With the Team Leader’s approval, the Assistant Team Leader immediately left. As the office door closed behind him, I found myself smoothing my clothes yet again.

A few moments later, noise began rising outside the office.

I clenched my fists tightly.

Although I had seen Prince Edward countless times through the media, this was the first time I would be seeing such a famous person up close.

Technically, Kim Se-hyun was even more famous than Prince Edward, but he didn’t really count.

This was truly a first for me.

Lee Young-jin briefly crossed my mind, but compared to Prince Edward, he wasn’t even in the same league when it came to fame.

I erased him from my thoughts immediately.

The commotion grew louder.

Soon, the office door opened.

I straightened my posture.

“Please, come in.”

Holding the doorknob, the Assistant Team Leader spoke respectfully to someone outside the room.

It was obvious who it was.

The prince.

I stood at attention, but the moment the person beyond the doorway stepped into view, my mouth fell open.

Was Prince Edward always this small?

On television, he had seemed tall, but in person, he appeared slightly shorter than me.

Yet despite his height, the aura surrounding him was impossible to ignore.

As he surveyed the office, several people who appeared to be his aides entered after him and lined up along both walls, maintaining equal distance from one another.

All of them wore black suits.

For some reason, their presence felt intimidating.

I subtly pressed my feet firmly against the floor and forced my expression to remain calm.

“Welcome. It’s an honor to have you here.”

“A pleasure to meet you. Are you the Team Leader of the Hunter Department?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I heard you’ve had a difficult time because of the rumors.”

“Thanks to your visit, things will likely become easier now.”

“Good.”

I had heard he was fluent in foreign languages, but I never expected him to speak Korean so naturally.

I was admiring his skill when I noticed someone appearing beyond the doorway.

I turned my head.

Why did it have to be Lee Young-jin that I made eye contact with?

Suppressing the grimace threatening to appear, I acted as though nothing had happened and shifted my gaze toward the man entering behind him.

Representative Kim Han-yong.

His distinctive white hair was famous enough on its own, but seeing him in person made him seem even more gentle and approachable.

His appearance perfectly matched the warm image people often associated with him.

Especially when compared to the fierce-looking Lee Young-jin.

For some reason, my favorable impression of him grew immediately.

“Welcome, Representative Kim Han-yong. Representative Lee Young-jin.”

“Have you all been doing well?”

“Thanks to your support, we’ve been doing well.”

After greeting Prince Edward, the Team Leader welcomed the two representatives.

At his gesture, the rest of us stepped forward and stood beside him.

“Your Highness, Representatives. These are the members of the Seoul Hunter Department.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

We greeted them together.

The prince shook hands with each team member one by one.

When he finally stopped in front of me, I swallowed nervously.

It had been a very long time since I had felt this nervous meeting another person.

Carefully accepting his outstretched hand, I shook it and spoke honestly.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

“…Heh.”

Perhaps my sincerity came across.

A faint smile appeared on the prince’s face.

Before moving on, his gaze briefly dropped toward my chest before returning to my face.

I instinctively glanced down.

…

What if something was wrong?

But there wasn’t.

My identification badge was fine.

My clothes were perfectly in order.

Relieved, I looked up—

Only for Lee Young-jin to be standing in front of me.

I immediately shut my mouth.

“It’s been a while.”

“…Yes.”

Ignoring him entirely was tempting, but doing so in front of a distinguished foreign guest would have reflected poorly on our country.

So I settled for a short reply and silence.

“Tch.”

Apparently dissatisfied with my response, he clicked his tongue.

After a brief handshake, he stared at me for a moment before moving on.

Only then did I quietly exhale.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, Representative. You’ve been well?”

“Haha. Of course. Thanks to all of you, I’m always doing well.”

Watching Kim Han-yong shake hands with the Team Leader while patting his shoulder warmly, I finally understood why everyone liked him so much.

After exchanging greetings and words of encouragement with each team member, he stopped in front of me.

I straightened immediately.

“Junior Officer Yeon Ha-neul?”

“Yes, sir.”

“…You’re the one they called the ange—… Oh?”

I didn’t need to hear the rest.

I knew exactly what he had been about to say.

Embarrassed, I shifted my eyes around awkwardly.

Then I heard him laugh.

“Haha. If you’re that flustered, I start feeling bad.”

“N-No, it’s not that…”

“I remember you.”

There was absolutely no need for him to remember me.

Especially not in connection with the word angel.

When Kim Han-yong extended his hand, I forced strength into my trembling fingers and shook it.

“Thanks to you, Junior Officer Yeon Ha-neul, I was entertained for quite some time.”

“I-I see.”

I hadn’t been entertained at all.

Still, knowing someone else had enjoyed it was… somewhat comforting.

Actually, no.

Not comforting in the slightest.

After the handshake, he moved toward Prince Edward.

The Assistant Team Leader signaled for us to return to our places, and I quickly obeyed.

“I came here without prior notice, but I trust you’ll forgive the intrusion.”

Watching Prince Edward speak to the Team Leader, I was struck once again by his manner of speaking.

His Korean was impressive enough, but there was something fascinating about the way his speech sounded slightly awkward yet naturally authoritative.

“Of course. You’re most welcome.”

“As you’ve probably heard, I intend to observe this department starting tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you curious why?”

Prince Edward looked away from the Team Leader and toward the rest of us.

His gaze moved from one team member to another.

Then it landed on me.

…

For some reason, his eyes lingered noticeably longer than they had on everyone else.

The longer those green eyes stared at me, the heavier the pressure became.

Just when I was beginning to feel uncomfortable, he casually turned back to the Team Leader.

Inside, I sighed in relief.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.”

“Ahem! Ahem!”

As soon as the Team Leader answered honestly, Lee Young-jin gave a pointed cough.

But the Team Leader wasn’t the type to be intimidated.

Glancing briefly at Lee Young-jin, he continued.

“I simply couldn’t think of any reason for you to visit us specifically.”

“I like your honesty.”

A smile appeared on Prince Edward’s face.

Apparently, he genuinely appreciated the answer.

Feeling relieved, I continued watching.

“I was deeply impressed by the clearing of the Clam Worm Dungeon. I heard only a small number of hunters participated, yet you cleared it in a remarkably short time.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Britain needs that kind of capability as well.”

I had never imagined that this was the reason behind his visit.

Hearing a foreign prince praise the achievements of the Hunter Department was genuinely moving.

Just from that statement alone, I could understand why the people of Britain admired Prince Edward.

And perhaps why he traveled from country to country recruiting talented hunters.

“Which is why I’d like to observe this department during my stay in Korea.”

“…Excuse me?”

Did I hear that correctly?

The Team Leader seemed just as shocked, replying a beat too late.

Almost as though he were asking the question back.

“Today’s visit was merely a greeting. What time does work begin here? I’ll start coming tomorrow.”

“Ah…”

“Hmm…”

The sounds coming from every corner of the room perfectly mirrored my own feelings.

A glance around revealed that nobody looked particularly pleased.

I was probably making the same face.

…

Only moments ago, I had found Prince Edward extremely likable.

Not anymore.

At the moment, he seemed like a ruthless prince who cared little for other people’s rest if it meant getting what he wanted.

Then again, someone willing to travel the world recruiting hunters from foreign nations probably wasn’t the type to give up easily.

“I’m afraid tomorrow won’t be possible. It’s our day off.”

“…You have designated rest days?”

“Yes. Especially after a new dungeon appears. Those rest periods are extremely important for the Hunter Department.”

I had been resigned to working tomorrow.

But unexpectedly, the one who intervened was Kim Han-yong.

“I see. In that case, I’ll visit again on Monday.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

I had worried he might insist.

Instead, the prince immediately backed down after hearing the explanation.

My irritation toward him softened slightly.

Meanwhile, my appreciation for Kim Han-yong grew even more.

“Since you’re here, would you care for some tea?”

“I appreciate the thought, but the tea here doesn’t suit my taste.”

“I… see.”

I hadn’t expected him to reject it so bluntly.

Then again, perhaps honesty was better than forcing himself to drink something he disliked.

“Instead, I’ll bring the tea I personally drink on Monday. I think everyone will enjoy it.”

“That would be an honor, Your Highness.”

“Good. Then I’ll see you all on Monday.”

“We’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Excellent.”

The prince surveyed the office once more.

Then he looked directly at me and smiled.

His appearance was undeniably handsome, and the smile suited him perfectly.

But somehow…

Something about it made me uncomfortable.

I awkwardly returned the smile.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

Apparently, Lee Young-jin had expected to accomplish something during this visit.

Judging by how quickly his mood had soured, things hadn’t gone according to plan.

Watching him look so deflated was immensely satisfying.

…I was already smiling.

A little more couldn’t hurt, right?

This time, it wasn’t an awkward smile.

I smiled with all my heart.

“Ahem!”

“AHEM!”

Loud coughs suddenly erupted beside me.

Turning my head, I spotted Officer Kim and Officer Park desperately trying not to laugh.

I kept smiling.

…

I hadn’t intended to smile, but somehow the timing had been perfect.

Even after the Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader escorted the guests out, I was still grinning.

Then, without warning, Officer Kim and Officer Park rushed toward me.

There was no escaping them.

“Seriously, this kid’s got nerves of steel!”

“He’s usually so timid! How does he pull something like that off? Did you see Lee Young-jin’s face?”

“Haha! Our little chick is the best!”

“You have no idea how hard I worked to hold back my laughter!”

All I had done was smile at exactly the right moment.

But seeing how satisfied they looked made me feel good as well, as though I’d given them a bit of vicarious revenge.

And so, trapped between the two of them, I laughed along for quite a while.