RFH Chapter 02 — [R15]

Episode 2

***

"The site has been cleared."

Min Hyemi left a simple report over the walkie-talkie she was holding.

What lay before her was a park drenched in blood.

There were clear signs that something terrible had happened, but the cause was nowhere to be seen.

That was only natural. The bodies of the monsters taken care of by the Hunters were now inside the bags.

"It's lunchtime. Let's load this onto the truck and go eat."

Min Hyemi spoke to her partner in an indifferent tone as she turned around.

It had been two years since she returned to this world, completed the process of re-adapting, and got a job as a civil servant.

Her workplace was the Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters, Recovery Team 2, also known as the 'Corpse Disposal Unit.'

When Hunters worked hard to slay monsters, someone had to clean up the remains.

That was Min Hyemi's job.

Although she was a Hunter herself, she lacked the strength to fight monsters.

What abilities could someone who returned from a 19+ rated, explicit novel possibly have?

Thus, Min Hyemi led a life rummaging through the corpses of monsters, yet she was deeply satisfied with her life.

Perhaps because of the harsh experiences she had gone through in the 19+ rated novel, she had developed a 'strong mentality,' which allowed her to deal with monster remains without any difficulty.

After loading the monster corpses onto the truck, they headed to a nearby udon restaurant. Min Hyemi’s partner had a liking for Japanese cuisine.

Soon, when the udon they ordered was placed in front of them, her partner widened her eyes and exclaimed.

"What? This is a single serving? It's way too much! No way this is real!"

"Just shut up and eat."

Her partner, Lee Ruri, was someone who had returned from being possessed in a Japanese animation as a 'school idol.'

Due to that influence, Lee Ruri excessively liked Japan and often spoke in ways reminiscent of anime characters, which tended to irritate Min Hyemi.

Lee Ruri even referred to herself as 'Ruri-chan,' but Min Hyemi simply ignored it.

Having worked together with Lee Ruri for about a year, Min Hyemi had honed her 'ignoring skills' towards her.

The udon was delicious. Min Hyemi ate it with a satisfied expression.

"Oh~ I'm so full~ How can anyone eat all this? I'm not a pig, no way~!"

While Min Hyemi emptied her bowl of udon, Lee Ruri made such comments beside her, irritating her. Still, she ignored it.

After finishing the meal, Min Hyemi climbed into the driver's seat of the truck.

One of the new things Min Hyemi learned after returning to this world was driving — a necessity for her job in the Corpse Disposal Unit.

Although her partner, Lee Ruri, also had a driver's license, Min Hyemi always volunteered to drive.

The reason being…

"Hmm~ I keep confusing the accelerator and the brake."

That was what Lee Ruri said on her first day in the driver’s seat, showcasing her 'clumsy charm.'

Since then, Min Hyemi had taken over the driving without any complaints.

"Team Leader, you're here?"

"Oh, it's been a while."

On her way back to the office after returning the car keys, Min Hyemi came across a familiar face.

The face belonged to Kim Chan-neul, who was better described as a 'boy' rather than a young man, with a mischievous smile on his face.

Kim Chan-neul had returned from a soccer-themed boys' comic and was now a member of the soccer club at the Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters, where he continued to shine.

Of course, his odd tendency to try using strange techniques and then complain about why they didn’t work came as a bonus.

Seriously, why would anyone grab the ball with their hands during a soccer game?

"Did you have a good vacation?"

When Min Hyemi asked, Kim Chan-neul beamed as if he had been waiting for that question.

"It was amazing! I practiced my soccer techniques with people at the Sokcho beach!"

"Uh-huh, I see…"

Although Min Hyemi couldn’t quite understand why he would practice soccer techniques at the beach, she had grown somewhat accustomed to the strange characters in the Corpse Disposal Unit.

"By the way, how was today’s fieldwork?"

"Same as always."

Min Hyemi smirked slightly.

"Those guys are famous for their messy monster handling."

The 'guys' Min Hyemi referred to were the Hunters of the 'Security Team 1,' for whom she had done the cleanup today.

They had a reputation among the Corpse Disposal Unit for leaving behind messy battlefields.

"Ah, it’s the same as ever?"

"What else would you expect?"

"Sigh, they should consider the people who clean up after them. If it weren’t for you and Ruri-noona, no one else could even handle it."

"Well, that's true."

Min Hyemi glanced over at Lee Ruri, who was chatting with another staff member nearby.

"Wow~? You’re telling me this chocolate is from Italy? Amazing~ The taste is simply exceptional, isn’t it?"

Despite how she seemed, Lee Ruri had a remarkably strong mentality.

She had a skill named 'Seeing the World Beautifully,' which people jokingly called 'A Head Full of Flowers' for her ability to look at the world in a positive light.

"Oh, by the way, Team Leader, do you want to see my new skill?"

"Hmm? What skill?"

Could it be that Kim Chan-neul had mastered a new skill in the meantime?

Though rare, even lower-ranked Hunters occasionally developed new abilities.

With eyes filled with anticipation, Min Hyemi looked at Kim Chan-neul…

"Mega Whirlwind Spin Eagle Flame Shot!!!"

"…..........."

As expected, Min Hyemi’s hopes were utterly shattered as Kim Chan-neul started spinning his head on the floor.

Seriously, why would you perform a head spin in soccer…?

Chan-neul, please… just stop…

***

After leaving Kim Chan-neul to spin on the ground by himself, Min Hyemi sat down at her desk.

Although she primarily worked in the field, she occasionally handled paperwork when she had free time.

'How much is all this, anyway?'

As she calculated the cost of the damages caused by the Security Team 1 Hunters, Min Hyemi found herself at a loss for words.

Whenever she saw things like this, she couldn’t help but feel that even though they were all Hunters, they lived in completely different worlds.

Of course, the headquarters would take care of everything, but even if the costs were billed to them, they wouldn’t bat an eye.

"Sigh…"

Min Hyemi let out a deep sigh and mentally calculated her bank balance. There was no helping the sigh that escaped her.

Min Hyemi was an orphan.

Because of that, when she fell into another world, she didn’t have to worry about family. And because of that, when she got caught up in someone else’s violent love in that world, she had almost let her guard down.

Well, in any case, she was now back in her own world, where those bastards didn’t exist!

'I need to save money.'

Over time, she had learned the importance of living an independent life that wasn’t influenced by others.

And as someone like her—an orphan—living independently required money.

It was sheer luck that she had managed to get a job as a civil servant.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, she was steadily saving up money, and maybe, one day, she would really be able to buy her own home.

As her dreams gradually expanded, a shadow fell over her.

"Yeseul?"

The person standing there was Jung Yeseul, a member of the same Corpse Disposal Unit.

Jung Yeseul had an appearance that was somehow melancholic and gloomy, but she was also an elegant beauty.

Rather than a 'beautiful woman,' the term 'elegant beauty' fit her better.

Her long black hair, bare face without makeup, and monotone clothing were striking.

And Jung Yeseul was...

"I missed you."

"We just saw each other yesterday."

"Did we? My feelings must have been that strong."

…a former indie art film protagonist.

Because of this, she had a unique ability to make everything she said sound like dialogue from an indie art film.

"I ate chocolate yesterday."

"Okay."

"It melted in my mouth. Soft and sticky."

"Uh, okay."

"I just couldn’t resist it. It was too sweet."

"Why do you describe not liking the taste of chocolate like that, Yeseul?"

Indeed.

The Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters, Recovery Team 2, or as it was commonly known, the 'Corpse Disposal Unit,' was truly a gathering of oddballs.

Min Hyemi genuinely wanted to lead a normal life. She wanted to save money working as a civil servant and live an ordinary life.

But, unfortunately, the team leader of this Corpse Disposal Unit was none other than her.

If it seemed strange for someone so young to be a team leader, all you had to do was look around at her team members.

"Wow~ The tenacity of Koreans is amazing, isn’t it?"

What are you even saying, Ruri…? You’re Korean too…

"Want me to show you how to play soccer with your hands?"

Chan-neul, how many times do I have to tell you that’s not soccer?

"How foolish. The weather is too hot."

Yeseul, just take off your jacket…

Surrounded by people who could drive her crazy, Min Hyemi found herself momentarily stunned.

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