RFH Chapter 03 — [R15]

 

Episode 3

No matter how terrible her colleagues were, quitting was not an option.

As always, Min Hyemi held back tears and focused on the monitor in front of her.

"The market price for Black Dragon hide is…"

She was mumbling to herself and engrossed in her work when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"This is Recovery Team 1."

"Ah, yes!"

Kim Chan-neul, who was seated near the door, responded cheerfully.

At the Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters where Min Hyemi worked, there were two teams: 'Recovery Team 1' and 'Recovery Team 2.'

Her team, Recovery Team 2, also known as the Corpse Disposal Unit, was responsible for cleaning up the field and disposing of monster remains.

On the other hand, Recovery Team 1, referred to as the 'External Cleanup Unit', dealt with resolving damages to private property caused by Hunters during battles.

"You must be new!"

"Ah, yes, I’m a new hire! I was wondering if the team leader might have seen the email I sent earlier…"

The rookie from Recovery Team 1 began speaking, but as soon as Min Hyemi saw his face, her expression turned pale.

The rookie was exceptionally tall, well-built, and strikingly handsome.

And that meant…

"Ugh!"

"T-Team Leader!"

Kim Chan-neul, who had been speaking with the rookie, quickly ran to Min Hyemi.

"Are you okay?! Please don’t die!"

"Ugh, Chan-neul… I think this is the end for me…"

"Team Leadeeeer!"

As Kim Chan-neul clung to her semi-limp body, wailing, the rookie stood there, bewildered.

"A-Are you feeling unwell…"

"Ugh, get out!"

"Pardon?"

"I said get out, you bastard!"

"W-Why all of a sudden…"

At that, Kim Chan-neul supported the trembling Min Hyemi and shouted:

"Our team leader has an allergy to male leads from romance-fantasy novels!"

"Ugh."

Yes, her soul was screaming that the overly smooth and polished man in front of her was undoubtedly a returnee from a romance-fantasy story.

"B-But why does it matter if I’m a romance-fantasy male lead… I was just an ordinary obsessive male lead. Of course, I’ve stopped obsessing since I returned here."

"No! Our team leader hates the word ‘obsession’!"

"Ugh…"

"I mean, I regret it now…"

"No! She hates regret even more!"

"Ugh!"

"It was a dark genre, but…"

"That’s the worst possible word!"

"Urrghhh!"

"Ehhh~? Hyemi-chan! Daijoubu (Are you okay)?"

In the end, the rookie, on his first visit to another team, witnessed the team leader throwing up. Min Hyemi, for her part, agreed to call Lee Ruri 'Ruri-chan' for the rest of the day as thanks for helping clean up the mess.

***

"Hehh, it’s almost time to clock out."

"Ruri-chan, got any plans after work?"

"What’s this? Since when does Hyemi-chan ask me about my plans?"

Lee Ruri puffed out her cheeks as she spoke.

"Well, I could try being kind for a day."

"Tch, if that’s the case, why don’t you try being nice all the time!"

Lee Ruri puffed out her cheeks again as she replied.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I’m going home today to practice singing! I’ve found a song I’m obsessed with lately."

"Honestly, don’t you think it’s time to admit that your singing skills are not that great?"

"What did you say? Are you insulting Ruri-chan right now?!"

Lee Ruri puffed out her cheeks once more.

For the record, the repeated description of Lee Ruri puffing her cheeks is not a mistake. She actually puffed her cheeks three times in a row.

"I guess I’ll work overtime today. The market value for the Black Dragon caught by Security Team 1 is a bit tricky."

"Security Team 1…"

Jung Yeseul, who had been quiet until then, joined the conversation with a look of interest.

"It must not have been easy to catch a Black Dragon."

"Well, it is Security Team 1 we’re talking about."

"Sometimes there are those who transcend the limits of humanity."

All the Hunters affiliated with the Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters worked in teams.

Among them, Security Team 1 was the strongest team composed entirely of S-rank Hunters. They were nothing short of living legends and the pride of South Korea.

For a moment, Min Hyemi found herself envying the Hunters of Security Team 1. She had heard that they earned astronomical sums of money.

"But isn’t it true that the Hunters in Security Team 1 have strange personalities?"

Kim Chan-neul, who had been noisily dribbling a soccer ball in the middle of the office, suddenly chimed in.

"Well, yeah. Strong Hunters are always known for having weird personalities."

"True. A lot of them are returnees too."

"Exactly. All returnees are a little unhinged. Just look at our team—no one here is completely normal."

As Min Hyemi muttered indifferently, suddenly, the building's sirens blared.

Beep— Beep—

"What’s going on?"

Startled by the piercing sound, Min Hyemi covered her ears. She was sensitive to noise and disliked loud sounds.

[Emergency, emergency— Intruder detected in the building—]

At those words, everyone’s faces turned pale.

The Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters was primarily staffed with office workers who lacked combat skills.

While there were offices for Hunters, most of them were usually working outside.

If there was indeed an intruder, it meant that they were in serious danger!

"Everyone, grab a weapon and prepare to defend yourselves…!"

Just as Min Hyemi shouted those words, the door burst open, and masked intruders armed with guns stormed into the office.

"Damn it…"

She cursed under her breath. It seemed they were already too late to act.

"Hands above your heads!"

Recovery Team 2 was far from foolish.

This meant they weren’t about to recklessly resist when they had no combat abilities.

All of them obediently complied with the intruders’ orders.

The intruders bound their hands behind their backs with handcuffs and made them kneel on the floor.

"Is there anyone here with clearance to access Grade A documents?"

One of the intruders shouted, but Min Hyemi calmly responded:

"We’re part of the Corpse Disposal Unit that handles monster remains. We don’t have clearance to access such documents."

"Well, the entrance to this office didn’t seem like much to begin with."

"Let’s wait for a response from the other team."

The intruders holding walkie-talkies whispered among themselves.

Min Hyemi watched them with a calm gaze.

'They’ll be subdued soon anyway.'

Although South Korea had been one of the fastest countries to stabilize after the monster crisis, it was not completely safe.

Just like other countries, South Korea had terrorist organizations that committed crimes using their abilities.

The Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters frequently experienced such intrusions, and thus had thoroughly prepared countermeasures in place.

Although she didn’t know how security had been breached this time, Hunters would soon arrive to subdue them.

She stayed quiet and patiently waited, bound in handcuffs. However, the intruders’ conversation caught her attention.

"The new recruit in the organization seems to be insanely strong. To breach the security like this in one go…"

"I heard they’re S-rank."

What?! Min Hyemi’s eyes widened in shock. An S-rank individual had joined a terrorist organization?

Officially, there were six known S-rank awakened individuals in South Korea.

Four of them worked for the Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters, and two operated as freelancers.

S-rank abilities were that rare and powerful. If there was indeed an S-rank among the intruders, it could take some time to subdue them.

'Does that mean we’ll be stuck like this for who knows how long?'

As the realization hit her, a cold sweat ran down Min Hyemi’s back.

She despised being restrained. The reason why… well, this isn’t an R-rated story, so there’s no need to explain.

'This won’t do.'

Min Hyemi quickly scanned the number of intruders with her eyes.

Perhaps due to the unimpressive appearance of the office, there were only three intruders.

"Excuse me… Are you returnees by any chance? We’re all returnees here, so could you go easy on us…?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? There are no returnees here, so shut up!"

They snapped at her, but the fact that 'there are no returnees here' was an important clue for her.

With her resolve firm, Min Hyemi subtly moved her hands behind her back.

[Skill <Unlock Handcuffs> activated!]

Yes, Min Hyemi had a skill to unlock handcuffs.

Naturally, it was a skill she had acquired after being handcuffed numerous times. As for why she had been in handcuffs so often… well, again, this isn’t an R-rated story, so there’s no need to elaborate.

Anyway, she extended her now-free hand and unlocked the handcuffs of Jung Yeseul, who was sitting next to her.

'I can’t make it to where Kim Chan-neul and Lee Ruri are, but…'

She didn’t know if the intruders were Hunters or how strong they were.

At first glance, it might seem reckless.

But…

'This should be enough.'

Min Hyemi was confident she could take them down.

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