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“No matter how I think about it, I’m winning, right?”

Song Ah Rin opened her mouth with a look of disbelief.

“You two should know that if I set my mind to it, I can make you dance tap until you’re exhausted and collapse right here.”

“Before you start your nonsense, I could smash your head in.”

Upon hearing those words, Jang Chae Yeon narrowed her eyes and countered against Song Ah Rin’s statement.

The two were staring each other down, and suddenly, Yu Da On timidly raised her hand and replied.

“…I’m confident I could win if we fought…?”

Both of their gazes turned to her in unison, and receiving that look, Yu Da On mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper.

“…If it’s a one-round match, I could win.”

“Me too.”

Both of them nodded in agreement.

I could relate. If it came down to a short contest, those two might defeat Yu Da On, but in a long match, I’m pretty sure Yu Da On could win if Chae Yeon let her guard down just a little.

To begin with, who could win in a long fight against Yu Da On? I certainly wouldn’t have any confidence in winning either.

-Creaking,

With the sound of rolling chair wheels, the Team Leader rises from his seat.

“Jae Heon.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“I feel like having some coffee right now, so I’m going to get some. The Response Team gave me some coffee coupons.”

The Team Leader pulled out several coffee coupons from his drawer.

After the incident at the amusement park, Aileen returned to her team.

She sent various gifts with a note thanking them for their help, including coffee coupons used within the Management Agency, though I didn’t quite understand why.

I recalled the conversation we had in the returning truck.

There were some people watching over her without her even knowing it.

“Aileen.”

“Yes?”

“It may sound unpleasant, but there might be someone watching over you from the shadows.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. But… please be careful. Whether it’s goodwill or not, you never know.”

“…I’ll remember your words well.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It makes sense.”

When I shared my opinion with her, she responded in kind, nodding as if she understood too.

Leaving behind the caution of “I’ll be careful,” she went back to work with the Response Team.

“I’ll go with you—”

“Don’t.”

“No, I—”

The Team Leader turned to glare at me.

“You stay.”

“…Yes.”

With an assertive tone, almost like, “You know the situation,” I had no choice but to nod to the Team Leader.

“Make sure you handle it well.”

“Me?”

“Of course, I can’t do it myself.”

Saying that, the Team Leader casually left the room.

Watching him go, I turned to the two who were still bickering.

“Hah, I thought it was totally obnoxious when you showed up here so shamelessly from Gangdong Branch.”

“Have you thought about how uncomfortable your tone makes other people feel?”

Now it wasn’t even about who was stronger; it was entirely personal between Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon.

“Can we please stop fighting?”

We’re not kids. How can they fight like this every day if I just take my eyes off them for a second?

I sighed and spread my hands.

“What are you even talking about? Strong or not, it’s just about individual strengths and weaknesses.”

“You’re saying that because you’re the strongest among us four.”

“Jae Heon isn’t even on the same level.”

“…”

Keeping her arms crossed, Song Ah Rin grumbled in annoyance, and Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon nodded along.

“…Me?”

“Isn’t it? It’s not easy to take down someone who can even give the Management Agency a hard time in one hit.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Neither can I!”

The three of them nodded.

I felt like they were misunderstanding something. Do they think I’m a powerhouse capable of wiping them out with one shot?

I pondered her words deeply.

…That actually might be a reasonable assumption.

But in reality, I thought differently.

If I fought Yu Da On, I’d get killed in one shot, and against Jang Chae Yeon, I doubt I’d even get a chance to shoot before I folded.

As for Song Ah Rin… I could win.

After all, she’s no different from a regular person in front of me.

As if sensing my gaze, Song Ah Rin placed her hands on her hips and glared at me.

“Why are you looking at me with such a devilish glare?”

“No, I just think you could win.”

“Are you feeling good thinking someone who’s totally at a disadvantage could win because you’re looking at me like that?”

Behind an huffing Song Ah Rin, Jang Chae Yeon and Yu Da On blinked in response.

“But why would I fight with Kim Jae Heon?”

“I don’t want to fight with Jae Heon either!”

“You idiots! I’m just saying hypothetically, hypothetically!”

Sounding exasperated, Song Ah Rin pounded her chest with her fist and sighed.

“Anyway, maybe not that one, but I won’t lose to you two.”

“…”

“…”

The two looked at Song Ah Rin in silence.

Soon, Jang Chae Yeon opened her mouth.

“Are you curious? Do you want to try?”

“Hah, sounds good. I’ll make you bark like a dog crawling on the floor while you can’t even get your senses back.”

“Before that, you’ll probably have a hole in your forehead.”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

I stretched out my hands to stop the escalating conversation and opened my mouth.

“No, first just stop fighting. How do you even plan on doing that? Should we ask the Management Agency to rent a public space?”

Upon hearing my words, Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon looked at me with incredulous expressions.

“What do you mean rent a public space? We can just fight inside the Management Agency.”

“Yeah.”

“Excuse me?”

Yu Da On and I exchanged glances. It seemed like there was some kind of secret conversation we two were oblivious to.

“Oh, you two might not know. Why do I feel like I’m sitting with veteran containment team members when I’m with you two?”

Song Ah Rin clapped her hands and looked at Yu Da On and me.

“There’s a place inside where we can fight.”

*

-Thud!

An ominous sound came from beyond the door.

“What’s going on here?”

“This is the place inside the Management Agency you’ve been curious about for fights.”

“Why is this even here?”

“Why not? Even the Isolation Team needs to hone their skills.”

With incredulous looks, Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon stared at me.

“I didn’t know this place existed.”

“You wouldn’t. You’re office staff, after all…”

After hearing the term “office staff,” Song Ah Rin mentioned it as if she were puzzled.

Holding back the urge to give her a playful slap on the head, I glanced at the door again.

“But there’s someone here.”

“Probably the Gangseo Branch Isolation Team…”

“Oh, those idiots.”

“If they’re already using it—”

“We can just use another room.”

After my words, Song Ah Rin squinted and murmured before opening the door.

With a loud bang, the door swung open.

Inside was truly nothing.

To describe it, the interior seemed to defy the laws of physics.

The green floor looked like the dojo I used to go to as a child, with sunlight shining through, yet the view outside was completely blocked from the window, and there was an incomprehensibly large ceiling.

And there were enormous walls placed here and there, as if the Management Agency had provided a space for training.

I stood agape, taking in my surroundings.

The size could easily rival five giant baseball domes.

“…How did this happen?”

“This? We’re using a containment object.”

“…”

As I looked at Song Ah Rin with a dumbfounded expression, Jang Chae Yeon added her explanation.

“It’s a tool-type object. After being collected by the Management Agency, it’s now used as a training room.”

How did they even collect something like this?

I was momentarily lost in thought over that question when I suddenly heard a strange sound from somewhere.

-Roll, roll, roll!

Is that the sound of someone rolling?

As I squinted at the sound, Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon pulled Yu Da On and me inside as if making a pact.

Soon, the walls began to descend from the endless ceiling, forming a confined space.

Even though it was described as confined, it was wide enough to play soccer in.

“If you get caught by that crazy guy, you’re gonna have a rough time. It’s better not to meet him.”

“…”

Song Ah Rin muttered in dismay while nodding her head in agreement with Jang Chae Yeon.

“A crazy guy?”

“Do you remember the ace of the Gangseo Branch Isolation Team I mentioned?”

Jang Chae Yeon looked at me and began to speak.

“Oh. I remember.”

That person Jang Chae Yeon called strange.

I nodded, and she sighed softly.

“That’s him.”

“…Why him?”

“Because he’s a weirdo.”

“Hey! Forget that, let’s just get ready to fight.”

Song Ah Rin spoke sharply to Jang Chae Yeon, and Yu Da On also began to loosen up.

“…You, too, Da On?”

“I should, too!”

Yu Da On was warming up as if saying, “How could you even ask that?”

“When you two finish, I’ll need to too!”

As Yu Da On cheerfully spoke, Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon stood facing each other.

The two of them glaring at each other with serious expressions.

I had caught a hint from Song Ah Rin that there was undoubtedly something I didn’t know between the two of them.

“Count me down.”

“Understood. Three, two—”

As I started counting, the two of them began to look at each other with steely expressions.

“…”

“…”

With an overwhelming atmosphere of tension, sincerity filled their gazes as they locked eyes,

“One.”

-Thud!

“…Gah…”

“…Woof!”

The match ended immediately.

Song Ah Rin, clutching her head as if something had been lodged in her skull, wobbled and fell over, while Jang Chae Yeon squatted down and started barking like a puppy.

“…Is it already over?”

“Woof!”

In my disillusionment, Jang Chae Yeon beamed at me and suddenly jumped over, landing on me.

“Ah—”

She toppled into me, and Yu Da On’s eyes widened as she grabbed Jang Chae Yeon’s shoulders and began to pull her off.

I locked eyes with Jang Chae Yeon.

With a bright smile, she looked at me and then pulled me into a hug.

“Wait, wait, Jae Heon!”

“Woof!”

“Jae Heon! No, Chae Yeon! Calm down!”

“Chae Yeon! Wait! Don’t lick my face! No, that’s ticklish—”

“Woof!”

“Stop sticking so close! I don’t know where to put my hands!”

Eventually, it took half an hour for Jang Chae Yeon to compose herself and a full hour for the dazed Song Ah Rin to wake up.

The fight was instantly concluded, and due to the strong wills of the two, it was decided that this incident would be swept under the rug.

*

Not long after, I was unexpectedly summoned by the higher-ups, who claimed they had gathered information sooner than I anticipated.

What caught me off guard was that the Gangseo Branch Chief had called for me directly.

“…So, the reason you called for me is…”

“Think carefully.”

The Gangseo Branch Chief nodded as she looked at me.

“I’m here to discuss the series of events that took place at the ‘Amusement Park’ last time.”

She stared at me.

“First, there’s something I should show you.”

She stood up and tapped the pen on her desk twice in the center.

With a clunk, the desk split open, revealing a staircase.

“…Shall we talk here?”

She gazed at me intently.

With the same smile as always, her eyes narrowed as if unreadable.