Side Story 2. Perfect Weather (2)

***

Before the morning hours had even passed, the results of the meeting were sent to all hunters as an official document. It was a remarkably swift process.

"I... did want to become a team leader someday, but..."

Ayoung trailed off after checking her phone. The unspoken meaning was roughly 'not in the midst of such a crisis...'

The official document annoyingly included a postscript wishing success to both candidates, along with the statement that election campaigning was officially possible from today. And the candidates who had to conduct their campaigns were sprawled out, shocked at finding themselves in such an honorable position.

"What did Tae-un oppa say?"

"I don't know... He seems to be in class. He's not answering."

There was an empty seat in the office where the three team members were stationed today. The year after overcoming the 4th Great Rift, Tae-un suddenly decided to return to school. As a result, Team 7 now had two members balancing academics and official duties.

"But is this how they usually choose the director, by voting like this?"

"It's my first time seeing the director position chosen by vote too..."

"Ah, I guess that's right."

Director Park Jae-seon had been nominated as a single candidate rather than elected... And looking back at past memories, it was similar when Soram took the vacant director position. Both were during emergencies, not peaceful times like now.

The voting method for the director was quite simple and fair.

The electorate consisted of about 50 hunters from the headquarters' Field Operations Bureau and about 10 executive-level members from the branches. Each hunter at the headquarters had one vote. And for each branch, only director and branch head-level executives had voting rights, but each person's vote counted as five. This was in the sense of bringing in the consolidated opinions of the branches.

Soram shuddered as he saw the dream he had been denying become more concrete.

"Hueeeh, what is this?"

"How did you let this happen if you dislike it so much?"

"I fell for the adults' scheme..."

This situation was clearly a plot devised by everyone except Soram and Ga-eul. But they couldn't overturn it either. Because Park Jae-seon's chance to become the agency director was at stake. In the end, this was the biggest reason why Soram and Ga-eul had to turn away without saying anything.

"In this case, it's Kim Ga-eul. We have to make Ga-eul the director no matter what."

"Don't you want to be the director, oppa?"

"No. Not at all. It's not a position that suits me."

"Then I should vote for Ga-eul unnie too. If you both don't want to do it, I should support the closer person."

"Oh my, thank you for your precious vote."

Soram secured one ‘supporter.’

"But it's strange in its own way for Ga-eul unnie to become director like this, being pushed into it..."

Ayoung, scratching her cheek, eventually just acquiesced. In fact, whether it was Soram or Ga-eul, it wasn't a very strange scene, just causing some worry due to personal closeness.

Knock knock.

Both of them turned their heads at the sound of the door being knocked. The one who opened Team 7's door and entered was the deputy chief of Team 1. She looked at the two people inside, then at the office nameplate, and backed away with an "Oops."

"This is Team 7. Excuse me. Fighting, Chief Jin!"

"Huh?"

She bowed her head slightly and closed the door. While the two were confused, suddenly shouts were heard from outside the door.

"Hello, please give us your precious vote!"

"In this director election, your choice is the most important!"

It was the typical sound of an election campaign.

"What's this, pretending not to be Kim Ga-eul but got greedy, I see. Then she should have just told me to resign."

"Please be sure to vote for Chief Jin Soram, the hero of the 3rd and 4th Great Rifts, a living legend. Thank you!"

What did they say!

Soram sprang up from his seat. Ayoung, blinking with a dumbfounded face, followed Soram as he kicked open the door and rushed out.

"Chief Jin to the director's office!"

"Jin Soram! Jin Soram!"

The corridor of the Field Operations Bureau had suddenly become a heated campaign site. Team 1 members who had come out of their office in a group were catching passing hunters and urging them to vote for Soram. Ga-eul had cowardly started campaigning with a much larger number of team members...!

Among them, the person conducting the most fervent support campaign for Soram was Kim Dan-ah, the deputy chief of Team 1.

"Each vote, gathered together, can protect the headquarters. Please send hope to Chief Jin!"

"Dan-ah unnie, what are you doing! This is too much!"

Ayoung ran in that direction on behalf of Soram, who was dazed by the active support of someone he wasn't usually even acquainted with.

"Soram oppa doesn't want to be director either. And that's fraudulent marketing."

"I'm sorry to Chief Jin, but I have no choice... I absolutely can't send Kim Ga-eul to the director's office!"

If Kim Ga-eul, the chief of Team 1, was like fire, Kim Dan-ah, the deputy chief who was her right arm and supported Team 1 together, had an image resembling gently flowing water. Their synergy helped greatly in efficiently running Team 1.

Ayoung saw such a Dan-ah this excited for the first time in her life.

"Our Ga-eul is a leaky bowl on the inside, but the team members have been blocking the leaks with their whole bodies on the outside! If she goes out to a big position, all her shortcomings will be exposed!"

"Th-then Soram oppa is a bowl with no bottom at all! He's never been blocked!"

"A clear personality is exactly what makes a leader. Let's have Chief Jin do it."

"Uwaaah, no. Soram oppa really can't! The headquarters will be in big trouble!"

While the argument continued, Ga-eul, who had half her face peeking out from Team 1's doorway, muttered bitterly, "It's pathetic, so please fight in a smaller voice..." Soram's sentiment wasn't much different.

"Jin Soram... can't you just do it? Isn't that better than continuing to see this spectacle?"

"How about the peaceful solution of me abstaining?"

"Hey, how could I be the director... But it doesn't make sense for you to do it either. Ah, how did the situation become like this?"

"Everyone seems to be having fun already."

Director Park Jae-seon appeared with a seemingly affectionate opening. The director smiled brightly as he looked at the chaotic corridor, enough to make one feel disillusioned about the years lived as a hunter.

"It seems our Ga-eul and Soram were this popular with other teams too. I'm very proud as both a director and a teacher. Both of you, work hard until two weeks from now."

Park Jae-seon heavily patted Soram and Ga-eul's shoulders, affectionately stroked their heads, and then left the corridor smiling. His steps somehow seemed excessively light compared to usual.

"The director... looks like he's enjoying this."

"Could it be that he's venting his desire to freeze the entire headquarters that he's had all this time..."

The two were once again left speechless.

***

The sound of sneakers approaching the dormitory came after 9 o'clock. The person who entered after punching in the passcode looked around the dark room with an expressionless face before turning on the lights.

His attire reflected in the darkened window was a dark gray sweatshirt and jeans. It was a somewhat unfamiliar sight considering he usually wore crisp suits at the headquarters.

After putting down his backpack on the floor, he approached someone sprawled on the sofa and lifted their upper body. Then he pressed his lips to the cheek of the person he had fished out.

"I'm back."

"Why are you so late?"

"Evening class."

"You're trying to do all the studying in the world by yourself..."

Although he knew Tae-un had crammed his classes into one day to balance with his hunter duties, Soram grumbled for no reason. Of course, Tae-un didn't mind this much.

Soram reached out and pulled on his clothes, which still carried the cool outside air, clinging tightly. Tae-un gently stroked Soram's head.

"I heard you became a candidate for the next director."

"Ah!"

Soram suddenly flailed with both hands and feet.

"I absolutely won't do it. I won't do it, I say!"

Hueeeh. After waving in the air for a while, his arms soon fell limply. Seeing his strangely listless appearance, Tae-un quickly noticed his condition.

"Did you eat?"

"No..."

"I told you to eat first."

He was originally the type who didn't take care of meals well when alone, so he must have been there without even thinking of eating when something complicated came up in his mind. Tae-un got up. When Soram didn't let go, clinging with his arms and legs wrapped around his shoulders and torso, he just went with him dangling on his back.

He arrived in the kitchen looking like he had an evil ancestral spirit attached to him. Soram had the arm strength and stamina to cling on for hours, and Tae-un had even greater physical abilities, so they could stay like this as long as they wanted.

After checking the refrigerator and confirming there was meat he had bought, Tae-un took it out along with some aged kimchi from the back of the fridge. Soram, who was peeking over his shoulder to watch, muttered.

"You campaign from tomorrow too. Tell them not to vote for me. Team 1 members have already started."

"How did you end up becoming a candidate if you dislike it so much?"

"I was played by the director. During the meeting this morning... Ah, right. We're being promoted to an agency and the director is becoming the agency director! That came up during the meeting..."

Tae-un listened to Soram's account of the day's events while boiling sliced pork in a pot and cutting kimchi into chunks to add. The evening menu was pork kimchi stew. The sound of the chopping board being tapped mixed with Soram's voice.