"Ha-eun, wake up. It's time to go to the Association."
Ohjin, who had woken up at early dawn and finished his light training routine, woke Ha-eun up.
"Uah. A little longer…"
Ha-eun pulled up the sheets and wriggled around.
"Seriously… you're not a child anymore."
Ohjin smiled and reached out his hand to her side. He was planning on waking her up by suddenly tickling her.
"Ohjin~"
However, that plan fell apart when she got up half-asleep with a dazed look.
Grab!—
"Huh?"
Ha-eun grabbed Ohjin’s arm that was heading to her side and roughly pulled it in.
His body tilted helplessly as his face dug into her cleavage that was exposed due to the fact she was wearing light pajamas.
"Ah, uhk!"
"Zzzzz… Stay still."
Ha-eun pulled in the body of the struggling Ohjin with both arms and wrapped one of her slim legs around his hip.
She stuck to him like a cicada and pulled him into the blankets like an ant that was caught in an antlion's pit.
"Ehehe. Ohjin~ let's sleep together?"
Ha-eun called out his name in a drowsy voice and increased the strength in her arms.
"Argh…"
Ohjin, who had barely escaped from her cleavage, looked at Ha-eun, who was laid down on the bed with a dumbfounded expression.
"Zzzzz…"
"Ugh."
Ohjin was about to shake her awake but stayed still in silence once he looked at how Ha-eun had fallen back to sleep with cute snores.
‘It's a bit awkward to wake her up now.'
‘I guess I have no choice.'
Ohjin sighed and laid down next to Ha-eun with her arms still wrapped around him. He blatantly observed her sleeping face.
"…"
—Long eyebrows. Small nose and pink lips. Red hair that flowed down her slim jawline.
Her breathtakingly beautiful looks that resembled a radiant ruby shone as usual.
"…Ha-eun."
His heart didn't beat like a youth who had met his first love.
The time he had spent together with her was too long for his heart to race from looking at her sleeping face.
Rather than nervousness or excitement…
A serene happiness like calm pools of water after rain spreading out.
"Hehe."
Like a ripple in the quiet and cozy atmosphere… Ha-eun giggled openly with a stupid smile.
Was it because she was having a good dream?
"Ohjin… you shouldn't touch there…"
‘What kind of dream is she having…?"
"That place… is where things are supposed to come out, not go in…"
?
"Ah, it won't go in any m—"
"STOP!!!! STOP RIGHT THERE!!!"
"Kyaaaaaa!!! What the fuck!!!!!"
Smash!!!—
Ha-eun, who was drunk on sleep, suddenly opened her eyes and kicked Ohjin.
Bam! Boom! Bang!—
Ohjin shot off like a cannon, smashed his head into the ceiling, and rolled around on the ground.
"You surprised me!!!"
"I was even more surprised!!!"
‘What kind of dreams is this woman having?'
"Ugh, my ears hurt."
"My entire body hurts."
Ha-eun rubbed her ears and glared at Ohjin.
"Seriously, you should have woken me up in a civilized manner."
"I tried to."
‘It's just that your mouth wasn't civil.'
"So, what's the time?"
"Twenty-two past ten o'clock."
"Woah, when did that happen."
"Tch… I was having a good dream."
"…"
‘Don't imagine it.'
‘You must not imagine it.'
‘…If that’s a good dream.'
"Begone!!!!!!!!!"
"Ahhhhh!!! Why do you keep screaming!!!"
‘That was dangerous. I nearly imagined it in detail inside my head.'
"Hurry up and go wash up, and also, get dressed."
"Ugh. Okay."
Ha-eun sluggishly got up from bed and headed to the bathroom.
"Phew."
[Hmm. It's noisy starting in the morning.]
Vega appeared from the necklace and naturally sat on top of his head.
"Ha-eun wasn't getting out of bed."
[Tch, tch. What an undisciplined child. My proud child had already woken up at early dawn and finished his hard training.]
Vega patted his head while thinking it was strange, but thankfully, it seemed that she hadn't heard Ha-eun's sleep talking.
[By the way, my child.]
"Yeah?"
[Just what is a place where things are supposed to come out and not go in?]
"…"
* * *
"Mmh~! It's been a really long time since I came to the Association."
Ha-eun stretched after leaving the car and looked around the tall Association buildings that were lined up.
"Hey, the buildings look pretty fresh, considering the fact they get looked down on here and there."
"It's still the largest agency in regards to Awakeners in this country."
It was like how the police were looked down upon in the past. It didn't change the fact that they were an incredibly large-scale agency.
"Hehe. I didn't ever think a day where I joined the Association would come."
"Let's stop looking around and head inside."
"Okay."
They both went into the staff-exclusive elevator and entered General Manager Han's office.
* * *
* * *
Click—
"Ah, you came together."
"I wanted to see you since it's been a while."
"Hahaha. You won't get a bonus or anything like that, you know?"
‘Unfortunate.'
"Hm… first of all, here is the contract. Please read through it."
"Alrighty."
Ha-eun received the contract and sat down on her seat.
‘She really doesn't know how to speak formally… Well, I guess she does that to celestials, as well.'
Still, as it could cause problems for one who belonged to the Association, he was planning to warn her later.
Even in a world where monsters ran wild, there were still people everywhere who would pick a fight over manners.
“Let’s see… it isn’t bad. The salary isn’t high, but that’s only a given since I don’t go to work. Wait, what? Tax exemption??”
“That’s why I became the Association’s dog.”
“Huh? Then am I their bitch?”
“…”
“Kyaha!! I’m just kidding, man. Don’t give me that serious look.”
“Please don’t say those kinds of things, even as a joke.”
“Alright~”
“Hahaha! The two of you are really close. It’s tough for a single man like me to watch.”
General Manager Han laughed broadly and took a sip out of his coffee.
“Once I find my partner, I hope that we’ll give off as much of a friendly vibe as the two of you.”
‘Hm. Looks like our general manager has a little bit of a misunderstanding.’
“Ha-eun and I aren’t a couple.”
“…Pardon?”
General Manager Han’s eyes opened wide. His face expressed that he couldn’t have imagined it.
“…”
Even Ha-eun, who was reading through the contract, suddenly flinched and looked at him with shaking eyes.
“Uhm… Then are you two perhaps… already engaged?”
“Nope.”
“Then… uh, siblings…?”
“That’s not it either.”
They were too affectionate to be called simple couples,
And cherished one another too much to be family.
They weren’t couples, siblings, or married.
He had never treated her as one of those predefined relationships that could disappear easily at any given time.
“Then… what kind of relationship are the two of you in?”
“I’m not sure.”
Ohjin had never thought deeply into it.
Being together with her just went without saying and was as natural as breathing.
He had never even thought about defining his relationship with her with a fixed term, but if he were to express his relationship with Ha-eun in words…
“Let’s just say that… we're in a relationship where staying together goes without saying."
"…"
"…"
The two of them looked at Ohjin with embarrassed expressions.
"Ha…"
General Manager Han chuckled and soon covered his face with his wide palm.
"…I didn't think you were the kind of person that would say such embarrassing words as it's nothing."
He shook his head as if he couldn't listen any longer as he felt more second-hand embarrassment than the one who said it.
"O-O-Ohjin, seriously, you…!"
Ha-eun covered her reddening cheeks and stepped on his foot.
"There really is nothing you can't say!!"
"What… it's not like I said anything wrong."
"Aah!! F-Forget about what he just said!! Okay?! Or else I won't sign the contract!!"
Ha-eun pulled on her hair and unreasonably shouted at General Manager Han, who was sitting there doing nothing.
"Hahahahaha!! It looks like I asked an inconsiderate question."
"I… I said forget about it!"
"Okay, okay. I understand."
Han Joonman smiled and nodded his head.
"In any case, how's the internal situation within the Association recently?"
"Um."
General Manager Han's eyes slightly glanced past Ha-eun.
"It's okay. You can talk about it."
Ohjin had already explained about Cheon Woosung and the internal factions within the Association to Ha-eun.
"Hmm. First off, Cheon Woosung has been quiet lately."
General Manager Han's expression sank heavily.
"…So quiet to the point that it's worrying."
It could have been because he didn't have the spare time to pay heed to the Association due to the incident with Isabella.
And if that wasn't it…
‘He might be preparing something else.'
Whatever it was, the fact that he couldn’t be relaxed was the same.
"Well… the biggest thing he's done recently is expand the Unawakened Safety Management Center."
"Unawakened Safety Management Center?"
"It's a center where they provide support and protect the unawakened who reside in areas susceptible to monsters. The board of directors do everything starting from planning, managing, and even operating the center."
"…"
‘Are they planning to copy what Isabella did in Italy? But considering that…'
Ohjin narrowed his eyes.
"Are they not advertising? To be honest, I haven’t heard of it even once."
"As far as I know, they aren't going out of their way to advertise with the reasoning that it's public welfare."
‘Just what are those bastards planning?'
"Well… there isn't much we can say in regards to the center. Even if that Cheon Woosung bastard did all kinds of vicious deeds until now, not once has he laid his hands on the unawakened."
‘I'm starting to get a rough idea.'
The Black Star Organization's established plan was killing all Awakeners and turning all of the oppressed unawakened into apostles of the ‘Black Stars'.
‘It's only natural that they're preparing measures to increase the quality of life for the unawakened.'
Whatever their true goals were, as the goal on the surface was based on the sense of inferiority and hatred the unawakened felt towards the Awakeners, it was right to take care of them first.
‘The problem is what their true goals are…'
Ohjin narrowed his eyes.
‘Well, I'll find that out eventually.'
The possibility was very slim, but…
‘That nonsensical goal… it might actually be their true goal.'
He didn't have enough information to deduce the Black Star Organization's true goal yet.
"Then we'll now take our leave."
"Yes. I'll notify you when Cheon Woosung and his side make any other moves."
"Okay."
He nodded his head and exited the office.
"Hmm. So what kind of person is Cheon Woosung?"
"I don't know."
He seemed like an extremely twisted person based on what he had seen in the memories, but…
"I'm not sure since I've never met him in person."
It wasn’t possible to grasp what kind of person Cheon Woosung was yet.
‘I should just focus on the quest for now.'
When he got on the elevator while having those thoughts…
"Huh? You are Ohjin… correct?"
—A youth with neat, sharply-measured business attire and a well-kept organized pomade hairstyle.
The tall, handsome man that gave off a likable impression walked out of the elevator.
"I've always wanted to meet you, but I didn't think it'd happen like this."
With an innocent smile like that of a child, he extended his hand forward.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Cheon Woosung.”
