episode_0029

“Huff!”

I woke up with a start, as if from a dream.

Before I knew it, I was holding Eunhye tightly in my arms.

“Ugh, uhm…”

Eunhye also stirred, seemingly waking up with me.

“Eunhye-ya! Are you okay?”

At my call, Eunhye slowly opened her eyes.

Thankfully, her eyes, which had turned black, had returned to their original color, looking normal again.

“Do, Doyeong-ah?”

“Whew! That’s a relief. Does anything hurt?”

I couldn’t see any external injuries.

It seemed that disconnecting the link before it affected her body had worked.

‘Because it was a dangerous entity, just being connected to it could have harmed her…’

Fortunately, Eunhye’s sensitivity wasn’t that strong.

The fact that I instantly killed it as soon as it appeared probably had an effect too.

“W-what happened?”

“You got caught up in a dangerous urban legend and lost consciousness.”

“Urban legend? Are you talking about this shadow?”

“Huh?”

At Eunhye’s words, I looked around.

Only then did I notice that a black shadow was surrounding us, half-engulfing us.

“This is…”

“Looks like you’re alright.”

Instructor Lee Jaehak, who had appeared at our side, said.

“Seems like you got caught up in an urban legend. Looks like you handled it well?”

“Ah, yes! That’s right.”

I didn’t bother to reveal what kind of urban legend it was.

It would be troublesome if he deemed it too dangerous and fired Eunhye.

“Um, but this shadow…?”

“Judging by the looks of it, it seems to be connected to something dangerous, so I was going to feed it to my familiar.”

Such a terrifying thing to do?

Is this guy really a devil?

“Well, if you’re alright, then that’s that.”

Lee Jaehak snapped his fingers, and the shadow receded.

“…This is my mistake for failing to supervise properly. I didn’t expect there to be a trainee with enough sensitivity to summon an urban legend right away.”

Lee Jaehak’s gaze turned to Eunhye.

“It’s a remarkable talent. But it’s just as dangerous. Make sure to attend all of my lectures from now on so you can learn how to control your power.”

“Yes? Ah, yes, sir! I understand!”

Eunhye nodded like a woodpecker.

It seemed a little awkward for her to be receiving praise for the first time.

“And the top student also handled it well. Looks like you knew what to do when connected to an urban legend.”

“I just happened to have seen a related broadcast before, so I tried it.”

I couldn’t say that I knew because I saw it in a game.

“You saw a broadcast once and followed along… Well, I see.”

Lee Jaehak nodded with a strange expression and then asked us.

“But how long are you two going to keep doing that?”

“Yes?”

“In Cheonjihae, office romances aren’t prohibited. But please refrain from doing so during lectures.”

Eunhye and I looked at each other, wondering what he was talking about.

Soon, we realized that we were embracing each other tightly.

“Hot! Hwat! Ah! S-sorry!”

“Ah, it’s okay. It was my fault too.”

We hurriedly released our arms and moved away from each other.

Eunhye’s face turned bright red, as if she was embarrassed.

It looked like steam was about to rise from her head.

“Ahaha… how embarrassing. It’s the first time I’ve hugged a man since my dad.”

“I, I see.”

For some reason, I started to become conscious of the sensation from earlier.

Eunhye was quite… more than I thought.

‘No, crazy. What are you thinking right now.’

What happened just now was an accident.

I’m not some adolescent middle schooler.

I’m already past the age where I’d be conscious of such things.

“Today’s lecture is over.”

Lee Jaehak said to the trainees who were looking at us.

“Even if you couldn’t sense anything, you’re welcome to come if you still want to learn. There’s no harm in learning, after all.”

Before I knew it, the lecture had ended.

It seemed that time had passed while I was saving Eunhye.

“…Just in case, you two should go to the treatment room. Even if there are no external injuries, you may still be hurt.”

“Ah… yes! Thank you!”

Lee Jaehak said, worrying about us.

Seeing that, I wonder if he’s thinking of us differently from how he looks.

“And when you’re done, Top Student, come to my office. I have something to talk about.”

Oh, never mind.

That guy is definitely a devil.

****

Eunhye and I went to the treatment room attached to Cheonjihae.

‘How is the treatment room in a company better than most hospitals?’

The treatment room was filled with all sorts of examination rooms and equipment.

The doctors and nurses also exuded an expert aura.

For reference, as this is a world where supernatural powers exist, medical technology has also developed in various directions.

I’ll skip the detailed explanation today as it would be a long story.

“The test results show that there are no problems. But just in case, come back if you feel unwell.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The test results were fortunately fine.

Considering the nature of the urban legend that attacked Eunhye, it could be said that she was extremely lucky.

‘Or maybe my instant kill is just that overpowered.’

To be able to kill even an existence from another world like that.

What exactly is this ability?

Could it really kill even gods?

“Um… Doyeong-ah. I’m sorry.”

While I was thinking, Eunhye, who was walking next to me, said.

“About what?”

I asked, having no idea what she was talking about, and Eunhye hesitated before answering.

“It’s because you were also put in danger because of me.”

“Ah~ Don’t worry about it.”

Eunhye coming into contact with another world wasn’t in the original story.

‘That is, this is also a variable that arose because of me.’

It’s a result of me becoming close with Eunhye.

Naturally, it’s right for me to solve it.

More than anything-

“It’s only natural to help a friend in danger, right?”

“T-that’s right. Because we’re friends… Hehe.”

For some reason, Eunhye smiled awkwardly.

“More than that, Eunhye, you’re amazing. You’re the only one who got connected to an urban legend in the first lecture.”

“Umm~ Isn’t that a bad thing? I don’t remember, but it seems like it was dangerous.”

“That’s just because it’s your first time. If you learn properly, you’ll be amazing, right?”

I deliberately praised Eunhye even more.

I don’t know the reason, but the fact that she got connected to those things means that Eunhye’s mental state isn’t good.

I need to heal her mind so that this doesn’t happen again.

“That Lee Jaehak, it’s the first time I’ve seen him praise anyone.”

“Doyeong, you also received a lot of praise.”

“Hey, what kind of praise is that? He’s just being sarcastic.”

“I, is that so? It seems a little different…”

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that Eunhye, you have a high potential. Even if your growth is a little slow now, you can still carry later.”

“Pfft! Yeah, thanks, Doyeong-ah.”

Was my praise too obvious?

Eunhye burst into laughter.

‘It’s embarrassing for me to praise her so blatantly.’

Still, Eunhye didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

Rather, seeing her smiling brightly, I felt a little relieved.

“More than that, are you really okay? Instructor Lee Jaehak called you to his office earlier.”

“Ah… that’s right. He did.”

When I thought about that, I became depressed again.

Having a conversation alone with that devil in the same space?

I’d rather sleep with a pretty virgin ghost for one night.

“I think he called you because of what happened earlier. Should I go with you?”

“No. If you do that, you’ll only get scolded more. It’s probably not just because of what happened earlier either.”

If he needed me, he would have called both of us in the first place.

The fact that he only called me means that he has something else to say.

‘What kind of scolding is he going to give me?’

I’m worried because I’ve caused quite a few incidents indirectly.

I wonder if he’s going to warn me that if I cause any more problems, he’ll force me to quit.

‘Oh well, I don’t know! It’ll work out somehow.’

He wouldn’t really kick me out, would he?

Trying to think positively, I parted ways with Eunhye and headed to the office.

****

Knock knock!

“Come in.”

When I knocked on the office door, a reply came back.

Lee Jaehak, who was sitting at his desk, looked at me.

“How’s your body?”

“The doctor said there’s nothing wrong.”

“That’s good.”

Lee Jaehak nodded and gestured to the chair.

It seemed like he wanted to talk, so I sat down in front of him.

“It hasn’t been long since you joined the company, but I’ve been hearing quite a few things about you from here and there.”

So that’s why.

Well, no matter where I go, it’s always noisy because of me.

There’s no way it wouldn’t have reached the ears of Lee Jaehak, the deputy chairman’s agent.

‘But I’m innocent!’

None of the incidents that happened were my fault!

I’ve always lived my life without a single speck of shame!

“So, as a result of thinking about it, I’ve decided to give you some work in advance…”

“I am innocent.”

“And give you an evaluation score based on it… what?”

“No. The weather is very innocent~ I said. I think summer is coming.”

“…Crazy bastard.”

Hey, even so, calling someone a crazy bastard right to their face. That’s quite hurtful, you know?

“Anyway, you’re already giving me work?”

“There’s an area with a lot of yin energy that needs investigation. I’d like to go myself, but I don’t have time, and it’s a time when manpower is lacking.”

The investigation itself is a common task for exorcists.

Urban legends don’t advertise that they’re here.

It’s too late to respond after victims appear.

“I want to handle it quickly without notifying the outside as much as possible if possible. Cheonjihae’s employees are all busy.”

“So you’re giving work to me, a trainee?”

“It’s also a kind of test.”

Lee Jaehak narrowed his eyes as if he was annoyed.

“Our top student must have a lot of talent. You haven’t even been promoted to intern, but there’s been a flood of requests to put you on their team.”

“Hahaha…”

“Don’t laugh. I’m not telling a funny story.”

“Yes.”

‘Come to think of it, there were quite a few instructors who sent me love calls.’

It seems that Lee Jaehak is cutting off their recruitment offers at his level.

From the team leader’s point of view, they’d want to take over talented people as soon as possible.

From the company’s perspective, it’s absurd to put a trainee directly into a position as an employee.

“But I can’t ignore the instructors’ opinions forever. So I’m thinking of testing your capabilities with this task.”

“Oh… then if I pass, I’ll become a full-time employee right away?”

“Not right away. There’s still a long way to go in the training period. But I’ll tell you that the possibility will increase.”

So if I pass this, I’ll be closer to becoming a regular employee?

‘Wow… it’s too good to refuse?’

Going to an abandoned building and urban legends are scary.

But if I succeed, I’ll get closer to becoming a regular employee.

It was a very sweet reward for a trainee who wasn’t even an intern.