#111
“Oh, you’re here?”
Moon Bora, who had already arrived and was seated, waved her hand. Eunseok sat down next to her in the spot she was patting. Within a few minutes, all members of Team 1 were seated. Everyone was dressed in comfortable, casual clothes.
“The interviewees have arrived,” said Lee Eunju, the head of the secretariat, as she placed identical files in front of each person. Eunseok skimmed through the documents of the two candidates who had passed both the document screening and background check. Both were A-rank healing hunters. A-rank healing hunters were extremely rare, so it was remarkable that two had applied. One was to be assigned to Team 1, and the other to Team 2. So, this was more of an interview to find a Team 1 member rather than a hiring interview.
“Send them in one by one,” said Choi Hanseo, flipping through the documents.
Secretary Lee opened the door and went out.
Eunseok carefully observed Moon Bora, who was also focused on the documents. As expected, she had an uneasy expression.
The door opened, and a person walked in. The first interviewee was Kwon Eunchae, a 25-year-old who had just completed her mandatory service a few months ago.
“Hello! I’m Kwon Eunchae!”
A woman with slightly long hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a neat skirt suit greeted them cheerfully with a small bow. She walked confidently to the lone chair in the center of the room and sat down.
Despite facing Team 1 members, including Choi Hanseo, lined up in front of her, she showed no signs of intimidation or shyness. Her personality seemed as bold as her gait.
“It’s been a few months since you finished your mandatory service,” Choi Hanseo said in a businesslike tone.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You must have received scout offers from various guilds even before your service ended.”
“Yes, I received quite a lot.”
“Then why did you remain freelance until now instead of settling somewhere?”
“I was waiting for a job posting from the Baekho Guild because they hadn’t scouted me.”
Her answers came out crisp and clear, like a kindergartener responding to a teacher. Perhaps because she had been around older people since her discharge, Eunseok found her manner quite cute, even though she was a year younger than him.
“We’re looking for a healing hunter to join Team 1, which consists of the most skilled members within the Baekho Guild. It’s a special team that specializes in A-rank and above gate raids. Do you think you can pull your weight there?”
“Of course. Even during my service at the Ability Management Bureau, I participated in over twenty A-rank gate raids, and there were never any casualties in the raids I took part in. I’m confident that I’ve never held my team back either.”
“Is there a specific reason you applied to our Baekho Guild?”
“Because the Baekho Guild is Korea’s number one guild. And…”
Unlike before, Kwon Eunchae’s voice trailed off slightly. She glanced at Eunseok before continuing.
“Because Lee Eunseok guide is in the Baekho Guild.”
Eunseok witnessed Choi Hanseo’s hand silently crumpling Kwon Eunchae’s document.
“I’m a fan! Lee Eunseok guide!”
Kwon Eunchae launched her final attack.
“That’s enough. You may leave,” Choi Hanseo said coldly. Perhaps not completely oblivious, Kwon Eunchae straightened her back and added, addressing Choi Hanseo:
“I fully support the love between Guild Leader Choi Hanseo and Lee Eunseok guide!”
Eunseok’s arm, which had been resting on the desk, slipped.
Ha ha ha ha!
Moon Bora burst into loud laughter. Eunseok could see the crumpled document in Choi Hanseo’s hand smoothing out again.
“…Alright, you can go now.”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”
Kwon Eunchae stood up, bowed deeply, and walked out of the room confidently. Moon Bora, who had been laughing until then, wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Ah, really. It’s been a while since I laughed like that. I like Kwon Eunchae, what do you think?”
Moon Bora said, looking at Choi Hanseo. Choi Hanseo didn’t say anything, but he seemed to like Kwon Eunchae.
The other candidate paled in comparison to Kwon Eunchae. Although they had completed their mandatory service and had experience working with other guilds, there wasn’t anything particularly striking about them. As soon as the second candidate’s interview ended, Moon Bora declared, “I prefer Kwon Eunchae,” stamping her approval.
Truthfully, Eunseok didn’t care who joined as long as they were skilled enough to fill Ji Taeuk’s vacant position. However, he had to admit that Kwon Eunchae, who had made Moon Bora laugh heartily, caught his eye a bit more. The team members, though not showing it explicitly, had been in a generally subdued mood since losing Ji Taeuk. It might be good to have someone who could lift the team’s spirits. Of course, she did seem a bit overly cheerful, but still.
“Any recommendations?” Choi Hanseo asked, looking around at the team members after finishing the interviews.
“I vote for Kwon Eunchae,” Moon Bora raised her hand and declared again.
“I also like Kwon Eunchae’s cheerful and bold personality,” Han Cheolyong supported Moon Bora. Shin Jeongho didn’t have a preference, while Oh Seongeun chose the other healing hunter.
“What about you, Eunseok?” Moon Bora asked, turning her gaze to him. All eyes were on Eunseok.
“I agree with Hunter Han Cheolyong,” he said.
“Then it’s decided on Kwon Eunchae,” Moon Bora concluded, tapping the desk. Choi Hanseo didn’t offer an opinion but didn’t object to Moon Bora’s decision either. And so, Team 1’s vacant position was filled.
[News] Magazine says they’ll release beautiful B-cut photos of the Choi-Lee couple!! [1,786]
[Chat/Gossip] Baekho Team 1’s new face, A-rank healer Kwon Eunchae confirmed [231]
[News] Choi Hanseo sent to private hearing over Park Sunwoo’s swift dismissal ㅠㅠ [2,193]
Eunseok frowned as he skimmed through the latest posts on the couple’s fan cafe.
A hearing? Even Eunseok hadn’t heard about this yet.
He switched screens to search the web, but there were no related news articles yet. Somehow, the fan cafe news was faster than the actual news outlets.
Choi Hanseo came out of the dressing room. Eunseok quickly turned off his phone.
“There’s going to be a hearing?” Eunseok asked.
Choi Hanseo’s eyebrow raised slightly.
“Where did you hear that?”
“From the news.”
Choi Hanseo stared at Eunseok for a moment. Eunseok met his gaze with a straight face. After seemingly trying to gauge the truth, Choi Hanseo adjusted his tie with an expression that suggested it wasn’t a big deal.
“Think of it as the final tug-of-war. A precious S-rank esper died, so they’re putting on a show of doing something big.”
“Won’t it be troublesome?”
Eunseok asked, to which Choi Hanseo smiled with his eyes.
“They wouldn’t dare hassle the only remaining S-rank hunter in the country too much. What if I decided to leave for another country? They’re just whining a bit more loudly. They’re trying to squeeze something more out of me by doing this.”
Choi Hanseo seemed to genuinely regard the pressure from the government and the Ability Management Bureau as mere whining. Hearing him say that made Eunseok feel somewhat relieved. Well, that’s how things often work with the government. Eunseok was well aware of how haphazard and showy the military system could be.
“Is it today?”
“Yes. It might take some time.”
“Will you be able to make it to the welcome party?”
Eunseok asked, setting aside his worries. Today was Kwon Eunchae’s welcome party. They had planned to eat and drink generously to boost the team’s morale.
“I probably won’t be too late. Even if I’m a bit delayed, I’ll join you, so feel free to enjoy yourselves.”
Choi Hanseo said, gently brushing Eunseok’s lips with his thumb. Then he leaned in and softly pressed his lips against Eunseok’s.
