Chapter 10
“Juri.”
Juri’s head whipped around at the sudden change in Sungho’s voice. Sungho, who had been responding with a carefree smile just a moment ago, was now staring at her with a cold expression.
“Why are you so curious? Just focus on doing your job.”
“…”
“Got it?”
“…”
“Answer me.”
“…Yes.”
As Juri nodded nervously, Sungho smiled again, but his lips were twisted in a strange way.
Ding-dong.
“Another registration. You’re good at your job, so you can handle it alone, right? I’m going out for a smoke.”
Sungho walked away nonchalantly, waving his cigarette pack with a smile. Juri, watching him with a frightened look, felt her legs weaken and she stumbled.
“Are you okay?”
Juri looked up at the touch on her arm. A woman with a cap pulled low over her face was looking at her.
“…Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
Juri nodded, and Sehyun released her arm. Juri, surprised by the strength in those slender arms, glanced at them.
Sehyun, oblivious to her gaze, held out the documents she had prepared at home.
“I’m here to register as a new Guard.”
“Ah, yes.”
As she thought, a Guard. No wonder she was so strong.
“Did you complete the basic tests downstairs?”
“Yes.”
New recruits could come up to the second floor to register after undergoing a simple physical examination and a test to check their skill proficiency.
Juri took the documents and checked if there were any issues with Sehyun’s temporary ID card, Guard registration form, and other necessary documents.
“You’ve brought all the necessary documents. And…”
[Trait: Unknown]
In the Guard system, a trait was a unique ability possessed by an individual.
Therefore, the System clearly informed them of their trait, making it impossible not to know.
However, saying ‘unknown’ meant that it didn’t exist. Still, there were a few people who couldn’t accept the fact that they didn’t have a trait and wrote ‘unknown.’
Juri naturally assumed Sehyun was one of those people.
Well, this is the first one this year.
All the Guards who had become Guards after receiving the System’s call this year had traits. Therefore, the higher-ups were expecting many strong Guards to emerge this year.
Because Guards with traits were strong.
In that sense, the woman in front of her had slim chances.
But if her skills were exceptionally good, she could compensate for the lack of a trait…
Juri’s eyes moved down to check her skills, and she couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration.
[Skills: Pull, Dodge, Fruit Knife Swing, Jump…]
What are these useless skills!
And what’s with ‘Jump’! Is she the star of the track and field team or something!
Of course, even these skills could be useful if used well. However, there were limits to skills.
Having worked here for a long time, Juri was well aware of the limitations of these skills.
Juri looked up and glanced at Sehyun, who was staring at her intently.
Fortunately or unfortunately, her cat-like face was filled with indifference.
“Are these all the skills you can use?”
“Yes.”
Sehyun answered calmly.
She had the skill ‘Sound Blocking,’ but since it was unavailable, she didn’t mention it.
“Ah, I see.”
Juri avoided her gaze and recited the words she had repeated more than twenty times since a few days ago.
“To be fully registered as a Guard, you need to undergo a month-long training camp. This year’s training camp starts in two days. If you don’t register in two days, you won’t know when the next training session will be held. It depends on when people who receive the System’s call appear.”
“Then I’ll attend in two days.”
It would be good to become a Guard as soon as possible.
As Sehyun tried to convince herself, Juri handed her the documents.
“All the necessary information is in the documents, so please refer to them.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Sehyun bowed politely and turned around. Juri, watching her retreating figure, had a bitter expression on her face.
“It’s a shame. She’s such a polite person…”
Juri’s gaze shifted to the monitor. The names of the Guards who had registered this month were listed. The Guards who had registered this time were unusually strong for newbies.
Kang Taeoh
Lee Hyewon
Cha Haejoon
Sung Jieun
And among them, there were four names that stood out.
***
“Did you pack everything?”
“Yes.”
Sehyun, wearing a cap pulled low over her face, nodded.
“It’s gotten cold suddenly.”
Her aunt muttered as she straightened Sehyun’s clothes. Her clothes were already neat, but she couldn’t seem to take her hands off them.
Even at this moment, her aunt was conflicted. Whether to let her niece go to the training camp to receive Guard training or to stop her.
Sehyun silently took her aunt’s hand in hers.
“Aunt, don’t worry.”
Her aunt’s eyes welled up at her words.
“I know it’s your life and your decision. I know all I can do is support and encourage your decision… but… I still regret it sometimes. I wonder if I would regret it less now if I had tried to stop your uncle from becoming a Guard even once… That’s why I’m still conflicted. I wonder if I should stop you now… Sometimes I even wonder if your sister and brother-in-law died because they became Guards…”
“…”
Sehyun looked down at her aunt’s face, which looked like it would burst into tears at the slightest touch. At her face, shadowed by the sadness and regret of parting. Sehyun belatedly wiped away her aunt’s tears.
“Aunt, stop worrying about me. I’m just going for training.”
“But you’ll become a Guard after the training…”
“I told you before. I’m going to work in an office job. So I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine in the future too.”
“…”
“So I’ll be going now.”
Sehyun hugged her aunt. Her small frame fit perfectly in Sehyun’s arms.
To think that such a small person held so much sorrow, enough to last ten years even if she tried to pour it all out.
Sehyun hugged her aunt tightly again and then slowly turned around.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Her aunt nodded silently at her words.
***
“Sister.”
Just as Sehyun was about to leave the building and walk down the street, a small voice stopped her.
It was ten-year-old Seyoung, who lived downstairs with her grandmother.
The child who had endured the situation with composure, even though it was enough to make her burst into tears.
They had been assigned to the same temporary shelter and had been greeting each other and talking occasionally, becoming quite close.
“Hey, hi there.”
“Sister, are you going to training today?”
“How did you know?”
“I heard it from my grandmother.”
“Yes, I’m going to training today. I’ll be back in a month.”
Sehyun nodded lightly and crouched down to face her. Seyoung held out something she had been hiding behind her back.
It was a crumpled box of disposable bandages.
“When I asked what training was, my grandmother said it’s something where you get hurt a lot.”
“…”
“My dad got hurt a lot too. He always had these on.”
“…”
“You can put these on if you get hurt, Sister.”
Sehyun looked at the disposable bandages in her palm.
There was only one box of disposable bandages among the relief supplies provided at the temporary shelter. And she was giving it to her.
“You were carrying this around?”
“Yes. I wanted to give it to you when I saw you.”
“What about you and your grandmother if you give it to me?”
“We’ll be fine. We didn’t get hurt thanks to you, Sister.”
“…”
“Thank you, Sister.”
“…”
“Next time, I’ll be the one to save you.”
The little girl’s eyes sparkled.
Sehyun gazed at those eyes, as bright as stars in the night sky.
“Okay, then take care of things here for me.”
“Yes, Sister.”
Seyoung put on a determined expression, as if to say she could be trusted, and clenched her fist. Sehyun looked at her cute face and curled her own hand into a fist.
“Thank you. I’ll put these to good use.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sehyun slowly stood up.
“I think I can really go now.”
Sincerely.
Sehyun waved goodbye to the little girl and turned around. Then she made eye contact with her aunt, who had come out to the front of the building. Her aunt’s eyes were filled with tears, perhaps having heard the little girl’s words.
Sehyun waved to the two of them and turned around.
Clutching the disposable bandages tightly in one hand.
***
A car arrived as Sehyun stood at the designated meeting point at the appointed time. After getting in the car, they drove for over two hours to a remote location.
A high wall, so tall that she couldn’t even fathom looking inside, stretched endlessly.
The driver took out a card and scanned it, and the thick iron gate opened.
As they entered, the first thing that caught her eye was a vast open space.
The largest building was located in the center of the open space, and other buildings were scattered around, nestled among the trees.
If it weren’t for those words, she would have mistaken it for a university.
“Please go to the central main building to register and get your dormitory assignment. I look forward to you becoming a great Guard.”
Sehyun bowed in response to the driver’s polite greeting.
As the driver instructed, she entered the central main building and saw a sign that read ‘Registration Desk.’
“It seems like they renovated a university to make this…”
Sehyun muttered softly and knocked on the door with the registration desk sign.
“Yes, come in.”