His passion showed in the way he seemed determined not to miss even the smallest word. He wasn’t simply bright-eyed; it felt as though this was his first time being put in charge of a dedicated team.
Taesu grasped only enough of the situation and moved on to the main point.
“Then what happens to our affiliation now?”
“You are listed as having been dispatched from Good Morning Earth to the NGO.”
“We weren’t aware of that.”
“That’s why we put it in writing. Here.”
Rustle.
Hakuna opened the folder he had prepared and showed them the official document.
After skimming it roughly, Taesu immediately understood.
Its nature was different, but it was a kind of contract.
A contract?
There was an expert present for that.
“Hyeokgwon.”
Slide.
When Taesu held it out, Kim Hyeokgwon accepted it without a word.
“Hmm, let’s see…”
Unlike his mild voice, his eyes had already turned sharp.
The terms of the contract included allowances.
For Kim Hyeokgwon, it was a moment as important as the instant he faced an emergency patient.
That was how intensely he focused.
Taesu moved straight on to the next question.
“Then how will deployments proceed from here on?”
“That is still being planned.”
“But the team has officially launched, hasn’t it?”
“It’s being carried out jointly with the PKO, so…”
Rustle.
Hakuna trailed off as he took out another sheet of paper.
From the look of it, he was about to explain the details at length.
Taesu was tired, so he wanted to keep it brief.
“Hakuna. May we take a look at that?”
“Here it is.”
Slide.
Taesu skimmed it lightly and immediately pushed it toward Jeong Minsu.
“Doctor Jeong.”
“Okay. Now then, let’s have a look.”
Sasaak.
Jeong Minsu even rubbed his hands together lightly before being drawn completely into the document.
It was an astonishing moment of concentration.
Unexpectedly, Jeong Minsu had a knack for analyzing situations from multiple angles.
He had even taken lessons in map reading in case the medical team ever became stranded, and Jeong Minsu had been unrivaled.
If it was Jeong Minsu, he would be able to find the optimal route for deployments.
With Taesu at the center, both sides fell silent.
At the two men’s astonishing concentration, Hakuna’s already large eyes widened even more.
“I’ve ended up working with incredible people.”
“Everyone has their own specialty.”
“Then what specialty do you have, Doctor Choi?”
At his innocent question, Taesu smiled brightly as well and answered.
“I’m good at running my mouth.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m doing it right now, aren’t I? This. This right here.”
Taesu repeatedly pinched and opened his hand in time with the shape of a mouth.
For a moment, Hakuna looked dumbfounded, but soon changed it into an awkward smile.
“Haha. You’re quite funny.”
“Tell me that again later. Is there anything else we need to know?”
“You should move accommodations, shouldn’t you?”
At Hakuna’s suggestion, Taesu nodded immediately.
“That would be good. But it would be more efficient if we were all together.”
“If you mean Mister Kim, that has already been arranged.”
“Thank you. We’ll move as soon as we leave.”
Taesu made the decision simply.
But unexpectedly, Hakuna looked flustered.
“Ah, then also…”
Rustle, rustle.
He flipped through the documents, but he didn’t seem to have much to say.
Seeing that, Taesu sensed it.
‘He’s a rookie.’
In that case, it was easier for them to make their voices heard.
This was Taesu’s strength.
He was somewhat better than others at gauging and analyzing people.
In short, he was quick-witted and had good sense.
That was also why the right to speak was often handed over to Taesu.
A short while later.
Taesu and Hakuna exchanged a few more light topics of conversation.
And then—
Thud.
“Ah, my eyes are stiff.”
Kim Hyeokgwon set the official document down with a groan.
Taesu immediately asked him,
“Are the contents substantial?”
“Obvious enough. If we do well, generous support and more personnel.”
“And if we don’t?”
“Immediate disbandment. It’s extreme, but the conditions aren’t bad.”
The prickly Kim Hyeokgwon answered in a mild tone.
Judging by that, the terms must have been quite good.
Since he was at it, Taesu asked one more thing.
“What about the most important part?”
“It’s at a fairly satisfying level.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s just that there’s nothing visible yet.”
Rub, rub.
Kim Hyeokgwon lightly rubbed his fingers together.
The meaning of that deliberately shown gesture was obvious to anyone.
Seeing it, Hakuna realized his mistake.
“One moment, please.”
He shot to his feet.
Hakuna quickly hurried over to his desk.
At his flustered manner, Kim Hyeokgwon asked with a bitter expression,
“Is that man going to be all right?”
“He doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions.”
“He looks like a total airhead trying to act professional all by himself.”
“We’re rookies too, so it should work out well for both sides.”
Taesu looked at it positively from beginning to end.
Kim Hyeokgwon did not object any further either.
“Well, let’s keep an eye on him.”
Their conversation ended blandly.
Just then, Jeong Minsu lifted his head and lightly massaged the back of his neck.
Squeeze. Squeeze.
“It’s been a while since I stared at writing, so my neck’s stiff and my eyes feel like they’re about to fall out.”
“So did you sort things out?”
“My thought is… Where did Hakuna go?”
Jeong Minsu looked puzzled at the empty seat.
At that exact moment, with exquisite timing, Hakuna returned to his seat.
“Excuse me.”
“It seems Doctor Jeong has come up with a decent idea.”
“Already? Oh, then this…”
He awkwardly held up the envelope he had brought.
It was their first allowance.
Without delay, Taesu held out both hands.
“Thank you for taking care of it.”
“Not at all. You’ve worked hard.”
Slide.
They exchanged brief greetings and passed the envelopes over.
Naturally, those envelopes headed toward Kim Hyeokgwon.
“Here.”
“Received. Oho. Nice and thick.”
Slide.
All the envelopes went into Kim Hyeokgwon’s arms.
Seeing his pleased expression, Taesu got the feeling right away.
It had been a while since his pockets felt like they would be full, so Taesu was in a good mood too.
They would divide it later, so it wasn’t something to worry about right now.
Naturally, Hakuna found it unfamiliar.
It wouldn’t matter if he knew, but the explanation could get long.
Taesu wanted to avoid that.
He immediately diverted Hakuna’s attention.
“We should hear what Doctor Jeong has planned.”
“Ah. Yes, of course.”
“Doctor Jeong.”
At Taesu’s call, Jeong Minsu spread out the paper, pointed at it with his finger, and began putting his thoughts into words.
“First, while on standby…”
Tap, tap.
For something he had put together in such a short time, it was quite meticulous.
Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon simply took it in as such.
But Hakuna was different.
His eyes began to sparkle.
“Ohh, wow.”
Hakuna kept letting out exclamations.
Taesu quietly looked back over this meeting and paused.
‘Are we being too forceful?’
But what could they do when that was their nature?
He felt no particular reason to change it.
As long as you didn’t harm others, living as you were was the right answer.
About ten minutes later.
All conversation had concluded and they entered the wrap-up stage.
Hakuna smiled gently as he gathered the papers.
“I will make the final arrangements with the PKO Air Corps regarding this.”
“Please do us what convenience you can.”
“That’s what I’m here for, so don’t worry.”
“Is there anything else you’d like to say?”
When Taesu subtly showed his intention, Hakuna shook his head.
“No. You should rest now.”
“Yes. We also have to move, so we’ll excuse ourselves first.”
“Don’t worry about the rest. Please get plenty of rest.”
Grip.
They all stood up, shook hands briefly, and smiled the same way.
Hakuna seemed a little absentminded, but he certainly didn’t appear to have any ulterior motives.
That was why the conversation could end on a pleasant note.
After leaving the office.
Taesu first told the other two the schedule.
“Let’s go pack our things and meet at the new quarters.”
“That won’t take long.”
“See you in a bit.”
Kim Hyeokgwon turned away first.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu also headed straight for their existing quarters.
About thirty minutes passed.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu opened the door to the new quarters.
Creak.
Inside was a large studio-type space.
There were two bunk beds, so it seemed to have originally been a four-person room.
On one side were a reception sofa and a table. On another side were a kitchen for simple cooking and a refrigerator.
Even with all that, there was enough space to spare.
It was about twice the size of their previous quarters.
Jeong Minsu gaped in admiration.
“Wow, there’s a bathroom here too. Huh? And a shower.”
“The bunk beds look pretty nice too.”
As Taesu said, the bunk beds had an upscale feel.
From one of them, Kim Hyeokgwon suddenly popped up.
“Why are you always late?”
“When did you get here?”
“I finished looking around and was so bored I almost fell asleep.”
“Wait a moment. Let me look around the house a little more.”
Taesu brazenly joked as he slowly looked around.
Kim Hyeokgwon smiled.
After they had inspected the place like that, they all took seats on the reception sofa.
Their luggage consisted only of bags, so putting them into the personal lockers was the end of unpacking.
Perhaps the excitement had passed, because their expressions grew calm.
Only then did Taesu speak in a low voice.
“It’s nice that we’ll be living together with you now, Hyeokgwon.”
“We see each other every day anyway.”
Kim Hyeokgwon’s voice was extremely blunt.
He had the true personality of a contrarian.
Naturally, the happier he was, the more sharply he snapped.
On the other hand, when he was angry, he got angry.
‘Then he’s not a contrarian, is he?’
Taesu decided that Kim Hyeokgwon simply had a temper. Knowing that personality, he calmly continued with what he had to say.
“They’re probably telling us to do better, right?”
“Nothing in this world is free.”
“Then we just have to give back as much as we’ve received.”
“That’s exactly it.”
Snap.
Jeong Minsu snapped his fingers as he agreed.
At that moment, Kim Hyeokgwon took the envelopes out from his coat.
Then he divided the contents equally into three portions and placed them in front of each person.
Thud.
Kim Hyeokgwon quietly stared at the cash.
Then, as if something suddenly came to mind, he spoke in a low voice.
“To be honest, on the first day of training, I sincerely wanted to kill Doctor Choi.”
“You’re only saying that, right?”
“Who is? I wanted to tear him to shreds.”
When Kim Hyeokgwon shot lasers from his eyes, Taesu gave an awkward smile.
“Relax your eyes a little. That’s not how you feel now.”
“A nightmare came back to me. Sorry.”
“What nightmare?”
“The nightmare of feeling abdominal colicky pain while doing sit-ups.”
Kim Hyeokgwon ground his teeth.
He had clearly used the medical term for the sake of accurate delivery.
Taesu’s awkward smile could not soften.
“Haha.”
“Don’t laugh.”
Beside him, Jeong Minsu growled along with him.