“Huh? Lose your memory?”
“Well, Na-yoon-ssi, since you might experience it yourself someday, let me explain it in detail now.”
In Ha-young pulled out the chair beside Na-yoon and sat down.
The seat was usually assigned to a new employee, so it looked very shabby compared to the team leader’s office that In Ha-young used to use.
“I’ve made contracts with two devils. One is the Vitality Devil, and the other is the Binding Devil. You’ve seen the powers of both devils more than once, right?”
Na-yoon quietly nodded her head.
During the centipede devil incident, she had been huddled in the corner, too terrified to see much, but she experienced the Vitality Devil’s power in the vampire devil case, and she saw the Binding devil’s power in the recent incident.
“The Vitality Devil enhances basic physical strength and grants a temporary boost in vitality in exchange for a bit of lifespan. Meanwhile, the Binding Devil allows me to use chains strong enough to restrain even high-level devils for a short while.”
Of course, that effect only lasted a brief moment.
This limitation was because the Binding Devil she contracted with hadn’t surpassed the level of an intermediate devil in terms of magical power.
Against other intermediate-level devils, it could easily overpower them but for higher-ranking ones, it only held them briefly.
Still, it was undeniably a very useful ability.
“In return, each time I use the Binding Devil’s power, it takes one of my memories. Specifically, it takes memories, emotions, and moments related to the people around me.”
“Huh? But you seemed fine during the mission?”
“Luckily, it doesn’t disappear the instant I use the power. Usually, after a night’s sleep… that’s when I wake up, and the memory of that person is just gone.”
In Ha-young’s voice held a quiet resignation.
“Whose memory it erases is random, but it usually starts with people close to me. This time, it seems it was Chief Song Ji-hye.”
“What?”
Na-yoon’s eyes widened in surprise.
Someone close to her? They didn’t seem that way, not exactly.
If anything, wasn’t their relationship more hostile?
Of course, even a hostile relationship could be considered a form of closeness.
Then she suddenly remembered something.
During the last mission, when they were hiding out at the churro stand planning to hunt down the Entertainment Devil, Chief Song Ji-hye had been unusually adamant about stopping In Ha-young from using the Binding Devil’s power.
What was that? Could it be they were actually closer than it seemed?
Wait. If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean that even this conversation we’re having now could eventually be forgotten?
Na-yoon suddenly recalled how, back when she first joined this team, In Ha-young had looked out for her in such a special way.
Could it be that she had planned to use their memories as payment for the Binding Devil’s power?
Na-yoon had already experienced enough times where she believed someone was close to her, only to realize it was her own illusion or merely a calculated kindness.
But if even Team Leader In Ha-young turned out to be the same way, she thought, honestly, she would feel hurt.
In the Security Bureau, the one person Na-yoon relied on was her.
If all that kindness had been given knowing it would eventually be forgotten, she couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of betrayal.
Perhaps Na-yoon’s expression had betrayed her thoughts, as In Ha-young gave her a wry smile and spoke.
“I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering if I was only being nice to you because of the price I have to pay, aren’t you?”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t thinking—”
“It’s okay. I’ve heard it many times before. And… it’s not entirely wrong, either.”
In Ha-young turned her gaze to the empty seat where Chief Song Ji-hye had left.
A subtle loneliness and complex emotions glimmered in her eyes as she looked at that spot.
“When I first made the contract with the Binding Devil, I pushed away everyone who tried to get close to me, one by one. I thought that since the relationships would eventually be severed, the best thing I could do for them and for myself was to keep them at a distance.
“Oh…”
“In the end, it was natural for me to become isolated. A life of hunting devils like a machine, with no one to trust or lean on. That’s when I finally realized that the real cost of the devil was not the memories of the people around me, but rather the isolation of myself. I was the one chaining myself and binding my own hands and feet.”
In Ha-young turned her head back to look at Na-yoon.
“After realizing that, I changed my perspective. If these memories were going to disappear anyway, I thought, why push everyone away? Instead, I decided to treat them a little better in each moment we had. Even if it was only temporary, they’d stay in my memory. In those moments, my feelings were genuine.”
A faint smile appeared on In Ha-young’s lips.
“So, Na-yoon-ssi, if I ever forget you, please don’t feel too hurt. There hasn’t been a single moment where I’ve treated you insincerely.”
“T-Team Leader…”
Na-yoon felt tears welling up in her eyes.
She had always been sensitive to this kind of atmosphere, so she wiped her eyes, pretended to get dust in them, and cleared her throat.
“Even if you ever forget me someday, I’ll make sure you remember me again! So don’t worry!”
“Haha, thank you. And there’s a very good reason why I’ve taken a liking to you, Na-yoon-ssi.”
“A-A good reason?”
“After that harsh initiation on your first day, you still came back, didn’t you? Most would have quit, yet you chose to stay with the Security Bureau. Usually, there’s only one reason for that.”
In Ha-young’s eyes shone deep and sharply.
Her gaze was so intense that Na-yoon flinched.
“You have one too, don’t you? Someone you’re determined to catch, no matter what.”
“…Huh?”
“I won’t ask for details. That would be a breach of etiquette. But you’d be surprised by how many people like us are at the Security Bureau, Na-yoon-ssi. It’s tough to endure this kind of work unless there’s something driving you…like revenge.”
In Ha-young added with a soft smile again.
“So, let’s both stay strong. Until we achieve our goals together.”
“Ah, yes…”
It wasn’t the kind of moment where she could just say, “I don’t actually have anyone like that,” so Na-yoon could only manage an awkward smile.
***
The morning went by learning basic tasks that were suitable for a new agent in the office.
Up until now, the only things Na-yoon had done on a computer were browsing the internet or watching YouTube on her laptop, so things like Excel and report writing were entirely new to her.
Fortunately, Team Leader In Ha-young patiently taught her each step.
Normally, her position wouldn’t involve training a new recruit, but perhaps because of the unusual situation of transferring teams, she’d taken it upon herself.
In fact, Na-yoon much preferred learning from Team Leader In Ha-young compared to anyone else.
Park Seo-joon didn’t seem particularly reliable with that overly familiar demeanor of his.
Seo Na-ri was at least friendly, but she didn’t seem like someone who would be great at teaching.
And Han Min-ho… she hadn’t even spoken to him. She wasn’t sure he could even talk. How did he even apply for this job?
As for Division Chief Song Ji-hye? Out of the question. There was no way she would help, no matter how much Na-yoon asked.
“Ugh…”
As she considered each point one by one, Na-yoon felt overwhelmed by the thought of her future at the Security Bureau.
When exactly would she even get promoted to team leader under circumstances like these?
Perhaps it would be better to look into other ways right now.
After all, becoming a team leader couldn’t be the only way to gain access to the Security Bureau’s database.
For example, she could request access to certain information as a reward for high performance.
Or she could try asking Team Leader In Ha-young for a small favor.
Thinking along those lines, Na-yoon washed her hands in the restroom and stepped back out into the hallway.
It was lunchtime.
After eating lunch with her team members in the cafeteria, Na-yoon was now taking a brief moment to herself.
The food at the Security Bureau cafeteria was really good, and her teammates weren’t bad people (excluding Division Chief Song Ji-hye), but she still found that places like the restroom, where she could be alone, were the most comfortable.
No one would start a conversation, there was no work to do, and she could quietly enjoy her own time…
The thought of returning to the office to resume work was dreadful.
It wasn’t that there was any particularly hard task or anyone she especially disliked. So why was it?
Was this just the life of an office worker?
As she was slowly making her way back to the office with those thoughts in mind, the door to the smoking room beside her suddenly opened, and Division Chief Song Ji-hye appeared.
“Ah!”
Na-yoon stopped in her tracks before she even realized it.
Song Ji-hye, who had been nowhere to be seen all morning, now appeared reeking of cigarette smoke. She then spoke as she slightly lowered the sunglasses she wore indoors.
“What’s this, bomb?”
At her irritated tone, Na-yoon froze like a rabbit in front of a tiger.
The memory of openly defying her in the last operation flashed through her mind.
Feeling a sudden pang of guilt, she lowered her head slightly in greeting and attempted to leave the spot quickly.
“Oh, hello, Chief. Haha. I was just on my way back to the office, so I’ll be going ahead…”
“Hey, bomb. Have you eaten?”
“Huh?”
“If you haven’t eaten yet, come have lunch with me.”
She checked the time. It was already down to the last ten minutes of lunch break.
Na-yoon hesitantly looked around and managed to stammer out an answer.
“Well, actually, I’ve already eaten, so…”
“You don’t want to?”
With that sharp look, Na-yoon froze completely.
Her gaze said refusal was impossible and the answer was already decided.
In the end, Na-yoon forced a smile and replied.
“O-Of course! When the Chief asks, I have to go. Haha…”
Na-yoon was slowly but steadily adapting to life in the workplace.
Thinking back on it, she realized it was probably thanks to Kang-joon that she had become so accustomed to situations like this.
Of course, she wasn’t grateful for it. Not at all.
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