Shin Na-yoon still didn’t know what the power she received was.
Even when she asked Kang-joon, all she got were vague answers, like how he picked something useful for her or that she would find out when the time came.
Honestly, it annoyed her, but the reality of becoming a devil’s contractor overnight hadn’t fully sunk in, and to be honest, she was too scared of Kang-joon to ask him further.
Then came the next morning.
Shin Na-yoon dragged herself off to work with feeble steps.
“Ugh, I really don’t want to go to work…”
After just two days on the job, Shin Na-yoon understood why every office worker constantly muttered these words.
She really didn’t want to go, but if she wanted to find someone in this country, having the status of a security agent was far more useful than being jobless. Even if she was at the lowest rank.
There was also the fact that she feared the amount that would show up on her credit card statement next month, thanks to all that delivery food she ordered yesterday.
It’s just for a little while… mhmm, Na-yoon-ah, just hang in there. Once you find the person that devil wants, he’ll probably leave on his own. Then, you can quit the Security Bureau and look for a safer job, even if the pay is lower…
Shin Na-yoon desperately tried to comfort herself as she arrived at the Security Bureau building with her shoulders slumped in exhaustion.
She still thought about how much she didn’t want to be there, sighed, scanned her ID card, took the lift up and soon opened the door to Team 3’s office in Security Division 2.
She froze for a moment at the sight before her.
“Huh?”
The office was completely empty. The desks, chairs, and even the cabinets once piled with documents… everything was gone.
All that remained were traces suggesting it had once been an office, but aside from that, the room was now just filled with dust.
Wh-What? Did I come to the wrong office…?
It wasn’t. She was startled and turned around to check the nameplate on the door, but it was the same one she’d seen yesterday. This was definitely Team 3’s office in Security Division 2.
She hadn’t come to the wrong place, yet the office that had been perfectly normal just a day ago had vanished without a trace overnight.
Suddenly, what came to her mind were the workplace horror stories she once read on internet forums, like urban legends. Tales of people showing up to work one day only to find their desks gone. Stories of workplace bullying or unfair dismissals; things that any office worker wouldn’t find funny at all.
Shin Na-yoon’s face turned pale.
“No way… could something like that happen to me too?!”
“Who’s there? That’s our office.”
Just then, the sound of heels clicking echoed from behind her. Turning around at the familiar voice, she saw In Ha-young standing there; she was dressed as usual in a business suit and her sharp gaze was fixed on her.
Her sharp eyes widened in surprise when she saw Shin Na-yoon.
“Wait, yesterday’s new agent? Did you actually come to work today?”
“H-Hello, Team Leader. Um, what happened to the office…?”
In Ha-young glanced around the empty office as if deep in thought for a moment, then gestured to Shin Na-yoon.
“It’s not really the place to explain here, right? Follow me to my office first.”
“Huh?”
From past experience, Shin Na-yoon knew that being called somewhere rarely led to anything good. Memories of being summoned to the teacher’s office during her school days or being dragged to the back alley by bullies flooded her mind.
This time too the words “follow me” instinctively made her shrink back, but there was no other choice. Reluctantly, she trudged after In Ha-young.
When they entered In Ha-young’s private office, Shin Na-yoon was slightly surprised at how much larger and cleaner it was than she had expected. But aside from a desk and some documents, there was almost nothing else in the room.
There were no personal belongings, not even common decorations. The office was filled only with cold stacks of documents and the essential office supplies needed for work.
The one thing that stood out was a simple coffee pot in the corner of the room, which added the only hint of warmth to the otherwise bleak space. In Ha-young walked naturally toward the coffee pot and asked Shin Na-yoon.
“Have a seat. What would you like to drink?”
“Huh? Oh, anything is fine…”
“There’s only water and coffee, actually. I’ll get you coffee.”
The fragrant smell of coffee soon filled the office. In Ha-young quickly brought out two cups of coffee and handed one to Shin Na-yoon. Shin Na-yoon bowed her head slightly and took a slow sip.
“…….”
Her face immediately scrunched up. The coffee was pitch-black without a trace of sugar or milk. As the bitterness overwhelmed her tongue, she quickly set the cup down and cautiously asked.
“So… what exactly happened?”
In Ha-young put down her cup with a bitter expression on her face, though it wasn’t from the taste of the coffee.
“We lost a lot of team members in this incident. Most of them died in the line of duty, and we sent their belongings to their families. The few who survived were too seriously injured to return to work, or they chose to retire. Honestly, um… what’s your name again?”
“S-Shin Na-yoon.”
“Right. To be honest, I thought you’d quit. You had only been here for a day, right? So, I just assumed and cleared your desk. I’m sorry.”
“N-No, it’s fine. That could happen.”
At Shin Na-yoon’s awkward reply, In Ha-young smiled gently.
“But we would’ve had to clear it anyway. Our team has been officially disbanded.”
“Huuh!?”
Shin Na-yoon’s jaw dropped in shock at the sudden news.
“Why? Is it because we lost so many team members?”
“We had no choice since we lost too many team members. Instead of assigning new personnel, the higher-ups decided to merge teams entirely. The Security Bureau has been chronically short-staffed, so I’ll be reassigned to another team soon.”
“Th-Then… what’s going to happen to me?”
Shin Na-yoon’s face turned pale. It was shocking enough that the team was disbanded after only her second day on the job, but she was even more worried about what would happen to a low-ranking employee like herself. The thought of losing her job so suddenly left her feeling like the ground was disappearing beneath her feet.
In Ha-young looked at Shin Na-yoon with a slightly apologetic expression, though her voice remained calm.
“As for your situation, nothing has been decided yet. Part of the reason is that I assumed you’d quit. I should have taken more responsibility as the team leader. Anyway, you have three options.”
Three options?
Shin Na-yoon paused to catch her breath and waited for In Ha-young to continue.
“The first option is to go through with voluntary resignation. I’ll do my best to make sure the Security Bureau processes your unemployment benefits. Since you’ve only been here for a short time, it might be difficult for you to get severance pay, but at least you’ll have some support until you find another job.”
“Ah! Of course, I’ll go with the first opti—”
[You can’t do that.]
“Hukyaaaah!”
When Shin Na-yoon suddenly heard Kang-joon’s voice echoing in her head, she was startled and leaned back in her chair. The chair toppled over with a thud, and for once In Ha-young showed a rare look of surprise.
“What’s going on!?”
“I-It’s nothing! There was… a caterpillar on my knee!”
In Ha-young briefly gave her a puzzled look but then shrugged and replied.
“Ah… I see. Well, hurry and get rid of it. Just, if possible, not in my office.”
“Yes, yes!”
Shin Na-yoon hurriedly excused herself and rushed out of the office in a fluster. Once she was in the hallway, she clutched her chest and tried to calm her racing heart.
“Kang-joon-nim!? Where are you right now?”
[Here. Right beneath you.]
Her shadow flickered faintly. In that moment, wings and horns emerged from within her shadow and briefly formed the familiar shape of a devil. Though the form quickly disappeared, Shin Na-yoon finally realized and grew horrified at the idea that Kang-joon had been hiding in her shadow the entire time.
“No, why were you hiding there without saying anything! A-And doesn’t that mean you could see up my skirt!?”
Shin Na-yoon, whose face was burning with embarrassment, tried to suppress her flustered feelings as she asked Kang-joon. She was currently wearing a formal skirt issued by the security bureau.
Even though she was wearing stockings, it didn’t change the fact that it was still embarrassing. However, Kang-joon responded nonchalantly, as if it didn’t bother him at all.
[It’s strange for you to act shy now, considering I saw you completely naked yesterday. Besides, do I need to ask for your permission every time I do something?]
When she thought about it, he was right. Yesterday, she’d been so flustered by Kang-joon’s sudden appearance that she barely managed to change into her pajamas and kept trembling in a corner. And yet, that devil had casually eaten pizza after seeing her naked on the very first day. Despite how he looked, he was really a shameless devil.
But if this devil suddenly changed his mind and decided to kill her, it would only take a flick of his finger to shatter her head into pieces. So, she could only force a smile and reply.
“I-It’s not that, but I was just hoping that… maybe next time, you could give me a little warning… something like that, hehe.”
Shin Na-yoon smiled on the outside while swallowing bitter tears on the inside. How on earth did she end up in a situation where she was bound by a contract with a devil like this?
[More importantly, you haven’t forgotten about our contract, have you? If you want to find someone who’s gone missing without any leads, it’d be far more effective to use the Security Bureau’s resources than to do it alone.]
“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”
Shin Na-yoon answered Kang Jun, but she couldn’t help thinking. How could a devil, who had never been part of human society, know so much about its complex structures and systems?
Could he have actually been human once? Or were devils just far more knowledgeable about the human world than she had imagined?
Of course, she didn’t have the courage to ask him directly.
“So, should I reject the first proposal?”
[Listen to the other options the team leader mentioned first. Then do as I say.]
“I-I understand. I’ll do as you say…”
Really, what was the point of all this worrying? No matter how much she thought about it, her situation wouldn’t change.
Shin Na-yoon lamented her miserable situation as she trudged heavily back to the office.
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