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Chapter 24
Her first day of work was set for one week after the day she spoke with Odoa.
—What? Why are you telling me this now?!
Songi’s voice burst out through the phone. A passenger sitting next to her shot her a glance.
Morae covered her mouth, pressing close to the bus window.
“I’m on the bus right now, okay? Could you keep your voice down a bit?”
—You’re suddenly going to work at the Ability Management Agency? What kind of nonsense is that?!
“I told you. They opened a companion-animal daycare at the Ability Management Agency, and I’m going to work there.”
—As if avoiding stressful situations wasn’t hard enough, now you’re jumping straight into the middle of it? Who the hell seduced our Morae? Who is it? Tell me right now!
“Odoa Hunter.”
Odoa was Songi’s favorite awakened individual. The voice that had been blaring noisily cut off at once.
—Odoa Hunter?
“Yeah.”
—Th-that’s strange. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would do that. Why would he?
Morae briefly explained the situation—that Odoa was raising rescued dogs and had no choice but to work from home.
“So he’d been asking for a companion-animal daycare to be set up for a while, and I guess it finally happened this time.”
—Well, if it’s a companion-animal daycare, it does suit you.
“The conditions are really good too. There are only five or six staff members total, and the workplace is in an annex far away from the main building. Doesn’t it sound great?”
—Well, if it’s an introduction from Odoa Hunter, I can trust it… but with those conditions, wouldn’t a regular pet daycare be better than the Ability Management Agency?
“They pay a lot.”
—Do you need money? Why?
Songi didn’t know that Morae was sending money to her aunt every month. Naturally, she also didn’t mention that Kang Minwook had demanded a large sum.
So it was only natural for Songi to be suspicious of Morae’s sudden decision to work at the Ability Management Agency.
“It seems Miss Im Songi, the youngest daughter of a wealthy family, doesn’t know this, but you need money to live in this world.”
—Hey, damn it, you know that’s not what I meant!
When Morae brushed it off vaguely, Songi bristled. Morae chuckled softly and continued.
“It’s a job where I can earn money while taking care of dogs I like. I’d be an idiot to give up such a sweet job.”
—There isn’t some other reason, is there?
“What reason? There’s nothing like that.”
Her heart felt heavy, as if the number of secrets she kept from Songi was growing.
Morae stared out the rapidly passing scenery, then stood up. Over the bus speakers came the announcement that the next stop was the Ability Management Agency.
“Songi, I have to get off now. I’ll call you later.”
—If it turns out different from what you thought, quit. Don’t worry about what other people think.
Morae intended to endure as much as she could.
You couldn’t starve to death just to avoid stressful situations. Even while suffering from trauma, you still had to earn rent and food money. That was reality.
If she kept trying like this, wouldn’t things gradually get better?
Of course, she knew she could never completely escape her trauma. Still, when she looked back someday, she hoped she would at least have moved forward by a few steps.
But Morae said what Songi wanted to hear.
“Okay, I will.”
As soon as she got off the bus, she pulled a white pill bottle out of her bag. When she opened the lid and tapped it into her palm, a single yellow pill rolled out.
“In your current condition, you don’t need to take it every day. Just take one pill when you feel anxious or think you might have an attack.”
It had been a long time since she’d gone to the hospital.
She’d been prescribed anti-anxiety medication as a precaution, and it seemed like a good decision. Just having the medicine with her made her feel somewhat at ease.
Morae swallowed the pill before she could even taste the bitterness. The foreign sensation sliding down her throat felt familiar. She rubbed her neck and started walking.
The Ability Management Agency consisted of a main building with eight annexes connected around it. Seen from above, it looked like an octagonal box laid flat.
The grounds were as spacious as those of a typical university. Inside the agency buildings, people moved via moving walkways, and outside, they used trams.
Following Doa’s instructions, Morae boarded the tram. Her destination was the final stop, Annex No. 8.
Soon, the tram carrying employees slowly set off.
“It’s really big.”
Up until now, she’d only ever visited the civil service office or inspection rooms—she’d never come this far inside.
The neatly maintained landscaping and rest areas placed throughout made it feel less like a government agency and more like a park. While she was absentmindedly taking it all in, she found herself at her destination.
Right in front of Annex No. 8 stood a modest two-story building.
The exterior walls were finished in warm beige and brick tones, and through the large glass windows, she could glimpse a cozy interior softly lit from within.
Behind the building, a wide fence enclosed an area with outdoor tables set up.
At first glance, it looked like a café—but this was the Ability Management Agency’s companion-animal daycare.
“Hoo….”
Morae let out a deep breath and went inside.
The interior was decorated in a natural, comfortable style. Perhaps it had been renovated recently, because a faint smell of paint lingered.
At the desk in front sat a man and a woman.
The woman had short-cropped hair and a cheerful impression, while the man had a bob haircut and delicate features. Their vibes were different, but their looks were oddly similar.
“I’m sorry, but we officially open at 10 a.m. Could you come back a little later?”
At the woman’s kind voice, Morae replied with a faint smile.
“I’m Kang Morae. I’ll be working here starting today.”
The moment she finished speaking, both of them froze completely and stared at Morae.
Their eyes sparkled so intensely it was almost excessive, making Morae’s shoulders shrink. Was this some kind of hazing?
“Ah, um, hello?”
As if on cue, the two of them sprang to their feet at the same time.
The woman hurried over and grabbed Morae’s hand.
“Welcome! I’m Gil Seyeon, and over there is Gil Rohan—my twin older brother. It’s really nice to meet you!”
“Huh? Ah, y-yes….”
“Would you like something to drink? We have coffee, juice, sparkling water—everything.”
“Ah, no, I’m—”
“Oh, right! Have you had breakfast? We have cookies and sandwiches too. There’s tons of food in the fridge.”
“…….”
Trying to keep up with the barrage of words left her dizzy. Morae smiled awkwardly.
“Um… I heard the team leader is here?”
“Oh, right! You see those stairs over there? If you go up to the second floor, the team leader will be there. Say hello and then come back down.”
“Thank you.”
Up until then, Gil Rohan, who had been standing at the desk, silently bowed his head.
Is he introverted? Morae returned the greeting with her eyes and headed up the stairs.
The atmosphere among the staff didn’t seem bad. And it was far from the main building.
Maybe she could work here for a long time. She had a good feeling about it.
The second floor was the workspace for the staff.
Perhaps because it was a companion-animal daycare, it was decorated cutely, unlike a typical office.
At the desk farthest inside sat a man in his forties. He had his legs up and was looking at his phone, then glanced over.
“Who are you?”
“Hello, I’m Kang Morae. I’ll be working here from now on.”
“Ahh.”
He tossed his phone aside and put his feet down. Stretching his arms wide, he rubbed the back of his neck, then unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth.
“…….”
For a while, the faint clinking sound echoed through the quiet space.
Morae silently watched the man sucking on candy with a subordinate standing in front of him.
He looked to be around forty, mid–170s in height, with a neither-skinny-nor-fat average build. An ordinary man you could see anywhere.
He didn’t seem particularly neat.
His uniform was wrinkled, and the front of his shirt was stained, as if he’d spilled something while eating. When he shifted, the employee ID hanging around his neck covered the stain.
Oh Changseok. The moment she read his name on the ID, he finally spoke.
“Honestly, I’m a bit taken aback.”
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t expect an E-rank under me. And through special recruitment, at that. Morae, do you have connections or something?”
“Connections…?”
“All awakened individuals affiliated with the Ability Management Agency are at least D-rank. So if an E-rank gets in, it’s obvious. Who pulled strings for you?”
“…….”
There were people like this sometimes.
People who discriminated purely based on awakening rank, regardless of position or age.
To people like that, Morae—lower rank and lower position—was an easy target to look down on.
“I’ve already greeted you, so I’ll be going back down now.”
“You don’t want to say?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“If you get cocky just because you have connections, that’s a problem. Honestly, those connections aren’t even that impressive, are they? If they really had power, they wouldn’t have placed you in a place like this.”
“Oh, I see what you mean. Thank you for the advice.”
When Morae replied with a gentle smile, Oh Changseok’s expression turned sour.
“…Go.”
“Yes.”
Morae turned around calmly.
Working as a freelancer, she’d encountered all kinds of people. Someone like this was easy enough to deal with while smiling.
