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Episode 2
Returning Survivor from an R-19 Novel
“Site cleanup complete.”
Min Hyemi reported briefly into the walkie-talkie she held in her hand.
In front of her was a park soaked in blood.
It was obvious that something horrific had happened, but the culprit was nowhere in sight.
Of course. The monsters dealt with by hunters were now inside the collection crates.
“Lunchtime. Let’s load this onto the truck and eat.”
Min Hyemi spoke to her partner in a flat, emotionless tone, then turned around.
Two years had passed since Hyemi, as a returned survivor, finished the process of readapting to this world and got a government job.
She worked in the Disaster Countermeasure Safety Headquarters, Probation Team 2—commonly called the “Corpse Cleanup Squad.”
When hunters tirelessly killed monsters, someone had to clean up the remains.
That was Hyemi’s job.
Of course, she was technically a hunter too, but she didn’t have the strength to fight monsters.
After all, what kind of abilities could someone gain after returning from being possessed by a high-intensity, adult-rated R-19 novel?
So Hyemi spent her life rummaging through monster corpses, yet she was thoroughly satisfied with it.
Having experienced so much in the R-19 novel, she had developed an incredibly strong mental fortitude, making the cleanup of monster remains no problem at all.
After loading the monsters onto the truck, they headed to a nearby udon shop—Hyemi’s partner loved Japanese cuisine.
When their udon arrived, her partner’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Whaaat? This is one serving? There’s no way I can eat this much!”
“Just shut up and eat.”
Her partner, Iruri, was a returned “school idol” possessed by a character from a Japanese anime.
As a result, Iruri had an excessive love for Japan and often spoke in the exaggerated tones used in anime, which frequently annoyed Hyemi.
She even called herself “Ruri-chan,” which Hyemi completely ignored.
Having worked with Iruri for about a year, Hyemi had developed the ability to tolerate her antics.
The udon was delicious. Hyemi ate it with satisfaction.
“Eeeh~ I’m so full~ How am I supposed to eat all this? I’m not a pig, no way~!”
As Iruri complained, Hyemi simply ignored her, finishing her own bowl.
After the meal, Hyemi climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck.
One of the new skills Hyemi had learned after returning to this world was driving—necessary for working in the Corpse Cleanup Squad.
Of course, Iruri also had a driver’s license, but Hyemi always insisted on driving herself.
Why? Because…
“Heeey~ I can’t tell which is the accelerator and which is the brake~”
…was what Iruri had said on her first day behind the wheel, proudly displaying her cluelessness.
From that day on, Hyemi drove without complaint.
“Team leader, are you here?”
“Oh, long time no see.”
Returning the car keys and walking back to the office, Hyemi met a familiar face.
Kim Channeul, who seemed more like a boy than a young man, was grinning playfully.
Channeul had come from a shonen manga world where he played soccer and had joined the Disaster Countermeasure Safety Headquarters’ soccer club, becoming quite active.
He often tried bizarre moves and complained when they didn’t work.
No, why would you try to grab the ball with your hands during soccer?
“Did you enjoy your vacation?”
Hyemi asked, and he beamed as if he had been waiting for that question.
“It was amazing! I trained my soccer skills with people at the Sokcho beach!”
“Uh… okay.”
Hyemi didn’t understand why anyone would train soccer skills at the beach, but she was somewhat used to the strange personalities in the cleanup squad.
“So, how was the site today?”
“The same as always.”
Hyemi smirked crookedly.
“Those guys are infamous for leaving the monster remains a mess.”
By “those guys,” she meant the “Security Team 1 hunters” whose aftermath she had been cleaning today.
They had a reputation for making the site dirty while fighting.
“Oh, still the same today?”
“What else would change?”
“Ugh, think about the people cleaning up after them. Unless it’s the team leader or Ruri, most people never even see it.”
“True.”
Hyemi glanced at Iruri chatting with another colleague.
“Eeeh~ This chocolate is from Italy? Whoa~ It tastes incredible~”
Despite appearances, Iruri had a remarkably strong mental resilience.
She had a skill people jokingly called “Flower Garden Brain,” letting her view the world beautifully no matter what.
“Team leader, do you want to see my skill?”
“Huh? What skill?”
Perhaps Channeul had learned a new skill in the meantime. Even lower-ranked hunters occasionally developed new abilities.
Hyemi looked at him with anticipation…
“Mega Whirlwind Spin Eagle Flame Shot!!!”
“….”
As expected, Hyemi’s expectations were crushed when Channeul started spinning on the floor like a breakdancer.
Why… why would you do a headspin in soccer?
Channeul, please…
After leaving Channeul to spin on the floor, Hyemi returned to her desk.
She mainly handled fieldwork, but during free time, she occasionally did paperwork.
‘How much is this?’
Calculating the damage caused by Security Team 1 hunters, Hyemi opened her mouth in disbelief.
Every time she saw this, she felt like even though they were all hunters, they lived in a completely different world from her.
Of course, the headquarters would cover the cost, but even if they billed the hunters, they wouldn’t bat an eye.
“Sigh…”
Hyemi let out a breath and mentally calculated her bank account balance. A sigh was inevitable.
Hyemi was an orphan.
This had the advantage of not worrying about family when she fell into another world, and it nearly led her to develop feelings for someone’s violent affection in that world.
Well, she had returned to her own world where those people no longer existed!
‘I need to save money.’
She had learned the importance of living an independent life, free from manipulation by others.
As an orphan, financial independence was essential.
Getting a government job was lucky.
She could steadily save money and might even be able to afford her own home someday.
As Hyemi’s dreams swelled, a shadow fell beside her.
“Ye-seul?”
Standing there was Jeong Ye-seul, another member of the cleanup squad.
Ye-seul had a somewhat gloomy, dark appearance but exuded an elegant beauty.
Not just “beautiful,” but truly a “beauty.”
Her long black hair, makeup-free face, and monochrome clothing were striking.
And Ye-seul…
“I missed you.”
“You saw me yesterday.”
“Did I? Then my feelings must have been strong.”
She had once been the lead in an indie art film and spoke as if she were delivering lines from a movie.
“I ate chocolate yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“It melted in my mouth… so sticky.”
“Uh… yes.”
“So I couldn’t resist. It was too sweet.”
“Ye-seul, why do you always make it sound like chocolate was bad?”
Indeed, the Disaster Countermeasure Safety Headquarters Probation Team 2—the “Corpse Cleanup Squad”—was a collection of oddballs.
Hyemi truly wanted a normal life: work as a civil servant, save money, live ordinarily.
Unfortunately, she was the team leader of this squad.
If it seemed strange for her to be a young team leader, just look at the people around her.
“Heeey~ The fighting spirit of Koreans is amazing, huh?”
What are you saying, Ruri… you’re Korean too…
“Do you want me to show you how to play soccer with your hands?”
Channeul, I’ve told you countless times—that’s not soccer!
“It’s ridiculous. The weather is too hot.”
Ye-seul, just take off your coat…
Surrounded by people who drove her crazy, Hyemi was briefly taken aback.
