Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

‘I did tell them to sit comfortably, but.’

 

The director of the Audit Department who pushed for the SH Unit project.

 

High-ranking officials from the Ministry of Defense, the National Police Agency, and even the Association President. Everyone looked at them with pleased smiles, but their smiling expressions were very different from their inner thoughts.

 

‘What a bunch of brutes.’

 

‘Awakened ones have no manners. Tsk.’

 

Of course, when they first entered the conference room, they behaved politely.

 

But as soon as they heard the words “Please sit comfortably,” their attitudes changed.

 

There were four chairs placed within the conference table in the shape of a ‘ㄷ’. Just by looking at the arrangement, it was clear. The seating was designed to exert pressure.

 

However, the situation did not unfold as the people gathered had expected.

 

Cha Jaeha, said to be unbeatable among S-ranks, looked at them indifferently with his legs crossed. He was supposed to be a kind and virtuous hero. Was this guy just maintaining a good public image? Well, stories about Cha Jaeha within the organization were always hushed up.

 

‘Kids these days have no manners, no manners at all.’

 

Director Kim of the Audit Department felt his inner old-fashioned nature bubbling up from within.

 

He wanted to pick a fight right away, asking “How old are you?”, but he didn’t have the courage to do so.

 

Among them, Yoo Jian appeared the most normal, but even she wasn’t sitting properly. She merely received extra points for sitting like a human being and not spreading her legs wide. At least she wasn’t wearing headphones like the high schooler next to her.

 

‘These guys aren’t the biggest problem.’

 

Right. At least ‘these’ S-ranks had the capability not to be intimidated even in front of the Association President, ministers, vice ministers, and high-ranking officials.

 

They were given that kind of honor.

 

The S-rank heroes were treated on par with a vice minister from the moment they completed their training at the education center.

 

After that, how far they could push depended on their own capabilities.

 

These three heroes had established enough achievements to warrant such respect.

 

But, there was one exception.

 

‘Does he have a screw loose?’

 

Starting from the fact that an F-rank was mixed here, and that white weasel.

 

That weasel was bothersome. Why did he bring that animal? Moreover, it was comfortably perched on his lap, being petted. The weasel closed its eyes contentedly, making a purring sound.

 

‘Cute, no, that’s not it.’

 

Director Kim shook his head. Regardless, they needed to start the meeting. Finally snapping out of his daze, he resumed the interrupted briefing.

 

“…Anyway, our Audit Department always appreciates the hard work of the heroes. We understand it’s difficult to bridge the gap between us given our position and role, but we are always striving to help you and the citizens, so please understand that.”

 

Ahem. Director Kim cleared his throat a few times and then continued at length. After the superficial greetings, this was the main point.

 

“Unfortunately, it has become difficult to resume the ‘SH Unit Selection’. We have judged that rescheduling and using the time of S-rank and A-rank heroes for a rematch could negatively impact public safety. Hence, we plan to reorganize the SH Unit based on the achievements and ranks during the three recent gates incidents.”

 

He scanned the report up and down a few times.

 

“First of all, each team has a slightly different role.”

 

He frowned slightly and flipped through the report as he spoke.

 

“SH1 Unit will be directly involved in high-risk gate operations and combat with monsters, SH2 Unit will support the SH1 Unit and investigate gates, and SH3 Unit will mainly operate overseas. Therefore, currently, all units are filled with S-ranks.”

 

The man ran his hand over his thinning hair, a sign of accumulated stress.

 

“…During this process, there was a bit of a problem with the SH1 Unit, which is why you were called here last.”

 

All eyes, including those of the high officials, Director Kim, and the Association President, turned to the ‘problem’. The weasel, now asleep, had snuggled into the pocket of the ‘problematic’ individual.

 

The actual problem, Hwashin, was smiling amiably.

 

“There were some unbelievable details in the reports submitted by Heroes Jeong Mueum and Cha Jaeha.”

 

A man with graying hair clicked his tongue and interjected.

 

“Be honest. How can an F-rank perform alongside S-ranks? Did you receive some kind of bribe?”

 

The Vice Minister of Defense slapped the table with his palm and repeated, “Be honest,” almost shouting. He was sitting askew in his chair, and his expression was full of dissatisfaction.

 

The relationship between the newly established Gate Safety Management Department and the Ministry of Defense had never been good since the appearance of Gates. The Defense Ministry felt that the Gate Safety Management Department, commonly known as the Hero Association, had encroached on their territory.

 

There had been controversy from the beginning about which department would be best to incorporate the special position of ‘hero’. Amidst the controversy, the heroes almost ended up in the Ministry of Defense, but ‘almost’ means it never actually happened.

 

Thus, venting their accumulated resentment here was akin to getting angry over a cake they never had.

 

“We wrote everything correctly. Do you need us to recite it again?”

 

“No, I mean—”

 

“I’ve never written anything false. That’s all.”

 

Cha Jaeha answered calmly. The hands resting on his crossed leg didn’t even twitch.

 

“Well, Hero Cha Jaeha is correct.”

 

Jeong Mueum raised his hand slightly and added a few words.

 

“Hyu… I mean, Hero Hwashin’s remarkable performance during the recent gates is an undeniable fact. All three of us witnessed it… However, I honestly think his abilities should be re-evaluated. Wouldn’t that help increase his credibility a bit?”

 

If he’s going to be assigned to SH1 Unit with us.

 

Hwashin raised both eyebrows at Mueum’s unexpectedly generous assessment. He tried to pull down the corners of his mouth to hide his twitching smile.

 

“…So, Hero Jeong Mueum, you think Hero Yoo Hwashin might have deliberately hidden his abilities, and that we should verify it?”

 

“No, that’s not what I meant—.”

 

“Regarding this issue.”

 

A deep, resonant voice. Though not particularly loud, it drew everyone’s attention. It was the Hero Association President speaking. He said with a gentle smile:

 

“Let’s hear directly from Hero Yoo Hwashin.”

 

“…”

 

It was hard to read the President’s expression, perhaps because of his white eyebrows covering half his eyes.

 

“This matter is quite important on our end as well. Recently, there’s been a trend of illegal awakeners using unauthorized abilities as they please. At the very least, as a national hero, such disgraceful acts should not occur.”

 

In the end, he was essentially saying, ‘How can we trust an F-rank like you?’.

 

“What do you think? Which side are you on?”

 

In front of a man who seemed like a sly old fox, even the high-ranking officials kept their mouths shut. They couldn’t help but consider the potential consequences of speaking out of turn.

 

In front of this fox, Hwashin was a small mouse.

 

“Of course, I’m on whatever side the Association President believes.”

 

However, Hwashin was a mouse 200 years older.

 

“I just acted in a way that benefited the heroes in that situation. As for my abilities, I even underwent a re-evaluation before the proper selection match. After the Hongdae Gate incident, I acquired a new ability. But instead of improving, I dropped from E-rank to F-rank. It would be unfair to say I was hiding anything.”

 

Hwashin continued speaking without moving from his seat. His smiling face now seemed almost chilly.

 

Cha Jaeha, sitting beside him with arms crossed, listened quietly. Jeong Mueum admired inwardly, thinking, ‘Is this what they call having guts?’. Yoo Jian stifled a yawn out of boredom.

 

“…Is that so.”

 

Due to his interlocked hands right in front of his mouth, the Association President’s expression was hard to see.

 

The briefing ended with a few final questions. A conclusion was reached, but with conditions.

 

***

 

Ha Cheonwon’s complexion turned pale as he stood at attention in front of the department head’s desk.

 

“I have to go again?”

 

“You measured him before, right? This time, you need to measure accurately. There’s an uproar from the higher-ups saying it wasn’t done properly.”

 

“Why is that my fault? It’s that stupid machine’s fault.”

 

The Manager waved his hand dismissively as if he couldn’t be bothered anymore.

 

“Enough. Just go. The future team member is waiting for you in the lobby. What is that guy, really? He was an F-rank not long ago and now he’s on par with S-ranks?”

 

Ha Cheongwon let out a deep sigh and gritted his teeth. A vein popped on his forehead with a creaking sound. Only after massaging his temples firmly with his thumb did he finally regain his composure. Right, this was work too. Just work.

 

As he pulled out the man’s measurement record from the pile of documents on the desk, the stacked papers came crashing down like an avalanche. They say misfortunes never come singly.

 

“Oh, Niagara Falls.”

 

It’s a waterfall.

A colleague teased him, dramatically waving his fingers. Ha Cheongwon kicked his colleague’s wheeled chair hard with his shoe.

 

“Ouch!”

 

Leaving the chair pushed back about two spans, Ha Cheongwon headed towards the lobby where Hwashin was waiting.

 

He never thought this would be such a persistent connection. He just thought he was a crazy guy. In the arena, well, he was a somewhat impressive crazy guy. …He could have been S-rank, but Ha Cheongwon never imagined this outcome. No, he didn’t want to imagine it.

 

But lo and behold. It was like a triumphant return. it was beyond merely returning with silk garments, it was as if he came back with enough silk to start a shop.

 

Reporters with inside connections to the Association had already started releasing breaking news.

 

[ Go Youngwoo: “There’s a crazy guy among F-rank heroes.” ….The emergence of a new S-rank? ]

 

[ ★Breaking News★ Victim of Hongdae Gate incident, awakened new ability? …Association President: ‘Currently assessing the situation’ ]

 

[ The real solver of the Gangnam-gu Gate incident, Hongdae incident victim ‘Yoo Hwashin’ ]

 

Given that the association hadn’t cleaned up the news, it was highly likely that Yoo Hwasin had already been unofficially selected for the SH Unit.

 

‘I’ve never heard of a case like this.’

 

Usually, once an awakened person awakened, they lived with that ability for life. There were occasional cases of rank changes, but that was typically just moving up or down one level from their original rank. There had never been a case of jumping from F-rank to S-rank.

 

‘If every hero awakened new abilities after a near-death experience in a high-level gate, they’d all be A-rank by now.’

 

The exhausted civil servant arrived at the lobby to find the man cheerfully waving at him. This time, the rumored white weasel was with him.

 

‘So it was you.’

 

As soon as he realized this guy was also the reason for the rumors of the weasel, another headache hit him. His hopes for getting off work on time evaporated.