Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

On the day the announcement was posted, the entire Civil Affairs Department was in an uproar. It had never been this noisy except when a citizen burst in claiming they wanted to become a hero. The manager, in particular, was so shocked he grabbed the back of his neck and foamed at the mouth—this was because something unbelievable had happened.

 

“Hwashin, what is going on?”

 

“Is this for real?”

 

As soon as Hwashin’s colleagues saw the notice board, they couldn’t help but jump up from their seats. How could they believe it?

 

[ SH Unit Formation List. ]

 

[ …Heroes of SH1 Unit: Yoo Hwashin, Yoo Jian, Jeong Mueum, Cha Jaeha ]

 

“Hwashin, aren’t you an F-rank?”

 

Hwashin smiled brightly while looking at the monitor. Wow, his name was really there among the SH1 Unit members!

 

Whew, what a touching moment.

 

“Hwashin, what happened?”

 

“Hwashin, what in the world happened?”

 

“Well, I was re-evaluated and it turns out I’m an S-rank.”

 

“Be serious.”

 

“I am.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes, really.”

 

Hwashin grinned, resting his chin on his hand. There was nothing particularly surprising about it. The expected result came out as expected. Mueum had advocated for him at the briefing, and they probably had him attend in the first place to ensure he passed. Hwashin stretched upward with a long yawn.

 

He had already received a separate notice regarding the upcoming schedule. Once the information about the SH Unit formation was made public, there would be a press conference.

 

So he’d be directly participating in this press conference, huh.

 

He had read about it a few times in books. Since SH1 squad mainly handled domestic cases, they naturally had more opportunities for press conferences than other squads.

 

But Hwashin had a different reason for looking forward to the press conference.

 

“Hehehe.”

 

His colleagues slightly shook their heads as they watched Hwashin let out another ominous laugh.

 

***

 

A week had passed. Hwashin no longer reported to the Civil Affairs Department. Since the announcement, he had been transferred to his new affiliation, SH1 Squad.

 

While all former heroes were part of the Management Department, the SH Units from 1 to 3 seemed to have independent command authority separate from the Management Department. In other words, they didn’t have to follow the Management Department’s orders unconditionally.

 

Hwashin stood in front of a full-length mirror located between the staircases of the Association building.

 

‘So, this is the SH Unit’s uniform.’

 

The new uniform was what SH Unit members wore at official events like press conferences. The author’s meticulous description of this uniform was incredible, and seeing it in person, it looked even more luxurious. The black jacket with red-trimmed shoulder epaulets and decorative cords, though slightly uncomfortable, exuded elegance.

 

“Please wait here.”

 

When he entered the waiting room as directed by the staff, Jeong Mueum and Yoo Jian were already there. Cha Jaeha would probably arrive a bit later. The main character usually arrived a bit late.

 

“Hello.”

 

Yoo Hwashin greeted them in his characteristic bright tone. Yoo Jian waved back cheerfully, and Mueum bowed slightly.

 

Whew. It suited them so well. Right, this was what he’d been waiting for, to see this at the press conference.

 

The official event uniform wasn’t worn often, so he had to capture this moment in his memory quickly. He didn’t dare take a photo openly, knowing the kind of look Mueum would give him.

 

“Did you memorize the script?”

 

Hwashin sat next to Mueum. Jeong Mueum, who had been reading the script, glanced at him and asked.

 

“I read it, but I couldn’t memorize it all.”

 

“See! It’s not just me!”

 

“Noona. Just because one person didn’t do it doesn’t mean both of you shouldn’t. Hyung, you should memorize it quickly too. Especially you, hyung. … What are we going to do if 2 out of 4 people haven’t memorized the script already?”

 

“Hahaha.”

 

As they bickered, the door opened again. Cha Jaeha entered. He looked like a proper S-rank top-tier hero in his impeccably fitted uniform. Ah, since three of them were gathered, he wanted to take a picture. Maybe he should just ask for a picture boldly.

 

Cha Jaeha silently sat next to Hwashin.

 

“Everyone’s here now!”

 

Yoo Jian clapped her hands to liven up the mood.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to use that time to memorize the script?”

 

…Her attempt to liven up the mood failed.

 

Mueum fidgeted with the script in his hand and eventually turned to Cha Jaeha. Good job, Mueum!

 

“…Cha Jaeha, have you memorized the script?”

 

“Yes, I’ve memorized it all.”

 

At his tone which implied, ‘Is there anyone who hasn’t?’, Jian and Hwashin tightly sealed their lips. Mueum side-eyed the two. Jaeha stared at them blankly before leaning back against the chair.

 

“I expected as much, so it’s fine.”

 

“No, it’s even more annoying that you expected it!”

 

“Don’t be offended that my expectation was right.”

 

It seemed the attempt to lighten the mood wasn’t as unsuccessful as initially thought. Hwashin laughed along, spending time without memorizing the script. Most of the questions would be directed at Cha Jaeha anyway. He already knew how to handle the questions that would come his way.

 

There was a knock on the door, and the staff who had directed them earlier peeked in.

 

“If you’re ready, we’ll head to the press conference venue.”

 

***

 

“Is this the press conference venue?”

 

“No. This is the center lobby; the conference will be held at the training ground.”

 

Kangsan, a rookie reporter, asked his senior. ‘Even if heroes were busy, wasn’t this too much?! A training ground without even proper chairs as the press conference venue?’ Dozens of reporters were chatting amongst themselves in the empty education center lobby.

 

“This is too much, don’t you think?”

 

“Oh, right. This is your first time covering a hero-related article, isn’t it, Kangsan?”

 

Kangsan nodded. His senior, Heeyeon, shook her head.

 

“Then don’t say anything. This is actually decent. Sometimes they just tell us to come directly to the field to cover a story.”

 

“What? What if we die?!”

 

“What else can we do? Your colleagues will read out the will you left behind.”

 

“Reporters, please come this way.”

 

A staff member in a suit guided the reporters to the underground training ground within the education center. When they arrived, they saw dozens of folding chairs and a long table covered with a white tablecloth in front of a special glass wall that blocked the view beyond.

 

“Wow. The training ground is bigger than I expected.”

 

Kangsan exclaimed as he looked around.

 

“It’s worth admiring when you first see it. They’ve probably poured all the cutting-edge technology our country has into this place. Hey, pick up your camera. The main characters are coming out.”

 

“Ah, yes!”

 

“Wow, they’re all good-looking.”

 

A flood of camera flashes filled the room. A man who appeared to be the speaker for this SH Squad formation press conference stood before them. Hero conferences always had the representative hero at the podium.

 

The man tapping the microphone was, of course, Cha Jaeha.

 

“Hello, I’m Cha Jaeha from SH1 Unit. We’ve gathered you all here to briefly discuss the SH Unit formation and future plans—”

 

He continued exactly according to the script.

 

There would be more frequent high-risk gates in urban areas, and to prepare for this, the SH Unit was organized into three units to ensure the safety of the public. He mentioned that press conferences for Units 2 and 3 would be held consecutively starting the next day. After his three-minute speech, Cha Jaeha held the microphone stand again.

 

“If you have any questions, please raise your hands.”

 

Dozens of hands shot up instantly. Kangsan, pushed by his senior, also raised his hand.

 

“Thank you for your attention.”

 

Cha Jaeha gestured towards a reporter in front of him. Several reporters then directed questions toward Yoo Jian, Jeong Mueum, and Cha Jaeha. Hwashin turned his head left and right, observing.

 

‘Why are my teammates so good at speaking?’

 

Jian didn’t even memorize the script but she spoke so well.

 

“Yes, you there, from Hero Today.”

 

“Wow, sunbae, he called you!”

 

The woman sitting next to the flustered Kangsan gave a light bow and then pointedly asked Yoo Hwasin a question.

 

“I have a question for Hero Yoo Hwasin. …Hero Yoo Hwashin?”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

Hwashin, who had been checking the real-time SNS reactions, finally looked at the reporter. Then he responded with his characteristic bright smile.

 

“Please go ahead.”

 

“I’m Kim Heeyeon, a reporter from Hero Today. …I’ve heard that this SH Unit formation is mostly composed of S-rank heroes.”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“But you were F-rank until recently, weren’t you? I’ve heard that you awakened to S-rank, but that alone doesn’t explain why you could join SH1 Unit. Do you have anything to say about this?”

 

Anything to say? Hwashin tapped his chin with his index finger. It was a gesture of contemplation. After a long silence, Hwashin tapped his microphone. He even did an “Ah ah—” microphone test like Cha Jaeha had done. He had wanted to imitate what the protagonist did at least once.

 

How about it, do I look cool?

 

He looked at Yoo Jian and Jeong Mueum with a triumphant smile, but their faces said, ‘Just answer the question.’

 

“Well, what I have to say is.”

 

Hwashin’s eyes curved into crescents as he held the microphone. With a bright eye-smile, he answered.

 

“Nothing.”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

Heeyeon let out an incredulous laugh.

 

“Are you serious? No… What do you think being a hero is?”

 

“A job that saves people, right?”

 

“If you understand that so well, what’s your intention in answering like this?”

 

“No—”

 

With his hand hidden by the table, Hwashin stopped Mueum, who was about to interject, Mueum leaned back, withdrawing his body that had leaned forward, and added. ‘Why are you stopping me?’.

 

“Hey, I haven’t done talking yet, how can you interrupt me… Reporter Heeyeon, was it?”

 

It was a voice tinged with playfulness. Cha Jaeha just watched their exchange with his arms crossed, as if he had expected this.

 

“Come on, why do you think the Association held the press conference at the education center, and moreover, in this training ground?”

 

The place where SH1 Unit was sitting was right in front of specially treated glass. The glass, which had been painted black, suddenly became transparent. Behind it stretched a spacious arena. The reporters simultaneously let out an ‘Oh-!’ sound, with Kangsan’s voice being the loudest by far.

 

“Wow-!”

 

Hwashin leaned his upper body more towards the microphone. Although his script was short, what Hwashin had to do at this conference was obvious.

 

[ Defeat the monster. ]

 

The Association must have anticipated such questions. An F-rank suddenly rising to S-rank and joining the SH Unit without going through the education center? Naturally, it would cause a lot of backlash. No matter what they said, the kind of articles that would come out were predictable.

 

“I planned to show you instead, Reporter.”

 

Cha Jaeha finally stepped forward and grabbed the microphone again.

 

“Please bring out the prepared items.”

 

The large space behind the special glass was a training ground for special education. The tightly closed iron door inside opened with a loud clang. And from there, ‘it’ emerged.

 

“What… is that…”

 

Kangsan, standing next to Heeyeon, lowered his camera with a pale face. He couldn’t help it.

 

“…That has to be a monster, doesn’t it?”

 

Heeyeon, too, stared at the monster with her mouth agape before turning her gaze towards Hwashin. He was standing there with a completely relaxed expression.