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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Pink was the Hunter Killer member I knew the least about. To be precise, I had virtually no information on any of the members, but my knowledge of Pink was especially lacking.
While our team consistently lost to Hunter Killer, we had our own strategies and positions, and each of us was usually assigned a specific opponent to counter.
My primary target was Red, and occasionally, I’d face Blue or Yellow. I’d heard a few things about Green from my teammates who’d fought her. While it wasn’t particularly useful information, it was still something.
However, Pink was different. Even my teammates who’d fought her knew almost nothing about her. I could probably get some information by talking to my teammates at headquarters, but unfortunately, I was starting from scratch.
The café kitchen involved washing dishes, preparing ingredients for drinks, organizing supplies, and other tasks. Since it was my first day, I was mainly being trained by Pink.
Rewinding a bit from Pink’s chatter to 1 PM, when I first arrived, the owner had given me a uniform. It wasn’t anything special, just a black shirt and a black apron.
The owner, a middle-aged woman, had left my training entirely to Pink. My first real encounter with Pink was when I entered the kitchen with my uniform.
“Hello. You’re the new employee, right?”
She greeted me with a warm smile, and I responded with a slight bow. Wearing a baggy jumpsuit and a black apron, she seemed different from when she was in her suit. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the difference yet.
“I’m A, starting today.”
“A? That’s an unusual name. Did you live abroad?”
“Yes, but I’ve lived in Korea longer, so you don’t have to worry about communication.”
Hiding my name was impossible. My real name was already on the health certificate I’d submitted for the job. I couldn’t reveal my true background, though, so I made up a story.
“I’m not a regular employee, just a part-time kitchen worker. My name is Kwon Yu-ra, and I’m 25.”
It was the same age as listed on my documents. I’d casually mentioned my age to Yu-bin before we started dating, but thankfully, I’d used the age on my official documents. I hadn’t been thinking about it since I had no reason to, but I’d instinctively said the right thing.
Anyway, I already had some information about Pink. It had taken me over a month to learn Yu-bin’s personal information, so this quick information gathering suggested my plan to infiltrate the café as a part-timer was quite effective.
“I’m 25, too.”
“Really?! I’ve never met anyone my age working here!”
Her sudden outburst surprised me. Since she was wearing a mask, I could only see her eyes, and I couldn’t help but focus on her gaze. Her light purple eyes stared intently at me.
“I see…”
Unable to think of a proper response, I just mumbled something, and she took a step back, continuing to look at me. Her gaze felt evaluative, like a senior assessing a junior, and I wondered if my response had been too casual, but I couldn’t take back what I’d said, so I waited for her to speak.
“Are you the quiet type, A?”
She asked, then frowned, as if noticing something odd, before I could even answer.
“It’s your name, but calling you ‘A’ sounds a bit strange.”
I hadn’t realized it before, since no one had ever used an honorific with my name. Yu-bin had just called me “Oppa.”
“You can call me whatever you want.”
“Don’t you have a Korean name I can use?”
“No.”
I hadn’t thought of using an alias, and I couldn’t just come up with one on the spot. Pink pondered for a moment, then seemed to have an idea.
“How about we just drop the formalities?”
She was already speaking informally, so how could I refuse? If I said, “I’d rather not,” it would create an awkward atmosphere. While I wasn’t particularly assertive in social situations, it was better to go with the flow in this case.
“Sure. We’re the same age, and it’ll be easier to talk while working.”
“That’s refreshing.”
She lightly punched my arm. I’d been wondering about her personality, but I hadn’t expected her to be this outgoing. Outgoing, or rather, she seemed to have no boundaries.
“I’ll give you a nickname or something later, once we get closer. If you’re still working here by then, that is.”
She told me to follow her, led me to the storage room, and explained the location of various items, the frequently used ones, the occasionally needed ones, and so on. Since I was a man working in the kitchen, she seemed to be assigning me tasks that required physical strength. Lifting things was nothing to me, so I listened attentively to her explanation.
As I watched her, I realized she’d been working here for a while. I didn’t know exactly how long, but she explained everything clearly and confidently, without any hesitation or uncertainty.
The owner had also entrusted my training to her without any instructions, suggesting Pink was highly trusted.
“On my way here today…”
However, her explanation gradually shifted to a different topic. She started talking about the men who had been watching her as she came to work this morning, since she opened the café on weekend mornings.
“At first, I thought I was imagining things. But I guess my beauty shines through even with a mask, right? I’m right, aren’t I?”
I’d seen Pink’s face without a mask once, during a duel. She was pretty, objectively speaking. But her self-absorbed tone made it hard for me to agree.
“I waited for a bit instead of coming straight to the cafe, just in case, and one of them came up to me and asked for my number.”
“And?”
I had zero interest in this story, but I figured there might be something useful buried within it. It seemed unlikely, but I held onto a sliver of hope and listened attentively.
“I told him I wasn’t interested, but he kept pestering me. So, I let him have it.”
“What did you say?”
“‘Hey, you son of a bitch, don’t you have anything better to do on a weekend morning than bothering women? I’m not interested, so get lost before I break your face.’”
I’d asked what she’d said, but her sudden, unfiltered string of curses made me wonder if I’d heard correctly.
“And then he started cursing at me? I was the one who told him to get lost, and he’s the one who kept pestering me!”
“Right?”
“So, I cursed him out again and came to the café.”
I’d thought she was just outgoing, but maybe it was something else entirely? It was important not to jump to conclusions based on a single example. Pink had been in a situation that warranted anger, and the man deserved to be scolded.
Pink had simply reacted to the situation, so it wasn’t fair to judge her personality based on this alone.
“…That’s strange. He was in the wrong.”
“Right?”
I decided to agree with her for now. I had no reason to comment on the situation or offer any opinions. In cases like this, listening and offering simple affirmations was the best way to avoid ruining the mood.
If I could maintain this atmosphere and encourage her to share more personal stories, I might glean some useful information. There was no need to rush. I’d learned patience during the month of silently observing Red. Being too eager might make Pink suspicious. Moreover, this was only my first day monitoring her, our first real conversation.
Who would share their personal life with a stranger they’d just met?
“And yesterday…”
There it was.
The mix of training and personal stories made it difficult to process the information I was receiving. Returning to the kitchen, we found a pile of dirty dishes, and I immediately put on rubber gloves.
“I’ll show you where to put the cups.”
Stopping her personal stories as soon as there was work to be done, Pink showed me where to put the clean dishes. Unlike washing dishes at home, I had to dry them completely before putting them away to prevent water stains.
“What did you do before working here?”
Now she was asking about me. Why would she be interested in someone who might quit today?
“Chatting again?”
The owner entered the kitchen. She walked towards the refrigerator, presumably to get something, and Pink just laughed at her comment.
“Yu-ra is quite talkative and friendly. It might be a little overwhelming at first, but you’ll get used to it.”
“Okay.”
I simply acknowledged the owner’s words.
Pink scratched her cheek and showed me where to put the cups I’d washed.
“And if you encounter any difficult customers, call Yu-ra.”
I mumbled a response to the owner, who then returned to the counter, and looked at Yu-ra, who was standing next to me.
“Leave it to me.”
She spoke confidently, as if she had some secret technique for dealing with difficult customers. I doubted I’d have much interaction with customers since my job was mainly washing dishes and cleaning in the kitchen, but I filed the information away.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive. I’d never worked in customer service before, so I didn’t know how to handle difficult customers.
I’d been a soldier since I was on my home planet. However, based on what I’d heard from friends who worked in customer service, the best approach was to be polite and try to diffuse the situation. I didn’t know how things worked on Earth, but based on my experience traveling the universe, people were generally the same everywhere.
Pink seemed to be good at handling difficult customers, given her outgoing personality and lack of shyness. The owner’s immediate suggestion to call Pink confirmed her trust.
“So, what did you do before working here?”
I thought she’d dropped the subject, but it seemed she hadn’t. Should I tell her the same lie I told Yu-bin? I’d speculated about the tension within Hunter Killer based on Yu-bin’s words, but it was just speculation. They were a team that had worked together for years, so they probably shared personal stories.
And since I was Yu-bin’s boyfriend, she was likely to mention me. If I told Pink the same lie, I’d be increasing the risk of exposure.
“I did various part-time jobs. I didn’t have a steady job.”
“I see. What kind of part-time jobs?”
She was quite inquisitive. I couldn’t think of anything on the spot. Moreover, this was my first part-time job on Earth, so I had no experience to draw from.
“Convenience stores, things like that.”
The only thing that came to mind was convenience stores, since Yu-bin worked at one.
“Have you ever had any unusual part-time jobs?”
“No, nothing particularly unusual…”
I trailed off, trying to end the conversation. Pink, sensing my reluctance, didn’t press further.
Then, silence fell between us. While a pause in conversation was normal, it was unusual for Pink, who’d been chattering non-stop, to suddenly become quiet.
I stopped washing dishes and slowly turned my head. Pink, who had been drying the cups and plates I’d washed, noticed my gaze and looked at me.
“Why? Do you think I’m pretty, too?”
She pulled down her mask, showing her face, and I still couldn’t figure her out.
“Uh, well… yes, you’re pretty.”
I couldn’t deny it, so I just agreed and went back to washing dishes.
“Right? I am pretty.”
Where did she get this confidence? Usually, truly beautiful or handsome people didn’t come across as narcissistic when they were self-absorbed—you’d just agree with them. But in reality, truly beautiful people rarely said such things themselves.
Maybe it was just my bias, but that was my experience.
Seeing her confidently declare her own beauty suggested one of two things: she had incredibly high self-esteem, or she just spoke without thinking.
I’d gotten stuck monitoring a strange girl, I thought, when…
“Yu-ra!”
Someone called Pink from the counter. She put down the cup she was drying and went out to the counter. Curious, I peeked out from the kitchen, still wearing my rubber gloves. I saw another part-timer, the owner, and a man standing at the counter.
“Give me your number.”
The other part-timer was also quite pretty, and it seemed the man was trying to get her number.
The owner gave a brief explanation of the situation, seemingly accustomed to this, and Yu-ra, stepping out from behind the counter, grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and dragged him towards the door.
“What the?!”
“Sir, this is a café, not a pick-up bar.”
She dragged the struggling man to the door and threw him out.
“Do you see this?”
I didn’t see it myself, but I later learned there was a sign that read “No Soliciting” under the menu board placed outside the cafe.
This was my first part-time job, but even I knew this wasn’t a normal situation. I was taken aback by the scene unfolding before me, and everyone in the café was staring at Yu-ra.
I looked at the owner, wondering how to react, and she looked at me calmly and said,
“Yu-ra is a superhuman.”
Superhuman. A term referring to Earthlings with enhanced physical abilities, capable of fighting alien invaders. Members of the Earth Defense Alliance, including Team Hunter Killer, fell under this category.
According to my research, superhumans rarely revealed their abilities in their daily lives, but Pink seemed to have no such reservations.
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I’m not sure that’s the right move, considering how talkative Pink is, she is definetely mentioning her new coworker with the unusual name “A” to her team mates. If Yu-bin then learns that he ‘lied’ about his work, wouldn’t that create mistrust?
He never told Yu-bin “where” he worked. She just knows he works somewhere and is a MIT graduate
Yeah, it’s just that Yu-bin had the idea that MC was working from home. But if Yu-bin then learns that he got ‘another’ job, not from himself, but through Pink, wouldn’t that be slightly weird? Maybe I’m just reading too much into it.