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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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After finishing a hectic day and waking up the next morning, I decided to take it easy. While I had exchanged contact information with Red, I didn’t have the nerve to contact her first, and I figured she wouldn’t contact me right away either.
I assumed I’d hear from her when her next shift rolled around, but my prediction was completely off.
A text message arrived the evening after exchanging numbers with Red:
[Oppa, can I ask you something?]
There was nothing special about the content of Red’s messages. She had texted because she encountered something she didn’t understand while studying. I figured it wasn’t anything significant and was about to end the conversation when another message arrived.
[Are you free tomorrow?]
Gwanghwamun, Seoul.
Another day passed.
Summoned by Red, I dressed casually and arrived at our meeting place earlier than the appointed time to wait for her.
Even though I was here at her request, the fact that she was an Earthling—and an enemy—kept me from feeling any excitement about meeting her. A hidden tension filled me as I waited.
I didn’t know her intentions, but I was still just an ordinary person to her. By complying with her requests and observing her, I might glean some information. This meeting could be a crucial moment.
Since I’d arrived 30 minutes early, I had to wait for Red. I took a moment to observe the vast Gwanghwamun Square. It had been 20 years since I arrived on Earth, and I hadn’t been in Seoul for long, so I hadn’t had the chance to explore much. Without the leisure to go sightseeing, this was my first time seeing Gwanghwamun.
“So, that’s the statue of Yi Sun-sin.”
There were two statues in Gwanghwamun, and I’d researched them while gathering information for living in Korea.
The statue of a man holding a book represented King Sejong the Great, who created the Korean alphabet, Hangul, back when Korea was still called Joseon.
However, the statue that captured my attention was the one of a man in armor, holding a sword.
Yi Sun-sin. A valiant admiral who fought against Japan during the Joseon Dynasty. His achievements had protected Joseon from foreign invasion.
As a foreigner on Earth, it felt strange to see a statue commemorating someone who repelled foreign invaders.
“There must have been foot soldiers back then, too.”
As a mere minion, my thoughts mainly went to the unnamed foot soldiers of that era.
“I’ll probably end up like that, too.”
If Spacetroe ever made a name for itself across the universe, it would be the representative and high-ranking officials, along with those whose achievements were significant enough to be recorded in history. A minion like me would disappear without a trace, unknown to the world.
I wasn’t dissatisfied with my position as a minion. I was already accustomed to it, and I knew that those who made a name for themselves were extraordinary, unlike ordinary folks like me. There was no need to dwell on it. No matter how much I thought about it, the fact that I would remain an unnamed minion wouldn’t change.
“Oppa!”
Lost in thought while staring at the statue, I heard Red calling me and waving from the subway stairs. If I had to think about how to react to every single one of her actions, it was going to be a long and arduous journey.
“Hi.”
“You’re early. When did you arrive?”
“Just now.”
Usually, I could only monitor Red on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons when she worked, but she was giving me an extra opportunity to observe her, which was a fantastic situation.
“Shall we go?”
Red led the way to her destination, and I followed, unaware of where we were going.
“Where are we going?”
I could have asked yesterday, but when I replied that I was free, she just sent me a message with the time and place. I missed the chance to ask where we were going, and now we were in this situation. Now that we’d met, I felt I should at least know our destination.
“The bookstore.”
“Bookstore?”
“Yes. I’m going to buy some study guides.”
Why did she ask me to come along to buy study guides? Questions about studying weren’t a big deal anymore, but shouldn’t she choose study guides that suited her?
Actually, I’d never seen a study guide before since all the materials for studying the spaceship were manuals, so I wasn’t sure.
“There’s a big bookstore in Gwanghwamun.”
So, I followed her to the bookstore, and as she’d said, there was a huge bookstore in Gwanghwamun.
“Documents.”
It had been a long time since I’d seen paper information media. I always used holographic monitors for studying, so I couldn’t even remember the last time I read a book.
“There are so many books.”
I was so used to accessing data from databases that it had been a while since I’d even seen a book, let alone read one.
“Right? I think this is the biggest bookstore in our country.”
Impressed by the size of the bookstore, my eyes darted to every book I could see.
“This way.”
Red, taking my hand as I stared blankly at the books, led me to the deep space science section. There, my eyes widened once more. Even though their scientific technology was far behind Spacetroe’s, seeing it compiled into books before my eyes piqued my curiosity as someone who sought knowledge.
“I’m not very familiar with deep space exploration technology yet, so I’m not sure which study guides to get.”
I finally understood Red’s intentions. She wanted me to pick out suitable study guides for her.
“Then I’ll have to take a look. It’s been a while since I’ve looked at study guides.”
The fact that Red, a member of our arch-enemy, Team Hunter Killer, was studying deep space technology was more important than I had initially thought. And I couldn’t just stand by and let her knowledge grow.
Earthlings had remarkable learning abilities. In the 20 years since Spacetroe arrived, they had significantly advanced their technology to counter us. Spacetroe hadn’t provided them with any materials, yet they had made astonishing progress using only the data from our attacks.
It was just a guess, but I suspected Earth would develop deep space exploration technology within 10 years.
And by maximizing the time I spent with her here, I could observe her more closely.
I needed to pretend to look for her study guides while carefully observing her behavior.
Hong Yu-bin. My secret identity, hidden from most, was one of the key figures protecting Earth from the invading alien force, Spacetroe. As ‘Red,’ a member of Team Hunter Killer protecting Seoul, I usually worked part-time at a convenience store while attending university. By chance, I met ‘A’ oppa, a graduate of the world-renowned engineering school, MIT.
I’d been observing him for over a month because I found it suspicious that he came to the convenience store at the same time every day on my shift. I learned he was an MIT graduate and that his major was deep space science and technology, the same as mine.
And as I asked him various questions, I realized he wasn’t suspicious but rather an interesting person with a somewhat airheaded side.
I felt bad about asking him so many questions when I couldn’t properly compensate him, but I was grateful that he helped me without complaint. He didn’t have to go out of his way for someone he barely knew.
Even now, seeing him meticulously looking through study guides for me was touching.
I couldn’t just stand there after asking him for help, so I also started looking for suitable study guides.
“…”
I pretended to read the study guides, and Red also began checking out potential books.
The problem was, instead of casually browsing and observing Red as I should have been doing, I became engrossed in the content and started seriously reading the study guides.
I knew it was irresponsible, especially considering my surveillance duties, but didn’t everyone have something like that? A flaw they knew about but couldn’t fix.
In my case, when something piqued my interest, I focused all my attention on it. Of course, this was the first time I’d become so absorbed in a book that I forgot my duties. It was because the object of my fascination was a book, a medium long extinct from Spacetroe’s perspective.
“…So, they interpreted it this way.”
The level of deep space science and technology currently understood by Earthlings was very basic. While most of it existed in theory, almost all of it was stalled in practical application. They were still searching for theories and technologies that could be used in real-world scenarios.
Reading their books felt like looking at math formulas written by a child.
As I muttered to myself while reading, Red, who was browsing nearby, looked at me. Snapping back to reality upon sensing her gaze, I turned my head and our eyes met. Unsure what to say, I blurted out something about the book to deflect her attention.
“This book is a bit difficult. It’s easy to read, but the way the equations are arranged is a mess. It could be written much more concisely and clearly.”
Red, who hadn’t read the book I was holding, listened to me with admiration. Figuring that was enough, I put the book back and picked up another one.
“Oppa, what study guides did you use when you were studying?”
“Me?”
I had to answer carefully. The fact that she, a freshman, was looking for study guides meant that upperclassmen probably used them too. Red asking me which ones I used was definitive proof.
However, if I mentioned a subpar study guide that everyone knew, it might create a crack in the trust I’d built, even if it was based on a lie. I needed to gain her full trust.
“I mostly used books from the university library. They had much more interesting information than the ones sold outside.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a lie. When I studied deep space technology, I borrowed books from the library on the ship I was on, and I reached a level where I could work on the ship by studying those books.
So, while the “university” part was a fabrication, the part about the books inside being more helpful than those outside was true.
Long story short, I ended up finding a helpful study guide for Red. By the time I found a suitable book, it was too late. I regretted it and wondered if there was any way to stop her, but she was already holding the book.
“Thank you. For coming out here even though I asked you so suddenly yesterday.”
“Oh, no problem. It’s fine.”
Honestly, it wasn’t that much of a bother. I’d come for surveillance, but I’d completely forgotten about it and couldn’t remember what Red had been doing while I was reading.
Now that she’d bought the study guide, I figured she would head home. Even though today’s surveillance was a bust, it was still a significant gain to have observed her on a day I normally couldn’t.
Red, holding the shopping bag containing the study guide, stared at me. Her slightly furrowed brows and sharp gaze made me hesitant to look at her.
Even though she didn’t know I was from Spacetroe, from my perspective, I was meeting the person who always beat me up. I thought our business was concluded, but she suddenly frowned and stared at me. Just meeting her was fine, but that look made me nervous.
“Wh-why?”
Mustering my courage, I asked her why she was looking at me like that. The wrinkles between her brows smoothed out, and she smiled.
“It’s nothing. Something’s just on my mind.”
“On your mind?”
“It’s not important. Don’t worry about it.”
This was unsettling. If she had somehow figured out my identity, I was in serious trouble.
The rules I agreed to on Earth included a no-killing rule and designated duel days, but there were also rules about responding to contact outside of the scheduled duels.
Simply put, if I was caught surveilling her, I could be beaten to a pulp and have no grounds for complaint.
“Then, shall we grab something to eat?”
“Huh?”
I was so focused on going home that I responded formally to Red’s unexpected suggestion.
“You should let me treat you for helping me with my studies.”
“Oh.”
I wondered why she wanted to eat with me when there was no reason to stay longer. It seemed she wanted to treat me as thanks for helping her with her studies.
Maybe I could find some clues while eating with her.
“Then, could you recommend a place? I don’t know anything around here.”
“Sure, leave it to me.”
And the place Red took me to was a famous franchise Chinese restaurant.
It was a decent place for a simple meal, and a good choice for us, as we weren’t in a formal relationship, and the food was generally well-liked.
“…I don’t have much money.”
“Then you don’t have to treat me.”
“No, you helped me with my studies, and you came all the way out here to help me find a study guide.”
It seemed Red was determined to treat me to a meal, as if she couldn’t stand being indebted to me.
Regardless of the type of restaurant or the price of the meal, I found her consideration touching, even though she was the enemy.
Repaying a favor was a way of showing consideration for the other person’s actions.
“This is almost bringing tears to my eyes.”
“Huh?!”
“Because I’m grateful. So grateful.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d received such consideration, considering I usually crammed into an overcrowded van for transportation.
We looked at the menu together, and Red ordered jjambbong, while I ordered mapo tofu. She excused herself to go to the restroom.
Sitting alone at the table, lost in thought, I noticed an apron hanging on the wall.
‘It was white.’
Red was wearing hot pants with a high waist, a white V-neck shirt that slightly revealed her cleavage, and a brown jacket. Thinking that something might splatter on her white clothes, I stood up and placed an apron on the chair where she was sitting.
I remembered Ruche getting jjambbong broth on her clothes at headquarters and being bothered by it all day. It had been a very tiring experience. If I did this, it would prevent Red from getting upset.
The reason I was suddenly concerned about her mood was because her earlier glare was still on my mind. While a jjambbong stain probably wouldn’t suddenly make her suspicious enough to uncover my identity, you never knew.
Red returned from the restroom, and as she was about to sit down, she noticed the apron on her chair and looked at me.
“In case it splatters.”
“…Thank you.”
There was no other reason for putting the apron there, so I just said it as it was. No need for any other explanation.
Red smiled slightly and sat down, putting the apron around her neck.
Our food arrived at the perfect time. I took out cutlery from the side drawer, placed some in front of her, and then took mine.
“If I can get free meals like this, I should ask you for a lot of help.”
“You’ll bankrupt me.”
I spoke in a joking tone to divert the conversation and prevent her from speculating about me, and Red responded with a laugh. Throughout our brief exchange, Red kept smiling, as if she found everything amusing. However, I could feel her gaze occasionally flicking to my neck and below, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being observed.
After we finished eating and Red paid, I thought we would finally head home.
I’d led the conversation during the meal to distract her, but as a result, I, the one who was supposed to be observing, failed to do my job. I felt like nothing had gone right today.
‘I messed up.’
If this continued every time I monitored her, I wouldn’t have anything to report, and a disposable minion like me would be quickly eliminated. This was a serious concern.
As we left the restaurant, I felt Red’s sharp gaze once more.
That gaze, looking at my neck and below, as if scanning my entire body. Was she figuring out where to attack?
“Shall we head back?”
“Yes, let’s.”
We’d finished our business and eaten, so all that was left was to go home. Even though we were going in the same direction, at least I wouldn’t have to face her sharp gaze while we walked.
Honestly, oppa’s fashion sense was terrible.
I wanted to mention it as soon as we met, but I held back. Even if we were just acquaintances because he was helping me with my studies, beige cargo pants and a blue checkered shirt were too much. Was engineering student fashion the same abroad?
When he came to the convenience store, I didn’t mind his black t-shirt and sweatpants since he lived right next door. But seeing his awful fashion outside made me want to intervene.
However, we weren’t close enough for me to criticize his fashion, and I struggled to maintain a neutral expression every time I saw him.
If I ever saw him outside again and he was dressed the same way, I’d have to do something about it.
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