Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 117

“How did that happen, then? Are you quitting the guild and moving over to the Emergency Disaster Response Team?”

“Not exactly. I think I’ll be doing both. Maybe I’ll work at the guild on weekdays and help the Emergency Disaster Response Team on weekends?”

Jiu really didn’t want to join the Emergency Disaster Response Team, but the situation left her with little choice.

Kangwoo had destroyed the building and casually disappeared that very day.

No one had asked Jiu to take responsibility for the hole in the building, but…

‘Ugh, my conscience just won’t let me ignore it!’

In the end, after seeing Yeonwoo completely devastated, Jiu signed the employment contract.

Of course, she adjusted the working hours and conditions to her liking before signing.

“Wow, that’s amazing……! I guess you really are talented if they’re scouting you for a place like that!”

Oh Nara clapped, her cheeks flushed. A month ago, she had returned to the Empty Guild.

Her resignation had been canceled after it was revealed that the incident had been caused by a doppelgänger.

After an awkward apology that made both the giver and receiver uncomfortable, the two had grown closer.

They weren’t best friends, but they had at least become neighborhood friends who could talk openly with each other.

Nara seemed deeply moved that Jiu had recognized the fake Nara and saved her life.

“I heard a new pub opened near the office. How about we grab a beer after work?”

The answer came from behind them.

“Sorry, but you won’t be getting off work.”

Team 7’s leader, Yoo Jaekyung, opened the meeting room door and walked in.

“Team Leader, you’re here?”

“You all look terrible. Did you stay up all night?”

“Yes…… We had to finish the report for the C-rank dungeon we cleared yesterday……. But what did you mean by what you just said? We can’t leave work?”

“You all know the World Fireworks Festival is being held in Yeouido this year, right?”

“Yes. But wasn’t it canceled?”

The World Fireworks Festival was a grand-scale fireworks festival held in Seoul every year.

This year, it was scheduled to take place on Yeouido, an island in the Han River.

However, with a state of emergency declared due to the recent doppelgänger incidents, everyone naturally assumed it would be canceled…

Taepyeong Cha, who had entered the meeting room behind him, shrugged.

“Who knows? Who can understand what those high-ranking officials are thinking?”

“Still, it’s too dangerous. There are going to be so many people at the event…….”

In response to Oh Nara’s concern, Shinikguk answered.

“If there are a lot of people gathered together, the chances of a doppelgänger appearing go down. Maybe they thought it would be fine.”

“Even so, it’s still dangerous. If something happens there, it’ll be impossible to handle.”

Oh Nara wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Yoo Jaekyung tapped the table.

“That’s why hunters will be given a special security assignment for this festival.”

An official notice had been sent to all the guilds in Seoul, as well as guilds across the country.

Each guild was being asked to send one or two teams to the festival.

“At the Empty Guild, the Guild Leader’s direct team and our Team 7 will be going.”

“What? Why us?”

It made sense for the Guild Leader’s direct team, which was without a doubt the guild’s strongest dungeon-clearing team.

But why Team 7?

“We came in first in the last performance evaluation.”

“Oh, right. We did.”

“Sweetheart, has the audit still not come in? Something’s definitely strange. There’s no way we came in first.”

A controversy had erupted after the last performance announcement. The guild had insisted that there was nothing wrong with the results, but no one believed them. Not the other teams, and not even Team 7 themselves.

Jiu, the hidden culprit behind the whole incident, gave an awkward laugh.

“Ahaha…… Anyway, if we get assigned to security duty, we won’t have to clear dungeons for a while, right? Haha, maybe that’s actually a good thing……”

“Well, that’s true. I can’t even remember the last time we actually got off work on time.”

The number of dungeons appearing had increased to an absurd level recently. The Emergency Disaster Response Team hadn’t released official numbers, but there was no way to hide something like that.

‘They said we’ve been assigned more than ten times as many dungeon-clearing jobs as we had around this time last year.’

Along with the hunters’ overwork, the citizens’ anxiety had also reached its peak. Maybe that was why the festival hadn’t been canceled either. Perhaps it was meant to ease the public’s tension and anxiety.

“Whew, that’s great. I guess we can finally relax for once. …Huh? Sweetheart, what’s that behind you?”

“Oh, this?”

Yoo Jaekyung pulled over the cart behind him.

“Team Leader, is that…?”

“That’s right. Even security duty requires preparation and meetings, doesn’t it? Everyone, take a stack of documents.”

The cart was piled high with an enormous amount of paperwork.

“The meeting will begin in the main conference room in one hour.”

Yoo Jaekyung’s voice, sounding like a death sentence, echoed through the meeting room.

The one thing they could be thankful for was that Team 7 wasn’t the only team being assigned to security duty.

The Guild Leader’s direct team would be there too. Just hearing their name gave everyone a sense of confidence.

“The area will be divided into two main sections. From here to here is Section A, and everything else will be Section B.”

Guild Leader Shin Woohyuk pointed to the map as he began explaining.

The teams based in Seoul would take charge of the complicated Section A, while teams coming from all over the country would handle the relatively more distant Section B.

It was apparently meant as a consideration for teams that weren’t familiar with Yeouido.

A hunter from one of the Seoul-based teams raised his hand.

“That’s unfair. It’s not like we all know Yeouido that well either.”

“Then think of it as consideration for our guests.”

Shin Woohyuk shut down the complaint in one sentence. He quickly flipped through the documents and announced the important rules.

“The guidelines distributed by the Emergency Disaster Response Team are as follows.”

Each team must consist of at least three members, and at least one A-rank or higher hunter must be assigned to each sub-section.

‘That fits perfectly.’

Jiu circled the word ‘A-rank.’

The Guild Leader’s direct team had six members in total, including Shin Woohyuk, an S-rank dealer.

Team 7 had five members, including Yoo Jaekyung, an A-rank dealer.

The Empty Guild was one of the largest guilds in the country, competing for first or second place, so it had more than ten A-rank or higher hunters.

Considering the teams being formed by guilds from all over the country, it seemed that only the strongest of the strong would be gathering for this security assignment.

All teams must be familiar with the emergency response manual. Communication channels will be divided into Channels 1–12 depending on the assigned area.

“This assignment comes with an emergency response manual specifically prepared for the possibility of doppelgänger appearances. Read and familiarize yourselves with the manual being handed out now. Team Leader Yoo Jaekyung?”

“Yes.”

Yoo Jaekyung placed the distributed manuals on the main conference room table. The guild members were used to pre-mission meetings, but everyone was horrified by the thickness of the manuals.

“W-Wait, that’s all one manual?”

Seriously, did these people learn combat by reading books?!

It was at least as thick as the width of a thumb.

‘What exactly does the Emergency Disaster Response Team do?’

What kind of place was it to casually produce manuals like that?!

Jiu stared blankly at the manual in front of her, a chill running down her spine.

Maybe her decision to join the Emergency Disaster Response Team had actually been a mistake.

The thought came far too late.

 

 

****

 

 

 

The World Fireworks Festival arrived soon after.

As the sky slowly darkened in the evening, Jiu, Team 7, and the Guild Leader’s direct team gathered together.

“There are so many people.”

“Yeah. I heard around a million people came last year. I wonder how many will come this time?”

“A million?!”

The festival hadn’t officially begun yet, but the sky above Yeouido was already filled with brilliant fireworks, as if stars were falling from the heavens.

After finishing the headcount, Shin Woohyuk assigned each team to its area.

“During the security assignment, all team members must remain on standby at all times. Until the festival ends, you must be prepared to respond quickly to any situation.”

“……”

“Is everyone listening?”

“Yes……”

They had already been listening for an hour, enough for the words to become permanently stuck in their ears.

‘Ugh, I’m so glad I didn’t join the Guild Leader’s direct team.’

Otherwise, she’d have to listen to this every day!

Jiu looked exhausted after listening to the Guild Leader’s lectures the entire way to Yeouido.

The direct team members, who seemed used to it, mechanically repeated, “Yes, yes,” over and over. Jiu felt sorry for them.

Separated from the direct team, Team 7 patrolled the long cherry blossom road.

There were huge crowds, but the festival was lively and full of energy.

The recent doppelgänger incidents seemed like nothing more than a dream, with smiles on everyone’s faces.

Naturally, the tension among Team 7 began to ease as well.

“Wow, those fish cakes look good!”

Cha Taepyeong pointed toward a food stand. Yoo Jaekyung immediately shouted at him.

“Sweetheart, are we here to have fun?”

“No, not really……. But this is a secret security assignment. If we walk around looking all gloomy, everyone will know we’re on duty.”

“That’s true. Nothing dangerous seems to be happening, so let’s take a break and get something to eat!”

“Agreed. They say even ghosts who die after eating have a healthy complexion.”

“Why are you talking about dying?! Quick, spit it out! Spit, spit, spit! You shouldn’t say things like that!”

Jiu smacked Shin Ilguk on the arm. Shin Ilguk just laughed.

“It’s fine. I checked my fortune for today before coming to work, and it said I’d have a very lucky day.”

Still, you really shouldn’t casually say unlucky things like that……

Jiu frowned.

 

Note: Jiu is actually Jiwoo (same person just nickname)