Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Editor’s Survival Rules Episode 106

ep17. Circulating (2)

It was cold.

When everyone froze at the ominous premonition.

Baek Sa-ra smiled faintly and muttered just one sentence.

“Jae-gyeom, do you want to die?”

“No, noona! I didn’t choose this, the deputy manager gave it to me!”

Kwak Jae-gyeom, terrified and begging for his life.

Jae-gyeom panicked and fumbled before hastily flipping to the next photo.

It was a poor decision.

No, Deputy Manager Yun Woo-jeong went too far with this.

The next photo continued the scene from the previous one like a movie.

So there was Baek Sa-ra clinging to Cha Si-eon who had grabbed her by the back of the neck, wrapping her legs around his neck.

Probably intending to choke him or take him down…?

Click-

Kwak Jae-gyeom, startled, turned off the tablet screen completely.

But our once harmonious dinner table had already gone quietly cold.

Feeling like Jae-gyeom might suffocate from the silence if this continued, I casually interjected.

“You two were on the same team before, right? Then this must be a training photo.”

Let me think about this.

Cha Si-eon’s face was covered in blood, but no one was stopping it.

Rather, someone was taking pictures of that scene with a camera.

That means this wasn’t such a serious situation.

The nosebleed must have been an accident during training.

I believed this and waited for an answer that would resolve this awkwardness.

But you two, why aren’t you saying anything…?

Don’t tell me you really fought?

Then what was that photo about?

Was it a photo with the intent of ‘those guys are fighting again’ or ‘let’s keep evidence’?

…But you shared that with Jae-gyeom, Deputy Manager?

After an awkward silence, Baek Sa-ra slowly opened her mouth.

“When you work together, there are times when you have differences of opinion.”

Having differences of opinion doesn’t mean you make your coworker’s nose bleed, Ms. Baek Sa-ra.

“When we were on the same team, Agent Baek Sa-ra was my junior partner. So we had many occasions to communicate individually.”

What kind of communication involves grabbing someone by the back of the neck, Team Leader Cha.

“Wh-what other photos are there?”

“Ah, yes, just a moment.”

At my question, Jae-gyeom picked up the tablet and brought it close to himself.

In that position, he scrolled through the photos, and his expression brightened a little.

“Oh, it’s Ji-su hyung.”

Having found a safe photo, Jae-gyeom put the tablet back on the table.

A photo of Han Ji-su with a buzz cut, wearing a Management Bureau uniform appeared.

“That’s from the appointment ceremony.”

Han Ji-su, who was checking if the corn was fully grilled, muttered while looking at the photo.

“When was this?”

“Two years ago. There should be photos of those guys too.”

Han Ji-su answered my question while pointing at Jae-gyeom and Yu-ju.

As he said, when we flipped to the next photo, pictures of Jae-gyeom and Yu-ju in uniform appeared.

Jae-gyeom had black hair, and Yu-ju had her long hair neatly tied back.

“The three of us are from the same class. The last class of the Management Bureau.”

Yu-ju suddenly bragging about their peer network.

But this wasn’t entirely a heartwarming story.

“Since then, there’s been no personnel recruitment.”

“Ji-su hyung and we caught the last train.”

“If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have come…”

Han Ji-su chewing corn bitterly.

Ah, the mood again…

A few more photos from the three people’s appointment ceremony followed.

But…

“Ugh…!”

Jae-gyeom, who was flipping through photos, flinched and froze again.

At the same time, something shocking appeared on the tablet.

It was none other than blonde Cha Si-eon.

“Pfft, cough!”

The visual was so unexpected that I choked on the water I was drinking.

“Kwak Jae-gyeom…”

“No, Team Leader, I really didn’t choose this one either…!”

Kwak Jae-gyeom just felt wronged at the team leader’s quiet call.

When Jae-gyeom tried to hastily flip the photo, I grabbed his hand.

“Wait, ahem! I haven’t seen it yet.”

I kept coughing but still checked the photo.

In that photo, not only Cha Si-eon but also Kwak Jae-gyeom were together.

Both had bleached blonde hair, and Jae-gyeom in the photo was grinning, seemingly pleased with his new style.

So Jae-gyeom wasn’t particularly different from how he looks now.

On the other hand, Team Leader Cha standing expressionlessly next to him, well, how should I put this.

He looked like he was up to no good.

Like he might do some smuggling or something.

That was it.

Just being handsome didn’t mean you could pull off anything.

There were styles in the world that even a face couldn’t cover.

“This was dyed to distinguish from Alpha, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“But why did you change course?”

“Other department employees got scared…”

“Ha Yu-ju.”

“I’m sorry.”

Ha Yu-ju quickly exposed the truth and apologized even faster.

When Cha Si-eon clicked his tongue, Jae-gyeom tactfully flipped the photo.

What came next was a much younger Jae-gyeom and Yu-ju.

Haha, they’re really young.

Their age looks like late teens?

Both were in casual clothes, holding what looked like some kind of certificate while standing side by side.

“What are you holding in your hands?”

“High school equivalency exam certificates.”

Equivalency exam? Ah…

Both of them had entered the Special Zone as minors.

So they took equivalency exams instead of attending school.

“Ah, look at Kwak Jae-gyeom’s expression.”

Yu-ju zoomed in on Jae-gyeom’s face in the photo and burst into laughter.

In the photo, Yu-ju was smiling brightly, but Jae-gyeom next to her had a sullen expression, just like a typical adolescent boy.

“Let’s not randomly zoom in on our faces…”

Jae-gyeom looked embarrassed as he quickly flipped through the photos.

A few more photos of Yu-ju and Jae-gyeom’s teenage years appeared, then an even younger Yu-ju and an unexpected figure showed up.

“Oh? It’s the Section Chief.”

That figure was none other than Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop.

Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop looked to be in his early thirties, appearing sharper than he does now.

And Ha Yu-ju, who looked to be around middle school age.

Unlike Kwon Mu-seop who was smiling faintly at the camera, middle schooler Ha Yu-ju looked expressionless and tired.

It’s somehow a strange photo.

“When was this taken?”

“This was when I was sixteen. The Section Chief bought me a cake for my birthday.”

A cake?

Ah, now that I look, there is a white cake in front of Yu-ju.

Yu-ju’s expression was so dark that I didn’t notice it at first.

“Did you get scolded before taking the photo?”

“No, I didn’t get scolded.”

Yu-ju smiled and shook her head at my question.

Then she spoke in a somewhat calmer voice.

“It was not long after I was rescued. I was quite sick at that time.”

“Ah…”

“So the Section Chief came to visit me often. Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop was the one who rescued me too.”

“I see.”

Yu-ju nodded several times at my words.

As if proud of her bond with Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop.

“But if you were sixteen then, Ha Yu-ju, you’ve been at the Management Bureau for quite a long time?”

“That’s right, I’m probably the second most senior here after Sara unnie, right?”

Yu-ju became a Management Bureau employee two years ago, but she had been under Page’s protection for a full seven years.

That’s right. Cha Si-eon said he’s been at the Management Bureau for six years, so it’s been even longer than that.

But if she’s only second after Baek Sa-ra, how long has Baek Sa-ra been at the Management Bureau?

“That’s why I couldn’t even enter high school. I wasted my life so much, it’s sad.”

Yu-ju said she was sad with a not-particularly-sad face.

To be able to talk about such things like a joke, Yu-ju’s mental strength is really amazing too.

“Agent, what kind of place is high school?”

Oh, suddenly?

“You had a lot of friends, right Agent? What did you do for fun in high school?”

Ha Yu-ju is definitely an extrovert.

And that question just now was bright and cruel, as befitting an extrovert.

Of course there was no malice, but I inwardly flinched.

“I didn’t have many friends. And at school, you usually study.”

“Really? I thought you would have had a lot of friends, Agent. Did you go to an all-boys school?”

“Yes, and also… for me it was 90% college prep and the remaining 10% was commuting to and from school.”

“You were a model student, as expected.”

“Haha, that’s not really it either…”

While I was breaking out in cold sweat from Yu-ju’s barrage of questions, Jae-gyeom joined in.

“Hey, hyung graduated from a good university.”

“Really? Where?”

“Haha…”

Jae-gyeom and Yu-ju suddenly digging into my educational background.

When I just smiled awkwardly, Jae-gyeom didn’t bother to mention the school name.

Instead of prying further, Yu-ju spoke as if sighing.

“Ah, I want to go to school too.”

Yu-ju seemed to have romantic notions about campus life.

She looked like she wanted to hear about my university life too.

But unfortunately, I didn’t have much to tell her.

The me from my academic years was very different from now, so I couldn’t recall any decent memories.

So all I could do now was smile regretfully.

* * *

Sizzle-

With a burning sound, sparks glittered in the front yard of the pension.

Jae-gyeom and Yu-ju, who were serious about having fun, had even bought lots of sparklers.

Then as soon as the sky turned dark, they lit them up and started playing.

“Hey, I’m filming a video!”

“Puhaha!”

It would have been a real disaster if I hadn’t brought those two to the sea…

Jae-gyeom and Yu-ju bickering and playing happily with just a few glittering sticks.

Baek Sa-ra and Han Ji-su were also joining in that fireworks play.

So I ended up sitting with Cha Si-eon on the bench in front of the pension.

Clink-

And the metallic sound that naturally followed whenever I moved.

It was the sound coming from the vest I wore like leather.

I had briefly taken it off earlier at the beach because Baek Sa-ra was next to me, but I felt anxious and put it back on.

To think I can’t take off this survival vest even on vacation.

I looked down at my stuffy vest and spoke up.

“I just thought of something, but wouldn’t I not get dragged to the Special Zone if I’m defenseless instead?”

Cha Si-eon looked at me with eyes that said ‘what nonsense are you spouting now.’

“I don’t get dragged to the Special Zone when I’m receiving treatment. When the Section Chief prepared Ant Hill-specific supplies and waited, I was dragged exactly to Ant Hill. So maybe my constantly carrying this equipment is sending a message to the Crow side that ‘I’m ready to go to the Special Zone anytime’…”

“That could be possible. But since being defenseless doesn’t guarantee you won’t get dragged away, let’s be thoroughly prepared.”

Hmm, right…

At Cha Si-eon’s firmness, I humbly fastened my vest.

As Team Leader Cha said, I’ve been dragged away in pajamas while sleeping before.

No, wait a minute.

“But the phenomenon of being dragged to the Special Zone only occurs in the metropolitan area.”

Where I am now is the East Sea.

So haven’t I escaped from the Special Management Zone’s sphere of influence?

“Usually that’s the case, but Seo Do-un will probably be an exception.”

“Why do you think that…”

“An agent who was in a similar situation to Seo Do-un in the past was also dragged to the Special Zone while staying overseas.”

“From overseas?”

“Yes. Once you’re already connected to the Special Zone, physical distance probably doesn’t mean much.”

Damn… it’s really not easy after all…

That’s right. If I’m completely the same as that person…”

It was when I was about to complain roughly.

Whoosh-

Along with the sound of waves, Cha Si-eon suddenly pressed down on my head with his hand.

Thud-!

Then he pressed me down onto the bench just like that.

“…!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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