Chapter 58

EP.58 Are You Really an Intern? (1)

After walking for quite a while past Yeouido Park, we finally arrived at the location of the <Flame's Judgment> clan tower.

"This is our clan tower."

Kang Juyeon pointed at the building with her finger.

Following her gesture, my gaze turned to the building.

"Wow…"

Is this a building or a tower….

The building, located near the Yeouido Post Tower, boasted a grand presence.

At first glance, it seemed to be over 30 stories tall, with a simple exterior and the clan name and emblem of <Flame's Judgment> hanging near the top.

It was a much larger building than the auction house I had seen in Daegu.

Indeed, the reputation of being one of the top three clans in the country suited this clan tower.

"This way."

"Ah, okay."

As Kang Juyeon gently tugged at my sleeve, I snapped out of my daze and moved my feet.

I couldn't keep admiring the exterior forever.

I needed to understand the internal structure of the clan tower, and as it was my first day, I had quite a bit to do.

"This is the first-floor front desk. It handles external visitors, clan customer consultations, and check-ins for accommodations within the clan tower."

"Does the clan tower provide accommodations?"

"Yes. It's a convenience provided for guests of the clan and for clan members on special missions. The internal structure is in the form of an officetel…."

"True officetels, huh."

Korean officetels are another form of 'home' created to circumvent building regulations.

Usually, they are called officetels but are mostly used as living spaces… The accommodation system provided by the <Flame's Judgment> clan tower seemed to truly combine work and living, just like a real officetel.

We moved towards the building entrance.

The system involved swiping a card to verify entry.

On either side stood men dressed like bodyguards.

Seeing that they were holding classic weapons, they were holders.

However, they were currently in a bit of a predicament.

A man was trying to enter forcefully in front of them.

"You can't do that. Entry is not allowed without a card."

"Ah, really! Guys, I'm the team leader of the Hunting Team 5. I'm your senior. What are you going to regret later? You're making a mistake you can't undo. Please, let me in."

"…Entry is not allowed without a card."

"I'm about to explode. Who put these newbies on guard duty at the entrance?"

As Kang Juyeon was about to swipe her card and enter, she paused and approached them.

"…What's going on?"

"Kang Juyeon Holder, it's you!"

The guards snapped to attention and greeted her.

…This isn't like meeting a battalion commander.

Why is their greeting and attitude so stiff?

But Kang Juyeon, being used to it, nodded lightly in greeting.

The man who had been struggling with the guards looked at her with a relieved expression, as if he had found a savior.

He quickly ran over and grabbed her wrist.

"Oh! You're here! Miss, you're here. I'm saved. I can finally get in. Miss, thank you. Please verify my identity for these inflexible newbies."

"…Don't call me 'Miss.'"

"Ah! Kang Juyeon, Kang Juyeon. Kang Juyeon Holder. Please, I beg you. I've been here for 30 minutes."

"What's the matter?"

Kang Juyeon's gaze turned to the guards.

The guards, who she had called newbies, hesitated before answering.

"…A holder we've never seen before keeps trying to enter… We're following the manual."

"I've told you several times that I was on an external mission."

Kang Juyeon tilted her head and looked at the man.

"You can verify your identity when other clan members enter. You can tell the desk."

"Since I arrived, no clan members have come, and the desk has been busy and absent. It's really a bad day for me."

Kang Juyeon nodded, understanding the situation, and looked at the guards.

"He's a clan member named Kwon Ohjun. He's the team leader of Hunting Team 5 and a verified individual… It's okay to let him in."

"Sorry, Kwon Ohjun Holder!"

The guards, finally understanding the situation, greeted him with tense faces.

Kwon Ohjun sighed deeply, waved his hand, and entered.

"Alright, it's fine. You were just following the manual. Just guard the entrance well."

"Thank you…!!"

With that, the situation was resolved, and Kang Juyeon and I entered the building.

Only then did Kwon Ohjun's gaze turn to me.

"Who's this person?"

Before Kang Juyeon could answer, I quickly bowed and introduced myself.

"Hello. I'm C-grade Holder Joo Dae-hyun, starting as an intern clan member today. I'm currently a first-year at the academy and specialize in both the assassin and warrior classes."

"Oh. A new newbie."

True to his lively personality from the entrance, he smiled brightly and extended his hand to me.

"Nice to meet you. I'm A-grade Holder Kwon Ohjun. Since I'm a senior, it's okay to speak informally, right?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Ah, forget what happened earlier. I usually don't get treated like this, but a series of unfortunate events happened today because I forgot my card."

The friendly Kwon Ohjun then turned to Kang Juyeon.

"Is this the friend you recommended, Miss?"

"…."

This guy is really persistent.

To call her 'Miss' right after escaping a crisis.

Kang Juyeon doesn't like being called 'Miss' in the clan.

She wants to be treated as a holder and clan member.

But for the clan members who have known her since she was young, it's perhaps natural that the title doesn't change easily.

Kwon Ohjun, despite his appearance, seems to have been with <Flame's Judgment> for a long time.

"Oops! I'm late. I'll go ahead first. Please take good care of this friend, Miss."

Sensing that Kang Juyeon was getting cold, Kwon Ohjun waved and headed for the emergency stairs.

He was really like the wind.

"…He's a good person."

"Really?"

I quickly agreed with her.

For some reason, it felt like my anger gauge was rising to my throat….

Anyway, we took the elevator to the upper floors.

Our destination was the 33rd floor.

It was four floors below the top floor, the 37th.

"Going to a really high floor?"

"…Yes. I plan to introduce you as we go down each floor."

"But why the 33rd floor, not the ones above?"

"From the 37th to the 34th floors are the offices of the clan leadership."

"Ah…."

The clan leadership probably includes the clan master, an S-grade holder.

Also, Kang Woo-hyun, Kang Juyeon's father.

And various other key figures in the clan.

It made sense that the offices of the clan's leadership were on the top floors.

Ding—

The elevator reached our destination.

The 33rd floor had many meeting rooms.

There was a large meeting room in the center, and smaller meeting rooms of various sizes were arranged around it.

"This is the main meeting room. It's used for important clan meetings and general assemblies."

"An entire floor of meeting rooms… It's huge."

"Yes. Small meeting rooms can be used by anyone who applies to the management department."

It felt strange and interesting to receive such detailed explanations from Kang Juyeon.

Is this something a clan successor does?

Am I getting special treatment…?

But Kang Juyeon didn't seem particularly uncomfortable.

She even had a slight smile on her face.

"From the 32nd to the 30th floors are all archives. They store documents, meeting materials, and reports within the clan."

"The 30th floor is almost like a library?"

"Yes. You can borrow holder papers and related books for a period of time."

"Really like a library. Can I borrow them too?"

"…You're a clan member now."

Right.

That's right.

Kang Juyeon now uses 'we' more naturally than I do.

"And from the 20s, the floors are divided into various teams by department."

This time, we went down to the 25th floor.

Five floors lower than before.

After getting off the elevator, Kang Juyeon pointed to the signs hanging around the floor.

"The 25th floor department is the Hunting Team 5, as you can see."

But I heard a familiar word.

I tilted my head and looked at her.

"Huh? Hunting Team 5, that's…"

"Yes. The team led by Kwon Ohjun Holder we saw earlier. And…"

Kang Juyeon suddenly avoided my gaze.

"…Dae-hyun. This is also the team you'll be assigned to."

"…What?"

I asked in a daze.

The talkative holder from earlier is my team leader?

This was an unexpected turn of events.

'That guy is a bit like Park Jin-woo…'

An older Park Jin-woo as my team leader?

Oh, fuck.

Just thinking about it makes my head spin.

But from the way he handled the guards' mistake, he doesn't seem to have a bad personality… He definitely has a knack for making people tired.

Kang Juyeon, knowing this, kept avoiding my gaze.

There was a reason she was defending his work.

Thud, thud—

"…So, in the new operation, you should always check the team member list first. It can change at any time by clan order…"

As if to say, 'When you speak, even a tiger will come.'

Outside the department, standing there blankly,

Kwon Ohjun Holder from earlier,

and a woman with short red hair, were walking towards us, chatting lightly.

Short red hair.

While Kang Juyeon's hair is black with a hint of red, this woman had dyed her hair a striking red.

She was a woman who stood out just by her appearance.

"Hey? Miss, what brings you here?"

"…."

Kwon Ohjun, recognizing us, pointed at me and Kang Juyeon alternately.

"This is the…? Oh, you're with Miss…"

"I'll introduce you properly. This is C-grade Holder Joo Dae-hyun. He was selected as a special intern clan member and has been assigned to Kwon Ohjun Holder's Hunting Team 5. He will be a team member for the next two months."

Kang Juyeon's declaration, delivered in a stiff voice.

It seems the assignment was already decided on my first day.

…I didn't know about this.

Kwon Ohjun looked at her with a blank face.

Then, realizing the situation,

he frowned in disbelief.

"…So, the new team member you mentioned is this guy?"

"Yes."

"But, Miss, this isn't right. I clearly requested sufficient manpower support for Team 5, and you're giving me a rookie intern… for just two months. Did the clan master approve this?"

Kang Juyeon nodded at Kwon Ohjun's aggrieved question.

"Yes. And the concerns you have can be alleviated. I will also be a team member of Hunting Team 5 during this vacation. Kwon Ohjun Holder, please treat me as a team member for the next two months."

"That's not the same… Ah."

Kwon Ohjun, who was about to argue, suddenly gave up and stopped talking.

The personnel change was already decided.

And the clan master had agreed.

Further argument would only be to his disadvantage.

Instead, Kwon Ohjun nodded and looked at me.

"Alright. But I need to verify the new team member."

"…Verify?"

"Yes. Miss, you're a B-grade holder and have a good reputation in the clan, so I'm sure you'll do well… But I need to check if this guy has the skills to not be a burden to the team."

"…"

Kwon Ohjun turned to the woman beside him.

"Yuna."

"Yes, Team Leader."

"Have a sparring match with this intern in the underground training hall. You're a new C-grade holder from the first half of the year, so your levels should be similar. The observers and supervisors will be me and Miss. No complaints, right?"

"Yes. I'll finish as quickly as possible."

Yuna, the holder called, looked at me with a competitive fire in her eyes.

Her enthusiasm matched her hair color, and frankly, it was a bit intimidating.

'But, putting that aside…'

From the situation, it seemed I had to have a sparring match with this woman…

This.

Is my opinion not considered?