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The 17th Batch of rookies was recently cleared by Baekilmong for field work.
D-squad waited in their office, having been informed that one of the new hires performed well enough to enter the top of the normal teams. No one entered an elite squad with just orientation under their belt, but perhaps this rookie would prove good enough to.
Jaheon, the rookie whose file was spread out across Soleum's desk, where he discarded it last night, had been picked through by Minseong and Haje as soon as they entered the office this morning.
Haje didn't have much hope for Jaheon, if she were being honest, and Minseong looked as if he wanted anything other than to get a new coworker. Soleum was absent, taking a last-minute meeting with a director that morning.
Minseong met Haje's eyes, and they spoke silently, trying to approach the subject that they didn't want to mention quite yet. No words, just nonverbal communication. They understood each other's wants and fears; one glance was able to tell enough about the other person for them to act on instinct.
Minseong broke through the looks and tells. He sat up in his chair, his fingers tapping on the sidearm as he pushed through the guilt and wariness.
"The rookie's good enough to almost make it to the elites, huh." His voice was controlled yet hesitant.
Haje sighed, blowing air on hot coffee. She held the cup in her hand, and regretted it, because today's coffee grounds were somehow worse than normal. She should have bought a latte or espresso before she entered the building and had to put up with their coffee-flavored sludge.
"We'll do what we always do," Haje replied calmly.
D-squad was special in the way they tested rookies. It was in hopes of driving away the few that remained long enough to enter the company.
All new hires to their squad would be tested by being thrown into a relatively safe Darkness. If they survived the experience with their sanity in tact, with the wish to continue to work, then D-squad was forced to let them stick around.
So far this year, two rookies have left the squad. Haje didn't know why Soleum put up with it. The higher-ups wanted four or more people to a squad now, but their Section Chief was comfortable with the way things were between the three of them.
"Roe Deer will be upset if this rookie sticks around," Minseong murmured, soft enough to be a whisper.
Haje hummed in response, agreeing with the statement without a second blink.
Their chief disliked the idea of having more people on their squad. 'We work through Darknesses quickly enough,' he said, 'why add more?' Haje knew it had more to do with the possibility of rookies dying on his watch.
It was rumored that Soleum's orientation batch was very morbid and only a couple survived—or you believed the rumor that suggested Soleum was the lone survivor of his batch.
Swallowing the rest of the coffee, her gaze became harder.
She would not be broken. Haje had resolve, just as the others in the office did too. D-squad was basically an elite squad at this point, in anything but name and pay. They might not have gold accents to their masks, but that was garish anyway.
Minseong raised a brow as Haje slammed her empty mug onto her desk. He asked, "Was it that displeasing?"
"Of course," she replied. The coffee was disgusting. She should remember that, but she rushes in the morning, and before she knows it, she's at work and making another terrible pot of coffee that will make her question her life decisions.
"I mean, do you find the idea of having a rookie to watch over that upsetting?"
Haje didn't even want to look at Minseong. Was he spouting bullshit or what? She asked him in response, "Are you saying that you won't feel anything if the rookie dies in front of us?"
Minseong's hand jerked across his desk. His voice hard and crisp, he said, "That's not what I meant, and you know it."
Haje huffed, and then bowed her head in apology. Minseong sat back in his chair, defeat leaving him. What a pair they made, huh?
A new rookie joining D-squad spelled trouble for them. Death was commonplace in this company. D-squad tried to chase away any hopeful rookies with their own version of orientation, but there had been a rookie who was determined not to be driven away. They died 3 months later.
"If the kid is good enough to enter our squad, maybe it won't be so bad—"
"Don't." Haje cut Minseong short, voice scathing and nearly cracked.
Minseong didn't speak, accepting it. He turned away, the motion as his own version of an apology.
Haje rubbed her eyes. Her vision was particularly blurry today, so it had to be stress. She wasn't handling the idea of a new rookie well. It wasn't just her, though.
She hadn't failed to notice Minseong's dark under eyes or the way he seemed to be more doting on their section chief.
That was the main problem. Soleum never reacted well to rookies. Their chief didn't want blood on his hands, and even if he told a rookie that he would not protect them, he always tried to in the end.
Such a hypocrite, she wanted to accuse, but Haje never managed to say so out loud. Why beat a man while he was down?
She glanced up at the clock on the wall. They had only been at Baekilmong for a handful of minutes. Not even an entire half-hour had passed yet, but she felt as if it were noon.
D-squad felt quiet without Soleum in it. They were used to being an unstoppable trio that was shielded by quirks and oddities. Soleum had enough gadgets and items, as well as ideas toward loopholes, that D-squad got out with their lives.
At times, Baekilmong would place them in a Darkness that would have death no matter what information was at his disposal, but Haje and Minseong didn't shove the blame toward Soleum. It wasn't his fault that some of these Darknesses were created to kill them.
Haje stood up to get more coffee. As she made her way toward the table, she heard a few footsteps outside. She cocked her head toward the door as she poured the sludge into her mug. The door to their office opened a second later.
A young man stood there with impressive red eyes, pale hair, and a bulk that would make most other agents think about hitting the gym more often.
Haje didn't even think about saying anything until Minseong did. He stood up and said, "You're ready to die, is that it?"
The rookie didn't so much as blink at Minseong's greeting. That was… odd. Other rookies would flinch or let out a yelp. Rookies were given a few days between orientation and squad assignments to settle their nerves, but it rarely made them adjust well to the death looming on the horizon.
"I am," the rookie replied.
His voice wasn't practiced, yet it seemed normal. Nonplussed, Jaheon continued toward the desks, observing the state of them to decide which was his new residence for the time being.
Haje was going to throw her mug into the bin. She couldn't take the pressure of the rookie being nonchalant about this. The grip on the cup began to shake, and Minseong, who noticed it, quickly gave a forced chuckle and helped settle Jaheon in.
"Yep, just sit right there. We're still waiting for our Chief to get back to us with our assignments for the day." Minseong patted the back of a chair, the most uncomfortable one that was in their office, for Jaheon to sit on. "He'll be back soon."
Haje was thankful that Minseong was here because she couldn't deal with a rookie by herself. They were too much work, she'd say, only to regret not putting in more effort once they left in one way or another.
"You're fine, just stay there." Minseong continued to speak to Jaheon, getting his desk set up. "Your authorization codes are in this packet, and you already have your ID badge… I think you're set to go! We'll wait for Roe Deer for now."
Haje sat down at her desk, watching the rookie like a hawk. Minseong managed to be a little better, smiling warmly at Jaheon as they both contemplated their existence. Haje reminded herself that she was close to gaining enough Points to purchase what she wanted from Baekilmong.
"Did you review the information packets? And all the guides to Darknesses?" asked Minseong.
"Yes."
Jaheon didn't ask any follow-up questions. He sat up rigidly in his chair, looking much too professional. Past rookies would be crying by now, asking questions about if what they saw during orientation was real.
Dangerous, Haje thought. A rookie like Jaheon was dangerous. If he continued to act this way, then he might stay even past D-squad's test, and they'd be in trouble. Taking in a rookie was a sacred process, one that many other squads didn't give two damns about.
Minseong wiggled his eyebrows from across the room. Haje sighed, pretending to cool down her new cup of coffee.
It pained her to admit that Jaheon might be the change that Soleum needed. Rookies died off too easily, but if Minseong was right about Jaheon being a super rookie, then there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"Do you have a reason for entering the company?" Minseong asked, incapable of staying silent whenever he was presented with a golden opportunity without their Chief around to give him a stink-eye.
"? Yes." Jaheon was to-the-point—too much so for Haje's taste.
Haje narrowed her eyes as Jaheon continued to log onto his desktop. She could feel Minseong's eyes boring at her, probably just as unsettled as she was. Rookies weren't made like this.
Fuck, Minseong might be right. This might be a rookie who can keep up with them and not traumatize them all at the end of it. Why did Minseong have to be right today of all days?
Haje's fingers itched to pull out the pack of cigarettes she kept in her desk. Soleum always gave her a hard look whenever she lit one up, but he wouldn't be against it today. He might even pluck one from her offered hand, depending on how he felt.
As silence settled in the room, it was broken.
Soleum entered the office, peeling off his gloves as he did so. He didn't look like he just came from a Darkness, but he only wore his gloves while in one. He wasn't wearing his coat, either, which meant it probably got caught up in the ghost story, too.
Haje grimaced as she wondered what director asked him to take on an assignment the day that their squad would have a rookie joining their crew. It seemed negligent to a point on Baekilmong's behalf.
"Chief!" Minseong waved at him from his desk. "Our rookie showed up. What do we call him?"
Soleum's face didn't so much as twitch. He turned his head to look at the newest member of their office. Then, his face did a weird thing. It had to be a glitch.
Soleum's brow furrowed and his expression became tight. His throat bobbed as he looked at Jaheon, and after a long minute of silence, Soleum asked plainly, "Were you assigned as Lizard?"
Jaheon, who didn't blink during the exchange, remained as he was. No nod, no hum, no shake of confirmation.
"I see," said Soleum, his tone all wrong. He shifted his weight to his other foot, and then began to put his gloves back on. "We'll be entering a D-Class Darkness together. Prepare for it."
Haje couldn't withhold the surprised look. She tried to contain it, but she gaped at her chief. This was all wrong! Rookies were tested, and then they were allowed on the team. They never did the D-squad tests together.
Maybe it was a ruse. It had to be. Haje nervously picked up her Falcon mask and fitted it over her features before ensuring that she was equipped with her items. By the time she was done, Minseong was also heading over to the door, with Jaheon in front of them, wearing a lizard mask as Soleum had guessed.
"Follow," Soleum said, not giving any other information.
Jaheon didn't ask any questions. Haje ribbed Minseong with her elbow, and Minseong gave her a similar look of concern. Two blunt men were now on their team. It was going to be a doozy learning to cooperate with them together.
They boarded the elevator, and then left the elevator once it was on a lower floor. Haje inwardly groaned as they approached the Research Team. There was only one bastard that Soleum visited on this floor.
"Oh my~"
Jekang greeted them with his glasses nearly on the tip of his nose. He looked up from his notes, and pushed his glasses up, assessing D-squad with a smarmy look.
Haje used to trust this man, but learned not to. She had thought it was odd that Soleum disliked Jekang, since he was one of the rare charming people, but the longer she spent in Jekang's presence, the more she understood the tension in Soleum's shoulders.
"What do we have today, hmm?" Jekang picked up some files from his desk. "Is this another last-minute assignment? Ah, I see. You are set to enter a D-Class Darkness. Not so terrible for you lot, but with a rookie…"
A rookie was someone they would need to protect. Any Darkness so early into the career of a field agent was practically A-Class. Rookies didn't understand their safety procedures or that they would be left for dead if all else failed.
"What is our assignment?" Soleum asked, his voice edging on cold.
Haje kind of liked it when their chief, who tried so hard not to look affected by their work, became like this. He pretended not to care, but he did—he cared too much, she would claim, much to Chief Roe Deer's dismay. His anger toward others, concerning the safety of his squad members, proved that.
"It's a simple Darkness," Jekang said flippantly, his fingers brushing through the papers. He gave the aura of 'I don't give a fuck about you.' "You'll be fine, as you always are. Roe Deer-nim is good at making it out alive."
Soleum breathed out through his nose heavily, taking the file Jekang held out. He opened the file while glancing back and forth from the researching to the papers. After a few seconds, Soleum pursed his lips, and his eyelashes fluttered.
He was pissed off, Haje noted. That was hard to do. Their chief didn't get upset easily, especially over something like a D-Class Darkness. C-Class and above made Soleum antsy, but he didn't show his pissed-off annoyance often in the presence of others.
"You want us to enter what you believe to be a D-Class Darkness, but there is no official ruling." Soleum's voice was ice, shards and all.
Jekang just smiled, his natural response that would make other squads give in to the pressure. Not D-squad, though. Their chief cared for their lives quite a bit more than the average boss minding their underlings.
As Soleum continued to stand, not moving or leaving for where the assigned Darkness would be, Jekang rolled the pen in his hands between his fingers.
"What?" Jekang asked. "Do you not understand the orders? I can read them aloud for—"
"What is the actual classification?" Soleum demanded. "This Darkness isn't D-Class. I wouldn't have been in a meeting with a director if it was as low as that. What is the true estimated classification?"
Jekang's eyes curved. "Ah, I knew you'd ask that. Fine. Here's the deal: others in the department believe it's D-Class. I, on the other hand, know that it's B-Class or higher. Have fun in there for me. Bring me back some nice A-Class liquid gold if you can, too."
They left toward the elevators. Haje heard Jekang's laugh echo as soon as the door to his lab was closed. One day, Jekang would die, and Haje would throw a party with his head on a pike.
Minseong whistled as Soleum led them into it, and Haje nearly broke out into a laugh. Soleum was all dark and angsty, his shoulders tight and heavy. He disliked visiting the Research Lab, for good reason.
Once the doors to the elevator closed, Soleum turned to the rookie. He was appraising the rookie, particularly looking the young man up and down before settling on his face. For some reason, making eye contact with Jaheon caused Soleum to swallow dryly.
"Lizard understands how dangerous this will be?"
"Hn."
Soleum looked pleased. "He will follow orders and protect his teammates just as they protect him?"
There wasn't even an indication that Jaheon heard the words, but Soleum seemed pleased with the stare Jaheon gave him. What the fuck was this? Haje had never seen Soleum act this way with a rookie. She really was going to go crazy. She knew that their chief was known for being the quickest employee to rise through the ranks, but even this seemed too eccentric.
"We will do well today," Soleum claimed as the elevator went down to the basement.
Haje didn't understand why Soleum sounded so confident.
She learned why when they entered the Darkness, fell into a trap, and watched as Jaheon punched his way through the wall. Haje was fairly certain that wind was created as Jaheon's arm sailed through the air.
When she turned to Soleum, she realized that he had known of Jaheon's little talent. Maybe this rookie wouldn't be so bad, then. At least they didn't get saddled with Viper.