LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 28 - Uncomfortable
Chapter 28 – Uncomfortable
“…Ah, so the complainant said that yesterday, they went to the construction site because of a sudden loud noise and got upset, and then pointed out that they were a Centaur.”
“No, they emphasized it. I emphasized like crazy that I was a Centaur! Damn it!”
The man corrected Sunal’s words with a distorted expression and kicked the table.
‘…I had a feeling this would happen.’
Sunal smiled broadly, but the exhaustion creeping in was enough to make the corners of his mouth twitch.
He had thought there was some minor commotion near his apartment yesterday.
It sounded like something had collapsed, but he had been so tired after work that he wondered if it was even his responsibility to go check.
Of course, he had considered that there might be a lot of complaints today.
But it turned out to be even more chaotic than he expected. It wasn’t near his apartment but at a slightly distant construction site where something had gone wrong. By morning, he had already faced the 39th complainant regarding this incident.
The fact that so many different species—Centaur, Harpy, Skeleton, Mermaid—were all claiming to have been insulted made it clear that something serious had happened.
“No!”
Bang!
The Centaur kicked the table again, more violently this time. Sunal knew that for a Centaur, this was a restrained kick, but given their leg strength, he worried the table might break.
“Sir, please don’t kick the table.”
“I’m sorry! But this is just too infuriating!”
Sunal debated whether or not to spray the agitated man in front of him.
“Not all of our species are sensitive, you know. I can sleep just fine without earplugs, even if someone stomps around upstairs.”
“…Wow, that’s impressive.”
Sunal’s words were sincere.
Noise between floors.
It’s an issue that could irritate anyone, no matter the species, but to be able to sleep through it was truly an achievement.
“I’m usually that indifferent, but last night, I woke up. The noise was no joke, so I went to check, and it just so happened that something was happening at the construction site next to my apartment. It’s only natural to ask what’s going on, isn’t it?”
“Of course. You have every right to ask.”
“Isn’t it possible that something went wrong during the apartment construction? I don’t know what exactly happened, but shouldn’t they just use magic? That’s all I asked.”
“Well, I understand magic can seem like a cure-all, but it’s not something that can be used just anywhere or anytime.”
Sunal barely held back a smirk.
Technically, when buildings were being constructed, it was standard procedure to implement magic to reduce noise.
It was usually done in one of two ways.
One option was to buy and attach magical devices that reduced noise.
The other was to formally hire a mage through the Wizards’ Association to apply magic until construction was finished.
‘But either way, it only exists for one particular moment.’
It was all a formality, with officials coming in to measure noise levels to pass the inspection.
The system only existed to get through that one moment.
“What are you talking about? What could be more versatile than magic?”
The man looked confused at Sunal’s remark.
Sunal quietly smiled, having experienced such a gap between his understanding and that of ordinary citizens many times.
“Anyway, the noise had already been bothering me for a while, so I decided to find out what exactly happened to cause such a loud sound. But when I asked, the manager there looked at me like I was trash.”
The man’s face contorted once again.
The sense of humiliation he had felt back then seemed genuine, and Sunal didn’t doubt it was the truth.
“When they said they were going to flatten the small hill between the apartments and build a new complex, everyone was against it. We knew something like this would happen. We knew something would go wrong…”
The man muttered to himself, still seething.
Sunal patiently waited for him to finish his rant, not really concerned whether they’d flattened a hill or something else.
Sigh.
The man took a deep breath before speaking again, now in a more resolute tone.
“Please handle this complaint. Properly measure the noise levels, and check if there was an accident. Someone could have died during construction, for all we know.”
‘…What is this? Did they all coordinate this?’
Sunal felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
The previous complainant had asked him for something quite similar.
‘Measuring the noise won’t help much. If there was an accident, they’re probably managing things very carefully.’
Sunal glanced to his side.
The expressions of Terisha and Lee Rang weren’t good either.
It seemed almost as if all these complainants had agreed to flood them with complaints on the same day, and the sheer volume of it wasn’t a good sign.
Honestly, this was something any civil servant could have handled.
But it felt like the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit was being targeted, and they knew it—that’s why they had come to him.
‘That manager… I really want to punch him in the mouth.’
If only the guy hadn’t run his mouth, this issue wouldn’t have landed in the Special Unit’s lap.
“And there’s evidence that they attempted illegal construction, so you can use your authority, right?”
The man’s statement caught Sunal off guard.
This was something no one else had mentioned.
“…Illegal construction attempt?”
“Yes, yes. I have proof.”
The man glanced around cautiously, then took out his phone and played a video.
It showed construction taking place at night with the lights dimmed as much as possible.
The location appeared to be the same construction site the previous complainants had mentioned, and the video quality was exceptionally clear.
“There’s an apartment complex nearby, so night construction is prohibited. Construction at night is illegal, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s legal if they get the consent of the nearby residents. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here.”
“I’ll give you the files. You can use them however you want.”
The man, clearly prepared, handed over a USB drive.
Sunal stared at the USB for a moment.
Should he use this? Was this really a complaint he should be dealing with?
Such thoughts crossed his mind briefly, but he soon shifted his gaze back to the man’s phone screen as he scrolled through.
The man played an audio file next.
The voice of the manager mentioned by the man was laced with irritation, right from the start.
Though the voice had mumbled, it was crystal clear to Sunal’s ears.
‘Looks like I have no choice but to take this on.’
With this recording and the numerous complaints, Sunal concluded that they had enough reason to take action.
But it needed to be separated from the other issues.
The recording ended there.
“I’ve included both of these in the USB. So, what do I do next?”
“First, illegal construction isn’t under our jurisdiction. You need to go to the Environmental Management Department on the first floor.”
“Then what are you going to handle?”
“We’ll deal with the discrimination against your species. If you agree, please fill out this paperwork.”
Sunal handed the Centaur the paperwork he needed to fill out.
The man glared at the document, seemingly deep in thought.
‘…Should I have just checked out what happened yesterday?’
Sunal thought to himself.
The idea that he could have nipped this in the bud by quietly going over to resolve the issue and addressing any complaints on the spot swirled in his mind. Maybe these people wouldn’t have all come here today. But Sunal kept forcing a smile.
‘No, even if I had resolved it, they still would’ve come. Just accept it.’
As the man filled out the paperwork, Sunal leaned back and looked out the window with a tired expression.
All he wanted now was to see the face of the manager responsible for this mess.
‘I have a feeling it’s going to be me handling this…’
Sunal stopped his thoughts when his eyes met those of Tutoon, who was staring at him from outside the window with bright eyes.
Instinctively, Sunal glanced at his mug.
It was filled with cold coffee.
‘…Wow, that gave me a horror movie vibe for a second.’
The memory of having his coffee stolen by Tutoon still lingered as a haunting experience.
When he looked back up, Tutoon was waving at him.
“…It’s been such a chaotic day.”
Lee Rang sighed, staring at the food that had been delivered.
Steam rose from the dishes, but his appetite wasn’t really kicking in.
Sunal, chopsticks in hand, was about to reach for his food when Edina placed a document down.
“…Was today all about this one complaint?”
Edina furrowed her brow, and Sunal set his chopsticks down.
She didn’t look angry, but he knew it was time to tread carefully.
As Terisha quietly placed her personal cup down after sipping her water, she spoke calmly.
“Not all of it, Team Leader. There were other complaints too, but most of them were about this. It’s like they all agreed to file complaints together.”
“Sunal.”
When Edina called him, he paused mid-reach for his chopsticks and looked at her.
“Yes?”
“The site is near your apartment, right? Did you notice anything unusual?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Sunal picked up a piece of meat and placed it on top of his rice.
“On my way home yesterday, I heard a loud ‘boom.’”
“And what happened after that?”
“I washed up, became one with the sofa, dozed off, and then eventually dragged myself to bed.”
Edina’s eyes widened at how nonchalantly he said this.
“…You slept?”
“Well, what was I supposed to do? Run out there? Sure, it might’ve been good if I had, but I didn’t see the need.”
Sunal chewed on his food, his fatigue, lethargy, and a slight hint of frustration evident in his eyes.
Edina noticed that the others were also watching him with a mix of curiosity, and feeling self-conscious, she took a sip of her water.
‘…This is making me itch to say something.’
They said it took an average of about 15 years to climb from the 12th to the 9th grade in the civil service ranks.
Unless someone aimed for the higher grades right from the start, like the 9th or 7th grade, it was practically impossible to get promoted quickly.
But Sunal had broken through that timeline in just 3 years—he was a monster rookie.
Edina remembered the brief glimpse she had of him back then.
When she officially met him later, the difference between the Sunal she saw and the information in his personnel file had shocked her.
“No, no. You did the right thing. After work, you should rest.”
“Team Leader.”
Sunal adjusted his glasses and called out to Edina.
“What is it, Sunal?”
“You said that’s a construction company, right?”
“Yes. It’s a subsidiary of ‘Hanul,’ one of the largest conglomerates in the country.”
“And not only did they break construction laws, but they also look down on people like that? Ah, right, because they’re so big.”
Sunal’s words trailed off as he remembered the Wizards’ Association.
If the Association could be that arrogant, why would it be any different for a large corporation?
“Team Leader.”
Lee Rang spoke with a hint of concern in his voice.
“Yes, Lee Rang?”
“Is this… okay? I mean, we’ve got a flood of complaints, but this is a big corporation. Isn’t it dangerous?”
“There’s a saying that a large corporation can even bring down a flying bird.”
Edina rested her chin on her hand.
She seemed to be pondering something, but from Sunal’s perspective, she looked more annoyed than worried.
Lee Rang, on the other hand, seemed genuinely afraid. He licked his dry lips before speaking again.
“And maybe it’s just me, but I feel like they came to us on purpose. Our unit has more authority than other departments. While we handle this, the other complainants…”
“Lee Rang, are you scared?”
Edina asked with a slight smirk.
“…Yes, I am.”
Lee Rang nodded, wearing an expression that screamed he wanted nothing to do with this complaint.
“And you, Terisha?”
“No. Even if it’s a large corporation, they still have to deal with other companies. The ones who’ll end up troubled are them. A major company’s weakness is always another’s opportunity.”
Terisha’s calm response made Edina smile with satisfaction.
“Exactly, Terisha. You heard that, Lee Rang? There’s no need to be afraid at all now.”
“…Team Leader? You’re not serious, are you?”
Lee Rang, feeling like he was being targeted, gave Edina a pleading look, hoping to be excused from the situation.
“I’ll assign a brave person to go with you. This situation calls for it.”
Edina shifted her gaze to Sunal.
Sunal, who never seemed to fear anything in front of anyone, was the very definition of bravery.
“…I’m saved.”
Lee Rang sighed in relief, and Sunal let out a scoff.
“This isn’t funny. Just eat your food.”
Edina found Sunal’s reaction highly amusing. He was someone she loved teasing.
“I’m not joking, Sunal.”
“I’m not joking either.”
“There’s actually quite a bit of inter-team collaboration in our unit. I thought this might be a good chance to get some teamwork going.”
Sunal looked over at Terisha as Edina spoke.
If one were to choose the most serious person in the room, it would undoubtedly be Terisha.
“Sunal, the Team Leader is right. Internal collaboration happens more often than you think.”
“But isn’t it a bit inefficient, though?”
Sunal pondered for a moment and then asked.
In essence, this would leave two positions unmanned. The Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit didn’t have that much manpower to spare.
‘Is the Team Leader filling that spot herself?’
Edina, catching Sunal’s gaze, smiled gently.
“That’s right. I’ll be going in myself.”
Though Sunal tried not to show it, his heart raced at Edina’s words.
She caught on too quickly.
“That way, the office won’t be left empty, right?”
“True, but it still seems a bit much for two people to be handling.”
When Sunal glanced at Lee Rang, he seemed deep in thought, mentally weighing his options.
Soon, Lee Rang reached out a hand slightly.
“In that case, Sunal and Terisha would be the perfect fit. I get all nervous just being around higher-ups.”
“……?”
Sunal paused with his chopsticks mid-air, staring at Lee Rang.
“Right now…”
“I’ll handle all the tedious paperwork in your place. For two days.”
“Three days.”
“Three days is fine.”
‘Not a bad deal.’
Sunal was pleased, and as he reached out to shake Lee Rang’s hand, Edina’s voice cut in.
“No. You two are going together. Definitely.”
“Aren’t we just handling complaints? Why do we need two people for this?”
Sunal raised an eyebrow.
“Precisely because it’s not a simple complaint. You tend to get a little hot-headed, so we need someone to calm you down. And Lee Rang here… well, he’s easily scared, so he needs someone to calm him down.”
“…Cough, cough.”
Lee Rang choked on his food, coughing suddenly.
Terisha handed him a cup of water, and as Sunal observed, he calmly asked:
“Why not mention Terisha in this, then?”
“Well…”
“I was originally in charge of that. But since Sunal is here now, it makes sense to try some collaboration. I might be out in the field, after all.”
Terisha set her chopsticks down, her posture stiff and formal as she spoke on Edina’s behalf.
“Besides, if you were to work with me on a case involving a large corporation, it’d be hard on both you and Lee Rang. People will flock to the scene, and it might get noisier than you expect. Reporters might show up and cause a scene, making things even more stressful. So, for anything related to big corporations, it’s better that you two don’t work with me. It’ll be easier for you.”
The slow yet firm words left Lee Rang and Sunal puzzled.
However, neither dared to question Terisha’s regal composure.
Edina felt an itch to speak up but instead quietly eyed the headband Terisha was wearing.
‘…They really have no idea, even after seeing that headband.’
It was made from a dragon’s horn. No one was allowed to wear a dragon’s adornments without the dragon’s explicit permission. Why hadn’t they figured that out?
Edina held back a laugh, thinking about how surprised they’d be later.
But for now, there was something she needed to announce to everyone, and she was quite curious to see how they’d react.
“Anyway, the reason you haven’t seen much collaboration since Sunal joined is simple. It’s a manpower issue. You’ve seen how we had to send Sunal out to the field before he even fully adjusted, right?”
“…Sigh.”
Sunal let out a sigh the moment the issue of manpower came up. Judging by the heavy atmosphere, it was clear that Terisha and Lee Rang had already been thinking about this for a while.
When would they finally get more support?
“But! I’ve prepared something!”
Edina’s voice snapped everyone’s attention back to her.
“We’ve received new applications.”
Edina grinned, clearly in a very good mood.