Becoming a Mage of the Special Unit in Another World

Chapter 29 – Uncomfortable

“…What did you just say?”

Terisha quickly put down her personal chopsticks and stared at Edina.

Seeing Terisha’s gaze, which expected an answer, Edina cheerfully repeated herself.

“A new application came in.”

“You’re joking, right?”

Sunal chuckled.

It was the funniest joke he had heard recently, enough to wash away his fatigue.

“I’m not joking, Sunal.”

“Is there really someone who would apply here without losing their mind first?”

“…Well, you’re not wrong.”

Edina couldn’t outright deny it.

There were only two special units, one of them being the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.

Given the name “special,” the requirements were notoriously strict, and it was famous for having very few applicants.

“But still, it’s an applicant, right? Aren’t you happy?”

Edina looked at Terisha, Lee Rang, and Sunal.

Sunal always wore an expression full of indifference, so that was expected, but Terisha and Lee Rang didn’t look thrilled either.

This wasn’t the reaction Edina had anticipated.

“To be honest… I’m more worried they’ll quit again soon.”

Lee Rang hesitated and then subtly glanced at Sunal.

He thought it was too soon to relax, and now wasn’t the time to just be happy about a new recruit.

“Why are you looking at me?”

Sunal didn’t miss the glance. There was a hint of something uneasy in Lee Rang’s eyes.

“Mr. Sunal, do you mind if I speak frankly?”

“Well… do as you please.”

“Do you, by any chance, have thoughts of quitting this place?”

At Lee Rang’s question, Terisha’s gaze followed.

Even though Sunal hadn’t even said anything yet, Terisha was already looking at him with desperate eyes.

‘…This feels similar to that time.’

There had been a moment when Sunal mentioned a “crisis.”

It wasn’t a real crisis, but when Tutoon had talked about what happened before Sunal joined the Special Unit, he casually called it a crisis. The reaction from everyone back then had been enormous.

“Well, it’s not that I haven’t thought about it.”

When Sunal answered honestly, a heavy silence fell.

Feeling as though he had done something wrong, Sunal slightly raised his eyebrows.

“But isn’t everyone like that?”

“Not me.”

Edina shook her head firmly, an expression unusually serious for her.

“Me neither. I have no reason to leave.”

Lee Rang responded with a slight smile, his usual playfulness gone, and even Terisha gave him a stern look.

“I also have no intention of leaving. I like this place.”

“…Wow.”

Sunal’s chopsticks slipped from his hand at those genuine words.

‘Do they really have that much affection for this place? Why?’

Sunal awkwardly rubbed his nose.

He felt like there was a subtle line separating him from the others.

“I always carry thoughts of quitting in my heart, but for now, I’m just hanging on. So, Team Leader, maybe you could cut down on the workload a bit….”

“Mr. Sunal, I really didn’t want to say this, but… this *is* the reduced amount.”

When Edina spoke, closing her eyes tightly, Sunal completely lost his appetite.

After a long silence, Sunal finally swallowed dryly and managed to ask.

“…You’re serious about that?”

“Of course. And to top it all off, Sunal, you’ve been a huge help.”

Edina pushed one of the meat dishes towards him as if to show her appreciation, and Terisha followed by nudging a serving of stir-fried sausages his way.

“That’s right. Your magic has made our work much more efficient. Even just looking at the magic scanner or the improved security, it’s remarkable. And grievance resolutions have become much faster too.”

As Lee Rang also attempted to pass over a side dish, Sunal spoke up.

He wasn’t a child, after all. He wouldn’t be swayed by a few side dishes.

“No, I said I’ll hang on for now, okay?”

“That’s a good decision. To be honest, there’s no other place that pays as well as this one.”

Lee Rang laughed, but Sunal easily dismissed the notion.

“That’s not entirely true. So, Team Leader, when is the new applicant arriving?”

“Soon.”

Edina responded with a very eager expression.

‘How amazing must this new recruit be for her to look this excited?’

Sunal calmly placed a piece of brisket on top of his rice.

‘Whatever else, just be good at your job.’

That would be enough.

When he lifted his spoon, the tender, perfectly seasoned brisket spread over the soft rice in his mouth.

—-

‘…Damn it. I shouldn’t have drunk last night.’

Sunal stared out the window, trying to ease the pain in his upper abdomen.

Lee Rang glanced at him.

He couldn’t tell if it was a blank expression or just a drowsy one, but Sunal kept staring out the window.

*Brrrr.*

The only sound in the taxi was the hum of the wheels turning.

‘This is awkward.’

Lee Rang felt extremely uncomfortable with the silence.

In truth, he wasn’t close to Sunal. They had only exchanged a few words here and there.

Glancing at Sunal again, he thought, ‘He sure looks fierce.’

“…Mr. Sunal, this is the first time we’re collaborating, right?”

Unable to bear the prolonged silence, Lee Rang finally broke it. It felt like one of the most suffocating moments of his life.

Sunal sniffed, still gazing out the window.

“You heard earlier, didn’t you?”

“Do you… not like working together?”

“No. I’ve done it often.”

“Well, um, shouldn’t we start by getting to know each other better?”

“Fine. Ask anything. But first, let me ask something.”

“Go ahead.”

Lee Rang felt like he was being pushed back a little.

He hadn’t noticed while sitting next to him, but being closer now, Sunal exuded a strong presence.

His expression seemed fiercer, and there was something about his hollow eyes that made him seem a bit frightening.

“You don’t like me, do you?”

“…What?”

Lee Rang was momentarily flustered by Sunal’s question. Seeing Sunal’s lips curl into a slight smirk, Lee Rang hurriedly replied.

“There’s no way I dislike you! Mr. Sunal, you’re the savior of the Special Unit.”

“That’s strange. From the first time we met, you kept a noticeable distance. I thought you didn’t like me.”

Sunal’s gaze became oddly sharp.

He recalled when he first joined the Special Unit. He had been amazed at how kind everyone was and how there was no territorial attitude.

At that time, out of gratitude, he had handed out drinks to everyone. But hadn’t Lee Rang coldly turned him down?

― *I don’t think we’re close enough for me to accept a drink.*

“…That was a misunderstanding. I’m shy around new people. A bit… no, a lot.”

Lee Rang turned slightly, fidgeting with his mask.

‘Is he really shy?’

Sunal found it hard to believe, but he also found it surprising.

There was one trait that most goblins shared.

‣ High sociability.

Whenever he watched Lee Rang interact with people filing grievances, he was always slick and friendly, just like a goblin should be. Sunal had never thought he was shy.

It made sense why Sunal had concluded that Lee Rang disliked him.

‘Every little gesture of his felt oddly annoying, like he was always on guard. There’s something a bit off about him.’

But Sunal couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

It was just… odd.

“Not all goblins are super friendly with strangers right away, you know.”

“That’s fair. But that comment you made earlier still bothers me.”

“What did I say? Did I make a mistake?”

Lee Rang’s voice grew slightly louder, a hint of urgency creeping into his tone.

“If I point it out, it’ll probably make me seem petty. Ah, wait, do I already seem a bit childish?”

“No, you’re fine. I don’t think it’s petty at all.”

Lee Rang shook his head vigorously.

“You said we weren’t close enough for me to give you a drink. That stung, didn’t it…”

*Slap.*

Before Sunal could finish speaking, Lee Rang slapped himself across the cheek.

The despair in Lee Rang’s eyes in that moment was so deep, a hollow darkness seemed to surge within them.

‘What… is this?’

Startled by Lee Rang’s sudden behavior, Sunal, after a brief moment of confusion, leaned back slightly and listened as Lee Rang mumbled something.

‘…I said I wouldn’t do that anymore, didn’t I? Why did I say it like that?’

Feeling something was off, Sunal called out to him more forcefully.

“Mr. Lee Rang.”

“…”

Lee Rang’s tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and he soon smiled as if nothing had happened.

“It’s… a habit of mine. I apologize if I startled you.”

“That’s fine, but don’t you think you hit yourself a little too hard?”

Sunal stared at Lee Rang’s reddened cheek. The smile Lee Rang had forced a moment ago seemed awkward, but Sunal didn’t press him further.

Lee Rang lowered his gaze and stared at his own fingers.

“I’m fine. Also, what I said earlier, Mr. Sunal, was probably meant like this: I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to accept something from someone I wasn’t close to.”

‘Why would that matter?’

Sunal didn’t quite understand Lee Rang’s reasoning.

He had offered the drink because they *weren’t* close and wanted to get to know him better.

“Well, you know about the goblins… we all have this trait.”

Lee Rang spoke again, though he seemed a little frustrated himself.

The goblin race had an innate characteristic. It was something every goblin had in common.

‣They valued personal relationships very highly in their lives.

Sunal nodded, thinking about this trait.

“So, uh, I was worried I might misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand?”

Sunal blinked, confused.

What misunderstanding was he talking about?

“I might have thought, ‘Oh, Mr. Sunal wants to be my friend.’ And then, if I took it a step further, I might have already assumed we *were* friends. My thought process works like that, and because I was trying to suppress it, my words came out a bit… awkwardly.”

“…Ah, I see now.”

Sunal laughed lightly.

In professional relationships, calling someone a friend often just meant that the work dynamic extended outside the office. In the end, the person who got hurt was usually the one who thought it was a genuine friendship.

For goblins, this would probably be even more complicated.

‘So it wasn’t just a few goblins who treated everyone like a friend after just one conversation or even a simple greeting. It must apply to all of them.’

Sunal leaned back, feeling a bit more at ease, and extended his hand slightly.

“I’ll do my best to stay at the right level of friendship. Don’t feel hurt if I draw a line, okay?”

“Thank you for understanding. Honestly, that’s kind of a relief.”

“Looks like we’re almost there. If there’s anything else you’re curious about, feel free to ask now. We’re outside of the Special Unit, so relax.”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Lee Rang asked his question without even taking a breath.

“I’ve been really curious—before you transferred here, where did you work? Can I ask?”

“Haven’t I told you before?”

“No, you haven’t.”

“I thought I mentioned it during the welcoming party…”

*Skreeeeech!*

Suddenly, the taxi came to a stop.

Before anyone could be jostled, Sunal protected everyone in the car.

*[Protect.]*

A glowing light wrapped around everyone’s bodies, including the startled taxi driver and Lee Rang sitting beside him.

“What’s going on?”

Sunal asked calmly.

“…Ah, someone. Someone just cut in front of the car!”

The taxi driver’s voice trembled as his jaw clicked together.

*Knock knock knock!*

Someone urgently knocked on the window from outside.

“It’s that person!”

The driver pointed nervously. Without hesitation, Sunal stepped out of the car.

“Wa-wait, Mr. Sunal!”

Lee Rang fumbled with his seatbelt. He was so flustered that he couldn’t get it undone properly.

“…Are you okay?”

When Sunal stepped outside, he found a visibly shaken person. A few scales on the man’s face glimmered in the sunlight—he appeared to be from a merfolk race.

Sunal let out a long sigh, his eyes falling on the government ID badge around the man’s neck.

“…Special Unit for Interethnic Affairs, Park Nam-woo.”

What a familiar name.

The Special Unit for Interethnic Affairs was the only other department to have the word “special” in its name, just like the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.

While Sunal’s unit handled resolving complaints and alleviating discrimination and conflicts, the Special Action Unit, also known as the “Special Operations Department,” dealt with serious crimes that caused those conflicts—like a police department’s major crimes unit.

“Are you on official duty right now, Mr. Nam-woo?”

Sunal asked, looking away into the distance. Nam-woo, feeling pressured by the energy radiating from Sunal, nodded.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to the side while I was chasing the suspect.”

“Are you new?”

Sunal smiled lightly and used his magic. A rope appeared from his hand, swiftly slithering forward like a snake.

“……!”

Nam-woo could only watch in shock at the sight before him.

What is that? How did he summon that? Is that a trait of his race?

His mind was swirling with confusion.

When the rope twitched, Sunal yanked it hard.

Gotcha.

It was as if he could hear those words as someone was pulled through the air, caught by the rope Sunal had created.

“That’s the suspect, right?”

Sunal asked casually. Nam-woo, now sure it was the criminal, finally looked back at him.

He read the words on the government ID badge around Sunal’s neck slowly and carefully.

*Special Unit for Interethnic Grievance Resolution… Hae Sunal.*

‘…Hae Sunal?’

Nam-woo didn’t know why the name felt so familiar.

“We just cooperated, you see. Between the Grievance Unit and the Special Action Unit. Like this.”

“…What?”

“It wasn’t anything major. I caught the suspect for you. Now you just need to give him a good beating and take him in.”

“But I…”

“Didn’t they teach you in Special Action not to flash your badge during operations? The criminals all run away when they see that.”

*Wee-woo, wee-woo.*

The sound of a police car siren echoed in the distance.

“Next time you run out onto the road, be more careful. It hurts if you get hit by a car.”

Sunal lightly dusted off Nam-woo’s clothes.

“But I…”

Nam-woo started to speak but instinctively turned to restrain the suspect that had just been pulled toward him.

“If your boss scolds you, feel free to mention my name. Then they’ll probably just yell at you about something else.”

Sunal glanced at Lee Rang, who had now stepped out of the car.

“Are you alright, Mr. Sunal?”

“Let’s get back in.”

“Uh…what?”

“It was just a routine part of my duty.”

“Duty…?”

“I’ll explain on the way. We still have other matters to resolve, and there’s plenty of paperwork to handle this afternoon…”

“Wa-wait a second.”

Sunal gently nudged Lee Rang back into the taxi. Once they were both seated, the car started moving again.

Nam-woo stared blankly at the back of the taxi as it drove off.

“…Hey, Nam-woo. Did you catch the suspect?”

At that moment, an incubus descended from the sky, folding his wings with a casual swagger.