I Became a God in the Refrigerator

20. Commute (2)

“Mr. Kim Han, I’ll leave this task to you. I’ve sent the files.”

“Ah, understood.”

“And this one too.”

“Confirmed.”

Since arriving at work, Han’s tasks continued non-stop.

Due to resting for several days straight, the piled-up work was endless for Han.

Thanks to that, Han had to endure a busy schedule without a break from an early hour.

Even while working, Han occasionally glanced towards his phone.

He had left a live broadcast on in his house using the spare phone.

‘…No problems.’

As usual, he saw Irina and her siblings deeply engrossed in constructing the barrier.

‘Let’s focus on work.’

Leaving his phone screen aside, he once again lowered his head.

Tap, tap.

At that moment, someone patted Han’s shoulder.

“…?”

When he raised his head, there was a figure looking at him intently.

Startled, Han flinched.

“Man… Manager?”

It was Manager Kim Ju-hee.

She handed Han a canned coffee.

Without a word, she just smiled and pursed her lips, clearly hinting at something.

It seemed like she was suggesting they go have a drink together.

Han chuckled and nodded.

Han and Manager Kim Ju-hee headed to the company’s lounge together.

“So.”

Click.

After taking a sip of the canned coffee, she spoke.

“What’s been going on? Han, who was always diligent, suddenly messing up at work.”

“Well, you see…”

Han scratched his head.

He awkwardly let out a laugh.

There were several parts that were a bit difficult to explain.

He filtered out most of the details and briefly explained.

For some reason, for some unknown reason.

It seemed like he had awakened this time.

“Wow, really?”

She covered her mouth slightly, looking surprised.

“Is it true? You awakened.”

“Um… maybe?”

Saying so, Han subtly raised his hand.

As he tightened his fist, a faint golden light lingered there.

Manager Kim Ju-hee blinked in surprise at the sight.

She touched Han’s fist as if amazed by the glowing light.

“Wow! Is this for real?”

Blushing as if embarrassed, Han averted his gaze.

“Um, Manager?”

“Oh. Sorry about that.”

Finally realizing she might have overstepped, Manager Kim Ju-hee quietly let go of his hand.

She chuckled softly.

“Go on in first.”

“Alright, Manager.”

Kim Ju-hee, a manager, watched as Han left after exchanging greetings.

After he disappeared,

Soon, the smile that had been on Manager Kim Ju-hee’s lips vanished without a trace.

“Yes. Sergeant Kim Ju-hee speaking.”

A moment later, she made a call somewhere.

Shortly after, she turned her body and spoke.

“It seems that Kim Han-gun has truly awakened his abilities.”

– Is that so?

“Yes. I witnessed it with my own eyes.”

– ……

The man on the other end of the call remained silent for a while.

But soon, he either organized his thoughts or opened his mouth.

– This is serious. The timing isn’t good. There are various political issues entangled with China right now. On top of that, North Korea is growling.

“Please increase the intensity of Kim Han-gun’s personal protection.”

– Understood.

After a series of responses, Sergeant Kim Ju-hee hung up the call. No, Sergeant Ju-hee.

“…Phew.”

She took a deep breath while smoking a cigarette.

Was it a mistake? Her demeanor seemed as if a sigh was mixed in.

“…….”

Her gaze, quietly fixed on the blue sky, became clouded.

“We need to be careful. We never know when something unexpected might happen.”

She tucked her hands into her pocket.

Clank.

The cold touch of metal could be felt there.

***

“Ah!”

Han hurried home as soon as he finished work.

He had been anxious the whole time until he left work.

What if he left and the monsters attacked while he was gone?

Due to that thought, he quickened his pace to return home.

Of course, just because Han was there didn’t mean he could directly help.

In the end, he couldn’t have a significant impact on the other world.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be of any help at all.

In fact, not long ago, didn’t he provide some help to Irina when two goblins appeared?

Although it was just summoning a bonfire, the effect it had was not insignificant.

They were startled, and thanks to Han, Irina gained a brief moment to move.

The same went for Dire Wolf.

It wasn’t much, but he had a slight power to divert their attention for a moment.

Thinking of that, Han murmured.

“…I think I should quit my job.”

In any case, it was time for Han to start looking for a different job.

It wasn’t just because the work was hard.

The colleagues at work were all good people, and there was a strong sense of camaraderie among them.

The only inconvenience was having to deal with the members of the Hunter Association due to his job, which posed a bit of a challenge for Han.

Whether he liked it or not, their interest in him was quite substantial.

Nevertheless, he was somewhat satisfied,

but there were issues with Illina and awakening that needed to be addressed.

He needed to find a job that could be done from home in some way.

“I should look into remote work, maybe.”

Although he didn’t earn much, Han had been working steadily.

Thanks to that, he had saved up a considerable amount of money.

With the house his parents left him, he didn’t have to worry about living expenses.

For the time being, he thought it best to find a suitable job and focus on the world Illina lived in.

The next day, as soon as morning broke, Han expressed his intention to resign to his boss.

“…So, Manager.”

“I understand.”

His boss, Manager Kim Juhee, smiled wryly and nodded.

“Yes? What is it?”

His natural response was such that Han himself couldn’t keep up.

She looked at him as if she had expected something.

“Perhaps it’s time for me to resign, isn’t it?”

“Ah. Yes, something like that.”

Could it be… she had been expecting it ever since she showed him that yesterday?

Surprised, Han blinked his eyes.

But she just smiled casually and shrugged her shoulders.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll relay it to the higher-ups.”

“Thank you, Manager.”

As expected, it was Manager Kim Juhee.

She was someone who could communicate better than anyone else.

“But you still have to stick around for a while. Even if you’re busy, just show your face briefly. There were quite a few awkward situations without you.”

“Understood. I apologize for last time, Manager.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

In fact, she had been quite accommodating when Han had to take a break from work before.

This time, she accepted it without any fuss.

“But… how did you figure out that I was going to resign?”

“Actually, I had anticipated it since I saw you awaken yesterday.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. It’s quite common for those who awaken their abilities to resign afterward to focus on that. I thought Han might do the same. Although it was unexpected that you wanted to become a Hunter.”

The rate of resignations from workplaces after awakening was not insignificant.

People tend to think of themselves as the protagonist of their own lives in one way or another, and those who awaken tend to vividly recall such thoughts even more intensely.

In reality, the news of individuals who used to rush busily in companies suddenly awakening one day and earning astronomical sums was not particularly rare in modern society.

It wasn’t all that strange for many to aspire to become hunters socially.

“Well, it’s about lunchtime, so let’s go to the company cafeteria together.”

“Oh, okay.”

A little while later.

While having lunch with Manager Kim Ju-hee at the company cafeteria.

Thud!

From a distance, loud footsteps could be heard.

People turned their heads.

“Senior!”

It was Yu Hanna, a colleague from work, who came running over.

She grabbed Kim Han’s shoulders and shook them vigorously from side to side.

Seemingly oblivious to the gazes of others, Yu Hanna loudly asked, “Han Senior!! Is that news for real? That thing!”

“Hey, wait a moment! H-Hanna!”

“Oh.”

Only then did she realize that Kim Han, who was eating, couldn’t even swallow what was in her mouth, and she let go.

Choking, Han coughed for quite a while after that.

Of all times, she choked on rice cake.

Yu Hanna, realizing this, patted her back, and finally, Han managed to swallow.

“hahahaha… Sorry, Senior.”

Yu Hanna awkwardly smiled.

“…No, cough.”

Most of the company knew that she was particularly strong.

She was talented.

Apparently, she had awakened an ability related to strength, so much so that with just simple physical strength, she could easily lift most adult men.

For a man like Han, hearing her cough was not surprising.

Rubbing his throat, which had become sore from swallowing food whole, he asked, “S-So, what’s the real deal?”

“Well, that’s the thing. It’s… um…”

“Spit it out.”

Soon after, sensing Han’s reaction, Yu Hanna cautiously asked, “Are you really thinking of resigning?”

“…?”

Upon hearing that, Han reflexively turned to look at Manager Kim Ju-hee.

But she shook her head as if to say it wasn’t her at all.

At least, as if she had never told anyone.

“I didn’t hear it from Manager Kim. Someone else told me.”

Kim Ju-hee, who had taken out a red bean bun and was nibbling on it, nodded in agreement.

“Right. I don’t know who spread that rumor, but yeah.”

…What?

How many people above Director Go are saying such things?

In reality, there were times when Yu Hanna caught wind of news unknown to others like this.

This time wasn’t particularly special.

Because such cases were quite common.

Although there were joking remarks questioning if Yu Hanna had a secret connection within the company because the source of the information was always dubious, it didn’t seem likely.

At least, as someone who had been working closely with her for over a year, Han knew that such rumors were pure nonsense.

But even now, Yu Hanna was gazing at Han with eyes urging for an answer.

So, Han ended up nodding his head with a wry smile.

“Oh. Right. It’s true.”

“T-that’s… hahahaha.”

At those words, Yu Hanna’s shoulders slumped all at once.

Even an oblivious Han could tell.

But soon after, she awkwardly laughed it off and changed the subject.

“It’s a bit disappointing.”

“Hmm? What is?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wished Senior Han could stay a bit longer.”

“…? Really?”

“Yes. But… if you’ve already decided to resign, there’s nothing we can do.”

Come to think of it, Yu Hanna, a colleague at work, often showed quite strange reactions.

It wasn’t something noticeable with other colleagues, but she seemed particularly different around Han. And it was the same now.

She smiled lightly.

“If you ever need to contact me, please call. I’ll always pick up if it’s Senior Han’s call.”

“Got it, Hanna.”

With that, she settled into the seat next to him.

“…?”

Curious about what was going on, Han stared quietly at Yu Hanna, who, with a smiling face, asked, “Would it be alright if I joined you for lunch today, Senior Han? Director?”

“Well, I’m fine with it, but as for Director Kim…”

At his words, Han looked at Director Kim Juhee next to him.

She readily nodded.

“I’m okay with it too.”