# Chapter 23
“We’ve arrived.”
The cheerful taxi driver’s voice rang out. Immediately, Baek Han opened the taxi door and dashed outside as if he’d been waiting for this moment. I couldn’t help but laugh, knowing he’d been cringing ever since Kwon Dojin leaned on my shoulder.
“Thank you, have a nice day.”
I waited until Kwon Dojin finished paying, then got out with him to find Baek Han watching us from a distance.
“If you hated it that much, why didn’t you just sit in the front seat?”
At my words, Baek Han looked as if I’d caught him off guard. It seemed like I’d pointed out something he hadn’t even considered, so I decided to let it go. Apparently, sitting in the front seat wasn’t an option from the beginning.
“…Let’s go. The meeting ends in an hour, so we need to settle this before then.”
I swear, sometimes the genre shifts to martial arts or fantasy thanks to Baek Han.
Unlike me, who just nodded casually, Kwon Dojin responded with a serious expression. Today must have been the decisive battle they’d both been planning.
Not knowing the exact location, I just followed behind Kwon Dojin and Baek Han. The café they led me to wasn’t far from where the taxi dropped us off, and it was surprisingly large.
When we opened the door to the café where the meeting was being held, the previously noisy interior instantly fell silent. With Baek Han leading the way, naturally heading toward what seemed to be the seat of honor while confidently receiving the sudden gazes, Kwon Dojin followed behind, looking after me.
For a moment, I wondered if Kwon Dojin should be leading since his rank was higher, but I figured he had his reasons, so I decided to follow quietly.
“You’re late, aren’t you?”
Some nameless person spat out his first words in a tone that was clearly sarcastic even to my ears. As I stared blankly at this vaguely familiar person, wondering what he was thinking, Kwon Dojin carefully seated me.
“Our Habin likes his classes too much.”
“It’s not like there’s any obligation to arrive on time anyway. What does it matter if we’re late or not?”
Baek Han retorted with equal sarcasm as he sat askew in his chair. Seeing him being so confidently obnoxious everywhere, I mentally applauded him for staying true to himself.
“…Baek Han, do you have no respect for hierarchy?”
“Hierarchy? If you’re part of the ranking system, you should know better than anyone that rank is more important than seniority.”
“Kwon Dojin is—!”
“So I suggest you stop while I’m still being courteous. If you keep this up, I’ll have no choice but to follow protocol, won’t I?”
Somehow, I felt like his words had a sharp edge to them.
Not long after we sat down, I noticed a staff member approaching but quickly retreating after reading the atmosphere.
I had been excited about having an iced tea, but even I could tell this wasn’t the right time to order, so I stayed quiet. Though I tried to hide my disappointment, somehow Kwon Dojin noticed and called the staff member back.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Don’t worry about the atmosphere, just order.”
“Then I’d like an iced tea, please.”
With both of them pushing me, I figured there really was no need to be considerate and spoke up right away.
“Yes, one iced tea. Would you like anything else?”
“What about you, Kwon Dojin? And you, Baek Han?”
“I’ll have the same as Habin.”
“I’ll take a café mocha.”
After taking everyone’s order, the staff member quickly left, and I gave them a small wave. It was a gesture born from sympathy for their awkward situation, but for some reason, both Baek Han and even Kwon Dojin found it amusing.
I pouted my lips in displeasure at their behavior, but when they wouldn’t stop laughing, I had no choice but to change the subject first.
“I don’t see Ahn Ji Yu and Sunwoo Hyun. I thought they’d be here.”
“They probably left already. Ji Yu secretly dislikes boring places like this.”
“He was the same last year. Well, I’d leave early too if there were nothing but seniors putting on airs.”
“These brats, since we’ve just been watching—!”
Bang!
As someone slammed the table hard and stood up, Kwon Dojin blocked my view, and Baek Han rose from his seat in response.
“Kang Jinwoo, you’re causing a scene in front of a civilian again.”
“How could you raise your voice when our Habin has such a weak heart?”
Since when did I have a weak heart?
Kwon Dojin, who had been speaking so formally until now, twisted his lips as he dropped the formality. A strange light flickered in his eyes for a moment before quickly disappearing, as if he’d caught onto something.
“I bet it was like this last time too, wasn’t it?”
“No, I…”
“If we hadn’t been here this time, you looked ready to hit him. Everyone should know that ‘don’t touch civilians’ means more than just not hitting them, right?”
Kwon Dojin pressed on without giving him time to explain. He seemed to have been waiting for this moment, and even Baek Han, who had confidently risen from his seat, awkwardly sat back down.
He probably wasn’t confident he could speak better than Kwon Dojin. Understanding his feelings, I lightly patted his thigh. Baek Han looked at me with an incredulous expression before letting out an exasperated sigh.
“Don’t pressure civilians. Willingly help those in trouble. These are basic principles that anyone in the ranking system should follow.”
“This much can hardly be called pressure!”
“‘This much’? That standard isn’t for us to determine, but for the person on the receiving end. Everyone must have seen how Habin reacted when Kang Jinwoo hit the table.”
What was my reaction? I don’t know, so why is everyone else acting like they do?
I turned to look at Baek Han, and he was nodding too. I must have looked like a coward from the outside. It’s true that I was startled by the loud noise, so I couldn’t argue, but I was curious about how I’d reacted.
Still, asking now would be tactless. I was self-aware enough to bite my lower lip and hold back.
“I’m someone who believes that one exception creates many exceptions. Even if not a complete rank revocation, a demotion seems necessary.”
“Why go the long way? Just revoke his rank. This is the second time.”
Baek Han looked like he was about to put his legs on the table, but I couldn’t just watch that, so I quickly kicked his shin. He showed a moment of irritation but then took it out on Kang Jinwoo by kicking his leg instead.
Kang Jinwoo, who got hit for no reason, couldn’t even respond properly and just bit his lip with his eyes downcast.
“A rank demotion is too severe.”
The person who had first provoked us spoke up in place of Kang Jinwoo, who couldn’t say anything.
“Shouldn’t you be thankful it’s not a complete revocation?”
“…Kwon Dojin.”
“You should have known your place when I was being courteous.”
I thought I’d seen this person somewhere, and I finally remembered. Was he Jeon Hae-in? The one who fought with Baek Han during the rank determination? Anyway, he was the rank 6 or something like that.
As the nagging question that had been bothering a corner of my mind was resolved, I felt at ease.
“For a demotion, to what rank?”
“Sunbae Hae-in!”
Seeing Kang Jinwoo’s face turn pale as he shouted, I realized that rank demotion must really be a big deal. Since I didn’t understand what was going on, I was just blinking my eyes when I noticed a staff member standing still, holding a tray full of drinks and looking hesitant. I pulled at Kwon Dojin’s clothes urgently.
I called him as a second-best option because I felt too awkward to call the staff member myself. Kwon Dojin turned around immediately, his hardened expression softening as he tilted his head slightly with a subtle smile.
“What is it?”
“The drinks are here. Let’s talk while we eat, while we eat.”
“Ah. Sure.”
Kwon Dojin, who readily agreed, must have noticed the awkwardly standing staff member as he showed an apologetic expression. Finally welcoming the drinks that had found their rightful place, I bowed slightly to the staff member who was having a tough day since we arrived.
“I’m sorry.”
As Kwon Dojin apologized while receiving his drink, the staff member quickly shook their head. Then, while giving me my drink, they obviously winked. Somehow I felt I understood the meaning and smiled back.
“Hmm?”
This place was known for its good iced tea, wasn’t it?
I realized it as soon as I took the first sip. Unlike the iced tea I’d had before, the rich taste of black tea with just the right amount of sweetness instantly brightened my mood.
“Is it good?”
Kwon Dojin asked as he subtly pushed his iced tea across the table. It seemed the taste didn’t suit his palate, and when I laughed quietly, he looked embarrassed and avoided my gaze.
“Here we go again with the drama.”
Baek Han clicked his tongue as he drank his café mocha. I clearly heard him muttering about some people not knowing how to read the time and place. Usually, people only think these things, but as expected of the rank 3, he was different.
“Ahem.”
“Ah, right. We should continue our discussion.”
At Jeon Hae-in’s throat clearing, Kwon Dojin turned back with a completely disinterested face. The relaxed expression from just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen, replaced by an unfamiliar, businesslike demeanor.
“Outside the top 10. With no possibility of recovery for the next year.”
“What? A year is too harsh!”
“Then how about outside the top 20? I don’t care either way.”
“Outside the top 20… That would be quite the spectacle.”
As Baek Han openly mocked him, Kang Jinwoo’s face turned even paler than before. Even Jeon Hae-in was biting his lip, showing his distress without hiding it, so it must really be a serious matter.
“…Let’s compromise with outside the top 10.”
“Sunbae Hae-in! Outside the top 10 is really—!”
“It’s not like you’re going to be pushed outside the top 20. Keep your mouth shut.”
“If you had accepted when the issue was first raised, none of this would have happened. It’s regrettable for me as well.”
As the matter seemed to be wrapping up, Kwon Dojin returned to formal speech. Somehow, that felt even more spiteful, and when I let out an exclamation, Baek Han seemed to think the same as he just stuck out his tongue.
