Lovers

12

I should never do this again

Fortunately, my apartment, which I arrived at at 7 AM, didn’t smell of food. I must have cleaned up properly before leaving. That’s really fortunate. Of course, there are some potato chips scattered around, but that’s okay. As long as there’s no pizza or anything like that.

As soon as I entered, I opened all the windows for ventilation.

I need to pack up and leave within 40 minutes, but I couldn’t think of anything specific to bring since last night. You’d have to have experience as an undercover agent to know. Still, I felt like I had to come, so I did, but now that I’m here, there’s nothing to take and everything to leave behind. I should probably take my phone and wallet, and I’m already dressed in inconspicuous clothes.

I packed shoes separately. If I need to run, shoes that are broken in are more comfortable. New shoes need to be broken in and the laces need to be retied, which is a hassle.

Everything else is ready, but…

“Should I take this or not?”

The cross necklace my father gave me.

It’s one of the rare items my father spent money on. Not just me, but all my siblings from the orphanage have one – it was something we all got together. So this item is identifiable. It even has ‘Romberg Cathedral’ engraved on the back.

Father was especially worried about me. My other siblings think I work for a company, but father seemed to have a vague idea of what I do. He seemed worried that I might die from a stray bullet, so he put this necklace around my neck along with everyone else’s. So that even if I die, and if I have no identification, this necklace could guide me back to him.

Because I understand his feelings, I’ve been wearing it all this time, but this time it would be an item that identifies me.

“Let’s never do this kind of thing again.”

I told myself.

Yeah, let’s not. Undercover work really doesn’t seem to suit me.

Only after making a promise with myself in the mirror did I take off the necklace and put it in the desk drawer. It felt strange to take off the necklace I hadn’t removed even while bathing.

After checking the house one more time, closing all the windows, and finishing the safety check, I left. On the subway ride to Sengke, the hastily chosen playlist was playing songs that already smelled of spring.

Time flies so fast. When I come to my senses while working, it’s spring, and when I come to my senses again, it’s fall. I wonder what season it will be when I come home after this job is done.

It shouldn’t be like that.

My poor team members shouldn’t have to struggle in Maderke for so long without me, it’s pitiful.

When I arrived at the apartment in Sengke, the administration bureau agents had already entered my house without permission.

“Hello.”

“Yes, hello.”

I received and returned greetings from the entrance on the first floor. It seemed no team leader had come, as everyone was quite polite.

“Hello, Team Leader. Did you sleep well last night?”

The person who greeted me politely was a woman wearing an H-line skirt. The employee from Team 4 I met yesterday seemed to be one of the core members of Team 4, giving instructions to people here and there.

“Yes, hello. We didn’t get to introduce ourselves properly yesterday. Department 1, Team 9, Armin Schnieke.”

The woman smiled brightly at my greeting.

“Team Leader Schnieke, thank you for yesterday. I’m Alice Autzki from Team 4.”

Ah.

I inadvertently pretended to know her. Alice Autzki is the woman who is officially Lee’s superior and privately his close friend. According to Lee’s description, she’s ‘married to her work, the Elizabeth I of the Security Bureau’.

“You seem to have heard a lot about me.”

Alice was smiling, but her eyes were quite cold. I quickly denied it.

“Oh, no. I’m somewhat acquainted with Lee, and he once mentioned having a very intelligent and capable subordinate he trusts. I heard the name Autzki, but I didn’t hear the first name, so I didn’t know it was a woman.”

Alice smiled widely at my words.

“It’s obvious you’re lying through your teeth, but I’ll let it slide since it sounds nice.”

Why is Team 4, which handles desk work, so intimidating?

I just smiled. If she’s Autzki, she’s the one who wants to follow in the footsteps of Andrea Dill and Nina Volkari as the Security Bureau’s female warrior line. I don’t want to get on her bad side.

“What are you doing?”

Unable to ask Autzki directly, I cautiously approached an employee who was putting up a poster in the bedroom.

“Background work.”

“Background work…?”

“To give the impression of what kind of person Team Leader, I mean, ‘Armin Schnieke’ is as soon as someone enters.”

“Ah, so you’re setting up to give the impression that the Security Bureau wants to convey?”

“Yes, that’s the accurate expression.”

They’re putting up posters, changing light fixtures, and even changing curtains and bed sheets. I thought they were at least leaving the wallpaper alone, but I was wrong. I saw them painting one wall of the living room orange. Not a color I like.

Autzki, who was checking the bathroom, suddenly popped her head out and shouted at me.

“Team Leader, you need to leave here at 10:30 AM. You start work at 11 AM!”

“Work? Ah, right, I work at a cafe.”

Then the employee next to me took over from Autzki’s words and explained to me.

“We’ve sent the address to your phone, and when you go there, an employee from Department 2 will be waiting.”

Department 2 employee? Does that mean I’m under the Department 2 Chief’s control? Ah, I don’t like that.

Seeing my frown, the employee glanced at Autzki and tried to console me.

“The department heads won’t be directly involved in this operation. I believe the Team 1 leader from Department 2 will be at the cafe.”

“Department 2, Team 1?”

“Yes, yes.”

Team 1 of each department works directly under the department head. In other words, Team 1 is where the top elites of that department are gathered. The fact that the Team 1 leader is there means that although the Department 2 Chief isn’t on site, they intend to oversee every move.

I looked reproachfully at the employee who was trying to pacify me with wordplay. He glanced at the smartwatch on his wrist and personally opened the door for me. I saw the number 303 embedded in the open door.

“Team Leader, it’s 34 minutes, so you should leave for work now. I’ve brought the cooperation request form, please sign it after you’ve reviewed it, and please move on foot immediately.”

A cafe about a 30-minute walk away.

Was this a place they had in mind last night, or did they scout it overnight?

Why specifically a part-time cafe worker, an aspiring barista?

I can’t understand the reasons for all these settings. I clearly felt that I was an outsider and a non-related party in this matter. This is not a place for me.

Yet I can’t return to where I should be. That felt a bit bitter.

When I arrived at the cafe, a tall and burly man greeted me.

“Welcome. You’re 4 minutes late.”

I glanced at the man and surveyed every corner of the cafe. Like most stores these days, this cafe also had CCTV installed.

Well, this is good. Unlike homes, stores can openly install CCTV. And anyone in the industry would quickly realize that the CCTV specs were not the kind typically installed in ordinary businesses. Those CCTVs installed by the Security Bureau are the type that can zoom in to see individual pores.

Now I understand why they set it up as ‘working at a store’. It makes surveillance easier.

“Hello, I’m Armin Schnieke from Department 1, Team 9.”

When I greeted him, the man replied, “I’m Alfred Baral from Department 2, Team 1.”

Ah, I remember now that I hear the name. Right, this man is the right-hand man of the Department 2 Chief, Baral. Judging by his appearance alone, he looks like a bear that could tear people apart, and there are rumors that he actually does.

The scariest point is that despite the rumors of tearing people apart, he’s a graduate of Pates University, meaning he’s walked the path of the elite.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Team Leader.”

“Yes…”

Ugh, I wonder what he’s heard. Whatever it is, I’m not very keen on it.

“Since you’re an aspiring barista, shall we start with coffee training?”

He threw something at me. I caught it in mid-air and saw it was an apron. It was a dress-style apron that ties once around the neck like a halter neck and once at the waist, but the strings were long enough to wrap around and tie in the front instead of the back. As I casually put it on over my clothes, Baral adjusted my apron once more.

“In our store.”

Our store? Hey, this is just a cover business, isn’t it?

“Hoodies are not allowed. Wear a shirt. Not too loose, something that fits properly. Jeans are allowed for pants, but no ripped jeans, cargo pants, or hip-hop style pants. Wear something appropriate.”

What’s this, why is it so picky?

“Tie the apron with a ribbon at the top like this. Look in the mirror here. Can you see? And tie a single knot in the front like this. When customers come in, make sure to greet them with ‘Welcome.’ When taking orders, greet them with ‘Hello, may I take your order?'”

I stared at Baral’s face, dumbfounded.

Come on, it’s just a cover. Why is it so demanding?

Seeing my face, Baral widened his eyes.

“You should work properly wherever you are.”

…There are such uniquely crazy people…

I was so taken aback, I could only open and close my mouth.

“Please learn attentively so you can start working right away. You’ll also get to drink delicious coffee, so it’s killing two birds with one stone.”

Baral didn’t seem to care whether I was shocked or dying inside. He headed towards the coffee machine and beckoned me over. I let out an exasperated sigh and said,

“I don’t really like coffee.”

Baral snorted at my grumbling.

“I don’t like teaching either. If I liked teaching, I would have become a teacher.”

So shut up and learn, Baral’s face seemed to say as he glared at me.

So they disguised such a rough-looking face as a cafe owner. Who would come to a cafe like this? It seems more likely to drive customers away than attract them.

The warm air in the cafe, the latest pop music playing softly, the subtle pleasant aroma… I don’t need any of it. I’d rather go to Maderke, roll around in the dust, and smack those Canaris bastards on the back of their heads.

Come to think of it, that bastard Jay is still ignoring my messages. And I’ve been trusting him as my subordinate. My poor life.

“Don’t get distracted. Listen carefully.”

At Baral’s rebuke, I sighed and focused on his hands. With hands that had hair growing up to the second knuckle, he began to brew coffee delicately.