Chapter 20: Try new experiences.

The CS team of the Korean Angel Center.
I heard that this is where all business calls related to me are received.
As I listened to the story of that place, one forgotten fact belatedly came to mind.

It was that cameras were still installed in my room.

A fact I had forgotten for a long time.
How did I recall this?
Well, it was because most of the complaint calls were based on what they had seen and heard through the cameras.

‘Do angels not have human rights…?’

Thanks to that, a bitter feeling and this thought came over me for a moment.
Since all I usually did in my room was sleep, it didn’t really matter much, but still.

‘Still, they could have at least told me….’

I felt a slight disappointment and stared blankly out the window.
It had been a long time since we left the forest and were driving on the road.

Screech—

Finally, the car stopped in front of the building where the CS team was located.
There were two reasons why I came here now.

Everyone seemed to be having a hard time, so I was curious about what the actual scene was like.
And I wondered if there was any way I could help improve those negative aspects.

Anyway, I followed Lee Hyejin and Park Gyutae and got into the elevator.
Then, getting off on the floor where the CS team was and entering the entrance.
“Hello… huh…? Uh-uh…? Huh?”

The man in a suit standing right in front of me.
The moment he saw me, he immediately broke down.

His mouth was agape, and he couldn’t even utter a sound.
At a glance, it looked like a fairly severe case.

Hmm… it’s been a while since I saw this kind of reaction…

“Hello.”

So, I greeted him first.

“Oh, hel-hello… hel-hello…”

The man bowed awkwardly several times, like a video stuttering due to buffering.

“…”

Honestly, it was a little scary.

Because of that, I forced a smile and quickly walked past him.

“Wow…”

Only then did the true appearance of the CS team begin to come into view.

A space with an enormous number of tables.

It was filled with people talking on the phone with various expressions, and the sound of voices constantly echoing.

“A-Are all these people taking calls related to me…?”

Unable to believe it, I asked Park Gyutae.

He nodded.

“Yes, I heard that these days about 170,000 calls come in daily. Honestly, because of that, we were just letting it slide even if the classification was a bit strange.”

“170,000…?”

I wasn’t sure exactly how much that was, but it was certainly a huge number.

Just as I was thinking that everyone must be having a hard time, someone’s shout suddenly came.

“Oh…!? A-Angel!?”

The person was a woman sitting at her desk, only her eyes barely visible.

She had impressive dark circles under her eyes, and I thought she might have spotted me by the halo floating above my head.

“Hello.”

I politely greeted her.

Then she jumped up, stumbled badly, and fell.

Clatter! Bang! Crash!

With a tremendously noisy sound, she quickly got up, panting, and replied.

For some reason, her eyes were moist.

“Oh, hello!”

“… A-Are you okay?”

Did she hit herself wrong when she fell…?

Because of that, I asked, feeling a bit worried.

“Oh!? Wow…! Th-The Angel is really here!”

“What…? Oh my! It’s true!!!”

“Waaah! Cu-Cute!”

This time, shouts began to come not from her, but from all directions.

It seemed that the recent commotion had drawn attention.

“To actually meet the Angel in person in my lifetime…!”

“Ah… I’m so glad I got a job here…”

“I want to take a picture… Can I? Is it against the law?”

“I don’t know…. But wouldn’t it be better to ask the Angel for permission first…?”

In an instant, I was surrounded by hundreds of people in this place.

They were completely ignoring the constantly ringing phones from all directions, their entire attention focused on me.

“Move! I want to see too…! Me too!”

“Ugh…! Don’t push! There’s no space!”

Somehow, a scene of even greater chaos than at the Folk Village unfolded.

‘U-Um…? Is it okay for everyone not to answer the phones…?’

My heart, which hadn’t pounded like this in a long time, began to race in that fierce atmosphere.

My entire body stiffened with tension, and I just fiddled with my clothes.

Then, Lee Hyejin clapped her hands and shouted,

“Alright, everyone! The Angel is surprised right now, so please calm down a little!”

A very simple statement.

Yet, the overheated atmosphere, which had been almost frenzied, miraculously calmed down instantly.

Ring, ring, ring—

Because of that, only the sound of phone bells echoed throughout the office.

In a way, it felt as if the situation had been resolved.

‘… U-Um…? Everyone…?’

However, from my perspective, nothing had actually been resolved.

‘S-Scary….’

Because everyone was keeping their mouths shut.

And yet, they were staring intently at me with bright, smiling faces…

Th-This will definitely appear in my dreams…!

It’s definitely a nightmare…!

Thump-thump.

I felt my heart pounding madly.

So, naturally, to avoid eye contact, I quickly bowed my head first.

“H-Hello, everyone…”

“Ahhh…. Cute…!”

“Ugh…”

Sounds of exhalation from here and there…

Exactly the same as what I had heard in Japan before.

Exclamations that thoroughly touched my sense of shame echoed like a reverberation.

‘I-I shouldn’t have come…!’

Thanks to that, I immediately began to regret reading the complaint document.

The saying “ignorance is bliss” must surely apply to situations like this.

I covered my face, which was hot and flushed from the rush of blood to my head, with both hands.

But that only stimulated the onlookers even more.

‘I-I want to die…’

And so, I had to endure tremendous attention for a long time, to the point where tears welled up in my eyes.

The woman who introduced herself as Kim Heejung.

The woman with impressive dark circles under her eyes.

She looked at me with a worried expression and asked,

“Are you really… going to try it…?”

“H-Perhaps it’s an inconvenience…?”

“Oh, no! Inconvenience? Absolutely not! Never!”

“I-Is that so? Then I’ll try it…!”

Her horrified expression, waving her hands.

Thanks to that, I smiled brightly with relief.

What I was about to do was a job experience.

I intended to experience taking a few calls briefly to understand the difficulties of the people here.

Of course, the CS team people were oddly restless and tried to dissuade me…

‘B-But I’m so curious…’

Their attitude only stimulated my curiosity even more and solidified my resolve.

For that reason, I received a brief explanation of the work from Kim Heejung.

“Phew…”

Finally, I picked up the continuously ringing phone receiver, feeling very nervous.

Click.

– Hey! You bastards! Why aren’t you answering the ph—!

“H-Hello…!”

Oops, like this….

From the very first call, the other person immediately started shouting, which startled me and made me make a big mistake.

To say “hello” as a consultant answering the phone, even after just hearing the explanation…

‘A huge blunder….’

I mentally chastised myself for making a mistake right at the start.

The other person also immediately shut their mouth after hearing me, apparently quite dumbfounded.

Ugh, I’m an idiot….

Wh-What do I do now…?

How best to overcome this mistake?

First, I subtly glanced at Kim Heejung to ask for advice.

However, her expression was so cold that I couldn’t specifically ask for help.

Judging by her reaction, it seemed this mistake was quite disappointing.

‘Well, I guess…’

I fully understood her feelings.

After all, I had confidently declared I would try it, only to make a mistake right from the start…

At this point, I had nothing to say if they thought I was making light of professionalism.

So, to make amends for the mistake, I seriously gathered my body and mind, then calmly opened my mouth again.

“Um… excuse me…?”

“… Y-Yes, yes!”

Then, for some reason, a much more nervous reply came back, unlike the first time.

‘… What is it?’

I continued speaking, feeling puzzled by the inexplicable sense of discomfort.

“H-Perhaps… what did you say at first…?”

A very embarrassing question.

Foolishly, the other person had shouted so loudly at first that I hadn’t properly heard what they said.

This time, even if the other person got annoyed, it was understandable.

Because of that, I waited nervously for the reply, when, for some reason, the man on the other end of the line remained silent for a long time.

‘Is he cooling down?’

Suddenly, that thought came to mind.

However, since I couldn’t rush him, I quietly waited, and then…

“… W-With that, a 19-line poem… I-I’ll try it…”

“… Huh?”

The man suddenly conveyed a strange remark.

… What does that mean…?

W-Why suddenly…?

Naturally, I was greatly flustered.

Nevertheless, to maintain professionalism, I replied,

“Yes, yes. Go ahead.”

The first time seeing the Angel in person, completely by chance.

Kim Heejung couldn’t help but gape in admiration.

The halo floating above her head and the wings on her back.

And the cuteness that was not of this world, making one want to bite her.

Thanks to that, she was certain that today was the happiest day of her life,

And that she was the happiest person in the world.

Until the Angel’s sudden declaration of a job experience.

Until she made a bomb-like declaration that she would try taking calls here herself.

Well, Kim Heejung knew very well.

How many crazy people used the Angel as an excuse to vent their stress here.

Because of that, she started to feel chills down her spine.

But even so, if the Angel wanted to do it, how on earth could she stop her?

She looked at the Angel, who was starting her first call, with a nervous heart.

And finally, the shout heard from that first call.

Along with that, the expressions of all the staff in the office turned to horror.

Hey, you crazy bastard…! At least listen to the greeting first…!

You would have known just from hearing her voice!

Kim Heejung’s face hardened, filled with surprise and anger.

At that moment, she felt the Angel’s gaze subtly on her.

Though it was such a short moment that she couldn’t react at all.

Anyway, the Angel naturally continued the call.

However, judging by her completely changed expression, she was definitely quite displeased.

Since she had just said something like, ‘What did you just say?’, it was probably not a misunderstanding.

Because of that, Kim Heejung and everyone in the office swallowed hard and focused their entire attention on the content of the call.

And then came the crazy nonsense of a 19-line poem.

No, is he crazy…?

Thanks to that, such a thought naturally came to Kim Heejung’s mind.

And it was like the Angel’s decisive blow, as if she would first listen and then decide whether to let him live or not.

Because of that, the atmosphere in the office once again froze over, chilling everyone to the bone.