“Can I help you with anything?”

“If you’re not busy, I can tell you the story.”

“Fortunately, I have some time.”

The woman sat down beside me.

“An assassin? What are you talking about? Is someone after Jiha’s life?”

The woman seemed quite serious about it. She said she used to be human, right? That might be why she seemed more serious than the other angels.

I summarized the events that had transpired.

“It’s quite a vague situation.”

“It is.”

I nodded in agreement with the woman’s words.

“Excluding the points, it doesn’t seem like a very serious situation.”

“It is serious.”

The woman spoke firmly.

“Somebody is acting with malice. You need to take this seriously.”

“……”

Malice enough to kill, huh?

The thought was chilling.

Had I done something to warrant such hatred?

“It could be someone unhappy about a human getting close to angels. Anyway, you have to be careful. They could even stop your reincarnation process.”

That would be a serious problem.

Just for being human, one could be subjected to hatred. From the perspective of an angel, it seemed plausible.

“Have you experienced anything similar?”

The woman’s concern seemed too plausible to be just worry.

She said she used to be human. At my question, the woman gave a wry smile.

“Even after being in the Celestial Realm for a long time, there are still angels who look down on me.”

She seemed well-established, yet she still faced such treatment. Discrimination existed even in the Celestial Realm.

There’s no paradise anywhere. In the end, this was also reality.

“Do you have any leads?”

“There’s someone who knows the identity of the culprit. They’re not willing to tell, though.”

“Then you’ll have to persuade that person well.”

The woman encouraged me and then stood up from her seat.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go now. Let’s set a time to meet and have tea together later.”

“That sounds good.”

True to the rumors, the woman was busy. We couldn’t talk for long.

At least it helped pass the time. After the woman left, I slouched in the chair.

“I’m just quietly doing my broadcast. Was that so unbearable to watch?”

Even when you do nothing, there are people who harbor malice. I suppose I could be considered a celebrity. It was possible to attract anti-fans.

It was certainly something I had to endure, but somehow.

“It’s sad.”

Being hated is a sad thing. I didn’t care in the past. But receiving so much love had clearly made my heart softer.

“Lost in thoughts again? Why the gloomy face?”

It was Hans’s voice.

I asked him to bring Ian, but instead of Ian, he brought just some drinks.

“Where’s Ian?”

“He’s busy right now, told us to wait a bit. He sent these drinks for you.”

I calmly accepted the drink.

“I met the author earlier.”

“She’s hard to meet, but you run into her often.”

“Maybe I’m just lucky.”

To have bumped into such a hard-to-find author twice. What a coincidence.

“What did she do?”

“No, no.”

It was more like she listened to my worries.

I shared with Hans what the woman and I discussed. I idly twirled my hair as I spoke.

“It’s just that, you know. Someone hates me enough to want me dead.”

“Is that bothering you now?”

“It’s the first time I’m being hated enough to receive death threats, so it’s a bit unsettling.”

“They didn’t just threaten, they actually acted on it.”

“We need to catch them.”

“It’s good to see you’re finally facing reality.”

Hans’s tone was sarcastic, but I didn’t mind.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Just then, the person who could be a lead in our investigation arrived. Ian was holding the same drink he had given to me.

“I told you to take yours. Why did you leave it behind?”

“I don’t want it.”

Hans nonchalantly dismissed Ian’s courtesy. Eventually, Ian opened the can.

“Jiha, you’ve been visiting often.”

“I won’t be able to come for a while.”

Because I’ll be here longer this time.

“Did you come here just to see me? I’m flattered.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

After Ian sat down opposite me, I started the conversation.

“I’m listening this time. About the assassin.”

“…This is a tough one.”

Ian looked troubled.

At that moment, Hans spoke up.

“Say it, Ian.”

There was not a hint of a smile on his face.

“Before I get angry.”

It was the first time I saw Hans so serious.

“Cut me some slack. I don’t want to see you angry again.”

“I’m not joking around right now.”

“……”

Ian looked at me more seriously than before.

“Alright. I wanted to ask you something, Jiha.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you think it’s better for the assassin to disappear?”

Anyone might say that’s an obvious question.

But it was a thought I had pondered myself.

If the assassin disappeared, my broadcast’s content would be gone. I hadn’t expected even Ian, a viewer, to consider this. Nonetheless, it wasn’t an incorrect assumption.

“Don’t state the obvious.”

Before I could respond, Hans spoke up. Ian didn’t even look at Hans as he replied.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“I have some rights as a manager too. Alright? Now that you’ve answered, hurry up and speak.”

Ian sighed.

Then he uttered a single statement.

“It’s not a human.”

A definitive answer from someone who knew the identity of the culprit.

“That’s as far as I’ll tell you. You figure out the rest.”

Ian stood up and started to walk away. Thanks to gaining some information, Hans didn’t stop him.

Not revealing the reason for the sake of the broadcast content.

Why is Ian so obsessed with my broadcast?

‘No, that’s not important right now.’

Finding the culprit was the priority.

Irmin’s guess was correct. The culprit wasn’t human.

‘Could it be one of the viewers?’

“It seems we’re in a rather unpleasant situation.”

Hans seemed to share the sentiment, clicking his tongue in frustration.

“I don’t want to suspect the viewers.”

“Neither do I. I thought they were good folks, even if a bit foolish.”

Hans must also feel uneasy about suspecting his colleagues.

“I’ll look into it from my end. You…”

“Yes?”

“Try approaching Ian.”

I looked puzzled by his suggestion.

Why entrust me with approaching Ian? Ian was closer to Hans. Surely Hans would have a higher chance of obtaining clues.

“Ian won’t tell me anything, though.”

“If you persistently stick to him, who knows?”

“Do you think Ian will open up to me?”

Hans nodded without hesitation.

“He hasn’t opened up to me despite knowing each other for a long time… but somehow, I think you can do it.”

“Because I opened up Hans’s heart too?”

“…Yeah.”

Hearing that, I let out a small laugh.

I hugged Hans tightly. He seemed taken aback.

Burying my face in Hans’s chest, I murmured,

“I’ll give it my best.”

“……”

Hans hesitated, then gently stroked my hair.

“Don’t get yourself hurt from now on.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“Good.”

We smiled and strengthened our resolve.

* * *

“Jiha Nuna!”

As expected, going to the company, PleaseShakeACarrot greeted me. We often bumped into each other; perhaps our orbits were similar.

Today, OnlyFinley was with him too. OnlyFinley smiled mischievously upon seeing me.

“At this rate, shouldn’t they give you an office here?”

“I don’t even work here, so why?”

“Maybe they should give you some errands at least.”

Carrot’s offer was quite enticing.

Since I couldn’t earn points in the Celestial Realm by broadcasting, any opportunity to earn points was welcome. This was a fortunate turn of events for me.

“Are you really going to give Jiha work to do?”

“He looks bored.”

“I’ll do it.”

I quickly agreed. I was the kind of person who would do anything for points.

“Don’t worry too much! It’s mostly just organizing documents. You can even share my office!”

Paperwork of that sort was nothing new to me, having done it in my previous life.

Being at the company would also give me a valid reason to be around, making it easier to approach Ian.

* * *

The tasks Carrot handed over were simpler than I expected. Knowing his personality, he must have intentionally given me the easier tasks.

‘It seems angels are really busy.’

The amount of work was staggering. I couldn’t believe he handled all this by himself. It made me wonder how he even found the time to visit me occasionally.

“Can you deliver this to the next office and then go have lunch? That’s all for now.”

“Where is it?”

“Just go straight and it’s the third glass door! It should be labeled ‘Assistant Planning Office’.”

“Got it.”

I took the stack of documents Carrot handed me and left the office.

The sheer volume of documents was impressive. Even if I wanted to read them, I couldn’t understand the Celestial language. Luckily, Carrot was there to help, so it wasn’t too difficult.

‘It’s strange how we can communicate.’

It felt like experiencing illiteracy.

When I reached the Assistant Planning Office, someone came out of the glass door.

It was Ian.

“……?”

Ian seemed surprised to see me, his eyes wide open. On the other hand, I cheerfully called out to him.

“Ian, do you work here?”

“No, just stopped by… But you haven’t left yet?”

“I’m going to stay much longer this time.”

I smiled broadly, lifting the pile of documents.

“Plus, I’ve even got a job now.”

“…Joshua’s doing, right?”

Joshua, Carrot’s real name. I nodded. Ian looked as weary as Hans.

“That guy… always something with him…”

Regardless of Ian’s reaction, I continued the conversation.

“Do you have time for lunch?”

“Why?”

I said casually,

“Have lunch with me.”

“……”

Ian looked at me, a bit wary.