Return of the Frozen Player-Novel

"Now, kimchi~"[1]

“Stew..."

"This time, cheese~!"

"Cake..."

The high school girls in school uniforms, who were taking pictures, hugged the Frost Queen and made a fuss. The Frost Queen knew that they would do something like that, so she started floundering about like live fish.

"L-let go of me!"

"Can you please be my little sister? Why are you so cute?”

"Do you want candy or chocolate? No, I'll buy you everything you want to eat!"

"Contractor told me not to follow strangers just because they’re saying that they want to buy me tasty food!"

The Frost Queen puffed and huffed as she escaped from their arms.

The Frost Queen felt like she could finally understand why office workers looked perpetually tired. She stared fearfully at the long line in front of her.

"Could it be that they are all here for…”

"Students! If you're done taking pictures, please move!"

"Can't you see the line? There are people in the back as well, and they want to take pictures, too!"

The Frost Queen, who was wearing the Korean Player Association uniform, urgently blew her whistle with a frightened look.

The staff members of the Korean Player Association immediately swarmed to rescue the Frost Queen from the clutches of the throng.

“Do you find it difficult to get used to it?”

“Yes, I am tired as well,” muttered the Frost Queen. She was now back in the Office of the Association President and was sprawled out on the sofa like a melted rice cake. “I do not think that I will ever get used to interacting with people face-to-face.”

"…Just how did you handle your duties as a queen?”

At the question, The Frost Queen repeatedly struck the soft sofa with her fists in fury.

“No one wanted to pat my head at the time! No one wanted to hug me!”

Such actions were tantamount to disrespect to the monarchy, so it was understandable that no one would want to do such a thing.

“Hm, it’s a shame…” muttered Shim Deok-Gu. He wanted to give her a job that wouldn’t make her too famous while taking advantage of her strengths at the same time.

Unfortunately, Shim Deok-Gu had overestimated the people’s self-restraint in the face of something extremely adorable. He even put up a sign that said ‘No touching; only looking’ two months ago, but it seemed that it hadn’t been working.

Shim Deok-Gu contemplated for a while and said carefully, "Should I just buy Jun-Ho’s restorative elixir for you?”

"No!" cried the Frost Queen in a stubborn voice. "I have already gone through so much humiliation, so it is already too late for me to give up."

"Are you going back to work, then?" asked Shim Deok-Gu.

“Well, Deok-Gu…” The Frost Queen wriggled her fingers and asked in a soft voice, “Is there any job where I don’t have to interact with other people?”

Now that he thought about it, there was a job like that. In addition, it was a job that existed for such a long time that it had long become ubiquitous.

***

The phone rang, and a tiny hand picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Yes, that is correct.” The Frost Queen nodded. She was currently wearing the usual outfit of association employees. A few hours ago, Shim Deok-Gu sent her here to try out another job.

[Inbound Consulting.]

Her main task was to respond to inquiries. She studied a few manuals before immediately being sent to work.

- …Excuse me?

"Why did you call? How may I help you?”

- I-I’m sorry.

"Then, I shall explain the reissuance procedure, so follow it well.”

The other inbound consulting agents watching the scene couldn’t help but start muttering with each other.

"Is it really okay for her to respond like that, Manager?"

"What do you think?"

"What should we do?"

The consulting office manager revealed a troubled expression. The inbound consulting office of the Korean Player Association was different from other consulting offices.

This office was a battlefield where they would receive thousands of calls a day. Of course, there was no way that part-timers could become a part of this office. Honestly, every agent here were tenured agents composed of highly educated elites.

The consulting office manager thought about it, but she couldn’t find an answer. The Frost Queen was a talent that Association President Shim Deok-Gu personally recommended.

The Frost Queen just had to get through the day somehow. The consulting office manager sighed lightly and prayed, hoping that an accident wouldn’t happen.

- Thank you!

The corners of the Frost Queen’s mouth twitched as she placed the phone gently back into place. She felt an indescribable sense of pride.

It was giving help to those in need. Overwhelming emotions would always fill her heart whenever the people on the other end of the line expressed their gratitude to her.

The consulting office manager saw that, and she judged that the Frost Queen was adapting better than she expected.

"She has a unique way of speaking, but she seems great."

"More than anything, she’s so cute! I want to have lunch with her."

The consulting office manager nodded at the remark.

Another phone call arrived, but the other agents seemed reluctant to pick it up.

"I will take it."

The Frost Queen was still relishing in the pride she felt after successfully helping someone else, so she unsuspectingly picked up the call. However, before she could even start speaking according to the manual…

- Hey, you dog-headed bastards! How dare you put a Gate restriction on me? Do you know who I am?!

Curses pierced her ears. The Frost Queen blinked with wide eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

- What, what...?!

"I do not know who you are. Who are you?"

- I'm the second son of the Han-Young Group’s chairman, and I'm going to join the Future Guild soon. Do you understand?!

"I do not understand at all," said the Frost Queen. It seemed that she had already gotten used to the hologram windows in the office as she deftly tapped and opened up the files about the caller.

"You have verbally abused and even assaulted an employee of the association's Gate management department. The employee is still in the hospital, and it would take them at least five weeks to recover. From my perspective, the punishment you received was just a slap on the wrist."

- What, you psycho…!

"Please do not speak with expletives."

- Oh? A grunt worker manning the phones in a consulting office doesn’t like to hear curses?

"I do not get a salary. My wages are hourly."

"Dumb? Did you just say that my voice sounds dumb?" The Frost Queen's eyelids trembled at the insult she heard for the first time in her life. Everyone had always told her that she possessed a beautiful voice reminiscent of clean jade beads.

- I don’t want to hear your dumb voice anymore. Just lift the Gate restrictions on me before I get mad and turn everything upside down.

"Oh, really? I want to see how you’re going to turn everything upside down, you childish punk who gets angry at the tiniest inconvenience."

The consulting office manager rushed over upon noticing that something was wrong. She skimmed through the hologram window showing the caller’s information.

On top of that, he was the second son of the Han-Young Group and was in the process of signing a contract with the Future Guild. The Frost Queen really stepped on crap this time. The caller’s specs weren’t something a mere agent could handle.

Therefore, the consulting office manager patted the Frost Queen on the shoulder and whispered, "Good job. I think you should take a break. I’ll handle this call for you."

"No." The Frost Queen shook her head stubbornly. "Who would trust and follow a monarch who only knows how to throw her burden at her subordinates?"

The Frost Queen's cheeks swelled in determination as she gripped the phone tightly and muttered, "I will take responsibility and get rid of him."

"N-no, you shouldn’t get rid of him…" muttered the consulting office manager as she started sweating while standing next to the Frost Queen.

Meanwhile, the spoiled brat shouted once again.

- Hey, I asked for your name!

“My name is Frost."

The phone call suddenly ended, and the Frost Queen tilted her head in confusion.

The consulting office manager asked urgently, "W-what did he say? Is he coming?"

"No. He ran away despite acting like he was strong,” replied the Frost Queen.

A few moments later, the Frost Queen blinked and slowly got up from her seat.

She looked around the consulting room.

"What did she do wrong that he’s yelling curses? What the hell is so good about...”

"H-he said he’s coming. Is he really coming? Will I get fired?"

She took in the tearful agents one by one.

"I finally understand. The people on the other end of the line aren’t the only ones who needed help."

She couldn’t see them until now, but it turned out that there were so many people here who needed help as well.

A decent monarch would have looked around themselves first before anything else. The Frost Queen stared at the consulting office manager.

"Consulting Manager."

The strange tone and the air around the Frost Queen made the consulting office manager use honorifics without realizing it.

The Frost Queen looked at her and spoke earnestly, “From now on, all calls from spoiled brats should be handed over to me to handle."

"No, but…”

There was no way that the consulting office manager could leave such a heavy burden to a part-timer. However, the Frost Queen’s sincere and clear eyes possessed a unique power in them. It was a power that elicited trust from those looking at her.

"But if you can’t handle it. Is it okay if we stop right away?”

"Of course,” replied the Frost Queen with clenched fists.

***

A man was shouting furiously in front of a Gate.

"What?! Our party definitely came first! Reservation? What are you talking about? The one who comes first is the owner. What the hell do you mean about reservation?!"

The party members started frowning as the man kept on cursing while talking on the phone.

All of a sudden, a man in a black suit approached him quietly.

"Mr. Choi Chul-Hyun? I'm sorry, but I need you to accompany me for a while."

"Fuck, what? Who are you?"

The man retrieved a business card from his pocket without saying a word.

[Korean Player Association, Fiend Response Team, Park Do-Hyun.]

Those on the Fiend Response Team were veteran Players from the Player Association, who usually dealt with fiends. Their combat prowess, which was developed while dealing with fiends, was several times above their peers. In short, it meant that the man in front of Choi Chul-Hyun was a Player he shouldn’t even dare to offend.

"W-why is such a high-ranking person like—”

"We should talk as we go," said Park Do-Hyun as he stared at Choi Chul-Hyun with cold eyes.

Choi Chul-Hyun immediately ended the call and followed Park Do-Hyun.

***

[Suppression of point A completed.]

[Point C is done as well.]

[Hawk, we are moving to point F point.]

Reports were pouring in from the communication channel. The woman in charge nodded briefly.

"Everyone is doing great."

Cha Si-Eun…

She used to be a member of the secretarial department of the Korean Player Association, but now, she was just a normal employee of the Korean Player Association.

In addition, she only had one job at the moment.

Seo Jun-Ho had departed to receive treatment. Protecting the Frost Queen was an extremely daunting task for the Korean Player Association. If the Frost Queen got injured, then they wouldn’t be able to say anything upon Seo Jun-Ho’s return.

Honestly, they wouldn’t make such a fuss even if another country's president visited them. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Korean Player Association was currently moving for the Frost Queen’s sake.

"But thanks to you..." The howls and cries coming from the consulting office should disappear for a while. Cha Si-Eun couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought.

1. Instead of cheese or smile, people say ‘kimchi’ in Korea for taking pictures. ☜