The Hunter Association Seoul Headquarters was several times larger than the Incheon branch that Jong-sik had visited previously.
Upon passing through the main gate, the first thing you would encounter was a massive building with the letters ‘A Block’ engraved on its exterior.
A Block was used as the testing center and reception center for awakened individuals.
Turning left from A Block, you would see a towering building. The exterior of the building was labeled as ‘B Block.’
B Block was the office that oversaw all administrative matters of the Hunter Association, and it was Jong-sik’s destination.
Upon entering the lobby of B Block, Jong-sik immediately sought out the information desk.
“How may I assist you?” asked the desk clerk, and Jong-sik mentioned the ‘Assistant Director.’
The Assistant Director was a Grade 3 civil service Hunter and the current head responsible for managing and supervising awakened individuals. So, the desk clerk couldn’t help but be surprised when Jong-sik asked to meet someone of such a high rank.
“Huh? Uh, just a moment!”
Coincidentally, the desk clerk was a newly appointed civil service Hunter. Jong-sik had arrived while the senior was briefly away from their post.
“It’s a visitor for the Assistant Director. Let’s not make any mistakes.”
Nervously, she searched for the list of visitors for the Assistant Director’s office.
“Hmm?”
However, there were no scheduled visitors at this time. Suddenly, she remembered her supervisor’s advice.
– Ms. Hye-rim, sometimes business people or small guild officials who want to meet high-ranking civil service Hunters come unannounced. They often lie, claiming they know the person or are relatives. If someone who isn’t on the reservation list shows up, never, ever let them in without following the procedure. Always follow the protocol, understand?
‘Could this be such a case?’
‘It seemed likely.’
‘Pull yourself together, Im Hye-rim! Just follow the procedure, and everything will be fine.’
With determination, despite being only a week into her new position, Hye-rim reminded herself of her resolve. Then she asked according to the procedure.
“There doesn’t seem to be any scheduled visitors. Excuse me, but did you have an appointment with the Assistant Director?”
“What appointment?”
Nam Woo-jong, the chairman, had just said to come at a convenient time. Jong-sik shook his head.
“I wasn’t given a specific appointment since I was told to come at a convenient time.”
“Um… I see.”
Seeing the employee’s uncomfortable expression, Jong-sik took out his Hunter ID, which could prove his identity.
“I should have called ahead if I knew it would be like this. Anyway, since I’m already here, could you please pass on a message? If you tell them that Dok Jong-sik came as per Chairman Nam Woo-jong’s introduction, they’ll surely know.”
‘If this method didn’t work, he would have no choice but to contact the chairman.’
As he thought about it, the eyes of the employee who received his Hunter ID lit up like a lantern.
Not only was she surprised by the man who was going on about the Assistant Director, but there was more.
His Hunter ID that he handed over had her familiar name engraved on it.
“…Oh my. Hunter Dok Jong-sik?”
“Yes.”
Wasn’t he a figure who had been gaining fame among hunters lately?
‘Come to think of it, he looks just like the person I saw in the video! That person back then was indeed Hunter Dok Jong-sik.’
She had even watched the video titled ‘Hunter Eliminates Escaped Monster,’ where an unknown hunter hunted down monsters that had escaped, just as the title suggested.
Underneath the video, there were many comments trying to guess his identity.
“Is he a civil service hunter?”
“No, I heard he’s just a regular hunter who responded to a call.”
“Wow, really? Let’s find out who he is and join his fan club.”
“Hey, isn’t he the owner of the restaurant in our neighborhood?”
“No way. The owner of a restaurant? Where is that restaurant?”
“I won’t tell you.”
“Haha, if you don’t know, don’t make assumptions. That’s Hunter Dok Jong-sik.”
“Nah, can’t be.”
Of course, even the desk clerk, Im Hye-rim, had left a comment at that time, following the trend of the meme. Her comment was a mix of half-joking and half-serious.
[Forget all that. How do I marry him?]
Now, her future husband was right in front of her.
She couldn’t help but blush at the thought.
“Ahem! Uh, excuse me for suddenly blushing. I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. But can I deliver the message as I mentioned earlier?”
After barely managing to suppress her blush, Hye-rim pondered Jong-sik’s request.
Going through the procedure seemed too certain, given Jong-sik’s clear identity.
‘Is it really necessary to go through the procedure?’
When they talked about procedures here…
It meant confirming the identity, guiding the unreserved visitor to the waiting room, filling out paperwork related to the visit reservation, getting approval from the manager in charge of managing unreserved visitors, and then contacting the department the visitor came to see.
And this process took quite a bit of time. That’s why making a reservation was essential when visiting the Hunter Association.
Of course, there were occasional visitors like Dok Jong-sik who came without any prior contact. And not all of them followed the procedure.
It was the busy staff who flexibly resolved the situation, sometimes skipping the procedure and directly relaying the message.
However, the problem here was that Im Hye-rim was only a newcomer who had been on the job for just a week.
‘Ah, no. Let’s contact him! That seems like the right thing to do.’
She pondered deeply for a moment. But soon, she made up her mind to follow her intuition. It was quite a big decision for a rookie to make.
“I-I’ll deliver it right away. Please wait a moment.”
“Thank you.”
With that, she made an internal call to the Assistant Director’s office.
However, not even a minute passed before someone hurriedly rushed out to the lobby.
“Hunter Dok Jong-sik?”
It wasn’t a secretary.
It was the Assistant Director known for his heavyset demeanor, Shin Dong-hyuk.
Of course, it was their first meeting with Dok Jong-sik.
“Oh, yes. Hello, Assistant Director Shin Dong-hyuk?”
“Yes. That’s correct. Oh, my. Did you wait long?”
Despite his age, he was incredibly polite. He addressed Dok Jong-sik with honorifics upon their first meeting. And Dok Jong-sik responded in kind. He wasn’t rude. If the other party showed respect, he reciprocated.
“No, not at all. I was comfortable waiting thanks to the prompt assistance from the desk.”
The Assistant Director glanced at the desk clerk, recognizing her name from the name tag on her uniform.
‘I forgot to tell the desk, but you handled it with flair. Im Hye Rim Lim…..’
If anything embarrassing had happened, it would have been very difficult. The Assistant Director smiled with satisfaction. He was someone who could have a significant influence on performance evaluations.
“Ahaha. I see. Thank you for your hard work, Miss Im Hye-rim. Your judgment is excellent.”
Of course, Hye-rim was aware of that too. She inwardly sighed with relief. Her decision was not wrong.
“Oh, uh, thank you.”
“Thanks to your message, we were able to meet quickly. I appreciate it.”
Jong-sik also expressed his gratitude to her. To which she replied with a modest gesture, saying, “Oh, no, it’s nothing. It’s just my job. Really.”
Such a heartwarming scene unfolded.
After some time had passed, the Assistant Director turned to Jong-sik and asked, “You came here about the interdimensional transfer issue, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Well, we shouldn’t stand around here like this. Let’s talk while we walk. All interdimensional individuals are in Wing D, so… Allow me to guide you there.”
“Sure, please.”
And so, Jong-sik left Wing B with the Assistant Director.
***
“D-Wing is where all the interdimensional individuals gather. They’re probably in the midst of training by now.”
“D-Wing, huh? I guess being the headquarters, it’s quite sizable.”
“Oh, is this your first visit to the Seoul headquarters?”
Jong-sik nodded, and the Assistant Director enthusiastically explained the Hunter Association’s Seoul headquarters as if he were a guide.
“There are a total of ten buildings, including J-Wing. The largest building over there is A-Wing, which is for prospective awakeners. You know about B-Wing, and over there is C-Wing, which is used by on-duty field hunters.”
He pointed with his finger, indicating the buildings. A-Wing, being frequented by many visitors, was bustling with people, while C-Wing seemed deserted, not a soul in sight.
In relation to this, the Assistant Director continued, “It feels a bit quiet, doesn’t it? Normally, it’s chaotic without a moment’s rest, but everyone’s out on a mission today, so there’s a bit of leisure. Oh, by the way, I heard that Hunter Dok Jong-sik also participated in this mission.”
Many personnel were out on a mission to safely retrieve the “Mine” that Jong-sik had brought.
As a result, C-Wing was experiencing a rare moment of calmness. Of course, the mission command, including Chairman Nam Woo-jong, were also absent.
“More like I just came to help out for a bit.”
“You’re just saying that you came to help out for a bit, but rumors are already spreading. They say you did something big again this time.”
“What big thing? Anyway, are the interdimensional individuals adapting well?”
He was weak against such lip service. Jong-sik changed the subject unnecessarily. Quick to catch on, the Assistant Director immediately responded.
“Those who have just arrived in our dimension are understandably anxious. So, we’re providing psychological therapy as well. It’s effective, and those who arrived earlier are already adapting rapidly, some are even receiving job training.”
“Psychological therapy… Indeed, the institution’s influence is significant. They’re handling all aspects from food and clothing to psychological well-being. That’s their job. But you know, there are ignorant people who spread ridiculous rumors like us conducting biological experiments. Oh, that’s why conspiracy theorists are scary.”
“Indeed. Wherever you go, there are conspiracy theories.”
Though he didn’t believe them, Jong-sik had seen videos with such content. He had too much time on his hands, always browsing YouTube. Perhaps that’s why he suddenly felt a tickle in his throat.
Just then, as the two continued chatting and passed by A-Wing—
Beeeeeeep!
Suddenly, a siren blared so loud it felt like it could tear one’s eardrums apart.
Several years ago, there had been an incident where a few villains infiltrated and carried out a terrorist attack against the field hunters. Since then, this alarm had been created.
And now, that same alarm was blaring from A-Wing, not from H-Wing where the villains were detained.
“Damn it,” the curse slipped out involuntarily. The Assistant Director looked troubled, and Jong-sik immediately asked, “What’s going on?”
“It’s the emergency alert sound. It seems like something has happened at the reception center. We need to go there right away. But I brought my weapon with me… We also need to request backup.”
“I’ll go in first. Stay focused, Assistant Director, and handle your own tasks.”
Fire can spread in an instant. It’s crucial to quickly contain it at its source. Delaying could lead to it spreading elsewhere rapidly.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but we can’t let it sweep through D-Wing.”
With that thought in mind, Jong-sik leaped forward without hesitation.
