Please Cooperate In The Execution Of S-Class Official Duties - Chapter 53

Hunter Forum. It was a real-time bulletin board where hunters could engage in conversations, provided by the system.

Channels were divided by grades, and the channels Hara could access ranged from D-grade to F-grade.

“Is it because of the penalty?”

“Yes.”

“That d*mned penalty.”

Seheon complained as he folded his arms.

“People are trying to cooperate, you know.”

“Ahaha…”

Hara scratched her cheek. Thus, how much their contract relationship should progress for her to become an actual S-class was still undecided.

[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ didn’t know they would really engage in a contract relationship, and contemplates about it]

[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ still isn’t mentally prepared to accept modern day relationships]

“You’re a god of love, but gods aren’t anything much either.”

“Well, the constellation also didn’t think things would progress in this manner…”

Next to the complaining Seheon, Hara replied despairingly.

Seheon looked back at her and asked in surprise.

“Kang Hara-ssi, aren’t you angry?”

“Well, man-made incidents are all like that. Even though he’s a god.”

Hara was originally a civil servant, specifically handling public welfare support.

While it would be nice if everything in the world progressed according to the predetermined plan, dealing with complaints from the public inevitably taught her that it’s difficult to handle everything according to a manual.

“’I’d even destroyed a mana stone before, even though I’m in the mana stone management division. Just like that, well.”

“How intriguing. Does that happen to everyone that works as a civil servant?”

When Seheon stroked his chin curiously, Hara shrugged.

“But when it comes to my own work, I’ll get really angry. I think I can understand the mindset of those making malicious complaints a little.”

“That’s a bit of a risky statement.”

“Give me a break, I’m not on duty right now.”

As they chatted, they reached Gwanghwamun before they knew it. Amidst the towering statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin, people bustled about as usual. It was a busy scene as usual.

The Hunter Agency’s Seoul Regional Branch was visible behind Sejong Cultural Center. A few people were protesting in front of it.

Ever since the appearance of gates, people protesting for various reasons in front of the Hunter Agency had become an all too familiar and common sight.

But that’s not all. There were also those that worshipped the gates, considering them as divine revelations.

This wasn’t an entirely baseless claim. In fact, supernatural phenomena were happening daily, and the constellations empowered humans now more than ever. Religion was flourishing now more than ever.

‘They say an S-ranked hunter was a pseudo-religious leader.’

As a result, some claimed that the government’s management of the gates violated religious rights. In reality, the diverse group of people occupying the area in front of the Hunter Agency all held their unique picket signs.

“But it’s strange, isn’t it?”

Seheon suddenly spoke up while observing the series of events. They were standing at the Gwanghwamun intersection, waiting to cross the road.

“These event dungeons keep opening up in the middle of the city, don’t they?”

Since it was a sensitive topic, Seheon leaned closer to Hara and whispered.

Hara shrugged and replied.

“Yeah, you’re right. Both in Myeongdong, and Noryangjin too…”

“And if we don’t clear those dungeons, the gates will open there on their own.”

Upon hearing those words, Hara, who was tense due to their close proximity, widened her eyes. She looked up at Seheon, and he met her gaze with a furrowed brow.

“It’s strange, isn’t it.”

“It is. Whether it’s Noryangjin Fish Market or Myeongdong, they are both mana stone dense areas.”

There’s a joke about the Seoul Republic. It’s because all resources and infrastructure were gathered in Seoul.

This was true for mana stones as well. Seoul had an incredible concentration of mana stones, which other regions couldn’t compare.

Just Gwanghwamun Square alone, mana stones were embedded in every single streetlight. They were also in the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

Places with high human traffic, such as Noryangjin and Myeongdong, were all similar. Construction companies had even vied for the rights to embed mana stones into streetlights.

And yet, event dungeons were going to pop up in such places?

“Over the past few days, there have been news reports about gates opening at locations with embedded mana stones.”

Seheon quickly searched for the news with his phone. Then, shocking news about gates appearing at locations with mana stones came pouring out.

Most of the news pointed out the Disaster Response Agency’s lack of vigilance towards safety and the need for regular checks on the mana stones.

“But aren’t the mana stones in Myeongdong relatively new?”

“……Now that you mention it.”

Seheon stroked his chin.

“The Yeouido dungeon incident.”

“Ah, yes.”

A historic event where a gate surfaced at a broadcasting station.

However, the staff from the drama department claimed that they’d followed safety guidelines during their construction work.

Despite that, there was no doubt that the gate had erupted, indicating that there must have been an issue somewhere. The staff members couldn’t escape punishment and were disciplined by the broadcasting station to quell public opinion.

Nevertheless, the cause was still unknown, and the incident was undergoing investigation. This was also the reason for the delayed insurance compensation.

“If it turns out that the gate formed even in the presence of mana stones…”

Hara’s face turned serious.

“Anchor Yoon… Please don’t make such heart-dropping remarks so casually…”

“Well, if that’s the case, it will become a huge problem.”

“The employees of the mana stone management division will never be able to go home…”

Seheon chuckled. After saying it, Hara also found it rather amusing and chuckled along.

At that moment, the traffic light changed. Seheon began to walk and spoke up.

“I need to catch a taxi anyway, so if you’re heading home, I can drop you off on the way.”

“Oh, it’s alright. I was thinking of stopping by a bookstore…”

“…Aren’t you tired?”

Seheon raised an eyebrow. She was clearly lacking sleep, yet she wasn’t going to go home?

However, Hara shrugged her shoulders and offered an excuse quietly.

“I have to go to the Seoul regional office later this evening, so it’s a little iffy to go home.”

Seheon was also aware that Chief Jung had called Hara to the Seoul Regional Office. However, there was still plenty of time until then.

If it were Seheon, he would still take a short nap to make up for her lack of sleep before coming back out. Hara’s home isn’t that far from here.

But Seheon didn’t say any further. He vaguely guessed that Hara didn’t particularly enjoy going home.

Two nights ago, when Seheon went over to pick up Hara, he heard raised voices from within her house. At first, he thought it might be out of worry for their adult daughter, who was going out late at night, but it didn’t seem to be the case upon listening closely.

Well, it wasn’t his place to interfere in that matter. Just then, a taxi just happened to be parked by the roadside after they crossed the pedestrian crossing. Seheon greeted her with his eye contact, and Hara bowed slightly in acknowledgment.

“See you later.”

The Yeouido broadcasting station. The taxi set off.

The sight of Hara turning around and walking away looked rather small through the car’s side mirror. Seheon closed his eyes.

* * *

“Is that so? They’re already dating? To think that I thought of playing the matchmaker. What a waste.”

Deputy Director Park chuckled while taking a call. The cigarette butt in her hand  had already burnt out long ago.

As she threw the cigarette butt, which had turned into ash while she was on the phone, into an ashtray, Deputy Director Park said nonchalantly, “That’s great.” But her tone said, “There’s nothing great at all.”

“In that case, I guess we’ll see a superstar sometime soon. Right?”

— Probably not for a while. Besides, you know of the personality that the Director of Seoul’s branch has. 

“I know. How can I not know of that woman’s temperament? Then it’s not going to work out.”

Sigh, Deputy Director Park ran her fingers through her hair.

“I really enjoy watching celebrities emerge.”

— Like me?

“Yeah, that’s right. Like you, Wookie. How sensational you were then.”

She deliberately emphasised the pronunciation of ‘sensational’. She smiled slightly before saying, “Let’s hang up. I’ll call you again. I’m having a meal right now,” before hanging up without waiting for a response.

Then, she took out a cigarette from the cigarette case that was on the table. The person sitting across from her quickly offered a lighter.

“Thank you, Supervisor Yoon.”

Supervisor Yoon Hyundong wiped off his sweat and replied, “Not at all.”

Deputy Director Park Younghee. Originally, she wasn’t someone that moved from Sejong, but for some reason, she had come up to Seoul today with the Director of the main office, and ended up calling him out. And what she said was…

“Supervisor Yoon, he said this. An S-rank came out of Yeouido.”

“Argh!”

The middle-aged man expressed his frustration like a middle school student.

“Jung Yoojin! You lied and said that it wasn’t the case!”

“Come on, Supervisor Yoon should be understanding. The Mapo branch office must also have their own circumstances. You know this. When handling state affairs, you can end up lying at times.”

Deputy Director Park chuckled.

There wasn’t anyone that was unaware that the man in front of her had been clashing with the Mapo branch office’s Jung Yoojin on numerous occasions, ever since their days in the dungeon dispatch unit.

Yoon Hyundong was eager to somehow pull Jung Yoojin down, but it wasn’t easy.

While he, a B-class hunter, had retired from active duty and stepped back from the frontlines, Jung Yoojin was an A-class hunter that’s still prominent in the wide-ranged combat circles. It couldn’t be comparable to Yoon Hyundong in terms of class.

During the Sinchon Dungeon, Yoon Hyundong was the one that caused Jung Yoojin to be scolded by everyone like that. It was because Yoon Hyundong had his sights set on the position of Chief of the Mapo branch office all along.

Deputy Director Park already knew that the man in front of her was currently eyeing the position of the next Director of the main office. To achieve that, he naturally had to surpass the Director of the Seoul Regional office.

However, Jung Yoojin was still holding onto the position of Chief of the Mapo branch office. In other words, even though her promotion had been delayed due to maternity leave, she was still a notch higher than Supervisor Yoon.

“After feigning ignorance at the disciplinary committee.”

Deputy Director Park offered the cigarette case to Supervisor Yoon, who was venting his frustration.

“One for you?”

“Oh, thank you.”

Supervisor Yoon took a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled.

At this moment, an employee entered, cleared the ashtray full of cigarette butts, and left after replacing it with a new one. The two high-ranking civil servants continued to take drags out of their cigarettes in the middle of a private room of an upscale restaurant where smoking was clearly prohibited, all without a word of reproach.

“Even if it was discussed at the disciplinary committee, it’s still beyond our control. Also, Rep. Yoon’s son is involved. It’s better that we found out about it first among ourselves.”

“What do you……”

“We should stage an accident.”

Deputy Director Park tapped her half-smoked cigarette and extinguished it. At that moment, Supervisor Yoon’s eyes moved back and forth.

“An accident meaning……?”

“An accident catching Jung Yoojin and Lee Eunjoo red-handed.”

* * *