<Episode 120>
Park Jaemin hadn’t gone to prison because he was an A-rank combat Hunter, but his status was clear. He was stuck endlessly running Gates. On top of that, I’d heard he was under strict surveillance to prevent him from straying.
‘Then why is Park Jaemin alone right now…?’
No matter how I looked around, I couldn’t see anyone monitoring him.
Had he escaped?
“Heh, hehehe…. No matter how hard I struggled, Father never acknowledged me…. It’s all because of you… because of you.”
Park Jaemin was making sounds that were neither laughter nor crying. After muttering to himself for a while, he ran a hand through his hair. His hands were trembling violently, like someone suffering from severe cold.
‘…Withdrawal symptoms?’
His gaunt face. The intermittent tremors.
For some reason, the Nutrafil incident came to mind.
And Park Jaemin… was Park Seongcheol’s son.
“So now you’ve gone as far as drugs?”
Hyunwoo seemed to have come to the same conclusion, judging by his cold voice.
Instead of answering, Park Jaemin shook his head from side to side and burst into laughter.
“H-ha, haha! Why? Do I look pathetic to a noble S-rank? Or are you giving me advice as an older brother?”
His crazed laughter grew louder and louder, causing passersby to glance over.
I bit my lip anxiously and looked around.
‘This location is terrible.’
There wasn’t a huge amount of foot traffic, but it was still a path that neighborhood residents used from time to time.
If Park Jaemin pulled out a weapon here, someone would inevitably get caught up in it.
“I’ll take Park Jaemin elsewhere. Please make sure there aren’t any other abnormalities, Haneul.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
Without taking our eyes off Park Jaemin, we exchanged whispers.
Hyunwoo lowered his stance and prepared to subdue him at any moment.
Just then…
“Oh dear, oh dear! We’re so sorry!”
Several people in Management Bureau uniforms came rushing out from the opposite side of the alley. The moment they saw us, they bowed quickly and immediately slapped restraining cuffs onto Park Jaemin’s wrists.
“…Who are you?”
“Ah, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo. We’re from the Special Surveillance Team. We’re responsible for supervising him!”
The man in front saluted.
His carefree smile made it seem like he didn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation at all.
“Park Jaemin is an A-rank Awakener. He even has a history of murdering civilians. Yet you let him wander around by himself? Isn’t that far too dangerous?”
At my sharp rebuke, the men’s eyes wavered.
They exchanged glances before the apparent leader awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“Ah, we’d been waiting all night in front of a Gate that opened in the provinces. We came back and just stepped away for a quick smoke break…. Things just happened to turn out like this. Sorry.”
He laughed sheepishly and bowed, as if he’d only made a minor mistake.
I was too dumbfounded even to laugh.
‘You left an A-rank Awakener unattended? And all of you at that?’
They’re only human, so naturally they’d get tired after long hours.
But shouldn’t at least one out of the three have stayed behind?
“No matter what–”
“Just a moment, Haneul. I’ll handle this.”
As Hyunwoo stepped forward, the men’s faces brightened.
They probably thought he’d take their side.
“Your names and your affiliations. All three of you, without exception.”
As if.
At Hyunwoo’s firm declaration that he would officially report them to the Bureau, the men turned pale and frantically waved their hands.
“N-no, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo! We really didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident.”
“Y-yeah! We all happened to need the bathroom at the same time.”
“And nothing actually happened, right? If you’d just overlook it this once…”
Look at these people. They still hadn’t come to their senses.
Even promising to monitor him more thoroughly wouldn’t have been enough, yet they were saying, “Nothing happened.”
“The fact that nothing has happened so far doesn’t guarantee nothing will happen in the future. And judging by his condition, it looks like he’s obtaining illegal drugs from outside. Just how exactly are you managing him?”
In the end, Hyunwoo obtained all their names and affiliations.
The surveillance team members turned white.
They clearly knew they’d be thoroughly chewed out after returning.
“I’ll report today’s incident to the Bureau. Any punishment afterward will be carried out according to the surveillance team’s regulations.”
“…Yes. We’re sorry.”
They roughly dragged away the staggering Park Jaemin, bound by restraints, toward the main road.
Watching them disappear into the distance, I let out a small sigh.
“Do you think Park Jaemin was waiting there specifically to see us?”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps he was trying to escape and happened to spot us.”
Whether intentional or not, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
If surveillance became lax again, he could come to our shop at any time.
“Now that a report has been filed, security will become much stricter. Please don’t worry too much.”
“…Let’s hope so.”
Suppressing our unease, we returned to the Management Bureau.
***
A few days later, I heard from Hyunwoo that every member of the Special Surveillance Team we had encountered that day had been fired.
“They say retraining will be conducted for the entire surveillance division to ensure something like this never happens again.”
“Oh! That’s really a relief. Thank you for telling me.”
He smiled softly and nodded.
“Ah, shall we take this route today?”
“A new route sounds nice.”
After leaving the restaurant in the care of the manager and employees, I got off work early for the first time in a while and took an evening walk with Hyunwoo.
The Management Bureau headquarters had spacious grounds and beautifully maintained landscaping, making it perfect for walking.
“Come to think of it, the Director and Chief Secretary visited our gukbap restaurant yesterday. And the new deputy director came too!”
“You mean Deputy Director Byun Jeongwoo?”
“That’s right. We only talked briefly, but he seemed like a nice person.”
After the Nutrafil incident, a new deputy director had been appointed to the Bureau.
He had worked in the field for years as a production-type Hunter and held a grand inauguration ceremony where he announced his goal of creating “a safe and peaceful Republic of Korea for everyone.”
“They say it’s the first time a production-type Hunter has become deputy director. Everyone was fascinated…”
“Hmm, let’s go this way.”
I naturally followed him, then looked around.
Huh?
This was near Branch 1.
“Aren’t we just taking a walk? Is there somewhere we’re supposed to go?”
“No, not really…. I just felt like coming this way.”
Hyunwoo avoided my gaze with an awkward expression anyone could recognize.
Hmm, something’s suspicious.
“Tell me honestly. You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
“Haha, of course not.”
Even while denying it, whenever I slowed down suspiciously, he subtly urged me forward with a hand on my back.
As I tilted my head and continued following him…
“Surprise!!!”
Hunter Kang Min suddenly jumped out from behind a tree in front of Branch 1.
In his hands was a small cake with lit candles.
Behind him stood Suhyeon Hunter, Ria Hunter, and Ari, all smiling brightly.
“Hahaha! Noona really didn’t expect it, did she?”
“Yahoo! Total success!”
“…Wow.”
‘Come to think of it, today’s my birthday.’
I’d been so busy preparing Jeongdameun Restaurant that I’d completely forgotten.
Which meant Hyunwoo’s awkward attempt to lead me here was because…
“I’m glad the surprise party was a success.”
Hyunwoo smiled loosely and nodded.
His earlier awkwardness had vanished, and he had returned to his usual composed self.
‘So he was assigned the role of bringing me here.’
Honestly, the only reason this had succeeded was that I’d forgotten my own birthday.
Otherwise, it would’ve failed without question.
I should never make Hyunwoo act.
Trying not to laugh, I coughed awkwardly.
“Noona! Make a wish. A wish!”
At Ari’s urging, I clasped my hands together and made a wish.
Then I blew out the flickering candles.
Small cheers and applause broke out around me.
“Alright, present time! Noona, open mine first!”
Ari proudly handed me a small box she’d hidden in her bag.
Inside was a keychain shaped like a bungeoppang.
“It’s so cute. Thank you.”
“Hehe! It was hard finding one shaped like a bungeoppang.”
After that, Hunter Kang Min gave me a limited-edition backpack signed by him, while Hunter Suhyeon gave cat treats for Hanyang.
Ria Hunter’s gift was a T-shirt with flashy prints.
“And this is my gift.”
Lastly, Hyunwoo handed me a small shopping bag.
Inside was a box containing elegant earrings with blue gemstones.
“It’s an item that reduces fatigue. You’ve been managing multiple locations lately, after all.”
“Wow, thank you. They’re so pretty!”
Using my phone screen as a mirror, I put them on.
Immediately, my mind felt refreshed, as if I’d stepped into a cool forest.
And because they fit snugly against my ears, they seemed like they’d match any outfit.
“Thank you, everyone. I never expected this…”
With my heart overflowing, I hugged all the gifts tightly.
Everything truly felt perfect.
At least… Until then.
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