<Episode 62>
The team leader’s office that Park Jaemin used alone was larger than expected.
It looked as if an office and a small reception room had been combined in equal parts.
The furniture, all matched in dark brown tones, blended neatly with the ivory wallpaper, and on the walls hung commendation certificates he had received over the years, along with photos of corporate sponsorships, displayed almost as if they were trophies.
Perhaps noticing me looking at the display case, he shrugged and said,
“I really enjoy helping weak people. It’s rewarding, too… Though it’s embarrassing to say, I also have the ability to do it. You’re the same, aren’t you, Haneul?”
Helping other people.
Those were not words that should have come from the mouth of the man who had brutally killed my parents inside a Gate.
Struggling to keep the disgust off my face, I changed the subject.
“Ms. Seah said she had something she wanted to talk about, so I came.”
“That person? Ah, her?”
Hunter Park Jaemin extended a hand toward Ms. Seah, who was standing beside me, as if pleased to meet her.
It was a friendly gesture, but Ms. Seah blatantly avoided his hand.
“I don’t want to shake a dirty hand.”
Ms. Seah glared at Park Jaemin with blazing eyes.
Alternating his gaze between his own hand and Ms. Seah, he crooked the corner of his mouth.
“…It seems you have some complaints about me.”
“We’re all busy people, so let’s get straight to the point. You know Chief Han, right?”
Chief Han?
The person who had told Ms. Seah to infiltrate our shop?
It was the first time I’d heard this, and I instinctively turned toward her.
Keeping her eyes fixed on Park Jaemin, she took a breath and continued.
“Chief Han? I think you’re mistaken.”
“Mistaken? I know dozens of things already. Should I tell them all here?”
Looking troubled, he glanced at me and shrugged.
“Haneul seems pretty confused too… I guess this wasn’t something the two of you discussed beforehand?”
“Well. I’m not really sure.”
“The fate of being popular, I suppose. Haneul, if you could step outside for a moment… actually, no. We’ll step out for a bit. You can relax here.”
He opened the door and gestured toward the fuming Ms. Seah.
Meanwhile, a secretary placed a cup of hot coffee on the table.
Winking at me, he whispered,
“Have a drink and wait just a little.”
Thud.
The door closed.
Instinctively, I realized this was the *opportunity* Ms. Seah had created.
‘I need to find it before they come back.’
The team leader’s office was Park Jaemin’s personal space and likely where he spent most of his time inside the Hunter Management Bureau.
That meant there was a high chance he kept his belongings somewhere convenient.
‘First, cover the CCTV.’
Diagonally above me.
A blinking CCTV camera.
I bent down as if something had fallen on the floor.
Then I pulled a gun from my clothes.
Of course, it wasn’t a real gun. It was a toy gun that shot slime, which disappeared after some time.
For reference, Trainer Choi Ganggeon had given it to me as a gift for practice.
I never imagined I’d use it like this.
Splatt!
Adjusting the barrel through the gap at my side, I fired at the CCTV.
An opaque layer firmly stuck to the lens.
‘Good. Now I just need to find the Hunter ID card…’
Neatly organized stacks of documents and writing utensils sat on the desk.
Unfortunately, no wallet was visible.
Did he carry it on his person?
Still, just in case, I carefully opened the drawers.
The desk drawer slid open silently, containing only several file folders.
‘Where do people usually keep their wallets?’
A document bag in the corner caught my eye.
It was a fabric bag bearing a brand logo that often appeared in news photos.
Anxiously checking my surroundings, I approached the bag.
Leaving the zipper only slightly open, I slipped my hand inside and rummaged around.
But…
‘…Not here either.’
Pens, menthol candies, and several packets of Nutrafill.
And a bunch of other unimportant odds and ends.
How much time had passed?
I couldn’t tell.
I bit my lip nervously.
‘Could he really be carrying the Hunter ID on him?’
It was possible.
If he kept it inside a phone case that could store cards, or wore it around his neck like an employee ID…
‘No. Don’t give up already.’
I quickly erased the negative thoughts digging into my brain.
The time limit had unconsciously pushed me into a mild panic.
Calm down. Calm down…
“…Huh?”
Then I noticed the built-in cabinet along the wall.
I had assumed it was a filing cabinet and ignored it, but looking closer, it was actually a wardrobe.
I quickly walked over and opened it.
Several coats he often wore were hanging inside.
I lightly searched the pockets.
As expected, nothing.
‘If you put things in coat pockets, it ruins the silhouette.’
Given how much he cared about appearances, it made sense there would be nothing there.
In that case…
‘I knew there’d be another bag.’
A man who changed everything from his necktie to his hairstyle depending on the event dress code would never own just one bag.
Looking at the many bags lined up on the shelf, I swallowed.
Please let it be here.
Listening carefully for noises outside, I started checking the bags from the bottom.
At last, inside a brown leather bag sitting in the middle, I found a bi-fold wallet.
‘Found it!’
After opening it and confirming the Hunter ID card was inside, I hid the entire wallet in my clothes.
The moment I closed the wardrobe…
“Wait! I’m not done talking yet!”
The door burst open alongside Ms. Seah’s sharp voice.
“Hmm. Haneul? What are you doing over there?”
I turned around as naturally as possible.
Judging by his expression, I hadn’t been caught.
Don’t get nervous.
“…I was bored, so I was looking outside.”
“Aha. The conversation went a little long, didn’t it? Your acquaintance is more stubborn than I expected.”
Thank goodness the wardrobe was beside the window.
Pretending to look out, I asked,
“…Did the conversation end well?”
“Who knows. She keeps talking about things I know nothing about.”
“You’re really going to keep denying it? Fine. Just watch carefully how I handle this.”
Park Jaemin still looked completely relaxed.
Ms. Seah seemed thoroughly enraged.
Marching over to me, she grabbed my wrist and pulled.
“Boss! Let’s go right now. You can’t have a conversation with that man.”
“You’re leaving already? I wanted to talk a bit more.”
“Do you think I’m in the mood for casual conversation right now?”
“Not you. Haneul. You’re quite mistaken.”
Glowering at Park Jaemin, Ms. Seah roughly opened the door and stormed out.
Behind us came his cheerful farewell.
“Come visit again sometime, Haneul.”
Are you insane?
I’m never coming back.
Still, I pretended not to know anything about what had happened between Ms. Seah and Park Jaemin and allowed myself to be dragged down the hallway.
The moment the elevator doors closed, Ms. Seah looked at me anxiously.
“How did it go?”
Instead of answering, I lightly nodded.
Steal the Hunter ID card.
‘Mission complete.’
It felt as though all my stamina had been drained from concentrating so intensely, but there was no time to rest.
After gathering what I needed, I headed straight to the building where Hunter Yoon Kanghyuk worked.
Luckily, it was a shift where he was working alone.
“I’d like to check the records remaining on the Hunter IDs.”
“…All of them?”
I nodded.
“I want to see what kind of records are stored. Will it take long?”
“This is actually my first time checking Hunter ID records! Still, it shouldn’t take too long. Just a moment.”
Hunter Yoon Kanghyuk took the stack of Hunter IDs from my hand.
That’s right.
I wasn’t holding only Park Jaemin’s ID.
If I handed over just one Hunter ID and asked to check its records, anyone would find that suspicious.
It would practically be advertising:
‘I’m suspicious of Park Jaemin.’
‘No need to leave clues.’
So I had collected all the Hunter IDs belonging to the high-ranking Hunters.
Though in reality, it was just everyone from Team 1.
‘I’m glad they lent them to me so willingly.’
Perhaps they had noticed that Hunter Lee Hyun-woo and I were investigating something.
They handed them over without even asking why I needed them.
I was truly grateful.
Not long afterward, Yoon Kanghyuk looked up.
“Whew. I got a little lost since it was my first time. I’ve brought up the records. Go ahead and take a look!”
“Thank you. Ah, and this…”
I handed him the photo album I had brought.
“…What’s this?”
“A graduation album. If you look near the back, there are photos of Shinhye from the festival too.”
Just in case, I had prepared a small bribe.
Giving me a double thumbs-up, Yoon Kanghyuk immediately became absorbed in the album.
‘Good thing it worked.’
Shinhye’s graduation photos had turned out incredibly well, so there shouldn’t be any problem showing them.
While he was busy flipping through the album, I checked the computer.
‘…Just as I thought. Park Jaemin wasn’t at the Hunter Management Bureau that day.’
Fortunately, he apparently hadn’t manipulated the Hunter ID records.
His location was marked as Incheon.
Carefully taking a photo with my phone, I pretended to browse the records of other Hunters to buy more time.
“I think this is enough. Thank you, Hunter Kanghyuk.”
“Ah! You’re done already?”
“Yes. The records were more detailed than I expected, so it helped a lot.”
“That’s good to hear. Though… you couldn’t sell me this album, could you?”
It was still my graduation album.
That was a bit much.
Leaving behind the disappointed Hunter, I returned to the shop.
Seeing me, the anxiously waiting Ms. Seah flashed a V-sign.
“As expected of you, Boss! Great work.”
“Not at all. It was thanks to your help, Ms. Seah.”
We looked at each other and grinned.
Now all that remained was returning Park Jaemin’s wallet.
“Ms. Seah, I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it without leaving any traces.”
The wallet, with the Hunter ID carefully returned inside, would be dealt with by Ms. Seah on her way home.
The wallet she casually “dropped” would pass through several hands before eventually making its way back to him.
Since his daily schedule was always reported in the news, matching his movements wouldn’t be difficult.
‘There are no CCTV cameras at the event venue either, so tracking it won’t be easy.’
After lightly waving goodbye to the departing Ms. Seah, I returned to the dorm where Hanyang was sleeping.
* * *
Late at night.
Faced with an unexpected visitor, Park Jaemin frowned inwardly.
Sure, he often said people could come see him anytime if they needed something.
But naturally, he had never meant it.
‘Who let him through? They’re unbelievably clueless.’
Park Jaemin began considering how to dismiss the incompetent security guard and foolish secretary without making it obvious.
Still, on the outside, he greeted his guest with the gentlest smile imaginable.
“Ah, Chief of Security. You’re always working hard. What brings you all the way here?”
“Haha, you’ve been busy lately, haven’t you? A lost item came in, so I stopped by.”
The item the guard handed over was his wallet.
Park Jaemin immediately sprang from his seat and checked his bag.
‘The wallet is gone.’
Had he dropped it somewhere?
It didn’t seem likely.
But after returning to his office, he had put the entire bag into the wardrobe, so he couldn’t be certain.
“…It’s definitely my wallet. Where exactly was it found?”
“I wasn’t the one who found it. Someone from outside brought it in. Anyway, it’s a good thing it was discovered so quickly, right? It’s important.”
The guard explained that something this important couldn’t simply be left with a secretary, so he had personally brought it up.
He smiled amiably.
‘Looks like he wanted an excuse to step into the team leader’s office.’
Watching the man look around the office with obvious curiosity, Park Jaemin swallowed down the familiar disgust rising inside him.
The guard continued babbling uselessly for a while, even helping himself to a packet of instant coffee before finally leaving.
After opening the window to air out the room, Park Jaemin stared at the wallet in his hand.
‘Found at the conference venue.’
A location he had visited earlier that day.
Given the timing, the event would have been wrapping up around now.
It wouldn’t be strange for a staff member to discover a lost item left behind.
Looking inside, fortunately, nothing seemed to be missing.
But…
“Did I ever have a reason to take my wallet out today?”
For a moment, Park Jaemin remembered another unwelcome visitor.
The woman who had barged into his office and started yelling.
She had gone on endlessly about whether or not he was connected to Chief Han, forcing him to step outside and deal with her.
And during that time…
The person was left alone in his office.
Jung Haneul.
And the CCTV that had conveniently gone blurry.
“I was wondering why you came together. So our Haneul had a purpose after all? Interesting.”
The corner of Park Jaemin’s mouth twisted upward.
The gentle smile that usually occupied his face had long since disappeared.
Comments (0)