Do-Jun was typing up a post-trip report on the Hunter Academy tour when he felt an intense gaze directed at him. He turned his head to see Ye-Ji, laying her head on her desk, staring intently in his direction, and he let out a sigh.
“Ye-Ji, I told you I’m sorry.”
“How could you just ditch me like that? Without giving me any prior notice,” Ye-Ji said, pouting.
According to her, unlike her usual tardiness, she had arrived at the office by 8:40 AM this morning. She happily waited with a smile, thinking she would receive praise from Do-Jun for being early.
But when he didn’t show up by 9:00 AM, she got curious and asked another employee, only to find out that he was attending a field trip for the Hunter Academy freshmen.
“And you even had samgyeopsal for lunch!” she vented and slammed her fist on the desk.
Hyuk-Soo, who had been working quietly, flinched and shrugged his shoulders.
With a good-natured smile, he said, “Hunter Ye-Ji, we weren’t trying to leave you out or anything...”
“But you had. Sam. Gyeop. Sal.”
It seemed that samgyeopsal was a critical point for Ye-Ji.
At that moment, Cheol-Soo stood up abruptly and approached Ye-Ji, rubbing his hands together and chuckling. He said, “Would our dear Hunter Ye-Ji like to have samgyeopsal for dinner tonight?”
“O-oh, C-Chief, that’s not what I meant...” Ye-Ji sighed.
The tantrum stemmed from her envy of the bond between the three of them. They had a genuine relationship among colleagues, tied by their civil servant roles.
If only I had come here as a civil servant...
As she fell into her thoughts, her eyes met Do-Jun’s. Then, she let her imagination run wild.
What would life have been like as Do-Jun’s junior at work?
I would have been so happy.
He would have taught her the ropes, and when she made mistakes, he would comfort her and tell her it was okay.
The more her thoughts drifted in that direction, the redder her face got.
And then she snapped back to reality. “A-anyway. Please don’t forget that I’m also part of the Fissure Management Division.”
“Haha, of course not, Hunter Ye-Ji.”
Cheol-Soo seemed unusually deferential, perhaps because of the scheduled joint inspection of a B-rank Great Fissure next week with some Hunter’s Bureau employees.
“What the... did they seriously cancel the inspection at the last minute?” Hyuk-Soo muttered as he frowned upon seeing the newly received official document.
At his words, Cheol-Soo quickly turned his head to look at the monitor.
Subject: Response to B-Rank Great Fissure Joint Inspection Opinion at Daehyeonsan Mountain Park (Revised)
We sincerely appreciate your continued cooperation in Fissure management operations.
Regarding the request by Seoul Fissure Management Division-1841 (2019.02.20), upon further review, based on Article 13 of the Great Fissure Management Act and Article 11 of the Enforcement Decree of the same Act, we inform you that the transfer of management rights for the B-rank Great Fissure at Daehyeonsan Mountain Park is not possible due to the failure to meet the requirement of possessing at least one Hunter with a rank of B or higher.
For the reasons stated above, the scheduled joint inspection has been canceled. Please reconvene once the qualifications are met.
Cheol-Soo was frowning as he finished reading the official document from the Hunter’s Bureau.
“These bastards!” he cursed out loudly, then returned to his seat and started making a call.
Soon, his voice boomed through the office, loud enough to shake the walls.
Seeing this, Ye-Ji shuddered and quietly returned to her seat.
“Senior, didn’t they say they would make an exception for this case?” Do-Jun asked Hyuk-Soo.
“Well... this isn’t the first time they have pulled something . They once promised to provide free equipment to Hunters, but they canceled that out of the blue, too.”
“Are they allowed to do that?”
“They’re just making sure we know who’s the boss.” Hyuk-Soo clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Do-Jun walked into his apartment.
Yoon-Hee, who normally would have run out to greet him immediately, was nowhere to be seen. Actually, she was still there but with just her head poking out from behind the wall, cautiously looking at Do-Jun.
“W-welcome home, Father.” She spoke hesitantly.
“What’s... what’s with the formal tone all of a sudden?” Do-Jun asked her surprised.
“My apologies, my apologies.”
“Wait, why are you acting ? This isn’t like you.”
There was only one reason for Yoon-Hee’s sudden change in behavior—the Event Fissure that had appeared earlier in the day. More specifically, witnessing Do-Jun’s power there.
An inexplicable fear had struck her after seeing Do-Jun, whom she thought of as just an ordinary person, take down a dragon with a single blow.
“I-I sincerely apologize for acting like a know-it-all and trying to boss you around...”
“Sigh... It makes me uncomfortable when you act . Just be your usual self.”
Memories of the past flashed through Yoon-Hee’s mind.
“When I graduate and become a Hunter, I will protect you, Father!”
“Father, it’s dangerous, so please stay back.”
“Let’s train together on the weekends. I’ll teach you the basics step by step.”
Recalling the embarrassing things she had said in the past, Yoon-Hee slowly slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor. She felt so mortified that she couldn’t bring herself to stand up. Her face was burning with shame.
Do-Jun couldn’t understand why Yoon-Hee was acting this way.
At that moment, Izaas, or rather Yong-Yong, waltzed into the living room.
“Master, I give you one hell of a welcome.”
Yong-Yong, the mini-dragon, no bigger than the palm of his hand, lowered himself and pressed his head to the floor.
As soon as Do-Jun acknowledged him, he stood up and wagged his tail as he approached his master.
“Why are you acting so clingy?”
“E-eh? But you clearly told me to act cute...”
“Ah, right. Yeah, this is nice.”
“Tsk.” After a brief pout, Yong-Yong spun around and leaped onto the sofa.
Do-Jun helped Yoon-Hee to her feet as she was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. She trembled slightly at his touch but didn’t resist.
“Why is your face so red?”
Do-Jun placed his hand on Yoon-Hee’s forehead, looking at her with concern. For some reason, it felt like her forehead was getting hotter.
“N-no, I’m fine! I’ll get dinner ready right away!” she said as she hurriedly headed to the kitchen, wincing in pain as if she bit her tongue at the last word.
Cute, Do-Jun thought with a smile.
After taking a shower, he came out of his room dressed in fresh clothes. As he walked out, he glanced at Yong-Yong, curled up on the sofa, watching TV.
⌜How could you do this to me, oppa?⌟
⌜Let’s break up. I’m so sick of this.⌟
⌜You bastard! Now that you’ve passed your bar, you just forget about all the things I did to support you while you were studying. And you replace me with another woman? How can you call yourself human? Huh? Waaaah.⌟
Yong-Yong sat up and leaned forward, seemingly completely engrossed in the TV drama.
⌜Thanks for everything.⌟
“Wow, that guy is a proper dickhead,” he muttered, frowning at the drama scene.
Do-Jun pretended not to notice and turned away. He saw that dinner was already prepared on the table.
“A-are you freshened up?” Yoon-Hee asked him hesitatingly.
“Yeah. But why did you make so much food? It must’ve been a lot of work.”
As Do-Jun looked at the table piled high with food, enough to nearly collapse it, he marveled at Yoon-Hee’s steadily improving cooking skills and the care she put into each meal.
Sitting in his chair, Do-Jun frowned as he noticed Yong-Yong already sitting at the dining table.
Yong-Yong’s eyes sparkled as he stared at the delicious food, drooling.
“Thank you for the...” But he trailed off and slowly turned his head as he sensed a sudden murderous intent.
At the end of his gaze, he met Do-Jun’s cold, steely eyes.
“Meal...?” Yong-Yong finished uncertainly.
“You’re going to eat with us? At the same table?” Do-Jun asked him.
“Please uphold my human... I mean, dragon rights...”
Coincidently, as if on cue, Yoon-Hee brought out a large dog bowl with a smile. “I bought this on my way home from school. Since we’ll be living together from now on, I thought it might come in handy, hehe.”
Yong-Yong froze when he saw the dog bowl Yoon-Hee had placed on the table, which she then filled with braised short ribs.
Izaas trembled all over. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. If other dragons learned about this, they would surely laugh at him for the rest of his life.
What lay before his eyes was a juicy piece of braised short rib with brown sauce dripping down the meat fibers.
Why is my body... moving on its own...?
The moment his teeth tore into the rib meat, and the sweet morsel touched his tongue, Yong-Yong felt a tingling sensation coursing through his entire body. It was over.
“Woow, Yong-Yong, you eat so well!” Yoon-Hee smiled as she patted Yong-Yong’s head.
It seemed all fear had disappeared.
Why! Why is this so delicious!?
Having only ever eaten raw monster meat, Yong-Yong thought the braised short rib was the tastiest food in the world. But this also turned his world upside down.
Watching Yong-Yong bury his face into the dog bowl, Do-Jun chuckled quietly with his chin resting on his hand.
Returning to the office after exploring an E-rank Fissure, Do-Jun noticed the excited atmosphere in the office.
The staff were huddled around Hyuk-Soo’s desk.
“Wow! So, a B-rank Hunter is going to sign with our division?”
“Oh my goodness... A B-rank Hunter is satisfied with a salary of just 300 million won?”
The staff was abuzz with excitement, and at the center of everything was Hyuk-Soo, beaming with a wide smile.
He explained, “Haha, this guy was my high school buddy. He said he’s earned enough money and wants to sign a contract with our division. He wants to honor our friendship.”
“I can’t believe there’s a Hunter like that. Hoho, thanks to you, Hyuk-Soo, Chief’s career will finally take off. We might even get the B-rank Great Fissure management rights this time.”
The happiest person, of course, was Cheol-Soo.
“Hyuk-Soooooo! How could I ever live without you? I mean, you are such a good person that you are only surrounded by other good people, right? Huh? The deep, brotherly friendship between two men! You don’t see that often these days, especially not with B-rank Hunters. Supervisor Kwon. Hyuk. Soo. There’s no one like him!”
Do-Jun quietly joined the group.
When Hyuk-Soo noticed Do-Jun, he greeted him with a big smile.
“Oh, Do-Jun! So, this time...” Unable to contain his excitement, Hyuk-Soo spoke with the biggest smile on his face like a joyful child.
“Congratulations, Senior. You said he’s your high school friend?” Do-Jun asked with a soft smile.
He knew that if they signed a contract with a B-rank Hunter, they could renegotiate the transfer of the B-rank Great Fissure management rights for Daehyeonsan Mountain Park, which had been rejected by the Hunter’s Bureau.
“This guy and I were inseparable in high school. We lost touch when he became a Hunter, but when he saw the job posting and found out I was here, he agreed to join in a heartbeat...”
“So, Hyuk-Soo, has he submitted the application yet?”
“He said we should meet today and talk. Oh, Chief, would you like to come along?”
“Of course! It’s all on me today. Tuna! I’ll treat you to tuna.” Cheol-Soo laughed heartily as he ruffled Hyuk-Soo’s hair.
“Do-Jun, would you like to come too? He said he would bring a few Hunter colleagues of his, so it would be good for you to get acquainted with them,” Hyuk-Soo suggested him.
“Are you sure that would be alright?”
“Of course. You’re my precious junior. Oh, and Chief, by the way, he said dinner’s on him tonight. Since it’s been so long, he insisted on paying. He said he’d send the location by text.”
Just then, Hyuk-Soo’s smartphone vibrated from the incoming message.
XXX: Location: Sinsa-dong, XXX-XX, Gangnam-gu.