Chapter 103: Chapter 103

"The deputy guild leader always seems to have a problem with the last word..."

Minggijeok muttered under his breath as he covered the microphone with his palm. His face looked as though he had just lost a country. On the other end of the phone, Baewonwoo replied with a confused, "Huh?"

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing. I’ll contact you after the investigation. Should I report directly to the guild leader?"

"Yeah, and make sure to report this to me as well. But keep it a secret from Sayoung."

"You know this kind of independent move will also be reported, right, Deputy Guild Leader?"

"Just turn a blind eye this once, will you? I'm only doing this for his sake."

With that, Baewonwoo hung up the phone without hesitation, throwing a bomb in Minggijeok’s lap. Minggijeok, who had been left holding the bomb, lowered his phone and glanced sideways at Uijae. Uijae was still standing with his arms crossed, smiling gently. The sight made Minggijeok feel an even colder chill down his spine.

"I have to defuse this bomb somehow!"

Minggijeok let out a long sigh and adjusted his sunglasses so that his dark circles were more visible. If Uijae were human, surely he’d feel some pity for this face. Before Uijae could say anything, Minggijeok quickly cut him off.

“No.”

“......”

“No matter how much you're my client, this is impossible.”

“......”

“Even if you look at me like that, it's absolutely not happening…”

"No, go back!" Minggijeok dramatically raised his hand as if he were a judge handing down a verdict. However, his opponent was just as firm. Uijae uncrossed his arms and placed his hand on Minggijeok's, giving him what could only be described as a high five.

*SMAACK!*

“Gah!”

Of course, it was a little too powerful for a high five. The unexpected force caused Minggijeok’s hand to shrink back like a mimosa plant. His shoulder trembled as he winced from the sharp sting. Uijae awkwardly pulled out a potion from his inventory and sprinkled it on Minggijeok’s hand.

“I mean, how could you say no before even hearing what I wanted to ask?”

“Because I already know you're going to ask if you can come with me to the investigation. Do you think I don’t know? You act just like the guild leader in his prime!”

Minggijeok pushed up his fallen sunglasses and shouted in frustration. Uijae, having been completely called out, coughed awkwardly. Minggijeok muttered gloomily to himself.

"...Looks like I'll have to brainwash you too. Fine."

“What? Who’s brainwashing who here?”

“I don’t care if you're J, you still can't come with me on this investigation.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re my client.”

It was an unexpected reason. Uijae blinked in surprise. Minggijeok grumbled as he began packing his tablet and pen back into his inventory.

“This ties into my pride as a Hunter, ranked 36th in the nation and a specialist in stealth and infiltration, client. Have you ever seen a guide take their client into a dangerous area without ensuring their safety first?”

“......”

“Now that we’re on the topic, there are a few more things I’d like to address.”

Minggijeok wiped his potion-dampened hands with a handkerchief and spoke with a determined tone.

"Whenever you go somewhere, you need to do some preliminary reconnaissance and secure the area’s safety beforehand. I know you're incredibly strong, but you can't just charge in recklessly relying on your strength alone.”

Preliminary reconnaissance? Securing safety? Uijae stared blankly at Minggijeok. He’d never in his life done anything like that. His way had always been to assess the situation, secure safety, and resolve the issue all in one go as soon as he entered. Why would anyone want to complicate things?

The old man inside him nearly voiced this thought, but Uijae swallowed it back down. He had a feeling that if he said something like that out loud, he might witness Minggijeok get angry for the first time ever. He had at least that much awareness.

Minggijeok kept talking rapidly, like he was rapping.

“Even if you’ve never done it before, you should start now. Why? Because I, along with the Wave Guild, will be doing the reconnaissance and ensuring safety ahead of time.”

“But…”

Uijae started to protest, but Minggijeok firmly shook his head.

“If you want to argue about this, please take it up directly with the guild leader. I'm sure the guild leader agrees with me.”

That guy? Uijae rolled his eyes. Of course, Uijae didn’t know everything about Lee Sayoung. But from what he’d seen so far, Sayoung preferred to personally take charge rather than leave things to others.

While Uijae hesitated, Minggijeok spoke in a haughty tone.

“The guild leader also went through a similar brainwashing process. When he scouted me but gave me no work, I made sure to scold him thoroughly.”

Never mind, that wasn’t the issue. Minggijeok was clearly digging his own grave. Uijae looked at him with a mixture of pity and disbelief as the man continued to bury himself. Fortunately or unfortunately, Minggijeok seemed quite pleased with himself now that he’d finished speaking.

“You heard the phone call, right? Just work me at least half as hard as the guild leader does.”

“Ah, sure.”

Minggijeok’s phone buzzed briefly in his hand. He checked it, then nodded toward Uijae.

“The address has arrived. I’ll see you again later.”

“Wait a second.”

Uijae, who had been lost in thought, suddenly called out to him. Minggijeok, who had nearly vanished into the shadow of the chair, poked his head back out.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Once the investigation is done, report everything to me as well. All information about Prometheus, the address—everything.”

Minggijeok sighed and asked in a resigned tone, “Do you want me to keep it a secret from the guild leader?”

Uijae grinned.

“Yes.”

Minggijeok nodded so slightly it was almost imperceptible, then disappeared into the shadows. Silence quickly filled the small shop. Whenever Uijae found himself suddenly alone in such quiet, it inevitably brought down his mood. He clasped his hands together and brought them to his mouth.

"Sigh…"

He knew it was pointless to chase after the traces of someone who was already dead. But he couldn’t help himself—he was powerless to do anything else.

After all, that child...

His hand, which had been roughly scrubbing his face, turned on the TV. The irregular noise was enough to ease his nerves a little.

Holding a couple of trash bags in his hands, Uijae stepped out of the shop. Someone had apparently been smoking there for quite a while—the lingering smell of smoke pricked his nose. He looked up at the gray sky above.

*Click*—a flame flickered from the old, lime-green plastic lighter. Beyond the wavering flame, the sky was covered in heavy clouds, overcast and gray.

The young man stared at the flame for a while before shoving the lighter back into his pocket. His fingertips brushed against the cigarette pack, reminding him of its presence, but he didn’t take one out. There were simply too many people around the building.

Crowds of people meant noise. Sometimes, it was hard to tolerate.

“……!”

The heightened senses that came with awakening—were they a blessing or a curse? Sometimes, they let you hear things you didn’t want to. Ignoring the noise that buzzed in his ears, the young man stretched his legs, placing them on a step a few down from where he was seated. He was perched in the middle of a weathered outdoor staircase.

The Awakener Management Bureau had been hastily formed to deal with the flood of awakening-related crimes, and it was housed in one of the police stations that had been rendered mostly useless since the Day of the Rift. They hadn’t had the money or time to build a new structure.

On the wall, posters for traffic safety and no-smoking campaigns were plastered, as if to remind everyone that this place had once been a police station. The campaign posters had dates from three years ago and had been stuck in time ever since.

The sound of footsteps grew closer. Clicking his tongue in a nearly inaudible sound, the young man squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Not here, too.’

The footsteps finally arrived just below the stairs. Along with the sound came a cheerful voice, full of excitement.

“J! There you are!”

J slowly opened his eyes and glanced down the steps. A Hunter from the Awakener Management Bureau, whose face he’d seen a few times while coming and going, was looking up at him.

A rookie, wasn’t he? It seemed like it. The guy had only been here for about three months. His eyes still sparkled with the enthusiasm of someone new to the job. J responded indifferently.

“Summoned?”

“Yes! That’s correct.”

J shifted his gaze away from the rookie Hunter and back up to the cloudy sky. In the middle of the sky, a black hole swirled ominously.

“Tell them I’ll be there soon.”

“Uh, but I think you should come right away…”

“......”

J didn’t reply, just stared down at the Hunter. Although his expression was hidden behind his mask, the meaning behind his gaze was unmistakable. The rookie, feeling the weight of that cold stare, stumbled over his words.

“They, they said it was urgent… they told me to bring you right away…”

“Who?”

“S-Song Hunter…”

“......”

A short sigh escaped J’s lips. He slowly rose to his feet.

*Thud, thud*—his boots echoed rhythmically on the steps as he descended. With his face still hidden beneath his mask, J shoved his hands into his pockets and walked past the rookie.

At that moment, a thick scent of blood filled the air, pricking the rookie’s nose. He winced involuntarily before quickly covering his mouth in shock.

Pretending not to notice, J gave a small nod. It had already been three years since he had been hailed as a hero after awakening.

“Thanks for the message.”

Looking back now…

“Get to work.”

He realized how exhausted he was. So very tired.