âWell, well, I had a strange feeling that I wanted to come to the Bureau today. I guess it was to meet you,â Song Joheon said, laughing loudly after shaking Uijaeâs hand. Uijae, though not visibly showing it, smiled in return. Song glanced at the hallway leading to the directorâs office behind Uijae.
âWere you here to meet Director Ham? It looks like youâre coming out after the meeting?â
âYes. I just saw him,â Uijae replied.
âYou should have come to see me too! You have no idea how shocked I was to hear you were back!â
âWere you only shocked?â Uijae couldnât help but throw in a sarcastic comment. Song Joheon, however, shrugged his shoulders and replied easily.
âOf course, I was also happy! Iâm not sure if you know, but⦠most of the first-generation Awakeners have either quit being Hunters or gone into seclusion. There arenât many left to reminisce about the old days with.â
ââ¦â
A grin spread across Song Joheonâs face, his sharp, tiger-like features softening with the smile.
âItâs truly a joy to meet an old comrade again. Welcome back.â
Song Joheon... What kind of person was he?
Most of the first-generation Awakeners, who awakened shortly after the Day of the Rift, were people with naturally superior physical abilities. Many of them had jobs related to physical labor, such as soldiers, police officers, or athletes before their awakening. Uijae, who had been an ordinary student before awakening, was considered an unusual case.
Song Joheon had been a soldier, and a high-ranking one at that. When the Bureau of Awakeners was established, there was a rivalry between him and Ham Seokjeong, who had a police background, for the position of director. Eventually, Song Joheon stepped down voluntarily. People gossiped that Song Joheon should have been the director, but those whispers faded quickly, as it became clear Ham Seokjeongâs abilities were superior.
As for what Song Joheon meant to J...