Presence of an S-Rank Hunter (2)

However, that expectation seemed to be nothing more than my own wishful thinking.

The news, which had been focusing on Kim Se-hyun’s every move, was soon buzzing with netizens trying to figure out the contents of the mosaic-covered photo. Even mainstream media was giving the matter significant weight. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Haa.”

Kim Se-hyun’s related search terms had stubbornly swallowed up the top ten rankings. No matter how big an incident broke out, it was rare for one person to monopolize the top searches. Indeed, people’s interest in Kim Se-hyun was scorching.

Although the related search terms shifted every hour, the fact that they were all connected to him remained unchanged. I was looking through terms like ‘Kim Se-hyun Blue House,’ ‘Blue House,’ ‘Kim Se-hyun,’ and ‘Mosaic’ when I froze at a newly updated search term.

“…….”

Why is that showing up there?

‘Kim Se-hyun Hyung’ and ‘Kim Se-hyun Ramyeon,’ which hadn’t been there moments ago, were now trending in real-time. It was almost frightening how those words possessed such persistent vitality, refusing to be erased from people’s memories.

Watching ‘Hyung’ and ‘Ramyeon’ steadily climb the rankings, I checked the comments on an article I had open in another window.

Is it possible that’s what’s written under the mosaic? You know, the ‘Hyung’ Kim Se-hyun said he was going to eat ramyeon with after clearing the Australian dungeon. Couldn’t it be like a confession post to that guy?

└ That’s a reach. There’s a time and place for confessions!

└ As if the Blue House would ever allow that!

└ If it were anyone else, maybe, but since it’s Kim Se-hyun, it might actually be possible.

└ Possible +1. Foreign countries are working so hard to recruit him right now; a little confession like that is nothing!

“…….”

I didn’t think I’d see the words ‘Hyung’ and ‘Ramyeon’ here.

Seeing those comments sitting right at the top of the ‘Best’ section was utterly bleak. The anxiety I had briefly forgotten began to crawl back up.

“Don’t worry too much. If I were working at the Blue House, I’d be too embarrassed to ever let the original circulate.”

“He is the President, after all. Letting a photo be taken with someone looking like that right next to him involves his own prestige.”

“If something weird is written on it, it would be a total disaster. There’s no way it’ll get out.”

“…Yes.”

Hearing the team members’ words made it seem plausible. I nodded and looked at Officer Han, who cleared his throat.

“Looking at how they used a mosaic that still lets you recognize the shape of a picket, don’t you think they had it in mind that public opinion might turn against Kim Se-hyun?”

“Oh, that sounds likely!”

“I’m not certain, but that could very well be the intention.”

The Deputy Team Leader agreed with Officer Han’s opinion. I silently looked at the photo in the article before responding to Officer Kim’s call.

“Yes, Officer Kim.”

“If it’s upsetting you, you can stop looking at the articles.”

“…Yes.”

I felt like if I looked any further, I’d definitely get anxious again. Feeling a lingering sense of unease that I couldn’t quite shake off, I closed the search site.

“…….”

Only yesterday, I had felt a sense of emptiness and waited for a message, but now his absence felt different.

If I was going to be this anxious, it felt like it would be better for Kim Se-hyun to just be at the Hunter Department every day. I was fidgeting with the ballpoint pen in my hand when a paper cup was placed on my desk along with the scent of coffee. I looked up.

“You don’t have to worry that much. Have a cup of coffee and calm your mind.”

“Thank you, Deputy Team Leader.”

I had tried not to show it, but it seemed my worry was evident. After patting my shoulder a few times, he returned to his seat, and I let out a deep breath.

“…….”

Yes, just as the Deputy Team Leader said, drinking a warm tea might help me feel better. I immediately took a sip of the coffee.

Perhaps because the warm drink entered my system, I felt a bit more at ease. I continued to sip the coffee, and as the cup neared its end, I listened to the conversation that had started up again.

“Since there hasn’t been any specific contact, it seems it stayed within the ‘Angel’ range.”

“Let’s keep an eye out this week. Orders don’t always come down through direct channels.”

“Understood.”

The saying that it was a relief it stopped at ‘Angel’ meant there could have been something much worse.

“Chick.”

I gripped the cup tighter as I responded to the Team Leader’s call.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Once you finish your coffee, bring over the documents you worked on.”

“Understood.”

There weren’t many documents I had actually worked on. I printed out the files I had organized in advance and took them straight to the Team Leader.

“Hmm, let’s see.”

Even though I submitted documents for approval every time, I couldn’t help but feel nervous every single moment. This was especially true because these were financial documents going to the Association. My tension doubled as he spent a long time examining the contents.

“Good. This is enough.”

The Team Leader, nodding with a satisfied face, stood up immediately. Watching him drape his jacket over the arm holding the documents, I asked:

“Where are you going?”

At my question, the Team Leader smirked and gestured with his chin. I paused after seeing him point toward the exit.

“…….”

No way, it couldn’t be.

The direction the Team Leader pointed was toward the door, but if you went just a little further, it was there. Yes, the Association.

“Are you going to the Association?”

“Since the Slacker has been running amok like that, they’re bound to start talking nonsense. I’m going to head over first and straighten them out.”

“While you’re at it, you’re going to check on the situation?”

“Exactly.”

I wondered why he was visiting the Association so suddenly, but it seemed everyone was conscious of Kim Se-hyun. I didn’t expect him to take the time to check on the situation personally. Feeling a bit apologetic, I spoke to everyone.

“Would anyone else like some tea?”

“Oh, that’d be great!”

“The usual for me, please.”

“I’ll have my usual as well.”

“I’ll pass. I have to go and raid at least a little bit of the Association’s storehouse.”

“Take care, sir!”

“A-ah.”

The Team Leader, showing his resolve to raid the storehouse, headed for the window and immediately jumped out. By now, I was quite used to it, but it was still something I couldn’t fully adapt to. I went to the window, closed it, and then headed toward the water dispenser.

“Let’s prepare it together.”

“Yes.”

For some reason, Officer Han suggested we prepare it together. I nodded, but then asked as I watched him open the freezer of the refrigerator next to the dispenser instead of using the dispenser itself.

“What are you looking for?”

“I was wondering if there was any frozen ice.”

“You’ll find it if you look in the bottom drawer.”

“Oh, here it is.”

Officer Han, checking the bottom drawer, smiled and took out the ice. Seeing him take glass cups from the drying rack and tear open several sticks of instant coffee, it looked like he was making iced coffee.

As he started filling a glass with hot water, I filled each of the paper cups he handed me. After stirring the contents of the cups with a teaspoon and placing them on a tray, he called me in a low voice. I replied.

“Yes, Officer Han.”

“…Even if the Slacker seems to act without thinking, he has more brains than other hunters. He won’t let any harm come to our Chick.”

“…Yes.”

“The way I see it, the Slacker used his head with the mosaic thing too. He probably touched their pride so they wouldn’t leak the contents, but made it something he could still use to make a point.”

“Ah.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way.

Hearing Officer Han’s unexpected opinion made my complicated thoughts feel organized all at once. Furthermore, my heavy heart seemed to lighten considerably.

“What are you two talking about so much?”

“What, are you jealous? We’re building our friendship, so don’t butt in.”

“Wow, Officer Han, you keep your distance when I approach! Are you discriminating?”

“Of course I am!”

Officer Han and Officer Park bickered as usual, but today the bickering felt particularly excessive. Feeling like they were overdoing it just to cheer me up, a faint smile formed on my lips.

Yes, if I kept dwelling on my worries, I’d eventually be swallowed by those emotions. Reminding myself that the others were also putting their heads together, I finished the preparations. I was about to distribute the tea when the emergency phone rang, and I held my breath.

Ring— Ring—

“Hello, this is the Seoul Metropolitan Government Hunter Department.”

Officer Kim, standing up the moment, the bell rang, hastily answered the emergency call.

“…Should we suggest changing that ringtone to something else?”

“I get the shakes just hearing the first ‘ring’ of it.”

Returning to my seat behind the whispering Officer Han and Officer Park, I immediately logged into the traffic center.

“A C-scale, B-rank difficulty dungeon has been activated at Cube Building in Sector F-6!”

“Difficulty B?”

“Heavens! I’ll call the Team Leader right away!”

At the news of the dungeon activation, Officer Kim hurriedly called the Team Leader. Straightening my posture in the tense situation, I answered the Deputy Team Leader’s question.

“What is the current status of the CCTV?”

“The operation rate of the CCTVs to the north, centered around Cube Building, is relatively high! The CCTVs installed to the west and south are starting to stop working one by one! …The encroachment is happening faster than usual!”

“What’s the range?”

“The expansion speed of the range is very fast! It has currently grown to a 700m radius around Cube Building!”

At this rate, the scale would definitely be revised quickly. I looked up and watched the Deputy Team Leader quickly organize the situation the moment our eyes met.

“Officer Park, please guide people to evacuate in a different direction if possible! And Officer Han, you head out first!”

“Understood!”

“Deputy Team Leader, I can’t reach the Team Leader right now!”

Officer Kim, who had been trying to call the Team Leader, immediately reported the situation. I looked at the Deputy Team Leader.

“Wait a moment. The hunters currently available for dispatch are… Officer Kim, prepare a cooperation request! While you’re at it, report the current situation to the Team Leader!”

“Yes!”

Officer Kim, quickly filling out a cooperation request form from his drawer, dashed out of the office. After checking the CCTV again, I immediately activated the relay transmitter due to the severity of the situation.

The disaster alert that arrived the moment I pressed the final button felt particularly dangerous today. Even Officer Park, who had sent the alert, quickly left his seat. I returned to my spot and scanned the CCTV status again.

“How is it?”

“The CCTVs are continuing to go dark in the same direction. If the influence grows by another 100m from its current range, the range rank will likely need to be adjusted!”

While contacting the team members via the relay, the Deputy Team Leader, who had moved to Officer Park’s seat, quickly typed something into the computer. A moment later, another disaster alert arrived, instructing people to evacuate further away. I swallowed hard and re-read the alert.

“…….”

Perhaps because I hadn’t seen a B-rank or higher dungeon in a while, I couldn’t be more tense. Afraid I might miss a single detail, I kept scanning the CCTVs, only to be horrified by something that caught my eye.

“Deputy Team Leader! A monster has been caught on CCTV!”

“What kind of monster?”

“It’s…”

Why couldn’t I remember the monster’s name at a time like this?

I swallowed and began to describe the monster’s appearance by comparing it to surrounding objects.

“…The body size is estimated to be about that of a double-decker bus! The body is covered in many long parts that look like legs, and the overall color is black!”

Hearing the description, the Deputy Team Leader immediately came over. After checking the monitor, he fell silent before letting out a low groan. Seeing a reaction I usually didn’t see from him made me more anxious than ever.

“This is bad.”

Returning quickly to his seat, the Deputy Team Leader connected the network and relay all at once. The urgency felt in his movements couldn’t be more frightening.

“To those on-site and those en route. A single Centipede entity, a B-rank monster, has been confirmed in Sector F-6. Everyone, please exercise extreme caution.”

— What? A Centipede?

— Should we request more support if it’s a Centipede?

— They usually travel in pairs, so tell them to send an A-rank or higher! If the two fuse, one or two A-rank hunters won’t be able to catch it!

— Understood!

It seemed they had met the Team Leader at the Association, as he and Officer Kim exchanged several words. Hearing that one or two A-rank hunters wouldn’t be able to suppress it was as bleak as it could get. While keeping a close eye on the Centipede’s movements on screen, I looked toward the Team Leader’s desk as the phone there began to ring.